Shloka 4
सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः
The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind
ब्राह्मण्युवाच सूक्ष्मेअवकाशे सन्तस्ते कं नान्योन्यदर्शिन: । कथंस्वभावा भगवन्नेतदाचक्ष्व मे प्रभो
brāhmaṇy uvāca sūkṣme 'vakāśe santaḥ te kaṁ na anyonya-darśinaḥ | kathaṁ-svabhāvā bhagavan etad ācakṣva me prabho ||
Die Brahmanin fragte: „Wenn all diese Wesen in derselben feinen Sphäre verweilen, warum nehmen sie einander dann nicht wahr? O seliger Herr, erkläre mir bitte, o Meister, welche angeborenen Wesensarten sie haben.“
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a philosophical problem: beings may coexist in a subtle realm yet fail to perceive one another due to differences in inherent disposition (svabhāva) and the conditions governing perception. It invites an explanation of how nature and perception-limitations shape experience.
In a teacher–questioner dialogue, the Brahmin woman respectfully questions the Lord-like interlocutor: if all reside in the same subtle space, why is there no mutual visibility, and what are the characteristic natures of those beings.