Shloka 15
Śarīrin, Buddhi, and the Limits of Sense-Perception (इन्द्रियबुद्धिशरीरिविचारः)
विचारश्न विवेकश्न वितर्कश्षोपजायते । मुने: समादधानस्य प्रथमं ध्यानमादितः,योगी जब ध्यानका आरम्भ करता है, तब पहले उसके मनमें ध्यानविषयक विचार, विवेक और वितर्क आदि प्रकट होते हैं
vicāraś ca vivekaś ca vitarkaś copajāyate | muneḥ samādhānasya prathamaṃ dhyānam āditaḥ ||
Ketika seorang resi-yogin memulai laku meditasi dan menghimpun batin menuju pemusatan, pada awalnya segera muncul gerak batin seperti perenungan, daya-beda (viveka), dan penalaran (vitarka) yang terkait dengan objek meditasi. Inilah tahap pertama disiplin batin, saat pikiran mulai belajar beralih dari ketercerabutan menuju kejernihan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
At the beginning of meditation, the mind does not become silent immediately; it first produces structured mental activity—reflection (vicāra), discernment (viveka), and reasoning (vitarka). These are presented as natural early signs of concentration developing, guiding the practitioner toward clearer, ethically informed awareness.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhīṣma is teaching about yogic practice. He describes the initial phase of a sage’s meditation: as the yogin starts to concentrate, certain cognitive processes arise around the meditation-object, indicating the mind’s transition from scattered thought to ordered contemplation.