Lord Rama Calls the Body Thankless and Shameless

Lord Rama is dismissing the over-importance given to the welfare and upkeep of the body by revealing the real nature of the body. If you understand the real nature of the body, then you will stop having attachment to it. This is in the vairagya prakarana of Yoga Vasishta.

The Lord is saying:
I can't do anything about this body.
An elephant is stuck in marshy land. Can a man ever pull it out?
This is the state the body also is in.
I don't have the strength to do its upliftment.
I am not interested in this anymore.
They are expecting me to become the king. What will I do by becoming a king?
If I become the king, then so many of those so-called pleasures are waiting for me. What will I do with all that?
I know very well, they are not going to be there forever.
I know time will snatch them all away from me.
Once they are taken away, it is only sorrow and despair that will come.

People say that human body is a marvel among Bhagavan's creation.
Lord Rama is asking Sage Vishwamitra:
Please tell me, this body made up of flesh, blood, and bones — from what angle does it look a marvel?
From outside, from inside?

And moreover, this body is thankless.
I take care of it throughout my life. I spend most of my time taking care of the needs of this body only.
And when I am ready to go — at death — will it even bother to come with me?
No, it is so thankless.
Do you want me to love and respect this body?
Before this body fails me, I want to leave this body behind, myself.

It is not even stable. Like the ear lobes of an aggressive elephant, it keeps on moving from one state to another.
A moment of comfort is soon followed by discomfort.
Now you are healthy, now you are sick.
Nobody knows what is going to happen with the body next.
And its existence — how long will it last?
That is like a drop of water hanging by the tip of the ever-flinging ear lobe of that aggressive elephant.
Any time it can fall.

Like a tender leaf thrown into a thorny bush, it is pierced all over, again and again, with diseases, worries, anxieties.
This body is useless.
It is incapable of either helping itself or helping me.

This body is shameless.
It is going through the same experience again and again over so many births.
It doesn't understand.
It doesn't have any shame.
As soon as it comes into existence, it starts doing the same things again.
It is both foolish and shameless.
People keep on feeding it day after day. Provide whatever this body asks for.
But does it ever grow up and mature?
Forget maturing — does it even become stable ever?

Even when this body is a symbol of incapability, it tries to dominate me.
This body decides what I should do and should not do.
He becomes the decision-maker.
Normally, decision-makers like rulers are powerful.
Look at this body — it is so weak, so incapable, so devoid of any quality — it wants to decide what I should do and what I should not do.
Why should I even bother to take care of this body, nourish this body?

Rich or poor, this body will become old.
This body will have to die.
It is the same rule for everyone.
Why are we trying to give it some special status?
By dressing it up.
To make it stand apart.
By grooming it.
Why this false pretension that my body is something special?
It is just like any other body.
It falls sick, it stinks, it will become old, it will die.
Why are you spending so much effort and time to show that my body is different from yours?
It is not.
There is nothing special about your body.
Every body is going to burn after death. It will be consumed by flames.
Rich or poor, big or small — this is going to happen.
Your body is also just one of those pieces of firewood stacked up near the cremation ground — crores and crores of them — ready to be picked up anytime and put into the fire.
How is it any different from others?

The life is worth living as a human being only if you don't end up in that common fire with all other logs of firewood.
For this, you have to burn yourself with jnanagni — the fire of knowledge.
Then you will not end up in that common fire.

I don't want to live like a frog in a muddy pond, never able to come out.
This body blinds you like a dusty storm, which doesn't allow you to open your eyes and see around.
The needs of the body are so powerful and demanding. You will not get time to go beyond them.
You can never satisfy them. They keep on coming one after another.
You will spend your whole life taking care of them, trying to provide them.

We have not understood anything about this body.
It is a mystery.
Can you predict which direction a wind is going to go next?
Can you predict which side a flame is going to tilt the next moment?
Can you predict what your mind will do next?
These are not possible.
The body is also like that.

We don't know where it came from.
Why is it even here?
We can give as many convincing explanations as we want.
But we are not sure, still.
They are all theories, with so many postulates and hypotheses.
We don't know for sure.
Where it came from, why it came, where it will go.
You can say it came from the pancha bhutas and will go back to pancha bhutas.
But why?
Why can't they be as they are?

Those who are focused on the body,
Those who are focused on the world that you see around —
They are just mad. They have lost their mind,
Says Lord Rama to Sage Vishwamitra.

• Obsessing over the body is ignorance; it is unstable, perishable, and ultimately ungrateful.

• All pleasures tied to the body are temporary; they vanish with time and leave behind sorrow.

• The body demands constant care but abandons you at death — it gives nothing in return.

• It changes rapidly from comfort to pain; health today, sickness tomorrow — no predictability.

• It’s fragile like a drop of water on a moving elephant’s ear — always on the verge of collapse.

• Disease, anxiety, and emotional suffering constantly pierce the body like thorns into soft leaves.

• Despite repeated lives, the body repeats the same mistakes — it neither learns nor matures.

• The body tries to dictate actions even though it is powerless — an incapable master.

