गृहस्थकर्त्तव्यानिThe duties of the householder
Verse 61
जितेन्द्रियः प्रसन्नात्मा सुचिन्त्यः स्याद्दृढव्रतः । अप्रमत्तो दीर्घदर्शी मात्रास्पर्शान् विचारयेत् ॥ ६१ ॥
jitēndriyaḥ prasannātmā sucintyaḥ syāddṛḍhavrataḥ | apramattō dīrghadarśī mātrāsparśān vicārayēt || 61 ||
Translation
He should master his senses, be serene in mind, mindful of scripture, firm in his vows, heedful, far-seeing; he should examine the contacts of the senses.
Word by word
- jita
- mastered
- indriyaḥ
- (indriyaḥ) the senses
- prasanna
- serene
- ātmā
- in mind
- sucintyaḥ
- mindful of scripture
- syād
- (syāt) he should be
- dṛḍha
- firm
- vrataḥ
- in his vows
- apramattō
- (apramattaḥ) heedful
- dīrgha
- far
- darśī
- seeing
- mātrā
- of the senses
- sparśān
- the contacts
- vicārayēt
- he should examine
Meaning
The commentary explains two words. "Sucintya" is one whose scripture and the like are well thought over and remembered. "Mātrā-sparśa", a phrase from the Gītā (2.14), is the contact of the senses with their objects: mātrās are the functions of the senses, called so because by them objects are "measured" (mīyante). To "examine" them is to watch what the senses bring and not be carried away by it.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
"Jitendriya…" and the rest. Sucintyaḥ: he whose scripture and the like are well thought over and remembered. Mātrā-sparśān: mātrās are the functions of the senses, by which objects are measured (mīyante); their contacts, their connections with objects. (This explanation covers verses 61 to 65.)