Thath thvam asi-Chandhogya Upanishadh 6

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Sa yaThaa

SakuniH soothreNa prabadDhaH dhisam dhiSam pathithvaa

 

Just as a bird tied to a string flies in all

directions,

 

anyathra aayathanam alabDhvaa

 

not finding a resting place elsewhere

 

banDhanam eva upSrayatha

 

resorts to the place where it is bound,

 

evameva

khalu soumya thath manaH

 

the mind also my dear,

 

diSam dhiSam, pathithvaa

 

traveling in all directions

 

anyathraaayathanam alabDhvaa

 

 

not finding a resting place elsewhere,

praaNamevaupaSrayathe

 

resorts to praNa.

 

praaNa

banDhanam hi soumya manaH ithi

 

The mind, dear , is tied to the praNa.

 

In kenopanishad it is said that the Self is the

praaNasya praaNam, the life of life. In this sense the word praNa is used here

meaning the sath or Brahman mentioned at the outset. The mind travels all around

during the wakeful state and becomes restless and during the deep sleep state

it rests in Brahman. The analogy of a bird tied with long strings is cited to illustrate

the idea in the previous passage.