Today's Vedika insight
16 August 2026 · Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.41
तत्कर्म यन्न बन्धाय सा विद्या या विमुक्तये । आयासायापरं कर्म विद्यान्या शिल्पनैपुणम् ॥
tat karma yan na bandhāya sā vidyā yā vimuktaye | āyāsāyāparaṃ karma vidyānyā śilpa-naipuṇam ||
“That is action which does not lead to bondage; that is knowledge which leads to liberation. Other action is for weariness, and other learning is skill in a craft.”
Vedika literal rendering, checked against the GRETIL Sanskrit edition
“The verse judges learning by more than competence. Knowledge becomes vidyā in the fullest spiritual sense when it loosens the attachments that keep a person bound.”
Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.41
Vedika commentary
This is not an attack on practical education, art or craft. Skill matters. The verse asks a further question: does learning merely increase capability, or does it also transform the one who uses it?
Vedika distinguishes the original Sanskrit, a literal rendering, and an interpretive paraphrase so that the words of the text are never confused with explanation.
Source
Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.41
Traditional commentary
Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.41; Prahlāda narrative context
Explanation
Vedika