Source
Texts:
The
Song of the Avantî Brâhmana
Text
1
The
son of Vyâsa said: 'When He thus respectfully was
requested by Uddhava, the greatest of the devotees, began the
chief of the Dâs'ârhas
whose heroism is so worthy to hear about, to speak, praising
the words of His servant.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said - Lord Mukunda, the chief of the
Dâs'ârhas, having thus been respectfully
requested by the best of His devotees, S'rî Uddhava,
first acknowledged the fitness of his servant's statements.
Then the Lord, whose glorious exploits are most worthy of
being heard, began to reply to him.
Text
2
The Supreme
Lord said: 'O disciple of Brihaspati, there is virtually no
pious soul in this world capable of keeping his mind in check
being disturbed by the insulting words used by a bad
person.
Lord
S'rî Krishna said: O disciple of Brihaspati, there is
virtually no saintly man in this world capable of resettling
his own mind after it has been disturbed by the insulting
words of uncivilized men.
Text
3
A person is not
as much pained pierced by arrows going through the heart as he
is hurt indeed hoarding the arrows of harsh words of untruthful
people.
Sharp
arrows which pierce one's chest and reach the heart do not
cause as much suffering as the arrows of harsh, insulting
words that become lodged within the heart when spoken by
uncivilized men.
Text
4
In this regard
Uddhava, is a most pious story told, please listen with rapt
attention as I describe it to you.
My
dear Uddhava, in this regard a most pious story is told, and
I shall now describe it to you. Please listen with careful
attention.
Text
5
It was related
by a mendicant who, being insulted by bad people, keeping his
composure remembered it as the consequence of his past
deeds.
Once
a certain sannyâsî was insulted in many ways by
impious men. However, with determination he remembered that
he was suffering the fruit of his own previous karma. I will
narrate to you his story and that which he spoke.
Text
6
In Avantî
[in the district of Malwa] there once lived a certain
brahmin very rich with opulences who earned his livelihood
doing business; but he was a miser, full of lust, greed and
prone to anger as he was [see also B.G.
2:
49].
In
the country of Avantî there once lived a certain
brâhmana who was very rich and gifted with all
opulences, and who was engaged in the occupation of
commerce. But he was a miserly person - lusty, greedy and
very prone to anger.
Text
7
For his
relatives and guests was he not even in words of respect as he,
devoid of religiosity, also not at the right times catered to
his own needs.
In
his home, devoid of religiosity and lawful sense
gratification, the family members and guests were never
properly respected, even with words. He would not even allow
sufficient gratification for his own body at the suitable
times.
Text
8
With him so
ill-behaved developed his sons, in-laws, his wife, daughters
and servants enmity toward the miser, withholding their
affection in disgust.
Since
he was so hardhearted and miserly, his sons, in-laws, wife,
daughters and servants began to feel inimical toward him.
Becoming disgusted, they would never treat him with
affection.
Text
9
This way
lacking in dharma and pleasure became the five claimants of
sacrifice [pañca-bhâga],
with that obsessive treasurekeeper failing in both worlds
[this and the next], angry at him.
In
this way the presiding deities of the five family sacrifices
became angry at the brâhmana, who, being niggardly,
guarded his wealth like a Yaksha, who had no good
destination either in this world or the next, and who was
totally deprived of religiosity and sense enjoyment.
Text
10
The neglect of
them depleted his portion of piety, o magnanimous one, and all
the wealth he so painstakingly had troubled himself for became
lost.
O
magnanimous Uddhava, by his neglect of these demigods he
depleted his stock of piety and all his wealth. The
accumulation of his repeated exhaustive endeavors was
totally lost.
Text
11
Being just in
name a brahmin was some taken by his relatives, some by
thieves, Uddhava, some by providence, some by time, some by
common people and some by higher authorities [see
also
10.49: 22].
Some
of the wealth of this so-called brâhmana was taken
away by his relatives, My dear Uddhava, some by thieves,
some by the whims of providence, some by the effects of
time, some by ordinary men and some by government
authorities.
Text
12
When devoid of
religiosity and love he thus had lost his property, arose,
being neglected by his family members, a hard to endure
anxiety.
Finally,
when his property was completely lost, he who never engaged
in religiosity or sense enjoyment became ignored by his
family members. Thus he began to feel unbearable
anxiety.
