The Chariot Analogy of the Human Body and Mind

 I was reading Kathopnishada and the following shloka captured my attention:

आत्मानँ रथितं विद्धि शरीरँ रथमेव तु ।

बुद्धिं तु सारथिं विद्धि मनः प्रग्रहमेव च ॥१.३.३ ॥

ātmānam̐ rathitaṃ viddhi śarīram̐ rathameva tu |

buddhiṃ tu sārathiṃ viddhi manaḥ pragrahameva ca || 1.3.3 ||

Know the Self as the rider in the chariot, body (शरीरम्) as the chariot (रथम्), know also intelligence (बुद्धि) as the driver (सारथि); know the minds as the reins (प्रग्रहम्)

इन्द्रियाणि हयानाहुर्विषयाँ स्तेषु गोचरान् ।

आत्मेन्द्रियमनोयुक्तं भोक्तेत्याहुर्मनीषिणः ॥ १.३.४ ॥

indriyāṇi hayānāhurviṣayām̐ steṣu gocarān ।

ātmendriyamanoyuktaṃ bhoktetyāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ ॥ 1.3.4 ॥

The wise (मनीषिण:) say – The senses (इन्द्रियाणि) , they say, are the horses (हया:); the objects (विषया:) which they perceive, the way (गोचरा:) the Self (the Atma) is association with body, mind and senses is the experiencer (of pleasure and pain)

It's a wonderful analogy to understand the functioning of human beings. I was parallely reading Bhagwad Geeta and a thought struck my mind. Krishna chose the role of the charioteer in the battle of Mahabharata and taught Geeta to Arjuna sitting in his chariot as a charioteer. The charioteer is the intellect and throughout Gita, Krishna emphasizes the tranquility of the intellect almost in all the shlokas.

प्रसादे सर्वदुःखानां हानिरस्योपजायते।

प्रसन्नचेतसो ह्याशु बुद्धिः पर्यवतिष्ठते।।2.65।।

2.65 प्रसादे in peace? सर्वदुःखानाम् (of) all pains? हानिः destruction? अस्य of him? उपजायते arises (or happens)? प्रसन्नचेतसः of the tranilminded? हि because? आशु soon? बुद्धिः intellect (or reason)? पर्यवतिष्ठते becomes steady.

2.65 In that peace all pains are destroyed; for the intellect of the tranil-minded soon becomes steady.

In a chariot, it is only the charioteer who can connect to the horses. The owner of the chariot does not know how to give directions to the horses. Similarly, it is the intellect that has the capacity to give direction to the senses. Generally, our chariot is directionless, and the senses like the directionless horses are running after their subjects. The charioteer has lost all the awareness of its powers to give direction to the horses. 

Probably, the first step for the intellect is to gain awareness of the breath. As the intellect starts becoming aware of the breath, it gains a first-hand experience of the energy that is running the entire chariot right from the horses to the charioteer and the owner of the chariot. Such awareness helps the intellect regain awareness of reality.

As the intellect regains awareness of reality, first of all, it observes the movement of the chariot. It realizes that the horses are taking the chariot aimlessly attracted by different attractions one after the other. Similarly, once our intellect regains the awareness of the breath, we start becoming aware of the sensations on different parts of the body. We also observe their temporariness and realize that these sensations have taken control over our lives which is getting wasted aimlesslessly craving for these short-lived sensations.

This state has been beautifully defined by Lord Krishna in Gita:

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते।

सङ्गात् संजायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते।।2.62।।

2.62 ध्यायतः thinking? विषयान् (on) objects of the senses? पुंसः of a man? सङ्गः attachment? तेषु in them? उपजायते arises? सङ्गात् from attachment? संजायते is born? कामः desire? कामात् from desire? क्रोधः anger? अभिजायते arises.

2.62 When a man thinks of the objects, attachment for them arises; from attachment desire is born; from desire anger arises.

क्रोधाद्भवति संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः।

स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति।।2.63।।

2.63 क्रोधात् from anger? भवति comes? संमोहः delusion? संमोहात् from delusion? स्मृतिविभ्रमः loss of memory? स्मृतिभ्रंशात् from loss of memory? बुद्धिनाशः the destruction of discriminatio? बुद्धिनाशात् from the,destruction of discrimination? प्रणश्यति (he) perishes.

2.63 From anger comes delusion; from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory the destruction of intellect; from the destruction of intellect, he perishes.

Thus, due to this lack of awareness, the intellect is destroyed and that results in the loss of self. By observation of the breath and sensations, the intellect regains strength. It is then able to observe different thoughts that come to the mind. It is also possible to observe that these thoughts are very closely connected with the body sensations and they are the two sides of the same coin. The horses are taking the chariot along and the chariot is also taking the horses along. Both are intricately linked to each other. 

With this awareness alone, the charioteer will not be able to give direction to the chariot. That is where Krishna tells Arjuna that this entire chariot is temporary including the charioteer and the horses and we keep changing the chariots the way we change the clothes. Krishna tells Arjuna not to be disillusioned with the ignorance to consider this chariot to be permanent and to be fixated on that. Krishna shows his Viraat Roop to Arjuna to make him aware of the oneness of the universe how all life forms take birth from the same consciousness and merge into that again and how this cycle keeps going perpetually.

If the charioteer is not aware, it will not be able to listen to the owner. Similarly, a perturbed and confused intellect gets into the trap of the senses and wastes life running after the mirages. Our intellect needs to be aware of each moment not only about the breath, temporariness of the sensations, and different thoughts, but also the true self who is the owner of the chariot and whose directions have to be listened to and followed. Even a moment of laziness may start a new cycle of ignorance as Krishna has described in Gita.