(Rāma's) abhorence for the body

Sri Rāma

1. Ugly with moist and sleezy entrails inside, this body is of a decaying nature. It appears in the world merely for sorrow.

2. -3. Surrounding itself with skillful machinations and self-deceptions, this body appears wise, even though ignorant. It actually manipulates bad to look good.It is neither conscient nor inconscient. Being unintelligent and stupid, it is a greedy abode vascillating between conscient and inconscient natures and feelings. As such, it leads one to delusion alone.

4. With little things, it feels happy, and with little things, it slips into sorrow.Come to think of it, there is nothing more worthless and sinful than a body.

5. Always, it is vulnerable to dangers. But every instant, it is decorated by flowers of smiles and filaments of dentures.

6. -8. The body is like a tree with hands as branches, shoulders as the trunk and eyes as the swarming bees. Feet and forearams are its tender leaves. This is diseased and beaten by the axe of actions. It is abode of birds. It provides refuge to the travellers called "Jivas" in its shade. Who are its own people? Who are its own enemies? Who loves it?

9. This body is taken again and again to cross the ocean of "Samsara" and reach Brahman.Whoever will develop a feeling of ownership in this ship of body?

10. Who will have confidence and faith in this body which is like a forest, which is agitated in inumerable ways, with trees strewn around like uncountable hairs and yet like a void?

11. I am stationed like a cat in this silenced drum of a body of flesh and bones.

12. Well established in the forest of "Samsara" the mind-monkey plays around in this forest. The flower stalk of concerns is eaten by the woodworm of lasting griefs.

13. This body is the house of the snake of trisna. It is the abode of the crow of anger. On this grow flowers of smiles, fruits of good and bad occurences.

14. It looks beautiful with boquets of hands and creepers of well grown shoulders. The limbs are the innumerable breeze-shaken tender shoots and leaves.

15. This (body-tree) is the support for all the eagles of sense organs. It is majestic and tall with the trunk of thighs and knees. It shelters the flowers in transit under its shade.

16. Covered by the reeds of hairs on the head, it is the nest of ego-vultures. The stomach is a hole in that.

17. With "Vasanas" as its roots, this body-tree is a rare figure with no useful occupation. This body does not give me any happiness.

18. This body is the residence of the householder, called ego. I am no use for this. It does not matter to me wether it slips or stays.

19. In this house of body, the sense organs are bound in a row. The house wife called trisna is moving about in this house. All limbs are coloured by desires. This body is not to my liking.

20. -22. This body-house is built of bones and ropes of entrails. This is not to my liking. This body-house is spread and diffused with arteries and nerves. It is muddy with water and blood. It is white-washed with the lime of old age. This is not to my liking. This house of a body is supported by pillars of illusions and delusions. It is existing because of the many doings of the servant, called mind. This is not to my liking.

23. -26. This house is filled with the greiving cries of the child of sorrow. It is enchanting with the couches of happiness. It is peopled with mobs of maids called evil desires. This house is not to my liking. It is afflicted by loads of vessels filled with excrete and sensuous, spicy things. It is corroded by ignorance. This is not to my liking. The head and ankles are joined by a long wooden log of knees and hands. This house is not to my liking. The lady called intellect (Buddhi) is sporting through the windows, called eyes. Sorrow is the daughter of this body. This house is not to my liking.

27. -30. With hair as the cover, the ears are the moonlighting stair of this house. This is not to my liking. The limbs are its walls. The hairs are the sprouts of "Yava".The stomach is a hole in it. This house is not to my liking. The nails are the spiderwebs. Hunger is like an agitating hound. The vital airs passing through it make loud sounds. This house is not to my liking. The vital airs blow in and out constantly with spread out windows called eyes. This house is not to my liking.

31. -34. This house is ghastly with the gate of mouth occupied by the monkey of tongue. This house is not to my liking. This house is smeared with an unctuous, glossy smear called skin. It is unstable with the movements of machines inside. The rat of mind is constantly digging up holes in it. This house is not to my liking. For a while, this house is lighted by lamps of smiles. For a while it is full of darkness. This house is not to my liking. It is a harbinger of diseases. It is like an aged city with folded skin. It is like a forest full of all diseases. This house is not to my liking.

35. -39. This body-forest is sapless. It shelters huge, wild bears called senses. Its quarters and very dark.This forest is not to my liking. O lord of munis, I am not able to carry this body. I feel like a weak person who is trying pull an elephant out of mud. Of what avail is wealth? What is the use of kingdom? Of what avail is this body and desires? Time will distort everything in a short while. Tell me o sage, what is the beauty of this body, which is full of blood and flesh in and out, and whose nature is destruction? This body does not follow the Jiva at the time of death. Which intelligent person can believe such an ungrateful thing?

40. -44. This body is fickle like the ear of an elephant. It is as fragile as a drawn out water bubble. Before it leaves me, I shall leave that. This tender leaf called body is pale and shakes with the vital airs. It decays with manipulations. I do not like this sapless thing. It grows soft and smooth, eating and drinking for a long time. Yet it streaks on to decay and destruction, without any effort. This body experiences sorrows and happinesses again and again. Yet, it does not shy away from them, like an ignorant person. This body enjoys and rules for a long time. Yet, it neither gets exalted not attains stability. Why should we tend and nourish it?

45. This body becomes old as age advances. It dries as death approaches. In these it does not make any distinction between a poor, rich or scholarly person.

46. Without any desire for liberation, this tortoise of a body sleeps in the hole of trisna in the womb of the sea of "Samsara".

47. There are plenty of logs floating on the sea of "Samsara".Among them, only a few are bodies of humans.

48. What is the use of this creeper of a body for intelligent people when this body which is ambulating in circles of bad actions and bears fruits of decay.

49. This frog of a body jumps into the mire of sensuous things and is suddenly overcome by old age. One does not know what happens when.

50. All the efforts and works of the body are just zestless. This is driven by unstable vital airs. No one can understand or visualise its passage on the road of activity.

51. One can understand the movements of wind, of a lamp, or of even mind but not of this body.

52. Contempt unto those who are infatuated and maddened again and again with bondage to the body and to the world!

53. O muni, I am not of this body. I am not this body. This body is not mine. One who is thus composed in his mind is the best of men.

54. Many are the honours and dishonours that the body has. It is enchanting with many gains - looking at the body in this faulted manner, a person is destroying himself and binding himself in the body.

55. We are deceived by the many artful machinations by the demon of ego resting in the cave of body.

56. A person is deceived by the demon of ignorance which drives him into the difficult belief that this body is permanent.

57. Not even an iota of truth is there in this body. Surprising, that people are deceived by the body which will be consumed by fire.

58. In a few days, this body falls of like a dry leaf without any effort. It drops off like a cataract effortlessly.

59. This body soon gets into danger like a bubble in a sea. (Such a one) whirls around in activity wastefully.

60. This body is a tranformation of illusionary knowledge. It is like a dream-city. It stays for an instant. O brahmin, this is not for me.

61. May he believe in this body, who believes that lightning and a city in the clouds are stable.

62. This body is highly faulty and defective. It wins by persistence in constantly ephemeral activity system.I am sitting pretty considering this body as a mere trifle.