Upanishads · Kaṭha 3.5
॥
Devanāgarī
यस् त्व् अविज्ञानवान् भवत्य् अयुक्तेन मनसा सदा ।
तस्येन्द्रियाण्य् अवश्यानि दुष्टाश्वा इव सारथेः
Transliteration (IAST)
yas tv avijñānavān bhavaty ayuktena manasā sadā /
tasyendriyāṇy avaśyāni duṣṭāśvā iva sāratheḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यःyaḥwho; the one who
तुtusurely; however
अविज्ञानवान्avijñānavāndevoid of discernment (a-vijñāna-vat); undiscerning; without clear knowledge
भवतिbhavatiis; becomes
अयुक्तेनayuktenaunyoked (a-yukta — 'not harnessed'); unrestrained; unbridled
मनसाmanasāwith the mind; with the mind
सदाsadāalways; constantly
तस्यtasyait; his
इन्द्रियाणिindriyāṇithe senses; the sense-organs
अवश्यानिavaśyānithey are not to be controlled (a-vaśya); unruly; unmanageable
दुष्टाश्वाःduṣṭāśvāḥbad horses (duṣṭa-aśva); restive steeds; spoiled horses
इवivahow; as it were
सारथेःsāratheḥof the charioteer; for the one who drives
Translation
He who is without discernment, whose mind is always unrestrained — his senses are uncontrollable, like bad horses for a charioteer.
Version
170baa7e4e98 · published Jul 26, 2026, 9:13:03 PM UTC
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The first scenario — the wreck. avijñānavān — "without discernment": the charioteer-intellect knows neither road nor goal; ayuktena manasā — "with an unyoked mind": the reins are dropped. The result is immediate: indriyāṇy avaśyāni — "the senses are uncontrollable", duṣṭāśvā iva sāratheḥ — "like bad horses for a charioteer": the team runs away — not where one ought to go but where the grass is.
The psychological order is exact: the senses get out of hand not through their own strength but through the weakness above — an indifferent intellect and an unrestrained mind. A mutiny of horses is always the consequence of an empty driver's seat; the passions rule where consciousness has abdicated. Therefore a direct war with the senses ("holding the horses by the muzzle") is hopeless and is not prescribed: what must be repaired is the charioteer and the reins.
The Gītā (2.67) draws the outcome in one image: "whichever of the roaming senses the mind follows — that carries away his understanding, as the wind a boat upon the water". A boat, a chariot — the images differ, the law is one: without a governing principle every power becomes the ruin of its bearer.