Adhyāya 240: Indriya–Manas–Buddhi–Ātman — The Inner Hierarchy and Restraint (इन्द्रिय-मनस्-बुद्धि-आत्म-क्रमः)
तदेतदुपशान्तेन दान्तेनाध्यात्मशीलिना
tadetadupaśāntena dāntenādhyātmaśīlinā
तदेतदुपशान्तेन दान्तेनाध्यात्मशीलिना। ग्राह्यं नित्यं च कर्तव्यं यथा शास्त्रार्थसिद्धये॥
व्यास उवाच
The verse emphasizes eligibility for higher instruction: true understanding arises in a person who is tranquil, senses-controlled, and committed to inner spiritual discipline. Ethical maturity and inner restraint are presented as prerequisites for assimilating dharma.
Vyāsa continues a didactic passage in the Śānti Parva, indicating the kind of listener or practitioner suited to receive the preceding or forthcoming teaching—someone calm, disciplined, and oriented toward adhyātma.