Shloka 23

Rājapurohita-lakṣaṇa and Purūravas–Vāyu Saṃvāda

Varṇa, Sovereignty, and Abhaya-dāna

Devanagari script

शब्दे स्पर्शे रसे रूपे गन्धे च रमते मन:

Transliteration

śabde sparśe rase rūpe gandhe ca ramate manaḥ

Translation

Aila said: The mind delights in sound, touch, taste, form, and smell—restlessly seeking pleasure through the five sense-objects. In this teaching context, the verse points to how attachment to sensory enjoyment pulls one away from steadiness, self-mastery, and the ethical discipline needed for dharma.

Word by Word

• शब्दे: in sound
• शब्दे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शब्द
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• स्पर्शे: in touch
• स्पर्शे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्श
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• रसे: in taste
• रसे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• रूपे: in form (appearance)
• रूपे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• गन्धे: in smell
• गन्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• रमते: delights (takes pleasure)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रम्
• Form: Present, Lat, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• मनः: the mind
• मनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

ऐल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Aila (speaker)
• mind (manas)
• five sense-objects (sound, touch, taste, form, smell)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the mind naturally runs toward the pleasures of the five sense-objects. Recognizing this tendency is the first step toward restraint (dama), detachment (vairāgya), and steadiness required for living according to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Aila speaks as a moral-exemplary voice, describing the mind’s attraction to sensory pleasures to support a broader discourse on self-mastery and the causes of bondage and suffering.