Text
13
With
him thus thinking for a long time choked with tears in agony
lamenting the riches lost, arose, a majestic disregard for
worldly matters.
Having
lost all his wealth, he felt great pain and lamentation. His
throat choked up with tears, and he meditated for a long
time on his fortune. Then a powerful feeling of renunciation
came over him.
Text
14
He then said to
this: 'Alas, how painful to trouble myself so much with all
this toiling nor for the pleasure, nor for the love of
God.
The
brâhmana spoke as follows - O what great misfortune! I
have simply tormented myself uselessly, struggling so hard
for money that was not even intended for religiosity or
material enjoyment.
Text
15
Generally do of
misers the things of wealth never ever result in any happiness:
in this life they result in torment and with the one who died
they lead to hell.
Generally,
the wealth of misers never allows them any happiness. In
this life it causes their self-torment, and when they die it
sends them to hell.
Text
16
Whatever pure
fame the famous might have or praiseworthy qualities there'd be
of the virtuous, even these are destroyed by but a little
greed, just like what white leprosy does with an enchanting
physical beauty.
Whatever
pure fame is possessed by the famous and whatever
praiseworthy qualities are found in the virtuous are
destroyed by even a small amount of greed, just as one's
attractive physical beauty is ruined by a trace of white
leprosy.
Text
17
In the
attainment, the increase, the protecting, spending, loss and
enjoyment of making money, is there for man labor, fear,
anxiety and confusion.
In
the earning, attainment, increase, protection, expense, loss
and enjoyment of wealth, all men experience great labor,
fear, anxiety and delusion.
Text
18-19
Theft,
violence, lies, duplicity, lust, anger, perplexity, pride,
discord, enmity, lack of faith, competition and [the
three] dangers [of intoxication, promiscuity and
gambling, see also 1.17:
24]: these
are the fifteen man knows indeed as the unwanted things based
on wealth; therefore should the one who wishes the ultimate
benefit in life keep the undesirable under the heading of
wealth at a great distance.
Theft,
violence, speaking lies, duplicity, lust, anger, perplexity,
pride, quarreling, enmity, faithlessness, envy and the
dangers caused by women, gambling and intoxication are the
fifteen undesirable qualities that contaminate men because
of greed for wealth. Although these qualities are
undesirable, men falsely ascribe value to them. One desiring
to achieve the real benefit of life should therefore remain
aloof from undesirable material wealth.
Text
2o
The brothers,
wife, parents and friends that are one in love, all immediately
turn into enemies over a single penny.
Even
a man's brothers, wife, parents and friends united with him
in love will immediately break off their affectionate
relationships and become enemies over a single coin.
Text
21
Even over a
little amount of money give they, agitated and inflamed, in to
anger and give they it as an adversary out for destruction,
quickly, in a moment's notice, up in dropping the
goodwill.
For
even a small amount of money these relatives and friends
become very agitated and their anger is inflamed. Acting as
rivals, they quickly give up all sentiments of goodwill and
will reject one at a moment's notice, even to the point of
committing murder.
Text
22
Having attained
the human birth that the immortals pray for and in that life
the status of the best of the twice-born, do they, destructive
to their own best interest, not appreciate that; they head for
an inauspicious destination [see also B.G.
16:
19-20].
Those
who obtain human life, which is prayed for even by the
demigods, and in that human birth become situated as
first-class brâhmanas, are extremely fortunate. If
they disregard this important opportunity, they are
certainly killing their own self-interest and thus achieve a
most unfortunate end.
Text
23
What person
achieving this human life, the gateway to heaven and
liberation, would become attached to property and, subject to
death, remain in the realm of meaninglessness?
What
mortal man, having achieved this human life, which is the
very gateway to both heaven and liberation, would willingly
become attached to that abode of worthlessness, material
property?
Text
24
Like a
moneyminded yaksha
not distributing to the shareholders, viz. the greater family
of the gods, the seers, the forefathers, one's relatives, the
living entities and oneself, falls one down.
One
who fails to distribute his wealth to the proper
shareholders - the demigods, sages, forefathers and ordinary
living entities, as well as his immediate relatives, in-laws
and own self - is maintaining his wealth simply like a
Yaksha and will fall down.
