Shloka 4
Cāturhotra as Inner Sacrifice (Yoga-Yajña) and Nārāyaṇa Recitation
हेतूनां साधन चैव शृणु सर्वमशेषत: । घ्राणं जिद्दा च चक्षुश्न त्वक् च श्रोत्रं च पठचमम् | मनो बुद्धिश्व सप्तैते विज्ञेया गुणहेतव:
hetūnāṃ sādhanaṃ caiva śṛṇu sarvam aśeṣataḥ | ghrāṇaṃ jihvā ca cakṣuś ca tvak ca śrotraṃ ca pañcamam | mano buddhiś ca saptaite vijñeyā guṇa-hetavaḥ ||
O brāhmane disse: “Ouve, sem omitir nada, o relato completo dos meios e das causas. O nariz, a língua, os olhos, a pele e, como quinto, o ouvido—juntamente com a mente e o intelecto: estes sete devem ser compreendidos como as bases causais por meio das quais operam as qualidades (guṇa). Pelo raciocínio pode-se estabelecer como funcionam e, assim, discernir como a experiência e a conduta surgem deles.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse identifies seven operative bases—five sense faculties plus mind and intellect—as the causal channels through which the guṇas shape perception, desire, and conduct. Ethical clarity begins with understanding these instruments and how they condition experience.
A Brāhmaṇa speaker continues an instructive discourse, urging the listener to hear the full explanation of causes and means. He enumerates the sensory and inner faculties as the key factors to be analyzed through reasoning in order to understand human experience and moral behavior.