Keep the body separate from people who give bad food to the senses, even though all are brothers. Let souls be in God, but bodies apart. (CWBSSB, p. 99)
In Bhagavad Gita our body is described as the ‘Kshetra’ and the Paramatma who resides in the body is called the ‘Kshetrajna’. (SSB 1974, p.13)
The body is the temple, and jiva is the ancient deity residing in that temple. (SSB 1974, p.41)
Sorrow is of no avail when death strikes; the body is prone to birth and death; what brings about birth brings about death too; to seek to know why they happen is an exercise in insanity. The acts of God are beyond the ‘cause-and-effect’ chain. Ordinary intellects cannot unravel them; they can at best guess the reason, so far their faculties can reach. How can the intellect grasp something out of its domain? (RKRV Part I, p. 23)
The Body---What is it? (Deham); (2) The Body---I am not it (Naham); (3) Then, who am I? (Koham); (4) Well, I am That (Soham). Unless you cultivate Love, Tolerance, Humility, Faith and Reverence, how is it possible for you to realize God? Be lamps of love that contain all. Then, there is no need for Japam or Tapas. Love, loving service for others (who are forms assumed by the Divine) will provide you the Grace of God. Cultivate Love, become intoxicated with it. (SSS Vol.7, p. 316)
Body should not be taken as the chief or as the be-all and the End-all. (UV, p. 73)
The body, the organs, the mind and the intelligence are like the clothes, we are wearing. They are our Upadhis. The body has been defined as ‘which gets burnt’. We should not understand by this as a reference to the cremation, the setting fire to the body after death. The body is constantly aflame; it is being scorched all the time with all sorts of worries and troubles. There is also another definition of the body, ‘that which is ever decaying’.
God has gifted each of us with the organs of our body for a specific and particular purpose. It is only when we use the organs for the right purpose, for the purpose for which they have been created, we will be fulfilling the divine purpose and can merit His Grace.
Each of the human organs is to be put to use only for the purpose they have been created and meant. The conduct of these organs should be controlled and regulated on certain and proper path. God has given us the nose. The nose is meant for us to breathe in and to breathe out air, and to inhale in fragrances. But if we use the nose for taking in snuff, the purpose of nose is lost and wasted. In the same manner, God has gifted us with a mouth and the tongue, in order to take in sustaining and sattvika i.e. pure food. But if we use the mouth for swallowing unholy food and intoxicating drinks, the sanctity and the purpose of the mouth are lost. Keeping this in view, we should discriminate and reason out as to what purpose and in which manner we have to use our different organs, and should use them only in the right manner. Embodiments of the Divine Spirit! The body itself is insentient. You may question, if the body is insentient, how is it that it grows. The answer to that is, for growing in size, the life-principle is not required. (TTFFW, pp. 5-6)
A healthy body is the best container for a healthy mind; illness makes the mind agitated and anxious. The material and the spiritual are the two pans in the balance. (SSS Vol. 6, p. 109)
The body is the temple of God; in everybody, God is installed, whether the owner of the body recognizes it or not. It is God that inspires you to good acts, that warns you against the bad. Listen to that Voice. Obey that Voice and you will not come to any harm. (SSS Vol.2, p. 28)
In the vocabulary of the West, man gives up his ‘life’; but in the language of Bharatiyas, man gives up his ‘body’. Westerners profess that they have bodies and that the bodies have souls. Bharatiyas do not declare so: they proclaim that man has a soul and that the soul is enclosed temporarily in a body. Therefore, they feel that the civilisations and cultures seeking sensual pleasures and secular glory are built on a foundation of sand, and can shine only for a brief period of time before they collapse. (V Vahini, p. 67)
This body is the torch, where Atma is the cell; eye the bulb, and intellect the switch. Without the body it is not possible to perform any activity. For all types of work and activities the body is needed; it is the basis for all practices. Use your body for the purpose of reaching your goal and in performing activities, which will be useful to others. (DBG, p. 50)
The body is given to you in order that you may realise who you truly are, in order that you may recognize its In-dweller. Without a body you would not be able to know. Him; you would not be able to perform any activity and follow any Karma. All the Karmas can only be performed with the help of the body. The body consists of 20 principles: these are the five organs of perception, the five organs of activity, the fives vital airs and the five sheaths. When you add to these the lower mind (Manas), the power of discrimination (Buddhi), the seat of feelings in the heart (Citta), and the ego sense (Ahamkara), together with the indwelling Atma, then the total comes to 25 principles, which comprise an individual. This knowledge of the body and the indwelling spirit is known as Samkhya; it relates to the path of wisdom the Samkhya Yoga, which is taken up in the second chapter of the Gita. . (DBG, pp. 91-92)
When a body is born it is pure and unblemished; it is not a victim of any of the six enemies of man, desire, anger, greed infatuation, pride and jealousy. A newborn is always happy, it cries only when it is hungry. Whoever may look at it, whether that person is a thief, or a king, the body is happy; it smiles and laughs at whoever comes towards it, whether that person has come to kiss it or beat it. Since a small child is pure, its body can be described as Dharmakshetra. A body, which is not affected by any of the Gunas, the impure qualities, is Dharmakshetra.
