Shloka 15

सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः

The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind

Devanagari script

न श्षोत्रं बुध्यते शब्द मया हीन॑ कथंचन । प्रवरं सर्वभूतानामहमस्मि सनातनम्‌

Transliteration

na śrotraṃ budhyate śabdaṃ mayā hīnaṃ kathaṃcana | pravaraṃ sarvabhūtānām aham asmi sanātanam ||

Translation

മനം പറഞ്ഞു— “എന്നെ കൂടാതെ ചെവി എങ്ങനെയും ശബ്ദം ഗ്രഹിക്കുകയില്ല. അതിനാൽ ഞാൻ സർവ്വഭൂതങ്ങളിൽ പ്രധാനം, സനാതനൻ.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'śrotram', 'definition': 'the ear

• the organ of hearing'}, {'term': 'budhyate', 'definition': 'understands, apprehends, becomes aware (of)'}, {'term': 'śabdam', 'definition': 'sound

• word'}, {'term': 'mayā hīnam', 'definition': 'deprived of me

• without my presence (i.e., without mind/attention)'}, {'term': 'kathaṃcana', 'definition': 'in any way

• at all'}, {'term': 'pravaram', 'definition': 'the best, foremost, excellent'}, {'term': 'sarvabhūtānām', 'definition': 'of all beings/creatures'}, {'term': 'aham asmi', 'definition': 'I am'}, {'term': 'sanātanam', 'definition': 'eternal

Speaker

मन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Manas (Mind)
• Śrotra (ear)
• Śabda (sound)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sense-organs do not yield meaningful perception on their own; without the mind’s attention and cognition, even hearing cannot truly register sound. Hence ethical living requires mastery of the mind, since it governs perception, choice, and restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic dialogue, the Mind addresses the faculties (senses), asserting its superiority by stating that the ear cannot apprehend sound without the mind. This is part of a broader instruction on how inner faculties coordinate and how self-control is grounded in mental governance.