Shloka 11
Vānaprastha-vṛtti and the Transition toward the Fourth Āśrama (वानप्रस्थवृत्तिः चतुर्थाश्रमोपक्रमश्च)
प्रज्ञानाभि: सर्वतन्त्रप्रतोदो ज्ञानसारथि: । क्षेत्रज्ञाधिष्ठितो धीर: श्रद्धादमपुर:सर:
vyāsa uvāca | prajñānābhiḥ sarvatantrapratodo jñānasārathiḥ | kṣetrajñādhiṣṭhito dhīraḥ śraddhādamapuraḥsaraḥ ||
Vyāsa dit : «Son moyeu est la sagesse discernante ; son aiguillon, l’ensemble des traités ; son cocher, la connaissance véritable. Assis en lui se tient le kṣetrajña (le connaisseur du champ, l’être incarné), ferme et maître de soi, tandis que la foi et la retenue des sens vont devant comme des gardiens. Ainsi le voyage intérieur est figuré comme un char : guidé par le savoir et mû par une confiance disciplinée, le Soi avance sur la voie pure de la contemplation vers le bien suprême.»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the self’s progress depends on right guidance: wisdom is the stable center, śāstra provides the driving impetus, and knowledge must act as the charioteer. Faith and disciplined restraint protect and lead the practitioner, enabling movement toward contemplative purity and liberation.
Vyāsa continues an extended allegory describing the embodied being as a divine chariot. In this segment he identifies key components—wisdom as the hub, the totality of teachings as the goad, knowledge as the charioteer, and the kṣetrajña as the rider—while faith and self-control proceed in front as guardians.