Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 29
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
स्नेहात् सम्मोहमापन्नो नावि दाशो यथा तथा । ममत्वेनाभिभूत: संस्तत्रैव परिवर्तते
snehāt sammohaṁ āpanno nāvi dāśo yathā tathā | mamatvenābhibhūtaḥ saṁs tatraiva parivartate ||
Ngunit dahil sa pagkapit ng damdamin, ang tao’y nahuhulog sa pagkalito; gaya ng bangkero na nananatiling nakaupo sa kanyang bangka, paikot-ikot lamang siya sa iisang lugar. Daig ng pag-aangking—ng diwang ‘akin’—nananatili siyang nakagapos doon, paulit-ulit na umiikot at hindi nararating ang kabilang pampang.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Affection that turns into attachment produces delusion, and possessiveness (‘mine-ness’) keeps a person stuck in repetitive patterns—like a boatman circling in the same boat—rather than moving toward liberation, clarity, and dharmic action.
Vāyudeva uses a vivid simile: a deluded, possessive person is compared to a boatman who stays seated in his boat and merely turns about in the same place. The image illustrates how attachment prevents real progress and keeps one bound to the same condition.