Shloka 23
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
महर्षिर्भगवानन्रिवेंद तच्छुक्रसम्भवम् । त्रिबीजमिन्द्रदैवत्यं तस्मादिन्द्रियमुच्यते
mahārṣir bhagavān atrir veda tac chukra-sambhavam | tri-bījam indra-daivatyam tasmād indriyam ucyate ||
Bhishma said: “The venerable great seer Atri knows the origin and course of that generative potency. He declares that it has three causes—(the channel) that carries the mind, resolve (saṅkalpa), and food. The presiding deity of this potency is Indra; therefore it is called ‘indriya’ (that which belongs to Indra / the faculty under Indra’s lordship).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links bodily potency and the functioning of faculties to three supports—mind-channel, intention, and nourishment—implying that ethical self-mastery involves regulating thought (saṅkalpa) and diet, since the senses (indriyas) are governed under a higher order symbolized by Indra.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he cites the authority of the sage Atri to explain the origin and classification of ‘indriya,’ giving a doctrinal-etymological account that connects physiology, psychology, and divine governance.