As the body grows, it goes on collecting different types of bad qualities, jealousy, hatred, attachment, and so on. When all these things develop in the body it becomes Kurukshetra. So the same body is both Dharmakshetra and also Kurukshetra. Good and bad are both encased is your heart. Rajo guna and Tamo guna are with ‘myness’, the possessive quality. The word Pandavas stand for purity and the Sattvic nature. For describing whiteness and purity, the word we use is Pandu: The children of Pandu were pure, and the inner significance of the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas is the inner war in each individual, the war between the good and the bad, between the pure and the impure. The war between the Pandavas and Kauravas did not last for a long time, but the war between the forces of good and evil continues on throughout your life, it has no end. This battle is fought on the field of Dharma. Entering the field of Dharmakshetra there should be some transformation in your nature that is the significance of this field of battle. (DBG, pp. 100-101)
Krishna said ‘Child, in the end each body is destroyed by time, know that you have existed in countless bodies and have gone through countless cycles of births and deaths for ages past, as long as anyone can reckon. The very meaning of the word for body in Sanskrit, Sarira, is ‘that which wears out’; It Is born as a lump of flesh during its growth it becomes a beautiful attractive body but then ultimately it becomes old and loses its strength and attractiveness. The body is an inert, insentient thing; during a lifetime it undergoes a number of changes and then eventually gets worn out. The body itself is just an inert thing, but it is full of consciousness, because its very basis is Divinity. (DBG, pp. 106-107)
In the Bhagavad Gita the body has been described as a pot having ten holes, within is an inextinguishable light. If you were to cover this pot with a thick cloth; then you would not be able to get any light shining through. If, however, you gradually lift this thick cloth covering the pot then you are able to see the light coming through the ten holes in pot. At that point, it looks as though there are ten lights. But when you break the pot you realise that there is only the one light inside. The self-effulgent Atma is the one light shining within. The splendorous light of Atma has been covered by the body and its ten sense organs, the five gross and the five subtle, represented by the ten holes in the pot. And this pot of the body, in turn has been covered by the thick cloth of my-ness and attachment. First of all my-ness stems from ignorance, it is just delusion arising from Maya. (DBG, p. 144)
Krishna told Arjuna ‘Child, the body has been given in order to understand the Dehi, the In-dweller. Use it for the sacred purpose. Animals and birds have not been given this discriminating power’. (DBG, p. 147)
Perhaps you are proud of your own body. But the body consists of the five elements. One day or the other it will perish. Only the In-dweller is permanent. It does not have birth or death, it does not grow or decay. It shines everywhere. In the whole world there is this effulgent one. It has been said that even in the absence of peace, there is peace, for behind everything there is this splendour. That splendour is the Paramjyoti, the eternal flame ever shining inside. Turn towards the eternal, take shelter in the Lotus Feet of the Lord. Do not keep looking towards this body and feeling proud. This body is full of diseases, it undergoes many changes. It is not even able to journey on this ocean of worldly existence and survive. This body is only an inert thing; it is nothing more than seven buckets of water, the iron from four 2-inch nails, the phosphorous of 1,100 matchsticks, the carbon contained in four pencils and two pieces of soap. When you put all these things together with a few other assorted substances, it becomes a body. So, the body just consists of this inert matter but it is able to move and exhibit life because there is an In-dweller inside. (DBG, p. 221)
Body is the consequence of action; it is associated with time circumstances and causation. (DBG, p. 223)
A person gets a human body in order to enjoy the fruits of actions that have previously been performed. The body is directly associated with Karma, it has no meaning outside of Karma. Body means Karma, and Karma means body. The body is the field of every kind of action, it is the Karmakshetra, but God is the field of sacred and righteous action. He is Dharmakshetra. The time and place of action is governed by nature. So it is in action that God, man and nature come together. Everything in the world is the result of Karma. That is why he Upanishads have declared offer your prostrations to Karma. Be it good or bad, be it virtue or sin, all Karmas all actions are manifestations of the powers of the God. That is the reason why a Yogi, without caring whether it is good or bad, accepts everything that happens to him as the will of the Lord, and considers the performance of righteous action as his primary duty. The purpose for which you should be performing all actions is to sanctity your life. It is only through God’s grace that you gain the privilege to engage in righteous actions and thereby sanctify your life. (DBG, p. 247)
The body is an anthill, which has inside the cavity, the mind. And the mind has hidden in it the serpent named Ajnana (Nescience). It is not possible to kill the serpent by resorting to satisfaction-oriented works (Kamya Karma). Jnana is the only weapon that can kill it. ‘Shraddhavan labhathe Jnanam’. That person alone who has Shraddha can secure Jnana. And Shraddha means steady faith in the statements laid down in scriptural texts (Shastras). (Sutra Vahini, p. 6)
Scholars have expressed different views regarding the sthula, sukshma and Karana sariras (gross, the subtle and the causal bodies). In my view the gross and subtle bodies are like twins, resembling sound and its echo, an object and its image. In certain places, when you raise a cry you hear the echo. In other places it is present but not audible. The whole universe is an echo of God. It is like a mirror which reflects the image of God.
Just as your own voice is reflected back by the echo, your actions return to you as reactions. Hence, you should learn not to abuse anyone or harm anyone. Good and bad are nothing but reflections of your own inner being. It is on the basis of this truth that I advise people to be good, see good, do good as the way to God. (D3 , p. 66)
Narada said, ‘Abuse or praise, vilification or veneration pertain to the body only and not to Atma which is beyond all pairs of opposites. The one supreme Paramatma alone dwells in all beings. That being the case, who is the reviler and who is the reviled? Who is a friend and who a foe? All are the same. The blood that is saturated with the constant remembrance of God becomes our offering dedicated to God. Whether out of hatred or love, lust or envy, ego or surrender, whatever be the feelings, it is enough if the Lord’s name is remembered incessantly’. (ICS , p. 50)
Dahyati iti dehah - That which is burnt is called the body. This is the derivative meaning of the word Deha - body. It is a matter of common knowledge that the body is burnt after death. But even when it is alive, the body experiences burning due to worries. The body is inert. It is a storehouse of filth and subject to all kinds of diseases. It is a bundle of bones and flesh and cannot help you to cross the ocean of births and deaths. So; Oh Mind! Instead of relying on such a flimsy body, better cling to the Lotus Feet of Lord Hari. This was the prayer of sages. (ICS , pp. 11-12)
The body is a world in itself. It is not merely the outer form. It is the collective assemblage of many organs and limbs. (ICS , p. 24)
Body is a compound of elements. Body is liable to rot and get burnt. Body is a house given to you for rent. The owner is God. Live there so long as He wills, thanking Him and paying Him the rent of faith and devotion. (FDD, pp. B-10)
Body is a machine with the five substances;
(a) Space
(b) Air
(c) Fire
(d) Water
(e) Earth
(FDD, pp. B-11)
Body is the camera, the mind is the lens, the heart is the photographic plate. The thought is the flash and intelligence the switch. Body is the temple of God. Keep it clean, fresh and fragrant through developing compassion and love. (FDD, pp. B-12)
Your body is like a camera. Your heart is the film; your mind is the lens. If you turn the lens of your mind towards the faults of others and similar bad thoughts/things, the film of your heart will be imprinted with all those bad things. If you direct the lens of your mind towards good thoughts/objects, your heart will have good impression. (Uniq, p. 147)
Your gross body is like the outer leather cover of the football; and your subtle body is like the rubber bladder inside it. When it is inflated with the air of ego, the football of your body receives kicks after kicks in the game of life. If the air of ego is removed, it becomes deflated and therefore receives no more kicks. (Uniq, pp. 147-148)
‘Sariram madhyam Khalu Dharma Sadhanam’ (The body is the primary requisite for the achievement of Dharma). The body has to discharge a variety of functions for the sake of the family, the society and the nation. (SSS Vol.28, p. 99)
Though the body is transient, it is given only to do Dharma (righteous deeds) and reach the goal ‘Sariram madhyam Khalu Dharma Sadhanam’ (The body is essential for realising Dharma). Birth and death go together. Death follows birth like a shadow. One cannot say when, where and how death will occur. It may be in childhood, youth or old age, in a house or outside, in a town, or a forest, on the ground, in water or in the sky. One should realise that death is a natural phenomenon and avoid worrying about it.
