A body is needed for inner health and growth of the ‘self’; shariramadyam khalu dharmasadhanam. We must have control over our senses for real health. He who has little control over his senses can hardly remain healthy. In the Gita Lord Krishna said that the sense organs wish to enjoy every pleasure. Such pleasant things are the real cause of pain. Whatever we see is mortal. A wise man will not prefer those worldly pleasures:
Bhoktāram yagyatapasām sarvalokamaheshwaram
Suhridam sarvabhutānām gyātwā mām
shāntimprichchhati.
The Gita 5:29
We aim at remaining healthy and happy; and to excel simultaneously in many fields. We usually claim to be experts, which we, ordinarily are not. The ego in us makes us the expert, and the superiority complex compels us to give advice even to real experts. We are really expert in searching out the weaknesses, and to en-cash it.
But we don’t know the fundamental facts about our body, our mind, the functioning of our organs, the system as a whole; and the most important thing “The Elements”. We attach little importance to them and are never shy of wasting or polluting them. When we pollute or waste the elements, we are destroying ourselves. Our forefathers were great and wise that they saved them.
Our ill health is the result of our inhuman thought and unhealthy food. We care little for our body or mind. We go for junk food and have developed unhealthy habits while the fact is that ‘the purity of self depends on the purity of food, āhārashudhhou satwasuddhi. Purity is the only way otherwise no one will be satisfied after living a sensuous life.
The human body is created with the elements which have a lot of influence over our body, mind and physical well being. A slight negligence can cause immense damage and generate untold misery. One can see physically handicapped people everywhere: men, women and children. Why has the number of physically handicapped grown to such dangerous proportion. It’s only because of the negligence towards the life-giving and preserving elements. It will be too late; if we are not awakened now. A normal child or a normal man could be a rare sight. It will be difficult to live and behave in normal way. There is another effect of the negligence of the elements. Most of the people are behaving in abnormal fashions: mothers are killing their children; fathers are killing their sons; sons are killing their fathers; brothers are notorious in shooting their brothers; servants are killing masters and vice versa; doctors are killing, patients and guardians are killing the doctors; students are killing their teachers and teachers are beating students to death; misbehaviors are common things; wives are killing husbands and vice versa. Stop and think what is wrong with man?
Unfortunately, we are living in an age completely dominated by science and technology. Everyone is running after materialism. In this race they are losing vital elements and all important vitality. In exchange they are getting unheard diseases. We have lost contact with fresh and pure elements; sacred and divine scriptures; inner purity and spirituality. Nature and natural habits have lost their significance. Clearly, it’s perversion but we are claiming it to be modernity; and that we are living a fast life; of course without life.
All the factories and machines are robbing off life, affecting health by polluting air and water; snatching away our creativity and inflicting injuries to our organs. We have lost our mental peace and equilibrium. The indecent ads are adding a lot to demolish the established norms but we are not as yet ready to awaken and be conscious; and to make our conscience the real guide.
We are breaking the structure and system on which Nature and life stand while opting for radiations which are coming to us with ‘electronic equipments’. It’s all because we don’t heed to the teachings of our forefathers who laid a lot of stress on Bahyabhyantar shuchih: inner and outer cleanliness and purity. Only right type of clean atmosphere can ensure health and help in sustaining life. All of us are suffering from certain disease and most of us are suffering from chronic diseases. It’s all because of imbalance in Nature and natural elements.
The whole universe is a configuration of triple energy or triple form or tri qualities. Human beings also have this ‘tri’ in possession so human life is tri-basic or tri-farious or tri-facial: a combination of three distinct qualities, form or energy called: Body; Mind and Soul. But these three are distinct, not replaceable by one another.
There is another tri; tri-guna, tri-qualities: Tamas, Rajas and Sattva that deals with lower, middle and higher character; mundane, royal and pure; physical, mental and spiritual. It shapes the mind, character, growth and progress of a person. It determines one’s yearning and also the changes that occur.
But the tragedy is that most people fail to use their physical power; don’t realize the power of the mind; and barring a few don’t even think about the soul and its abundant power and divine significance.
We always grow from inside. Everything grows from inside. All the outer growth is from inside. All separate entities have come out of one entity. The space is the greatest creation. There won’t be dimensions without space. Only the outer growth is seen and the inner growth is missed. The hands, legs or nails and skin come out because of the subtle and concrete growth from inside. They are not outer parts but are called so. They are as much inner parts as heart, lungs, kidneys or brain. They grow and function in accordance with the system or systems. They are not stitched from outside. They become longer, thicker or more solid only from inside. We always grow from inside.
The growth seems to be in fraction or parts but it is not so. We are divided in infinite fractions. Modern scientists call them cells, which is given the power and agility to grow on its own, as Brahman divided His self into infinite fraction for both subtle and concrete growth. So, every existing thing or being is like Brahman, has the subtle and concrete forms and spirit, soul or self; and works and grows; and has purpose and pursuits to follow. We are all like Him; we are all like Brahman. The Rishis knew it and taught us: yat brahmande tat pinde; whatever is there in the universe, it is also there in the body. We don’t realize and we don’t think.
The existence or the God or the Godliness in existence decides the purpose or pursuit; the ways, the means and makes the self to grow, and leads the soul to enlightenment or destruction or peril.
Our body is not all that we possess. Body is only the outer garb for inner life; Prāna Tatva, the living spirit and soul. Besides the physical body we possess an immensely powerful ‘Spiritual Self’; that is life and ‘I’ of each person. In Indian Scriptures physical body is an instrument for realizing, spiritual body called Ātmā and through it the Param Ātmā. Usually that spiritual self resides in its pristine self. We have to find it, see it, feel it, awaken it and make it manifest. One who knows his Ātmā is in possession of a Spiritual Self; the rest do have it but since they don’t know or meet or face it so they don’t have the spiritual self. They are the ignorant one or they are always referred to as ‘ignorant.’ Ignorant does not mean not knowing the world or worldly things. Ignorance means not knowing Ātmā or the Spiritual Self.
In the words of Vivekanand: “Always think of the body as your house. The people and the world are all absolutely unreal like a dream. Always think that the body is only an inert instrument. And the Ātmān within is your real nature.
Learn to feel yourself in other bodies, to know that we are all one. Throw all other nonsense to the winds. Spit out your actions, good or bad, and never think of them again. What is done is done. Throw off superstition. Have no weaknesses even in the face of death. Do not repent, do not brood over past deeds. Be āzad, be free.”
Each one has a body but no one is the body. The body is not the person though it belongs to the person. The person is neither his/ her hands nor legs; neither head nor toe; neither intestine nor heart. He/ she pervades all: the whole body. As the pervading entity in the body he/ she is a soul. Each one has a soul but he/ she is not the soul. A person is both the body and the soul in it. So each one possesses and belongs to both his/ her physical self and spiritual self: Body and Soul.
Our dilemma, the dilemma of modern man is that we worry about and cater only to our physical needs and forget and ignore the spiritual need. As a result the body, wealth and luxury grow and the soul weakens and becomes empty.
Body is not life there is life in the body. We are not the body in which we are. Body is needed to foster the life force i.e. Prāna Tatva or Spirit, the ātmā or the soul to be more exact; for its growth, development, refinement and possible salvation, Moksha, freedom from the endless cycle of birth-death and birth or rebirth. In that sense all our birth are rebirth. Whenever we are miraculously saved, it is said to be a rebirth. For that very purpose of growth, refinement and salvation, one must keep the body healthy and fit to perform greater and wholesome deeds to take care of all sorts of life on the earth: both human and non-human. That is the purpose of life.
