FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.11.9

एकादशासन्मनसो हि वृत्तय आकूतय: पञ्च धियोऽभिमान: । मात्राणि कर्माणि पुरं च तासां वदन्ति हैकादश वीर भूमी: ॥ ९ ॥
ekādaśāsan manaso hi vṛttaya
[ekaadashaasan manaso hi vrittaya]
ākūtayaḥ pañca dhiyo ’bhimānaḥ
[aakootayah pancha dhiyo ’bhimaanah]
mātrāṇi karmāṇi puraṁ ca tāsāṁ
[maatraani karmaani puram cha taasaam]
vadanti haikādaśa vīra bhūmīḥ
[vadanti haikaadasha veera bhoomeeh]
Word-for-word
ekādaśa — eleven āsan — there are manasaḥ — of the mind hi — certainly vṛttayaḥ — activities ākūtayaḥ — senses of action pañca — five dhiyaḥ — senses for gathering knowledge abhimānaḥ — the false ego mātrāṇi — different sense objects karmāṇi — different material activities puram ca — and the body, society, nation, family or place of nativity tāsām — of those functions vadanti — they say ha — oh ekādaśa — eleven vīra — O hero bhūmīḥ — fields of activity.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ekādaśāsan manaso hi vṛttaya
ekādaśa
eleven
āsan
there are
manasaḥ
of the mind
hi
certainly
vṛttayaḥ
activities
ākūtayaḥ pañca dhiyo ’bhimānaḥ
ākūtayaḥ
senses of action
pañca
five
dhiyaḥ
senses for gathering knowledge
mātrāṇi karmāṇi puraṁ ca tāsāṁ
vadanti haikādaśa vīra bhūmīḥ
abhimānaḥ
the false ego
mātrāṇi
different sense objects
karmāṇi
different material activities
puram ca
and the body, society, nation, family or place of nativity
tāsām
of those functions
vadanti
they say
ha
oh
ekādaśa
eleven
vīra
O hero
bhūmīḥ
fields of activity.
There are five working senses and five knowledge-acquiring senses. There is also the false ego. In this way, there are eleven items for the mind’s functions. O hero, the objects of the senses [such as sound and touch], the organic activities [such as evacuation] and the different types of bodies, society, friendship and personality are considered by learned scholars the fields of activity for the functions of the mind.
Purport

The mind is the controller of the five knowledge-acquiring senses and the five working senses. Each sense has its particular field of activity. In all cases, the mind is the controller or owner. By the false ego one thinks oneself the body and thinks in terms of “my body, my house, my family, my society, my nation” and so on. These false identifications are due to the expansions of the false ego. Thus one thinks that he is this or that. Thus the living entity becomes entangled in material existence.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The eleven functions of the mind are the five knowledge senses, the five action senses and the ahaṅkāra. O King! They say that there are eleven objects for these senses: the five tan-mātras, the actions of the five action senses and the body. This verse shows the conditions or vṛttis of the mind. There are eleven vṛttis: five actions senses (ākūtayaḥ), five knowledge senses (dhiyaḥ) and ahaṅkāra (abhimānaḥ). For these eleven there are eleven objects, of hero of knowledge (vīra)! The tan-mātras are the sense objects of the five knowledge senses. Actions such as elimination are the sense objects of the five action senses. The body (puram), house etc. are the objects of the ahaṅkāra.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Five working senses, five knowledge-acquiring senses, plus false ego — eleven instruments make up the field of human experience. Mistaking any one of them for the self leads to misery; understanding their function brings clarity.
Reflection Questions
  • Which of these eleven 'instruments' are you currently most identified with, mistaking it for who you are?
  • What would a clearer division between 'instruments' and 'self' look like in your inner life?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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