While wandering through the world, the life of every human being remains completely subservient to their thoughts. These thoughts alone tell us who we are, what objects we must chase, what we should fear, whom to love or hate and which circumstances to run away from. We collect these conceptual wavelengths throughout our lives and treat them as the ultimate truth, bowing down before them. however the Holy Bhagavad Gita gives us an exceptionally astonishing and awakening warning. The Gita raises a question as to what if those thoughts before which you bend your knees every single day are merely a mirage, a half truth or completely false? Standing on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, this sacred dialogue between Yogeshwar Sri Krishna and Arjuna is not merely a religious text but it is an exceptionally authentic manual that exposes the trickery of the mind, stopping us from mistaking our internal noise for eternal truth.

Special Astrological Rules For Mental Purity And Self Control

According to Vedic astrology and scriptures, the mind of a human being is completely operated by planetary rays and internal chakras. When planets like the Moon and Mercury come under the influence of Rahu or Ketu, a web of deceptive thoughts begins to get constructed in the mind. To quieten this conceptual clamor and conquer the mind, specific rules and Muhurats have been described in the scriptures.

Conceptual State	Planetary Significator and Affliction	Vedic Rule of Gita	Astrological Remedy and Sadhana	Spiritual Result
Restless Mind	Moon (afflicted by Rahu)	Practicing Abhyasa and Vairagya	Pranayama and meditation during Brahmamuhurat	Attainment of mental stability
Intellectual Ego	Sun and Mars (polluted)	Remaining established in witness consciousness	Consuming sattvic food and practicing silence	Total destruction of false pride
Anxious Attachment	Conjunction of Venus and Saturn	Taking refuge in desireless Karma Yoga	Offering a lamp every Saturday evening	Rise of supreme contentment in heart
Paralyzing Doubt	Mercury (influenced by Ketu)	Aligning the intellect with the soul	Regular mental chanting of the Gayatri Mantra	Self confidence and absolute clarity

The Subtle World Of Illusion Constructed By The Mind

In the fifth verse of the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Sri Krishna reveals an exceptionally deep truth regarding the immense power and direction of the mind.

Uddhared atmanatmanam natmanam avasadayet Atmaiva hyatmano bandhur atmaiva ripur atmanah

The eternal message of this shloka is that a human being must elevate himself through his own mind and must not allow himself to degrade, because this mind alone is the supreme friend of the jivatma and this mind alone is its greatest enemy. Sri Krishna explains to Arjuna that the restless mind is like a clever painter that creates such a virtual world of imaginary pictures within us which appears so real that we completely forget the original canvas. Every single perception, fear and label that we put upon the world filters through the past impressions, prejudices and memories of our mind.

We do not perceive this world in its true nature but see it exactly how our mind desires us to see it. In Sanatan philosophy, this is precisely what is termed as Maya or the deceptive covering. The moment a human being realizes that the thoughts arising in his brain are merely the colored glasses of his own limited perspective, right at that moment he stops serving every thought arriving in his mind.

Conceptual Delusion Born From Unfulfilled Desires

According to the Gita, the commencement of this blind worship of conceptual delusion and falsehood happens from the longings of a human being. Thoughts like "if I do not get this post then my life is useless" or "until I obtain that person I am incomplete" appear exceptionally natural and innocent superficially but they shackle a human being in invisible chains. These desires generated from the intense waves of Rajoguna continuously maintain a feeling of deficiency within a human being, which instigates him every moment to acquire more.

When a person considers these desires as truth and clings to them, his mind starts spinning endless stories about those things that he does not possess. Instead of tasting the flavor of true freedom, a human being gets locked inside an invisible prison constructed by his own thirst and attaches his identity to the objects he wishes to obtain. Sri Krishna does not instruct to suppress these desires forcefully but calls upon us to understand their true nature so that they cannot delude the mind.

The Truth Of The Deceptive Shield Of Ego

At the very center of all these illusions of the mind sits the ego, that is, the feeling of "I". This ego alone makes a human being believe that his job, his family name, his physical body, his successes or his failures are his true existence. This false ego remains extremely terrified of change because its entire structure rests upon external validations and a fragile self image.

Consequently, a human being begins to worship every single thought that provides protection or promotion to this artificial image. Even an ordinary harsh word from anyone appears to him as an assault on his entire existence. The Gita cuts through this falsehood very sharply and makes one realize that you are not these masks that change with time but you are that eternal soul which is pure consciousness itself and completely untouched by this drama of the mind. Continuous remembrance of this truth alone delivers a human being from the grip of ego.

