Gita 05.09 – Contact of senses & sense objects is not the problem – infatuation with the contact is
pralapan visṛjan gṛhṇann
unmiṣan nimiṣann api
indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu
vartanta iti dhārayan (Bg 5.9)
Word-for-word:
pralapan — talking; visṛjan — giving up; gṛhṇan — accepting; unmiṣan — opening; nimiṣan — closing; api — in spite of; indriyāṇi — the senses; indriya-artheṣu — in sense gratification; vartante — let them be so engaged; iti — thus; dhārayan — considering.
Translation:
A person while speaking, evacuating, receiving, or opening or closing his eyes, always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them.
Explanation:
Kṛṣṇa here describes the consciousness of the karma-yogī, by which he remains free from bondage. He says:
pralapan visṛjan gṛhṇann: Speaking, giving up (which can refer to the body’s excretory functions, where waste products are eliminated), and accepting (which can occur in various ways).
unmiṣan nimiṣann api: opening the eyes, closing the eyes.
In one sense, this is a list of actions performed with the karmendriyas, the working senses.
In the previous verse, Kṛṣṇa described actions performed with the jñānendriyas—seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping, and breathing (paśyañ śṛṇvan spṛśañ jighrann aśnan gacchan svapañ śvasan). Although this is not a rigid or precise division between the jñānendriyas (knowledge-acquiring senses) and the karmendriyas (working senses), Kṛṣṇa’s description essentially encompasses both categories, showing that all sensory and bodily activities are included.
For example, paśyañ śṛṇvan spṛśañ jighrann—seeing, hearing, touching, smelling—these are activities of the jñānendriyas. The activities of the karmendriyas can also be described in various ways, and many other bodily functions can ultimately be traced back to the operation of either the jñānendriyas or the karmendriyas. Kṛṣṇa presents this as a representative list of actions.
The essential point is to recognize that all these various activities are carried out through our senses. Kṛṣṇa then explains how a person who knows the truth perceives them: indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu—there is a contact between the senses and the sense objects; vartante iti dhārayan—such a person thinks, “They are engaged.” This is the vision of the tattvavit, the knower of truth.
When we live in this world, it is impossible to avoid contact between the senses and the sense objects. Such contact is natural and inevitable. Even if we are not engaged in any specific activity—say we close our eyes to block visual stimuli—we still cannot close our nose; it will continue to detect whatever smells are present. Similarly, we cannot shut our ears completely, nor can we desensitize our skin to touch. In this way, as long as we inhabit the body, the senses will unavoidably come in contact with their respective objects.
The problem arises when we assume that the contact of the senses with their objects will bring pleasure, and thus we deliberately seek such contact for the sake of enjoyment. In reality, this contact is merely peripheral to the true self—it is not the source of real happiness.
Kṛṣṇa addresses the pursuit of pleasure more explicitly in verses 5.21–5.25. In 5.22, He declares, ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā duḥkha-yonaya eva te—the pleasures that arise from sense contact are indeed sources of misery. Conversely, in 5.21, He describes the serious seeker as bāhya-sparśeṣv asaktātmā—one who is detached from external sense contact and who instead finds joy within. By turning away from outer sensations, such a person experiences the deeper happiness that comes from the self.
Kṛṣṇa here, on similar lines, says indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu vartanta iti dhārayan: when we function in the world without letting ourselves become emotionally entangled in it, we remain free from the illusion that sense contact is the source of pleasure. We do not become emotionally entrapped in the interaction of the senses with the sense objects, thinking, “This particular contact will give me happiness, so this is what I want.”
Certainly, it is not that the person has to live apathetically. For example, if a cook is preparing a meal, it is natural for the cook to want to make the food delicious. To ensure its quality, the cook may need to taste it. At the time of tasting, it is not that the cook should think, “I don’t care. This is just the contact of the senses with the sense objects—why should I bother about the taste?” It is not like that. If it is a service, it should be done responsibly and competently, with care for the outcome, while still maintaining inner detachment from the results.
The relevant point for us to understand is that while working—even if we are aiming for a particular result—we should not become attached to that result. At the level of karma-yoga, this detachment can be challenging.
However, at the level of bhakti-yoga, it becomes much easier because there, we offer the fruits of our work to Kṛṣṇa. In bhakti-yoga, we see our activities as expressions of devotion, meant for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure.
Kṛṣṇa is pleased not only by the final result but also by the sincerity and dedication in the endeavor itself. Therefore, we strive to offer our effort wholeheartedly to Him, using our intelligence and energy in His service. In this way, our work becomes a means of purification, enabling us to receive His mercy.
In karma-yoga, the person’s primary focus is to perform their duty, whatever it may be. By doing that duty in a mood of purification—as Kṛṣṇa will later emphasize in Bhagavad-gītā 5.11—the practitioner aims to cleanse the heart. This desire for purification is itself commendable.
Such a person is not indifferent in the sense of being careless or irresponsible about the contact between the senses and their objects. Rather, the indifference lies in being emotionally detached from the result—whether or not the specific external outcome is achieved. The main concern is the purification that comes through dutiful work, and that purification deepens the more one becomes absorbed in the activity itself.
This absorption certainly involves striving for a quality result, but without being obsessed over the quality of the outcome. The focus is fixed on a higher spiritual purpose—ultimately, the purpose of loving, serving, and pleasing Kṛṣṇa.
Here, Kṛṣṇa explains that when one deeply assimilates the understanding of the difference between the body and the soul, bodily functions are seen simply as the natural workings of the body’s mechanisms. Such a person does not become emotionally entangled in these functions and does not falsely assume doership where doership is not due. With this vision, one can remain free from bondage in any situation of life, regardless of the nature of the work being performed.
For us as devotees, the specifics of bhakti will be described in much greater detail from the seventh chapter onward. However, even now, when sense objects agitate or tempt us and we feel a craving for sense gratification, we can remind ourselves that this is nothing more than the contact of dead matter with dead matter.
Such contact cannot give real pleasure; it is only due to illusion that we imagine it will. Therefore, we should not allow ourselves to be deluded in this way. Instead, we can remember Kṛṣṇa’s instruction—indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu vartanta—and allow the contact to occur only when it is essential for functional purposes, without becoming enamored or emotionally captivated by it.
Thus, by such contemplation, we can minimize the distractions from our devotional practice that arise due to temptations for sense gratification. By contemplating on the nature of bodily functions and the dynamics of the soul–body interaction, we can restrain those distractions and deepen our absorption in Kṛṣṇa
Thank you.
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