Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 15.17
One Mind Pulled in Five Directions
“My mind is just like a single horse being ridden by the five senses of perception, headed by sight. Each of My senses wants to ride that horse, and thus they pull My mind in five directions simultaneously. In what direction will it go? If they all pull at one time, certainly the horse will lose its life. How can I tolerate this atrocity?
What the purport teaches
- The mind is compared to a single horse, ridden by the five senses of perception, headed by sight.
- Each sense pulls the mind in a different direction at the same time. In this context, each is drawn toward Kṛṣṇa.
- The competing pulls threaten the horse’s life. This image expresses the unbearable intensity of the Lord’s experience.
Try this today
Read the verse slowly once, pausing to picture the single horse and its five riders.
Ask yourself
What does the image of one horse pulled in five directions help you understand about the Lord’s distress?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.