The Real Nature of the Life of Man

To a superficial observer, the life of man appears as an endless round of eating and drinking, toiling and sleeping. But, verily life has a much greater meaning; a much deeper significance. Life is a sacrifice, a yagna. Each little act is an offering to the Lord. If the day is spent in deeds performed in this spirit of surrender, what else can sleep be except Samadhi?

Man commits the great fault of identifying himself with the body. He has accumulated a variety of things for the upkeep and comfort of the body. Even when the body becomes weak and decrepit with age, he attempts to bolster it up, by some means or other. But, how long can death be postponed? When Yama's warrant comes each has to depart. Before Death, position, pride and power, all vanish. Realizing this, strive day and night, with purity of body and mind and spirit, to realize the Higher Self, by the service of all living beings. The body must be preserved as a vehicle for this service. But remember, you are not this body; this body cannot be you. Tat Tvam Asi. Thou art That. That is the highest and holiest Mahavakya; you are the indestructible Atma Tatwa. It is for the sake of that Atma Tatwa that you have this body and so in the attempt to realize Parameshwara here and now, you must be prepared to offer this body, at any moment, as a sacrifice. Utilise your authority over this body to foster the welfare of the world. This body is but an instrument, an implement given by God. Let it serve its purpose.

But, until the realization of the purpose for which the implement is given, it is your duty to watch over it vigilantly and protect it from injury and disablement. During winter woollen clothes are worn to withstand the rigour of the cold gales. But when the cold subsides they are discarded. So, too, when the cold gales of material life do not affect us in the least, the material body is no longer essential. One is conscious of only the incorporeal body.