Module 2

HARMONY IN THE HUMAN BEING

HUMAN BEING AS CO-EXISTENCE OF SELF
(“I”) AND BODY
Human being is more than just a Body. He is a
co-existence of both the Self (I) and the Body.
There is an exchange of information between
the two.
NEEDS OF THE SELF AND THE BODY
• All the human feelings of happiness, sorrow,
pain, excitement etc. are all experienced by “I”
and not the “Body”. Having Physical Facilities
ensures the fulfillment of the needs of the
body, but it does not fulfill the needs of the “I”.
• Hence, for every human being, we need to
fulfill the needs of both:
• “I” = Happiness
• “Body” = Physical Facilities
 Need of the Self and Body

Human Being Co-existence

Self Body
Need Happiness (e.g. Respect) Physical Facility (e.g. Food)
In time Continuous Temporary
In quantity Qualitative (is feeling) Quantitative (required in limited
quantity)
In measurement Definite Indefinite
Need fulfilled by the Self and the Body

Human Co-existence
Being Self Body
Need Happiness (e.g. Respect) Physical facility (e.g. Food)
Fulfilled by Right understanding and Right feeling Physio-chemical things
NEEDS OF THE SELF ARE DEFINITE
UNDERSTANDING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE
SELF AND THE BODY

Human
Co-existence
Being Self Body
Activity Desire, Thought, Expectation…. Eating, Walking ….
In time Continuous Temporary
All human activities can be put under three
categories –
• Activities that are going on in the Self (Sentient
Activities)
• Activities that are going on in the Body (Material
Activities)
• Activities involving both the Self and the Body
All Human Activities
Bodily functions / Activities in the Body

•The body is a set of “Self-organized activities”

that occur with my (I) consent but without my (I)
participation.
e.g.: the functions like breathing, digestion,
organ functions.
However some of these activities can be
stopped by me (I) if I want.
e.g.: breathing
ACTIVITIES IN THE SELF
 UNDERSTANDING THE RESPONSE OF THE
SELF AND THE BODY
• The response of the Body is based on
recognizing and fulfilling whereas the
response of the self is based on knowing,
assuming, recognizing and fulfilling.
Human
Co-existence
Being Self Body
Response Knowing, Assuming, Recognizing, Fulfilling
Recognizing, Fulfilling
Response based on Knowing or Response based
on Assuming without Knowing
THE SELF AS THE CONSCIOUSNESS ENTITY,
THE BODY AS THE MATERIAL ENTITY
 HARMONY IN THE SELF (“I”) –
UNDERSTANDING MYSELF
• We spend most of our time ‘with’ ourselves,
‘in’ ourselves but we spend most of our time
thinking about other things and neglect
ourselves.
• The Self (I) is the basis of everything we do. All
our desires, expectations, thoughts, feelings,
understanding etc. come from the “I”.
Activities in Self (I):
The flow of activities in “I” occurs in two ways:

1. From outside to inside:

Example:
2.From inside to outside:

Example:
 THE ACTIVITIES OF REALIZATION AND UNDERSTANDING

These are the two activities in the Self.

• Realization: It means to be able to see the
reality as it is.
• Understanding: It means to be able to
understand the self-organization in all entities
of Nature/Existence and their inter-
connectedness at all the levels of our living.
Self in Human Consciousness
Definite Human Conduct
 UNDERSTANDING THE BODY AS AN
INSTRUMENT OF “I”:
• The Self is a unit of consciousness and it is in
coexistence with the material Body. It is the
self that makes all the decisions and uses the
Body to execute them as and when required.
Role of the Self and the Body (Instrument)
 I am the Seer
It is the Self that sees the reality; that understands the
reality.
• Behind all our activities of our Seeing, Understanding,
Doing and Enjoying is a feeling of “I-ness” with which we
identify ourselves. Every human being actually
participates in a number of such activities every day. In
all these activities, the body acts only as an instrument.
It is the “I” that sees or understands something.
For e.g.: Our eyes and ears act as instruments which help
us to see or listen anything.
 I am the Doer

