Shloka 21
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
यथा च दीर्घमध्वानं पद्भ्यामेव प्रपद्यते । अदृष्टपूर्व सहसा तत्त्वदर्शनवर्जित:
yathā ca dīrgham adhvānaṃ padbhyām eva prapadyate | adṛṣṭapūrvaḥ sahasā tattvadarśanavarjitaḥ ||
Just as a man, having never seen the route before, suddenly sets out on a long journey relying only on his feet, he fails to reach his intended destination; in the same way, an ignorant person who is devoid of the vision of truth cannot attain the true goal.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Without tattva-darśana (true insight into reality), effort alone is misdirected; like an unfamiliar traveler rushing onto a long road, the ignorant person cannot reach the real goal.
Vāyudeva speaks in the form of an analogy, using the image of an unacquainted traveler to illustrate the spiritual and ethical danger of acting without true knowledge.