Arjuna asks Krishna to describe the characteristics
of the perfect yogi, Sthitaprajna. Krishna points out that a stable human
behaviour implies separation of “I” from the mind. When the mind engages in
selfish desires it evaluates success and failures and never gets the freedom.
The mind needs diversion from selfish to unselfish desires to get the freedom.
“Manojaya eva mahajayah—Conquest of mind is the
greatest victory. Mind is one of the ashta-prakritis earth, water, fire, air,
ether, mind, reason and egoism these constitute the eight-fold division of My
Eternal Energy” says Sri Krishna (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7 verse 4).
The mind, manas, is controlled by intelligence,
buddhi, and has control over our sense organs, indriyas. If our sense organs
are horses of a chariot, the mind is the leash that is held by intelligence,
the charioteer. The chariot will move in the right direction only if the
charioteer has control over the horses through the leash. The mind is like the
supervisor in the factory of life, and directs the indriyas. The mind does a
wonderful job of carrying out directions, but it is not supposed to be the key
decision-maker in the factory. That is the job of intelligence. If intelligence
is clouded, then the mind has a habit of listening to whoever is speaking the
loudest in the factory.
There is conflict between intelligence and mind that
is judged by our consciousness. This is never seen in animals. Let us suppose a
landlord who happens to leave his house for a few days orders both his
housekeeper and the dog not to go out of the house in his absence. Even though
both have violated the order, the dog has no inner conflict and sleeps happily,
but the housekeeper is sleepless. He feels guilty and is also ticked off for
not following orders. The mind should always listen to intelligence and order
the indriyas, and then there would be no conflict of mind and intelligence.
When we say we have a disturbed mind then we have done something that our
intelligence does not want us to do.
In the Yaksha Prashna episode in the Aranya Parva of
the Mahabharata, Yama asks Yudhisthira what is the swiftest of all in the
universe? Yudhisthira answers that the mind is the swiftest of all, manovega.
The mind can travel at unimaginable speed; this has made the mind inconstant.
Restless and unpredictable, the mind is an obstruction to peace. Mantra Japa is
one way of controlling the restless mind.
A story in the Skanda Purana illustrates this: After
the battle of Kurukshetra, Yudhisthira contemplates on performing the Ashwameda
Yagya. Krishna who wanted Bheema to know the importance of Mantra Japa asks him
to bring Purusha Mruga who lives in Himalayas for the Yagya. Krishna warns
Bheema that Purusha Mruga travels at the speed of mind and to bring him he has
to travel at that speed failing which the Purusha Mruga would kill and devour him.
Bheema who could travel at the speed of wind (vayuvega) thinks he could bring
him. Bheema goes in search of Purusha Mruga and happens to meet his brother
Hanuman and tells him about his mission. Hanuman tells Bheema that the only way
to keep pace with Purusha Mruga is to place thousand Lingas through the route.
Being a devotee of Shiva, Purusha Mruga would halt
at each Linga to chant the thousand names of Shiva thus allowing Bheema to keep
pace with him. Bheema succeeded in the mission, his vayuvega could match
Purusha Mruga's manovega since it was slowed down with Mantra Japa.
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