Shloka 23
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
महर्षिर्भगवानन्रिवेंद तच्छुक्रसम्भवम् । त्रिबीजमिन्द्रदैवत्यं तस्मादिन्द्रियमुच्यते
mahārṣir bhagavān atrir veda tac chukra-sambhavam | tri-bījam indra-daivatyam tasmād indriyam ucyate ||
Maharsi suci Atri mengetahui asal dan gerak dari daya generatif itu. Ia menyatakan bahwa ia memiliki tiga sebab-biji: Manovahā, saṅkalpa (tekad), dan makanan. Dewa penguasanya adalah Indra; karena itu ia disebut ‘indriya’.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links bodily potency and the functioning of faculties to three supports—mind-channel, intention, and nourishment—implying that ethical self-mastery involves regulating thought (saṅkalpa) and diet, since the senses (indriyas) are governed under a higher order symbolized by Indra.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he cites the authority of the sage Atri to explain the origin and classification of ‘indriya,’ giving a doctrinal-etymological account that connects physiology, psychology, and divine governance.