Shloka 14
Bhūta-guṇa-saṃkhyāna
Enumeration of the Properties of the Elements and Cognitive Faculties
न चात्मा शक््यते द्रष्टमिन्द्रिये: कामगोचरै: । प्रवर्तमानैरनये दुष्करैरकृतात्मभि:
na cātmā śakyate draṣṭum indriyaiḥ kāmagocaraiḥ | pravartamānair anaye duṣkarair akṛtātmabhiḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vyāsa: Ang Sarili (Ātman) ay hindi tunay na nakikita sa pamamagitan ng mga pandama, sapagkat ang mga pandama ay kumikilos sa larangan ng pagnanasa. Kapag tumatakbo ang mga ito sa landas ng kamalian—balisa at mahirap pigilan—lalo na sa mga hindi pa nakapagtitimpi sa sarili, nagiging imposible ang tuwirang pagtanaw sa panloob na katotohanan.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Self-knowledge is not attained through sense-driven experience, because the senses naturally chase desire and can lead one into error. Therefore, discipline (self-mastery and restraint of the senses) is presented as a prerequisite for perceiving the Ātman.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers instruction on inner discipline and the limits of sensory cognition, emphasizing that those lacking self-control (akṛtātmā) cannot gain direct insight into the Self while the senses remain active in desire’s domain.