Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सूक्ष्मेअवकाशे तिष्ठन्तो न पश्यन्तीतरेतरम्‌ । एतान्‌ वै सप्तहोतृस्त्वं स्वभावाद्‌ विद्धि शोभने

Transliteration

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

Translation

സൂക്ഷ്മമായ അന്തർാവകാശത്തിൽ നിലകൊണ്ടിട്ടും അവർ പരസ്പരം കാണുന്നില്ല. ഹേ ശോഭനേ! സ്വഭാവത്താൽ തന്നെ ഇവരെയേ സപ്ത ഹോതൃകൾ എന്നു അറിയുക—ഒരേ സൂക്ഷ്മദേഹത്തിൽ വസിച്ചാലും ഓരോരുത്തന്റെയും പ്രവർത്തനം വേറേ.

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)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the inner faculties—likened to seven ritual priests—coexist in the subtle body yet operate independently and do not ‘see’ one another. Ethical self-mastery begins with recognizing these distinct functions and not confusing sensory activity with true understanding.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin instructs an addressed listener (‘O fair one’) in an inward, philosophical register, explaining how multiple internal ‘officiants’ dwell in the same subtle space but remain mutually non-perceptive—setting up a reflection on the constitution of the person and the need for discernment.