Shloka 293
Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā
Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties
अधिभूतं च संकल्पश्नन्द्रमाश्नाधिदेवतम् । पजञ्चभूतोंका संचालन करनेवाला मन अध्यात्म कहा गया है। संकल्प उसका अधिभूत है और चन्द्रमा उसके अधिष्ठाता देवता माने गये हैं
adhibhūtaṁ ca saṅkalpaś candramāś cādhidaivatam | pañcabhūtānāṁ sañcālana-karaṁ mana adhyātmaṁ kathyate | saṅkalpas tasyādhibhūtaṁ candramās tasyādhiṣṭhātā devatā manyate ||
Vāyu said: “The mind (manas)—by which the five great elements are set in motion and directed—is taught here as adhyātma. Its adhibhūta aspect is resolve (saṅkalpa), and the Moon (Candra) is regarded as its presiding divine principle (adhidaivata).”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
It maps the triad adhyātma–adhibhūta–adhidaivata onto the mind: mind is the inner principle (adhyātma), its operative worldly expression is intention/resolve (saṅkalpa) as adhibhūta, and its presiding divine regulator is the Moon (Candramā) as adhidaivata—highlighting that ethical action begins with disciplined intention.
In a didactic discourse within the Aśvamedhika Parva, Vāyudeva explains philosophical correspondences between inner faculties, their functional manifestations, and their presiding deities, using the mind and the Moon as a key example.