Shloka 18
सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः
The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind
इच्धियाण्यूचु: एवमेतद् भवेत् सत्यं यथैतन्मन्यते भवान् | ऋते<5स्मानस्मदर्थास्त्वं भोगान् भुड्क्ते भवान् यदि,यह सुनकर इन्द्रियोंने कहा--महोदय! यदि आप भी हमारी सहायता लिये बिना ही विषयोंका अनुभव कर सकते तो हम आपकी इस बातको सच मान लेतीं
indriyāṇy ūcuḥ—evam etad bhavet satyaṃ yathaitad manyate bhavān | ṛte ’smān asmad-arthās tvaṃ bhogān bhuṅkte bhavān yadi ||
புலன்கள் கூறின— ஐயா! நீங்கள் எண்ணுவது போல இது உண்மையாகும்; ஆனால் அதற்கு, எங்களின்றி—நாங்கள் அதற்காகவே உள்ளோம்—நீங்கள் விஷயபோகங்களை அனுபவிக்க வேண்டும்.
मन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the interdependence of mind and senses in worldly experience: claims of independent enjoyment are challenged, implying that ethical self-mastery requires understanding how cognition (mind) and perception/action (senses) cooperate in producing desire and pleasure.
In a dialogue where Mind speaks and the Senses respond, the senses rebut the mind’s assumption by arguing that enjoyment of objects is impossible without their operation; they insist that if the mind could truly experience objects unaided, then its claim would be valid.