162. Sixth Sense
K rishna says, “Among the Adityas , I am Vishnu; I am the radiating Sun (10.21). Among the Vedas , I am Sama Veda ; I am Vasuva (Indra); among the senses, I am Mind ( mann ); in creatures, I am Chetana (consciousness) (10.22). Of the Rudras, I am Shankara ; I am Kubera (10.23). I am Brihaspati ; among expanses of water, I am the ocean” (10.24). Krishna said that He is the atma (soul) in the heart of all beings (10.20). Earlier, He gave a hierarchy that the atma is superior to buddhi (intellect); buddhi is superior to the mind; the mind is superior to the senses (3.42). But here He says He is the mind among senses and this needs understanding. It is said that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’. Together, the two ears provide a sense of the direction of sound ; two eyes together produce depth perception. One way of looking at the mind is as a simple sum of its senses like ears, eyes etc. Another way is to view it as a ‘whole of the senses’, where t...