Text 17
sanakādaya ūcuḥ
guṇeṣv āviśate ceto
guṇāś cetasi ca prabho
katham anyonya-santyāgo
mumukṣor atititīrṣoḥ
sanaka-ādayaḥ ūcuḥ — the sages headed by Sanaka said; guṇeṣu — in the sense objects; āviśate — directly enters; cetaḥ — the mind; guṇāḥ — the sense objects; cetasi — within the mind; ca — also (enter); prabho — O Lord; katham — what is the process; anyonya — of the mutual relationship between the sense objects and the mind; santyāgaḥ — renunciation; mumukṣoḥ — of one desiring liberation; atititīrṣoḥ — of one desiring to cross over sense gratification.
The sages headed by Sanaka said: O Lord, people’s minds are naturally attracted to material sense objects, and similarly the sense objects in the form of desire enter within the mind. Therefore, how can a person who desires liberation, who desires to cross over activities of sense gratification, destroy this mutual relationship between the sense objects and the mind? Please explain this to us.
As described above, as long as one is a conditioned soul the modes of material nature, manifested in the form of sense objects, constantly disturb the mind, and by their harassment one is deprived of the actual perfection of life.