बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः | अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् || ६ ||
bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatru-vat
bandhuḥ—friend; ātmā—the mind; ātmanaḥ—of the living entity; tasya—of him; yena—by whom; ātmā—the mind; eva—certainly; ātmanā—by the living entity; jitaḥ—conquered; anātmanaḥ—of one who has failed to control the mind; tu—but; śatrutve—in enmity; varteta—remains; ātmā—mind; eva—certainly; śatru-vat—as an enemy.
“For one who has conquered the mind by the Self, the Self is indeed a friend. But for one who has not conquered the mind, the Self remains an enemy, like a foe.”
When the individual self (jivatman) governs the mind, directing it toward the Divine, the mind becomes its loyal servant and supporter — a true friend. But when the mind, driven by rajas and tamas, governs the individual, pulling it from object to object in search of fleeting satisfaction, it acts as the cruellest enemy. The difference is who is in charge: the witnessing Self or the reactive mind.
Observe today: who is governing whom? Are you choosing your thoughts and responses, or are thoughts and impulses simply happening to you? The degree to which you can pause, witness, and choose is the degree to which you have befriended your own mind.