CHAPTER 11
TEAMING THE MIND
The previous chapter explained the need to understand the dynamics of sankalpas in light of a critical analysis of the decision making process and the components which facilitate decisions, The first component under review in this chapter is the mind, that all-powerful opponent of spiritual progress.
We begin our study of the mind by hearing about the secondary creation known as visarga, and how the subtle and gross senses evolve by the mystic potency of the Supreme Lord:
The unmanifest eternal aggregate of twenty-four material elements, in which the modes of material nature are in equilibrium and which is the state of material nature prior to ity manitestation, called pradhana.
The twenty-four elements as explained by Lord Kapila are as as follows:
SB 3.26.11: The aggregate elements, namely the five gross elements, the five subtle elements, the four internal senses, the five senses for gathering knowledge and the five outward organs of action, are known as the pradhāna.
Ot these twenty-four elements, the four internal senses are the mind, intelligence, false ego, and contaminated consciousness, the latter being also known as mahat-tattva. It is interesting to note that the material elements are counted differently by different sages in different Vedic texts. The reason for such variance Is given by Lord Krsna Himself in S. B. 11.22.1-3,19-25.
Lord Kapila explains that, like our external senses, these four internal senses can only be distinguished from each other by their different functions. This is a very important point for readers to consider and to remember in their battle with the unruly mind. The Lord explains it in this way:
SB 3.26.14: The internal, subtle senses are experienced as having four aspects, in the shape of mind, intelligence, ego and contaminated consciousness. Distinctions between them can be made only by different functions, since they represent different characteristics.
For example, the five knowledge-acquiring senses are the eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and skin, through which we see, hear, taste, smell, and touch, respectively. While these senses have general physical appearances by which they can be distinguished, their primary distinctive characteristics are their functions such as seeing, hearing, and tasting. However, since the internal senses are not physically perceivable, they can be distinguished from each other by their functions, such as thinking, discerning, and perceiving, these being attributable to the mind, intelligence, and false ego, respectively.
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To understand the functioning of the mind, it is advantageous to appreciate the evolution of the subtle body from the point at which the living entity comes into contact with material nature. That description now follows:
When the unmanifest combination of material elements, pradhana, becomes manifest, it is known as prakrti, or the material nature. The Lord places the living entities, along with their individual destinies, into the womb of this material nature, and then agitates the modes of nature by His potency of time.
Thus activated, material nature gives birth to the effulgent mahat-tattva, which is the seed of the universe in which the modes of nature become dominant, and which is represented in the body by consciousness.
When the mahat-tattva is infused with the energy of the Lord, then false ego, ahankāra, is manifested in three features—goodness, passion, and ignorance. These threefold aspects of false ego, endowed with the three modes of nature, are the source of the other internal senses known as the antah-karana, as well as a further twenty elements, the visible ingredients of creation.
The modes of nature effect the false ego in different ways:
When the false ego is dominated by goodness it gives rise to the mind; when dominated by passion, to intelligence; and when dominated by ignorance, to the gross and subtle elements.
In truth the products of the threefold false ego exceed in number those three mentioned above. However, to focus on sankalpa as a function of the mind, we address only those derivatives ot ahankāra that are most relevant. Thus, following the lead of Stimad-Bhdgavatam, we begin by describing the unfolding of the mind:
SB 3.26.27: From the false ego of goodness, another transformation takes place. From this evolves the mind, whose thoughts and reflections give rise to desire.
Prominent functions of the mind are thinking, feeling, and willing, which are fuelled by information from the senses and are stored within the mind which, interestingly, remains unaware of the significance of its contents other than to experience them as desira. ble or undesirable.
Notably, Thakura Bhaktivinoda (in Caitanya Siksamrita) describes a fivefold division of the mind’s functioning.* While Srila Prabhupada departmentalises the mind into“thinking, feeling, and willing,” the Thakura equates “thinking” to gathering and retaining information; “feeling” to sorting and simplifying impressions caused by the information; and “willing” to reasoning. He writes,
“Through the senses, the impressions of the external world are carried to the brain via the nerves. Thus, the first function of the mind, the internal sense, gathers data from the external world.
“Then the mind, by its second function, maintains th data in the memory.
“By its third function the mind, by combining and separating the data, produces impressions.
“By the fourth function, the mind classifies the impressions according to their qualities and thereby reduces the complexity; it then isolates particular items to increase the number again by further analysis.
“By the fifth function of the mind, meaning is derived from the conglomeration of impressions. This fifth function is called reasoning. By means of reasoning, the mind discerns what the person should do and should not do. Through this faculty of reasoning, all material and mental sciences have been developed."
