Gita : Ch-6. Slo-5.

( Very important slokam )

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita :


Chapter-6. ( Dhyana-yogam )


Slokam -5. ( 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.)




Uddharedatmanatmanam    natmanamavasadayet,


atmaiva    hyatmano    bandhuh    atmaiva    ripuratmanah.




atmanam  =   the   atma   (  the mind );

atmana    uddhret  =    should    be    uplifted    by    atma/mind     itself   ( one must deliver   by the mind );

atmanam    na   avasadayet  =   the   atma   ( mind )   should   not   be  put    into   degradation;

hi    atma    eva  =  why   because,    it    itself;

atmanah    bandhuh  =  its   friend;

atma    eva   atmanah    ripuh  =  ( and )    it    itself    its   enemy   too.




Lift yourself up by yourself. Do not destroy yourself. You are your best friend if you master yourself. If not, you are your worst enemy.

Only by constant endeavour with faith and determination is one able to detach themselves from ego sense and mis identification with their bodily activities and be in equanimity.

One must free oneself by mindfulness and never put oneself down, as surely that self interest is indeed as well the friend of the soul as the self its enemy.

One must care to be mindful and attentive and not to freak out in flippancy, thereto keeping in mind that that mindfulness is just the same one's enemy as one's friend.

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.

One should exercise discrimination and thereby realise that attachment to sense objects is the cause of bondage and non-attachment to sense objects leads to liberation. So it is mandatory that infatuation with sense objects is renounced. By diligent effort one must elevate their consciousness and become free from the transmigratory existence of samsara or the continuous cycle of birth and death. One should not debase oneself clinging to the lower nature like the animals. Lord Krishna emphasises the changing nature of the mind. When the mind is freed from attachments one becomes lucid and clear and the mind is like one's best benefactor. When the mind is disturbed by attachments it becomes distracted and distorted and the mind becomes one's worst malefactor.


The word atmana refers to the mind. The mind must detach itself from the infatuation of sense objects by association from those wise in Vedic knowledge who posess spiritual knowledge. In this way the mind will be elevated and gravitate towards spiritual objectives. But if the mind is pointed in the reverse direction subject to worldly pursuits and deluded by sense objects then the mind will become agitated and harassed. Lord Krishna is confirming the truth that the mind has the potential to give the most benefit as the greatest friend to the atma or eternal soul and also that the mind has the potential to be the most destructive as the greatest enemy to the atma or eternal soul depending upon how the mind is influenced.


It should be clearly comprehend that attachment to worldly pleasures locks one to samsara or the endless cycle of birth and death while contrarily detachment from the infatuation of worldly pleasures frees one from samsara. So everyone should try to elevate themselves with determination by training their mind with constant practice to be unattached to sense objects. Lord Krishna is revealing the method of escaping perpetual incarceration in the material existence. The mind has the propensity to be one's dearest friend so why not utilise it to uplift oneself out of material darkness and into spiritual light. A controlled mind can accomplish so many beneficial endeavours for one's wellbeing. Whereas an uncontrolled mind is one's worst enemy performing base and degrading activities leading to destruction.


To be continued   ....