Shloka 34
Śakra–Namuci-saṃvāda: Śoka-nivāraṇa and Daiva-vicāra
Indra and Namuci on grief, composure, and inevitability
स्वकर्मयुगपद्धावो दशस्वेतेषु तिष्ठति । चित्तमेकादशं विद्धि बुद्धिद्धादिशमी भवेत्
svakarmayugapaddhāvo daśasveteṣu tiṣṭhati | cittam ekādaśaṁ viddhi buddhir dvādaśamī bhavet ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ces dix facultés (les sens) demeurent chacune dans sa fonction propre et, agissant de concert, peuvent saisir simultanément leurs objets respectifs. Sache que le mental (manas) est le onzième, et l’intellect (buddhi) le douzième : tous deux doivent être compris comme les auxiliaires et les régisseurs des sens.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a hierarchy of inner governance: the ten senses operate in their own domains and can function together, but they require an internal coordinator (mind) and a higher discriminative guide (intellect). Ethical living and self-mastery depend on the mind and intellect directing sensory activity rather than being driven by it.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and inner discipline. Here he explains the structure of human faculties—senses, mind, and intellect—to clarify how perception and action should be regulated for righteous conduct and spiritual progress.