Shloka 18
मनसि व्याकुले चक्षु: पश्यन्नपि न पश्यति | तथेन्द्रियाणि सर्वाणि पश्यन्तीत्यभिचक्षते,जिस समय मन व्यग्र रहता है, उस समय आँख देखती हुई भी नहीं देख पाती। लोग भ्रमवश ही ऐसा कहते हैं कि सम्पूर्ण इन्द्रियाँ विषयोंको प्रत्यक्ष करती हैं
manasi vyākule cakṣuḥ paśyann api na paśyati | tathendriyāṇi sarvāṇi paśyantīty abhicaṣate ||
Yājñavalkya said: “When the mind is agitated, the eye, though looking, does not truly see. So too people err in saying that all the senses directly perceive their objects; without a steady mind, sensory ‘perception’ is only an appearance.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
True perception depends on the mind’s steadiness. Even if the sense-organs are functioning, an agitated mind prevents clear apprehension; therefore, claiming that the senses alone ‘perceive’ is a mistake without mental clarity.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and inner discipline, the sage Yājñavalkya explains to his listener(s) that sensory knowledge is not independent: the mind governs whether seeing, hearing, and other perceptions become genuine understanding.