I have to get myself out of the entanglement of this material nature. If I act in that way, then I am my friend. But even after getting this opportunity, if I do not act in that way, then I am my enemy. So I am myself friend, my friend, and I am my enemy

Expressions researched:
"So I am myself friend, my friend, and I am my enemy" |"I have to get myself out of the entanglement of this material nature. If I act in that way, then I am my friend. But even after getting this opportunity, if I do not act in that way, then I am my enemy"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Somehow or other, I have been in contact with this material nature. So I have to get myself out of the entanglement of this material nature. If I act in that way, then I am my friend. But even after getting this opportunity, if I do not act in that way, then I am my enemy. So ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ātmano ripuḥ. So I am myself friend, my friend, and I am my enemy.

660904 - Lecture BG 06.04-12 - New York:

I have to raise myself to the spiritual standard by myself. So I am my friend and I am my enemy. This is the opportunity. There is a very nice verse in Cāṇakya Paṇḍita:

na kaścit kasyacin mitraṁ

na kaścit kasyacid ripuḥ

vyavahāreṇa jāyante

mitrāṇi ripavas tathā

(Canakya Paṇḍita)

"Nobody is nobody's friend, nobody is nobody's enemy. But it is only the behavior by which one can understand who is his friend and who is his enemy." Nobody is born enemy, nobody is born friend. But by our mutual behavior, somebody is my friend and somebody is my enemy. Similarly, as we have this dealing in the ordinary daily affairs, similarly, I have my dealing with myself. Myself. If I deal with me, myself, as friend, then I am my, my, my friend. And if I deal with myself inimically . . .

Then what is that friendship and inimical? The friendship is that I am soul. Somehow or other, I have been in contact with this material nature. So I have to get myself out of the entanglement of this material nature. If I act in that way, then I am my friend. But even after getting this opportunity, if I do not act in that way, then I am my, my enemy. So ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ātmano ripuḥ. So I am myself friend, my friend, and I am my enemy.

bandhur ātmātmanas tasya

yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ

anātmanas tu śatrutve

vartetātmaiva śatruvat

(BG 6.6)

Now, how I can become my friend? That is explained here, that bandhur ātmā ātmanas tasya. Ātmā means mind, ātmā means body and ātmā means soul. That, these three things I have already explained the other day that when we speak of ātmā, or self . . . just like so long I have got my bodily conception, when I say "my self," I think of my body.

When I transcend the bodily conception of life, then I think "I am mind." But actually, when I am in this real spiritual platform, then my self means "I am pure spirit." So according to the stage of development my conception of self are different.

So, so far nirukta, or dictionary, is concerned, both . . . mean, er body, mind and the spirit soul, everything is called self. Now, here it is called bandhur ātmā ātmanas tasya. Now, here one ātmā is named mind. Mind is the friend of oneself and mind is the enemy of oneself. So we have to train the mind. If I train my mind for becoming my friend, then my life is successful.

If I train my mind to become my enemy, then my life is unsuccessful. Anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatruvat (BG 6.6). But one who has no knowledge of the spiritual self, then his mind acts like his enemy. One who has got the conception of this body as "my self," his mind is his enemy. And one who has got the conception of the spirit self, his mind is his friend.