The Bhagavad-Gita on the nature of human body
by Jayaram
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From the Hindu spiritual point of view all that is perishable, that
has a
beginning and an end and that which is subject to change and impermanence
is not real. Going by this logic, the human body is not the real self.
So also the mind and the senses and all that exist within their
sphere. These constitute the physical self or the outer sheath inside
which is located the true self or the divine element. Identifying
oneself with the physical self and accepting it as the true self is
part of the illusion we all suffer from. This false identification is
responsible for our bondage and continuation of the cycle of births
and deaths. We accept the false self as true because we cannot
comprehend the truth that exists beyond the domain of the physical
self and its instruments.
Arjuna was inundated with sorrow as he entered the battle field and
foresaw what was awaiting his kith and kin in the great battle into
which they were all drawn for one reason or the other. There were
those who were itching for the war to begin. There were some who were
not interested in the war, but joined due to some obligation or
responsibility. There were some who were unhappy about the
developments, but had little influence to prevent it.
These are the basic standpoints we take up as things happen around
us in our lives. We react according to our view of the world and the
way we judge things. We cannot see things beyond a point with clarity
because we are driven by different motives and purposes as we get
involved with the events of the world. We do not let our real selves
take over our judgment and help us deal with the problems of life. We
cannot let go of things because we develop a deep relationship with
the external world and become attached to it.
Arjuna's sorrow was because of his identification of himself
with his physical self. As he was not aware of the true nature of Self
and its imperishable nature, till Lord Krishna explained to him the
difference, he could not look beyond the physical existence of man and
view death as a mere interlude in the soul's journey.
The body is perishable, destructible, subject to the process of
aging, sickness and disease. It is like the dress we wear. Just as a
man discards his worn out clothes and takes on new clothes, the soul
discards worn out bodies and takes on new ones (2.22). Just it passes
through in this body from childhood to youth and then to old age, it
passes from one body to another (2.11) The wise men are therefore not
deluded (2.13) and do not grieve over the dead or the living (2.11).
The body is the city of nine gates (5.5), the seat of the senses,
the field of Prakriti, made up of the five mahabhutas ( great elements
namely the fire, the water, the earth, the air and the ether), the
ego, buddhi, the invisible (self), the ten senses (the ears, the eyes,
the skin, the tongue, the nose, the hands, the feet, the mouth, the
anus and the sexual organ) and the five objects of the senses (the
sound, the taste, the touch, the smell and the shape). Other
constituents of the body are desire, repulsion, happiness, sorrow, the
aggregate, dynamic awareness, decisiveness (13.5&6).
The body is the seat of illusion where Prakriti enacts its play
through the triple gunas or qualities namely, the sattva, the rajas
and the tamas. The interplay of these gunas create desires in the
being through the activity of the senses and through desires delusion
of the mind and bondage. Under the delusion caused by the gunas, man
becomes egoistic, thinking that he is the doer, and there by becomes
attached to the modes and actions (3.29).
The body which is the seat of illusion can also be a source of true
liberation. A karmayogi who engages the organs of his body in
desireless actions, keeping his body and mind under control, detached
mentally, offering the fruit of his actions to God, living only to
perform bodily functions, becomes liberated from the bondage of birth
and death and is never reborn again (3.21-23).
The body can be a source of liberation at the time of death, for
the true yogi who has mastered his senses and controlled his mind.
This is possible because what ever a person remembers at the time of
his death, he attains that alone (8.5). Thus a person by remembering
God at the time of his death, full of devotion, through the strength
of the yoga, holding the life breath between the two eye brows, can
easily reach Him (8.10).
By closing all the openings of the body, establishing the mind in
the heart and fixing life energy in the head, and uttering the
syllable "AUM", the yogi can easily attain the Supreme Self
(8.12&13). A man should, therefore, train his mind through buddhi
yoga and at all times think of God only.
But one should not subject the body to torture and severe ascetic
practices. The person who tries to restrain the organs of work
outwardly without inner control and detachment from sense objects is a
man of deluded intellect and a hypocrite(3.6). Those are men of
demonical resolve, who practice austere penances not enjoined by the
scriptures, under the influence of lust, power and attachment, and
there by torture the body and also God who dwells in the body
(17.5&6).
The Yoga is not for one who is a voracious eater or a non-eater. It
is also not for him who sleeps too much or who does not sleep at all
(6.16). Moderation, regulated diet and relaxation, restrained actions,
discipline in sleeping and waking, is the path to freedom from sorrow
(6.17).
Thus according to the Gita, the body is a mere vessel, perishable,
changeable and discardable at the time of death. It is the creation of
Prakriti, an Adhibhuta, in which is housed the Adhiyagna, the
imperishable soul, dwelling as the inner witness (8.4). Since the body
is perishable one should not identify oneself with it and not grieve
over any ones death.
By detaching oneself from the body consciousness, by controlling
the mind, by becoming wary of the play of the gunas and the senses, by
constantly fixing the mind on the Higher Self, by performing the daily
duties with a sense of detachment, one can achieve true liberation and
the Highest Goal.
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Suggested Further Reading
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