Avidya is a form of Prakriti that obscures the spiritual powers of the individual soul, forming a veil that hides the Supreme from the individual's vision.
concept
Body
The concept of "Body" encompasses physical and metaphysical aspects across spiritual traditions. Many traditions converge on the idea that the body is a vessel for the soul or spirit. However, they diverge in their perspectives on the body's role and purpose in spiritual growth and development.
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Quotes
Know the Self as the rider in the chariot, and the body as the chariot itself; know the intellect as the charioteer, and the mind as the reins.
आत्मानँ रथिनं विद्धि शरीरँ रथमेव तु । बुद्धिं तु सारथिं विद्धि मनः प्रग्रहमेव च ॥ ३॥
The Blessed Lord said: This body, son of Kunti, is called the field; and those who know this call the one who knows it the knower of the field.
श्रीभगवानुवाच | इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते | एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ||१३-२||
You may believe in a God with form or a formless God, but your faith must be genuine and complete. It is through faith alone that one achieves everything.
'Maghavan, this body is mortal, held in the grip of death. But it is the seat of that immortal, bodiless Self. One who has a body is held in the grip of the pleasant and the unpleasant, and while one has a body there is no freedom from the pleasant and the unpleasant. But the pleasant and the unpleasant do not touch one who is bodiless.'
मघवन्मर्त्यं वा इदꣳ शरीरमात्तं मृत्युना तदस्यामृतस्याशरीरस्यात्मनोऽधिष्ठानमात्तो वै सशरीरः प्रियाप्रियाभ्यां न वै सशरीरस्य सतः प्रियाप्रिययोरपहतिरस्त्यशरीरं वाव सन्तं न प्रियाप्रिये स्पृशतः
The first quarter is Vaishvanara, whose sphere is the waking state, who is conscious of the outer, seven-limbed, nineteen-mouthed, an eater of gross things.
जागरितस्थानो बहिष्प्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः स्थूलभुग्वैश्वानरः प्रथमः पादः ॥ ३॥
Whatever action a person undertakes with body, speech, or mind, whether right or wrong, these five are its causes.
शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म प्रारभते नरः | न्याय्यं वा विपरीतं वा पञ्चैते तस्य हेतवः ||१८-१५||
When the lord of the body acquires a body, and also when it departs from one, it takes these and moves on, as the wind carries scents from their sources.
शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः | गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् ||१५-८||
Greater is the toil of those whose minds are set on the unmanifest, for the goal of the unmanifest is reached only with difficulty by embodied beings.
क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् | अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ||१२-५||
Your true nature is pure existence, consciousness, and bliss. The physical body is just an illusion.
Kabir would say, 'The God with form is my Mother, and the formless God is my Father. Who should I blame or worship? Both sides of the scale are equal.'
Prajapati said to them: 'Adorn yourselves well, dress well, groom yourselves, and then look into the pan of water.' So, having adorned themselves well, dressed well, and groomed themselves, they looked into the pan of water. Prajapati asked them: 'What do you see?'
तौ ह प्रजापतिरुवाच साध्वलंकृतौ सुवसनौ परिष्कृतौ भूत्वोदशरावेऽवेक्षेथामिति तौ ह साध्वलंकृतौ सुवसनौ परिष्कृतौ भूत्वोदशरावेऽवेक्षांचक्राते तौ ह प्रजापतिरुवाच किं पश्यथ इति
'For the mind, my dear, consists of food, the breath consists of water, and speech consists of heat.' 'Please, sir, explain it to me further.' 'So be it, my dear,' he said.
अन्नमयꣳ हि सोम्य मन आपोमयः प्राणस्तेजोमयी वागिति भूय एव मा भगवान्विज्ञापयत्विति तथा सोम्येति होवाच
'When water is drunk, my dear, its finest part rises up and becomes the breath (prana).'
अपाꣳसोम्य पीयमानानां योऽणिमा स ऊर्ध्वः समुदीषति सा प्राणो भवति
'In the same way, my dear, when food is eaten its finest part rises up and becomes the mind.'
एवमेव खलु सोम्यान्नस्याश्यमानस्य योऽणिमा स ऊर्ध्वः समुदीषति तन्मनो भवति
'For the mind, my dear, consists of food, the breath consists of water, and speech consists of heat.' 'Please, sir, explain it to me further.' 'So be it, my dear,' he said.
अन्नमयꣳहि सोम्य मनः आपोमयः प्राणस्तेजोमयी वागिति भूय एव मा भगवान्विज्ञापयत्विति तथा सोम्येति होवाच
'Water when drunk is divided into three parts. Its coarsest part becomes urine, the middle part becomes blood, and the finest part becomes breath (prana).'
आपः पीतास्त्रेधा विधीयन्ते तासां यः स्थविष्ठो धातुस्तन्मूत्रं भवति यो मध्यमस्तल्लोहितं योऽणिष्ठः स प्राणः
'Food when eaten is divided into three parts. Its coarsest part becomes faeces, the middle part becomes flesh, and the finest part becomes mind.'
अन्नमशितं त्रेधा विधीयते तस्य यः स्थविष्ठो धातुस्तत्पुरीषं भवति यो मध्यमस्तन्माꣳसं योऽणिष्ठस्तन्मनः
Whoever knows the eldest and the best becomes the eldest and the best. The breath (prana) is truly the eldest and the best.
यो ह वै ज्येष्ठं च श्रेष्ठं च वेद ज्येष्ठश्च ह वै श्रेष्ठश्च भवति प्राणो वाव ज्येष्ठश्च श्रेष्ठश्च
Now with respect to the self: the breath (prana) is the gatherer-in. When one sleeps, speech passes into the prana, the eye into the prana, the ear into the prana, the mind into the prana. For the prana gathers all these in.
अथाध्यात्मं प्राणो वाव संवर्गः स यदा स्वपिति प्राणमेव वागप्येति प्राणं चक्षुः प्राणꣳ श्रोत्रं प्राणं मनः प्राणो ह्येवैतान्सर्वान्संवृङ्क्त इति