Shloka 313
Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā
Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties
अधिकभूतं तु मन्तव्यं ब्रह्मा तत्राधिदेवतम् । पाँच इन्द्रियों और छठे मनको जाननेवाली बुद्धिको अध्यात्म कहते हैं। मन्तव्य उसका अधिभूत और ब्रह्मा उसके अधिदेवता हैं
adhikabhūtaṃ tu mantavyaṃ brahmā tatrādhidevatam | pañcendriyāṇi ca ṣaṣṭhaṃ manaś ca jānātī yā buddhiḥ sā adhyātmaṃ ucyate | mantavyaṃ tasyādhibhūtaṃ brahmā tasyā adhidevatā ||
Vāyu bersabda: “Ketahuilah bahwa ‘yang patut dipikirkan’ (mantavya) termasuk ranah adhibhūta; dan dalam ranah itu Brahmā adalah adhidaivata. Adapun buddhi—kecerdasan pembeda yang memahami lima indra dan manas sebagai yang keenam—disebut adhyātma. Bagi prinsip batin itu, ‘yang terpikirkan’ adalah adhibhūta-nya, dan Brahmā menjadi penguasa ilahinya.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse maps inner experience to a threefold framework: adhyātma (the inner principle, here identified with the intellect that understands the senses and mind), adhibhūta (the realm of objects—what is to be contemplated), and adhidevatā (the presiding divine principle), naming Brahmā as the adhidevatā in this context. The ethical implication is disciplined discernment: know the faculties, know their objects, and recognize the governing order behind them.
Vāyudeva is instructing the listener in a doctrinal classification used in Mahābhārata’s spiritual discourse—distinguishing the inner self-domain (adhyātma), the objective/elemental domain (adhibhūta), and the divine presiding domain (adhidevatā)—to guide correct contemplation and understanding.