Shloka 18

सप्तहोतृ-विधानम् एवं इन्द्रिय–मनःसंवादः

The Seven Hotṛs and the Debate of Senses and Mind

Devanagari script

इच्धियाण्यूचु: एवमेतद्‌ भवेत्‌ सत्यं यथैतन्मन्यते भवान्‌ | ऋते<5स्मानस्मदर्थास्त्वं भोगान्‌ भुड्क्ते भवान्‌ यदि

Transliteration

indriyāṇy ūcuḥ—evam etad bhavet satyaṃ yathaitad manyate bhavān | ṛte ’smān asmad-arthās tvaṃ bhogān bhuṅkte bhavān yadi ||

Translation

诸根说道：“是的——若如尊者所想，这话固然为真：倘若你能不凭借我们这些为受用而设的根门，便享受诸境。然而没有我们的参与，你又如何得以领受诸乐？”

Word by Word

• इन्द्रियाणि: the senses
• इन्द्रियाणि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्रिय
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• ऊचुः: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Plural

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: might be / would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative, 3rd, Singular

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• यथा: as / in the way that
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• एतत्: this (thing)
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मन्यते: thinks / considers
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular

• भवान्: you (honorific)
• भवान्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: भवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ऋते: without / except
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऋते

• अस्मान्: us
• अस्मान्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Accusative, Plural

• अस्मदर्थात्: from our purpose / for our sake (i.e., without our involvement)
• अस्मदर्थात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मदर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• भोगान्: enjoyments / objects of enjoyment
• भोगान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• भुङ्क्ते: enjoys / experiences
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular

• भवान्: you (honorific)
• भवान्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: भवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

Speaker

मन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• मन (Mind)
• इन्द्रियाँ (Senses)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the interdependence of mind and senses in worldly experience: claims of independent enjoyment are challenged, implying that ethical self-mastery requires understanding how cognition (mind) and perception/action (senses) cooperate in producing desire and pleasure.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a dialogue where Mind speaks and the Senses respond, the senses rebut the mind’s assumption by arguing that enjoyment of objects is impossible without their operation; they insist that if the mind could truly experience objects unaided, then its claim would be valid.