This is how the mind thinks in terms of dualities like pleasure and pain, or happiness and distress.
It is also interesting to note that the mind’s standard of desirable and undesirable is based on impressions made by previous sensory experiences through the knowledge-acquiring senses, namely the eyes, the ears, and so on.
For example, when a hungry person eats a piece of bread and butter, then that experience denotes the standard of happiness derived from eating. When, however, he later eats a ten-course feast, that experience recalibrates the mind’s standard of what happiness from a meal entails. Furthermore, while the overall experience of the feast is favourable, the taste of bitter melon—an acquired taste—may at first be appraised as unfavourable. Thus, there remains a mixed reaction from one preparation to another.
From this example it can be seen that the mind is more or less victimised by sense impressions. And because sense gratification is fleeting, the mind is restless and unsteady. Furthermore, because the mind is habituated to sense gratification it is also obstinate and strong, Arjuna equates these problematic traits of the mind with the impossible effort of trying to control the wind:
BG 6.34: The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Kṛṣṇa, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.
The calamitous result of the mind’s acquired traits is that it bewilders and overcomes the intelligence to which it is meant to be subservient. And when the intelligence is thus bewildered, it loses its sense of discrimination and falsely identifies with the body and the mind, forfeiting its inherent governance over both.
Identification with the body further ushers in both the mode of passion and a concomitant host of sufferings for the mind, which by nature is in the mode of goodness and thus happy.
For example, the mind becomes obsessed with making plans for further sensual enjoyment, constantly accepting and rejecting sense objects as they become favourable or unfavourable to its ends. By such sustained absorption of the mind in the lower modes of nature, a living entity is degraded by a range of matetial desires, which cause further fruitive activity and hence further entanglement. All this confusion reinforces the false ego, or the sense of false bodily identification.
While yogis may make various attempts to bring the mind under control by regulation and renunciation, unless the mind is purified it remains an at-large risk and a constant source of anguish. To highlight the futile efforts of the non-devotee yogis, Lord Krsna gives a wonderful example of the uncured disease:
SB 11.28.28:
Just as an improperly treated disease recurs and gives repeated distress to the patient, the mind that is not completely purified of its perverted tendencies will remain attached to material things and repeatedly torment the imperfect yogī.
To help devotees gain mastery over their minds, Srimad-Bhdgavatam repeatedly describes the process by which the mind becomes ensnared in sense objects and sense gratification. One especially educational description-was taught by the Hamsaavatara to Lord Brahma and the Kumaras. We will now cite some of the Lord’s teachings on this aspect of sankhya philosophy.
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The Lord in the form of a great swan, Hamsa-avatara, explained that because the living entity has been absorbed in sense gratification since time immemorial, the mind has a spontaneous inclination towards sense objects.
Indeed, it may be said that the mind “enters into” sense objects. This means that the mind so identifies with sense objects that it takes on their characteristics, and those characteristics then go on to serve as an uddipana, or stimulus, for further sense gratification. In this way the mind enjoys sense objects from a distance, inspiring the senses with an even greater desire for them.
The interaction between the mind and sense objects has a second perspective, which stems from the sense objects themselves. Just as the mind enters into the sense objects, it is also said that the sense objects “enter” the functioning of the mind and so impart their qualities to it.
When the mind is obsessed with a particular sense object, that sense object seems to take up residence in the mind, embedding its own qualities therein.
For example, a husband may phone home to ask what is for lunch, and when he hears the details of the menu he says what he experiences: “I can just smell that dāl and taste those pakoras.”
These fascinating truths are summarily explained thus:
SB 11.13.25:
My dear sons, the mind has a natural proclivity to enter into the material sense objects, and similarly the sense objects enter into the mind; but both this material mind and the sense objects are merely designations that cover the spirit soul, who is part and parcel of Me.
From the perspective of the soul, both the mind and sense objects are false designations that cover it. To be more accurate, the soul imposes the mind and sense objects upon itself.
For example, in a dream one fabricates a body and other paraphernalia. However, like the dream itself, both body and dream objects are concoctions of the mind, fabricated from what can be called a “dream substance.” Therefore, things like mind and sense objects are all designations made of the same false ego that the mind adopts.
And although the soul is seen to stoop to such depths of foolishness, it is made of better stuff. Lord Krsna explains the superior nature of the soul in the following verse:
BG 7.5:
Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.
Adittionally the Lord describes the hierarchy of the senses, both gross and subtle:
BG 3.42:
The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.
