Shloka 12
सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः
The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind
घ्राणं जिह्ना च चक्षुश्न त्वक् श्रोत्र मन एव च | न निष्ठामधिगच्छन्ति बुद्धिस्तामधिगच्छति
ghrāṇaṁ jihvā ca cakṣuṣ tvak śrotraṁ mana eva ca | na niṣṭhām adhigacchanti buddhis tām adhigacchati ||
ব্রাহ্মণ বললেন— নাসিকা, জিহ্বা, চক্ষু, ত্বক, কর্ণ এবং মন—এরা কোনো বিষয়ে দৃঢ় নিশ্চয়ে পৌঁছাতে পারে না। নিশ্চিত জ্ঞান কেবল বুদ্ধিরই অধিকার।
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sense faculties and the mind merely present impressions and fluctuate; they cannot by themselves produce a settled conclusion. Decisive understanding (niṣṭhā) arises through buddhi—the discriminative, determinative intellect that judges and ascertains.
A Brāhmaṇa speaker is instructing the listener on how knowledge and certainty are formed: sensory inputs and mental movements are insufficient for final judgment, and true ascertainment belongs to the intellect that discriminates and decides.