View source for We are struggling very hard with this mind and six senses. So we have to make the mind our friend. Now, Krsna is gradually making progress to explain to Arjuna how the mind can be made friend

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{{terms|"We are struggling very hard with this mind and six senses. So we have to make the mind our friend. Now, Krsna is gradually making progress to explain to Arjuna how the mind can be made friend"}}
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[[Category:We Are]]
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[[Category:Explained in the Bhagavad-gita]]
[[Category:Arjuna]]
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[[Category:Krsna and Arjuna]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG6412NewYorkSeptember41966_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="211" link="Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966" link_text="Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966">
<div class="heading">So we should have by good association, by study of good books like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we should realize ourself. Otherwise, our mind will remain always an enemy, an enemy. And enemy, as the enemy is always prepared to do harm, so my mind will drag me to things which will make me entangled more and more in this material miserable life. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). We are struggling very hard with this mind and six senses. So we have to make the mind our friend. Now, Kṛṣṇa is gradually making progress to explain to Arjuna how the mind can be made friend.
jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966|Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Śrī-caitanya-mano 'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale, svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyam...</p>
<p>(When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?)</p>
:yadā hi nendriyārtheṣu
:na karmasv anuṣajjate
:sarva-saṅkalpa-sannyāsī
:yogārūḍhas tadocyate
:([[Vanisource:BG 6.4|BG 6.4]])
:uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ
:nātmānam avasādayet
:ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur
:ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
:([[Vanisource:BG 6.5|BG 6.5]])
<p>Now these two ślokas, verses, we were discussing last day, that we have to raise ourself to the spiritual standard by ourself. 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.</p>
:na kaścit kasyacin mitraṁ
:na kaścit kasyacid ripuḥ
:vyavahāreṇa jāyante
:mitrāṇi ripavas tathā
<p>"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 my self. My self. If I deal with me, myself, as friend, then I am 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 enemy. So ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ātmano ripuḥ. So I am myself friend, my friend, and I am my enemy.</p>
:bandhur ātmātmanas tasya
:yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ
:anātmanas tu śatrutve
:vartetātmaiva śatruvat
:([[Vanisource:BG 6.6|BG 6.6]])
<p>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 the 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, 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. 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.</p>
<p>So mind has nothing to do. Mind, simply training of the mind required. And how the mind is trained up? It is by good association. Good association, our mind is trained up. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. Kāma  means desire. Desire is the function of the mind. And saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. And according to the association, my mind desires like that. So we have to make good association if we want to make our mind as my friend, if I want to make my mind as my friend, then I have to associate with sādhu. Tasmāt satsu sajyeta buddhimān. Buddhimān means intelligent person. He must associate with satsu. Satsu means those who are trying for self-realization. They are called sat. Sat and asat. Asat means who are trying for the temporary things. Matter is temporary. My body is temporary. So if I simply engage myself for bodily pleasures, sense gratification, then I am engaging myself to temporary things. But if I engage myself for self-realization, the permanent thing, then I am engaging myself to the sat, or to the permanent. Tasmāt satsu sajyeta buddhimān. "Anyone who is intelligent, he should associate with persons who are trying to elevate themselves for self-realization." That is called sat-saṅga, good association.</p>
<p>And what is the result of good association? Now, because, if we make good association, the santāḥ chindanti. Santāḥ means the persons who are sādhu, who are pious. They can cut off by their words our attachment with this material world. They can cut off. Just like Kṛṣṇa is speaking to Arjuna. What is the idea of speaking so many things? Just to cut off his attachment from the so-called material affection. He is affected with something which is stumbling his progress in his own duty. So He is, Kṛṣṇa is presenting His Bhagavad-gītā just to cut off. Santā eva hi chindanti uktibhiḥ. Uktibhiḥ. Chindanti means cut. Now, for cutting something we require some sharpened instrument. But here, to cut off the mind from attachment, it requires sharpened ukti. Ukti means words. Sharpened topics. There should not be... Just like when a person cuts something, there is no mercy, similarly when a sādhu or a person saint, speaks to his student, he does not make, show any mercy. He speaks the truth so that his mind may be cut off from the unreal attachment.</p>
<p>Just like Kṛṣṇa is saying. Kṛṣṇa... Arjuna first addressed to Arjuna. He said, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase ([[Vanisource:BG 2.11|BG 2.11]]). "Oh, you are talking like a very learned man, but you are fool number one." You see. How strong word He has used. So so far, if we want detachment from this material world, then we should be prepared to accept such cutting words from the master. Santāḥ pasya(?) chindanti uktibhiḥ. Uktibhiḥ. We should not make compromise: "Oh, don't speak such strong words." Required, it is required. So bandhur ātmā. Anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatruvat. Anātmanaḥ.  Those who have no self-realization, his mind... One who has not realized what he is. We are generally conception of this bodily conception of our life. But the intelligent person who has made association with saintly persons, he can understand that "I am not this body." And the material conception of life is condemned in so many places. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile ([[Vanisource:SB 10.84.13|SB 10.84.13]]). In so many ways. One who has got the conception of his personal self with this body made of three elements, then one who thinks that the land in which he is born or the relatives who is connected with this body, "They are all, everything," then that man is no better than ass and cow. It is said like that.</p>
<p>So we should have by good association, by study of good books like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we should realize ourself. Otherwise, our mind will remain always an enemy, an enemy. And enemy, as the enemy is always prepared to do harm, so my mind will drag me to things which will make me entangled more and more in this material miserable life. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati ([[Vanisource:BG 15.7|BG 15.7]]). We are struggling very hard with this mind and six senses. So we have to make the mind our friend. Now, Kṛṣṇa is gradually making progress to explain to Arjuna how the mind can be made friend.</p>
:jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya
:paramātmā samāhitaḥ
:śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu
:tathā mānāpamānayoḥ
:([[Vanisource:BG 6.7|BG 6.7]])
:jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā
:kūṭastho vijitendriyaḥ
:yukta ity ucyate yogī
:sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ
:([[Vanisource:BG 6.8|BG 6.8]])
<p>Now by training the mind, jitātmana, one who has conquered over the mind, jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya... Praśānta means he has become in equilibrium, praśānta. Praśānta. Because mind is dragging me always in nonpermanent things. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 5.18.12|SB 5.18.12]]). Asati manorathena. By the chariot of the mind. So long we are seated on the chariot of the untrained mind, unbridled mind, the mind will drag me to things which are nonpermanent. But my whole business is that I am permanent, I am eternal. Somehow or other, I have got this attachment for nonpermanent things. So I have to get out of this entanglement. So if my mind is not trained up, then the mind's business will be to drag me to nonpermanent things. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. But this mind, as I told you the other day, can be very easily trained up if we fix up in our minds, on the fort of the mind, a great soldier, Kṛṣṇa. Just like if the fort is defended by a great general, then there is no question of entering of the enemy, similarly, if we put Kṛṣṇa on the fort of the mind, then there is no chance of entering of the enemies. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 9.4.18|SB 9.4.18]]). That day we have explained.</p>
<p>And if we do not do that harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Mahad-guṇāḥ  means the material acquisition, material education, material wealth, or so many material qualification. That will not help me to control my mind. That is not possible. Only thing is that if I put on the mind Kṛṣṇa, or God, harāv abhakta..., Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then my mind will be very easily conquered.</p>
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