Sankaracarya's Vivekachudamani 573

अस्तीति प्रत्ययो यश्च यश्च नास्तीति वस्तुनि ।

बुद्धेरेव गुणावेतौ न तु नित्यस्य वस्तुनः ॥

astīti pratyayo yaśca yaśca nāstīti vastuni |

buddhereva guṇāvetau na tu nityasya vastunaḥ ||

(Sankaracarya's Vivekachudamani 573)

The concepts that bondage is and that it is not, are, with reference to Reality, only attributes of the intellect. Never do they belong to Brahman, the eternal Reality.

All Atmas even from animals to plants belongs to the Supreme Lord. There is no question about it. When one is attached or bonded to the material world, it's just according to the intelligent. But the bondage to the Lord is with the soul. Material bondage is not eternal but the Spiritual bondage with the Lord is eternal.

indriyani parany ahur

indriyebhyah param manah

manasas tu para buddhir

yo buddheh paratas tu sah (BG 3.42)

The working senses are superior to dull matter; the mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind, and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.

The senses are different outlets for the activities of lust. Lust is reserved within the body, but it is given vent through the senses. Therefore, the senses are superior to the body as a whole. These outlets are not in use when there is superior consciousness or Krsna consciousness. In Krsna consciousness the soul makes a direct connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore the bodily functions, as described here, ultimately end in the Supreme Soul. Bodily action means the functions of the senses, and stopping the senses means stopping all bodily actions. But since the mind is active, then, even though the body may be silent and at rest, the mind will act—as it does during dreaming. But, above the mind, there is the determination of the intelligence, and above the intelligence is the soul proper. If, therefore, the soul is directly engaged with the Supreme, naturally all other subordinates, namely, the intelligence, mind and the senses, will be automatically engaged. In the Katha Upanisad, there is a passage in which it is said that the objects of sense gratification are superior to the senses, and the mind is superior to the sense objects. If, therefore, the mind is directly engaged in the service of the Lord constantly, then there is no chance of the senses becoming engaged in other ways. This mental attitude has already been explained. If the mind is engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is no chance of its being engaged in the lower propensities. In the Katha Upanisad, the soul has been described as mahan, the great. Therefore the soul is above all—namely, the sense objects, the senses, the mind, and the intelligence. Therefore, directly understanding the constitutional position of the soul is the solution to the whole problem.