Vivekachudamani 15 Going Beyond the Body Consciousness - By Swami Tattwamayananda

The message of the 85th, 86th and 87th verses is: “The human body is a wonderful instrument for attaining a higher purpose in life. However, if we look upon it as the supreme goal, then we are headed towards spiritual degradation.”

One outlook on the body is the following: The body changes every moment. There is nothing remarkable about it. What is inside the skin bag, if it comes out, even crows won’t eat it. We use a sanitizer if we happen to touch anything that comes out of the skin bag.

Another outlook on the body is the following: We can use the body to go beyond itself. To achieve any form of excellence, we have to lift our consciousness beyond the bodily level.

86th verse: “Anyone who worships the body, is like the man who tries to cross a river on the back of a crocodile, not knowing that he will be killed mid-stream.”

87th verse: “Associating our identity with the body is a great delusion. One who gets out of this delusion attains liberation.”

Nachiketa’s story and his three boons from Kathopanishad are a good illustration of the evolution towards spiritual enlightenment. The three boons asked by Nachiketa represent three levels of evolution: (1) Good life in this world (2) Living the same good life for a long time in Paradise (3) A sense of everlasting contentment by understanding the reality beyond death, our true identity beyond the body.

The 87th verse used the word “Moha”. It means self-delusion, obsession with the body. When we are within Moha, we are not aware of it. When we are out of it, we realize that we were in a trap. Moha is maha-mrityu, the great death.

Who are the people that struggle for liberation? Those who realize the imperfection of the world and have an inner feeling and conviction of a higher possibility. Buddha is one of the best examples.

88th verse: “We should get out of this Moha towards body, wife, children and others. By getting out of this trap, we get rid of this death in the form of delusion. Only then we can attain spiritual liberation.”

When King Chitraketu’s young son died and he was lamenting, Sages Aṅgirā and Nārada helped him understand the temporary nature of the relationship between father and son, that the physical body come and goes, and that the Atman manifests in the body. This put a spark of spiritual wisdom in Chitraketu’s heart.

89th verse: “The gross body is despicable. It is a skin bag that contains waste matter and filth.”