Pujya Ramsukhdasji Maharaj

[Guest guest]

The Root Cause of all Evils - Assumed Identity with Body

 

There is bondage when a man assumes his affinity " I " ness

and " mineness " , with the body. But, in reality, he is different from

the body. So if he realizes the truth that the body being " idam "

(this), is different from him, he is emancipated. This knowledge

about the body, that it is different from the self, is significant,

not only for spiritual aspirants, but also for all human beings,

because all are eligible for attaining salvation. Therefore Lord

Krishna has made this distinction between the Self and the body, from

the very beginning of the Gita.

 

The body is seen as distinct from the Self and therefore it is

called " Idam " . The physical body, consisting of earth, water, fire,

air and ether and which is ever changing is " Idam: (this). The change

in the body is perceived by the five sense organs - ear, eye, skin,

tongue, and nose. The change in the sense organs are perceived by the

mind. The change in the mind (its fixity or volatility) is perceived

by the intellect. The change in the intellect (full understanding,

partial understanding, no understanding) is known by the Self, which

ever remains unchanged. Thus the self is the real onlooker (silent

witness), which can perceive and know others independently, but can

never be known or seen by anyone.

 

Senses can know their objects, but objects cannot know sense (which

are subtler than and superior to objects and their illuminator).

Similiarly senses and sense objects cannot know the mind; the mind,

senses and sense-objects cannot know the intellect, while intellect,

mind, senses and sense-objects cannot know the Self. The reason is

that sense, mind, intellect are not independent knowers. Each can

know objects of gorsser form than themselves, while the Self is an

independent knower, because it is far subtler than and superior to

the body, senses, mind and intellect.

 

Though it has been said that the sense-organs, mind and intellect are

also perceivers (onlookers), yet the fact is that these can perceive,

only when they are accompanied by the self, because the mind and

intellect etc., being evolutes of matter (prakriti, nature) cannot be

independent onlookers. The Self is the real onlooker.

 

Now a question arises as to how the soul which is sentient becomes an

onlooker of the insentient intellect etc., because the onlooker can

see objects of its own class? The answer is, that the soul identifies

itself with the sentient matter and accepts its own separate entity

as " I am " . This " I " is neither insentient, nor sentient. By

identifying itself with matter, it says " I am rich or I am learned. "

By giving to consciousness (Self), it says, " I am Brahma " . Thus

this " I " is the soul seated in Nature, which is the cause of his

birth, in good and bad wombs (Gita 13:21). Thus the embodied soul has

both the sentient as well as, the insentient. The sentient portion

attracts him towards the Lord, while the insentient portion, due to

identity with matter; attracts him towards world, and thus he becomes

the perceiver (onlooker) of intellect, mind, senses, sense objects

and body etc. This assumed identity or affinity is the root cause of

all evils.