A human being should not degenerate himself into an animal. He should lead the life of a human being. Then only he deserves to call himself a human being. Otherwise, there is the danger of his degenerating to a mere animal. It is only in the animals that the qualities of Kama (desire), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha (delusion), Mada (pride) and Matsarya jealousy) manifest in large measure. We should always live like the two-legged human beings, nof like the four legged animals. Every individual has to constantly remind himself that he is a human being, not an animal. He must develop the faith that he is not merely a human being, but is verily an embodiment of Divinity. The mind, intellect, citta, senses and ego come in the way of a human being in realising this truth. You say, ‘This is my handkerchief.’ Hence, it follows that you are different from the handkerchief. Similarly, you say, ‘this tumbler is mine.’ It follows that the tumbler is separate from you. In the same way, you say, ‘this is my body.’ The implication in this statement is that you are not the body. When you say, ‘my mind’, it means you are different from the mind. Then, the question arises, ‘who are you?’ Since you are different from all these things, you are able to say, ‘my body, my mind.’ Is it not? The result of this enquiry establishes the truth that you are yourself and not the body, mind, intellect, citta, senses or Ahamkara. However, by association with these vestures and appendages, you develop various qualities.

A human being should essentially have three qualities – Nischala tattva, Nirmala tattva and nirmohatva. (steadiness, purity and detachment). One who has these three qualities is verily God Himself. You do not need to enquire from others whether you are good or bad. Your conscience is the judge. You should think of God always. There have been many Divine incarnations in the past, but the divine principle in all of them is one and the same. Just as sugar assumes the form of a variety of sweets, divinity is manifested in various forms. People worship God; sing His glory, thinking that he is present at some distant place. Your heart is the temple of God. Hence, fill your heart with love. One bereft of love cannot be called a human being. In fact, the Pancha bhutas (five elements) are very manifestations of God. Consider the five elements and make proper use of them. (SSS Vol.39, p. 4)

A paan can be made ready by mixing three ingredients, namely betel leaves, nut powder and chunnam (slaked lime). When it is chewed, your mouth and lips turn into red. It is the lime content that is responsible for this red colour. But, lime should be added in a very small quantity; otherwise, there is the danger of the mouth being affected with inflammation. Similarly, man should set reasonable limits to his activities. It is only when man confines himself to limits that he can lead his life as a human being. The moment he crosses his limits, he becomes a demon. A human being should live like a human being only. There are three letters in the word ‘Manava’ (human being) ‘Ma’ means Maya (illusion or ignorance); ‘Na’ means without and ‘Va’ means conducting oneself. Thus, a ‘Manava’ (human being) is one who conducts himself without illusion. Lord Dakshinamurti taught such a sacred Jnana (wisdom). He taught that in spite of one donning the human body, one should not develop any attachment to the body. ( DD on 11.08.2006, pp. 2-6)

The power that a human being possesses is unparalleled. The human being is most powerful. That is the reason why even God incarnates in the form of human being. It is said Daivam manusha rupena(God is in the form of a human being). A human being is the crown of God’s creation. And, God is supreme. It is a sacrilege to forget such an omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God. We must constantly contemplate on God. You may be engaged in a variety of tasks. But, you should never forget God, who is changeless and eternal. That should be your true nature. Your true nature should always remain the same. (SSS Vol. 41, p. 17)

Man adopts himself to continuous changes in time, situations and environment. One who changes himself thus is not a human being in the real sense. Who is a real human being? One who does not undergo a change; one whose faith in the Atma-tattva (self) is firm and steady. That is self-confidence. One who develops that self-confidence can find a place for himself permanently in the history of the world. (SSS Vol.42, p. 49)

The human being is a composite of man and beast and God, and in the inevitable struggle among the three for ascendency, you must ensure that God wins; suppressing the merely human and the lowly beast. (SSS Vol. 6, p. 123)

There are four qualities which characterize a human being. They are love, mercy, compassion and forbearance. Unless a person has these four qualities he can be compared to an animal. Man must develop these qualities and express them in the outer world with an attitude of service and brotherliness. (S&M, p. 180)

