Shloka 17
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
नेत्राभ्यां नेत्रयोरस्य रश्मीन् संयम्य रश्मिभि: । सा सम तं चोदयिष्यन्ती योगबन्धैर्बबन्ध ह
netrābhyāṁ netrayor asya raśmīn saṁyamya raśmibhiḥ | sā sam taṁ codayiṣyantī yogabandhair babandha ha ||
Bhishma berkata: Dengan sinar dari matanya sendiri, dia mengekang sinar dari mata baginda. Kemudian, dengan niat mendorong baginda berkata-kata, dia mengikat baginda dengan belenggu yoga—menundukkan minda dengan kekuatan rohani—hingga baginda berada di bawah penguasaannya, tatkala Raja Janaka bersiap mengemukakan pertanyaannya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights yogic mastery as disciplined restraint: control of the senses (symbolized by the eyes and their ‘rays’) leads to control of the mind, enabling focused inquiry and purposeful speech rather than impulsive reaction.
As King Janaka is ready to ask a question, a woman (implied by ‘she’) uses yogic power to restrain him—metaphorically and narratively described as binding his mind by controlling the ‘rays’ of his eyes—so that he becomes composed and responsive to being prompted.