Shloka 6
अलर्कोपाख्यानम् — Indriya-Nigraha and Yogic Victory
Mahābhārata 14.30
यदिदं चापलात् कर्म सर्वान् मर्त्याश्विकीर्षति । मन: प्रति सुतीक्ष्णाग्रानहं मोक्ष्यामि सायकान्
yad idaṁ cāpalāt karma sarvān martyān aśikīrṣati | manaḥ prati sutīkṣṇāgrān ahaṁ mokṣyāmi sāyakān ||
Dijo Alarka: «Puesto que esta mente, por su inconstancia, impulsa a todos los mortales a obrar de toda clase de maneras, ahora dirigiré mis flechas, de punta aguda, contra la mente misma: contra la fuente de toda inquieta actividad».
अलर्क उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse locates the root of impulsive, morally mixed activity in the mind’s fickleness. Ethical effort therefore begins not merely by restraining outward acts, but by disciplining the inner driver—turning one’s force against mental restlessness itself.
Alarka declares a shift from battling external targets to confronting the internal cause of human action. Using the warrior image of releasing sharp arrows, he dramatizes an inward campaign: to strike at the mind that propels people into countless undertakings.