Considering that the soul is so superior to other aspects of creation, it should be crystal clear that substances like the mind cannot cover the soul of their own accord. Rather, it is the soul that pulls a blanket-covering of material elements over itself and then foolishly observes the world through the curtain of those coverings, mistakenly thinking that what it perceives is reality. Scripture likens this mistaken reality to a dream state, and according to the modes of nature affecting the soul—either goodness, passion, or ignorance—it is called being awake, dreaming, and deep dreamless sleeping, respectively."
Yes! The state conditioned souls call being awake is, from the viewpoint of absolute reality, also a dream.
The soul is sleeping, and dreaming what it calls life! And the coverings of the soul, namely the subtle senses, along with pradhana and the modes of nature, as well as the functioning and interaction of these elements, constitute the Lord’s materially manifest form, the virāt-rūpa. Thus, although the bewildered soul sees matter everywhere and Krsna nowhere, everything that exists is nothing else but Krsna.
When intelligence is fully under the sway of the material energy, jt engages the mind in mundane affairs, thus submerging it in the modes of material nature. Thus the mind is completely polluted by desires to act materially, and it sees no alternative to choosing the temporal—be it objects or activities. In such an unfortunate condition, the mind has no contact with the eternal and cannot be enlisted in its constitutional position, which is to act in the service of the Supreme.
Aspiring transcendentalists know that separating the mind from sense objects is the key to self control, and without self control there is no question of meaningful sadhana for one’s aspired-for goal.
Jyānīs and bhaktas both recognise the mutual attraction between the mind and sense objects, as well as the spontaneous inclination tor these two to interact. However, the way of severing the mutual attraction between mind and sense objects differs for these two sadhakas—speculators and devotees.
Followers of sankhya philosophy, as well as most kinds of yoga, recognise the dream state in which the mind vacillates. For them, knowledge of the spiritual state—the fourth state of consciousness, brabma-bhuta, beyond waking, sleep, and deep sleep—holds the key to giving up both the mind and the sense objects. In short, the mind and sense objects should both be given up in a way that one will be freed of all material duality. Knowledge and renunciation are the ways by which these non-devotional sddhakas strive for liberation.
Vaisnavas, on the other hand, know that the mind can be the best friend and the most valuable instrument to attaining the pertection of prema—the fifth stage of consciousness. Therefore, a Vaisnava’s approach is to engage the mind in the Lord’s service. In Krsna’s words:
BG 6.5: One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.
Both the fourth and fifth stages of consciousness are described in the following chapter.
In the previous chapter we answered how the mind can be the enemy. Now we address the other question arising from the same verse:
“How is the mind a friend and instrument for deliverance?”
We answer:
“The mind is the agent by which remembrance takes place, and remembering Krsna is the essence of sadhana. If the mind can be taught to think of Krsna’s form, pastimes, and qualities—better yet, if the mind develiops a spontaneous attraction to such thoughts—then nama-sankirtana quickly brings one to bhava.”
By keeping Krsna in the mind, impurities and material inclinations of the mind, intelligence, and ego are quickly vanquished. In other words, for successful determinations, sankalpas, a congenial and controlled mind is essential.
For this reason the mind must be won over as an ally in the war against the material energy. Otherwise, as the self-proclaimed doer and enjoyer, the mind will remain addicted to sense objects and will continue to be irresistibly attracted to the means for attaining sense gratification and false prestige.
In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna argued that the mind was not an easy ally to win over, what to speak of to keep under control. While Krsna agreed that the restless mind was difficult to restrain, He assured His friend that it was possible by suitable practice and detachment:
BG 6.35: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: O mighty-armed son of Kuntī, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.
In his purport to this verse Srila Prabhupada writes that the foolproof practice that at once gives rise to detachment is hearing about Krsna’s pastimes. By completely absorbing the intelligence in Krsna, one becomes purified and so rises to the stage of spiritual consciousness, brahma-bhūta, the fourth stage of consciousness, and from there to the fifth stage of consciousness, loving devotional service, prema-bhakti.
Control of the mind naturally entails self-control and gravity, and active participation by a spiritualised intelligence. When a reasonable measure of mind control has been reached, the mind becomes saturated by goodness and free of desires for material activities. Under those circumstances, devotees have the strength to give up activities born of the modes of passion and ignorance, and in due course of time they can even give up the mode of goodness. When the mind finally rises above the modes of nature, it then enters into a transcendental relationship with the Lord.
At this point the reader may raise a question:
“Does the mind, like the gross senses, come into being at birth and then come to an end at death, or is it the same mind that travels from body to body?”
In answering this question, we may remember that the disposition of the mind is to constantly meditate on sense objects, and it does so to the extent that it seems to enter into those sense objects and thereby identify with them.