• Social rituals like grooming or dressing the body are just distractions to cover its decay.

• No matter rich or poor, every body ends up as firewood at the cremation ground.

• If you burn in the fire of knowledge (jnanagni), you rise above the fate of dying like the rest.

• Clinging to bodily needs traps you like a frog in a muddy pond — never rising beyond.

• You spend your life serving bodily needs, yet they multiply endlessly and are never satisfied.

• The body is a mystery — no one knows exactly where it came from or why it exists.

• Claims about its origin are just theories; we are still uncertain of its purpose and future.

• Those obsessed with the body or external world have lost their sense — it's madness.

What makes the body unworthy of obsession?
It constantly changes, breaks down, and demands care but offers nothing permanent. It abandons you at death, making all effort for it ultimately fruitless.

Why should I care less about how my body looks or feels?
Because no matter how much effort you put in, it will still age, fall sick, and die. Real peace comes from focusing on what outlives the body.

Isn't body care necessary for living well?
Basic maintenance is fine, but obsession is the problem. Serving a master that deserts you in the end is neither wise nor rewarding.

Why are bodily pleasures seen as traps?
They're short-lived and unstable. As soon as you enjoy something, it's already fading, and you're left craving the next fix.

Is it wrong to enjoy pleasures if I know they're temporary?
Enjoying mindfully isn't the issue — it's mistaking fleeting comfort for true fulfillment that leads to despair.

If pleasure is so unreliable, what's the alternative?
Shift focus to inner clarity. Pleasure is like sugar water — it excites but doesn't nourish. Lasting peace comes from detachment and self-knowledge.

Why is the body called thankless?
You feed it, clothe it, guard it — but it won’t accompany you at death. It forgets all your service when it shuts down.

If it’s thankless, why do people still love their bodies so much?
Because they confuse survival instinct with meaning. The body's pull feels strong, but it’s empty once you see through it.

Isn’t it harsh to call the body ungrateful?
It’s not emotional blame — it’s clarity. The body just functions mechanically; gratitude or loyalty don’t exist in its wiring.

Why is the body described as unstable?
Because it's always shifting — health to illness, strength to weakness, joy to pain — without warning.

Can’t I just control it with fitness and diet?
Only to a point. You can delay decay, not avoid it. Even the fittest body can fall in a moment.

If instability is natural, why resist it?
Don’t resist — understand it. Recognizing this instability helps you stop clinging to illusions of permanence.

How is the body compared to firewood?
It’s just fuel for the cremation fire — like countless others. Status or appearance doesn’t change its final fate.

Is there any way to avoid this end?
Yes — if you burn the ego in the fire of knowledge (jnanagni), you don’t end up in the common fire of ignorance.

Isn’t death natural and inevitable?
It is. But wasting a human life without rising above animal routines is what truly degrades it.

What does it mean to be trapped by the body?
It means spending your whole life satisfying physical needs — food, comfort, approval — without seeking deeper truths.

Can’t I balance both — body and inner growth?
Yes, but the body shouldn’t be in control. Let wisdom lead and use the body as a tool, not a master.

Isn't it normal to want comfort?
It’s normal, but not wise to chase it endlessly. Comfort is fleeting; chasing it just drains your time and peace.

Why is the body called shameless?
Because it repeats the same cycles across lifetimes — desires, mistakes, dependencies — without any learning.

How can a body repeat mistakes across births?
Because habits (vasanas) from one life carry into the next. Without awareness, the same story plays out again and again.

If the body never learns, is rebirth pointless?
Rebirth offers a chance — but only if you use it consciously. Otherwise, it’s just déjà vu in different clothes.

Why is the body said to dominate despite being weak?
It dictates your choices — what to eat, when to rest, whom to please — even though it has no wisdom or strength.

Isn't the mind in control, not the body?
Often the mind serves the body's urges. Hunger, lust, vanity — they push the mind to obey.

How can I take back control from the body?
Start by watching its impulses without immediately reacting. Train the mind to pause, question, and choose deliberately.

What’s wrong with dressing or grooming the body?
Nothing inherently — but doing it to stand out, impress, or feel superior is rooted in false pride.

Why do people try so hard to make their body look special?
Because they believe their worth lies in appearance. But the body is just one more piece of perishable flesh.

Isn’t personal grooming part of dignity?
Yes, but it shouldn't become your identity. Let your values define you, not your hairstyle or clothes.

Why is the body described as a mystery?
No one knows exactly where it comes from or why it exists. Theories abound, but certainty is absent.

Isn't science explaining the body’s origin?
It explains mechanics — not purpose. Knowing how doesn’t answer the why.

Shouldn't we trust what we can measure?
Measure, but don’t mistake partial knowledge for truth. Some questions require inner vision, not lab tools.

Who are called mad in this context?
Those obsessed with the body and outer world, thinking that’s all there is, are considered mentally derailed.

Isn’t focusing on the world practical?
Only up to a point. When it becomes your whole life, you lose sight of who you truly are.

Isn't calling them mad extreme?
It’s not about insult — it’s about misalignment. When your priorities ignore truth, you’re living in a delusion.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi