Shloka 11
सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः
The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind
घ्राणं जिह्ना च चक्षुश्न त्वक् श्रोत्रं बुद्धिरेव च । संशयं नाधिगच्छन्ति मनस्तमधिगच्छति,नासिका, जीभ, आँख, त्वचा, कान और बुद्धि--ये संशय (संकल्प-विकल्प) नहीं कर सकते। यह काम मनका है
ghrāṇaṁ jihvā ca cakṣuṣī tvak śrotraṁ buddhir eva ca | saṁśayaṁ nādhigacchanti manas tam adhigacchati ||
Le brāhmane dit : «Le nez, la langue, les yeux, la peau, les oreilles, et même l’intellect ne produisent pas d’eux-mêmes le doute ni l’hésitation. C’est le mental qui atteint (et suscite) ce vacillement ; ainsi, la fermeté morale et le juste discernement dépendent de la maîtrise du mental plutôt que du blâme jeté sur les sens.»
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Doubt and indecision are not produced by the external sense-faculties or even by raw intellect alone; they arise in the mind, which coordinates perceptions and entertains alternatives. Ethical clarity therefore requires disciplining the mind—so that perception and intellect can function without wavering.
A brāhmaṇa speaker is explaining an inner, psychological basis for moral confusion: the senses merely report their objects, and the intellect can discern, but the mind is where vacillation (saṅkalpa–vikalpa) occurs. The statement supports a broader instruction on self-governance and right conduct.