Baba Explains the Indriyas

Bhakta: Namaste [greetings], Swami.

Swami: Shubhamastu [let there be auspiciousness].

Bhakta: With Your grace, everything is shubham [auspicious]; without it, everything is ashubham [inauspicious].

Swami: Good, but have you realized how both these are based on grace? In one, both subsist; both are con­ferred by the self-same grace. Well, let that topic stand by. Last time you got a folk poem to digest and it must have affected your thoughts deeply. Now, in what stage of equanimity is your brain?

Bhakta: Ah! Everything appears like a puppet show now, Swami. But only off and on. The mind forgets and gets caught by the fascination of the objects. What my­stery is this, Swami?

Swami: Well, the mind is associated with all kinds of activities or vrittis. It always follows the trail of the vasanas, or trails of impulses and instincts. This is its very nature.

Bhakta: That is as much as to say we cannot set it right. Then what is the hope? Ultimately, Swami, do we have to get immersed in vasanas and become degraded?

Swami: There is hope, my boy! No need to get immersed and lost. Though it is its nature, it can be changed. Charcoal by its nature blackens all that it gets mixed with. But you should not take that as final. When fire enters it, the charcoal becomes red. So, too, though the mind is always wandering in the illusion of darkness, when through the Lord’s grace the fire of jnana [knowledge] enters it, its nature changes to the satwic [pure] nature pertaining to the divine comes into it.

Bhakta: Swami, they speak of something called antah–karana; what is it?

Swami: The mind is referred to it like that. Karana means indriya. Antah–karana means internal indriyas.

Bhakta: So, are there two types of indriyas: internal indriyas and external indriyas?

Swami: Yes, of course. The external indriyas are called karmendriyas; the internal indriyas are named jnanendriyas.

Bhakta: Swami, please tell me which are the karmendriyas and which the jnanendriyas.

Swami: Well, all bodily acts are done by karmen­driyas; they are five in number. Those that impart jnana from inside are named jnanendriyas. These are: hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell. Both these together are calleddasendriyas (the ten organs.)

Bhakta: So, what is the work that both these do together? What is the connection between their function and the manas or mind?

Swami: Well, really, whatever work they do, they can’t achieve anything without the mediation of manas. The karmendriyas perform acts in the world and receive knowledge, and the jnanendriyas discriminate between the good and the bad and offer them to the atma through the manas. If there is no mind at all, how can these transmit? When we have to reach the other shore of a flooded river, we rely on the medium of a boat or a raft. When the karmendriyas and the jnanendriyas that are connected with pra­kriti [nature] desire to attain the atma, they have to accept the help of the boat–manas. Otherwise, they cannot attain.

Bhakta: If so, where do these other things you spoke about, buddhi [intelligence], chittam [will], and ahamkaram [ego] reside?

Swami: They, too, are in this only. The jnanendriyas and karmendriyas are together called dasendriyas [ten senses]. These four are distinguished and referred to as antah chatushtaya or the internal four indriyas. These four are manas, buddhi, chittam, and ahamkaram.

Bhakta: Very nice. That is to say, all are in the same thing. Life is indeed funny. But Swami, what is the function of these four?

Swami: Manas grasps the object; buddhi examines arguments for and against; chittam understands the object; ahamkaram changes the decision for or against and by attachment slackens the hold of jnana. These are the things they do.

Bhakta: Excuse me, Swami, I am asking only to know; where do these exist in the body?

Swami: I am glad; don’t worry. Manas is in the cupola [head], buddhi in the tongue, chittam in the navel, and ahamkaram in the heart.

Bhakta: Excellent. So, buddhi and ahamkaram are in the most important places! These are the chief causes of all the world’s miseries. Then, if we examine it with reference to Your words, it looks as if there will be no misery when these two places are made pure!

Swami: You have indeed listened to me attentively. Yes, that is right. First, if words are used in a clean and pure manner, that is proof of buddhi treading the right path. When ahamkaram is suppressed and conquered, that is proof of the heart being pure. Therefore, be very careful with regard to these two. Then, even your manas and chittam will come to have good vrittis. Then only will you be free from pain and misery.

Bhakta: So, among all these, who is the ‘I’? Who is the experiencer of all this?

