Shloka 20
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
स्पर्शनं स्पर्शती स्पर्शान् बुद्धिर्विक्रियतेडसकृत् । यदा प्रार्थयते किज्चित् तदा भवति सा मनः
sparśanaṁ sparśatī sparśān buddhir vikriyate 'sakṛt | yadā prārthayate kiñcit tadā bhavati sā manaḥ ||
स्पर्श, स्पर्श-विषयों को छूता है और बुद्धि बार-बार विकृत होती रहती है। जब वही किसी वस्तु की प्रार्थना/इच्छा करने लगती है, तब वह मन बन जाती है। ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes buddhi (discriminative intellect) from manas (desiring mind): sensory contact repeatedly perturbs the intellect, and when the inner faculty starts craving or petitioning for an object, it functions as ‘mind’. Ethical self-mastery begins by noticing this shift from discernment to desire.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and inner discipline. Here he explains how sense-contact agitates the inner faculties and how desire converts clear discernment into restless mind, supporting teachings on restraint and renunciation.