The mind is the cause of man's imprisonment in matter.
The mind can be a friend to the conditioned soul, as it can be its enemy. Man must use it to elevate himself, not to degrade himself.
The word atma will refer, depending on the context, to the body, the mind, or the soul. Yoga places particular emphasis on the latter two aspects, the mind and the soul. Since the mind is the focus of the practice of yoga, the term atma can here only refer to the mind. The goal of yoga is to dominate the mind, to prevent it from becoming attached to sense objects. Moreover, as our verse emphasizes, the effect of yoga must be to educate the mind so that it can free the conditioned soul from the ignorance in which it is held. In material existence, everyone is a slave to the mind and the senses. In fact, this mind, which gives us a false conception of ourselves and breeds within us the desire to dominate material nature, is the cause of the soul's imprisonment in the material universe. If the mind, therefore, is directed so as not to be fascinated by the shimmering of matter, the soul will escape its conditioning. Under no circumstances should we indulge in sense objects, for, through a process of degradation, they sink us ever deeper into material existence. The best way to free ourselves from this entanglement will be to never offer our thoughts more than a single object, Krishna. The term hi in this verse emphasizes the idea that one “must” act in this way.
Other texts confirm this verse. “The mind is the cause of man's imprisonment in matter, but also of his liberation. Absorbed in sense objects, it imprisons the being; detached from sense objects, it liberates him.”
Concentrating the mind on Krishna therefore brings supreme liberation.
The mind is the cause of bondage to matter, and the origin of lust, anger, pride, etc.
The mind is the origin of lust, anger, pride, greed, sorrow, delusion, and fear; all these tendencies combine to enslave the being to self-interested action. The mind is the original cause of bondage to matter, and many of our enemies accompany it, such as anger, pride, greed, sorrow, delusion, and fear. The best way to always remain master of the mind is to absorb it in Krishna consciousness. And since the evil tendencies that escort the mind chain us to matter, we should be very careful not to put our trust in it, for it is both our best friend and our worst enemy.
Man no longer wants to suffer, but if he does not listen to God or receive divine teaching, how can he put an end to it?
God's word and teaching are the pure essence of attaining true freedom, permanent happiness, absolute peace, and the assurance of living eternally with the Lord.
Morality is the basic principle of all purification. One cannot purify oneself unless one knows what is moral and what is not, and can distinguish good from evil.
Morality offers us the means to escape the clutches of greed, anger, and lust. We then gain access to virtue, from which we can reach the spiritual plane.
Morality gives access to tolerance, or the art of recognizing in others their rightful place and the importance they deserve.
Morality allows us to understand that revenge is the preserve of the weak and the devil's justification. It allows us to understand that atheism, nationalism, capitalism, and materialism are, in reality, the sources of wickedness and perdition. They are the vehicles of inequality, injustice, irreligion, enslavement, hatred, racism, inequity, bias, indifference, intolerance, and insensitivity.
The strong man is one who walks with God, who controls his emotions, who rejects evil in all its forms, and who anchors good in his mind and heart. His thoughts, words, and actions are directed solely toward good.