मनः वाव वाचः भूयः यथा वै द्वे आमलके द्वे कोले द्वौ अक्षौ मुष्टिः अनुभवति एवम् वाचम् च नाम च मनः अनुभवति सः यदा मनसा मनस्यति मन्त्रान् अधीयीत इति अथ अधीते कर्माणि कुर्वीत इति अथ कुरुते पुत्रान् च पशून् च इच्छेत इति अथ इच्छते इमम् च लोकम् अमुम् च इच्छेत इति अथ इच्छते मनः हि आत्मा मनः हि लोकः मनः हि ब्रह्म मनः उपास्स्व इति
manaḥ vāva vācaḥ bhūyaḥ yathā vai dve āmalake dve kole dvau akṣau muṣṭiḥ anubhavati evam vācam ca nāma ca manaḥ anubhavati saḥ yadā manasā manasyati mantrān adhīyīta iti atha adhīte karmāṇi kurvīta iti atha kurute putrān ca paśūn ca iccheta iti atha icchate imam ca lokam amum ca iccheta iti atha icchate manaḥ hi ātmā manaḥ hi lokaḥ manaḥ hi brahma manaḥ upāssva iti
"The mind is greater than speech. As a fist encloses two āmalaka nuts, two kola fruits or two dice, so the mind encloses both speech and name. When a man thinks in his mind, 'I shall study the mantras' — he studies; 'I shall perform the rites' — he performs; 'I shall desire sons and cattle' — he desires; 'I shall desire this world and that' — he desires. The mind is the ātman, the mind is the world, the mind is Brahman. Venerate the mind."
c86e45b84e30 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:44:07 PM UTC
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The third rung: manas, the mind — and an image out of the palm: as a fist encloses two nuts, so the mind holds speech and name together. Before a word is uttered it is thought; the mind is the mute master of the speaking house: "I shall study", "I shall perform", "I shall desire" — every deed of the world is first done in the mind.
The praise of the mind reaches its uttermost words: "the mind is the ātman, the mind is the world, the mind is Brahman". Sanatkumāra is generous at every rung — he says of it the best that can be said, and only then discloses its edge. For the mind really is the soul's viceroy in the body: "for a man the mind is the cause both of bondage and of freedom" (cf. Amṛtabindu Up. 2). But a viceroy is not the sovereign: it will presently appear that the mind too is moved by something greater.