3.42
इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्यः परं मनः | मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्यो बुद्धेः परतस्तु सः ||४२||
indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ manasas tu parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ
Translation
The working senses are superior to dull matter; the mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and the soul is even higher than the intelligence.
Interpretation
The hierarchy of the inner life: matter → senses → mind → intellect → Self (the soul). Each level transcends and encompasses the one below. Desire operates at the lower levels; the Self is beyond all of them. The spiritual practice moves from the outer inward — from sense control to mind control to intellect purification to Self-realization.