The Yoga of the Supreme Divine Personality
Verse 15.9
श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च।अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते।।15.9।।
śhrotraṁ chakṣhuḥ sparśhanaṁ cha rasanaṁ ghrāṇam eva cha adhiṣhṭhāya manaśh chāyaṁ viṣhayān upasevate
Word Meanings
śhrotram—ears; chakṣhuḥ—eyes; sparśhanam—the sense of touch; cha—and; rasanam—tongue; ghrāṇam—nose; eva—also; cha—and; adhiṣhṭhāya—grouped around; manaḥ—mind; cha—also; ayam—they; viṣhayān—sense objects; upasevate—savors
Translation · English
Presiding over the ears, eyes, touch, taste, smell, and mind, it enjoys the objects of the senses.
Deep Meaning · English
In this verse, Bhagavan Krishna describes the mechanics of the embodied soul’s journey through the material world. It is not merely a biological description of sensory perception; it is an exposition of how the Jivatma (individual soul) projects its consciousness outward. By presiding over the five senses and the mind—the sixth sense—the soul enters the realm of objects, seeking fulfillment in a domain that is inherently transient. The term 'adhiṣhṭhāya' (presiding over/occupying) implies that the soul is not a passive witness, but an active participant that identifies with the sensory apparatus, thereby becoming entangled in the play of Gunas. Krishna highlights that this is the mechanism of samsara: the soul, which is infinite and divine in nature, mistakenly feels its existence through the limited window of these physical instruments. The longing for sense objects is essentially the soul’s distorted longing for its original bliss, redirected toward the shadows of the material world. By identifying with the mind and senses, the soul experiences the fluctuation of pleasure and pain, forgetting its true identity as the eternal, unchanging Self. Understanding this process is the first step toward detachment; it invites the seeker to move from being an 'enjoyer' of objects to an 'observer' of the sensory process itself.
The soul's entanglement in material experience is a result of it identifying with the mind and senses as the primary instruments of its own fulfillment.
Connected Verses
Establishes the foundational truth that the soul is a fragment of the Divine, struggling with the six senses including the mind.
Reflects the perspective of the realized soul who, while acting through the senses, remains unaffected and detached from the objects of the world.
Outlines the hierarchy of the self, placing the senses, mind, and intellect beneath the soul, providing context to why they influence our perception.
Explains how the process of dwelling on sense objects leads to attachment and the eventual loss of spiritual discernment.
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