Chapter 6 Shloka 6

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित:।

अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत्।।६।।

The Atma of That Self Realised Soul  who

 has  conquered his own self, is his friend;

but it is the enemy of one who

has not thus controlled the self.

Chapter 6 Shloka 6

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित:।

अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत्।।६।।

Little one, the Lord now says to Arjuna:

The Atma of That Self Realised Soul who has conquered his own self, is his friend; but it is the enemy of one who has not thus controlled the self.

The Atma as a friend

1. That which can transform you into an Atmavaan.

2. That which renders you faultless, blameless and free of moha.

3. That which helps you transcend raag and dvesh and which annihilates attachment.

4. That which destroys ignorance and unites you with the Supreme.

5. That which makes you view duality impartially.

6. That which frees you of all despondency and helps you to be unaffected by all attributes.

7. That which fills you with divine qualities.

8. That which elevates you from the human state to Godhood.

You are Light Itself. Just remove the veil that has fallen over you and recognise your true Eternal Self. If you do not do even this, you are your worst enemy.

Anatma (अनात्मा)

1. He who has not conquered his own self, is his own enemy.

2. He who identifies himself with the inert objects of the world and considers himself to be similar, is anatma (non-Atma).

3. He who identifies himself with the inert body and thus considers himself to be only inert matter, is anatma.

4. He who identifies himself with the sense organs and considers himself to be nothing more than these, is anatma.

5. He who is addicted to the inert objects of the material world and considers them to be all important, is anatma.

He who becomes dependent on these gross objects inevitably forgets his true essence. It is this attachment and identification with the gross that generates moha. It augments the body idea and enmeshes the individual in desire, anger and greed. Thus the individual is filled with the fear of death and separation from the objects he loves. He becomes insecure, anguished and is filled with sorrow. Being ever unsatiated, he is full of aberrations.

It is then that the individual begins to degrade himself and becomes completely forgetful of his true Self. Thus identified with the gross body, he is verily anatma.

a) When body attachment takes place, it is the ‘I’ that identifies itself with the body.

b) When attachment with the mind takes place, it is the ‘I’ that identifies itself with the mind.

c) When attachment with the sense organs takes place, it is the ‘I’ that identifies itself with the sense organs.

d) When attachment with the sense objects take place, it is the ‘I’ which becomes dependent on the objects of the world.

The body, mind, sense organs and sense objects are all inert – they are all anatma or non-Atma.

When the ‘I’ identifies with these, the individual automatically becomes inimical to himself. He engages himself in the accumulation of gross objects to ensure self establishment and self protection, and thus loses his peace of mind.

The enemy

Little one:

1. That which causes sorrow is your enemy.

2. That which takes away your eternally joyous Essence is verily your enemy.

3. How can that which causes distress be your friend?

4. That which engenders remorse and agony in your mind cannot be your friend.

However, the strange thing is, it is not the world that makes you unhappy; the cause of unhappiness is you yourself. Whether one receives recognition or insult from the world, nothing can affect the individual whose mind becomes a friend instead of a foe.

Little one, understand this again – your enemy is that which:

a) robs you of your peace and joy;

b) is your opponent;

c) is the cause of injury to you;

d) is the cause of your destruction;

e) snatches away your rights;

f) attacks you surreptitiously.

It is the mind that behaves like an enemy towards you.

1. It knows your weaknesses and is bent on ruining you.

2. It is nurtured in your home and yet it turns against you.

3. It takes the support of your own intellect and learns ways and means to disregard what you say.

4. It gains strength from you and then steals away your happiness.

Therefore little one, know this mind to be your enemy. Yet, if the mind nurtures love for the Lord, it will become your friend. When the mind is absorbed in the Supreme you will abide in eternal bliss. Then know the mind to be your friend.