Text
25
What now can I,
an old man, achieve in the useless endeavor for money, youth
and strength, by which maddened, people of discrimination try
for perfection? [see B.G. 3:
35]
Discriminating
persons are able to utilize their money, youth and strength
to achieve perfection. But I have feverishly squandered
these in the useless endeavor for further wealth. Now that I
am an old man, what can I achieve?
Text
26
Why would
someone wise constantly suffer the vain pursuit of wealth; for
certain is someone in his world, because of this illusory
potency, most bewildered.
Why
must an intelligent man suffer by his constant vain efforts
to get wealth? Indeed, this whole world is most bewildered
by someone's illusory potency.
Text
27
What use are
the goods or the ones providing them or what would be the use
of the objects of desire or the people giving satisfaction; or
else what use would it, for the one in the grip of death, be to
be of the fruitive action that delivers one a next
birth?
For
one who is in the grips of death, what is the use of wealth
or those who offer it, sense gratification or those who
offer it, or, for that matter, any type of fruitive
activity, which simply causes one to again take birth in the
material world?
Text
28
The Supreme
Lord, the Supreme Personality comprising all the gods by whom I
have been brought to this condition of detachment, is for
certain, satisfied with me, the boat for the soul [see also
11.17:
44].
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Hari, who contains
within Himself all the demigods, must be satisfied with me.
Indeed, He has brought me to this suffering condition and
forced me to experience detachment, which is the boat to
carry me over this ocean of material life.
Text
29
With the time
remaining will I, to find satisfaction within myself,
unbewildered about my real interest, attenuate my body [to
the minimum].
If
there is any time remaining in my life, I will perform
austerities and force my body to subsist on the bare
necessities. Without further confusion I shall pursue that
which constitutes my entire self-interest in life, and I
shall remain satisfied within the self.
Text
30
May the gods,
the controllers of the three worlds, in this be pleased; was it
not Khathvânga
who achieved the spiritual abode in but a
moment?'
Thus
may the presiding demigods of these three worlds kindly show
their mercy upon me. Indeed, Mahârâja
Khathvânga was able to achieve the spiritual world in
a single moment.
Text
31
The Supreme
Lord said: 'Thus making up his mind became the most pious
brahmin from Avantî, untying the knots in his heart, in
peace a silent mendicant.
Lord
S'rî Krishna continued - His mind thus determined,
that most excellent Avantî brâhmana was able to
untie the knots of desire within his heart. He then assumed
the role of a peaceful and silent sannyâsî
mendicant.
Text
32
He wandered the
big world alone and inconspicuous, and entered, herein with his
self, senses and vital air controlled [see
tri-danda],
its cities and villages to live on charity.
He
wandered about the earth, keeping his intelligence, senses
and life air under control. To beg charity he traveled alone
to various cities and villages. He did not advertise his
advanced spiritual position and thus was not recognized by
others.
Text
33
Seeing him
indeed an old, dirty beggar, was he with many an insult
dishonored by the low-class people, my dear.
O
kind Uddhava, seeing him as an old, dirty beggar, rowdy
persons would dishonor him with many insults.
Text
34
Some of them
took his triple staff away, his begging bowl, his waterpot and
his seat, and some took his prayer beads and his torn rags,
where they, showing them in offering them back, again took them
away from the sage.
Some
of these persons would take away his sannyâsî
rod, and some the waterpot which he was using as a begging
bowl. Some took his deerskin seat, some his chanting beads,
and some would steal his torn, ragged clothing. Displaying
these things before him, they would pretend to offer them
back but would then hide them again.
Text
35
And on a river
shore about to partake of the food acquired by his begging,
urinated the grave sinners upon him and spit they on his
head.
When
he was sitting on the bank of a river about to partake of
the food that he had collected by his begging, such sinful
rascals would come and pass urine on it, and they would dare
to spit on his head.
Text
36
He to the vow
of silence not speaking they would deride with their words and
beat up saying 'This one is a thief'; thus speaking they bound
him in ropes while some shouted to it 'Tie him up, bind
him!'.
Although
he had taken a vow of silence, they would try to make him
speak, and if he did not speak they would beat him with
sticks. Others would chastise him, saying, 'This man is just
a thief.' And others would bind him up with rope, shouting,
'Tie him up! Tie him up!'.
Text
37
Some criticized
him committing insults like 'This one is a religious hypocrite,
a cheater who, having lost his wealth and thrown out by his
family, has taken to this profession'.