The Noose Of Attachment And Labyrinth Of Doubt

As soon as the ego constructs its deceptive palace, attachment begins to act as the lock and key inside it. A human being clings to worldly individuals, social status and fruits of actions in such a manner that thoughts like "if all this is snatched away then what will happen to me" rob him of his night's sleep. Sri Krishna reminds Arjuna that such an agitating attachment is not love; rather, it is a deep fear hidden in the garb of duty.

When we consider these thoughts as our everything, we endure double suffering, first when we remain worried every moment out of the fear of losing it and second when that object moves away from us which was never truly ours in reality. The Gita teaches to execute your responsibilities with full dedication but give up claiming ownership over the results.

Along with this, doubt is the most subtle and dangerous trap in this entire clamor of the mind. This doubt always compels a human being to question his higher wisdom and divine authority but never allows any question to be raised on the unrest spread by the mind. Thoughts like "what if I fail" completely paralyze the activity of a human being. Sri Krishna calls doubt the greatest destroyer of spiritual bliss because it pushes a human being into the swamp of fear instead of clarity. True faith in the Gita is not blind; rather, it is that sattvic state of internal self confidence that rests upon the unmoving state of the soul beyond the fluctuations of the mind.

Witness Consciousness And The Sattvic Discipline Of Practice

To become free from these mental illusions, the most practical and infallible means provided by the Gita is detachment and witness consciousness. This does not mean running away from life or turning one's face away from duties at all but it signifies maintaining a distance from the endless chatter of your mind.

• When the velocity of anger rises within, instead of becoming angry oneself, it should be observed neutrally like clouds floating in the sky.
• When any thirst pulls the mind towards itself, its transience must be inspected.
• A human being must continuously experience that he himself is not the thought but he is the consciousness that observes those thoughts.

The restless mind is naturally like an uncontrolled horse that has to be trained with patience and wisdom. Sri Krishna says that practice (Abhyasa) and detachment (Vairagya) are the two wings with the assistance of which the jivatma can fly above these illusions of the mind into the infinite sky of truth. Through the process of regular meditation, self study and conscious breathing, that power awakens within a human being by which the mind becomes his servant, not the master.

The Path Of Supreme Liberation Through Surrender And Desireless Action

At the conclusion of the Holy Bhagavad Gita, Lord Sri Krishna delivers such a revolutionary instruction to Arjuna that shakes the entire foundation of the ego. He says to abandon all forms of dharmas and mental coverings and take refuge in Me alone. This supreme surrender is not fleeing from responsibility towards life but completely abandoning the false illusion that this restless mind is the final arbiter of truth.

When a human being executes actions after renouncing the ego of his intellect and leaves the results to the arrangement of that supreme authority, all the webs of his mind end spontaneously. Through desireless Karma Yoga, when every action begins to be offered to God, the feeling of "I" and "mine" gets washed away completely and that very work becomes the means of liberation.

The Gita does not promise us that our mind will completely stop generating thoughts; rather, it provides us a far more powerful capability that we can view those thoughts merely like incoming and outgoing clouds. In this world where everyone says to listen to your mind, the Gita gives us the divine courage to question the thoughts of our mind, to train them and ultimately to go beyond them. therefore pause for a few moments and ponder upon which stories of your mind you are still kneeling before today? If you stop bending before these conceptual illusions, how will your life be? Remember this truth always that the mind alone is the cause of bondage and the mind alone is the path to moksha.

FAQ

According to the Bhagavad Gita, how do we recognize whether a thought of ours is the truth or an illusion of the mind?
The thought that gives birth to fear, anxiety, excessive attachment and ego within a human being is an illusion or Maya of the mind. In contrast, the thought that awakens equanimity, peace, compassion and witness consciousness in the mind is the sattvic truth of the soul.

What is the simplest method to practice witness consciousness in daily life?
In daily life, whenever any intense emotion like anger or stress arises, instead of giving an immediate reaction, step back mentally. Tell yourself that "I am observing this thought, therefore I am not this thought." This alone is the commencement of witness consciousness.

Is it completely impossible to conquer the mind without practice and detachment?
Yes, in the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna Himself accepts that the mind is exceptionally restless and difficult to control but through continuous practice (conscious effort) and detachment (dispassion towards worldly attractions), it can be brought completely under control.

What significance has been described for the Moon to calm restless thoughts in astrology?
In astrology, the Moon is considered the significator of the mind. When the Moon is influenced by shadow planets like Rahu or Ketu, an individual gets highly negative and deceptive thoughts. To remedy this, meditation, worship of Lord Shiva and Pranayama are considered the best.

How does one get freedom from the blind slavery of thoughts through desireless Karma Yoga?
When a human being relinquishes his attachment towards the fruits of actions and offers every task to God considering it a duty, the anxiety of "gain-loss" or "victory-defeat" ends in the mind. This destroys the seeds of desires and the mind becomes free from the slavery of thoughts.