In plain words
From the parents. Where did this matter take place? From Anantapur, far away. But it touched our senses. Only then is there joy for you. So, only when the two, the Manas and the senses, meet, is there bondage or release for you. This cannot be bought in some shop. No friend gives it as a present, nor does some company supply it to us. It is not shared out to us as a portion, like the parents' property. Everything lies in our own resolves. Our resolves alone are the root cause of our joys and sorrows. That is just what they said: ‘Manayeva manuṣyāṇāṃ kāraṇaṃ bandhamokṣayoḥ.’ They said that the Manas alone is the cause of bondage and of Mokṣa. We have locked the door of our house. We have put the key in the lock. Turn it to the left, and it opens. Turn it to the right, and it locks. In this way, what is the cause of the locking or the opening? The lock is one, the key is one! Only the turning makes the difference!
Turn the Manas towards God, and there is detachment; turn it towards the world, and there is bondage
Our heart is the lock, the Manas is the key. Turn it towards God, and there is detachment. Turn it towards the world, and there is bondage. Where does this bondage come to us from? You can think it over for yourselves. Now you are on two legs. You walk along at speed. You even run! But once there is a marriage, it is four legs. By the time the four legs come, your freedom has dwindled. If the husband says ‘Sit’, you must sit. If he does not want you to go to the office, you must stay away. Bondage of this kind sets in. If this much bondage sets in with only these four legs, then when a child is born it becomes six legs, and still more bondage. You cannot go freely even into the kitchen. You cannot go freely even into the bedroom. The reason: there is the child. You have to look after that child. In this way, the more the legs, the slower the walking. This is bondage. Where did this bondage come from? You earned it for yourself!