Shloka 123
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
एवमेवाप्यसंयुक्त: पुरुष: स्यान्न संशय: । जैसे कमलके पत्तेपर पड़ी हुई जलकी चंचल बूँद उसे भिगो नहीं पाती
evam evāpy asaṁyuktaḥ puruṣaḥ syān na saṁśayaḥ |
Vāyu-dewa bersabda: “Demikian pula, seseorang dapat tetap tak-terikat—tanpa keraguan. Seperti setetes air yang gelisah jatuh di atas daun teratai namun tak mampu membasahinya, demikianlah orang bijak, walau bergerak di tengah dan berurusan dengan segala guṇa, tidak ternoda olehnya. Karena itu sang kṣetrajña, sang ‘pengetahu medan’, pada hakikatnya memang tidak melekat; tentang ini tiada ketidakpastian.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The core teaching is inner non-attachment: the wise self (kṣetrajña/puruṣa) can engage with the world and its guṇas without being tainted, like water on a lotus leaf. True freedom is not withdrawal from action but freedom from clinging and identification.
Vāyu-deva is instructing the listener on the nature of the self and liberation. He uses a vivid simile (lotus leaf and water) to clarify that the realized knower remains untouched by worldly qualities even while living amid them.