Shloka 23
अन्तर्वन-विद्यारण्योपमा
The Allegory of the Inner Forest of Knowledge
शममप्यत्र शंसन्ति विद्यारण्यविदो जना: । तदारण्यमभिप्रेत्य यथाधीरभिजायत
śamam apy atra śaṃsanti vidyāraṇyavido janāḥ | tad āraṇyam abhipretya yathādhīr abhijāyate ||
Ici, ceux qui connaissent véritablement la «forêt de la connaissance» louent aussi le śama, la maîtrise de soi. Dans le dessein d’entrer en cette forêt intérieure, on cultive le śama (le contrôle du mental), par quoi l’intellect devient ferme et stable.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that śama—mental restraint and inner calm—is essential for true knowledge. Those who understand the ‘forest of knowledge’ praise self-control because it stabilizes the intellect, making it capable of grasping the highest reality.
A Brahmin speaker explains a spiritual principle using the metaphor of a forest: to ‘enter’ the forest of knowledge (the domain of Brahman-realization), one must cultivate śama, which gives steadiness and clarity to the mind and intellect.