Verse 4.16

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

इन्द्रियार्थेषु सर्वेषु न प्रसज्येत कामतः ।
अतिप्रसक्तिं चैतेषां मनसा संनिवर्तयेत् ॥ १६ ॥

indriyārtheṣu sarveṣu na prasajyeta kāmataḥ |
atiprasaktiṃ caiteṣāṃ manasā saṃnivartayet || 16 ||

He shall not, through desires, become addicted to any sensual objects; excessive addiction to these, he shall avoid by mental reflection.—(10)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Sensual objects.’— Objects of sense, colour, taste, and the rest; — ‘to these he shall not become addicted,’—i.e., he shall not attend to them too much. Lovely young girls, sounds of flute and music, sweet taste, perfumes of camphor and other things, loving touch,—all these one shall not enjoy over much.

‘Through desire’—i.e., by reason of the predominating influence of desire.

In regard to all these, one should keep one’s own enjoyment under proper check; just in the same manner as one keeps one’s desire for wealth under check, by. restricting one’s earning? only to what one gets without begging.

‘Excessive addiction to these.’—This points out the method of restraining one’s desires. Attachment to objects cannot be checked by the mind; it can be checked by reflecting upon them as inimical to one’s best interests. At first, one should not seek to obtain them; and when they do come to one, and one has enjoyed them once, one should reflect upon the following facts relating to them:—These are such that in a moment they cease to be agreeable,—they are transient,—they are forbidden by the scriptures,—attachment to them leads to hell, and so forth. This is what has been already said under 2.96 above.—(16)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 217);—and in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 10).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (9.50).—‘He shall not give much scope to the sexual organs, the stomach, the hand, the feet, the speech and the eye.’

Āpastamba (2.5).—‘By controlling the activities of the mind, the speech, the breath, the eye, the ear, the tactile organ, the sexual organ,—he attains immortality.’

Baudhāyana (2.2.1).—‘Always using water, always wearing the sacred thread, daily studying the Veda, avoiding the Śūdra’s food, approaching his wife only during the season, offering oblations according to rule,—the Brāhmaṇa falls not from the region of Brahman.’

Yājñavalkya (1.122).—‘......Control of the senses......these are conducive to the accomplishment of Dharma, for all men.’