Since time immemorial human being has been called ‘Nada Bindu Kala Swarupa’. It is these three aspects that are responsible for the existence of humanity. What is the meaning of ‘Nada’? It is the primordial sound ‘Aum’ that emanates as a result of the combination of Prana (vital force) and Vayu (air). The combination of body, mind and intellect is called the ‘Bindu’. Divinity that reflects in Buddhi (intellect) is called ‘Kala’. So man is the embodiment of ‘Nada’, ‘Bindu’ and ‘Kala’. The Principle of Atma transcends all these three aspects. That is why the sages, while offering prayers to God, used to say, ‘Nada Bindu Kaladi namo Namah’ (salutations to the One, who is beyond Nada, Bindu and Kala). These three aspects pertain only to the nature. The potter makes pot by mixing water and clay. But that does not make him the creator. It is divinity latent in man that enables him to perform the task. Spiritual knowledge helps us to undertake good actions and cleanses the mind. But that is not enough. The heart also should be pure. In the absence of purity of heart there can never be purity of the mind and the intellect. We should not give scope to the creepers of bad qualities to entangle the heart. A creeper that wounds around the tree covers the tree itself. One should ensure that the creepers of lust, anger, greed and infatuation do not get entangled to one’s own Self. (SSS Vol.31, p. 396)

Based on their mental predisposition, human beings may be classified under four categories as follows:- Deva-manava (Godly man): ‘Brahma Nishtha Ratho Devah,’ it is said. This means: He is a Godly person, who rejoices in communication with Brahman, and is ever established in Brahman, dedicating all actions to God, looking upon all things as His manifestations and joyfully experiencing all forms as reflections of the Divine. The Godly man finds self-fulfilment in his life.

Manava-manava (The human man): ‘Satya Dharma Ratho Marthyah’-He alone is a man who takes delight in truth and righteousness having faith in the scriptural injunction, ‘Satyam vada, Dharmam chara’ (Speak the truth and practise righteousness). He conducts his life according to the twin principles of truth and right conduct. He considers duty or responsibility as more important than rights or privileges. He is endowed with virtues such as kindness, compassion, generosity; charity and forbearance. Thus, the human-man leads the peaceful life of a house-holder.

Maanva-dhanava (Demonic man): ‘Madhyapana ratho Dhanavah’ (A demon is one who takes pleasure in drinking intoxicating liquors). The demonic man spends his time in such Tamasika activities as eating, drinking, sleeping, etc. He is concerned solely with his own selfish interests and enjoyments, and compassion is alien to him. Not even a trace of discrimination and dispassion could be found in him. It is his nature to deride, abuse and hurt others. What is worse, the very sight of great and holy men will arouse in him feelings of jealousy and hatred. A person whose mind is filled with such evil thoughts and feelings is called a ‘demonic man’.

Manava-pashu (The animal man): This type of man wastes his life in seeking only sensual pleasures from birth to death. In this respect he is worse than beasts, because the latter are at least governed by instinct while there is no consideration of reason and season for the human brute who has no control over his ever growing evil qualities. (SSS Vol.26, pp. 222-223)

In every human being, there are what are known as the Shatchakras (the six centres of life energy). Among them, two are important. One is the Hridaya Chakra – the Chakra relating to the heart. The other is the Sahasrara Chakra – the Chakra relating to the head. The Hridaya Chakra is described in Vedantic parlance as Hridaya Kamala (the Lotus of the Heart). This ‘lotus’ has eight petals. Every petal is called Prakriti (Nature). All the eight petals are under the sway of the Lord. This means that God is the Adipati (master) of the eight petals. Because Krishna is the Pati (husband) of these eight petals, he is said to have ‘Queens,’ according to the scriptural text. Those who did not understand the esoteric meaning of all this, described Krishna as having eight queens and as having sported with 16000 Gopikas. The real meaning of the reference to Krishna’s ‘eight queens’ is that he is the Lord of the lotus of the human heart. As such, he holds sway over the heart. When this is rightly understood, the supreme greatness of the Divine will be apparent. (SSS Vol.26, pp. 287-288)

There are five types of human beings. One is the Manava-Daivatvam (human-divine) type; second, the Manava-manavatvam (human-human); third, the Manava Danavatvam (human-demonic); fourth, the Manava-pashutvam (human-animal); fifth, the Manava-hinatvam (debased human).

