Shloka 18
Śuka’s Manifestation from the Araṇi (Āraṇeya-janma) — शुकजन्म (आरणेय-सम्भव)
मनसि व्याकुले चक्षु: पश्यन्नपि न पश्यति | तथेन्द्रियाणि सर्वाणि पश्यन्तीत्यभिचक्षते
manasi vyākule cakṣuḥ paśyann api na paśyati | tathendriyāṇi sarvāṇi paśyantīty abhicaṣate ||
Yājñavalkya sprach: „Ist der Geist aufgewühlt, so sieht das Auge, obwohl es blickt, nicht wirklich. Ebenso behaupten die Menschen irrtümlich, alle Sinne nähmen ihre Gegenstände unmittelbar wahr—doch ohne einen gefestigten Geist ist sinnliche ‚Wahrnehmung‘ nur Schein.“
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
True perception depends on the mind’s steadiness. Even if the sense-organs are functioning, an agitated mind prevents clear apprehension; therefore, claiming that the senses alone ‘perceive’ is a mistake without mental clarity.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and inner discipline, the sage Yājñavalkya explains to his listener(s) that sensory knowledge is not independent: the mind governs whether seeing, hearing, and other perceptions become genuine understanding.