Text 41] —_ Instructions for Civilized Human Beings 243
indriyani haydn ahur
visayams tesu gocaran
so ‘dhvanah param apnoti
tad visnoh paramam padam
The soul is the occupant of the chariot of the body, of which the driver is
the intelligence. The mind is the determination to reach the destination,
the senses are the horses, and the sense objects are also included in that
activity. Thus one can reach the destination, Visnu, who is paramam
padam, the supreme goal of life. In conditioned life the consciousness in
the body is the cause of bondage, but the same consciousness, when
transformed into Krsna consciousness, becomes the cause for one’s
returning home, back to Godhead.

The human body, therefore, may be used in two ways—for going to
the darkest regions of ignorance or for going forward, back home, back
to Godhead. To go back to Godhead, the path is mahat-sevd, to accept the
self-realized spiritual master. Mahat-sevam dvdram ahur vimukteh. For
liberation, one should accept the direction of authorized devotees who
can actually endow one with perfect knowledge. On the other hand,
tamo-dvdram yositarn sarigi-sangam: if one wants to go to the darkest
regions of material existence, one may continue to associate with persons
who are attached to women (yositam sarigi-sangam). The word yosit
means ‘‘woman.” Persons who are too materialistic are attached to
women.

It is said, therefore, dtmadnam rathinam viddhi sariram ratham eva
ca. The body is just like a chariot or car in which one may go anywhere.
One may drive well, or else one may drive whimsically, in which case it is
quite possible that he may have an accident and fall into a ditch. In other
words, if one takes directions from the experienced spiritual master one
can go back home, back to Godhead; otherwise, one may return to the
cycle of birth and death. Therefore Krsna personally advises:

asraddadhanah purusa
dharmasydsya parantapa

apradpya mam nivartante
mrtyu-samsdara-vartmani
