Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter3-karmayoga

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40.indhriyaaNi mano budDhih asya aDhishTaanam uchyathe

ethaiH vimohayathi esha jnaanam aavrthya dhehinam

 

The indhriyas, mind and intellect are the seat of this (desire). By these it deludes the embodied self by obscuring the knowledge.

 

41. thasmaath thvam indhriyaaNyaadhou

niyamya bharatharshaBha

paapmaanam prajahi hi enam jnaanavijnaananaasanam

 

Therefore, oh bull among men, by controlling the indhriyas in the very beginning kill this sinful one, paapmaanam, which destroys both knowledge and realization.

 

The first step towards fighting the enemy consists in locating him. Krishna points out that the senses, mind and intellect are abode, adhishtaanam, of desire and hence the control of these is the only way to vanquish and destroy this foe of man who hides behind the senses, mind and intellect using them as his fortress deludes the embodied soul by obstructing jnana and vijnana, knowledge and realization .

Krishna compared the desire to a highwayman who robs the intellect of the discrimination in the earlier sloka and an enemy who overpowers the embodied soul by force. Here he describes the desire as the enemy who infiltrates into one's territory and conquers by delusion.

 

The individual jiva, embodied soul is like a king with a prime minister and deputy prime minister, namely, the intellect and the mind. The ten senses are the officers under them. The desire is the enemy who enters the city, the heart, disguised as a friend and first brings the officers, indhriyas, under his influence, who introduce him to the mind, the deputy prime minister, who is fickle and easily swayed by temptation. The enemy offers bribes of sensual enjoyments The intellect, the prime minister, though wise, lacks discrimination and yields to the temptation. Then the king is also dragged into the mire and robbed of his inherited wealth, the joy divine.

 

Hence Krishna advises Arjuna to destroy this enemy by finding his hideouts, namely indhriyas, manas and buddhiand implies that he could do so by calling him mahabaahu, mighty armaed. The desire will over power these only if they are not under the control of the self. Hence the indhriyas, mind and intellect should be controlled before they fall prey to desire through viveka, diccrimination and vairagya detachment. Krishna then proceeds to show the way to control the body, mind and intellect in order to conquer desire in the next to slokas.