They
would criticize and insult him, saying, 'This man is just a
hypocrite and a cheat. He makes a business of religion
simply because he lost all his wealth and his family threw
him out.'
Text
38-39
'See
how this person so powerful and steadfast as a massive
mountain, with his silence striving for his goal, is as firmly
determined as a duck'. Some ridiculed him speaking thus, while
others passed foul air and, binding him in chains, kept the
twiceborn one captive like a pet animal.
Some
would ridicule him by saying, 'Just see this greatly
powerful sage! He is as steadfast as the Himalaya Mountains.
By practice of silence he strives for his goal with great
determination, just like a duck.' Other persons would pass
foul air upon him, and sometimes others would bind this
twice-born brâhmana in chains and keep him captive
like a pet animal.
Text
40
Thus destined
to suffer that all due to other living beings, due to higher
powers and due to himself [see kles'a],
understood he that whatever came his way was allotted to him by
his own destiny.
The
brâhmana understood that all his suffering - from
other living beings, from the higher forces of nature and
from his own body - was unavoidable, being allotted to him
by providence.
Text
41
Being insulted
by low-class men who tried to make him fall, sang he, remaining
firm in his own duty, fixing his resolution in goodness, this
song [see also B.G. 18:
33]:
Even
while being insulted by these low-class men who were trying
to effect his downfall, he remained steady in his spiritual
duties. Fixing his resolution in the mode of goodness, he
began to chant the following song.
Text
42
The twiceborn
one said: 'These people are not the cause of my happiness or
distress, nor are the demigods, my body, the planets, my karma
or the time; it is, according the standard authorities [the
s'ruti],
nothing but the mind that is the cause, the mind which causes
one to rotate in the cycle of material
life.
The
brâhmana said: These people are not the cause of my
happiness and distress. Neither are the demigods, my own
body, the planets, my past work, or time. Rather, it is the
mind alone that causes happiness and distress and
perpetuates the rotation of material life.
Text
43
The mind
displaying indeed the modes is very strong by them and by the
different sorts of white [goodness], red
[passion] and black [ignorance] activities from
which the conditions [the societal classes] arise to
the same colors.
The
powerful mind actuates the functions of the material modes,
from which evolve the different kinds of material activities
in the modes of goodness, ignorance and passion. From the
activities in each of these modes develop the corresponding
statuses of life.
Text
44
The soul not
involved and golden [radiating enlightenment] existing
along with the struggling mind, my friend, looks down upon the
mind that with its image of the world embraces the objects of
desire; and in that engagement he gets bound in attachment to
the modes of nature.
Although
present along with the struggling mind within the material
body, the Supersoul is not endeavoring, because He is
already endowed with transcendental enlightenment. Acting as
my friend, He simply witnesses from His transcendental
position. I, the infinitesimal spirit soul, on the other
hand, have embraced this mind, which is the mirror
reflecting the image of the material world. Thus I have
become engaged in enjoying objects of desire and am
entangled due to contact with the modes of nature.
Text
45
Charity, doing
one's duty, the niyama,
the yama
and the hearing [from the scripture], pious works and
the purification by vows all entail the subduing of the mind,
with the supreme of the yoga, the absorption of the mind
[samâdhi],
as their aim.
Charity,
prescribed duties, observance of major and minor regulative
principles, hearing from scripture, pious works and
purifying vows all have as their final aim the subduing of
the mind. Indeed, concentration of the mind on the Supreme
is the highest yoga.
Text
46
Tell me what is
there to accomplish for him whose mind is pacified, perfectly
fixed by charity and other processes; and what other thing can
by these processes of charity and such be achieved when one is
lost with a mind out of control?
If
one's mind is perfectly fixed and pacified, then tell me
what need does one have to perform ritualistic charity and
other pious rituals? And if one's mind remains uncontrolled,
lost in ignorance, then of what use are these engagements
for him?
Text
47
As
long as we know have others, [the senses and their]
gods for example, fallen under the control of the mind and has
the mind never fallen under the control of any other [but
the Supreme One]; fearsome as a god
[Aniruddha]
is it likewise stronger than the strongest - indeed is He who
can bring that mind under control the God of gods [see also
B.G.
6:
35-36,
*].
