Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15, Verse 9

श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च | अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते ||

śrotraṁ cakṣuḥ sparśanaṁ ca rasanaṁ ghrāṇam eva ca adhiṣṭhāya manaś cāyaṁ viṣayān upasevate

Presiding over the ears, eyes, skin, tongue, and nose, as well as the mind, the living entity enjoys the sense objects.

Krishna explains how the living entity experiences the material world: 'Śrotraṁ cakṣuḥ sparśanaṁ ca rasanaṁ ghrāṇam eva ca'—through the five senses: hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell. 'Adhiṣṭhāya manaś cāyaṁ viṣayān upasevate'—presiding over these senses and the mind, this living entity enjoys the sense objects. The living entity is the 'presider'—the one who uses the senses and mind as instruments. Through these instruments, you experience the material world: sounds, sights, textures, tastes, smells, and thoughts. This is how you engage with material existence—not directly, but through the senses and mind. The senses are your windows to the material world, and the mind processes and interprets what the senses perceive. This verse reveals the mechanism: you (the living entity) preside over the senses and mind, and through them, you experience and enjoy (or suffer from) the sense objects. Understanding this is crucial: you're not the senses or the mind—you're the one using them as instruments.