Shloka 17
कामद्रुम-रूपकः तथा शरीर-पुर-रूपकः
The Desire-Tree and the Body-as-City Metaphors
नावेदविदुषे वाच्यं तथा नानुगताय च । नासूयकायानृजवे न चानिर्दिष्टकारिणे
nāvedaviduṣe vācyaṃ tathā nānugatāya ca | nāsūyakāyānṛjave na cānirdiṣṭakāriṇe || indriyāṇi nara pañca ṣaṣṭhaṃ tu mana ucyate | saptamīṃ buddhim evāhuḥ kṣetrajñaḥ punar aṣṭamam ||
Vyāsa berkata: Ajaran ini tidak wajar disampaikan kepada orang yang tidak benar-benar berilmu, atau kepada yang tidak berdisiplin dan tidak menuruti jalan. Ia juga tidak patut diajarkan kepada yang dengki, yang berfikiran bengkok, atau yang bertindak tanpa bimbingan yang sewajarnya. Dalam diri manusia ada lima fakulti indera; prinsip yang keenam disebut minda (manas). Yang ketujuh dikatakan sebagai intelek (buddhi), dan yang kelapan pula ialah Sang Pengenal Medan (kṣetrajña).
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage teaches two linked points: (1) sacred or subtle knowledge should be given only to a qualified recipient—one who is disciplined, non-envious, straightforward, and guided by instruction; (2) the human constitution can be analyzed as five senses, mind as the sixth, intellect as the seventh, and the conscious knower (kṣetrajña) as the eighth—highlighting the hierarchy from sensory experience to inner discernment and finally to the witnessing self.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Vyāsa lays down a rule of transmission (who should or should not be taught) and then states a doctrinal enumeration of the inner principles of a person—senses, mind, intellect, and the kṣetrajña—framing the discussion as a disciplined teaching meant for suitable students.