Mirror of the mind

Expressions researched:
"mental mirror" |"mirror of our mind" |"mirror of the mind"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

The dust on the mirror refers to a cleansing process of the mirror of the mind by so many spiritual methods. The best process is to chant the holy names of the Lord.

BG 3.38, Purport:

There are three degrees of covering of the living entity by which his pure consciousness is obscured. This covering is but lust under different manifestations like smoke in the fire, dust on the mirror, and the womb about the embryo. When lust is compared to smoke, it is understood that the fire of the living spark can be a little perceived. In other words, when the living entity exhibits his Kṛṣṇa consciousness slightly, he may be likened to the fire covered by smoke. Although fire is necessary where there is smoke, there is no overt manifestation of fire in the early stage. This stage is like the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The dust on the mirror refers to a cleansing process of the mirror of the mind by so many spiritual methods. The best process is to chant the holy names of the Lord. The embryo covered by the womb is an analogy illustrating a helpless position, for the child in the womb is so helpless that he cannot even move. This stage of living condition can be compared to that of the trees. The trees are also living entities, but they have been put in such a condition of life by such a great exhibition of lust that they are almost void of all consciousness. The covered mirror is compared to the birds and beasts, and the smoke-covered fire is compared to the human being. In the form of a human being, the living entity may revive a little Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and, if he makes further development, the fire of spiritual life can be kindled in the human form of life. By careful handling of the smoke in the fire, fire can be made to blaze. Therefore the human form of life is a chance for the living entity to escape the entanglement of material existence. In the human form of life, one can conquer the enemy, lust, by cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness under able guidance.

According to Patañjali, this kaivalyam is an internal, or transcendental, potency by which the living entity becomes aware of his constitutional position. In the words of Lord Caitanya, this state of affairs is called ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, or clearance of the impure mirror of the mind.

BG 6.20-23, Purport:

This citi-śakti, or internal potency, is transcendental. Puruṣārtha means material religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, at the end, the attempt to become one with the Supreme. This "oneness with the Supreme" is called kaivalyam by the monist. But according to Patañjali, this kaivalyam is an internal, or transcendental, potency by which the living entity becomes aware of his constitutional position. In the words of Lord Caitanya, this state of affairs is called ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), or clearance of the impure mirror of the mind. This "clearance" is actually liberation, or bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. The theory of nirvāṇa—also preliminary—corresponds with this principle. In the Bhāgavatam (2.10.6) this is called svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. The Bhagavad-gītā also confirms this situation in this verse.

BG Chapters 7 - 12

If actions are performed and the fruits are given to Kṛṣṇa, then that is called yukta-vairāgya. Actually situated in renunciation, such activities clear the mirror of the mind, and as the actor gradually makes progress in spiritual realization he becomes completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

BG 9.28, Purport:

One who acts in Kṛṣṇa consciousness under superior direction is called yukta-vairāgya. The technical term is yukta-vairāgya. This is further explained by Rūpa Gosvāmī as follows:

anāsaktasya viṣayān

yathārham upayuñjataḥ

nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe

yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate

(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255)

Rūpa Gosvāmī says that as long as we are in this material world we have to act; we cannot cease acting. Therefore if actions are performed and the fruits are given to Kṛṣṇa, then that is called yukta-vairāgya. Actually situated in renunciation, such activities clear the mirror of the mind, and as the actor gradually makes progress in spiritual realization he becomes completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB Canto 3

The first result of chanting the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, is that dirt is cleared from the consciousness, or the mirror of the mind, and then at once the blazing fire of material existence is over.

SB 3.26.61, Purport:

The appearance of consciousness after the appearance of false ego indicates that, from the beginning, material consciousness is under the mode of ignorance and that one therefore has to purify himself by purifying his consciousness. This purificatory process is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as the consciousness is purified, the false ego disappears. Identification of the body with the self is called false identification, or false ego. Lord Caitanya confirms this in His Śikṣāṣṭaka. He states that the first result of chanting the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, is that dirt is cleared from the consciousness, or the mirror of the mind, and then at once the blazing fire of material existence is over. The blazing fire of material existence is due to false ego, but as soon as the false ego is removed, one can understand his real identity. At that point he is actually liberated from the clutches of māyā. As soon as one is freed from the clutches of false ego, his intelligence also becomes purified, and then his mind is always engaged upon the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB Canto 4

