Soul Should Be the Master

August 8, 1977, Rosarito, Mexico, evening talk

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At present we are in this man-body which may be likened to a chariot in which we are living. Now the owner of this chariot is the soul, but mind is the driver, the senses are the horses, and intellect holds the reins. Nobody pays any attention to soul as he directs the chariot. Mind thinks he is in charge and does not listen to the soul. He cares nothing for the soul. But mind is really slave to the senses, to the horses, who are out of the driver’s control and running wild. These senses, these horses, are running madly in pursuit of their enjoyments. Instead of going on the right path they are leading the chariot through the forest, through the fields, into the pits, and into other dangerous places. Thus they are all lost in the wilderness.

The proper system has been totally reversed. If soul is controlling the driver, she will warn him that he should be alert. The driver’s mind will be alert under her orders and will not let the horses go astray. He will direct and control the horses with the reins of intellect, and under this system they will all go on the right path. As it is now, the soul is imprisoned and without power, and mind, being attracted to sensual pleasures, is a slave to the bodily senses. Now we must release the mind from this slavery and also release the soul so that it may reclaim its ownership of the chariot and once again control it.

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—Sant Thakar Singh