Pradyumna: Translation: "Above the five senses of perception, the five working senses and the five objects of the senses is the mind, which is the sixteenth element. Above the mind is the seventeenth element, the soul, the living being himself, who, in cooperation with the other sixteen, enjoys the material world alone. The living being enjoys three kinds of situations, namely happy, distressful and mixed."
Prabhupāda:
- pañcabhiḥ kurute svārthān
- pañca vedātha pañcabhiḥ
- ekas tu ṣoḍaśena trīn
- svayaṁ saptadaśo 'śnute
- (SB 6.1.50)
This is the analytical study of our material position. Very clear analysis. We, pañcabhiḥ, with five working senses—voice..., vāk, pāṇi, pāyu, udāra, upastha... Voice, arms, legs, anus and genital. There are twenty-four. The total material constituent parts are twenty-five, sometimes twenty-six they say. These seventeen, and the five elements gross and three subtle elements, in this way, altogether twenty-five including the soul. The soul is pure spirit, and other twenty-four elements, they are different varieties of material covering. In this way we are entangled, and we are desiring, and nature is giving us facility to enjoy our desires. This is the material world.
So unless we are free from all kinds of desires, we shall be entangled with these elements. Therefore bhakti, bhakti-mārga, devotional service, means no more material desire. It is difficult, because we are associated with the material desires life after life, from time immemorial. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings therefore, anādi karama phale pori bhavārṇava-jale toribāre na dekhi upāy. Anādi karama: time immemorial I am fallen in this ocean of fruitive activities, and I have no rescue from this ocean. Toribāre na dekhi upāy. This is our position. Very, very difficult to come out of these elements. But if we practice, that is possible. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā (BG 8.8). Cetasā nānya-gāminā, this is practice. Mind is going somewhere. When we sit down, the mind is manufacturing so many ideas. All of a sudden mind is attracted by something which has no connection with my present position, still, mind is dragging me. Therefore Arjuna said, when he was advised by Kṛṣṇa that "You concentrate your mind..." That is the yoga practice. Yoga-indriya-samyaya. So Arjuna said, "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me."
- cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa
- pramāthi balavad dṛḍham
- tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye
- vāyor iva suduṣkaram
- (BG 6.34)
"It is not possible for me." But if we concentrate our mind on Kṛṣṇa, then it is possible. Otherwise, it is not. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). If we engage our senses only on Kṛṣṇa, always fixed up in Kṛṣṇa, then it is possible.
So to engage the mind means, as it is said here, that pañcabhiḥ, the mind means controlling all the senses. So if you control the mind, then all the other senses will be controlled. So therefore it is advised that you engage your mind in Kṛṣṇa. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. And vāk, vāṇī, pāyu, the voice..., voice, arms, legs, anus and genitals. So voice should be engaged in vibrating Kṛṣṇa activities. You read Bhagavad-gītā, read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and talk about Kṛṣṇa. Then voice is engaged. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Always engage your voice in chanting or speaking about Kṛṣṇa. The mind is engaged automatically. Then arms, the hands, is engaged in cleansing the temple.