क्षेमाय नैर्गुण्यमथो मनः स्यात् ।
यथा प्रदीपो घृतवर्तिमश्नन्
शिखाः सधूमा भजति ह्यन्यदा स्वम् ।
पदं तथा गुणकर्मानुबद्धं
वृत्तीर्मनः श्रयतेऽन्यत्र तत्त्वम् ॥८॥
guṇÄnuraktaá¹ vyasanÄya jantoḥ
ká¹£emÄya nairguṇyam atho manaḥ syÄt
yathÄ pradÄ«po ghá¹›ta-vartim aÅ›nan
Å›ikhÄḥ sadhÅ«mÄ bhajati hy anyadÄ svam
padaá¹ tathÄ guṇa-karmÄnubaddhaá¹
vṛttīr manaḥ śrayate 'nyatra tattvam
guṇa-anuraktam - being attached to the material modes of nature; vyasanÄya - for the conditioning in material existence; jantoḥ - of the living entity; ká¹£emÄya - for the ultimate welfare; nairguṇyam - being unaffected by the material modes of nature; atho - thus; manaḥ - the mind; syÄt - becomes; yathÄ - as much as; pradÄ«paḥ - a lamp; ghá¹›ta-vartim - a wick within clarified butter; aÅ›nan - burning; Å›ikhÄḥ - the flame; sadhÅ«mÄḥ - with smoke; bhajati - enjoys; hi - certainly; anyadÄ - otherwise; svam - its own original; padam - position; tathÄ - so; guṇa-karma-anubaddham - bound by the modes of nature and the reactions of material activities; vá¹›ttīḥ - various engagements; manaḥ - the mind; Å›rayate - takes shelter of; anyatra - otherwise; tattvam - its original condition.
When the living entity’s mind becomes absorbed in the sense gratification of the material world, it brings about his conditioned life and suffering within the material situation. However, when the mind becomes unattached to material enjoyment, it becomes the cause of liberation. When the flame in a lamp burns the wick improperly, the lamp is blackened, but when the lamp is filled with ghee and is burning properly, there is bright illumination. Similarly, when the mind is absorbed in material sense gratification, it causes suffering, and when detached from material sense gratification it brings about the original brightness of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
It is therefore concluded that the mind is the cause of material existence and liberation also. Everyone is suffering in this material world because of the mind; it is therefore proper to train the mind or to cleanse the mind from material attachment and engage it fully in the Lord’s service. This is called spiritual engagement. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (14.26):
mÄá¹ ca yo ’vyabhicÄreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇÄn samatÄ«tyaitÄn
brahma-bhÅ«yÄya kalpate
“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.â€
We should engage the mind fully in Kṛṣṇa conscious activities. Then it will be the cause of our liberation, for our returning home, back to Godhead. However, if we keep the mind engaged in material activities for sense gratification, it will cause continuous bondage and will make us remain in this material world in different bodies, suffering the consequences of our different actions.
