Secret of Consciousness, Mind and Body

Consciousness psychology refers to the unique awareness of the individual feelings, experiences, emotions, sensations and circumstances. According to Oxford Dictionary of English ‘consciousness emerges from the operations of the brain’, As per Cambridge Dictionry of English 'the state of understanding and realizing something'. It is said that if a person is able to control his mind, consciousness, intellect and emotions, only he can perceive the presence of God in his inner soul. And to him, achieving any goal can never be a daunting task. But the most difficult problem for the common man is to learn how to controll one's own mind. Before this we need to know what mind is. What is the basic nature of mind and human brain. The basic deference among functioning brain, mind, consciousness, and intellect. It’s very important for human to discover his/her soul controlling the Mind. The divine light will certainly be visible to him/her clearly. That’s what is called the virtual existence of Supreme being (Ishvara/God), else it is impossible to view Ishvara (God) being in earthly gross body. Six thousand of years ago from today, Sri Krishna expressed the secret of mind exercises to Arjuna in a simple and mind blowing way. This article is based on the great conversation between Sri Krishna and Arjuna.

Arjuna:  
You say that one should try to discover one’s divine self! That means, there exists a power that will discover one’s soul! Whom are you referring to? Who will discover the conscience?

Sri Krishna:
Your Mind. 

Arjuna:  
But you said that we all are puppet at the hands of our mind. Then why it will guide us to our conscience?

Sri Krishna:
Right question. The mind will continue to have control over you as long as you don’t take the control of it. Man’s body resembles a Chariot (Ratha), with five horses. Now, assume that the five horses of the chariot are the different organs or the five senses of human body.
Like, eyes, nose, tongue etc. The charioteer (Sharthi), who guides these horses or organs (five senses), is the mind and the master of the chariot is none other than the soul (consciousness). Human mind is attracts towards worldly pleasures (the sources of pain and sorrow). The mind guides the man/woman, in the direction of these false attachments or desires.  This happen till the time the consciousness doesn’t take control of the mind. The mind will continue to attract him/her towards the worldly pleasures, until he takes control of it.

The mind ignore the consciousness and moves in the direction of false and temporary engagements. But if you can take control of your mind, then it will guide you in the right direction and help you discover your divine self. The body is the chariot (ratha) and the mind is the charioteer (sharthi), who is free to moves the body or action in the direction. If you have good charioteer/driver with right intention and intellect, your chariot/car will move towards success and prosperity. One who takes control of one’s mind, will attain salvation (mokhsya). If the mind is your master and you’re it’s slave, it will continue to bind you in the worldly pleasures, but when you take control of your mind, and be it’s dictator, then it is the mind, who help you to attain the Success or salvation.

Arjuna:  
It is very simple, to say, one should control of over the mind and be it’s master, but that’s the most difficult task. Mind is indomitable like the wind, just the way it’s impossible to control the blowing wind, simply it is an impossible task to take control of one’s mind. How can we control our mind, is there any simple method?

Sri Krishna:  
Hmm, nothing is impossible. One needs to attack the mind with Two Aramhastra/weapons in order to conquer it. One weapon is Education (with morality) or abhyasa (practicing) and other is discipline/vairagya. Education means constant learning. With learning new things, Focus your mind on one particular subject, your mind will try to escape, but you must try to conquer it again. You have to repeat this for several times. Just a foal (baby horse) is not stable ever for a moment, it keeps lolling every moment, the mind too is wavering 
(wavering =restlessness ) every moment. The mind too is silicate like a new born horse, controlling one’s mind is as difficult, as taming a horse. The more pressure one applies to tame the horse, the more difficult it becomes, and it repeatedly pushes the rider instead.
But if the rider is determined, he finally succeed in mounting the horse and the horse then begin to obey the rider/master. Similarly, the mind too is conquered, by holding it’s reins firmly, and finally it begins to obey it’s master’s orders! This is called weapon of learning being determined and with morality. Number two, Discipline is essential to curb one’s mind forever, else it may go astray once again. Means you need to be in practicing mood always.
Because, the worldly pleasures may continue to attract him forever, if he loose the reins of the mind. Obsession, love, passion and list will continue to attract him, hence it is necessary for the mind to understand that these are merely worldly false pleasures, and are simply illusionary, when the mind understands the facts, it won’t yield to any vices, n fact, he develops discipline and it is the practice, that is instrumental in developing self control. One should always keep one thing in mind, that everything is illusion (not permanent). One should protect his mind with this only Truth, from any excitements, excitation, fury, craze, greed, anger. This things can destroy one’s control over his mind. In any situation he has to be in steady state condition.  

आत्मानं रथिनं विद्धि शरीरं रथमेव तु ।
बुद्धिं तु सारथिं विद्धि मनः प्रग्रहमेव च ।।
(कठोपनिषद्, अध्याय १, वल्ली ३, मंत्र ३)     

Meaning: Know thyself as the traveler and body as the chariot. Perceive intellect as the charioteer and mind as the reigns.

Commentary by Ms. Kaavya Sindhu (sanskritpearls): The best way is to keep the charioteer (intellect) have the reigns (mind) in its control and make sure that the intellect listens to the voyager, the self! Then, there will be no case of run away horses or chariots, the traveler can safely reach his destination, which is, attaining liberation.