Shloka 12
सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः
The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind
घ्राणं जिह्ना च चक्षुश्न त्वक् श्रोत्र मन एव च | न निष्ठामधिगच्छन्ति बुद्धिस्तामधिगच्छति
ghrāṇaṁ jihvā ca cakṣuṣ tvak śrotraṁ mana eva ca | na niṣṭhām adhigacchanti buddhis tām adhigacchati ||
Vị Bà-la-môn nói: “Cũng vậy, mũi, lưỡi, mắt, da, tai, và cả tâm (manas) nữa—những thứ ấy không thể đạt đến sự xác quyết vững chắc. Chỉ riêng trí (buddhi) mới đạt tới tri thức quyết định.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sense faculties and the mind merely present impressions and fluctuate; they cannot by themselves produce a settled conclusion. Decisive understanding (niṣṭhā) arises through buddhi—the discriminative, determinative intellect that judges and ascertains.
A Brāhmaṇa speaker is instructing the listener on how knowledge and certainty are formed: sensory inputs and mental movements are insufficient for final judgment, and true ascertainment belongs to the intellect that discriminates and decides.