Shloka 24
अग्निवंशवर्णनम् (Agni-vaṃśa-varṇana) / The Genealogy and Function of Agni
षण्णामात्मनि युक्तानामिन्द्रियाणां प्रमाथिनाम् । यो धीरो धारयेद् रश्मीन् स स्यात् परमसारथि:,जो धीर पुरुष अपने शरीरमें नित्य विद्यमान छः प्रमथनशील इन्द्रियरूपी अश्वोंकी बागडोर सँभालता है, वही उत्तम सारथि हो सकता है
ṣaṇṇām ātmani yuktānām indriyāṇāṁ pramāthinām | yo dhīro dhārayet raśmīn sa syāt paramasārathiḥ ||
O caçador disse: “Só merece ser chamado de cocheiro supremo aquele que, firme e senhor de si, segura com força as rédeas dos seis sentidos turbulentos, jungidos ao Eu dentro do corpo.”
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
True excellence lies in self-mastery: the wise person restrains the restless senses as a skilled charioteer controls horses with reins. Ethical life (dharma) is grounded in disciplined inner governance rather than outward status.
In the Vana Parva’s dialogue where the hunter instructs on dharma, he uses a chariot metaphor to explain that a person becomes ‘the supreme charioteer’ by firmly controlling the senses that constantly agitate the mind and conduct.