Shloka 7
अन्तर्वन-विद्यारण्योपमा
The Allegory of the Inner Forest of Knowledge
तस्मिन् वने सप्त महाद्रुमाश्न फलानि सप्तातिथयश्न सप्त । सप्ताश्रमा: सप्त समाधयश्नव दीक्षाश्न सप्तैतदरण्यरूपम्
tasmin vane sapta mahādrumāḥ, sapta phalāni, sapta atithayaḥ (phalabhoktāraḥ) | sapta āśramāḥ, sapta samādhayaḥ, sapta dīkṣāś ca—etad araṇyarūpam ||
Brahmana itu berkata: “Di rimba itu ada tujuh pohon besar; ada tujuh jenis buah pada pohon-pohon itu, dan tujuh orang tetamu yang menikmati buah-buah tersebut. Ada juga tujuh pertapaan—berserta tujuh bentuk penyerapan meditasi dan tujuh bentuk disiplin pentahbisan (dīkṣā). Demikianlah hakikat belantara itu.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the forest as a disciplined moral-spiritual ecosystem: hospitality (atithi) and regulated practice (āśrama, dīkṣā) culminate in inner steadiness (samādhi). It suggests that true ‘wilderness’ is not chaos but an ordered field for dharma and self-cultivation.
A brāhmaṇa describes the distinctive features of a particular forest, enumerating sevenfold elements—trees, fruits, guests, hermitages, meditative states, and consecrations—presenting the place as a symbolic, structured arena of ascetic life and ethical observance.