Shloka 13
अन्तर्वन-विद्यारण्योपमा
The Allegory of the Inner Forest of Knowledge
एको वह्ि: सुमना ब्राह्मणोउत्र पज्चेन्द्रियाणि समिथधश्चात्र सन्ति । तेभ्यो मोक्षा: सप्त फलन्ति दीक्षा गुणा: फलान्यतिथय: फलाशा:
eko vahniḥ sumanā brāhmaṇo ’tra pañcendriyāṇi samidhaś cātra santi | tebhyo mokṣāḥ sapta phalanti dīkṣā guṇāḥ phalāny atithayaḥ phalāśāḥ ||
Sang brāhmaṇa berkata: “Dalam rimba ini hanya ada satu api; diri yang hidup, suci niatnya, itulah Brāhmaṇa. Lima indera ialah kayu-bakar yang dicampakkan ke dalam api itu. Daripada korban batin itu lahir tujuh macam pembebasan. Upacara penyucian (dīkṣā) bagi korban ini tidak pernah sia-sia: kebajikan itulah buahnya, dan tujuh ‘tetamu’ ialah para penikmat buah-buah itu.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an allegory of inner sacrifice: the purified self is the ‘Brāhmaṇa,’ the five senses are the fuel offered into the single inner fire, and the true ‘fruit’ of the rite is virtue itself, culminating in multiple modes of liberation. It shifts attention from external ritual results to ethical discipline and self-mastery as the real sacrificial outcome.
A Brāhmaṇa speaker explains a symbolic yajña set in a forest setting, redefining ritual elements—fire, fuel-sticks, consecration, fruits, and guests—as inner spiritual realities. The discourse instructs listeners to interpret sacrifice as sense-restraint and moral cultivation leading toward liberation.