sadā mohāṭavyāṃ carati yuvatīnāṃ kucagiraunaṭatyāśāśākhāsvaṭati jhaṭiti svairamabhitaḥ ;kapālin bhikṣo me hṛdayakapimatyantacapalaṃdṛḍhaṃ bhaktyā baddhvā śiva bhavadadhīnaṃ kuru vibho . 20 .
ŚLOKA 20 / 100
The restless monkey of the mind
About these study notes: English meanings and explanations were generated with AI assistance and have not been independently reviewed by a Sanskrit scholar. Sanskrit text follows the cited source editions.
02 / PHRASE STUDY · PADĀRTHA
A phrase at a time.
Follow the words into meaning. Select a phrase to locate it in the verse above. Read the quarters together for the full sentence.
Sringeri IAST text · source wording and line-break hyphens retained. English glosses follow the connected Sanskrit sense.
Vignanam text · spellings and hyphens retained. English glosses follow the base Sanskrit; variant readings are not separately translated.
| Selected phrase | Meaning in context |
|---|---|
The mind wanders in the forest of delusion and leaps upon the mountains of sensual attraction. | |
It dances on the branches of desire and darts freely in every direction. | |
O skull-bearing mendicant, this monkey of my heart is exceedingly restless. | |
Bind it firmly with devotion, Shiva, and bring it under your care. |
These four study units follow the printed quarters. Sentences and compounds can continue across a line break; read the whole verse for connected meaning. The source wording stays unchanged.
| Selected phrase | Meaning in context |
|---|---|
The mind wanders in the forest of delusion and leaps upon the mountains of sensual attraction. Key expressions in this quarter: moha — delusion; aṭavī — forest. | |
It dances on the branches of desire and darts freely in every direction. Key expressions in this quarter: āśā — desire or expectation; śākhā — branch. | |
O skull-bearing mendicant, this monkey of my heart is exceedingly restless. Key expressions in this quarter: hṛdayakapi — monkey of the heart; capala — restless. | |
Bind it firmly with devotion, Shiva, and bring it under your care. Key expressions in this quarter: bhakti — devotion; dṛḍham — firmly. |
Selected words and compound parts are shown in IAST. This is a contextual vocabulary study, not an exhaustive grammatical analysis. The source phrase follows your selected script. Locate highlights that unchanged phrase; learning forms are not substituted into the verse.
| Word / source phrase | Meaning in context |
|---|---|
delusion | |
forest | |
desire or expectation | |
branch | |
monkey of the heart The heart becomes the monkey whose leaps describe distracted attention. | |
restless | |
devotion | |
firmly |
03 / SIMPLE MEANING
The restless monkey of the mind
The mind wanders in the forest of delusion and leaps upon the mountains of sensual attraction. It dances on the branches of desire and darts freely in every direction. O skull-bearing mendicant, this monkey of my heart is exceedingly restless. Bind it firmly with devotion, Shiva, and bring it under your care.
04 / DETAILED MEANING
How the verse unfolds.
The movement of a monkey supplies a vivid picture of unstable attention. The verse includes bodily desire among the places where attention clings, without reducing the image to that alone. Devotion is imagined as a binding that gathers the mind rather than as another distraction.
EDITORIAL EXPLANATION · NOT A TRADITIONAL COMMENTARY
05 / DEEPER CONTEMPLATION
What repeatedly captures my attention, and what helps me return without harshness?
Read this verse once more, then sit with the question. Notice the particular image or expression that holds your attention. You do not need to force an answer.
Keep a reflection or question ↓06 / THEMES & TATTVA
Connected themes
Editorial lenses; a verse may invite other readings.
Associated Tattva
The heart as a place of worship
The heart’s monkey moves through delusion and branches of desire. Devotion becomes the bond through which its restless energy is placed under Shiva’s care.
Explore this Tattva →07 / PERSONAL REFLECTION
A phrase, a question, a moment of understanding
What repeatedly captures my attention, and what helps me return without harshness?
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