Shloka 6

Adhyāya 33: Brāhmaṇa-Upadeśa on Buddhi, Āśrama-Forms, and Inner Freedom

Devanagari script

लिज्रैर्बहुभिरव्यग्रैरेका बुद्धिरुपास्यते । नानालिड्जाश्रमस्थानां येषां बुद्धि: शमात्मिका

Transliteration

liṅgair bahubhir avyagrair ekā buddhir upāsyate | nānāliṅgāśramasthānāṁ yeṣāṁ buddhiḥ śamātmikā ||

Translation

Brahmana itu berkata: “Walaupun manusia memikul banyak tanda lahiriah dan hidup dalam pelbagai kedudukan, hanya satu pengertian sejati yang patut dihormati dan dipupuk. Bagi mereka yang berada dalam tanda dan āśrama yang berbeza-beza, akal budi yang memimpin adalah sama apabila berakar pada ketenangan batin dan pengendalian diri.”

Word by Word

लिज्रैःby/with (the) Lijras (a class/people; reading uncertain)

बहुभिःby many

अव्यग्रैःby the un-distracted / attentive

एकाone (single)

बुद्धिःunderstanding, intellect

उपास्यतेis worshipped/meditated upon

नानाvarious, diverse

लिड्जाश्रमस्थानाम्of the abodes/places of (various) Lijra-āśramas (reading uncertain)

येषाम्of whom/whose

बुद्धिःunderstanding, intellect

शमात्मिकाhaving tranquility as its nature

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

ब्राह्मण (a Brahmin speaker)

आ

आश्रम (the āśrama system, as a concept)

ल

लिङ्ग (external marks/signs, as a concept)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

External identities—marks, roles, and even different āśramas—are secondary; what deserves reverence is a single, steady discernment (buddhi) characterized by śama: tranquility, restraint, and inner composure.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin speaker is instructing the listener that spiritual worth is not determined by outward signs or social-religious station, but by the quality of one’s inner intelligence—especially when it is calm, undistracted, and self-controlled.