Shloka 11
शुकस्य मिथिलागमनम् (Śukasya Mithilāgamanam) — Śuka’s Journey to Mithilā and the Courtly Test
तमप्रतिबलं भीममाकाशं ग्रसते55त्मना । आकाशमप्यभिनदन्मनो ग्रसति चाधिकम्
tam apratibalaṃ bhīmam ākāśaṃ grasate ātmanā | ākāśam apy abhinadan mano grasati cādhikam ||
قال ياجنافالكيا: «تلك القوّةُ التي لا تُقاوَم، المهيبةُ المخيفة، يبتلعها الفضاءُ نفسُه. وحتى الفضاء—وإن كان يزمجر ويرنّ صداه—تستولي عليه النفسُ/العقلُ وتبتلعه، وهو أشدّ قوّةً منه.»
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a hierarchy of power from gross to subtle: even vast space is ultimately overruled by the mind. Therefore, ethical and spiritual discipline should focus on mastering the mind, since it determines experience and bondage more than external conditions.
In Yājñavalkya’s discourse, a sequence of ‘swallowing’ (grasana) illustrates successive superiority: a formidable force is absorbed by space, and then space itself is surpassed by the mind. The imagery conveys that inner faculties can dominate what appears externally immense.