मनोमयं पञ्चदशारमाशु ।
त्रिनाभि विद्युच्चलमष्टनेमि
यदक्षमाहुस्तमृतं प्रपद्ये ॥ २८ ॥
manomayaṁ pañcadaśāram āśu
tri-nābhi vidyuc-calam aṣṭa-nemi
yad-akṣam āhus tam ṛtaṁ prapadye
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
SYNONYMS
ajasya—of the living being; cakram—the wheel (the cycle of birth and death in this material world); tu—but; ajayā—by the external energy of the Supreme Lord; īryamāṇam—going around with great force; manaḥ-mayam—which is nothing but a mental creation depending chiefly on the mind; pañcadaśa—fifteen; aram—possessing spokes; āśu—very quick; tri-nābhi—having three naves (the three modes of material nature); vidyut—like electricity; calam—moving; aṣṭa-nemi—made of eight fellies (the eight external energies of the Lord— bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ, etc.); yat—who; akṣam—the hub; āhuḥ—they say; tam—unto Him; ṛtam—the fact; prapadye—let us offer our respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
In the cycle of material activities, the material body resembles the wheel of a mental chariot. The ten senses [five for working and five for gathering knowledge] and the five life airs within the body form the fifteen spokes of the chariot's wheel. The three modes of nature [goodness, passion and ignorance] are its center of activities, and the eight ingredients of nature [earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, intelligence and false ego] comprise the rim of the wheel. The external, material energy moves this wheel like electrical energy. Thus the wheel revolves very quickly around its hub or central support, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul and the ultimate truth. We offer our respectful obeisances unto Him.
PURPORT
The cycle of repeated birth and death is figuratively described herein. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.5):
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā