Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’
जिह्वा ब्रवीत्यहमिति दंतौष्टतालुक नृप । एतेनाहं यतः सर्वे वाङ्निष्पादनहेतवः ॥ ७८ ॥
jihvā bravītyahamiti daṃtauṣṭatāluka nṛpa | etenāhaṃ yataḥ sarve vāṅniṣpādanahetavaḥ || 78 ||
“Wahai raja, lidah berkata, ‘Aku (berkata),’ sedangkan gigi, bibir dan lelangit turut berperanan. Namun ‘aku’ itu ditegaskan melalui lidah, kerana semuanya hanyalah sebab-sebab yang membantu melahirkan ucapan.”
Sanatkumara (teaching a king in Moksha-Dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
It critiques the ego’s claim “I do,” showing that what we call ‘I’ is often only an appropriation of actions performed through multiple instruments; this supports detachment and self-inquiry in Moksha-Dharma.
By weakening doership (ahaṁkāra), the devotee can attribute action and speech to the Lord’s power rather than the self, making prayer, japa, and kīrtana more humble and surrender-based.
It reflects Śikṣā (phonetics/articulation) and supports a Vyākaraṇa-style insight: speech arises from coordinated organs, so correct utterance and disciplined speech are both technical and spiritual practices.