Mind defines a man. As is the mind, so is the individual. If the mind is disturbed, the individual is disturbed. If the mind is good, the individual is good. This mind is constituted of two distinct sides – one facing the world of stimuli that reach it from the objects of the world, and the other facing the ‗within‘. The outer mind facing the objects of the world is called the objective mind (in Sanskrit – Manas), and the inner mind is called the subjective mind (in Sanskrit – buddhi). That individual is whole and healthy in whom the objective and subjective aspects of mind work in unison. In the moments of doubt or confusion, the objective mind readily comes under the disciplining influence of the subjective mind. But unfortunately, the majority of human beings have minds that are split. This split between the subjective and the objective aspects of our mind is mainly created by the layer of egoistic desires in the individual. As the desires in us, so are our thoughts. At every moment, the texture and quality of our thoughts are directly conditioned and controlled by our desires. Thoughts in an individual, expressed in the outer world-of-objects, become his actions. Actions are nothing other than the agent‘s thoughts projected and expressed in the world. Thus, in this chain of ignorance, constituted of desires, thoughts and actions, each one of us is caught and bound. Naturally, therefore, if the Supreme can be defined as ‗the experience beyond ignorance‘, it must necessarily be true that the real Self is realized in the state of desirelessness or in the condition of thoughtlessness or in the life of actionlessness. By mere renunciation of action, no one attains perfection. Running away from life is not at all the way to reach the highest goal. The attainment of the highest goal lies in a process of continuous self-transformation. The Bhagavat Gita observes: na karmaṇamanārambhānnaiskarmyaṁ puruṣó śnute, na ca sannyasanādeva siddhi samadhigachhati 2 Not by non-performance of actions does man reach ‗actionlessness‘; nor by mere renunciation does he attain ‗Perfection‘. 3
Every action does not result in bondage.. It is only the unintelligent activities that thicken the impressions in the mind and build an impenetrable wall between the ego and the unlimited Divine Spark in us that actually bind. All activities other than the yajna-activities bring about vasana-bondage and the individual‘s Self-transformation is arrested. Yajna-activities are performed for lokasangraha based on the ideal of Nishkamakarma. The Bhagavat Gita observes: yajñāthārtkarmaṇó nyatra lokó yaṁ karmabandhanaḥ, tadarthaṁ karma kaunteya muktasaṅgaḥ samācara.4
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