We believe ourselves to be the body and yet we say with the lips, “Today, Ramesh has left the world. I have to go for the final rituals of his corpse” So you are very wise. You know that Ramesh was what was inside the body. Of course, everyone in the world knows there is someone inside the body - when he leaves the body is called a corpse. Dead Body, Dirt. People call the body dirt.
Then why do you believe yourself to be the body? Tell me
Uddhav asked the Lord “Who is the biggest fool?” God did not say, “Kalidas”. He said, “The biggest fool is the one who despite seeing, hearing and knowing that there is someone inside my body because of whom I move, see, hear, smell, touch and know, when he leaves then the body does nothing at all. Even then, he believes himself to be the body.” I am a human, I am a man, I am a woman, I am a Brahmin, a Kshatriya and on top of that - I am a Punjabi, a Bengali, a Madrasi. How far you have gone! You are a soul. What is all this?
Everyone is fighting with each other. There are murders taking place. Even those we call brilliant and accomplished think they are the body and are miserable. Even those famous as great and acclaimed figures - this is Bill Gates, peerless in wealth, this is the President of America. People possessing great powers - this is the most beautiful person in the world, this is the winner of the Nobel Prize. But they are all totally and completely miserable. From their mothers, fathers, spouses, children, neighbors - everyone is unhappy.
All because of only one reason … they believed themselves to be the body. See what a big wonder it is. Tell a person “You are an owl. You are a donkey.” Are you a human being or an owl? - a human being. Then the one calling you an owl must be the real owl. He can’t see properly. He is calling you an owl and a donkey. Why do you feel bad? But he developed such a feeling that he came to blows over a single word.
Such is our knowledge.
A collector (high post in India), commissioner (high post in India), governor, judge slaps his servant. Why did you slap him? “He is a google. He has no sense.” So is he an IAS officer (very high post in India) as well? Is he a justice as well? “No, he’s a menial servant.” Then how do you expect him to be as capable as you? You say he is a fool, which he of course is. But when you got angry, you became a bigger fool than him. Because you are causing your own loss. Before you hit him, anger arose in you. And when anger arose, it damaged your body, your mind and your soul. And you still say, “I am intelligent.”
