Elevate yourself by your own Mind

[Govindaram]

Bhagavad Gita As It Is

 

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

<font color="brown">

<font color="green"> Chapter 6. Sankhya-yoga

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<font color="green"> TEXT </font color>

 

uddhared atmanatmanam

natmanam avasadayet

atmaiva hy atmano bandhur

atmaiva ripur atmanah

 

<font color="green"> SYNONYMS </font color>

 

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; <font color="green"> hi </font color> --indeed; atmanah--of the conditioned soul; bandhuh--friend; atma--mind; eva--certainly; ripuh--enemy; atmanah--of the conditioned soul.

 

<font color="green"> TRANSLATION </font color>

 

<font color="red"> 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. </font color>

 

<font color="green"> PURPORT </font color>

 

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. <font color="blue"> 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. </font color> 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 <font color="green"> hi </font color> is used for emphasizing this point, i.e., <font color="red">

that one must do this. </font color>

 

It is also said:

 

mana eva manusyanam karanam bandha-moksayoh

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.</font color>

<font color="orange"> nitai-gauranga, nitai-gauranga </font color>

<font color="orange"> jayasacinandana, gaura-hari </font color>

 

All glories to Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya,

the son of Saci-devi, who is Krsna Himself in golden hue.

 

 

<font color="red"> HARE </font color> <font color="orange"> KRISHNA </font color> <font color="red"> HARE </font color> <font color="orange"> KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA </font color> <font color="red"> HARE HARE

</font color> <font color="red"> HARE </font color> <font color="blue">RAMA </font color> <font color="red"> HARE </font color> <font color="blue"> RAMA RAMA RAMA </font color> <font color="red"> HARE HARE </font color>