Shloka 18

अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः

The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex

Devanagari script

यथान्ध: स्वगृहे युक्तो हाभ्यासादेव गच्छति । तथा युक्तेन मनसा प्राज्ञो गच्छति तां गतिम्‌

Transliteration

yathāndhaḥ svagṛhe yukto hy abhyāsād eva gacchati | tathā yuktena manasā prājño gacchati tāṃ gatim ||

Translation

എങ്ങനെ അന്ധൻ നിത്യാഭ്യാസത്തിന്റെ ബലത്തിൽ സൂക്ഷ്മമായി നീങ്ങി സ്വന്തം വീട്ടിലെത്തുന്നുവോ, അതുപോലെ യോഗത്തിൽ ശാസിതമായ മനസ്സിലൂടെ പ്രാജ്ഞൻ ആ പരമഗതിയെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• अन्धः: a blind man
• अन्धः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्वगृहे: in his own house
• स्वगृहे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वगृह
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• युक्तः: composed/attentive; properly engaged
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभ्यासात्: from practice; by practice
• अभ्यासात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभ्यास
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• एव: indeed; only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• गच्छति: goes; reaches
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तथा: so; in the same way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• युक्तेन: by a disciplined/collected (one)
• युक्तेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• मनसा: by the mind
• मनसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• प्राज्ञः: the wise man
• प्राज्ञः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गच्छति: goes; attains
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ताम्: that (goal)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गतिम्: state/goal; course; destination
• गतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

पराशर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• a blind man (andhaḥ)
• one’s home (svagṛha)
• the wise person (prājñaḥ)
• the supreme destination/goal (gatī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Consistent practice (abhyāsa) and a disciplined, yoga-trained mind enable a person to reach the highest goal; spiritual attainment is compared to a blind person reaching home through habituated carefulness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Parāśara instructs by using an everyday analogy: as a blind man learns his way home through repeated practice, so a wise seeker, steady in yoga, reaches the supreme state.