Shloka 61
Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness
मन्त्रिणौ तस्य बुद्धिश्च मनश्चैव विरोधिनौ ।
यतेते वैरनाशाय तावुभावितरेतरम् ॥
mantriṇau tasya buddhiś ca manaś caiva virodhinau | yatete vairanāśāya tāv ubhāv itaretaram ||
Seus dois “ministros” —o intelecto (buddhi) e a mente (manas)— opunham-se mutuamente. Esforçando-se por destruir a inimizade, esses dois, ao contrário, a intensificaram ainda mais um no outro.
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FAQs
The verse portrays buddhi (discernment) and manas (the wavering mind) as rival ‘ministers’ within a person. Even when one intends reconciliation, unresolved inner opposition can paradoxically intensify conflict. Ethically, it warns rulers and individuals alike: without inner integration and clear discernment, attempts at peace-making can become another instrument of rivalry, leading to greater agitation and poorer counsel.
This verse aligns most closely with Vamśānucarita/Carita (narrative of conduct and character) rather than Sarga/Pratisarga/Manvantara. It is a didactic narrative observation about inner governance and counsel, used to shape the moral psychology of the story’s actors.
Esoterically, ‘two ministers’ suggests the inner court of consciousness: manas pulls toward fluctuation and attachment, while buddhi seeks decision and truth. When these are ‘virodhinau’ (at odds), the person’s inner kingdom becomes unstable; efforts to end ‘vaira’ (enmity) fail unless a higher integrating principle (often implied in Purāṇic and Yogic readings as ātman-dṛṣṭi, sattva, or devotion) reconciles them. The mutual ‘bhāvanā’ (reinforcement) of opposition hints at feedback loops of thought—how attention repeatedly given to conflict strengthens it.