Devotional service cleanses the mirror of the mind. In a clean mirror one can see one's face very distinctly. Similarly, simply by cleansing the mirror of the mind one can have a clear conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB 4.3.23, Purport:

The action of the internal potency is also described in this verse as apāvṛtaḥ, free from any covering. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His name, His form, His quality, His paraphernalia, etc., being transcendental, are beyond material nature, it is not possible to understand any one of them with the materialistic senses. When the senses are purified by the discharge of pure devotional service (hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170)), the pure senses can see Kṛṣṇa without covering. Now one may inquire that since factually the devotee has the same material existential body, how is it possible that the same materialistic eyes become purified by devotional service? The example, as stated by Lord Caitanya, is that devotional service cleanses the mirror of the mind. In a clean mirror one can see one's face very distinctly. Similarly, simply by cleansing the mirror of the mind one can have a clear conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

As recommended by Lord Caitanya, one has to cleanse the dust from the mirror of the mind, and then advancement on the path of liberation begins.

SB 4.8.5, Purport:

The descendants of Irreligion and Falsity, born one after another, are Bluffing, Cheating, Greed, Cunning, Anger, Envy, Quarrel, Harsh Speech, Death, Fear, Severe Pain and Hell. All these descendants are described as signs of devastation. If a person is pious and hears about these causes of devastation, he will feel hatred for all these, and that will cause his advancement in a life of piety. Piety refers to the process of cleansing the heart. As recommended by Lord Caitanya, one has to cleanse the dust from the mirror of the mind, and then advancement on the path of liberation begins. Here also the same process is recommended. Malam means: "contamination." We should learn to despise all the causes of devastation, beginning from irreligion and cheating, and then we shall be able to make advancement in a life of piety. The possibility of our attaining Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be easier, and we shall not be subjected to repeated devastation.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Once the mirror of the mind is purified and the blazing fire of material existence extinguished, constant and unalloyed devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa begins to appear on the horizon of the heart.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 3.2:

There is one quality among the twenty qualities Kṛṣṇa lists that is especially noteworthy, and that is mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī: "Constant and unalloyed devotion to Me (Kṛṣṇa)." The other qualities are required to cleanse the consciousness. Once the mirror of the mind is purified and the blazing fire of material existence extinguished, constant and unalloyed devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa begins to appear on the horizon of the heart.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

This is transcendental sound vibration, and this will help us to cleanse the dust on the mirror of our mind.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

This is transcendental sound vibration. This is transcendental sound vibration, and this will help us to cleanse the dust on the mirror of our mind. On the mind we have accumulated material dust. Just like on the Second Avenue, due to the constant traffic of motor car, there is always a creation of dusting over everything, similarly, by our manipulation of materialistic activities, there are some material dusts which are accumulated on the mind, and therefore we are unable to see things in true perspective. So this process, this vibration of transcendental sound, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare, will cleanse the dust. And, as soon as the dust is cleared, then, as you can see on the mirror the nice face of yours, similarly we can see our real, I mean to say, constitutional position, "what I am." And as soon as I understand that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, and my symptom is consciousness," and that consciousness, as it is purified by this process, the whole material miseries will be over.

As soon as we become free from the designations, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam... That means when we can see exactly the position on the mirror of our mind after dusting over, that "My position, my constitutional position is that I am eternal servant."

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

The service attitude or the engagement is there. Every one of us is a servant. Nobody is a master. He must be serving somebody. This point we have discussed. Even President Johnson, he is the chief man of your state; still, he's a servant of the state. So nobody's master here. To think of oneself that "I am the master, I am the master of all I survey," this is called māyā, illusion. I am not ser... I am not master. I am servant. So my service is now being misused under different designations. So as soon as we become free from the designations, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam... (CC Antya 20.12). That means when we can see exactly the position on the mirror of our mind after dusting over, that "My position, my constitutional position is that I am eternal servant."

This is the process of ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, to cleanse the material dust from the mirror of our mind.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

So this is the process of ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), to cleanse the material dust from the mirror of our mind. The whole process is to dust out the dirty things which we have accumulated by our material association and therefore to revive our spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. From Bhagavad-gītā we are studying about the process of life by which we can revive our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no need of external help for reviving Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have got Kṛṣṇa consciousness dormant in yourself. It is the quality of the self. So the, we have simply to invoke by this process.

Lord Caitanya says that even if you do not follow the regulation of acquiring this knowledge, simply if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, then your first installment of profit will be vanishing this misunderstanding that "I am this body." Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, clearing the dust of the mirror of the mind.

