Shloka 9
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
व्याख्यातं पूर्वकल्पेन मशकोदुम्बरं यथा । भुज्यमानं न जानीते नित्यं सत्त्वमचेतनम् । यस्त्वेवं तं विजानीते यो भुड्धक्ते यश्व भुज्यते
vyākhyātaṃ pūrvakalpena maśakodumbaraṃ yathā | bhujyamānaṃ na jānīte nityaṃ sattvam acetanam | yas tv evaṃ taṃ vijānīte yo bhoktā caiva bhujyate ||
Vāyu said: “As was explained earlier through the illustration of the mosquito and the udumbara (cluster fig), the ‘enjoyed’ principle—insentient sattva—does not truly know the eternal knower of the field. But the knower (kṣetrajña) understands correctly: the one who experiences is the Self, and that which is experienced is the material quality (sattva).”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
It distinguishes the conscious experiencer (ātman/kṣetrajña, the bhoktā) from the insentient experienced field or quality (sattva, the bhogya). True knowledge is recognizing that the Self is the knower and enjoyer, while material nature is what is enjoyed.
Vāyu continues a philosophical instruction, referring back to an earlier analogy (mosquito and udumbara) to clarify how the insentient cannot know the eternal knower, whereas the knower correctly discerns the relation between experiencer and experienced.