Essence of All Spiritual Disciplines
First and the foremost a sadhak must understand this point
very well that I am that Divinity and Existence, I am not in body form. We say that what I was in childhood, that alone I am today. If we look at the body, then from childhood to now it has changed so much that we cannot even recognize it, then to we are that alone - this is our experience. In childhood it was playing and jumping around, later it was studying, now it is doing a job - business. Everything has changed, but I am the same one. Because the body does not remain the same even for a single moment, it is constantly changing.
The point is that which is changing is not our "Self Identity" (swaroop). That which is unchanging is our true identity (swaroop). Till now we have taken on countless bodies, but all bodies left, we have remained the same. At time of death too, this body will leave us, but we will go in many wombs, in heaven and hell, in various "lokas", salvation will be ours, we will go to God's abode.
The point is that our existence "IS-ness" is not dependent on this body. With the growth or decrease in size of this body, in weakness -strength, on being a child-aged, whether the body is there or not, there is no difference in our existence. Just as when we stay in a certain house, then we do not become that house. the house is separate and we are separate. The house remains right there, whereas we leave the house and go. Similarly the body remains right here, and we leave it and go away.
The body becomes soil (earth), but we do not become soil/earth.
Gita has said our true self identity is -
"Nainam chindanti shastraani naivam dahati paavakah |
Na chainam kledayantyaapo ne shoshayati maarutah ||
Acchyodhyoyamdaahyoyankledhyos
Nityah sarvagatah sthaanurchaloyam sanaatanah || (Gita 2/23-24)
"No weapons can cut it, no fire can burn it, no water can wet it, no
wind can dry it. The indweller of the body can neither be cut, burned, wetted, nor dried, as it is eternal and all pervading, steady by nature, and eternal. "
The point is the department of the body is entirely separate
and the unchanging indweller in the body (Self) its department is entirely separate. Our Self is not attached to any body. , therefore in the Gita God has called it "sarvavyaapi" "all pervasive" - "Yena sarvamidam tatam" (2/17) , "sarvagatah" (2/24) pervades equally everywhere. The point is that the Self is not restricted to one body, rather it is all pervading.
The body is formed on the earth (in the womb of the mother), walks about on the earth and merges in the earth after death. After death it assumes three forms – if it is burnt, it runs into ashes; if it is buried, it turns into earth and if it is eaten by animals, it turns into excrement. Therefore the body is not important but the self is important.
Gita has said our true self identity is -
"Nainam chindanti shastraani naivam dahati paavakah |
Na chainam kledayantyaapo ne shoshayati maarutah ||
Acchyodhyoyamdaahyoyankledhyos
Nityah sarvagatah sthaanurchaloyam sanaatanah || (Gita 2/23-24)
"No weapons can cut it, no fire can burn it, no water can wet it, no
wind can dry it. The indweller of the body can neither be cut, burned, wetted, nor dried, as it is eternal and all pervading, steady by nature, and eternal. "
The point is the department of the body is entirely separate
and the unchanging indweller in the body (Self) its department is entirely separate. Our Self is not attached to any body. , therefore in the Gita God has called it "sarvavyaapi" "all pervasive" - "Yena sarvamidam tatam" (2/17) , "sarvagatah" (2/24) pervades equally everywhere. The point is that the Self is not restricted to one body, rather it is all pervading.
The body is formed on the earth (in the womb of the mother), walks about on the earth and merges in the earth after death. After death it assumes three forms – if it is burnt, it runs into ashes; if it is buried, it turns into earth and if it is eaten by animals, it turns into excrement. Therefore the body is not important but the self is important.
Though the self rather than the body exists yet a striver
commits a mistake that first he perceives the body and then
perceives the self in the body; first he perceives the appearance and then perceives the reality. How long will this applied polish last? An aspirant should think over whether the soul (self) or the body first existed. If we think over it, it is proved that the self existes first and the body is formed later. Therefore our sight should first be turned to the self, not to the body.
From book "Sab Sadhano ka Saar" in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji
******************************
If in doubt regarding the translation, please read the original Hindi message by Swamiji.
FOR MESSAGE IN HINDI PLEASE VISIT Date : 14th March, 2012 "Sab Sadhano ka Saar"
http://www.satcharcha.