Shloka 23
अन्तर्वन-विद्यारण्योपमा
The Allegory of the Inner Forest of Knowledge
शममप्यत्र शंसन्ति विद्यारण्यविदो जना: । तदारण्यमभिप्रेत्य यथाधीरभिजायत
śamam apy atra śaṃsanti vidyāraṇyavido janāḥ | tad āraṇyam abhipretya yathādhīr abhijāyate ||
Here, those who truly understand the ‘forest of knowledge’ also praise śama, self-restraint. With the aim of entering that inner forest, one cultivates śama (control of the mind), by which the intellect becomes steady.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that śama—mental restraint and inner calm—is essential for true knowledge. Those who understand the ‘forest of knowledge’ praise self-control because it stabilizes the intellect, making it capable of grasping the highest reality.
A Brahmin speaker explains a spiritual principle using the metaphor of a forest: to ‘enter’ the forest of knowledge (the domain of Brahman-realization), one must cultivate śama, which gives steadiness and clarity to the mind and intellect.