Shloka 23
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
महर्षिर्भगवानन्रिवेंद तच्छुक्रसम्भवम् । त्रिबीजमिन्द्रदैवत्यं तस्मादिन्द्रियमुच्यते
mahārṣir bhagavān atrir veda tac chukra-sambhavam | tri-bījam indra-daivatyam tasmād indriyam ucyate ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Nalalaman ng kagalang-galang na dakilang rishi na si Atri ang pinagmulan at daloy ng kapangyarihang panglahi. Ipinahayag niya na may tatlong sanhi ito—(ang daluyang) nagdadala ng isip, ang saṅkalpa (pasya), at ang pagkain. Ang diyos na namamahala sa kapangyarihang ito ay si Indra; kaya ito tinatawag na ‘indriya’—yaong nauukol kay Indra, ang mga kakayahang nasa ilalim ng kanyang pamumuno.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links bodily potency and the functioning of faculties to three supports—mind-channel, intention, and nourishment—implying that ethical self-mastery involves regulating thought (saṅkalpa) and diet, since the senses (indriyas) are governed under a higher order symbolized by Indra.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he cites the authority of the sage Atri to explain the origin and classification of ‘indriya,’ giving a doctrinal-etymological account that connects physiology, psychology, and divine governance.