Thus, when sense objects come to an end at the death of the gross body, because of its complete identification with those objects the mind also feels a sense of death. When at rebirth the mind identifies with a new set of senses and sense objects, unable to discern a past beyond the current body, it perceives that birth as its first incarnation. For this reason, so long as the soul remains in bondage, the mind does not remember that it is the same entity from body to body. Casting Arjuna in the role of a conditioned soul, Krsna tells him:
BG 4.5: The Personality of Godhead said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!
Furthermore, as the mind of the living entity engages the senses with sense objects, such as wife, husband, and home, it simultaneously daydreams about other sense objects, both within his scope of experience and beyond it. Daydreams may include the heavenly planets, for example. In this way the mind becomes habituated to these things.
At the time of death, the mind is forcibly dragged away from the objects with which it has intimately associated, and by the laws of karma it is joined to another set of senses and sense objects, undergoing a process of reorientation suited to its new environment.
This reorientation to a new body and to a new burgeoning field of sense objects is so intense that it erases the identification of the mind’s previous life. Thus the mind becomes oblivious of its past and is given the appearance of having been newly born along with the body.
That said, readers know that living entities may be made aware of their past lives by mystic power, hypnotic regression, and so on. They may also spontaneously remember all or some of theif past lives by grace of the Lord or by their karma. And the past
sometimes surfaces in different ways in dreams. Thus when we say that the mind becomes “oblivious of its past,” we mean that most people are not conscious of their past, although the past may remain in a subconscious stratum of their minds.
Thus the question posed is answered in this way:
“As regards the rebirth of the mind, all appearances aside, the truth is that the mind is the same, only its experiences of past and present circumstances are different.”
In support of our conclusion we refer to the last verse in which Krsna says that Arjuna has forgotten his past births. However, forgetting means that the instrument of forgetfulness does not change, otherwise how can someone forget? The Lord therefore implies that while Arjuna’s mind may forget his past, that same mind existed in the past and it will continue to exist in the future.
Krsna later unequivocally explains to Uddhava the continuity of the mind from one life to another. There can be no doubt about it! The Lord says,
SB 11.22.37: Lord Kṛṣṇa said: The material mind of men is shaped by the reactions of fruitive work. Along with the five senses, it travels from one material body to another. The spirit soul, although different from this mind, follows it.
A relevant point to note is that in the very same way that the mind becomes forgetful of its past body, it also becomes forgetful of its spiritual identity and its relationship with the Lord.
Originally, when the mind was absorbed in service to Krsna, its identity was spiritual. But when it became distracted and focused on material sense objects, it identified materially. As a result, we are in the material world.
When by good fortune the mind is again brought to bear upon service to Lord Krsna, it goes through a process of reorientation, or rather a process of reformation that is known as regulated devotion.
Thereafter, when the mind becomes conditioned spiritually by contact with Krsna’s names, forms, and pastimes—and increasingly attracted to them—then it enters the realm of spontaneous devotion.
And finally, when the mind has no connection with the modes of nature, and when it sees its body and the world as objects to be used in the service of the Lord Whom it loves, it attains the state of ecstatic devotion.
From the above we may see that the mind’s perception of the material world is a dream-like illusion. What the conditioned soul perceives as reality is actually a temporary contact between senses and sense objects. Krsna, in the form of His Hamsa-avatara, gives a vivid example of this:
SB 11.13.34: One should see that the material world is a distinct illusion appearing in the mind, because material objects have an extremely flickering existence and are here today and gone tomorrow. They can be compared to the streaking red line created by whirling a fiery stick.
When a burning stick is whirled around, it appears to be a red circle of fire. However, this fiery circle is an illusion existing to the eye and mind only as long as the stick continues to whirl.
Similarly, the sense objects of the material world manifested by the modes of nature are perceivable to the senses and mind so long as those modes are active. When the modes are no longer active, the sense objects and their aggregate, the material world, cease to exist—the comprehensive spectacle having only been temporarily manifested to the senses and the mind.
In the same verse, the Lord continues His explanation of the fiery stick:
SB 11.13.34 The spirit soul by nature exists in the single state of pure consciousness. However, in this world he appears in many different forms and stages of existence. The modes of nature divide the soul’s consciousness into normal wakefulness, dreaming and dreamless sleep. All such varieties of perception, however, are actually māyā and exist only like a dream.
When the glowing stick is no longer whirling, the observer can see it for what it is, and in truth, that state of perception was always his actual condition. He was temporarily bewildered by the action of the person whirling the stick.
