In plain words
“Among creatures, a human birth is hard to win,” they say. In what way is it hard to win? You do what they do, and beasts, birds and animals do what you do. That is not what makes it hard to win. Man must keep under his control the work he does, the words he speaks and his thoughts, and rise to a level beyond beasts, birds and animals. To seek such a path, one must first of all recognise one's true nature. We must attain three kinds of advaita. What are they? Karmādvaita. What is karmādvaita? I am here. You are here. Within all of you there are five, the five prāṇas. In this body there are the five prāṇas. In women there are the five prāṇas. In men there are the five prāṇas. In boys there are the five prāṇas. Though name and form differ in everyone, the five prāṇas are one and the same in all. So what is the advaita that is the same in everyone? The five prāṇas themselves are the sameness. Next, vastu advaita. This is a thing. This is a cloth. This is not cloth. It is threads joined together. It is not threads; this is cotton. Cotton, thread, cloth: the three together are one. In the same way, vastu advaita is like this. The advaita of the mind. A millionaire eats food of great value. A beggar drinks rice-water. Their foods differ; the hunger is one. A rich man lies on a fine bed of swan's down. A poor man lies down on hard rock and sleeps. Sleep comes to both. The comforts are for the body only, but in sleep the two are one. So when we inquire well into humanness, the doctrine of advaita stands as oneness in everyone. Every human being is born only to recognise his own true nature. Who is he? Is he the body, or the mind, or the Buddhi, or the citta, or the antaḥkaraṇa? When he inquires this way, he takes that very body to be himself. When pain comes, you say, “My hand hurts.” When you say “My hand”, the hand is separate and you are separate. How can you be that hand? When I say “my handkerchief”, I am separate and the handkerchief is separate. When you say “My body”, “my” is separate and “body” is separate. When you say “My mind”, the mind is separate and you are separate. But who are you? Who are you?