Shloka 11
सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः
The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind
घ्राणं जिह्ना च चक्षुश्न त्वक् श्रोत्रं बुद्धिरेव च । संशयं नाधिगच्छन्ति मनस्तमधिगच्छति,नासिका, जीभ, आँख, त्वचा, कान और बुद्धि--ये संशय (संकल्प-विकल्प) नहीं कर सकते। यह काम मनका है
ghrāṇaṁ jihvā ca cakṣuṣī tvak śrotraṁ buddhir eva ca | saṁśayaṁ nādhigacchanti manas tam adhigacchati ||
The brāhmaṇa said: “The nose, the tongue, the eyes, the skin, the ears, and even the intellect do not themselves generate doubt or indecision. It is the mind that reaches (and produces) that wavering—therefore moral steadiness and right discernment depend on mastering the mind rather than blaming the senses.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Doubt and indecision are not produced by the external sense-faculties or even by raw intellect alone; they arise in the mind, which coordinates perceptions and entertains alternatives. Ethical clarity therefore requires disciplining the mind—so that perception and intellect can function without wavering.
A brāhmaṇa speaker is explaining an inner, psychological basis for moral confusion: the senses merely report their objects, and the intellect can discern, but the mind is where vacillation (saṅkalpa–vikalpa) occurs. The statement supports a broader instruction on self-governance and right conduct.