Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 29
The Lord in the Heart and the Discipline of Yoga-Bhakti
घ्राणेन गन्धं रसनेन वै रसं रूपं च दृष्टया श्वसनं त्वचैव । श्रोत्रेण चोपेत्य नभोगुणत्वं प्राणेन चाकूतिमुपैति योगी ॥ २९ ॥
ghrāṇena gandhaṁ rasanena vai rasaṁ rūpaṁ ca dṛṣṭyā śvasanaṁ tvacaiva śrotreṇa copetya nabho-guṇatvaṁ prāṇena cākūtim upaiti yogī
Thus the yogi transcends the sense-objects—fragrance by smelling, taste by the tongue, form by sight, touch by the skin, and sound as the quality of ether by hearing—and by prāṇa attains the power of inner resolve, passing beyond the senses.
Beyond the sky there are subtle coverings, resembling the elementary coverings of the universes. The gross coverings are a development of partial ingredients of the subtle causes. So the yogī or devotee, along with liquidation of the gross elements, relinquishes the subtle causes like aroma by smelling. The pure spiritual spark, the living entity, thus becomes completely cleansed of all material contamination to become eligible for entrance into the kingdom of God.
FAQs
This verse maps each sense to its object—smell, taste, form, touch, and sound—and indicates that a yogī understands these functions through disciplined perception and the role of prāṇa.
He is guiding Parīkṣit in inner realization—showing how the embodied being experiences the world through senses and prāṇa, a foundation for meditation on the Lord within.
Observe how each sense pulls the mind outward; regulate breath and habits, and redirect attention inward toward conscious intention—supporting steadiness in sādhana and devotion.