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,इसी प्रकार नासिका, जीभ, आँख, त्वचा, कान, और मन--वे किसी बातका निश्चय नहीं कर सकते। निश्चयात्मक ज्ञान तो केवल बुद्धिको होता है
ghrāṇaṁ jihvā ca cakṣuṣ tvak śrotraṁ mana eva ca | na niṣṭhām adhigacchanti buddhis tām adhigacchati ||
The Brāhmaṇa said: “The nose, the tongue, the eyes, the skin, the ears, and even the mind—these do not arrive at firm ascertainment. It is the intellect (buddhi) alone that reaches decisive knowledge.”
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.