Shloka 32
अध्यात्म-तत्त्व-निर्णयः
Adhyātma Taxonomy: Elements, Faculties, and Guṇas
नदद्वारं पुरं गत्वा हंसो हि नियतो वशी । ईश: सर्वस्य भूतस्य स्थावरस्य चरस्य च
nava-dvāraṁ puraṁ gatvā haṁso hi niyato vaśī | īśaḥ sarvasya bhūtasya sthāvarasya carasya ca ||
Vyāsa said: Having entered the city of nine gates—the human body—the haṁsa, the indwelling self, abides steady and self-controlled. He is the Lord of all beings, of the immobile and the moving alike; though present within embodied life, he remains sovereign and unbound. The teaching points to inner governance: recognizing the Supreme as the ruler within all creatures steadies conduct and turns one from outward compulsion toward disciplined, ethical living.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The body is a ‘city of nine gates,’ but the true ruler within is the Lord/inner Self. Recognizing this indwelling sovereignty supports niyama (discipline) and vaśitva (self-mastery), encouraging ethical restraint rather than being driven by the senses.
Vyāsa states a metaphysical instruction: the Supreme, as the Lord of all beings, is present within embodied existence. Using the image of entering the nine-gated city, he describes the haṁsa (inner self) as steady and self-controlled, framing a contemplative teaching rather than an external event.