Shloka 43

Adhyāya 240: Indriya–Manas–Buddhi–Ātman — The Inner Hierarchy and Restraint (इन्द्रिय-मनस्-बुद्धि-आत्म-क्रमः)

Devanagari script

सत्त्वसंसेवनाद धीरो निद्रामुच्छेत्तुमरहति । विद्वानोंने योगके जो काम

Transliteration

sattvasaṃsevanād dhīro nidrām ucchettum arhati | vidvān yogake ye kāma-krodha-lobha-bhayaṃ pañcamaṃ svapnam—ime pañca doṣāḥ proktāḥ, teṣāṃ pūrṇatayā ucchedaṃ kuryāt | teṣu krodhaṃ śamena (manonigrahena) jayet, kāmaṃ saṅkalpatyāgena parājayet, tathā dhīraḥ sattvaguṇasaṃsevanena nidrāyā ucchedaṃ kartum śaknoti |

Translation

Vyāsa teaches that a steadfast person, by cultivating sattva (clarity and purity), becomes capable of cutting off excessive sleep. A wise practitioner should completely uproot the five faults spoken of in yoga—desire, anger, greed, fear, and (as the fifth) dream-born delusion. Among these, anger is to be conquered through śama, the restraint of the mind; desire is to be defeated by abandoning compulsive resolve and craving-intent. Thus, through the steady practice of sattva, the disciplined person can overcome lethargy and drowsiness and move toward inner mastery.

Word by Word

• {'sattva-saṃsevana': 'cultivation/association with sattva

• practice of clarity, purity, balance', 'dhīra': 'steadfast, composed, self-possessed person', 'nidrā': 'sleep

• here especially tamasic drowsiness/lethargy', 'ucchettum / uccheda': 'to cut off, uproot, eradicate', 'arhati': 'is fit/able/deserving to', 'vidvān': 'the wise, learned person', 'yoga': 'discipline of inner integration

• spiritual practice', 'kāma': 'desire, craving, sensual/egoic impulse', 'krodha': 'anger, wrath', 'lobha': 'greed, grasping', 'bhaya': 'fear', 'svapna': 'dream

• here dream-born confusion/instability', 'doṣa': 'fault, defect, moral-psychological blemish', 'śama': 'calmness

• mental restraint, pacification of the mind', 'manonigraha': 'control/restraint of the mind', 'saṅkalpa': 'resolve, intention, mental construction

• craving-intent', 'tyāga': 'abandonment, renunciation', 'parājayet / jayet': 'should defeat / should conquer', 'sattvaguṇa': 'the quality of sattva (clarity, light, harmony)'}

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches yogic self-mastery: uproot five inner faults (desire, anger, greed, fear, and dream-born delusion). Anger is subdued by śama (mental restraint), desire by abandoning saṅkalpa (craving-intent), and excessive sleep is overcome by cultivating sattva (clarity and balance).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Vyāsa speaks as a spiritual authority, giving practical guidance on inner discipline—identifying key psychological obstacles and prescribing specific methods to conquer them as part of yogic and ethical training.