The human-divine type consists of persons who are aware of the divinity in them. They recognise that the Atma is the real Self and regard the body as an instrument for realising the Divine. They strive to lead pure and sacred lives, always entertain thoughts and engage themselves in acts of charity and righteousness. They concentrate their minds on the Divine and fill their lives with the love of God.

The human-human type are those who discharge their prescribed duties in life according to the various stages - Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa (student, householder, forest-dweller and mendicant)-and lead a pure and sanctified life. Such persons strive to adhere to the basic human values of Truth, Righteousness, Peace and Love and thereby live up to their true human nature.

The term manava (human) has two meanings. One is maa (not) nava (new) - one who is not new. This means that man has a long history behind him. The other meaning is: maa-na-va -one who is free from ignorance (maa-ignorance, na-without, va-living). True humanness consists of turning away from evil courses and pursuing right paths in life.

Manava-Danavatvam (human-demonic) type: This type of human beings follow evil practices not only in matters relating to food and recreation, but engage themselves in acts of cruelty and violence. They lead lives bereft of morality and justice. They are intensely selfish and have no thought of being helpful to anyone. The demonic quality is identified with selfishness and cruelty. If righteousness is the mark of a truly human person, wickedness is the mark of the demonic being.

The Manava-pashutvam ( human-animal) type: This type of person is concerned only with eating, sleeping and sensuous pleasures. These animal qualities are described in Hindi as ‘Khaana, Sonaa, Marnaa’ (eating, sleeping and dying). These persons have no higher aims in life. Hence, they lead an animal existence. There is only one thing, which is worse than this human-animal existence.

That is the debased human being, who will go to the extent of subjecting himself to suffering for the purpose of doing harm to others. He will be prepared to lose both his eyes to see that the other man loses one. He will do harm to those who have done him good. This is the most degraded type of human being. (SSS Vol.20, pp. 128-130)

The human being is a combination of morality (Naithikam), Righteousness (Dharma) and Spirituality (Adhyatmikam). All three constituents are contained in man. Hence, to recognise the Divine in man, his humanness should not be divorced from his Divinity. Divinity is immanent in man. Men consider themselves as mere human beings. This is not so. All of them are manifestations of the Divine. It is because men do not recognise this fact; all kinds of confusions arise in respect of human activities in the phenomenal world. Every person should develop the awareness that he is Brahman (Aham Brahmasmi). Only then he will understand his true nature. God is not distinct and apart from man. (SS May 97 , p. 131)

He alone is a human being who enquires into his true nature. He asks others, ‘Who are you?’ but does not know, ‘Who am I?’ It is the symptom of the delusion, which is the root cause of all grief. Prior to birth, in what way one is related to another? After death, who will follow whom? Physical relationship is impermanent. Ultimately, each one is left to himself, nobody will accompany another. Taking such transient and ephemeral world to be real, man is leading a life of delusion. He should make an effort to understand his true identity and experience peace. Being unaware of the fact that peace is within, man is searching for peace elsewhere. You cannot experience peace in external world. Wherever you go, you find only unrest and agitation. The peace that you aspire for is very much in you.. The divine principle in you is verily the embodiment of peace. Forgetting such reality, you are craving for non-lasting peace in the external world. Stop searching for peace outside. Turn inwards and try to experience peace, which is your very form. (DD on 10-10-2002, p. 4)

Man’s life can be compared to a tree. Asuya (jealousy) and Ahamkara (ego) are like pests which destroy the tree of life. The day man rids himself of these pests, he can become a true human being. (SSS Vol.36, p. 22)

Man is beset today with many problems and difficulties. He alone is a true human being who faces these difficulties with fortitude and overcomes them. For this, what is required is strength of the Spirit. Without spiritual strength, all other things are valueless. (SSS Vol.22)