Shloka 23
Rājapurohita-lakṣaṇa and Purūravas–Vāyu Saṃvāda
Varṇa, Sovereignty, and Abhaya-dāna
शब्दे स्पर्शे रसे रूपे गन्धे च रमते मन:
śabde sparśe rase rūpe gandhe ca ramate manaḥ
ঐলে ক’লে: মন শব্দ, স্পৰ্শ, ৰস, ৰূপ আৰু গন্ধত ৰমে—পঞ্চবিষয়ত চঞ্চল হৈ সুখ বিচাৰে; আৰু এই আসক্তিয়েই তাক স্থিৰতা, আত্মসংযম আৰু ধৰ্মৰ বাবে আৱশ্যক নৈতিক শৃঙ্খলাৰ পৰা আঁতৰাই নিয়ে।
ऐल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the mind naturally runs toward the pleasures of the five sense-objects. Recognizing this tendency is the first step toward restraint (dama), detachment (vairāgya), and steadiness required for living according to dharma.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Aila speaks as a moral-exemplary voice, describing the mind’s attraction to sensory pleasures to support a broader discourse on self-mastery and the causes of bondage and suffering.