Episode Details

Wath video at: https://www.radhakrishnaprem.com/p/is-the-mind-a-master-or-a-servant

Sushree Diwakari Devi Ji addresses the challenge of controlling the mind on the spiritual journey. On the spiritual journey, many of us struggle with controlling our minds. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjun, "You must give your mind to Me and your intellect to Me." The mind has two states: thinking (man) and decision-making (buddhi). The analogy of a chariot is used: the human body is the chariot, the horses are the sense organs, the reins are the mind, the intellect is the charioteer, and the soul is the passenger.

The mind is like a servant to the intellect. It must follow the intellect’s guidance. Even when we don’t feel like it, we still perform tasks because the intellect has decided we must. The mind cannot revolt against the intellect's decisions. Didi Ji says our minds are conditioned to believe happiness lies in material pursuits, like a worm returning to filth. This happens because "the mind is accustomed to loving the hollow and illusionary pleasures of this world."

There’s a story where a disciple asked his Guru why he couldn't focus on meditation, even though he tried hard. The Guru showed him how the mind, just like an insect, is conditioned to seek out what it knows, even if it's harmful. The reason we struggle to meditate is that the intellect still believes "happiness... exists in material things." To overcome this, we need to train the intellect to understand that "true happiness lies in God." Once the intellect understands this truth, the mind will naturally follow its guidance.

This is why we must engage in spiritual practice, train our intellect, and align it with Divine knowledge. We have this human body to elevate ourselves, not to remain stuck in the cycle of birth and death. When we allow ignorance to rule, "our mind is our worst enemy," but with knowledge, "that mind will become our best friend." We have the potential to change our lives, and this is why we must use the teachings given to us wisely. We must integrate this knowledge into our lives to experience true joy.

Memorable Quotes from the Discourse:

"Most individuals encounter a common challenge. They find themselves troubled by their own mind. They lament, “Oh, my mind does not cooperate with me. My mind doesn't listen to me. My mind tells me to go to sleep. My mind wavers. My mind distracts me!” This gives rise to a question: How can one take control of their mind?"

"Shri Krishna tells Arjun, 'You must give your mind to Me and your intellect to Me.'"

"Arjuna thought, 'Well, I only have one thing, and that is my mind. And Sri Krishna is asking me and telling me to give both, the mind and the intellect.'"

"The same mind has two states: When the mind is thinking, when the mind is contemplating, it is called the mind or man in Hindi. And when the mind is making decisions, then that mind is known as the intellect or buddhi in Hindi."

"The Lord says that I have, speaking to us souls, I have given you a chariot. And the chariot is being pulled by horses. In the mouth of the horses are the reins held by the driver or the charioteer. And on this chariot, there is a passenger."

"The chariot is this human body that we all possess, that we have received with great fortune. The horses are the sense organs. And the reins of the horses are the mind. And the charioteer, the driver, is the intellect. And the passenger is the soul."

"The mind cannot revolt against the decision of the intellect. The mind must follow the dictates of the intellect."

"The mind is ever engaged in chasing the world and the sensory objects of the world, limited to our five physical senses. We're always chasing."

"Just like this worm is conditioned to loving excrement, th