Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 6
Jaḍa Bharata Instructs King Rahūgaṇa: The Mind as Bondage and the Two Kṣetrajñas
दु:खं सुखं व्यतिरिक्तं च तीव्रंकालोपपन्नं फलमाव्यनक्ति । आलिङ्ग्य मायारचितान्तरात्मास्वदेहिनं संसृतिचक्रकूट: ॥ ६ ॥
duḥkhaṁ sukhaṁ vyatiriktaṁ ca tīvraṁ kālopapannaṁ phalam āvyanakti āliṅgya māyā-racitāntarātmā sva-dehinaṁ saṁsṛti-cakra-kūṭaḥ
Ang isip na materyal na nilikha ng māyā ay bumabalot sa kaluluwa at dinadala ito sa iba’t ibang uri ng kapanganakan—ito ang gulong ng saṁsāra. Dahil sa isip, nararanasan ng nilalang ang matitinding bunga ng saya at pighati ayon sa panahon; sa pagkahibang, muli itong lumilikha ng mabuti at masamang karma at mga bunga nito, kaya lalo pang nabibigkis ang kaluluwa.
Mental activities under the influence of material nature cause happiness and distress within the material world. Being covered by illusion, the living entity eternally continues conditioned life under different designations. Such living entities are known as nitya-baddha, eternally conditioned. On the whole, the mind is the cause of conditioned life; therefore the entire yogic process is meant to control the mind and the senses. If the mind is controlled, the senses are automatically controlled, and therefore the soul is saved from the reactions of pious and impious activity. If the mind is engaged at the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa ( sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ ), the senses are automatically engaged in the Lord’s service. When the mind and senses are engaged in devotional service, the living entity naturally becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious. As soon as one always thinks of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes a perfect yogī, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā ( yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā ). This antarātmā, the mind, is conditioned by material nature. As stated here, māyā-racitāntarātmā sva-dehinaṁ saṁsṛti-cakra-kūṭaḥ: the mind, being most powerful, covers the living entity and puts him in the waves of material existence.
FAQs
This verse explains that pleasure, pain, and mixed experiences arise as karmic results that mature under the control of time (kāla), and they bind the jīva when one clings to bodily identification created by māyā.
Rahūgaṇa was proud and identified with external roles; Jaḍa Bharata instructs him that bondage is not merely external but rooted in māyā-made identification with the body, which keeps one trapped in the wheel of saṁsāra.
Treat ups and downs as time-ripened results, reduce ego-based bodily identity, and cultivate spiritual practice (bhakti and self-inquiry) to stop being “pierced” by recurring anxiety, pride, and fear.