If we can’t replace our mind how does purification change the mind?

Anwser Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So we say that we have only one mind, but then we say by purification the mind changes.
So which part of the mind changes or what exactly happens? Actually when we say the ceto-darpana-marjana, the mind is often referred to as a mirror. Now the darpana means mirror and depending on the impressions that are there in the mind, the mind gives us a distorted self-conception. Somebody might be a beauty queen, but if they look in a convex mirror, which is convex or concave, where you get distorted? Concave mirror.
If they look at it, what is this? Why am I looking like this? So what has happened, that mirror is giving a distorted self-conception, a distorted reflection of oneself. So like that the mind is a mirror which gives us a distorted reflection of who we are. Now that distorted can be in an egoistic sense where I think I am so wealthy, I am so strong, I am so beautiful.
Or it can be in a negative sense, material negative sense. You don’t look good, you are too fat, you are too this, you are too that, whatever it is. Both are basically distortions of self-conception.
So now in the Samadhi verses 6.28-23 in the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says, यत्रोपरमतेचित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया यत्रचैवा आत्मनात्मानं पश्यनात्मन्तुष्यति He says, by the practice of yoga, when the material movements of the mind cease, at that time one sees the self with the mind and one delights in the self. यत्रचैवा आत्मनात्मानं आत्मन, one is in the instrumental case, the other in the objective case. So with the mind we see the self and we delight in the self.
That means at the purified stage, the mind becomes a mirror which reflects who we really are. That means we are souls, we are parts of Krishna, we are godly. As Krishna is supremely attractive, we as souls are also attractive.
So that reflection when it comes, then we delight in ourselves. And this is spiritual delight. So what changes we could say in the mind is that if you compare the mind to a mirror, then whatever is, maybe the dust is there or whatever is the, whatever the factors that are causing the mirror to give a distorted reflection of ourselves, that, those factors get removed.
And then we see ourselves for who we are. So the dirt on the mind which causes a distortion of our self perception, that goes away. So now does this necessarily mean, say for example, a Kshatriya will become a Brahmana? Not necessarily.
What it essentially means is that the Kshatriya will understand that, yes, I am a soul, I have a Kshatriya body right now. I am not a Kshatriya, I am a soul. I have a Kshatriya body, I have to use it, but beyond this, I am a soul.
So one will understand one’s spiritual identity and one will delight in one’s spiritual identity. So the more we become purified, the more we can, in the initial stages, the mind may still give a negative self, distorted self reflection, but we are not affected by that. You are only like, you are like this, you are like that, whatever it is.
Krishna still loves me, I can still serve Krishna, if he focuses on Krishna. And that way we move forward for Krishna. So the process of purification gradually decreases the distorted self conception that the mind reflects on us.
That’s how the mind changes, when we become purified. Did I answer your question? Yes.