Swami teaches... The human body has to be carefully protected

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Sai Ram Light and Love Swami teaches...5 - 7 November 2005

The Human Body has to be Carefully Protected

The body, the sense organs, the mind, the Buddhi (intellect) and the Atma

are the five vital elements constituting human.

The body is a chalice, wherein you collect the nectar of Divine Grace. That

is the prime purpose for which it has been gifted to you. Raso vai sah, say the

Vedhas: "He is sweet-nectar, no less." And When His Grace is showered, the body

is thrilled.

The question may legitimately be asked, why or how did this eternal

Universal Atmic principle take up residence in this temporary, particularised

body box? The Divine Spirit illumines the body though it is compounded of

flesh, blood and many impure things. The Atma does not grow with the body's

strength nor does it decay owing to the body's weakness. The Atma Principle is

not subject to growth or decay.

 

The body is the instrument for all activity. Every time before you do

anything, you have to put to yourself this question: "I am the indwelling

divine Atma in this body. As such, is it proper for me to do this action or

not?"

All the troubles of human are due to the fact that he/she does not know how to

make proper use of body. Hence, person is a prey to sorrow and disease. One

thing should be remembered: No one can go against the Divine Will. It should be

realised that the body functions because of the chaitanya (consciousness) within

it. Atmic consciousness animates and activates the body. Just as a magnet

attracts iron filings by its magnetic power, the Atma is responsible for the

operation of all the organs which are inert by themselves.

God by His very nature attracts human. When the magnet fails to attract the

Iron piece, the Iron foolishly concludes that the magnet has lost its power.

The real fact is the piece of iron is too thickly covered by rust and dust. It

does not realise its own defects; it rushes to blame God (the magnet) or even

to deny Him. Human can realise the mission on the Earth when he/she knows

own Divine nature and when he/shereveres all others as Divine. And, human has

to worship God in the form of Human. God appears before him as blind beggar, an

idiot, a leper, a child, a decrepit old man, a criminal or a madman. You must

see even behind those veils, the divine embodiment of love, power and wisdom,

the Sai, and worship Him through selfless service.Your heart must melt in

compassion when the eye sees another person suffering. That is the sign of the

Saathwik (pure or noble) individual; the Thaamasik (ignorant) individual will

be indifferent, he/she is too dull, toobovine, to be affected. The Raajasik

(passionate) one will rush to punish the other one who caused the suffering and

might even forget to relieve the misery of the person affected. When you

clarify and sanctify your vision and look at them through the Atmic eye, the

eye that penetrates behind the physical (with all its attributes and

appurtenances), then, you will see others as waves on the ocean of the

Absolute, as the "thousand heads, the thousand eyes, thousand feet" of the

Viraat Purusha (Supreme Sovereign Person) sung in the Rigvedha.

 

The human body, although it is valueless in itself and is impermanent, has

to be carefully protected because it enshrines the Divine Atma. Without a

strong physique, human is subject to numerous ailments. The ancient Romans, who

were aware of this truth and who were the forerunners of western civilization,

displayed deep concern regarding the development of the body.

"Dahyati iti dehah" (The body is that which is burnt). This is the derived

meaning of the word deha (the body).

Another name for the body is Sarira. The word is derived from the term,

"Siryathi iti sariraha" (That which is liable to decay).

A third name for the body is Mandir (temple or shrine). It is described as a

temple enshrining the eternal divine Atma (individual soul). Viewed as a temple,

it has to be regarded as the sacred and pure abode of the Divine.

The body has also been called Kshetra. The Gita enjoins that one should know

what is kshetra and who is the Kshetrajna. You are the Knower of the field

dwelling within the kshetra (body).

In the case of the human body, you are bound to reap the fruits of the good

or the bad thoughts you sow as seeds. You will have cent percent return. As you

sow, so will you reap. The crop depends on your thoughts and the harvest will be

determined by your actions.

The body is a world in itself. It is not merely the outer form. It is the

collective embodiment of various organs and limbs. Each organ has its own

beauty, which has to be fostered. A body afflicted with disease is incapable of

any resolute action. Pure and sublime ideas can emanate only from a healthy and

strong body. The secret of perfect health lies in keeping the mind always

cheerful - never worried, never hurried, never borne down by any fear, thought

or anxiety.

The mind makes a human. The mind is a conglomeration of thoughts. Thoughts

are reflected in actions. The consequences of actions are being experienced as

pleasure and pain. Each one should enquire for whose sake he or she is living.

