Wrong Association🔗

This is what happens when we wrongly associate ourselves with the body and mind, instead of associating with the consciousness that runs it. We confuse kṣetrajña with kṣetra. Naturally, all the problems that arise at the body-mind level start to affect us. The activities that happen to thebody-mind appear to be having a direct influence on our lives.

Kṛṣṇa talks about the five great elements, the false ego, the intelligence or the mind that makes decisions and all ten senses. Please understand, He says, 'ten senses, indriyāṇi daśakaṁ ca'. We think we have five senses. No. We have five karmendriya and five jñānendriya. Karmendriya are the senses or organs responsible for actions such as talking, walking etc and they are the mouth, hands and feet, organs of excretion and reproduction. Jñānendriya are our five senses that receive knowledge such as smell, taste, sight, touch, and hearing and they are the nose, tongue, eyes, skin and ear. So, all the ten senses, plus attachment, aversion, joy, sorrow, the body, mutual attraction and the consciousness contribute to the field of activities.

Actually the word 'consciousness' cannot be used. When our consciousness becomes rigid, it becomes conscience. There's a difference between conscience and consciousness.

For example, we do something based upon what we think is right or wrong according to our conscience. If we give these same teachings to the next generation, it will not work because something else may be right or wrong for them. When we force them to follow the same thing that we did, we are giving it as just a morality, as just a conscience. We are giving them a law without the spirit. On the other hand, when we give our next generation an understanding about life, we give them consciousness.