Shloka 23
Abhaya-Itihāsa: Karma, Indriyas, and the Non-sensory Brahman
Brāhmaṇī–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda
घ्राता भक्षयिता द्रष्टा स्प्रष्टा श्रोता च पठडचम: । मन्ता बोद्धा च सप्तैते भवन्ति परमर्त्विज:,हवींष्यग्निषु होतार: सप्तथा सप्त सप्तसु । सम्यक् प्रक्षिप्य विद्वांसो जनयन्ति स्वयोनिषु 'पूर्वोक्त सात होता उक्त सात हविष्योंका सात रूपोंमें विभक्त हुए वैश्वानरमें भलीभाँति हवन करके (अर्थात् विषयोंकी ओरसे आसक्ति हटाकर) विद्वान् पुरुष अपने तन्मात्रा आदि योनियोंमें शब्दादि विषयोंको उत्पन्न करते हैं
ghrātā bhakṣayitā draṣṭā spraṣṭā śrotā ca paṭhaṅgamaḥ | mantā boddhā ca saptaite bhavanti paramar̥tvijaḥ || havīṁṣy agniṣu hotāraḥ saptathā sapta saptasu | samyak prakṣipya vidvāṁso janayanti svayoniṣu ||
قال فايُو: «الشمّام، والآكل، والرائي، واللامس، والسامع، والمندفع نحو موضوعه، والمفكّر، والعارف—هؤلاء السبعة يقومون مقام الكهنة العظام (ṛtvij). وكأنهم سبعة أنواع من القرابين، يقدّمهم سبعة كهنة في النيران السبع. فإذا ألقاهم الحكماء على الوجه القويم—أي بسحب التعلّق من موضوعات الحواس—أنشؤوا في أصولهم الخاصة موضوعاتٍ لطيفة كالصوت وسواه.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reframes sacrifice as an inner discipline: the sense-faculties and inner instruments act like priests and offerings. When a wise person ‘offers’ them correctly—i.e., withdraws attachment and regulates their outward flow—one gains mastery over the arising of sense-objects and experiences, rather than being driven by them.
Vāyu is instructing by using a yajña metaphor. He identifies seven functional powers (senses and inner faculties) as priests and describes their sevenfold offerings into seven fires, explaining that proper ‘offering’ means turning away from craving for objects and thereby governing the production/manifestation of sensory objects (sound and the rest) within their subtle sources.