Bhagavad Gita 3.40

indriyāṇi mano buddhir

asyādhiṣṭhānam ucyate

etair vimohayaty eṣa

jñānam āvṛtya dehinam

 

“The senses, the mind, the intelligence—

These all are lust’s potential residence.

From there, it deludes, casting wisdom aside,

Throws the soul into ignorance, deep and wide.”

My dear Lord, a standard deceptive trick in war is misdirection—misleading the enemy into concentrating forces on one front while the main attack happens on another. Similarly, my Lord, the forces of illusion mislead me by making me believe that the enemy lies outside, in the form of sense objects that trigger sensual desire within me. Please, O Lord, help me develop the humility to look inward and understand that the enemy has made hideouts and possibly even strongholds within my senses, my mind, and my intelligence. I can detect the presence of the enemy in my senses when they are physically activated by desire. 

I can detect the presence of the enemy in my mind when it starts playing and replaying fantasies of indulgence. And I can detect the presence of the enemy in my intelligence when it starts coming up with rationalizations to make acceptable indulgences that violate the standards I have chosen as sacred and non-negotiable. Please, O Lord, help me become more self-aware so that I can detect the activation of the enemy within me—whether in my senses, mind, or intelligence. More importantly, bless me to be conscious of you, so that by the devotional strength of remembering you and your purpose for my life, I can reject the propositions made by the enemy inside me.

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03.40 The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him.