Chapter 15, Verse 9 (Bhagavad Gita 15.9)
Chapter 15: Puruṣhottam Yog – The Yoga of the Supreme Divine Personality
Sanskrit Shloka
श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च।अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते
Transliteration
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
Presiding over the ears, eyes, touch, taste, smell, and the mind, the embodied soul enjoys the objects of the senses.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound verse, Lord Krishna reveals the mechanics of the soul's entanglement within the material world. As the indwelling witness, the soul functions through the sensory apparatus, which Bhagwan Shri Krishna describes as the instruments of experience. By identifying with the senses and the mind, the eternal soul seeks pleasure in fleeting objects, thereby veiling its true divine nature. Yogeshwar Krishna invites the seeker to transcend this outward-looking consciousness and realize that the soul is not the enjoyer, but a spark of the Divine. By detaching from sensory cravings and aligning with the Supreme, one attains liberation from the cycle of birth and death.