Self is the doer. Doer means, one who takes the

decision to do or not to do.
• Once I have seen and understood something, I
decide what I should/ should not do. I take the help
of my body parts to accomplish the task I want to
do.
For e.g.: I use my hands to write, my legs to walk etc.
My body works as per the instructions given by me.
Hence I am the Doer and I express my actions via my
body.
 I am the Enjoyer
It is the Self that feels enthused or depressed
or angry or delighted.
• I use my body as an instrument to perform
various activities. It is I who enjoy the pleasure
derived out of those activities.
For e.g.: mouth helps to chew and the tongue to
taste, but I enjoy the taste and flavour. I am the
one feeling excited, angry, sad, happy etc. my
body is only one instrument.
 HARMONY OF THE SELF WITH THE
BODY
Our Body – A Self-Organized Unit:
• The human body is a self-organized unit with a highly
sophisticated mechanism. It is made up of several organs
such as the heart, lungs etc. and various glands, all of
which work in a close co-ordination.
• The body is made up of cells and each cell of the body
has a role to play in the overall working of the body.
Each cell is Self-organized and participates in the Self-
organization of the body as a whole.
• All the activities in the body keep the body fit for the use
of “I”.
Harmony of the “I” with the Body:
The harmony of “I” with the body is:
• In the form of Sanyama (Self-Regulation) on
part of “I
• In the form of Svasthya (Health) on part of the
Body
 Self-Regulation

• It is the feeling of responsibility in the Self (“I”) for

nurturing, protection and right utilization of the
Body.
• Once I realize that the Body is my instrument and
that the body needs nutrition, protection from the
environment and proper utilization to work as an
efficient tool for the right purpose, I naturally
develop a feeling of responsibility towards my
Body. This feeling of responsibility developed in “I”
is Self-regulation.
 Health

• It is the condition of the body where every part of

the body is properly performing its expected
function. This leads to harmony within the body,
and the body become perfectly fit for use by the “I”.
• There is a strong coupling between “I” and the
“Body”. Disharmony in any one of them adversely
affects the other.
Health of the Body = the Body acts according to the
instructions of the Self and the parts of the Body are
in harmony (in order)
Self-regulation in the Self and health in the
Body
 PROGRAM FOR SELF-REGULATION AND
HEALTH
1. To understand and live with Self-regulation:
– It implies that the “Self” takes the responsibility
for proper nurturing, protection and right
utilization of the body.
– It also implies that the “Self” should understand
that the body is an instrument and has a limited
life span and undergoes a pattern of growth and
decay.
– The “Self” should also understand the right
purpose for which this instrument has to be used.
2. To understand the self-organization of the body and ensure overall
health of the body in the following ways:
• Nurturing the Body
• Nurturing involves providing proper food, air, water etc. to the
body.
• The selection of food should be such that it gives required
nutrients and energy to the body following the program below:
– Ingestion: This involves taking the food into the mouth and chewing it
well for easy digestion.
– Digestion: Digestion starts after swallowing the food. Digestion also
depends on proper rest and exercise of the body. Food consumed should
be at proper intervals and with proper posture and right quantity.
– Excretion: After digestion, the necessary nutrients are absorbed by the
body and the unnecessary or undigested part needs to be thrown out or
excreted.
If any of the above three activities are not performed properly, it
affects the body adversely and causes several health problems.
• Protecting the Body:
This involves the selection of proper clothes and shelter
for protecting the body from extreme climatic
conditions and to provide the right amount of exposure
of the body to air, water, sunlight etc. to ensure proper
functioning of the body.
To ensure the health of the Body, we need to take care
of the following:
• Ahara – Vihara (Food – Upkeep)
• Shrama – Vyayama (Physical labour – Exercise)
• Asana – Pranayama ( Yogasana – Pranayam)
• Ausadhi – Chikitsa (Medicine – Treatment)
 Right Utilization of the Body
• It is normally believed that our body is an
instrument for sensory enjoyment. This is a
wrong notion. We also use our body to exploit
others and to exploit Nature as well.
For e.g.: fighting, sealing, quarrelling etc.
• Human Body should be used only for the right
behaviour and right work. Otherwise it leads
to disharmony in the Self which has adverse
effects on the Body.
Correct Appraisal of our Physical Needs
• In Nature, the availability of facilities like water,
oxygen etc. is more than our needs. Once we
realize that the needs of our Body are limited
and can be easily fulfilled, there emerges a
possibility of prosperity in our minds.