The Bhagavadgita on the
spiritual significance of the human body
by Jayaram
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.
Suggested Further Reading
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