Asserted Topics:
Characteristics of conquering the mind.
Main Points:
- The mind is considered conquered when the senses withdraw from their respective objects.
- Withdrawal from the five sensory pleasures happens through Atmanishtha (self-realization) and understanding God’s greatness.
Commentary:
In this Vachanamrut, Muktanand Swami posed a question to Maharaj, quoting the shloka from “Maniratnamala“: “जितं जगत् केन मनो हि येन” (jitaṃ jagat kena mano hi yena), meaning “He who conquers his mind conquers the world.” He asked how one can recognize that the mind has been conquered. Maharaj replied that when the senses retreat from the objects of enjoyment such as sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell, and when there is no desire to attain these objects, the senses are under control. When the senses do not come into contact with the objects, the mind also does not reach out to the senses and stays within the heart. Thus, a person who firmly renounces the five sensory pleasures can be considered to have conquered his mind. Even if the mind seems conquered but there is some affection for worldly objects, it is not truly conquered.
The five senses are the essence of worldly desires. Wealth, women, etc., are ultimately related to these objects. The five sensory pleasures are the world itself. Desires, impressions, and attachments reside firmly in the senses, mind, and soul. There is a certain process where external sensory pleasures enter the mind and become attachments in the soul. External objects first enter the senses, then the mind, and finally settle in the soul as attachments, which is the world. When the senses touch external objects, they enter the mind, which then excites the senses. This process accumulates objects within the soul and expresses the stored impressions outwardly.
The Bhagavad Gita explains this process:
इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते
indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣṭhānam ucyate (Gita 3.40)
एवं बुद्धेः परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना । जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम् ॥
evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhya-ātmānam ātmanā jahi śhatruṁ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam (Gita 3.43)
The sensory objects, stored as gross, subtle, and even subtler in the mind and soul, are uprooted when one conquers the mind. Merely remembering the sensory objects defeats them. When the mind is absorbed in the remembrance of God and His form, yet attachments to sensory objects remain, the mind is not truly conquered. If the mind is not currently thinking about them, it is not considered conquered because the attachment to the five sensory pleasures remains. This attachment can reawaken at any time, defeating all resolutions.
The stories of sages like Saubhari illustrate this concept. Therefore, as Maharaj stated in this Vachanamrut, one should meditate on the faults of the five sensory pleasures and develop a strong aversion to them. The inclination towards sensory pleasures should be destroyed, and the mind should turn towards God. The desires for sensory pleasures must be eradicated from the mind, and attachments should be uprooted from the soul. If the sensory objects are active anywhere in the chain, they will revive the entire process. Thus, Maharaj said that even when the mind is conquered, if the five sensory pleasures are not firmly renounced and the senses come into contact with them, the mind is not considered conquered. Only when the world is completely removed from the soul is it truly conquered. When the world is removed from within, the world is conquered.
Muktanand Swami then asked if the cause of the withdrawal from sensory objects is detachment or love for God. Maharaj replied that one reason is Atmanishtha (self-realization) and the other is the knowledge of God’s greatness.
Attachment to sensory objects exists only in body-consciousness. When body-consciousness is removed, the life of sensory pleasures does not remain. Thus, one should firmly believe that their true form is separate from the body, and understand the body’s misery and faults, leading to detachment. One should realize that the happiness derived from one hair of God is incomparable to the combined sensory pleasures of the entire universe. This divine happiness is found in Akshardham. To attain this divine happiness, one must renounce the trivial pleasures of sensory objects, as both cannot coexist. Such contemplation leads to detachment, causing one to abandon sensory pleasures, and preventing any further attachment to them. Only then can it be said that the mind is conquered. Without such understanding, even if intense devotion is present, in the face of desirable sensory objects, one may neglect God and develop attachment to those objects or family members. Or during suffering or loss of sensory pleasures, devotion to God may not endure, and one may become distressed. This initial devotion may appear profound but will not remain strong without proper understanding.