Mahabharata 3.2.68 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 68
ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः
Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction
मनो यस्येन्द्रियस्पेह विषयान् याति सेवितुम् | तस्यौत्सुक्यं सम्भवति प्रवृत्तिश्नोपजायते
mano yasyendriyaspeha viṣayān yāti sevitum | tasyautsukyaṃ sambhavati pravṛttiś copajāyate ||
When a person’s mind, driven by longing for the senses, goes to indulge in sense-objects, eagerness for those objects arises; and then the sense-faculties become actively engaged in their enjoyment.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire begins when the mind turns toward sense-objects; indulgence breeds eagerness and then becomes a habit of outward pursuit. The implied ethical counsel is vigilance at the level of the mind, because once the senses are engaged, attachment strengthens and self-mastery weakens.
Śaunaka, in a didactic mode, states a general psychological and moral principle: the mind’s movement toward enjoyment triggers craving and then active indulgence. The verse functions as instruction rather than describing a specific action scene.
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