Shloka 16
Jvarotpatti — The Origin and Distribution of Jvara
Fever
चित्तमिन्द्रियसंघातात् परं तस्मात् परं मन: । मनसस्तु परा बुद्धि: क्षेत्रज्ञो बुद्धित: पर:
cittam indriyasaṅghātāt paraṃ tasmāt paraṃ manaḥ | manasas tu parā buddhiḥ kṣetrajño buddhitaḥ paraḥ ||
Asita dijo: “La conciencia interior llamada citta es superior al mero agregado del cuerpo y los sentidos. Superior al citta es la mente (manas); superior a la mente es el discernimiento (buddhi); y superior incluso al discernimiento es el kṣetrajña, el conocedor consciente que mora dentro. Esta enseñanza conduce a buscar el verdadero ser más allá de los instrumentos mudables de la percepción y el pensamiento, y a fundar la vida ética en el conocimiento de sí, no en el impulso de los sentidos.”
असित उवाच
Educational Q&A
A graded hierarchy is taught: the sensory-body aggregate is surpassed by citta, which is surpassed by manas, which is surpassed by buddhi; beyond all these instruments stands the kṣetrajña, the conscious knower. Ethical steadiness comes from identifying with the knower rather than being driven by sensory and mental fluctuations.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Asita delivers a philosophical teaching on the inner constitution of a person, distinguishing the senses, mind, intellect, and the witnessing self to guide the listener toward liberation-oriented understanding and disciplined conduct.