Chapter 19 Conversation between Atma and the Mind
Introduction It is a ‘dialogue’ between Atma and the mind. Since Atma is free from all action, the dialogue is figurative. Where the text makes such statements, what is meant is that the MIND REALIZES THIS and ceases (for the moment) to identify with ahaṃkara. Nevertheless, this chapter presents a unique method of nidhidhyasana, the third stage of jnana-yoga, following sravana and manana. At this stage, the aspirant has gained clear knowledge of Atma but must assimilate it until it becomes living knowledge.
The aspirant knows that his essential nature is consciousness, which is distinct from the mind. Yet the locus of knowledge is the mind. Thus, a peculiar situation arises in which the mind instructs itself that the aspirant’s true nature is consciousness, which is different from the mind. The mind must further remind itself that consciousness is changeless and eternal, whereas the mind is mithya.
It is as though the mind splits into two parts: one assumes the role of Atma, the subject, and the other remains the mind, the object. It is as though the Atma uses the mind to instruct the mind and, in doing so, treats Itself as distinct from it.
The Upanishads declare both that the knower of Brahman is Brahman and that Atma is Brahman. Accordingly, in this chapter, a Self-realized person and Atma are used interchangeably. Some verses repeat the same teaching. Such repetition is not a defect when subtle teachings are to be thoroughly assimilated.
19.01 Atma is complete. An ignorant person identifies himself with the mind, which is finite and limited. Consequently, he desires to become complete and happy by acquiring worldly objects and relationships. For a time, he does experience a sense of completeness and happiness, but it is short-lived.
After gaining knowledge, however, he realizes that Atma is the true source of happiness—indeed, It is happiness itself. Verse 1 teaches that desire is like a fever and is the cause of the cycle of birth and death. This fever has continued through body after body. Knowledge and dispassion are the medicines that cure it. The Taittiriya Upanishad declares that the happiness born of dispassion is many times greater than the highest happiness obtained through the fulfillment of material desires.
19.02 Atma, that is, the Self-realized person, addresses the mind. Before gaining knowledge, the mind troubled him in many ways, for example, by transferring its doership and enjoyer-ship to Atma, thereby making It appear subject to the vicissitudes of worldly life.
After gaining knowledge, however, he knows himself as Atma, which has no relationship with the mind, since the mind is mithya, belonging to a lower order of reality. As Atma, he is ever complete, and the mind can add nothing to that completeness. He tells the mind that he does not accept the views of other philosophies, such as Samkhya, according to which the mind (Prakriti) acts while Atma (Purusha) is the enjoyer, and therefore the mind deserves Atma’s gratitude. This view is defective. Being inert, the mind cannot function intelligently on its own. Moreover, Atma has no real relationship with Prakriti. Therefore, the Self-realized person wants the mind to understand its proper place in the scheme of things. Atma does not require the help of the mind; rather the mind is advised to remain quiet.
19.03 Atma is complete, free from all desires, and requires no service from the mind. On the contrary, Atma seeks the welfare of the mind. Therefore, the mind should work for its own well-being. To achieve this, it should stop overthinking and remain calm and quiet. Every action begins as a thought. As a person thinks, so he becomes. During meditation, Atma reminds the mind that It is not the enjoyer of the results of the mind’s actions. The mind alone reaps the fruits of action. Therefore, for its own welfare, the mind should cultivate virtuous thoughts, which lead to virtuous actions and thereby promote the well-being of both the mind and the body. In this way, the mind also becomes disciplined.
19.04 Atma is beyond the six afflictions: hunger and thirst, which belong to the vital forces; delusion and grief, which belong to the mind; and old age and death, which belong to the gross body. The Self-realized person says that he has gained this knowledge from the scriptures, such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras. This knowledge is valid and is supported by both reason and experience. In the light of this knowledge, your (the mind’s) attempts to make Me (Atma) subject to the six afflictions are bound to fail.
19.05 and 19.06 The dialogue continues. The Self-realized person is firmly established in the knowledge that he is Atma and that the same Atma is present in every living being. Therefore, in his vision, there is no duality. The perceived differences arise from wrong notions. Ever established in Atma, the Self-realized person employs the MBS only for worldly transactions. The mind and sense organs experience differences, but there are no differences in Atma, which is his true nature. Thus, Atma tells the mind that its attempts to create distinctions in Atma are bound to fail. The mind would do well to refrain from such efforts.
During deep sleep, the mind and sense organs are withdrawn and remain resolved in Atma in a dormant state. Since the mind is inactive, there is neither duality nor disturbance; there is only serenity. The mind reappears in the waking and dream states, giving rise to the experience of duality. Even in the waking state, however, the Self-realized person ‘sees,’ that is, cognizes, the same Atma behind every Mind-Body System (MBS). Although the MBSs are many, Atma is one. The MBSs are merely adjuncts of Atma and have no independent existence of their own.
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