The Human Body And Its Importance

17 May 2000, Summer Course 2000, Brindavan

Published English.

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Punarvittam, punarmitram, punarpatni, punar mahi. Etat sarvam punar labhyam, na sariram punah punah. Wealth lost can be regained; If friends are lost, new friends can be acquired; If wife is lost, one can marry again; But the body once lost never comes back.

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Body is gifted for service Men are more valuable than all the wealth in the world. How does money acquire value? Who is the one who confers value on money, diamond, gold, and land? It is man who is responsible for this. If man does not exist, wherefrom will all these get their value? From nowhere. Human life is very rare and precious. That is why the declare, .

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Man must contemplate on the importance of virtues. He is ig-norant about the answers to questions like: "What is Divinity?", "What is unity?", "Steadiness?", "Selfless-ness?". Without knowing the answers to important and basic questions such as these, man, driven by greed and selfishness, is grossly misusing the body. God has not gifted the body for this. The declare:

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. The body is gifted to serve others. You must firmly resolve not only to take care of yourself but also others. Unfortunately, man today does not know what service means. The essence of all the eighteen can be summarised in two short sentences:

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The ‘I’ principle In addition to the body, the mind too must be used properly in order to derive Bliss. There are three important entities in the body; the heart, the mind, and speech. The refer to the heart as . has already told you that is represented by the heart. Likewise, the mind is the embodiment of , and speech is the embodiment of . Man is therefore verily the form of the divine Trinity. One is not able to understand why man does not recognise his intrinsic value and the divinity latent in him. Only one who knows himself can know others. One must endeavour to understand the meaning of ‘I’.

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Everything is contained in the words that we speak. Once a devotee told , "I want peace." replied, "Why are you suffering so much? Do you know the meaning of the word ‘I’ in your prayer? It means ego. Similarly, ‘want’ means desire.

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Who is this ‘I’? Who am ‘I’? This ‘I’ is not the body () nor the mind () nor the intellect () nor the inner senses (). I is just I! This primordial ‘I’ came along with the body; in fact, ‘I’ is your correct name. There are so many ‘I’s in this world. If you know yourself, then you will also know all the other ‘I’s. This is why the question "Who am I?" is important.

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The explained clearly the meaning of ‘I’. This ‘I’ is also known as . Who is this ? is that individual who is able to cognise the subtle and the hidden. He is the one who has realised that Divinity is latent within him. He who does not know of the innate Divinity does not merit being called a man. You must understand the identity of the individual with God. Adherence to and alone would enable one to become a . Hence the twin dicta of the scriptures:

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. Always speak the truth and always tread the path of righteousness.

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God has gifted you the human form to enable you to follow such a sacred path. Therefore, every effort must be made to bring out the latent human values. One does not become a scholar or a learned person as soon as one is born. These qualifications are acquired over many years and after much effort. is the name given to this process that brings to the surface the latent virtues and values. The secular instruction that is currently offered everywhere is education. Dealing as it does exclusively with the phenomenal world, it is artificial. As often says, "Art is outside while heart is inside." Therefore art is education while heart is . There is no person in the world today who can be said to be truly learned in the sense of .

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It is this Supreme Knowledge that you must really acquire. What is it that is deathless? The primordial ‘I’ alone is Eternal and Immortal. It has no death. Mind, the form of , is born of ‘I’, and it too has no death. The Trinity , , and are all ensconced within the human body. They are the embodiment of Ttuth. Thus, when you say ‘I’, it refers really to the name of God, the God within you. It is therefore a mistake to identify ‘I’ with the body, as is invariably done. ‘I’ is that is within; it is the name of truth when it manifests in a human body.

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. All that can be experienced with the senses is ephemeral.

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You must make an effort to realise that the body is just an instrument given to you for a specific purpose, and you must understand that purpose. has highlighted this. Once when was going along with his disciples, he noticed a man vigorously committing to memory the rules of ’s grammar. went to that man and asked, "Why are you struggling so hard to master grammar?’ The man replied, "Because I wish to become a scholar." ’s next question was, "What will you gain by becoming a scholar?" The man said, "I can get appointed in a royal court and earn a lot of money." continued, "What will you do with the money?" The man had a ready answer, "Oh, I can keep my family happy." then said, what happens after that?" The man thought for a while and said, "Well, I suppose I will die." pressed on, "What happens after death?" The man said, "I do not know." then advised that man:

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Bhaja Govindam Bhaja Govindam, Govindam Bhaja Mudhamate. Samprapte Sannihite Kale. Na Hi Na Hi Raksati Dukrn Karane. "O foolish man, always be chanting the name of the Lord. Scholarship in grammar would be of no use when the call of death comes. It is God’s name alone that can secure redemption."

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Na tapamsi na tirthanam na sastranam japa na hi. Samsara sagaroddhare sajjanam sevanam vina. The ocean of life cannot be crossed either through penance, or pilgrimage, or the study of scriptures, or even the ritualistic chant of the name of the Lord. It is service rendered to noble souls alone that can set you free.

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In the , says:

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. Realising that the world is ephemeral and full of misery, constantly pray to me.

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was once walking along the seashore. He was the very embodiment of intellect, and always enquired deeply into the significance of what he observed. As he stood gazing at the ocean, he noticed that wind blew some trash into the water.

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then asked, "O mighty Ocean that art fathomless, why can you not accommodate these tiny pieces of matter that are being blown into you? Why do you repeatedly throw them back on the shore? Why are you so selfish? What do you lose by giving in a little?"

