Gita 06.07 – The controlled mind disregards dualities and discovers the Supersoul
jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya
paramātmā samāhitaḥ
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu
tathā mānāpamānayoḥ (Bg 6.7)
Word-for-word:
jita-ātmanaḥ — of one who has conquered his mind; praśāntasya — who has attained tranquillity by such control over the mind; parama-ātmā — the Supersoul; samāhitaḥ — approached completely; śīta — in cold; uṣṇa — heat; sukha — happiness; duḥkheṣu — and distress; tathā — also; māna — in honor; apamānayoḥ — and dishonor.
Translation:
For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquillity. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.
Explanation:
jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya: One who has conquered the mind becomes truly peaceful.
paramātmā samāhitaḥ: The Supersoul is already attained.
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu: He remains steady in cold and heat, in happiness and distress,
tathā mānāpamānayoḥ: as well as in honor and dishonor, (remaining equipoised in all dualities.)
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa speaks of three levels of dualities toward which a person who has conquered the mind becomes equipoised. Śītoṣṇa refers to the duality at the physical level, sukha-duḥkha to the duality at the mental level, and mānāpamāna to the duality at the egoistic level. Kṛṣṇa explains that by being jitātmanaḥ, one becomes balanced in relation to all of them.
The mind often acts as a magnifier. It can turn a small problem into a big one, or make a minor pleasure appear to be a great pleasure. In this way, we get tossed about by the dualities of this world. When we desire some enjoyment, the mind convinces us that it is so important that we cannot live without it. Yet, even if we attain that pleasure, it rarely proves as wonderful as imagined. In the material world, even the best enjoyment is, at most, short-lived, unexciting, and often ends in anticlimax.
The mind makes us unduly excited about worldly pleasures, and similarly, it makes us unnecessarily disturbed by worldly pains. In this way, we become trapped—striving to chase pleasure and avoid pain. Since both exist only on the material level, our consciousness remains confined there. As a result, we deprive ourselves of the steady and lasting spiritual fulfillment that is truly ours to experience and relish.
But when the mind is conquered, it can no longer subject us to these dualities. The dualities will still be there: even a great devotee may sometimes be disrespected, experience physical pain, or have to go to places with extreme temperatures. Such opposites are unavoidable, but with a controlled mind we do not let them be exaggerated. Yes, someone may have insulted me—but why should I dwell on it for long? It came, it went, and life goes on. Yes, there may be some distress, but we do not get overly entangled in it.
It is like traveling on a train that passes through an area with a foul smell. We cannot deny the smell, nor can we wish it away. But we know the train will soon pass that area, and so the smell is temporary. With this awareness, we avoid getting too agitated by it.
Similarly, once we understand that everything at the material level is constantly changing and whatever is present now is temporary, we no longer become overly excited by dualities. In this way, we avoid the mind’s tendency toward hyper-agitation over worldly things, and the mind becomes situated in peace (praśāntasya). And when the mind is peaceful, we ourselves become peaceful.
The word “praśāntasya” signifies a very deep level of peace. Kṛṣṇa uses the word “praśānta” twice in this same chapter of the Gītā:
• praśāntātmā vigata-bhīr brahmacāri-vrate sthitaḥ (6.14)
• praśānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ yoginaṁ sukham uttamam (6.27)
Kṛṣṇa says in this verse (6.7) that deep peacefulness is attained when the mind is conquered (jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya). Although the Supersoul is right beside us, we remain disconnected from Him due to the misdirection of our consciousness toward matter.
The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, as well as other Upaniṣads, gives a famous example:
samāne vṛkṣe puruṣo nimagno ’niśayā śocati muhyamānaḥ
juṣṭaṁ yadā paśyaty anyam īśam asya
mahimānam iti vīta-śokaḥ (MU 3.1.2)
Two birds sit in the same tree. One bird, deluded and lamenting, pecks at the fruits—rejoicing when the fruits taste sweet and suffering when they taste bitter. But when it turns toward the other bird and recognizes its glories (asya mahimānam), it becomes free from misery (iti vīta-śokaḥ).
In this metaphor, the tree represents the body, the bird eating the fruits is the individual soul, and the witnessing bird is the Supersoul. At present, we keep pecking at the various sense objects of this world, seeking pleasure. We may occasionally find some pleasure, but in the larger picture, we mostly encounter misery. If, however, we turn toward the Supersoul within the heart and realize His glories, we naturally develop love for Him.
The root cause of our misery is our misplaced love for material things. But when we redirect that love toward Kṛṣṇa, our consciousness becomes absorbed in Him. Absorption in Him, remembrance of Him, is the source of great fulfillment. By recognizing Kṛṣṇa’s glories, we thus become free from misery.
Hence, the phrase “jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya paramātmā samāhitaḥ” indicates that when we control the mind, we attain the Paramātmā. Once the Paramātmā is attained, our consciousness becomes fixed on Him, and that absorption is so fulfilling that nothing else remains consequential. The soul becomes deeply aware of the Supersoul.
The primary distraction keeping the soul away from the Supersoul is the mind. But when the mind is controlled, we can fix our consciousness on the Supersoul. Relishing that connection brings such profound fulfillment that the dualities of the world no longer matter.
Just as a beggar becomes very happy upon receiving a five-rupee coin, he also becomes greatly agitated if that coin slips from his hand. But if that same beggar were to become a millionaire, possessing millions of rupees, the loss of five rupees would be inconsequential. He would know that he has something far greater and need not worry about such a small loss.
Of course, every material metaphor has its limitations. In this example, both comparisons are made in terms of money—a million rupees is far greater than five rupees. Similarly, it is true that spiritual happiness is far greater than material happiness, but the difference between the two is not only in the magnitude of happiness, it also lies in the quality.
Material happiness is peripheral to our being. It is merely a bodily sensation, and the body itself is only an external dress covering who we really are. Thus, qualitatively, material happiness can at best be titillating. Spiritual happiness, however, touches the very core of our existence, for it is rooted in our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is why spiritual happiness is both quantitatively and qualitatively superior to material happiness.
Quantitatively, once we are connected with Kṛṣṇa, that happiness can continue endlessly, since Kṛṣṇa is the inexhaustible source of all joy. No connection with any sense object can ever provide such unending fulfillment.
At this stage in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa is not yet speaking about bhakti, nor has He introduced Himself. Therefore, He uses the expression “paramātmā samāhitaḥ.” The ecstasy of remembering personal manifestation of Kṛṣṇa is far greater than the happiness experienced in remembering the Supersoul. Still, even when consciousness is fixed on the Supersoul, that alone brings such a level of happiness that both the gain and loss of material pleasures appear inconsequential and insignificant. Thus, one can remain steady and continue progressing on the spiritual journey.
Thank you.
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