मनो मननविक्षुब्धं दिशो दश विधावति । मन्दराहननोद्धूतं क्षीरार्णवपयो यथा ॥ ६ ॥
manō mananavikṣubdhaṁ diśō daśa vidhāvati | mandarāhananōddhūtaṁ kṣīrārṇavapayō yathā || 6 ||
Translation
Stirred up by its thinking, the mind runs off in the ten directions, like the water of the ocean of milk thrown up by the blows of Mount Mandara.
Word by word
- manō
- (manaḥ) the mind
- manana
- by its thinking
- vikṣubdhaṁ
- stirred up
- diśō
- (diśaḥ) directions
- daśa
- the ten
- vidhāvati
- runs off
- mandara
- of Mount Mandara
- āhanana
- by the blows
- uddhūtaṁ
- thrown up
- kṣīra
- of milk
- arṇava
- of the ocean
- payō
- (payaḥ) the water
- yathā
- like
Meaning
In the old story, gods and demons churned the ocean of milk with Mount Mandara as their churning rod; the water flew in every direction. Manana, thinking about the objects of sense, as the commentary says, is the churning; the mind is the ocean; and it flies off to the "ten directions" (the four quarters, the four between, above and below), finding happiness nowhere. The image explains why trying to calm the mind by more thinking fails: it is more churning. The reader is pointed towards stillness rather than more effort of thought.