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then sat in meditation, whereupon he heard the Ocean giving a reply.

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For a village, beauty lies in the houses, For the ocean, the waves are the ornament, For the sky, it is the moon that confers grandeur, For a woman, character is true beauty, And for a devotee of , Beauty is the adorning the forehead.

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is the best protection Embodiments of Love! You have a long journey ahead. You must certainly care for your body but this does not mean you must develop body-consciousness. Protect your body by all means and take full care of your health, but use your body mainly to perform good actions.

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Asthiram jivanam loke, Asthiram yauvanam dhanam, Asthiram Dara Putradi, Satyam Kirti Dvayam sthiram. In this world, life, youth, wealth, wife and children, etc. are impermanent. Truth and reputation alone are stable.

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You must, therefore, tread a truthful path, for that alone will earn for you a good reputation. You must protect truth, and without it you have no chance of becoming reputed. It has become fashionable for politicians to advise youth to protect the country. All this is hollow talk. What is it that confers real protection? and alone can provide true protection. If and are upheld, they in turn will duly protect the country.

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Dharmo raksati raksitah. Dharma eva hato hanti. The one who protects will be protected by , but if one tries to annihilate , that person is sure to get destroyed.

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Does it make any sense to talk about protection of the country after abandoning and ? The country can be protected only if is protected. People today have become indifferent to . There is no trace of justice, and truth has gone into hiding. Under the circumstances, how can the country be protected? Instead of pompously uttering empty words, the speechmakers should, by their actions, demonstrate how the country ought to be protected. The words that one uses must reflect the situation and circumstances.

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Words and behaviour must match one’s position An actor once came to a King’s court to give performances. He came dressed as a (renunciant). The actor sang admirably and discoursed eloquently on spiritual matters. He also gave a scholarly exposition on the philosophy of . The King was very pleased and offered a lot of gold. The actor said, "O King, a does not accept gold. I cannot accept this gift." The next day the actor appeared as a dancer. He danced beautifully and pleased everyone present. At the end of the performance the King offered a small gift of just a few coins.

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All of you are in the dress of students; you must therefore have the behaviour and conduct expected of students. You must earn the respect due to students. You should be models of humility, for humility is the hallmark of true learning. You must, therefore, be always humble, speak respectfully to elders, and ever adhere to the path of and . Education is that which fosters noble qualities, keen intellect, truth, devotion, discipline, and a sense of duty. Students have to patiently cultivate all these qualities and attributes. If your behaviour is not in accordance with what one expects from the dress you wear, you will lose respect.

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See no evil; see only what is good! Embodiments of Love! is aware that all of you are highly regarded. Even so, has to say what needs to be told so that you do not become complacent. Proper vision is most essential for a student. You must see only what you are supposed to, and not other things. Do not gaze at everything in the street like a crow! Do you think eyes are given to you for seeing anything and everything? No, no, no! They are given so that you may see just the things a student ought to. Look at your books, and study them. See your parents; you may see your friends but not others.

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Regard all others of your age as your brothers and sisters, and all older women as your mother. In the ritualistic worship of the Sun (), there is a passage to the effect that he who has evil looks would be blinded by the Sun God. Therefore, be warned; bad looks can be dangerous. When walking on the road, look ahead so that your safety is guaranteed. If, for example, you are cycling and your looks wander all over the place, you are more than likely to meet with an accident. Always concentrate on the traffic ahead. Control of looks is so important that gave special emphasis to it. He called for or good looks. Bad looks would only lead you astray into the path of evil.

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You should not lend your ear to all that is being said. Similarly, thoughts too must be kept under tight check. Thoughts must centre around appropriate matters. The questions when, where, and what you must think are all important. Excessive thought can lead to harm. Excessive thinking (plotting) is what the did, and eventually paid dearly for it. They were always seized with evil thoughts, and spent all night devising mean and wicked ways of harming the noble . The came to ruin because they constantly harboured foul thoughts about the who were the very embodiment of . Therefore, always avoid bad looks, listening to bad words and talk, and also bad thoughts. Do not ever utter unbecoming words. Always say good things and speak pleasantly. You cannot always oblige but you can always speak obligingly! Students must cultivate such good qualities for they alone are the true ornaments.

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Students - boys and girls! In this phase of life, there are many virtues that you must acquire; later, you must make good and active use of them. Only if you accumulate wealth now, can you spend it later. If there are no ‘earnings’ now, what can you do later? You must, therefore, firmly resolve to develop right now, good intellect, good habits, and good speech. repeatedly stressed the need for or sacred looks, and never tolerated any violation of this maxim by his disciples. Bad looks encourage bad thoughts, which ultimately lead to ruin. Looks must therefore be strictly controlled.

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Use the body for sacred actions and become ideal leaders Students! You must all earn a good reputation now and later provide good leadership to the country. The children of today are the citizens of tomorrow. The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. When you become leaders, you must make this country sacred. As are the leaders, so will be the nation. If you are good, the country too will be good. You will earn much merit if you shape yourselves to be noble citizens of this great country of , that has the reputation of being a (land of sacrifice), (land of noble acts), and (sacred land). It is for serving this country in a noble manner that you must really care for your body, and not for any other purpose.

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Embodiments of Love! blesses that you will duly treasure all the advice given to you by elders, guests, and teachers, and make ample use of them in the years to come so that you can lead ideal lives. With this blessing, brings this discourse to a close.