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:

I am identifying myself as belonging to this material world. This is misunderstanding. Actually, I don't belong to this material world. The whole concept of my material life is based on this misunderstanding that "I am matter. I am this body." So Lord Caitanya says that even if you do not follow the regulation of acquiring this knowledge, simply if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, then your first installment of profit will be vanishing this misunderstanding that "I am this body." Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), clearing the dust of the mirror of the mind. Darpaṇa means mirror. Just like on the mirror if there is dust, you cannot see your face very nicely. If you wipe the mirror very nicely... So this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting is the process of wiping out the dust accumulated on the mirror of my mind. Mind, cetaḥ. Cetaḥ is consciousness. Mind is not exactly cetaḥ—consciousness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Mirror means you see so many things within your mind. When you will see in the mirror that you are not this body, you are something within this body, that is dustless mirror.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:

Haṁsadūta: You say the chanting cleans the dust from the mirror of the mind. What does mirror mean? How does it mean mirror? What is it reflecting?

Prabhupāda: Mirror means you see so many things within your mind. Is it not a mirror, reflection? Don't you see? As you see mirror reflection of your face, but you see this body. When you will see in the mirror that you are not this body, you are something within this body, that is dustless mirror.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

It doesn't require any previous qualification to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Anybody and everybody can join, and by chanting this, the result will be that progressive chanting will help him in cleansing the dust on the mirror of the mind.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966:

Therefore majority population of this age, they cannot perform meditation or great sacrifices or temple worship. They cannot. Therefore Lord Caitanya has, by His causeless mercy... Of course, it is according to the Vedic injunction. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). The same achievement which was obtained in the age of goodness by meditation was achieved in the next age by sacrifices and the next age by temple worship. At the present age it is recommended to achieve that success, that perfection, spiritual perfection by hari-kīrtanāt, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. It doesn't require any previous qualification to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Anybody and everybody can join, and by chanting this, the result will be that progressive chanting will help him in cleansing the dust on the mirror of the mind.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

The mental mirror is covered with material dust. So it has to be cleansed. That is the treatment. And when it is cleansed, you can see your real face in the mirror.

Room Coversation with Psychiatrist and Indian Boy -- May 12, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: Treatment of mind means controlling the senses. Yoga indriya-samyamaḥ. Mind is the leader of the senses. So if the treatment of the mind is done properly, then the senses work properly. The example is the madman. Because the madman's mind is not controlled, he is acting in a way—people say, "Here is a madman." So everyone is more or less a madman in this material world, or, in other words, you can say anyone who is in the material world, he is a madman. He requires treatment. Just like anyone who is in the prison house, it is to be accepted that he is a criminal. Without any study, without any exception we can accept all the prisoners as criminals. (break) ...gradually appreciate. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ (CC Antya 20.12). This treatment is in the beginning just cleansing the mirror of the heart. That is the treatment. Just like a mirror, when it is overcast with dust, it requires cleansing. So the mental mirror is covered with material dust. So it has to be cleansed. That is the treatment. And when it is cleansed, you can see your real face in the mirror.

1973 Correspondence

Just like we use soap to cleanse the body, this is material, but the chanting is spiritual cleansing. The three stages of cleansing are first to clean the mirror of the mind.

Letter to Susan Beckman -- Herts, England August 29, 1973:

Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of Godhead in this age has delivered the medicine for all problems of the world by his introducing the Sankirtan movement. Sankirtan means to chant that Holy names of the Lord and to give up all other engagements. The chanting is a process of purification. Just like we use soap to cleanse the body, this is material, but the chanting is spiritual cleansing. The three stages of cleansing are first to clean the mirror of the mind. In the Bhagavad Gita it is said, "The mind is the best friend and the worst enemy, for one who has learned to control the mind it is the best of friends but for one who has failed to do so it is the worst enemy." Due to long term association, the mind absorbed in material things has become contaminated, or dirty, the chanting process purifies the mind. Then the next stage, when the mind is cleansed one becomes free from the symptoms of material existence.

1975 Correspondence

This maha mantra cleanses the dust from the mirror of the mind and awakens us to a pure life of devotional service to the Lord, free from all anxieties.

Letter to Miss Wanda Bonner -- Vrindaban 24 August, 1975:

Please accept my best wishes. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 20, 1975 and have noted your problems. My suggestion is that you please chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare; Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This maha mantra cleanses the dust from the mirror of the mind and awakens us to a pure life of devotional service to the Lord, free from all anxieties.