All
the senses have been under the control of the mind since
time immemorial, and the mind himself never comes under the
sway of any other. He is stronger than the strongest, and
his godlike power is fearsome. Therefore, anyone who can
bring the mind under control becomes the master of all the
senses.
Text
48
Failing to
conquer that difficult to conquer enemy [if worldly
engaged, see B.G. 6:
6] who in
its urges so unmanageable is tormenting and striking, do some
therefore completely bewildered create useless quarrels, with
the mortals in this world being friends, neuters and
rivals.
Failing
to conquer this irrepressible enemy, the mind, whose urges
are intolerable and who torments the heart, many people are
completely bewildered and create useless quarrel with
others. Thus they conclude that other people are either
their friends, their enemies or parties indifferent to
them.
Text
49
Having accepted
the material body as a part of their mind, in the sense of 'I'
and 'mine', do human beings blinded in their intelligence by
the hard to overcome illusion of 'this I am' and 'this is
someone else', thus wander in darkness.
Persons
who identify with this body, which is simply the product of
the material mind, are blinded in their intelligence,
thinking in terms of 'I' and 'mine.' Because of their
illusion of 'this is I, but that is someone else,' they
wander in endless darkness.
Text
50
Asserting that
[adhibhautika]
these people would be the cause of my happiness and distress,
then what room is there in this conception for the soul; they
as that belong to the earth [and not to the soul] -
with whom can one be angry when the tongue happens to be bitten
by one's own teeth?
If
you say that these people are the cause of my happiness and
distress, then where is the place of the soul in such a
conception? This happiness and distress pertain not to the
soul but to the interactions of material bodies. If someone
bites his tongue with his own teeth, at whom can he become
angry in his suffering?
Text
51
If one says
that
[adhidaivika]
the gods would be responsible for the suffering then what has
that suffering to do with the soul; that pain is all subject to
change [while the soul is not] - at whom ever should
the living being get angry when one limb of his own body hurts
another limb?
If
you say that the demigods who rule the bodily senses cause
suffering, still, how can such suffering apply to the spirit
soul? This acting and being acted upon are merely
interactions of the changeable senses and their presiding
deities. When one limb of the body attacks another, with
whom can the person in that body be angry?
Text
52
If the soul
itself [adhyâtmika]
would be the cause of the happiness and distress, then by what
else but his own nature would it be in that perspective; indeed
there is nothing separate from the soul as that would be false
- and whom to be angry with when there is no happiness or
distress [in the witnessing soul, see B.G.
2:
14]
?
If
the soul himself were the cause of happiness and distress,
then we could not blame others, since happiness and distress
would be simply the nature of the soul. According to this
theory, nothing except the soul actually exists, and if we
were to perceive something besides the soul, that would be
illusion. Therefore, since happiness and distress do not
actually exist in this concept, why become angry at oneself
or others?
Text
53
If the planets
would be the cause of happiness and distress, what then of the
soul that is unborn; they relate to that what is born, as they
[the astrologers] say, the planet is only troubled by
other planets - at whom should the living being, distinct from
that body, get angry then?
And
if we examine the hypothesis that the planets are the
immediate cause of suffering and happiness, then also where
is the relationship with the soul, who is eternal? After
all, the effect of the planets applies only to things that
have taken birth. Expert astrologers have moreover explained
how the planets are only causing pain to each other.
Therefore, since the living entity is distinct from these
planets and from the material body, against whom should he
vent his anger?
Text
54
If we assume
the karma to be the cause of happiness and distress, what would
that karma mean to the soul; for sure are the animating person
on the one hand and this animated body endowed with
consciousness [on itself] not alive at the other, both
not the root cause of the karma of course - whom to be angry
with then?
If
we assume that fruitive work is the cause of happiness and
distress, we still are not dealing with the soul. The idea
of material work arises when there is a spiritual actor who
is conscious and a material body that undergoes the
transformation of happiness and distress as a reaction to
such work. Since the body has no life, it cannot be the
actual recipient of happiness and distress, nor can the
soul, who is ultimately completely spiritual and aloof from
the material body. Since karma thus has no ultimate basis in
either the body or the soul, at whom can one become
angry?
Text
55
If we say that
time would be the cause of happiness and distress, then what
for the soul in that idea; the soul belongs to time, the way
fire doesn't burn the flames or the snow is not [harmed by
cold] - with whom to become angry when there is no duality
with the supreme [see also B.G. 18:
16 and
timequotes]?