Since you are provided with the faculty of discrimination, you should use it in the right way and not with selfish motives. When you use it for collective benefit, with social awareness, it is very beneficial. It is because man is using his intellect for selfish purpose, he is not happy. If it is used for the common benefit of all, one can enjoy real happiness. (SSS Vol.26, p. 254)
‘The body indeed, is the basis for the pursuit of dharma’. It is by the pursuit of dharma that Brahman is realised. (SSS Vol.26, p. 33)
Mind is the cause for one’s sorrow as well as joy: for one’s gain or loss, for praise or for blame. Liberation cannot be attained unless the mind is conquered. Saint Jaimini said that one cannot attain liberation by simply living in a forest Saint Jaimini said, ‘Misfortune will come to you even if you hide yourself in a dense forest. Your body is bound to be destroyed by death even though you take utmost care of it.’ (SSB 1993, p. 102)
Mind has a very high position in the spiritual plane. Science views the mind differently. It is a chemical and biological composition. Truly speaking this is not correct. The combination of chemical and biological composition is the body and not the mind. What are the chemicals in the body? There is: Iron equal to 2 inches; lead equal to 6 pencils, 5 Lux soaps, 1 bucket of lime water; phosphorous equal to 900 match sticks; sulphur. The sum of all this is the body. So let us see how the biological combination is present in our body. A bone contains calcium. This is not merely a chemical. There is marrow also in it. If there was no liquid why would the dogs fight for it? Not only this. If there was only chemical, how would they grow? Biological elements are also present in it, which causes it to grow. It is wrong to take this combination for the mind. (M, p. 23)
The body has to be maintained properly. You should not eat as you please. The stomach is like a petrol tank; it should not be overloaded. You should have Mitaharam and Hitaharam (Moderate and wholesome food). Take, for instance, Swami’s example. Many people dine with Me everyday. They are aware of this. For the pas one month, I have stopped eating even Ragi Sankati, which was My regular diet. I am taking only one chapatti and nothing else. You all can see how blissful I am. Some people think that Swami is looking weak. It is just a reflection of their feelings. There is no weakness in Me whatsoever. I am very strong. I can walk any distance. If necessary, I can even run. What is the secret for this? My Lavanya is responsible for this. Many people wonder as to how Swami appears so young and blissful even at this age. How can you expect Me otherwise? I have no worry at all. I am always full of bliss. Follow Me. I keep on saying, ‘My life is My message’. Follow my footsteps and you will remain energetic and blissful forever. Lead a happy, healthy and ideal life and serve the nation. Understand you are born to serve and not rule over others. Develop the spirit of service and sanctify your lives. (SSB 2002, p. 14)
If you want to find some precious stones, you will have to look for them in the midst of dust and rubble in the earth. But if you search for the precious stones in the open sky, you are not going to find them. This body is equivalent to dust, and in the body alone you can find the Lord. Man duty is to make such an attempt - by which he will find the jewel of the Divine aspect in this body. (NNSG Vol.9, p. 83)
The body is made up of five elements and is bound to perish sooner or later; but the In-dweller has neither birth nor death. The In-dweller has no attachment whatsoever and is the eternal witness. Truly speaking, the In-dweller who is in the form of the atma is verily God Himself.(Telugu Poem)
This body is a den of dirt, and prone to diseases; it is subject to change from time to time; it cannot cross the ocean of Samsara. It is nothing but a structure of bones, Oh mind! Do not be under the delusion that body is permanent. Instead take refuge at Divine Lotus Feet. (Telugu Poem) (SSB 2002, p. 173)
