Body Wisdom – In Gita Verse 1.30 I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I see only causes of misfortune, O Kṛṣṇa, killer of the Keśī demon.
Now Arjuna says that he is becoming more and more unconscious. My mind is reeling into the objective world. He addresses Krishna, who is the killer of demons. Who is capable of killing a Demon, please help me to come out of my Unconsciousness, which is my demon at this moment. He is not saying that I want to run away from my Unconsciousness, he is saying that in the unconsciousness I am forgetting myself. Through his body and following the body’s wisdom he is turning towards Krishna.
In my blog Bhagavad Gita Verse 1.4, I wrote regarding Self-Remembering, from Patanjali to every Spiritual person says Self-Remembering is key to connect ourselves with our subjectivity. When Arjuna says I am forgetting myself, he is seeking Krishna’s support for Self-Remembering. Even when he is slipping into his unconsciousness he is calling Krishna to bring him back to light. He knew very well that he cannot do anything with his unconsciousness. Only one thing he could do was to turn to Krishna.
Let’s understand Body Wisdom first as Arjuna through his body symptoms became alert towards his unconsciousness.
The body should function rightly, perfectly. It is an art, it is not austerity. It is not an austerity; you are not to fight with it, you are simply to understand it. And the body is so wise, wiser than your mind, remember, because the body has existed longer than the mind. The mind is a very new arrival, just a child.
The body is very ancient, very, very ancient – because you moved once as a rock; the body was there, the mind was fast asleep. Then you became a tree; the body was there, with all its greenery and flowers. The mind was fast asleep still, not so asleep as in the rock but still asleep. You became an animal, a tiger; the body was so alive with energy, but the mind was not functioning. You became a bird, you became a man. The body has been functioning for millions of years.
The body has accumulated much wisdom, the body is very wise. So if you eat too much the body says, “Stop!” The mind is not so wise. The mind says, “The taste is beautiful – a little more.” And if you listen to the mind, then the mind becomes destructive of the body, this way or that. If you listen to the mind, first it will say “Go on eating,” because the mind is foolish, childlike. He does not know what he is saying. He is a new arrival, he has no learning in him. He is not wise, he is yet a fool. Listen to the body. When the body says, “Hungry,” eat. When the body says, “Stop,” stop.
If you allow the body to have its say, you are moving on the right path, the great way. And this is so not only with food, this is so with the whole life. Your sex goes wrong because of the mind, your stomach goes wrong because of your mind. You interfere with the body. Don’t interfere! Even if you can do it for three months, don’t interfere. And suddenly you will become so healthy, and well-being will descend on you. Everything feels okay, the shoe fits. But the mind is the problem.
The mind has its own function; that is, how to relate with others, how to move in this world where so many persons are living, how to drive a car, how to follow the rules and regulations of the traffic, how not to create danger for others or for yourself, how to look ahead and plan. The mind is just like a radar, it looks ahead – where to move, how to move – but the base remains the body.
Those people who are against the body and cripple their senses will miss their connection with subjectivity for a longer period than those people who listen to their senses and follow their advice.
If you listen to the senses you become simple. Of course nobody is going to pay you respect because they will say, “This man is a sensual man.” And a sensual man is more alive than a non-sensual man. But nobody is interested in life; everybody is interested in a dead thing to be worshipped.
Listen to the body – because you are here to enjoy this moment that has been given to you, this graceful moment, this beatitude that has happened to you. You are alive, conscious, and in such a vast world!
The human being is a miracle on this small planet – very, very small, tiny! The sun is over a million times bigger than this earth, and this sun is mediocre. There are suns millions of times bigger than this, and there are millions of suns and millions of worlds and universes. And up to now it seems, as far as science goes, that life and consciousness has happened only on this earth. This earth is blessed.
If we follow the body wisdom like Arjuna, immediately we will be able to connect ourselves with our subjectivity.
Tags: Body Wisdom
