Shloka 28
Adhyāya 240: Indriya–Manas–Buddhi–Ātman — The Inner Hierarchy and Restraint (इन्द्रिय-मनस्-बुद्धि-आत्म-क्रमः)
शून्या गिरिगुहा श्वैव देवतायतनानि च । शून्यागाराणि चैकाग्रो निवासार्थमुपक्रमेत्,सत्त्वसंसेवनाद धीरो निद्रामुच्छेत्तुमरहति । विद्वानोंने योगके जो काम, क्रोध, लोभ, भय और पाँचवाँ स्वप्र--ये पाँच दोष बताये हैं उनका पूर्णतया उच्छेद करे। इनमेंसे क्रोधको शम (मनोनिग्रह) के द्वारा जीते, कामको संकल्पके त्यागद्वारा पराजित करे तथा धीर पुरुष सत्वगुणका सेवन करनेसे निद्राका उच्छेद कर सकता है
śūnyā giriguhāś caiva devatāyatanāni ca | śūnyāgārāṇi caikāgro nivāsārtham upakramet | sattvasaṃsevanād dhīro nidrām ucchettum arhati |
Vyāsa said: “Let a focused seeker undertake to dwell in empty mountain-caves, in deserted shrines of the gods, and in uninhabited houses. By cultivating sattva (clarity and purity), a steadfast person becomes fit to cut off sleep (sloth and torpor).” The ethical thrust is ascetic discipline: choosing solitude and simplicity to weaken inner faults and strengthen clarity, vigilance, and self-mastery.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that deliberate solitude and simplicity support one-pointedness (ekāgratā). By cultivating sattva—clarity, purity, and balance—a disciplined person becomes capable of overcoming nidrā, understood not only as ordinary sleep but also as spiritual dullness and inertia that obstruct practice.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Vyāsa gives practical guidance to a seeker: choose secluded places—caves, deserted shrines, empty dwellings—and live there with focused intent, using that environment to strengthen sattva and reduce obstacles like torpor.