Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 29
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
स्नेहात् सम्मोहमापन्नो नावि दाशो यथा तथा । ममत्वेनाभिभूत: संस्तत्रैव परिवर्तते
snehāt sammohaṁ āpanno nāvi dāśo yathā tathā | mamatvenābhibhūtaḥ saṁs tatraiva parivartate ||
然而人因爱染而陷于迷妄，被“我所”之执所压倒；如舟子长坐舟中，只在原处打转。为占有之心所制，他便系缚于彼处，反复回旋，终不能抵达彼岸。
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Affection that turns into attachment produces delusion, and possessiveness (‘mine-ness’) keeps a person stuck in repetitive patterns—like a boatman circling in the same boat—rather than moving toward liberation, clarity, and dharmic action.
Vāyudeva uses a vivid simile: a deluded, possessive person is compared to a boatman who stays seated in his boat and merely turns about in the same place. The image illustrates how attachment prevents real progress and keeps one bound to the same condition.