Similarly, the living entity has a natural state of being, known as the fourth stage of consciousness, brahma-bhuta, but he is bewildered by the manifold actions of the combination of the three modes of nature, and by falsely identifying with these modes he is cast into illusion.
This illusory existence, as mentioned previously, is also like a dream, a dream which is also a product of the mind and senses but which is not the natural, waking state of the dreamer.
Whether seeing the creation as a whirling stick or a dream, by devotional service the living entity is able to quit this māyā and her threefold influences of wakefulness, dreaming, and dreamless sleep.
Attempts at non-devotional renunciation are futile, for it is not possible to separate the mind from its objects for reasons already explained. Moreover, the connection between the mind and sense objects is a long-standing one, so much so that the mind considers its objects the basis of its existence. Were that not enough, material desires also leave an open invitation for sense objects to take up residence in the mind.
Any reasonable person will therefore conclude that divorce between sense objects and the mind is neither possible nor desirable. Rather, the mind’s addiction to sense objects should be exploited for the spiritual upliftment of the soul.
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In the following song from Prema-bhakti-candrika, Narottama Dasa Thakura beautifully and practically describes how the mind’s nature and moods should be engaged in a proactive way. Srila Prabhupada would often refer to this song and elaborate on the verse beginning with kama krsna-karmarpane. In his effortless way, Narottama Dasa Thakura echoes the more complex philosophy of Srimad-Bhagavatam. He says,
“O friend! Behold the forms of Krsna’s devotees and respectfully associate with them. In their company, faithfully practise the ninefold process of devotional service, which includes hearing about the Lord, chanting His glories, worshipping Him, offering obeisances, and remembering Him. These nine processes constitute the very cause of devotional service.
«With your senses serve Lord Govinda and decline to worship the various demigods and demigoddesses. Instead dedicate yourself to exclusive talks of pure devotional service. The many philosophies and speculations that are heard here and there are all products of the conditioned soul’s pride; trying to understand them only brings pain to the heart.
“The insubordinate senses are like enemies that live within the body. For example, if like a yogi you deny the ear the things it wants to hear, it will rebel. Similarly, if like a jnānī you tell the mind to be absorbed in a philosophical idea, or, if like a yogi you try to make it unwavering, the unruly mind will disobey you without a doubt.
“Instead, you should skilfully engage lust, anger, bewilderment, greed, fascination, envy, and pride. That perfection is accomplished by worshipping Lord Govinda, a process by which anyone can overcome these enemies and attain a blissful heart.
“Lust can be engaged in offering the fruits of work to Lord Krsna; anger can be directed towards the enemies of devotees; and greed can be focused on hearing the topics of Lord Hari in the association of saints. Bewilderment can be displayed in the hope of attaining your worshipable Lord, and madness by glorifying Krsna’s transcendental qualities. In these ways, all the senses can gradually be brought under control.
“On the other hand, if lust is not controlled, then it becomes the breeding ground for a host of vices that will check your advancement on the path of devotional service. However, if you stay in the association of saintly devotees, then the power of their company will carry you beyond the influence of lust, anger, and their accomplices.
“Additionally, try to avoid becoming angry, for the impulses of anger should always be abandoned, as should the six enemies like greed and bewilderment. Moreover, you will be able to ignore the inferior temptations offered by the senses if your mind is empowered by remembering Krsnacandra and by chanting His names.
“When the allurements of the senses hear the kirtana of Govinda’s names, they immediately flee just as a herd of elephants when they hear the roar of a lion. O friend! Take my advice and engage in single-pointed devotional service to Krsna, then your difficulties will take flight and you will live in a realm of transcendental pleasure.”
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The nature of the ultimate sense objects—Krsna’s names, form, qualities, and pastimes—are such that for the mind they are not only supremely attractive, but simultaneously supremely purifying. With a minimum of regulated offenceless practice, the mind will enter into Krsna and He into the mind. Such attraction of the mind for Krsna naturally drives away the effects of, and the desire for, sense gratification. The reciprocal attraction between the devotees and Krsna—the most sublime way to control the mind—is beautifully expressed by Kaviraja Gosvami in this way:
CC 2.4.95: The ideal place to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness is Vrajabhūmi, or Vṛndāvana, where the people are naturally inclined to love Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa is naturally inclined to love them.
To summarise, we have tried to explain that the living entity has neither the ability nor the potency to sever his attraction to the material mind and to material sense objects. But service to the Lord, specifically nāma-sankirtana, empowers the sadhaka, frees him of illusion, and draws him into Krsna’s loving embrace. In that way, even the impossible is accomplished.
Let us now examine the role intelligence plays in bringing the mind to Krsna. This science is carefully described in the next chapter.
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