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Endurance
(Song of an ascetic—Story of Avanti Brahmin)
The mind creates desire and the like. It makes the various Gunas function and through them brings about various Karmas, good, bad or indifferent for the attainment of such desires. By such actions man gets into bondage or Samsara (chain of births and deaths) and attains different kinds of birth according to the nature of his actions.
Atman is the self-effulgent, inactive, silent witness of the activities of the mind. He is the friend of the Jiva. The Jiva identifies himself with the mind on account of ignorance, and thinks he is the actor. In reality it is the mind that does everything, who enjoys sense-objects through desires and mind’s active qualities and thus becomes bound.
Charity, the performance of duties of his own Varna and Ashrama, the observance of Yamas and Niyamas, the study of the Vedas, virtuous actions and the good observances as fasting on Ekadasi - all the selead to the control of mind. The control of the mind is the highest form of Yoga.
When one’s mind is controlled and tranquil, of what use are charity and the rest for him? If his mind is uncontrolled and restless, of what use, again, are this charity and the rest?
The gods and the organs presided over by them, are under the control of the mind, but the mind never comes under the control of any one else. This is a formidable God stronger than the strongest. Therefore, he who can control the mind is indeed the God of gods.
Without curbing or conquering this strong invincible enemy of irresistible force within, that cuts the very vital parts, some foolish people try to achieve victories outside creating friends, enemies, or neutrals. Those who do not conquer the mind make friends and enemies.
Deluded men think, ‘This is my body’ and they go astray. They mistake this body, a mere creation of the mind to be their own and their selves. They are deluded by the wrong notions of ‘I’, ‘thine’ and ‘he’. They think ‘He is different’ and thus wander in the unlimited wilderness of ignorance.
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