If
we accept time as the cause of happiness and distress, that
experience still cannot apply to the spirit soul, since time
is a manifestation of the Lord's spiritual potency and the
living entities are also expansions of the Lord's spiritual
potency manifesting through time. Certainly a fire does not
burn its own flames or sparks, nor does the cold harm its
own snowflakes or hail. In fact, the spirit soul is
transcendental and beyond the experience of material
happiness and distress. At whom, therefore, should one
become angry?
Text
56
Not by anyone,
anywhere or by any means is there for him, superior of
transcendence, the influence of the duality to which the false
ego arises that shapes the material existence; he whose
intelligence is thus awakened has nothing to fear from other
living beings.
The
false ego gives shape to illusory material existence and
thus experiences material happiness and distress. The spirit
soul, however, is transcendental to material nature; he can
never actually be affected by material happiness and
distress in any place, under any circumstance or by the
agency of any person. A person who understands this has
nothing whatsoever to fear from the material
creation.
Text
57
By the worship
of the feet of Mukunda
will I cross over the hard to overcome ocean of material
nescience; of this I am certain by the foregoing great seers
[or âcâryas]
anchored in the worship of the Soul Supreme [see also B.G.
6:
1-2].'
I
shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by
being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of
Krishna. This was approved by the previous
âcâryas, who were fixed in firm devotion to the
Lord, Paramâtmâ, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Text
58
The Supreme
Lord said: 'With his wealth destroyed getting detached, leaving
home, free from moroseness traveling the earth and despite of
this way being insulted by rascals, sent the sage unswerving in
his duties this song up.
Lord
S'rî Krishna said: Thus becoming detached upon the
loss of his property, this sage gave up his moroseness. He
left home, taking sannyâsa, and began to travel about
the earth. Even when insulted by foolish rascals he remained
unswerved from his duty and chanted this song.
Text
59
As for giving
happiness or distress to the soul is there nothing beside the
mind, that bewildered out of ignorance created a material life
of friends, neuters and enemies [see also
10.32:
17-22, B.G.
9:
29].
No
other force besides his own mental confusion makes the soul
experience happiness and distress. His perception of
friends, neutral parties and enemies and the whole material
life he builds around this perception are simply created out
of ignorance.
Text
60
Therefore in
all respects, My best, bring with an intelligence absorbed in
Me the mind under control and thus connected have the complete
[the marriage, the comprehension] of yoga [see also
s'iks'âshthaka-verse
1].
My
dear Uddhava, fixing your intelligence on Me, you should
thus completely control the mind. This is the essence of the
science of yoga.
Text
61
Whoever with
full attention meditates on, makes others listen or listens
himself to this [song] based upon the knowledge of the
Absolute as sung by the mendicant, will for certain never be
overwhelmed by the dualities.
Anyone
who listens to or recites to others this song of the
sannyâsî, which presents scientific knowledge of
the Absolute, and who thus meditates upon it with full
attention, will never again be overwhelmed by the dualities
of material happiness and distress.
*:
Some think that the essence of yoga is to stop the mind all
together, but Krishna stresses in this chapter clearly that it
is about the control, not the stopping. That stopping is an
impersonalist mâyâvâda buddhist
technique to concentrate on one's essence and constitutes a
willfully created illusion [see Buddhism].
Saying neti-neti
like Prahlâda e.g. will the mind indeed concentrate on
the essence which exactly will boost the mind in that
direction. So with the stopping of its worldly engagement, the
real engagement of the mind in prayers and philosophy begins.
Not going for the siddhis, the mystical perfections,
must so the mind be engaged for the Fortunate One, for Krishna,
by means of concentration on His names, mantras and stories;
by s'ravanam, kîrtananam etc. one has to learn to
listen at, sing and follow to the scripture, the guru and the
co-believers. The first two yoga sûtras I.1&2 atha
yogânus'ânamam, yogah citta vritti nirodah,
should be translated with 'as the lesson of yoga, now
curb the rumination of the mind about worldly things' and not
with 'your yoga lesson now is to stop the mind from working'.
Of course one has to use one's mind, in obedience to the Holy
Spirit, to the voice of God; the mind is after all an aspect of
the divine ruled by Aniruddha
in the catur vyuha (see also vritti
and siddhi).
