Shloka 17
सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः
The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind
काष्ठानीवार्द्रशुष्काणि यतमानैरपीन्द्रियै: । गुणार्थान् नाधिगच्छन्ति मामृते सर्वजन्तव:
kāṣṭhānīva ārdraśuṣkāṇi yatamānair api indriyaiḥ | guṇārthān nādhigacchanti mām ṛte sarvajantavaḥ ||
Der Geist sprach: „Wie Holzstücke—ob feucht oder trocken—aus sich selbst nichts ‘erfahren’, so können auch alle Lebewesen, selbst wenn ihre Sinne sich mühen und anstrengen, ohne mich die Sinnesobjekte und ihre Eigenschaften nicht wirklich erfassen. Der Geist ist es, der den Sinneskontakt bedeutsam macht; ohne ihn bleiben Anstrengung und Organe träge.“
मन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sense-organs alone do not produce experience; the mind is the indispensable mediator that apprehends sense-objects and their qualities. Without the mind’s participation, sensory effort is as inert as wet or dry wood.
The speaker ‘Mind’ is explaining its role within embodied life: even if the senses are active and striving, perception and enjoyment/knowledge of objects cannot occur without the mind, emphasizing inner causality over mere external faculties.