MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 336
20th October 2025
Make your mind your best friend
WISHING THE READERS JOYOUS DEEPAVALI - FESTIVAL OF JOY
Let us jump to Chapter 6 of #BhagavadGita, Dhyana Yog, the Yog of meditation.
I like sloka #6.5 the most because it is lucid, universally applicable, and offers very valuable advice. What is that advice?
Is your mind a friend or enemy?
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् | आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन: || Bhagavad Gita 6.5||
Two words in this sloka repeat multiple times, and they are atma and atmanam. Atma has numerous meanings, denoting body, mind, and soul – depending upon different circumstances. If atma indicates the mind, atmanam, would mean the soul or self. Additionally, two pairs of antonyms are interesting in this sloka, and they are uddharet and avasaadayet, bandhuh and ripuh. Uddharet means elevate, and avasasaadayet means degrade. Banduh and ripuh are easy to understand, friend and enemy, respectively. It will be easy to understand the sloka armed with these translations:
Elevate yourself through the power of your mind, and not degrade yourself, for the mind can be the friend and also the enemy of the self.
You are responsible for your life.
We have seen in the earlier episode of #MondayMusings that the lord does not direct us, nor does he make judgments on the results of our actions. We and we alone are responsible for our actions, and our actions determine the results they deserve.
On the lines of the poet #WilliamErnestHenley said in #Invictus:
We are the masters of our FATE and the captains of our souls
Lord Krishna said the same thing long, long ago through #BhagavadGita sloka 6.5, of course, in a different way to make it easier for us:
Lord Krishna confirms that we are responsible for our elevation or debasement, no one else. The Lord declares that each individual should lift himself by his own effort. To think that God would take the people to the land of peace while they live a life of idleness or sensuality is utterly wrong.
Maharshi Vasishta tells Sri Rama in Ramayana that the Guru’s teaching to the disciple is a Vedic tradition only. All the actual work is to be done by the disciples themselves. The sick man should take the medicine himself if he is to be cured. No one else can swallow the medicine and bring him relief. Shri Krishna confirms that he is not going to do that.
Lord Krishna goes a step further to tell us the ways and means of our elevation.
#DifferenceBetweenAWinnerAndALoser
We can elevate ourselves if we make our mind our friend, and we will end up degrading ourselves if we make our mind our enemy. That is the difference between a WINNER and a LOSER.
We know that the mind is like a monkey that likes to wander from branch to branch, jumping from one thought to another. It constantly swings between the past, the present, and the future. The intellect has to keep the mind under control.
If you leave your mind to wander, there is a possibility that the mind may become your own enemy and pull you down. If you keep your mind with positive and fulfilling thoughts, it will become a friend and help you elevate yourself.
The choice whether to elevate or degrade is ON US.
Mind – Cause of bondage or liberation
मन एव मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः । बन्धाय विषयासक्तं मुक्त्यै निर्विषयं स्मृतम् ॥
Above Upanishad sloka states, “For human beings, the mind alone is the cause of bondage and mokṣa. A mind that is attached to sense objects is regarded as the cause of bondage, and a mind uninvolved with the sense objects is [regarded as] the cause of liberation.”
“Ascend, do not go down, your fate is in your own hands, strive and succeed.” This is the Lord’s inspiring call to mankind.
Nice description of this sloka (6.5) (and many other Ramayana, Bhagavad Sita slokas) within a story context is included in my book #GrandmaInTheBoardroom. GIBR is the story of how the CEO of a struggling IT company in India takes the company on a growth path using classical stories and literary quotes. You can purchase a copy from www.authorjaganathan.com or Amazon bookstores.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
#PositiveNewsPage
#NegotiatorsWhoChangedTheWorld
The book “Negotiators who changed the world, one of its kind, got published recently. This is a project that brings together leading international negotiation experts to delve into the strategies and tactics of some of the world’s most influential leaders and negotiators, including Confucius, Nelson Mandela, Talleyrand, Henry Kissinger, and other equally impactful yet lesser-known figures.
This book is the combined effort of well-known authors compiled and edited by Remigiusz Smolinski. Remigiusz Smolinski is a professor and Academic Director of the Center for International Negotiation at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Germany. He is the founder of The Negotiation Challenge, Discurso.ai, and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Negotiation and Conflict Management Research. Anuj Jagannathan ???? , a leadership trainer and expert in negotiation strategies, a regular contributor to #MondayMusings, wrote a chapter for this book.
Each chapter of the book unveils the critical strategies, mindsets, and pivotal moments behind these negotiators’ successes, offering practical lessons and actionable takeaways for readers to apply in their own lives.
Anuj's chapter delves into the monumental impact of Ratan Tata, the former chairman of the Tata Group. Ratan Tata was a transformative leader who combined strategic vision, ethical governance, and powerful negotiation skills to build one of India’s most respected and globally recognised conglomerates. This chapter explores Ratan Tata’s most significant negotiations, from pioneering India’s first indigenous car to reclaiming Air India, illustrating how his leadership philosophy and strategic decision-making reshaped global business landscapes.
Good book to read to make your mind your friend and elevate yourself. This unique book is available for purchase from amazon, https://www.amazon.in/Negotiators-Who-Changed-World-Negotiation/dp/3031903668
______________________________________________________________________________________
Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly positive newsletter #MondayMusings in LinkedIn every monday by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com).
______________________________________________________________________________________