The mind is the hazy reflection of the Sun on the streaming river in the second stage of river on the mountain. Remember this is the stage when the river picks us great momentum. This is the why our mind is so active. So awareness is the glittering reflection of the Sun on the glaciers. As we saw in the previous page, the sun's reflection on the glaciers is all over the region and like the awareness does look like have both the qualities of being localized as well as spread all over. Whereas the reflection of the Sun is more taking into shape but is hazy highly shaking, subtle ,when the stream of water gushes to flow down the mountain to the plains.

      The qualities of mind is described  in Sanskrit as "Chanchala"  which means that which is not firm, shakable, restless or wavering and "Asthira"  or unsteady—(Gita, VI, 26).  That is the very nature of the mind. Like the fast flowing stream of river in the mountains, the mind is very turbulent and flows with full momentum. The mind is never stable and wanders and takes twists and turns in  no time, like the meandering streams in the mountains.

     It is the Same Unconditioned Consciousness, that illuminates awareness and mind in us, like the same sun that shines and glitters the glaciers and also the same Sun reflected in the hazy form on the streaming and gushing meandering river. The beauty is that , the Sun is untouched on any of these events. It acts as thought it is just a witness of the whole act and not involved in any of these action, yet without Sun these events actions cannot happen either.

       Let us descend a little to the plains. Now in the plains we have different scenes. The same water, the same river we saw present in the seed form upon the snow-capped glaciers and which adopted a most fantastic and most poetic aspect in its subtle form lower down on the mountains, the same waters, the same river now becomes a muddy stream upon the plains. In the plains, the same river, the same Ganges river becomes a mighty stream. It has undergone a great change. It has put on new clothing, new colour; it does not keep its original transparency and its original limpidness; it becomes dirty, turbid and it becomes changed in colour. Muddy it becomes and at the same time it changes its speed. It becomes now slow, very slow, and on the other hand it becomes more useful now. Upon the surface of this mighty river float boats, float ships, traffic is carried on. People come and bathe, and the water of the great river now is utilized in canals and aqueducts for irrigating the lands and for fertilizing the country around.
        This third stage of the river’s life is the gross body of the river. And what about the life of the river? What about the real motive power of the river? The real motive power of the river is the Sun, the glorious Orb. Now let us apply this illustration to man.

Source: in woods of God Realization - Swami Ram Tirtha.

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