Shloka 24
सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः
The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind
यथा हि शिष्य: शास्तारं श्र॒त्यर्थमभिधावति । ततः श्रुतमुपादाय श्रुत्यर्थमुपतिछठति
yathā hi śiṣyaḥ śāstāraṁ śruty-artham abhidhāvati | tataḥ śrutam upādāya śruty-artham upatiṣṭhati ||
«De même que l’élève accourt vers le maître afin de comprendre le sens de l’enseignement révélé (le Veda), puis—ayant reçu ce qui fut entendu—demeure fidèle à ce sens par la réflexion et la pratique ; de même, dans ton sommeil comme dans ton éveil, tu n’éprouves que les objets du passé et de l’avenir que nous (les facultés intérieures) te montrons.»
मन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Knowledge is first received from an authoritative source (teacher/śruti), but it becomes effective only when the learner internalizes it—standing by its meaning through reflection and lived practice. Likewise, experience in waking and dream is mediated by inner faculties; the self encounters objects as presented by the mind.
Manas (the Mind) speaks, using the example of a disciple approaching a teacher for the meaning of śruti. The verse illustrates how understanding is acquired and then sustained, and it extends the analogy to explain that the experiencer’s waking and sleeping perceptions depend on what the mind presents.