Shloka 23
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
महर्षिर्भगवानन्रिवेंद तच्छुक्रसम्भवम् । त्रिबीजमिन्द्रदैवत्यं तस्मादिन्द्रियमुच्यते
mahārṣir bhagavān atrir veda tac chukra-sambhavam | tri-bījam indra-daivatyam tasmād indriyam ucyate ||
قال بهيشما: «إنّ المَهَرِشي الجليل أَتْرِي (Atri) يعلم منشأ تلك القوّة المُولِّدة ومسارها. ويُعلن أنّ لها ثلاثة أسباب: (القناة) الحاملة للذهن، والسَّنْكَلْپَة (saṅkalpa) أي العزم، والطعام. والإله المُشرف على هذه القوّة هو إندرا؛ ولذلك تُسمّى “إندريا” (indriya): ما يَتعلّق بإندرا، أو الملكة الواقعة تحت سيادته.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links bodily potency and the functioning of faculties to three supports—mind-channel, intention, and nourishment—implying that ethical self-mastery involves regulating thought (saṅkalpa) and diet, since the senses (indriyas) are governed under a higher order symbolized by Indra.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he cites the authority of the sage Atri to explain the origin and classification of ‘indriya,’ giving a doctrinal-etymological account that connects physiology, psychology, and divine governance.