pamho, hare krishna,
Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita As It Is 10.22,
Chapter 10: The Opulence of the Absolute
TEXT 22
vedanam sama-vedo 'smi
devanam asmi vasavah
indriyanam manas casmi
bhutanam asmi cetana
devanam asmi vasavah
indriyanam manas casmi
bhutanam asmi cetana
SYNONYMS
vedanam—of all the Vedas; sama-vedah—the Sama-veda; asmi—I am; devanam—of all the demigods; asmi—I am; vasavah—heavenly king; indriyanam—of all the senses; manah—the mind; ca—also; asmi—I am; bhutanam—of all living entities; asmi—I am; cetana—the living force.
TRANSLATION
Of the Vedas I am the Sama-veda; of the demigods I am Indra; of the senses I am the mind, and in living beings I am the living force [knowledge].
PURPORT
The difference between matter and spirit is that matter has no consciousness like the living entity; therefore this consciousness is supreme and eternal. Consciousness cannot be produced by a combination of matter.
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Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita As It Is 6.5,
Chapter 6: Sankhya-yoga
TEXT 5
uddhared atmanatmanam
natmanam avasadayet
atmaiva hy atmano bandhur
atmaiva ripur atmanah
natmanam avasadayet
atmaiva hy atmano bandhur
atmaiva ripur atmanah
SYNONYMS
uddharet—one must deliver; atmana—by the mind; atmanam—the conditioned soul; na—never; atmanam—the conditioned soul; avasadayet—put into degradation; atma—mind; eva—certainly; hi—indeed; atmanah—of the conditioned soul; bandhuh—friend; atma—mind; eva—certainly; ripuh—enemy; atmanah—of the conditioned soul.
TRANSLATION
A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.
PURPORT
The word atma denotes body, mind and soul—depending upon different circumstances. In the yoga system, the mind and the conditioned soul are especially important. Since the mind is the central point of yoga practice, atma refers here to the mind. The purpose of the yoga system is to control the mind and to draw it away from attachment to sense objects. It is stressed herein that the mind must be so trained that it can deliver the conditioned soul from the mire of nescience. In material existence one is subjected to the influence of the mind and the senses. In fact, the pure soul is entangled in the material world because of the mind's ego which desires to lord it over material nature. Therefore, the mind should be trained so that it will not be attracted by the glitter of material nature, and in this way the conditioned soul may be saved. One should not degrade oneself by attraction to sense objects. The more one is attracted by sense objects, the more one becomes entangled in material existence. The best way to disentangle oneself is to always engage the mind in Krsna consciousness. The word hi is used for emphasizing this point, i.e., that one must do this. It is also said:
mana eva manusyanam karanam bandha-moksayoh
bandhaya visayasango muktyai nirvisayam manah.
bandhaya visayasango muktyai nirvisayam manah.
"For man, mind is the cause of bondage and mind is the cause of liberation. Mind absorbed in sense objects is the cause of bondage, and mind detached from the sense objects is the cause of liberation." Therefore, the mind which is always engaged in Krsna consciousness is the cause of supreme liberation.
Based on the 2 slokas above, how can one control mind practically, i.e. mind, senses, body, soul ?
Replies
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
The way to control the mind is to engage the mind in Krsna Conscious activity. Each of us have some or the ability or talent. We have to use our interest/ hobby/ way of life in the service of Krsna. Suppose you like to paint, then you should paint Krsna's pastimes. Singing - same. Sing bhajans. Talking - preach, do book distribution. When we do what we like to do, and dovetail that talent in the service of Krsna, then automatically we are doing what we like as well as its Krsna conscious, so we are likely to sustain longer in that activity. Mind will be engaged in that activity - to that extent, the mind will do less mischief. Then gradually the duration of that activity will increase, giving mind less time to do mischief.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD