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We are already on the mānasika level of the mantra. Mana is very different from what is commonly called the "mind," though that is its literal translation. Mana is the driving force in the body. It is said: mano mātra jagataḥ—the whole world is created out of the mind. That "mind" means the cosmic will, the divine will. Your creation is out of the mind, and the world for you appears as your mind wills. If your mind is thinking happiness, then you are happy. If you think you are unhappy or lonely, then you are unhappy and lonely. Some people are very happy to be alone; they don't miss anything. Others cannot be alone for even one hour, always wanting someone beside them. These are all the games of the mind; this is all a play of the mind. In past lectures, I gave you a little definition of the mind. The mind is that principle which takes information from the conscious level, from the intellect, and brings it to the subconscious. Those impressions from the jñānendriyas—the senses of knowledge—the mind takes and brings to the subconscious. There, in the subconscious, they work and come out as desires, longings, and expectations. So literally, the mind is that which functions between two levels of consciousness: the conscious and the subconscious. It coordinates and relates with different organs, desires, ambitions, ego, and so many things. Thus, mano mātra jagataḥ: this world is a creation out of the mind. The mind is the ghost. There is a story: a farmer was working in his field. Around noon, a ghost appeared and began to fight him. The farmer was strong and brave, like all of you, so he fought back and pulled the ghost down. The ghost began to fight again, so the farmer said, "I have no time to fight. What are the conditions?" The ghost said, "The condition is this: the winner will have the rights, and the loser will be a lifelong slave, doing whatever is asked." The ghost thought, "I will definitely be the winner." They began to fight. The farmer was strong from working hard all day, eating organic vegetables and milk—not like fast food. What are we eating? Fast food means fast tired, fast loser, fast angry. The farmer pulled the ghost down until the ghost said, "Yes, you are the winner. I am your slave now. I will do anything you want, but if you don't give me work, I will kill you. Give me work." The farmer said, "I have 50,000 hectares of land. Make a beautiful fence around it, two and a half meters high." The ghost said, "No problem," and used his magic power. He turned like this, and the fence was there. "Give me work." The farmer said, "Take all the thorns and thorny bushes out of my land." The ghost created a storm wind, and all the thorns and bushes were pulled out. "Done. Work." "Collect it all in one place." He made his hands like a vacuum cleaner and sucked all the thorns. "Work." "Collect all the stones in a corner." He did like this, and all the stones were collected. "One work, or I will kill you." The farmer was surprised. "What kind of power does he have? He does anything in no time." He said, "Well, make my whole ground nice and level." Within no time, it was done. "Clean the place where my cows live." Immediately, it was cleaned. "Work now?" The farmer could not rest even one minute. Day and night, the ghost demanded, "I need work." What a headache. "Go and wash my cows, bathe my horses." Rain came like a shower, and everything was cleaned. "Work." The farmer said, "Bring my cows into the field, let them eat until they are full, and then bring them back." Now he could not fill the cows' stomachs quickly, so he had to wait while they ate. He had done so many magics. "Eat quickly. Now stop." But the cows took their time. Meanwhile, the farmer ran to his master, who was sitting under a tree meditating. The disciple came. "Master, master!" "What happened? You never came this afternoon." "Emergency! Save my life!" "Are you ill?" "No, a ghost is behind me." "Sit down." Meanwhile, the ghost arrived but could not come near; he had to stay at least 100 meters away from the master. Normally, within a 500-meter area of a master, no negative energy, ghosts, or spirits can enter. If there is a ghost or negative energy, they are liberated or go on holiday. The master sat, and the ghost sat far away. The farmer said, "You see, master, behind that tree, that dark spot—that is the ghost." The master said, "No problem. Eat prasāda." "Yes, master, but for you, no problem; for me, it is a problem. I don't know how to go home or how to sleep. Before sleeping, he will ask me, 'Give me work.' I have 50–60 employees and 100 farmers working under me. What they can't do in one month, he did in one minute. I don't know what work to give." The master said, "Relax." "Yeah, master, but for how long?" Then, after eating prasāda, the master said, "Go and tell the ghost to bring one of the largest trees in the world here." So the farmer went, and the ghost came. "Give me work, boss. I need work." "Go and bring the largest, tallest tree from this world." The ghost disappeared in a spiral of light. Within minutes, a huge tree was coming. "Boss, here is the tree. Give me work, master. What to do now?" The master said to tell him to put the tree back in the ground. So the farmer said, "Put this tree in the ground again." The ghost made a hole in the ground, put the tree in, and covered it with earth. "Give me work, master. What to do now?" The farmer thought, "Before sunset, he will kill me. I can't sleep." "Master, master!" The master said, "You will sleep." "In a grave?" "No, no... in your bed. Go and tell your slave, 'Ghost, your work is to climb up and down this tree. When you are down, go up; when you