Shloka 42
Karma-Saṃnyāsa–Karma-Yoga Saṃvāda
Renunciation and the Discipline of Action
सम्बन्ध-- पूर्वश्लोकमें इन्द्रियॉको वशर्में करके कामरूप शत्रुकों मारनेके लिये कहा गया। इसपर यह शंका होती है कि जब इन्द्रिय
arjuna uvāca | indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ | manasas tu parā buddhir buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ ||
Arjuna said: “They say the senses are superior to the body; higher than the senses is the mind; higher than the mind is the intellect; and higher than the intellect is the Self. Therefore, to confront desire—which works through these inner instruments—one must discern this inner hierarchy and take refuge in the Self beyond intellect, rather than be driven by the senses and mind.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a graded inner hierarchy: senses are surpassed by mind, mind by intellect, and intellect by the Self. Therefore, overcoming desire requires moving one’s center of control upward—from sensory impulse to mental regulation, from mental fluctuation to discerning intellect, and finally grounding oneself in the Self that transcends these instruments.
After hearing that desire should be slain by mastering the senses, Arjuna raises an implicit difficulty: if desire dominates the senses, mind, and intellect, how can one control it? This verse begins the response by mapping the inner faculties and indicating where true mastery must be established.