BHAGAVAD-GITA 6:5

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 6:5

 

uddhared atmanatmanam

natmanam avasadayet

atmaiva hy atmano bandhur

atmaiva ripur atmanah

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

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

 

One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and 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 the mind is involved with the false 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-moksayon

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."

(Amrta-bindu Upanisad 2) Therefore, the mind which is always engaged

in Krsna consciousness is the cause of supreme liberation.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.