Shloka 53

Devanagari script

इन्द्रियाणि मनस्यूर्मौ वाचि वैकारिकं मन: । वाचं वर्णसमाम्नाये तमोङ्कारे स्वरे न्यसेत् । ओङ्कारं बिन्दौ नादे तं तं तु प्राणे महत्यमुम् ॥ ५३ ॥

Transliteration

indriyāṇi manasy ūrmau vāci vaikārikaṁ manaḥ vācaṁ varṇa-samāmnāye tam oṁkāre svare nyaset oṁkāraṁ bindau nāde taṁ taṁ tu prāṇe mahaty amum

Translation

ຈົ່ງນຳກິດຈະກຳຂອງອິນທຣີຍະທັງໝົດ ໄປອຸທິດໃນໃຈທີ່ເປັນຄື້ນແຫ່ງການຮັບແລະປະຕິເສດ; ນຳໃຈໄປອຸທິດໃນວາຈາ; ນຳວາຈາໄປອຸທິດໃນຫມວດອັກສອນທັງປວງ; ແລ້ວລະລາຍຫມວດນັ້ນໃນສຽງຫຍໍ້ ‘ໂອມກາຣ’. ຕໍ່ຈາກນັ້ນ ອຸທິດໂອມກາຣໃນບິນດຸ, ບິນດຸໃນນາດ, ນາດໃນປຣານ; ແລະສຸດທ້າຍ ວາງຊີວະທີ່ເຫຼືອໃນພຣະພຣະຫມັນອັນຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່—ນີ້ແມ່ນວິທີຍັນ.

Synonyms

• indriyāṇi: the senses
• indriyāṇi: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana

• manasi: in the mind
• manasi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• ūrmau: in the wave (of mind)
• ūrmau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana (Vedic/epic locative form)

• vāci: in speech
• vāci: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• vaikārikam: pertaining to transformation/modification
• vaikārikam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaikārika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; agreeing with manaḥ (as object)

• manaḥ: mind
• manaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana (object)

• vācam: speech
• vācam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• varṇa-samāmnāye: in the collection/recitation of letters
• varṇa-samāmnāye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + samāmnāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: varṇānāṁ samāmnāyaḥ = collection/recitation of phonemes

• tam: that (it)
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; pronoun referring to preceding entity to be placed

• oṁkāre: in Oṁkāra
• oṁkāre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: oṁkāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• svare: in the sound/intonation
• svare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• nyaset: should place/assign
• nyaset: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + as (अस्/धातु in sense ‘to place’, causative/denominative usage)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, Optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; Parasmaipada; injunction ‘should place’

• oṁkāram: Oṁkāra
• oṁkāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: oṁkāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• bindau: in the bindu (point)
• bindau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bindu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• nāde: in the nāda (resonance)
• nāde: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• tam: that (it)
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• tam: that (again)
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; repetition for stepwise placement

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa/viśeṣa-nipāta (तु-निपात) contrast/emphasis

• prāṇe: in the breath/vital air
• prāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• mahaty: in the great (one)
• mahaty: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana; form = mahati (locative) with sandhi before vowel; agreeing with prāṇe (as ‘in the great prāṇa’)

• amum: that (yonder)
• amum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; distal pronoun

Purport

The mind is always agitated by acceptance and rejection, which are compared to mental waves that are constantly tossing. The living entity is floating in the waves of material existence because of his forgetfulness. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has therefore sung in his Gītāvalī: miche māyāra vaśe, yāccha bhese’, khāccha hābuḍubu, bhāi. “My dear mind, under the influence of māyā you are being carried away by the waves of rejection and acceptance. Simply take shelter of Kṛṣṇa.” Jīva kṛṣṇa-dāsa, ei viśvāsa, karle ta’ āra duḥkha nāi: if we simply regard the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa as our ultimate shelter, we shall be saved from all these waves of māyā, which are variously exhibited as mental and sensual activities and the agitation of rejection and acceptance. Kṛṣṇa instructs in Bhagavad-gītā (18.66) :

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda Mahārāja

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about withdrawing the senses (pratyahara)?

This verse outlines a step-by-step withdrawal: senses into mind, mind into its material agitation, then into speech and sound—culminating in merging into prāṇa and the mahat-tattva, showing progressive internalization of consciousness.

Why did Prahlada Maharaja teach this process in Canto 7 Chapter 15?

In his instructions on civilized life and spiritual advancement, Prahlāda describes methods of inner purification and detachment, presenting a meditative sequence that reduces material identification and steadies consciousness.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

Practice conscious sense-restraint: reduce sensory overload, bring attention to the mind, regulate speech, and use sacred sound (such as oṁ or mantra) to center awareness—supporting calmer breathing and clearer spiritual focus.