Shloka 10
Vāc–Manas Saṃvāda: Prāṇa-Apāna and the Primacy Debate (वाक्–मनस् संवादः)
ब्राह्मण्युवाच कस्माद् वागभवत् पूर्व कस्मात् पश्चान्मनो5भवत् | मनसा चिन्तितं वाक्यं यदा समभिपद्यते,ब्राह्मणी बोली--प्रियतम! किस कारणसे वाक्की उत्पत्ति पहले हुई और क्यों मन पीछे हुआ? जब कि मनसे सोचे-विचारे वचनको ही व्यवहारमें लाया जाता है
brāhmaṇy uvāca: kasmād vāg abhavat pūrvaṁ kasmāt paścān mano 'bhavat | manasā cintitaṁ vākyaṁ yadā samabhipadyate ||
Die Brahmanin sprach: „Geliebter, warum entstand die Rede zuerst, und weshalb kam der Geist erst danach? Denn in der Praxis übernimmt man doch das Wort, das der Geist zuvor bedacht hat.“
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-philosophical problem: although action in the world proceeds through spoken words, those words are ideally governed by prior mental reflection. It invites inquiry into the proper hierarchy and discipline of mind and speech—suggesting that speech should be accountable to thoughtful intention rather than impulsive utterance.
A Brahmin woman addresses her beloved and poses a probing question about the origin and precedence of speech and mind. She points to everyday experience—people act on words that have been mentally considered—and uses that observation to challenge why speech is said to have arisen before mind.