Shloka 3

सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः

The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind

Devanagari script

सूक्ष्मेअवकाशे तिष्ठन्तो न पश्यन्तीतरेतरम्‌ । एतान्‌ वै सप्तहोतृस्त्वं स्वभावाद्‌ विद्धि शोभने,नासिका, नेत्र, जिह्ठदा, त्वचा और पाँचवाँ कान, मन और बुद्धि--ये सात होता अलग- अलग रहते हैं। यद्यपि ये सभी सूक्ष्म शरीरमें ही निवास करते हैं तो भी एक-दूसरेको नहीं देखते हैं। शोभने! इन सात होताओंको तुम स्वभावसे ही पहचानो

Transliteration

sūkṣme’vakāśe tiṣṭhanto na paśyantītaretaram | etān vai sapta hotṝs tvaṃ svabhāvād viddhi śobhane ||

Translation

Dwelling together within a subtle inner space, they do not perceive one another. O fair one, know these as the seven ‘hotṛ’-priests by their very nature—each functioning separately though residing in the same subtle body. The teaching points to the ethical need for discernment: do not mistake the mere presence of faculties for true unity or self-knowledge; recognize their distinct roles and govern them rightly.

Word by Word

• {'sūkṣma': 'subtle, fine, imperceptible', 'avakāśa': 'space, inner locus, room (here: subtle inner sphere)', 'tiṣṭhantaḥ': 'standing/dwelling, abiding', 'na': 'not', 'paśyanti': 'they see, perceive', 'itaretaram': 'one another, mutually', 'etān': 'these', 'vai': 'indeed, surely', 'sapta': 'seven', 'hotṝn (hotṛ)': 'Hotṛ-priests

• here metaphorically the functional ‘officiants’ (sense-faculties etc.)', 'tvaṃ': 'you', 'svabhāvāt': 'from (their) own nature, inherently', 'viddhi': 'know, understand, recognize', 'śobhane': 'O beautiful one (vocative address)'}

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (speaker)
• शोभने (addressee)