Shloka 11
अध्यात्म-तत्त्व-निर्णयः
Adhyātma Taxonomy: Elements, Faculties, and Guṇas
शब्द, स्पर्श, रूप, रस और गन्ध--ये पाँच इन्द्रियोंके विषय हैं। इन्हें सदा इन्द्रियोंसे पृथक् समझना चाहिये ।।
śabda-sparśa-rūpa-rasa-gandhāḥ—ete pañcendriyāṇāṁ viṣayāḥ; etān sadā indriyebhyaḥ pṛthag eva vijānīyāt. indriyāṇi mano yuktvā vaśyān yantā iva vājinaḥ; manaś cāpi sadā yuktvā bhūtātmā hṛdayāśritaḥ.
毗耶娑说：声、触、色、味、香——此五者为诸根之境；当恒常了知，诸境与诸根各自分明。譬如御者既已套轭并制伏群马，便随意驱驰；同样，心（意）制御诸根，遂令其趋向各自之境。然而，住于心中的内在之我（灵我），亦常常统摄乃至于此心。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a hierarchy of discipline: sense-objects are distinct from the senses; the mind can restrain and direct the senses like a charioteer controls horses; and deeper still, the heart-abiding self (bhūtātmā) is the ultimate governor that can and should rule the mind. Ethical life depends on recognizing these distinctions and cultivating inner mastery rather than being dragged by sensory attractions.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and inner peace, Vyāsa explains to the listener how perception and desire operate. He uses the charioteer-and-horses analogy to describe the mind’s management of the senses, then points beyond the mind to the indwelling self in the heart as the final authority, framing self-knowledge and restraint as foundations for dharma.