Guest guest Posted October 31, 2007 Report Share Posted October 31, 2007 Thus Spake The Lord Arjuna had a doubt. "It may be proper to compare the bodies of people who are eighty, or ninety or hundred years old to disposable garments. How is it proper to compare the bodies of those who are five or ten years old to clothes which have served their purpose? Krishna answered Arjuna, "You do not have the authority to decide which is old and which is new. Such discrimination has not yet developed in you." I am giving one small illustration. Ten years ago you purchased a piece of cloth, kept it somewhere and forgot about it. When you happen to open the almirah now, that cloth attracts your attention. At once you take it to a tailor and have a coat made out of it. When you put on this new coat, you feel happy that you were donning it. But when you bent forward, the coat gets torn. You feel sorry that your new coat is torn. Though the coat is new, the cloth is of old stock. Likewise, the bodies of young persons may appear as new and fresh, but may be old stock belonging to some previous births. Just as the garment is the cloak for the body, the body is the vesture of the spirit. Krishna thus compared the body to a garment which gets soiled and worn-out, drops off and is reduced to ashes. "Death is the dress of life." At the time of death, we cast off one dress and don another. No one laments when he is told that fire is hot or ice is cold. It is quite a natural phenomenon. Similarly, it is natural for the body that is born, to die. Reference: Summer Showers in Brindavan, 1979, P. 61-62. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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