Shloka 226
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
ऊर्ध्व॑ पर्वतमारुह्[ नान्ववेक्षेत भूतलम् । किंतु उसी मार्गपर घोड़े जुते हुए शीघ्रगामी रथके द्वारा यात्रा करनेवाला पुरुष जिस प्रकार शीघ्र ही अपने लक्ष्य स्थानपर पहुँच जाता है तथा वह ऊँचे पर्वतपर चढ़कर नीचे पृथ्वीकी ओर नहीं देखता, उसी प्रकार ज्ञानी पुरुषोंकी गति होती है
Ūrdhvaṁ parvatam āruhya nānvavekṣeta bhūtalam | kintu yathā mārga-pari ghodaiḥ yuktaiḥ śīghra-gāmi-rathena yātrāṁ kurvan puruṣaḥ śīghram eva sva-lakṣya-sthānaṁ prāpnoti, tathā ca sa ūrdhve parvate ārūḍhaḥ san adhaḥ pṛthivīṁ na paśyati, tathā jñānināṁ puruṣāṇāṁ gatiḥ ||
Vāyu-deva said: “One who has climbed to a lofty mountain does not keep looking back down at the ground. In the same way, a man who travels the road in a swift chariot yoked with horses quickly reaches his intended destination; and having ascended the high mountain, he does not gaze down toward the earth. Such, indeed, is the course of the wise: once set upon the higher path, they do not turn their attention back to lower aims, but move steadily and swiftly toward their true goal.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches single-pointed progress toward the highest aim: like a traveler in a swift chariot who reaches the destination quickly, the wise move steadily toward their goal; and like one who has climbed a high mountain, they do not keep looking back to the lower ground—symbolizing detachment from inferior, worldly preoccupations once higher understanding has arisen.
Vāyu-deva is speaking and uses two vivid analogies—ascending a mountain and traveling by a fast horse-drawn chariot—to describe the ‘gati’ (course) of the wise, emphasizing their forward movement and refusal to be drawn back toward lower concerns.