Shloka 1
अन्तर्वन-विद्यारण्योपमा
The Allegory of the Inner Forest of Knowledge
/ है अर ० छा | अ-क्राछ सप्तविशो< ध्याय: अध्यात्मविषयक महान् वनका वर्णन ब्राह्मण उवाच संकल्पदंशमशकं शोकहर्षहिमातपम् । मोहान्धकारतिमिरं लोभव्याधिसरीसूपम्
brāhmaṇa uvāca | saṅkalpa-daṁśa-maśakaṁ śoka-harṣa-himātapam | mohāndhakāra-timiraṁ lobha-vyādhi-sarīsṛpam ||
婆罗门说道：“爱者啊，有一境界：躁动的意向如蚊虻成群；忧与喜的交替之苦，如寒与暑相逼；迷妄之暗如夜幕弥漫；贪欲与疾病如蛇般游走其间。越过那难以逾越的世间险途——此途须独自前行，而欲与嗔如仇敌扎营盘踞——如今我已入于梵之大林，进入那内在的灵性实境。”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly existence (saṁsāra) is portrayed as a perilous path filled with mental agitation (saṅkalpa), emotional extremes (śoka/harṣa), delusion (moha), and destructive tendencies like greed and illness. The implied ethical-spiritual counsel is to transcend these inner afflictions through detachment and move toward Brahman—stable, liberating self-knowledge.
A Brahmin addresses a beloved listener and uses vivid metaphors to describe the dangers of saṁsāra. He declares that he has crossed that difficult worldly route—where one must proceed alone and face enemies like desire and anger—and has entered the ‘great forest of Brahman,’ indicating a turn toward renunciation and spiritual realization.