Gita Series – 74: Bhagavad Gita Chapter -VI. Verses 24 – 27

“By becoming devoid of desires arising out of thought processes and by demolishing all the sensory inflictions, the aspirant should gradually turn away his mind from the materialistic world by using his intellect and fixing his awareness on the Lord. He should pull back his wavering mind from the addictive objects. When this aspirant, whose mind is thoroughly cleansed by God consciousness, transforms as the one with peace, devoid of passions and become sinless, to ultimately become the embodiment of Sat-Cit-Ananda, the Lord Himself.”

Krishna repeatedly underlines the importance of mind while pursuing spiritual path. In a normal human mind, all kinds of thoughts manifest. The only influencing factor on the mind is sensory inputs. As already discussed, one cannot effectively function without proper usage of the sensory organs. Sensory organs used for the purpose of normal existence do not cause afflictions in the mind. Every desire leaves impressions in the mind. Cleansing of the mind means not concentrating on the materialistic world. Existing in the material world is one thing and getting addicted to materialistic living is another thing. Addiction is caused by the mind. The perfect way to keep the mind serene is not to indulge in excess. Over indulgence induces the mind to become addictive. Therefore, controlling senses do not mean plugging all the sensory organs. One has to effectively utilize his sensory organs to sustain himself comfortably.

If the mind is controlled, sensory organs do not cause any afflictions in the mind. Mind and sensory organs are interdependent and one without the other cannot even function. What is essentially needed to control the mind is a sort of filtering mechanism. The filtering mechanism is known as intellect. The intellect decides on the kind of inputs that the mind can receive. The intellect alone has the capacity to control the mind. This intellect is attained from the study of sacred scriptures and valuable teachings. Scriptures clearly negate the bad and affirm the good. When the mind becomes devoid of impressions, whether good or bad, the process of purification of the mind begins. At this time, the aspirant should spend adequate time on meditation, so that he can confidently and comfortably achieve spiritual progression. Meditation is a process during which the effective process of cleaning the mind happens. During meditation, one should always concentrate on the Lord and the God awareness should never be disturbed and distracted. By persistent practice, the mind attains the highest purity level. In that state, the mind realizes what is Real, what is True Knowledge and what is the True Happiness or Bliss. When this stage is reached, worldly desires and attachments automatically wane away, leading to clarity of thoughts, where one understands the difference between illusion and reality. Now, the mind decides for good its logical goal.

When this state unfolds, one is able to fix his awareness on the Lord perpetually. His mind gradually becomes focused. His meditation turns into quality oriented. His mind is rested, not confronted with too many thought processes. His mind turns into an instrument of peace, which can be effectively utilized for Self-realization. He attains the attributes of the Lord, Reality, Wisdom and Bliss and he ultimately becomes Lord Himself.

Further readings:

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter VI. 28 - 30

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter VI. 20 - 23

Bhagavad Gita. CHPATER V. 1-3