The Diagram A gives figuratively the design of each activity

that man performs in the world outside when he consciously

comes to react with a given set of stimuli.
At each moment, man meets with different patterns of
these stimuli, and thus constantly gathers new impressions in
the 'subjective mind'. Every set of impulses reaching it not

only adds to the existing layers of impressions already in it,

but also gets coloured by the quality of these vasanas hoarded
within. When they are translated into action, the actions carry
a flavour of the existing vasanas in the 'subjective mind'.
All of us live constantly meeting a variety of experiences;
and at each incident, we perceive, react with the perceived,
and come to act in the outer field. In this process, we unwittingly
come to hoard in ourselves more and more dirt of new
impressions. The 'subjective mind' gets increasingly granulated
by overlapping signatures of our past moments. These
granulations make the 'subjective mind' dull and opaque, and
form, as it were, an impregnable wall between ourselves and
the spiritual Divinity that shines eternally as pure
Consciousness in all of us deep within the core of our
personality.
The theory of Vedanta repeats that reduction of the vasanas
is the means of volatalising the mind. When I look into a mirror
and do not see my face in it, it is not because the mirror is not
reflecting the object in front of it, but because the reflected
image is not perceptible to my vision due to, perhaps, the thick
layer of dust on the mirror. With a duster, when I clean the
mirror, the act of cleaning does not CREATE the reflection
of the face, but it only unveils the reflection which was already
there. Similarly, man is not aware today of his divine spiritual
nature because the 'subjective mind' reflecting it is thickly
coated with dull vasanas gathered by it during its egocentric,
passionate existence in the world.
To bring the subjective and the objective aspects of the
mind together into a happy marriage where the 'objective mind'
is well-disciplined to act faithfully as per the guidance of the
'subjective', is the Yoga pointed out in the Geeta. This is
accomplished only by the removal of the dividing factor-the
GENERAL INTRODUCTION 5
egocentric desires. The typical word used in the Geeta to indicate
this practical implication of Yoga is self-explanatory-Buddhi Yoga.

DIAGRAM "B"
SELFLESS ACTIVITY ENDING IN THE VASANA PURGATION:
As represented in Diagram 'B', when this happy marriage
between the subjective and the objective aspects of the mind
has taken place, thereafter that equanimous Yogin becomes
skilled in action,* and he, with his 'objective-mind', reacts
intelligently and faithfully to the external stimuli; his actions
become, as it were, a purgation of the already existing vasanas
in his 'subjective mind'. Thus, through intelligent action, an
individual can exhaust his existing impressions and ultimately
redeem his 'subjective-mind' from the granulations and make
it more clear and crystalline.
* 'Yogah Karmasu Kousafam'- 'Dexterity in action is Yoga'- 11,50
6 THE BHAGAWAD GEETA
This idea has been emphasised by great commentators like
Shankara, who tirelessly repeat that selfless activity, performed
in a spirit of egoless adoration and reverence to the divine
ideal, would ultimately result in inner purification. This,
according to Shankara, is the most unavoidable prerequisite
before the 'subjective mind' can turn inward seeking to
rediscover the sanctuary of the Self, the Spiritual Reality.
Spiritually viewed, the 'subjective mind' is thus a secret
weapon in man to be used as an outlet for the existing
impressions that have come to be stored up in it. But the
tragedy is that an average man, in his ignorance, misuses this
dangerous weapon and brings about his own annihilation. He
uses it as an INLET and creates, during his selfish activities
performed with low motives, a new stock of mental
impress10ns.
In order to exhaust them, nature provides new equipments
(bodies), in which the same ego comes to live, repeatedly, life
after life. The me ssage of the Geeta clearly points out that
actions are not to be avoided and the world-of-objects is not
to be denied. On the contrary, by making use of them
intelligently, we must strive selflessly, and force the very samsara
to provide us with a field for exhausting our mental dirt.
An unhealthy mind divided in itself, as we explained earlier,
becomes an easy prey to a host of psychological diseases.
Weakened in its constitution, it easily becomes a victim to
all contagions. Arjuna was an average educated man, and from
the details of the Mahabharata, we know the environments in
which he grew up. But for the entire Mahabharata, we would
not appreciate so fully Arjuna's mental condition, without which
Krishna's message would have fallen flat upon the readers.