Based on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 06, Text 05
“Why did I do that?” This question often troubles us whenever we look back at an unworthy action that we did on the spur of the moment. Seeking an honest answer leads us to an unpleasant conclusion: my greatest enemy is me.
The question, then, begs itself: who will save me from me?
Gita wisdom answers, “Me.”
This is the verdict of an enigmatic Bhagavad-gita verse (06.05) whose literal translation reads: “Elevate the self with the self; do not degrade the self with the self. The self is the friend of the self and the self is also the enemy of the self.”
To make sense of this verse, we need to understand the dual sense of the word “self.” This dual sense arises from the fact that we are spiritual beings trapped in material bodies. Our spiritual side, our real self, prompts us towards devotional fulfillment, whereas our material side, our illusory self, pushes us towards worldly enjoyment. For all practical purposes, the illusory self can be equated with the mind, as the translations by almost all prominent Gita commentators substantiates.