Devanagari
बृहद्बलं मनो विद्यादुभयेन्द्रियनायकम् ।
पञ्चाला: पञ्च विषया यन्मध्ये नवखं पुरम् ॥ ७ ॥
Verse text
bṛhad-balaṁ mano vidyād
ubhayendriya-nāyakam
paṣcālāḥ paṣca viṣayā
yan-madhye nava-khaṁ puram
Synonyms
bṛhat
—
balam — very powerful
;
manaḥ
—
the mind
;
vidyāt
—
one should know
;
ubhaya
—
indriya — of both groups of senses
;
nāyakam
—
the leader
;
paṣcālāḥ
—
the kingdom named Paṣcāla
;
paṣca
—
five
;
viṣayāḥ
—
sense objects
;
yat
—
of which
;
madhye
—
in the midst
;
nava
—
kham — having nine apertures
;
puram
—
the city .
Translation
The eleventh attendant, who is the commander of the others, is known as the mind. He is the leader of the senses both in the acquisition of knowledge and in the performance of work. The Paṣcāla kingdom is that atmosphere in which the five sense objects are enjoyed. Within that Paṣcāla kingdom is the city of the body, which has nine gates.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
One should know that the powerful mind is the leader of the ten senses. The Paṣcāla states are the five sense objects within which the city of nine gates is situated.
The eleven warriors were described. Their leader is the mind, which has great strength. Nava-khaṁ puram means the city with nine gates.
Purport
The mind is the center of all activities and is described here as
bṛhad-bala,
very powerful. To get out of the clutches of
māyā,
material existence, one has to control his mind. According to training, the mind is the friend and the enemy of the living entity. If one gets a good manager, his estate is very nicely managed, but if the manager is a thief, his estate is spoiled. Similarly, in his material, conditional existence, the living entity gives power of attorney to his mind. As such, he is liable to be misdirected by his mind into enjoying sense objects. Śrīla Ambarīṣa Mahārāja therefore first engaged his mind upon the lotus feet of the Lord (
sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ
). When the mind is engaged in meditation on the lotus feet of the Lord, the senses are controlled. This system of control is called
yama,
and this means “subduing the senses.” One who can subdue the senses is called a
gosvāmī,
but one who cannot control the mind is called
go-dāsa.
The mind directs the activities of the senses, which are expressed through different outlets, as described in the next verse.