Body Obsession
Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita 13.9 teaches Arjuna about: (1) Freedom from verbal arrogance; and (2) Freedom from body orientation.
- Freedom from arrogance (anahankara)
This is similar to the previous values already seen in Chapt 13.8 – Amanitvam & Adhambitvam. All of these convey the sense that we should strive to be free from arrogance, ego, and exaggerated self-opinion. So why are there 3 words for the same thing in the Gita? There is a subtle difference: Freedom from arrogance can be at 3 levels – Physical, Verbal, Mental. These are called Adhambitvam, Anahankara, Amanitvam respectively.
So here – Anahankara refers to not talking about oneself all the time. "I did this…I did that….I like this….I don't like that…etc". What is common ? I. All of my speech is about myself. A friend begins to tell me about their holiday and I end up talking about my holiday ! This is arrogance at the verbal level. Krishna advises we should try and be free from this – talk about things other than myself. If the situation requires, of course I can talk about myself – but not with an arrogant or selfish attitude.
- Freedom from body orientation (janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosa-anudarshanam)
This is a single word – a compound containing many words. It refers to a value for not being too body orientated. Not considering that my entire existence is connected to this physical body alone. Vedanta teaches there is more to you than just your body. The body is just a small limited aspect of who you are. There is a higher element of your existence which is different from the body (Sukshma Sariria, Karana Sarira, Atma – we will see this later). If we become too body orientated it inhibits our spiritual growth and causes us alot of problems. What are these problems specifically associated with the body (dosa) ? Janma – birth, Mrtyu-death, Jara – Old age, Vyadhi – Sickness, Duhkha – other pain. These are simply facts about the body – it will get sick, it will age, it will die. Nothing wrong or 'negatve' with this…its natural. But if we are obsessed with the body these 'facts' become sources of mental pain. Why?
Because we place all our happiness and identity in this body alone. By repeatedly reminding oneself (anudarshanam) of these problems associated with the body, we naturally become more detached from the body. This is what the Gita advises. Be clear – Vedanta never advocates neglect of the body. It is important to keep our physical body healthy with diet and exercise as it is the body that is the vehicle for all spiritual practice and knowledge. However this doesn't mean we become obsessive and fixated on the body alone. Modern society is very much fixated on physical appearance. Almost obsessive. There is more to life than this body and this starting assumption is the basis of the entire 'spiritual' pursuit. This value will free your mind to contemplate higher things!
