One Who Has Conquered The Mind, Can Conquer the World
A boy used to live in a village. He could ride elephant, horse, bullock cart, motor, train, etc. He had heard about the camel but he never rode it. He always used to desire to ride the camel. One day he was returning home from another village. On the way, one businessman had made his camel sit and he had gone to take bath in the nearby river. In order to give rest to the camel, he had opened both the saddle and the nose-string of the camel. As soon as the boy saw the camel he started dancing in delight. He jumped and sat on the back of the camel. According to its habit, the camel got up suddenly and started running helter-skelter. The boy became nervous but what could be done? There was no nose-string to pull. How could he control the camel? Two pedestrians, after seeing the nervousness of the boy, asked: "Where will you go?" The sobbing boy replied: "Brothers! I had to go to my home. But now I will go wherever this camel takes me." In the meantime, he collided with a branch of a tree and fell injured on the ground.
After reading this story of a boy, people will laugh at his foolishness; but the condition of this world today is the same as that of the boy. It is the result of riding the camel of a wayward mind and leaving it uncontrolled that today everywhere crime, unruliness, quarrels and wickedness have become all-pervasive. Because of the uncontrolled mind, people have forgotten the reality of heavenly life, its need and utility, and they have engrossed themselves so much in the futile pursuit of worldly pleasures and passions that they have forgotten what is good and what is bad.
Every part of the body has its own significance, but the mind is most important. It has mysterious powers. Pleasure and pain, salvation and bondage, everything is under the control of mind. The scripture says — "Mana aiva manushyanam karnam bandha moshkyo" (that is, cause of bondage and salvation of a human being is mind alone). If the worldly pleasure is required, the mind will provide it, and if the ultimate truth — moksha — is required, the mind will provide this too. The mind always remains in the service of a person like a faithful servant. It is never tired. It never stops. It never gets old. Continuous work is its habit. It takes pleasure in making desires and running after their fulfillment. The power of mind is unlimited.
But the mind also has the vice of obstinate willfulness. Uncontrolled mind is like a camel without a nose-halter, which deviates a person from his path and instead of taking him home — the destination of life — it throws a person in the jungle of sensual pleasures, desires, sorrows, quarrels, wickedness, bad habits, etc. A person forgets why he has taken birth and what the goal of life is.
The origin of all siddhis lies in the control of mind. But it is not possible by a superficial effort. The sādhanā of mind is more difficult than any yoga, etc. That is why the scripture says — "Jitam jagat ken? Mano hi yen" (that is, one who has conquered his mind, has also conquered this world).
The powers of mind are mysterious. There is no place where the mind cannot reach. The mind can grasp easily the sight that cannot be seen with the eyes and the words that cannot be heard by the ears. If its unsteadiness could be checked, the pleasure of self-realization too can be achieved with the mind.
Whatever progress is done by us in this world has been attributed to our good health, mature wisdom, and active senses. Healthy and active senses alone are the prime means of our development. But it must not be forgotten that their motivator is our mind. If the mind does not cooperate and becomes adamant to move along the evil path, none of the senses will work properly.
The human mind is like mercury. Even if a small quantity of impure mercury is given to a person, his life will be in danger. But if the same mercury is purified and prepared in the form of an ayurvedic medicine, it becomes an invaluable healer. Uncultured mind destroys the valuable life of a person and if the mind of a person is cultured and disciplined, it makes him achieve the worldly pleasures as well as heavenly bliss.
Regarding mind, it must be known that it is not any physical part of the body. Hands can be tied, controlled easily — but not the mind. This is an invisible element. The mechanism producing thoughts in a person has been called mind. The entire disturbance of the inner-self is due to the mind alone. Between the states of good and bad inspirations, holding firmly the virtuous aspect has been called the control of mind. Among the desires of mind, only those should be implemented which are helpful in the development of the soul. That is why suppressing the greed for sensual pleasures has been termed as true wisdom leading to real control of mind.
The knowledge obtained through the objects of senses, in fact, is produced by the mind. Through knowledge, the life appears pleasant and moksha (salvation) can be achieved. But knowledge is not a separate entity; it is the power of mind. Therefore, mind is more powerful than knowledge, and the same has been called the cause of benefit or loss to a person.
That is why, the seers have prayed:
Yasminvirichah sam yajooshi yashmin pratishtha dhanabhavivarah Yashminshchitam sarvamot prajanam tanme manah shiv sankalpamstu
(Shukla Yajurveda 34/5)
That is — As the spokes of the wheels of a chariot are fixed at the center, in the same way the knowledge of rik, yajuh and samved is hidden in the mind. Oh God! Our mind, which possesses such an enormous power, should have virtuous desires.
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