Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 22
Sāṅkhya Enumeration of Tattvas, Distinction of Puruṣa–Prakṛti, and the Mechanics of Birth and Death
सङ्ख्याने सप्तदशके भूतमात्रेन्द्रियाणि च । पञ्च पञ्चैकमनसा आत्मा सप्तदश: स्मृत: ॥ २२ ॥
saṅkhyāne saptadaśake bhūta-mātrendriyāṇi ca pañca pañcaika-manasā ātmā saptadaśaḥ smṛtaḥ
কিছুজন সতেরো তত্ত্ব গণনা করেন—পাঁচ মহাভূত, পাঁচ তন্মাত্রা (বিষয়), পাঁচ ইন্দ্রিয়, মন এবং আত্মা; এভাবে আত্মা সতেরোতম তত্ত্ব বলে স্মৃত।
FAQs
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa explains a seventeenfold analysis: five gross elements, five subtle sense-objects, five senses, plus the mind—along with the self counted as the seventeenth.
Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava to see the body-mind-sense complex as analyzable components, so Uddhava can recognize the distinct self (ātman) and cultivate detachment and devotion.
By observing thoughts and sensory pulls as functions of mind and senses—rather than as the self—you can reduce impulsive identification, practice steadiness, and turn attention toward bhakti and remembrance of the Lord.