greatest friend or worst enemy

Prabhupada: Yes, here is the secret of training the mind. The whole yoga system, astaṅga-yoga system-dhyana, dharana, asana, pranayama, like that-they are meant for only controlling the mind. Mind is the center of sensual activities. The purpose of astaṅga-yoga is to train up the mind, because the mind is very restless. Arjuna, five hundred years ago, he also appreciated the mind is very restless. So he declined to practice the hatha-yoga system. He said clearly that "Krsna, it is not possible for me to control the mind." In another place in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, "The mind is the most dearmost friend, and mind is the bitterest enemy." Everyone's bitterest enemy and dearest friend is there. That is the mind. It requires little training. (More...)

A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.

A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well. (More...)

The word atma denotes body, mind and soul-depending upon different circumstances. In the yoga system, the mind and the conditioned soul are especially important. Since the mind is the central point of yoga practice, atma refers here to the mind. The purpose of the yoga system is to control the mind and to draw it away from attachment to sense objects. It is stressed herein that the mind must be so trained that it can deliver the conditioned soul from the mire of nescience. In material existence one is subjected to the influence of the mind and the senses. In fact, the pure soul is entangled in the material world because of the mind's ego which desires to lord it over material nature. Therefore, the mind should be trained so that it will not be attracted by the glitter of material nature, and in this way the conditioned soul may be saved. One should not degrade oneself by attraction to sense objects. The more one is attracted by sense objects, the more one becomes entangled in material existence. The best way to disentangle oneself is to always engage the mind in Krsna consciousness. The word hi is used for emphasizing this point, i.e., that one must do this. It is also : (More...)

"For man, mind is the cause of bondage and mind is the cause of liberation. Mind absorbed in sense objects is the cause of bondage, and mind detached from the sense objects is the cause of liberation." Therefore, the mind which is always engaged in Krsna consciousness is the cause of supreme liberation. (More...)

For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest enemy.

The purpose of practicing eightfold yoga is to control the mind in order to make it a friend in discharging the human mission. Unless the mind is controlled, the practice of yoga (for show) is simply a waste of time. One who cannot control his mind lives always with the greatest enemy, and thus his life and its mission are spoiled. The constitutional position of the living entity is to carry out the order of the superior. As long as one's mind remains an unconquered enemy, one has to serve the dictations of lust, anger, avarice, illusion, etc. But when the mind is conquered, one voluntarily agrees to abide by the dictation of the Personality of Godhead, who is situated within the heart of everyone as Paramatma. Real yoga practice entails meeting the Paramatma within the heart and then following His dictation. For one who takes to Krsna consciousness directly, perfect surrender to the dictation of the Lord follows automatically. (More...)

As for our present life, we had been worshiping the very action which would have insured our continued bondage to this miserable material world-intoxication, illicit sex, meat eating and gambling. But for His Divine Grace, these would constitute our very life. Of course we rationalized our behavior and even became self-righteous about it. But as Krsna says (Bg. 6.6) "For he who has conquered his mind it is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest enemy." Can we conceive of a worse hell than to be a constant companion of our worst enemy, our own mind? (More...)