Shloka 13

Cāturhotra as Inner Sacrifice (Yoga-Yajña) and Nārāyaṇa Recitation

Devanagari script

स्पर्शेन स्पृश्यते यच्च घ्राणेन प्रायते च यत्‌ । मन:षष्ठानि संयम्य हवींष्येतानि सर्वश:

Transliteration

sparśena spṛśyate yac ca ghrāṇena prāyate ca yat | manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhāni saṁyamya havīṁṣy etāni sarvaśaḥ ||

Translation

స్పర్శతో గ్రహించబడేదీ, ఘ్రాణంతో తెలిసేదీ—మనస్సుతో కూడిన ఆరు ఇంద్రియాలను నియమించి, ఇవన్నీ సమస్తంగా హవిస్సులుగా అర్పించాలి.

Word by Word

स्पर्शेनby touch

स्पृश्यतेis touched

यत्that which

चand

घ्राणेनby the nose / by smell

प्रायतेis perceived/approached (by smelling)

चand

यत्that which

मनःषष्ठानिhaving the mind as the sixth (i.e., the six sense-faculties)

संयम्यhaving restrained

हवींषिoblations

एतानिthese

सर्वशःentirely / in every way

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

ब्राह्मण (Brāhmaṇa speaker)

म

मनस् (mind)

घ

घ्राण (nose/smell faculty)

स

स्पर्श (touch faculty)

ह

हविस् (oblations/offerings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches inner discipline: control the mind together with the senses, and treat sensory experiences (touch, smell, etc.) as offerings—i.e., relinquish attachment and redirect perception toward a higher, ethical-spiritual aim.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brāhmaṇa is instructing about an inward form of sacrifice: instead of merely external ritual acts, one performs a ‘yajña’ through restraint of the mind-and-senses, offering up sensory engagements as oblations.