Shloka 1
अन्तर्वन-विद्यारण्योपमा
The Allegory of the Inner Forest of Knowledge
/ है अर ० छा | अ-क्राछ सप्तविशो< ध्याय: अध्यात्मविषयक महान् वनका वर्णन ब्राह्मण उवाच संकल्पदंशमशकं शोकहर्षहिमातपम् । मोहान्धकारतिमिरं लोभव्याधिसरीसूपम्,ब्राह्मणने कहा--प्रिये! जहाँ संकल्परूपी डाँस और मच्छरोंकी अधिकता होती है। शोक और हर्षरूपी गर्मी, सर्दीका कष्ट रहता है, मोहरूपी अन्धकार फैला हुआ है, लोभ तथा व्याधिरूपी सर्प विचरा करते हैं। जहाँ विषयोंका ही मार्ग है, जिसे अकेले ही तै करना पड़ता है तथा जहाँ काम और क्रोधरूपी शत्रु डेरा डाले रहते हैं, उस संसाररूपी दुर्गम पथका उल्लंघन करके अब मैं ब्रह्मरूपी महान् वनमें प्रवेश कर चुका हूँ
brāhmaṇa uvāca | saṅkalpa-daṁśa-maśakaṁ śoka-harṣa-himātapam | mohāndhakāra-timiraṁ lobha-vyādhi-sarīsṛpam ||
O brāhmaṇa disse: “Amada, há um domínio onde enxames de mosquitos e mutucas tomam a forma de intenções inquietas; onde as dores alternadas de luto e júbilo são como frio e calor; onde a escuridão da ilusão se espalha como a noite; e onde a cobiça e a doença se movem como serpentes. Tendo atravessado esse caminho áspero da vida mundana—que se deve percorrer sozinho e onde desejo e ira estão acampados como inimigos—entrei agora na grande floresta de Brahman, o domínio interior da realidade espiritual.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly existence (saṁsāra) is portrayed as a perilous path filled with mental agitation (saṅkalpa), emotional extremes (śoka/harṣa), delusion (moha), and destructive tendencies like greed and illness. The implied ethical-spiritual counsel is to transcend these inner afflictions through detachment and move toward Brahman—stable, liberating self-knowledge.
A Brahmin addresses a beloved listener and uses vivid metaphors to describe the dangers of saṁsāra. He declares that he has crossed that difficult worldly route—where one must proceed alone and face enemies like desire and anger—and has entered the ‘great forest of Brahman,’ indicating a turn toward renunciation and spiritual realization.