How do we process information and make decisions?
इि ये यः परं मनो मनसः स वमु मम् ।
स वाद ध महाना मा महतोऽ य मु मम् ॥
Kathā Upanishad II-vi-7
(In this hierarchy) the Mind is superior to the senses.
Over the Mind is (discriminatory) intelligence.
(Every individual’s) Ātmā
(conscience) is over the intelligence.
The Supreme over all is the invisible,
all knowing Bhrahman (God).
Our sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, etc.) receive information from the external world and are processed by the ‘Mind’. Then information goes to intelligence for making decisions about further action depending on our past experiences and present circumstances. Next layer is our Ātmā (Soul) which decides whether our decision to act is morally and ethically sound or not. Sometimes we need to consult the Supreme Court Judge - Brahman (God), final authority, to help us decide.
‘Mind’ is described as ‘flow of thoughts’. Mind is like a monkey - it jumps from one branch (thought) of a tree to another all day long. With a mind like that no one can achieve anything worthwhile. The mind has to be focussed on one topic - what we want to do or what we are doing - otherwise we cut our fingers while chopping vegetables. The most important first step in creating a bright future is to discipline or control our mind.
The interaction between body, mind, intellect, and conscience are compared with prince Arjun sitting in a chariot with five horses (five senses) driven by Shri Krushń (discriminatory intellect). The horses are our five senses. If we do not have any control over our senses, we can be driven off a cliff of over indulgence. Our mind is the reins that control the senses (horses). The reins are in the hands of Shri Krushń or our Vivék Buddhi (discriminatory intelligence) or conscience.