Shloka 59

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)

Devanagari script

रथ: शरीरं पुरुषस्य राज- न्नात्मा नियन्तेन्द्रियाण्यस्य चाश्वा: | तैरप्रमत्त: कुशली सदश्नै- दन्ति: सुखं याति रथीव धीर:,राजन! मनुष्यका शरीर रथ है, बुद्धि सारथि है और इन्द्रियाँ इसके घोड़े हैं। इनको वशमें करके सावधान रहनेवाला चतुर एवं धीर पुरुष काबूमें किये हुए घोड़ोंसे रथीकी भाँति सुखपूर्वक संसारपथका अतिक्रमण करता है

Transliteration

rathaḥ śarīraṁ puruṣasya rājan ātmā niyantendriyāṇy asya cāśvāḥ | tair apramattaḥ kuśalī sadaśnaiḥ dāntiḥ sukhaṁ yāti rathīva dhīraḥ ||

Translation

Vidura said: “O King, a man’s body is like a chariot; the self within is its lord, the intellect is the charioteer, and the senses are its horses. One who is vigilant, skilled, and disciplined—keeping these horses well-controlled—travels the road of the world in safety and happiness, like a steady driver guiding a well-reined chariot.”

Word by Word

• {'rathaḥ': 'chariot (metaphor for the embodied vehicle)', 'śarīram': 'body', 'puruṣasya': 'of a person / of man', 'rājan': 'O king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'ātmā': 'self

• inner principle (the one who ought to govern)', 'niyantā': 'controller

• guide', 'indriyāṇi': 'senses

• sense-faculties', 'asya': 'of this (person)', 'aśvāḥ': 'horses', 'taiḥ': 'by/with them (i.e., with the senses as instruments when controlled)', 'apramattaḥ': 'unheedless

• not negligent', 'kuśalī': 'skilled

• wise in conduct', 'sadaśnaiḥ': 'with good reins/bridles

• well-reined (i.e., properly restrained)', 'dāntiḥ': 'disciplined

• self-controlled', 'sukham': 'happiness

• well-being', 'yāti': 'goes

• attains', 'rathīva': 'like a charioteer', 'dhīraḥ': 'steadfast

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• King (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• chariot (ratha)
• body (śarīra)
• self (ātmā)
• senses (indriyāṇi)
• horses (aśvāḥ)
• reins/bridle (daśnā)