are up, come down. Go on, up and down, up and down, until I give you another job. If you stop, I will kill you. That is your job. If you break the tree, bring a new one.'" "That clever master destroyed my life. I thought I would be free." So now the ghost is climbing up and down, and the farmer went home and slept peacefully. The next day, he gave other work: clean the cowshed, cut the grass, pluck the fruits, transport them to the market—all kinds of work. And then, "Go and climb up and down." He would bring posts, everything. He worked, going with the posts like an SMS, quickly. So the farmer had a good life. And SMS means: mind serves during meditation. When you are meditating, your mind is serving you. This story means: this body is that field. This Jīvātmā is the farmer, and the mind is the ghost; Ātmā is Gurudev. So when you meditate, tell your mind to climb up and down on that big tree, which is the spinal column. The largest tree in our body is the spinal column. It is the ascending and descending concentration of the mind through the spine. If you are not able to give work to your mind, then the mind will bring so many thoughts, and everything will be destroyed. Your mind will kill you. The mind will make you old and tired, while the mind itself remains ever young. So it is said: "Man marā na mamatā marī, mar mar gayā śarīra, āśā tṛṣṇā na mīṭī marī, keh gayā dāsa Kabīra." Kabīr Dāsa said: "Man marā na mamatā marī"—your mind did not die. Your mind cannot die until your mamatā is not killed. Mamatā means "my, my..." Mamatva he dukhaṅkā kāraṇa hai. Holy Gurujī said in satsaṅga: "Mamatva he dukhaṅkā kāraṇa hai"—this sense of "my-ness" is the cause of many troubles: my property, my money, my wife, my husband, my children, my parents, and so on. These are all connected to troubles; they are the causes of your troubles. Be above them. So man marā na mamatā marī: because your mamatā is not purified. Mara mar gayā śarīra: but the body died again and again. Āśā tṛṣṇā na marī: and though you were born many times and died, these two things did not die: āśā and tṛṣṇā—longing and craving. These three principles you will not clear up. Your mind will not let you be in peace, and you will never be free from troubles: trouble with family, children, partner, food, digestion, health, neighbors, society, work, politics, and what not. And these are all connected to these three: mamatā, āśā, and tṛṣṇā. They are the causes of our suffering. Therefore, mana is the strong driving force in the body. So, mānasika mantra japa means you give this mālā and mantra to your mind. Tell your mind to repeat the mantra and go through the whole cycle. When you are there, go back; when you are there, go back—like going up and down the tree. No mercy. With the mind, have no mercy. If you take a little bit of your attention out, the mind is somewhere in Karnataka. The mind is a ghost. Within no time, you must bring it back, repeat your mantra. Suddenly you begin itching somewhere, and the mind is with Elfriede, or with France, or with the dog, or in the bank. The mind is moving. Within no time, you can be in many, many places. Therefore, in one bhajan, Mahāprabhujī said, "Oh mind, you lost everything with bad company." Therefore, with the mālā, it is very, very important that you practice your mantra. Many people say, "It disturbs me, the mālā. Can I stop the mantra in deep meditation?" Then you are in darkness. Your mind is governing; it is the governor, and it puts you into the darkness of laziness. You think you feel good, but the result is not good. There is an animal that looks like a mongoose—mungoos—not fungus. In India, we have not soybeans, not mungoos... like a kunā. But kunā is not a mungoos. In India, you have many. There is one animal smaller than a mongoose, between your kunā and a mongoose. It is a very terrible animal. It goes to big animals like cows, buffaloes, elephants, and camels. When the animals are relaxing at night, it tries to caress them. They feel good, and it takes some bugs out, playing like this. Then it goes to the anus of the animal, tries to scratch there, and the animal relaxes the mūlādhāra. It goes inside, eats the intestines, and then runs out. The animal dies. So this mind, when it goes to desires, it is tickling you, playing with you. Then you stop practicing the mantra. Either you are just sitting idle, or some desires arise: "I would like to go play football, go swimming, meet my friends." Restlessness—that is your mind. Therefore, in yoga, in the science of mantras, after long experiments and research, they decided to have a mālā. So mālā, mantra, meditation. You put your mind on your mālā, and you find your inner peace. Mānasika mantra practice is mental practice. Also, while working, walking, or driving, you can practice your mantra without a mālā. It is better to repeat your mantra mentally than to have nonsense thoughts. Those who feel lonely, immediately repeat your mantra. You will not be lonely. Mahāprabhujī is with you now. Are you lonely when Mahāprabhujī is sitting beside you? No. That's it. Are you lonely, or are you a slave of your desires? This is the question. Therefore, you have to train your mind through mental practice. There are many bhajans about this. There is one bhajan of Mahāprabhujī: Hāth Chhoḍā Manacāl Saṅg Mere Tohe Ātmā Bhed Batāvat, Hāth Chhoḍā Manacāl Saṅg Mere Tohe Ātmā Bhed Batāvat, Toī Ātmā Bhed Batāvat Hai. Oh my mind, give up your willfulness. Come, follow me, come with me, and I will show you, explain what is the Ātmā. O mind, your real desire, your real longing, your aim is to find the Ātmā. Come to me, and I will show you the secret of the Ātmā. But you have to go away from every other thing.