Text 5

uddhared atmanatmanam
natmanam avasadayet
atmaiva hy atmano bandhur
atmaiva ripur atmanah

Translation

One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.

Commentary by Srila Prabhupada

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 the mind is involved with the false 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 Krishna consciousness. The word hi is used for emphasizing this point, i.e., that one must do this. It is also said:

mana eva manushyanam
karanam bandha-mokshayoh
bandhaya visayasango
muktyai nirvisayam manah

“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.” (Amrita-bindu Upanishad 2) Therefore, the mind which is always engaged in Krishna consciousness is the cause of supreme liberation.

Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

Since the soul has fallen into the well of samsara by attachment to objects of the senses, with effort one should deliver that soul. One should deliver the soul (atmanam) by the mind, which is devoid of attachment to objects of the senses (atmana). One should not let the soul fall into the well of samsara by the mind, which is attached to objects of the senses. Therefore, the mind (atma) is both the friend and enemy of the soul.