Shloka 21
Varāha-avatāra: Viṣṇu’s subterranean intervention and the cosmic nāda (Śānti-parva 202)
महत्सु भूतेषु वसन्ति पठच पज्चेद्धियार्थाश्व॒ तथेन्द्रियाणि । सर्वाणि चैतानि मनो5नुगानि बुद्धि मनोडन्वेति मति: स्वभावम्
mahatsu bhūteṣu vasanti pañca pañcendriyārthāś ca tathendriyāṇi | sarvāṇi caitāni mano'nugāni buddhiṁ mano'nveti matiḥ svabhāvam ||
Bhīṣma dit : Les cinq objets des sens et les cinq sens demeurent dans les grands éléments (subtils). Tout cela—objets, éléments et facultés—se meut sous la conduite du mental. Le mental, à son tour, suit l’intellect (buddhi) ; et l’intellect, par sa nature même, repose sur le Soi (Ātman). Ainsi, la maîtrise éthique de soi commence par gouverner le mental, car tout le champ de l’expérience s’ordonne par lui et s’achève dans le Soi.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sense-objects and sense-faculties function under the mind; the mind is guided by the intellect; and the intellect ultimately depends on the Self. Therefore, ethical and spiritual discipline should focus on mastering the mind through discernment rooted in the Self.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhishma explains to Yudhishthira an inner hierarchy of experience—elements, senses, mind, intellect, and the Self—clarifying how perception and action are coordinated and how one should cultivate self-control.