 

What is required is the awareness of the vicious game that the mind plays.

It presents before the attention, one source after another of temporary

pleasure. When hunger for food is appeased, it holds before the eye the

attraction of the film, it reminds the ear of the charm of music, and it makes

the tongue water for the pleasant taste of something that it craves for. The

wish becomes very soon the urge for action, the urge soon gathers strength and

the yearning becomes uncontrollable. The burden of desires gradually becomes

too heavy and human gets dispirited and sad. Train the mind to turn towards the

intelligence for inspiration and guidance not towards the senses for adventures

and achievements.

Desires when fulfilled breed further desires; when unfulfilled, they lead to

further instalments of life, in order to calm the urge. The only method by which

the delusion of desire can be destroyed is to dedicate all activities to God and

engage in them in a spirit of worship; leaving the consequences to Him and

ceasing to attach yourselves to them. Human beings are all, 'living cells' in

the body of God, each performing its individual function to promote His Will.

If each one does his duty, in the spirit of dedication, the Light can illumine

all. But, if the doors of the heart are shut against the light, how can

darkness disappear?

Naturally, the worldly life has to be led, with spiritual relation as the

goal. As long as you live in the world, you have to conform to the ways of the

world. But the ideal must be based on the recognition that nothing belongs to

you - neither mother, nor father, kinsmen or wealth. All these are related to

the changing body.

However many lives one many have had, the body assumed now is new. The

discovery of real Self calls for appropriate enquiry leading to the perception

of the Real. Through this perception, human can experience the Cosmos in its

entirety. Without going through this process, human remains merely human in

form, with no realisation of own true Self.

The progress of the Universe is bound up with the progress of human. Any

amount of development in the areas of scientific, economic and social spheres

will not be of much use without mental transformation. How can we bring about

this transformation? It is by restraining passions and emotions. Since mental

tension is most detrimental to human's health, human should learn the art of

controlling his passions and emotions, which cause stresses and strains. It is

also essential to keep our mind serene and peaceful while eating food. We

should not indulge in discussion of topics which will cause agitation and

excitement and disturb our mental peace while we are taking food. Mental

tension is responsible for ill health.

 

It is essential to keep the body in good health as long as there is life,

just as you must ensure that your boat does not spring a leak till you cross

the river. The body has to be kept clean and for this purpose you have to

practise chanting the Lord's name and doing japa. The Divine cleanses the

heart, when you offer it toGod. However, instead of practising right actions

and putting the body to proper use, many subject the body to various ordeals in

the name of worship and observance of austere penances. Can the Self be realised

by starving the body? When we regard the body as an instrument, we should

realise that the prescribed limits for its use have to be observed. Every

object in the world is governed by certain regulations. Likewise this body is

also subject to restrictions. In our actions, in our speech, in what we see and

what we hear, in our thoughts, we must seek to promote purity and sanctity. When

this is not done, human becomes a demon.

 

As the body is a kind of 'Limited Company', limits have to be observed with

regard to food, drink, speech and hearing etc. Excesses in these spheres result

in great harm. Every individual thinks that it is enough to take care of

him/herself. But individual is a part of society and that he/she should be

equally concerned about the welfare of society as a whole.The spirit of

cooperation has to be promoted. A balance has to be maintained between

individual interests and national interests. Everything in life depends on

maintaining the balance. Today this balance has been lost because of excessive

knowledge and misuse of technical skills. Every action involves using of

energy. If the energy in the body is properly utilised, then balance will be

maintained and the body will be in good shape. The Sanskrith saying declares

"Dharmaartha Kaama Mokshaanaam Aarogyam Muulam Uthamam" (For theattainment of

the four Purushaarthas, good health is essential). Even though one may have all

the wealth in the world, if his health is impaired, he/she is miserable. Good

health is the most important acquisition one should aspire for.

Ancient Indians wished to live long for the sake of a Godly life and for

that purpose preserved their health in body and mind. Today people look aged by

the time they are 60 or 70. You may have read in the Mahabharata that Krishna

was 86 years old and Arjuna was 84 at the time of the Kurukshetra war. They

were in the vigour of youth and fought great battles. Bhishma, who was the

Commander-in-chief of the Kaurava armies, was 116 years of age. It is

essential to observe the principle of moderation in food habits, work and

sleep. The Buddha, preached the same principle of moderation to his disciples.

"Be always moderate, never indulge in excess," proclaimed the Buddha. In fact,

moderation isthe royal road to happiness.

