Shloka 23
Rājapurohita-lakṣaṇa and Purūravas–Vāyu Saṃvāda
Varṇa, Sovereignty, and Abhaya-dāna
Devanagari script
शब्दे स्पर्शे रसे रूपे गन्धे च रमते मन:
Transliteration
śabde sparśe rase rūpe gandhe ca ramate manaḥ
Translation
アイラは言った。「心は音・触・味・色・香に喜び、五つの感官の対象を通して、落ち着きなく快楽を追い求める。」この教えの文脈において本頌は、感覚的享楽への執着が、安住・自制、そしてダルマに要る倫理の規律から人を引き離すことを示す。
Word by Word
शब्देin sound
शब्दे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootशब्द
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
स्पर्शेin touch
स्पर्शे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootस्पर्श
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
रसेin taste
रसे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootरस
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
रूपेin form (appearance)
रूपे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootरूप
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
गन्धेin smell
गन्धे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootगन्ध
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
रमतेdelights (takes pleasure)
रमते:
TypeVerb
Rootरम्
FormPresent, Lat, Third, Singular, Atmanepada
मनःthe mind
मनः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमनस्
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
ऐल उवाच
Characters & Entities
A
Aila (speaker)M
mind (manas)F
five sense-objects (sound, touch, taste, form, smell)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the mind naturally runs toward the pleasures of the five sense-objects. Recognizing this tendency is the first step toward restraint (dama), detachment (vairāgya), and steadiness required for living according to dharma.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Aila speaks as a moral-exemplary voice, describing the mind’s attraction to sensory pleasures to support a broader discourse on self-mastery and the causes of bondage and suffering.