Shloka 17
ध्यानयोगवर्णनम्
Description of the Path of Meditation
न पश्यति न चाप्राति न शूणोति न भाषते । न च स्पर्शरसौ वेत्ति निद्रावशगत: पुनः
bharadvāja uvāca | na paśyati na cāprāti na śṛṇoti na bhāṣate | na ca sparśarasau vetti nidrāvaśagataḥ punaḥ ||
Bharadvāja disse: Quando uma pessoa é dominada pelo sono, ainda que todos os sentidos estejam presentes, ela não vê nem cheira, não ouve nem fala; e nem sequer apreende o toque ou o sabor.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Perception and experience do not arise from the mere presence of sense-organs; they depend on an active, connected consciousness. Sleep illustrates that when awareness is withdrawn, sensory functions become ineffective, pointing to the primacy of mind/awareness in ethical agency and knowledge.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, the sage Bharadvāja uses the familiar example of sleep to argue about the relationship between the senses and inner awareness—showing that the self’s cognitive connection is what enables seeing, hearing, speaking, and tasting.