Shloka 14
अहमात्मानमात्मस्थो मार्गमाणो55त्मनो गतिम् । वासार्थिन महाप्रज्ञं चलच्चित्तमुपास्मि ह,मैं विषयोंसे निवृत्त हो अपने-आपमें ही स्थित रहकर जीवात्माओंकी परमगतिस्वरूप परब्रह्म परमात्माकी खोज कर रहा हूँ, तो भी महान बुद्धियुक्त गृहमें आसक्त हुए इस चंचल चित्तकी उपासना करता हूँ (अतः मैं न तो आसक्त हूँ और न विरक्त ही हूँ)
aham ātmānam ātmastho mārgaṇo ’tmanaḥ gatim | vāsārthin mahāprājñaṃ calacittam upāsmi ha ||
The Brahmin said: “Having withdrawn from sense-objects, abiding within my own Self, I search for the supreme course of the individual self—Brahman, the highest Self. Yet I still ‘serve’ this restless mind, though it is greatly clever and keeps seeking a dwelling in the household-life. Therefore I am neither bound by attachment nor defined by aversion; I strive for inner freedom while acknowledging the mind’s habitual movement.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one turns away from sense-objects and seeks the highest realization (ātmanaḥ gati), the mind remains restless and habit-driven. The teaching is to recognize this instability without falling into either attachment or aversion, and to continue disciplined inner practice—observing, training, and redirecting the mind toward the Self.
A Brahmin speaker describes his inner state: he is engaged in the quest for the supreme Self while simultaneously dealing with a clever, wandering mind that keeps inclining toward ‘dwelling’ in worldly life. He frames this as a lived tension of spiritual pursuit—neither indulgence nor hatred, but ongoing practice amid mental fluctuation.