Shloka 17
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
सहस्नेणापि दुर्मेधा न बुद्धिमधिगच्छति । चतुर्थेनाप्यथांशेन बुद्धिमान् सुखमेधते
sahasreṇāpi durmedhā na buddhim adhigacchati | caturthenāpy athāṁśena buddhimān sukham edhate ||
ヴァーユは言った。「理解の乏しい者は、たとえ千の努力を重ねても真の識別智に到らない。だが賢き者は、その四分の一の労によっても悟りを得て、安寧のうちに栄える。」この偈は、ただ力を尽くす量よりも、内なる資質と心の澄明こそが肝要であると示す。
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that wisdom is not produced merely by multiplying external efforts; without sound intellect and receptivity, even great exertion may fail. Conversely, a discerning person needs comparatively little effort to grasp truth and thereby attain well-being.
Vāyudeva is speaking as a moral instructor, offering a general maxim about discernment and effort. The statement functions as ethical counsel within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s reflective, didactic passages.