Passions yield only temporary satisfaction, but cause serious emotional

disturbances. Hence, it is imperative on the part of human not to yield to any

unbecoming passions while taking food. The observance of the three P's, namely,

purity, patience, and perseverance, vouchsafes permanent happiness and good

health free from diseases.

However, today people go on consuming food at all times, not to mention

drinks and snacks in between. With the result that indigestion sets in. Young

people should be satisfied with 2000 calories of food per day. This is enough

to sustain them. Doctors advise against the consumption of fatty food stuffs

which cause increase in weight resulting in susceptibility to cardiac diseases

The presence of toxins also inflicts equal damage. So one should eat in

moderate quantity the right type of food and avoid intoxicating drinks. The

intake of food should be gradually reduced after crossing 50 years. The

modern human, who flouts the principle of moderation in every aspect of life,

endangers own health and well-being. The food consumed should be proper, pure

and wholesome. But nowadays people eat whatever they get and wherever they get

it, and thereby spoil their health. Food plays a major role in the

preservation of health. Care should be taken to see that the food consumed does

not have much fat content, for the fats consumed in large quantity are

detrimental not only to one's physical health but also to one's mental health.

Meat and alcoholic drinks take a heavy toll on human's health, causing many a

diseases. Modern human consumes many artificial foodstuffs and a variety of

alcoholic drinks. When human observes moderation in diet he/she can be saved

from most diseases.

 

You must seek to know what kind of food you should eat. You should not

consume any kind of food merely to appease hunger You must take only Satwic

food. Who live on vegetarian food are less prone to diseases while meateaters

are subject to various diseases. Doctors speak about proteins in meat. Are

there no proteins in vegetables, milk and curds and pulses? Non-vegetarian food

not only affects the body but also the mind. Food, Head, God - these three are

inter-related. Pictorially, as is your food, so are your thoughts. Research has

revealed that non-vegetarian and alcoholic addicts are more prone to heart

ailments than vegetarians. If the vegetarian food that is consumed should be a

balanced and wholesome, it should contain liberal doses of vitamin C and

vitamin E, which are available in vegetables like carrots. The presence of

these vitamins prevents heart ailments in a large measure. (The heart is a

special organ in the human system. It is pulsating ceaselessly unlike the other

organs).

Cardiac surgery is helpful in so far as it enables the patient to carry on

daily activities and lead a normal life. But, it is wrong to conclude that

surgery is the only way of curing heart diseases. Some of the diseases canbe

cured even by medicine. In my opinion, it is the primary responsibility of

every individual to prevent becoming a victim of heart disease by regulating

his food and other habits. Prevention is better than cure. There will be little

room for cardiac ailments if one's food habits are properly controlled and

regulated.

Today there is pollution in everything such as the air we breathe, the water

we drink, the sounds that are jarring to the cars and the food we consume.

Because of this all round pollution, human's health is affected. Apart from

this, human's mind is also polluted making person susceptible to diseases.

Human should make an earnest endeavour to lead a serene and pure life. Some

germs such as bacteria, viruses also enter the system and cause a lot of damage

to the human body. Polluted food also accounts for the spread of these disease

carrying germs. Meat, fish, black and red salt, black coffee and tea also cause

spread of fluorosis (when water and/or soil is contaminated with fluorides as it

is in many places of the Earth) and aggravate it further. Chewing betel leaves

also causes tooth decay. Certain drugs sold in the market also aggravate this

disease. So to the extent possible you should change your food habits.

There are some types of antidotes that can be consumed with food to prevent

fluorosis. You should take sour things like lime, orange and tamarind in

greater quantity. You can also take more of tomatoes, potatoes and vegetables

with Vitamin C. You should also take more of carrots to build the bones. Intake

of such food items in a liberal measure will help to combat the incidence of

fluorosis.

Apart from the exercise of such care in the food consumed there should be

also Dhaiva chinthana (contemplation of the Divine). Because people don't think

of God they are subjected to a lot of misery. Without divine thought, human is

harbouring two bad qualities. One is human hides many defects and evil

qualities within. The other is human magnifies even minor faults in others.

Because of such evil qualities among human beings diseases are also on the

increase. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 13. "The middle

path," Chapter 8 and "The company you seek," Chapter 15; Sathya Sai Speaks.

Vol. 23. "Sanctify the body," Chapter 10 and "The abode of the Spirit," Chapter

11; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 27. "Food, the heart and the mind," Chapter 3 and

"Disease and Divinity," Chapter 5).

Namaste - Reet