Shloka 4
Adhyāya 51: Kṛṣṇa’s Leave-Taking and Departure for Dvārakā (द्वारकागमनानुमति)
महदश्वसमायुक्तं बुद्धिसंयमनं रथम् | समारुह् स भूतात्मा समन्तात् परिधावति
mahadaśvasamāyuktaṃ buddhisaṃyamanaṃ ratham | samāruhya sa bhūtātmā samantāt paridhāvati ||
Monté sur le corps tel un char—vaste, attelé des chevaux des sens et retenu par les rênes d’un intellect discipliné—le Connaisseur du Champ demeurant au-dedans (le bhūtātman) parcourt toutes les directions.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the chariot-model of ethical psychology: the body is a vehicle, the senses are powerful horses, and buddhi (discernment) must restrain and guide them. Without such inner governance, the embodied self is pulled in many directions; with restraint, conduct becomes aligned with dharma.
Vāyudeva explains the nature of the embodied self through an allegory. He describes the bhūtātman (identified here as the kṣetrajña) as ‘mounted’ on the body-chariot and moving about everywhere, while the senses function like yoked horses and the intellect functions as the controlling principle.