28 June 2009

'Know that the Self is the rider, and the body the chariot;that the intellect is the charioteer and the mind the reins.
The senses, say the wise, are the horses; the roads they travel are the mazes of desire...............
When a man lacks discrimination and his mind uncontrolled, his senses are unmanageable, like the restive horses of a charioteer. But when a man has discrimination and his mind is controlled, his senses, like the well-broken horses of a charioteer, lightly obey the rein.'

(Excerpts from the Upanishads, translated from the original Sanskrit by Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Mancherster)

I have been reading from this translation of the Upanishads in the last week or so and letting the words flow into me. But these particular sentences absolutely gripped me and I wanted to share it with you all. What a wonderful picture! It solidifies so graphically, such an abstract idea. I hope that one day my senses will be the 'well-broken horses of a charioteer'.

1 comment:

  1. exI need to read this. Loved this quote.

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