FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.18

नियच्छेद्विषयेभ्योऽक्षान्मनसा बुद्धिसारथि: । मन: कर्मभिराक्षिप्तं शुभार्थे धारयेद्धिया ॥ १८ ॥
niyacched viṣayebhyo ’kṣān
[niyachched vishayebhyo ’kshaan]
manasā buddhi-sārathiḥ
[manasaa buddhi-saarathih]
manaḥ karmabhir ākṣiptaṁ
[manah karmabhir aakshiptam]
śubhārthe dhārayed dhiyā
[shubhaarthe dhaarayed dhiyaa]
niyacchet — withdraw viṣayebhyaḥ — from sense engagements akṣān — the senses manasā — by dint of the mind buddhi — intelligence sārathiḥ — driver manaḥ — the mind karmabhiḥ — by the fruitive work ākṣiptam — being absorbed in śubha-arthe — for the sake of the Lord dhārayet — hold up dhiyā — in full consciousness.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
niyacched viṣayebhyo ’kṣān
niyacchet
withdraw
viṣayebhyaḥ
from sense engagements
manasā buddhi-sārathiḥ
manaḥ karmabhir ākṣiptaṁ
akṣān
the senses
manasā
by dint of the mind
buddhi
intelligence
sārathiḥ
driver
manaḥ
the mind
karmabhiḥ
by the fruitive work
ākṣiptam
being absorbed in
śubhārthe dhārayed dhiyā
śubha-arthe
for the sake of the Lord
dhārayet
hold up
dhiyā
in full consciousness.
Gradually, as the mind becomes progressively spiritualized, withdraw it from sense activities, and by intelligence the senses will be controlled. The mind too absorbed in material activities can be engaged in the service of the Personality of Godhead and become fixed in full transcendental consciousness.

The first process of spiritualizing the mind by mechanical chanting of the praṇava ( oṁkāra ) and by control of the breathing system is technically called the mystic or yogic process of prāṇāyāma, or fully controlling the breathing air. The ultimate state of this prāṇāyāma system is to be fixed in trance, technically called samādhi. But experience has proven that even the samādhi stage also fails to control the materially absorbed mind. For example, the great mystic Viśvāmitra Muni, even in the stage of samādhi, became a victim of the senses and cohabited with Menakā. History has already recorded this. The mind, although ceasing to think of sensual activities at present, remembers past sensual activities from the subconscious status and thus disturbs one from cent-percent engagement in self-realization. Therefore, Śukadeva Gosvāmī recommends the next step of assured policy, namely to fix one’s mind in the service of the Personality of Godhead. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, also recommends this direct process in the Bhagavad-gītā (6.47) . Thus, the mind being spiritually cleansed, one should at once engage himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord by the different devotional activities of hearing, chanting, etc. If performed under proper guidance, that is the surest path of progress, even for the disturbed mind.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
One should restrain the senses such as the eye from the sense objects by the mind whose assistant is the intelligence and concentrate with intelligence on the Lord. The mind is always agitated by previous karmas.
Commentary

By the controlled mind one should withdraw the senses such as eye and ear from the sense objects such as sound. This is the fifth stage, pratyāhāra. The mind, whose assistant is the intelligence which discriminates, should then concentrate with intelligence on the form of the Lord (śubhārthe). This is the sixth stage of dhāraṇā. The mind is described as that which is impossible to make motionless by prāṇāyāma and other processes because of the extreme strength of previous karmas.

As the mind becomes spiritualized, intelligence pulls the senses back from their old objects and reroutes them to the Lord's service. Devotional engagement is the surest path because it gives the mind something better to do.
Reflection Questions
  • Which sense in particular keeps dragging my mind back into material absorption?
  • What devotional engagement could give that sense something higher to hold onto?
📝 My note

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