Swami: We have arrived at the right point. ‘You’ are none among all these! All these exist only so long as the feeling–‘this body is mine’–exists. They are all associated with some activities or vrittis. The atma that observes all these vrittis, that is ‘you’. The joy and sorrow, the loss and misery, the good and bad of these activities are all related to the body only, and so they are not yours; they will not be yours. You are the atma. Until this truth is realized, you sleep the sleep of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. In that sleep, dreams appear of loss, misery, sorrow, and joy. The dreams persist only until you are awake, and after you wake up the fear you had while dreaming the sorrow you experienced all disappear and are no longer true. Similarly, when delusion is thrown off and you ‘awaken’ in jnana, you will understand that all this is not ‘you’; that you are the atma.

Bhakta: Then Swami, for whose sake do these–the manas, buddhi, chittam, and ahamkaram–do all this work?

Swami: For no one’s sake! They are engaged in their own work! The atma observes everything, and its shadow the jiva that is deluded by the association of the body-consciousness plays this drama through all these acts.

Source: Sandeha Nivarini

Baba Explains the Indriyas

The spiritual journey of human life becomes meaningful when the senses are understood and controlled with wisdom. Baba Explains the Indriyas in a simple yet profound manner so that every seeker can understand the importance of inner discipline. The indriyas, or senses, constantly pull the mind toward worldly attractions, desires, and distractions. According to divine teachings, a person who learns to guide the senses carefully can experience peace, purity, and spiritual strength. Baba Explains the Indriyas as instruments given to humanity not for bondage, but for realizing the higher purpose of life.

The five senses influence thoughts, emotions, and actions every single day. Eyes seek beauty, ears seek pleasing sounds, the tongue desires taste, and the mind runs behind endless wishes. Baba Explains the Indriyas by reminding devotees that uncontrolled senses create restlessness and suffering. However, when the senses are directed toward truth, service, devotion, and righteousness, life becomes sacred and joyful. Spiritual practice begins not outside, but within the control of one’s own mind and senses.

In the teachings shared through Devotional India, many seekers discover how discipline transforms ordinary living into spiritual living. Baba Explains the Indriyas with examples from daily life, teaching that the senses should serve humanity instead of dominating it. A person may possess knowledge, wealth, or power, but without control over desires, true happiness remains distant. Inner mastery creates balance, patience, and clarity in all situations.

The tongue is often described as one of the most difficult senses to control. Harsh speech, gossip, anger, and excessive desires disturb inner peace. Baba Explains the Indriyas by encouraging gentle words, truthfulness, and moderation in food habits. When speech becomes pure, relationships improve and the heart becomes calmer. Similarly, the eyes should avoid negativity and focus on goodness, compassion, and divinity present in the world around us.

The teachings presented on Devotional India inspire devotees to practice self-control not as punishment, but as a path to freedom. Baba Explains the Indriyas as powerful energies that must be guided carefully through prayer, meditation, and selfless service. When the senses are purified, the mind gradually becomes steady. A steady mind allows spiritual wisdom to blossom naturally within the heart.

Modern life is filled with distractions that constantly attract attention away from peace and devotion. Endless desires often create stress and dissatisfaction. Baba Explains the Indriyas by teaching that true contentment comes from inner awareness rather than external pleasures. A disciplined person remains calm even during difficulties because the senses no longer control thoughts and emotions completely.

Many spiritual seekers connected with Devotional India learn that devotion becomes deeper when the senses are used for noble purposes. Listening to sacred teachings, speaking kindly, serving others, and seeing divinity in all beings gradually purify human consciousness. Baba Explains the Indriyas as gateways that can either lead toward attachment or toward liberation depending on how they are used.

The essence of these teachings is simple yet eternal. Human life gains true meaning when the senses are balanced with wisdom and spiritual awareness. Baba Explains the Indriyas to guide humanity toward inner peace, self-realization, and divine love. Through sincere effort, prayer, and discipline, every individual can rise above restlessness and discover the joy that already exists within the soul. Through the wisdom shared by Devotional India, seekers continue to find inspiration for leading a life filled with purity, compassion, and spiritual strength.

-The Four Ashramas