The one who drives a car should also have the ability to control it. If he has no control over the vehicle he is driving, then he is sure to no meet with an accident. Our body can be compared to magnetic car. The eyes are the headlights, mouth is the horn, mind is the steering, and the stomach is the petrol tank. The four objectives of human life – dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (desire) and moksha (liberation) – are like the four tyres. You should fill these tyres with the air of faith. The pressure of air filled in the front tyres should be different from that in the rear tyres. The petrol (food) that is filled in the tank (stomach) should be pure and sacred. When the petrol is impure, there could be a blockage. Hence sathvic food is recommended. The water we drink should also be pure and unpolluted. Only then will the ‘car’ be in good condition and take us to the destination. Man’s life will redeemed only when he understands the principle of his body. (SSS Vol.35, pp. 66-67)
The Physical body is the Annamaya kosha (the sheath of food), which is of inert nature. It is composed of elemental substances like calcium, iron and water. The five vital breaths (pranas), the mind, the intellect and the sense organs, those of perception (hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, smelling) and those of action (speech, handling, locomotion, ureto-genital, defecation), constitute the sutble body. The subtle body is the illusory form. In dream state, which occurs in the subtle body, the mind not only creates itself, but also experiences pleasure and pain, fears and agitations. The subtle body is associated with maya (delusion).
The anandamaya kosha is the Causal or the Seed Body. Although it has the name anandamaya (blissful), it is not real bliss. The causal body is an image or reflection of Super Causal Body. The Super Causal represents the supreme principle. It is the blissful state of the Atman that is reflected as an image in the sheath of bliss (the Causal Body); The mind is like the moon, which is not self- luminous. The Atma is self-effulgent. It is this light that illumines tbe body, mind and the buddhi, and the senses, and that invests them with consciouness. (WLMG, p. 401)
Another name for the body is Sarira. The word is derived from the term, ‘Siryathi iti sariraha’ (That which is liable to decay). At birth the body is a lump of flesh and blood. As it grows it acquires beauty of form in youth. Then it is overtaken by the ravages of old age. The body is thus subject to many changes.
One another name for the body is Mandir (temple or shrine). It is described as a temple enshrining the eternal divine Atma (individualised soul). Viewed as a temple, it has to be regarded as the sacred and pure abode of the Divine. As such it should not be misused. This implies that the body is intended to be used for having good thoughts and good deeds. (SSS Vol.23, p. 69)
Give the body the attention it deserves, but, not more. Some people advise that you should cultivate disgust towards it but that is not beneficial. Tend it as an instrument; use it as a boat, or as a raft. Disgust is not a desirable attitude towards any thing in creation. Everything is God’s handi -work, an example of His Glory, His Majesty. Consider the crow, for example. You dislike its cawing but, what does its cry, ‘Kaav, Kaav!’ mean? Kaav means (in Telugu) ‘Save, Protect’. It is reminding you to pray to God. It is praying so, itself, all the while. What a great lesson it teaches! You know the Ramayana story, of the crow that teased Sita,that drew upon itself the ire of Rama that flew in terror all round the world to escape His arrow, that finally fell before both Rama and Sita in total surrender, (kaav, kaav) it was thereby. The story says that its eye was damaged by anger of Rama. But it was granted enough compensation. They both, Rama and Sita, fondled it and blessed it, pardoning it for its imprudence. The cow too when it voices forth ‘Ambaa! Ambaa!’ is calling on the Mother (the Jagadamba), the Mother of the universe as well its own Mother. Welcome inspiration from any quarter for your own improvement. (SSS Vol.5, pp. 48-49)
Really speaking, the body has to be treated as a wound that has to be washed, bandaged, and treated with medicinal ointment, three or four times a day. That is the real purpose of food and drink and raiment. Thirst is the disease; drink is the drug. Hunger is the disease; food is the medicine. Craving for the pleasure is the disease for which detachment is the medicine. (SSS Vol. 6, p. 44)