Our intelligence is meant to be our protector, akin to an inner guard. We need such a guard because  inside us is our mind, which is at present an enemy, as the Bhagavad-gita (6.6) cautions. If we don’t keep our intelligence awake and alert, the mind grabs the opportunity and uses a three-step strategy to sabotage us. These three steps are deception, destruction, and domination.

Deception: 

The mind speaks lies, sometimes sneakily and sometimes shamelessly, making us believe that the things that are actually in our best interests are not so. For example, directing our attention toward Krishna is the way to the highest fulfillment. But the mind’s deceptions make us believe that trying to focus on Krishna involves too much effort with too little reward. Believing these lies, we stop investing adequate effort in connecting with Krishna.

Destruction:  

Not only does the mind take us away from our best interest through deception, but it also impels us to act against our own interest — even our basic interests such as bodily health. For example, under the mind’s destructive spell, we might eat excessively, despite knowing it’s bad for our health. We all can probably list the many ways, small and big, in which we hurt ourselves.

Domination:  

After the mind has, through its deceptions cut us off from our strengths, which are built by our connection with Krishna, and after it has impelled us to harm ourselves by acting in self-destructive ways, it swoops down on our weakened self for the final blow — not to eliminate us, but to enslave us. Lacking in strength and limping with wounds, we meekly succumb to domination by the mind. We end up as its puppets without even realizing it. Our life is no longer our own; it becomes a sentence of slavery to our mind.

Thankfully, we have an opportunity to break free from this slavery through meditating on Krishna, who is our greatest well-wisher. When we have this opportunity, the mind works overtime to keep us distracted. A momentary distraction during our focus on Krishna may seem trivial, but that minor distraction is the first step down a slippery slope.  Once on that slope, we slide through deception and destruction, till we end up in a life of domination by the mind. That’s why during our meditation, we need to use our intelligence to firmly, even forcefully, focus on Krishna, while neglecting or even rejecting the mind. 

Once we have thus been strengthened by our morning meditation, then during the rest of our day, we will have the strength to counter our mind’s deception, destruction, and domination. Thereby, we can progress toward a life of freedom, pursuing the things that truly matter to us instead of a life of slavery in chasing things that matter only to our mind.

Summary:

  • When our inner bodyguard—our intelligence—goes missing, our mind starts messing with us, launching a three-pronged attack of deception, destruction, and domination.
  • Deception disconnects us from our sources of strength; destruction inflicts us with self-wounds; domination enslaves us to the mind.
  • By activating our intelligence and firmly focusing on Krishna, we can escape the life of slavery to our mind and move toward a life of freedom.

Think it over:

  • What are the three ways in which the mind brings about our downfall?
  • Which of these three ways are you most vulnerable to?
  • What can you do to protect yourself from your mind’s attacks?

***

06.06 For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.

Intelligence in Meditation Practice