Shloka 3
कामद्रुम-रूपकः तथा शरीर-पुर-रूपकः
The Desire-Tree and the Body-as-City Metaphors
इन्द्रिये भ्य: परे हार्था अर्थेभ्य: परमं मन: । मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्बुद्धेरात्मा महान् पर:
vyāsa uvāca | indriyebhyaḥ pare hy arthāḥ arthebhyaḥ paramaṁ manaḥ | manasastu parā buddhir buddher ātmā mahān paraḥ || bhūmir āpas tathā jyotir vāyur ākāśa eva ca | mahābhūtāni bhūtānāṁ sāgarasyormayo yathā ||
Vyāsa said: ‘Beyond the senses stand their objects, for objects overpower the senses. Beyond objects stands the mind; beyond the mind stands the intellect; and beyond the intellect stands the great Self. Earth, water, fire, wind, and space—these five great elements abide within the bodies of all beings. As waves rise and subside in the ocean, so these elements take form as embodied existence and again dissolve.’
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A graded hierarchy is taught: sense-objects dominate the senses, the mind dominates objects by directing attention, the intellect is higher than the mind through discernment, and the Self is higher than intellect. Alongside this, embodiment is explained as a temporary configuration of the five great elements, rising and dissolving like waves in the ocean—encouraging detachment and self-knowledge.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Vyāsa delivers a philosophical exposition on inner faculties and the constitution of the body. The passage functions as a teaching on controlling the senses, refining mind and intellect, and recognizing the Self as the highest principle, while viewing bodily existence as elemental and impermanent.