What is Mind? Mind is Man or Mastishk. The mind is like milk. If you keep the mind in the world, which is like water, then the milk and water will get mixed. That is why people keep milk in a quiet place and let it set into yogurt, and then churn butter from it. Likewise, through spiritual discipline practiced in solitude, churn the butter of KNOWLEDGE and DEVOTION from the milk of the mind. Then the extracted butter can easily be kept in the water of the world. It will not get mixed with the world. The mind will float detached on the water of the world.’

------------ Sri Ramakrishna Shivam (The all pervading Formless, spaceless, timeless, Supreme Being - I), the Self-luminous, is distinct from the Gross (physical) and Subtle [constituents eight; Five senses, Buddhi (Intellect) , Man (mind) and Ahankaar (Ego)] bodies, just as fire which enters the fuel assumes the attributes of the fuel, so also does the distinct Shivam assume the qualities of the body.
The real experiencer of anything, in an individualistic way, is neither the Shivam nor the physical body. It is the mind that is the centre of individuality, that individualizes and imprisons a ray of the Shivam (Brahm) in what is called the individual soul (Jeev). The mind is a special, limited particularization of the Shiva-Consciousness; which is unlimited and never ceases to be all-pervading (Supreme-Consciousness / Pure Consciousness/ SAT-CHIT-AANAND) . The mind is the form of the collective totality of desires, and hence, it is inert and powerless. But it appears to be conscious and powerful as the Inner Self (Shivam) is reflected through it, in the form of a reflection, very much limited by its own constitution. Hence it will be clear that the individuality of a person is as much real or unreal as a reflection of a real object.

This mind, as embodied in the subtle body (Sookshm Shareer), that undergoes the pleasure of Heaven or the pains of Hell, or for that matter, any experience through a gross or a subtle body. Karm of the individual determines the form or shape of the experience. The Shivam is the Absolute which is not really affected by any experience of the mind. The mind is mortal, while the Shivam is immortal. It is the highest condition called Shiva Mukti where there is no duality, no one can see anything, one merges himself in Shivam or the Highest. If you wish to see, you will have to come to the stage immediately below the Highest. Lord Shiv (with Form) is inferior to the real Shivam which is Formless.

The Kathopanishad comapares the mind to the reigns of a charioteer (Manah Pragrahameva cha), the human body to a chariot (Shareeram rathameva cha), the intellect to the driver of chariot (Buddhim cha Saarathim) and the Aatmaa to the owner of the chariot (Aatmanam Rathinam viddhi). The sense organs have been compared to horses which need to be co-ordinated. The Upanishad further says, if the mind is always undisciplined, the senses become uncontrolled like the bad or uncontrolled horses of the charioteer. On the other hand, if one is possessed of a disciplined mind, his mind is always under control like the good or controlled horses of a charioteer.

As Krishn says in the Geetaa "The mind is fickle in nature (Chanchalam tu manah)". At another place, in the second chapter of Geetaa, He says, "If a man whose mind and senses are not disciplined endeavors to fix his mind on God, his senses drag his mind along with them. A mind thoroughly disciplined gets riveted to the Supreme (Vinayitam Cheete Aatmaani avatishtate), declares the Lord in the 6th chapter of Geetaa. A thoroughly disciplined mind when it is focused on the Supreme during meditation has been compared to a steady flame of light which is protected from the wind from all sides and which does not flicker or fluctauate. Such a mind is called Niruddh ie., brought under control. The mental agitations and tossing of mind have been compared to the wind blowing on the flame of mind. The mind of such a person automatically withdraws itself completely from the world. Such a mind is said to have become still.