Shloka 17
Śuka’s Manifestation from the Araṇi (Āraṇeya-janma) — शुकजन्म (आरणेय-सम्भव)
न चेन्द्रियाणि पश्यन्ति मन एवानुपश्यति । चक्षु: पश्यति रूपाणि मनसा तु न चक्षुषा
na cendriyāṇi paśyanti mana evānupaśyati | cakṣuḥ paśyati rūpāṇi manasā tu na cakṣuṣā, rājendra |
耶若那伐迦罗说道：“诸根并不真正觉知；唯有心随逐而摄受。大王啊，眼之见色，须赖于心，并非凭眼自力。是故，心借诸根为器，转向诸境；恒常‘见’而了知者，亦唯此心。其伦理之旨在于：欲制其行，先制其心；因为认知与执著皆起于心，而非起于诸根本身。”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Perception is fundamentally a function of the mind: the senses are instruments, but cognition, attention, and the experience of objects occur through the mind. Therefore ethical discipline and freedom from attachment depend primarily on governing the mind rather than merely restraining the organs.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Yājñavalkya addresses a king (rājendra) and explains a philosophical point about how perception works—using the example of sight—to guide the listener toward inner discipline and self-knowledge.