Gita 05.13 – The bodily city metaphor conveys our difference from our sensory gates
sarva-karmāṇi manasā
sannyasyāste sukhaṁ vaśī
nava-dvāre pure dehī
naiva kurvan na kārayan (Bg 5.13)
Word-for-word:
sarva — all; karmāṇi — activities; manasā — by the mind; sannyasya — giving up; āste — remains; sukham — in happiness; vaśī — one who is controlled; nava-dvāre — in the place where there are nine gates; pure — in the city; dehī — the embodied soul; na — never; eva — certainly; kurvan — doing anything; na — not; kārayan — causing to be done.
Translation:
When the embodied living being controls his nature and mentally renounces all actions, he resides happily in the city of nine gates [the material body], neither working nor causing work to be done.
Explanation:
Kṛṣṇa here continues His analysis of how karma-yoga can keep one free from bondage and how it is to be practiced. He says:
sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasyāste: Renouncing all actions mentally;
sukhaṁ vaśī: resides happily;
nava-dvāre pure dehī: the embodied soul becomes situated in the city of nine gates (the body);
naiva kurvan na kārayan: not doing anything nor causing anything to be done.
Here, Kṛṣṇa speaks about the mental renunciation of physical action. This further elaborates and reiterates what was mentioned in 5.8 and 5.9, where it is stated that a person who is knower of the truth, although engaged in various activities, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing at all. He understands that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he remains aloof from them.
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa states that one should mentally renounce the actions performed (sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasya), understanding that the senses are simply interacting with the sense objects. Bodily functions must be carried out, and we should allow them to take place without becoming emotionally entangled in them.
Notably, Kṛṣṇa does not speak here of sarva-karmāṇāṁ sannyāsa; rather, He says sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasya. There is a clear difference. Arjuna had begun this chapter by speaking about karma-sannyāsa—whether one should renounce work altogether. This term had appeared earlier in 4.41, which was central to Arjuna’s question. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa clarifies that it is not necessary to adopt karma-sannyāsa; instead, one should mentally renounce the work—physically performing one’s duties while remaining mentally detached from them.
Unless there is physical possession, mental renunciation has no real meaning. For example, if I do not have money, claiming to be detached from money is pointless. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that he must perform his duties physically—as a kṣatriya, he has to fight—but sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasya. When one acts in this way, āste sukhaṁ vaśī—one is able to reside happily in the city of nine gates, nava-dvāre pure dehī.
The body is here compared to a city of nine gates—nava-dvāre pure. These nine gates are the nine openings of the body: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, the mouth, and the two excretory openings. Just as a city has gates through which people enter and exit, the body, when seen as a city, has these nine gates through which interaction with the external world takes place.
It is interesting that Kṛṣṇa has so far compared the body to a dress in Bhagavad-gītā 2.22—vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya—where the body we give up at the time of death is likened to an old garment cast aside, and the body we receive in a new birth is like a new garment. There, the body is compared to clothing that the soul wears around itself.
Here, however, in this verse, Kṛṣṇa compares the body to a city. The dress metaphor emphasizes changeability. We regularly change our clothes; some people even change several times in a single day. While our clothing may matter for appearance, we understand that even if the dress changes, the person wearing it remains the same. Thus, the dress metaphor is effective for conveying the non-permanent relationship between the body and the soul—the body being like an outer appearance for the inner substance of the soul.
The metaphor of the city, however, conveys something different. The body’s relationship with the soul is far more enduring than that of a dress. A dress might be worn for a few months, or perhaps five to ten years, but people may live in a city for decades—sometimes an entire lifetime. A city becomes a home, a place one inhabits for a long time. In the same way, the soul resides in the body as one lives in a city.
Similarly, the body becomes like a home for the soul. In fact, it is more than just a home—it is like a hometown or home city, which is why Kṛṣṇa uses the word ‘pure’ here. The idea is that because the soul resides within the body, comparing the body to a city is appropriate.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there is the story of Purañjana, where the body is compared to a city and the metaphor is developed in great detail. We will not analyze that metaphor here in depth, but will focus on one important point also mentioned in this verse—nava-dvāre pure, the nine gates.
In the past, there were cities that functioned like forts or contained great treasures and valuables that needed protection. Such cities often had strong barricades, sometimes built atop mountains, with walls surrounding them. There were specific entry points, while the surrounding areas might be dense forest or otherwise difficult to pass through. The easiest and most convenient way to enter was through the gates, each of which was often heavily guarded. In some cases, a toll was collected, allowing or denying entry based on certain conditions.
This metaphor of the body as a city with nine gates conveys that things enter and leave the body through these openings. The soul’s interaction with the world, via the body, takes place largely through these gates. We are drawn to sense objects through them—we see something beautiful, taste something delicious, hear something melodious, smell something fragrant, or touch something soft. In all these ways, information and experiences from the outside world enter the city of the body and reach us. It is primarily through the senses that such interaction occurs.
In this city of nine gates, the soul resides as a tenant, not as the owner. Just as a tenant can be evicted when the landlord decides not to renew the lease, we too must vacate the body when the landlord—the Supersoul—so decides. Although the Supersoul has not been explicitly mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā until now, the concept is well established in yoga. The Patañjali Yoga Sūtras speak of Īśvara-praṇidhāna, acknowledging Īśvara as situated in the heart. That Īśvara, the Supersoul, is the true landlord, and the soul must leave the body at some unknown time in the future.
Just as sensory information enters through the body’s gates, the soul’s departure also takes place through one of them. According to the Upaniṣads, if the soul is destined for a higher destination—having performed good karma and elevated its consciousness—it departs through one of the upper gates of the body. On the other hand, if the soul has not performed good karma, it departs through one of the lower openings, which is considered inauspicious. Thus, the body’s gates serve both as entry points for experiences and as exits for the soul when it leaves.
Kṛṣṇa says that by renouncing action, one will be able to remain happy—sukhaṁ vaśī—because one becomes aware of one’s spiritual nature. To the extent that we become attached to worldly things, to that extent we are unable to think of higher spiritual reality. And to the extent we cannot think of higher spiritual reality, to that extent we remain disconnected from true happiness, continuing to crave worldly sensations that never truly satisfy.
Here, “giving up action” does not mean abandoning action entirely; rather, it means giving up emotional involvement in action. This is what is meant by mentally renouncing action. By giving up emotional entanglement in our activities, we can become peaceful and happy. The highest level of happiness is attained when one becomes conscious of Kṛṣṇa, for He is the source of supreme bliss. Even so, simply becoming aware of the ātmā brings a significant degree of happiness.
Here, Kṛṣṇa says naiva kurvan na kārayan—a point that will be elaborated in the next verse, so we will discuss it further there. For now, suffice it to say that Kṛṣṇa assures Arjuna that if he treats the body as a city and avoids becoming overly attached to it—just as we do not misidentify ourselves with the city we live in—he will not become emotionally entangled.
In a city, many vehicles may enter and leave, yet we do not concern ourselves with each one. Similarly, we should not be overly concerned with all the sensory information coming in and going out. Let the senses perform their functions in line with our prescribed duties, but without emotional entanglement. In this way, one can remain peaceful and happy.
Thank you.
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