Text 6]
Talks Between Nārada and King Prācīnabarhi
1379
TEXT 6
सखाय इन्द्रियगणा ज्ञानं कर्म च यत्कृतम् । 
  सख्यस्तद्वृत्तयः प्राणः पञ्चवृत्तिर्यथोरगः ॥ ६ ॥
sakhāya indriya-gaṇā 
  jñānam karma ca yat-kṛtam 
  sakhyas tad-vṛttayaḥ prāṇaḥ 
  pañca-vṛttir yathoragaḥ
sakhāyaḥ—the male friends; indriya-gaṇāḥ—the senses; jñānam—knowledge; karma—activity; ca—also; yat-kṛtam—done by the senses; sakhyaḥ—female friends; tat—of the senses; vṛttayaḥ—engagements; prāṇaḥ—life air; pañca-vṛttiḥ—having five processes; yathā—like; uragaḥ—the serpent.
TRANSLATION
The five working senses and the five senses that acquire knowledge are all male friends of Purañjanī. The living entity is assisted by these senses in acquiring knowledge and engaging in activity. The engagements of the senses are known as girl friends, and the serpent, which was described as having five heads, is the life air acting within the five circulatory processes.
PURPORT
kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga-vāñchā kare 
  nikaṭa-stha māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare 
  (Prema-vivarta 6.2)
Because of his desire to enjoy the material world, the living entity is dressed with the material gross and subtle bodies. Thus he is given a chance to enjoy the senses. The senses are therefore the instruments for enjoying the material world; consequently the senses have been described as friends. Sometimes, because of too much sinful activity, the living entity does not get a material gross body, but hovers on the subtle platform. This is called ghostly life. Because of his not possessing a gross body, he creates a great deal of trouble in his subtle body. Thus the presence of a ghost is horrible for those who are living in the gross body. As stated in  Bhagavad-gītā :
utkrāmantaṁ sthitaṁ vāpi 
  bhuñjānaṁ vā guṇānvitam