SHARIRAM
The Body — Sacred Instrument of Liberation
What Is the Body?
The Sanskrit word Shariram comes from the root ‘Shri yate iti Shariram’ — that which decays and wears away is the Sharira (body). Similarly, the word Deham comes from ‘Dahyate iti Deha’ — that which is burned or consumed. Since the body is formed by the Jiva Shakti (life-force) in the form of Vayu (breath/Prana), and is being ‘consumed’ or animated by it at every moment, the Prana Vayu itself is the Deha — as proclaimed by our Supreme Guru, Sri Swami Shivananda Paramahamsa.
Although this body is impermanent, it is the very instrument — the Upakarna (tool) and Upadhi (vehicle) — through which the eternal Parabrahman can be known and realised. Therefore, the human body is the most necessary and the most sacred object in all of creation.
‘Shariramadyam khalu Dharma sadhanam’ — The body is indeed the primary means of all Dharma and spiritual attainment. It is the very first instrument of liberation.
And as the Vedas declare: ‘Acharat pradhamah Vedah’ — Acharah (right conduct and bodily discipline) is the first Veda. Whatever sustains the body in proper health and discipline — that is Achara (right conduct).
How Vedanta Views the Body
In Vedantic literature, the body is described in many ways — as impermanent (Ashashvatam), momentary (Kshanabhanguram), inert (Jadam), lowly (Meyam), and as a vessel of impurity (Malina Pradhanam). But these descriptions apply to Yoga-Arudhtas — those who have already attained the highest state through sustained practice. For Sadhakas — those still on the path — these descriptions do not apply.
For the sadhaka, the body is not something to be condemned or discarded. It must be protected, nourished, and preserved as the vessel of liberation. This is why the care of the body is the primary duty of every spiritual aspirant.
‘He who destroys the temple is a sinner.’
(Bible)
The ‘temple’ here is the body itself.
Deho Devalayah prokto Jivo Deva Sanatanah,
Tyajed Ajnana nirmalyam So-ham bhavena pujayet.
(Uttara Gita 4:27)
“The body is declared to be the temple; the eternal Jiva (individual soul) dwelling within is the God. Through sadhana, cast away the impurity of Ajnana (ignorance), and worship with the understanding ‘He is I’ (So-ham — I am That).”
The body is nourished by two things: food (Aharam) and Prana (the life force). For an ordinary person, if either of these is diminished, the body deteriorates. Only the Yogi who preserves and purifies the body through Yoga is capable of attaining liberation, as declared by the Shruti (Vedic scripture).
Yoga Transforms the Body — The Seven Dhatus
Divaratram avachhinnam yaome yaome yada tada,
Anena abhyasayogena Vayurabhyasito bhavet,
Vayorabhyasite vahnih pratvaham vardhate tanau,
Vahnou vivardhe mane tu sukhaman-nadi jiryate,
Annasya paripakena rasa-vriddhi prajaayate,
Rase vriddim gate nityam vardhante dhatavastada,
Dhatunam vardhanenaiva prabodham vardhate tanau,
Dahyante sarva papani janma kotih arjitani cha.
(Varaha Upanishad 5:4)
“For those who practise Yoga with Prana Vayu continuously — day and night, whenever possible — the digestive fire (Jatharagni) is kindled and strengthened. Food eaten is easily and pleasantly digested. Once digested, the essence of food (Rasa) increases. As the Rasa increases, all the seven bodily constituents (Sapta Dhatus) increase and are strengthened. As the Sapta Dhatus are nourished and developed, Jnanam arises in the body. And in that awakened body, the accumulated sins of a hundred crore (one billion) lifetimes are burned away.”
The seven Dhatus (bodily constituents) referred to here are: (1) Charma — skin, (2) Rakta — blood, (3) Mamsa — flesh/muscle, (4) Medas — fat/brain matter, (5) Asthi — bones, (6) Majja — bone marrow, and (7) Shukla — reproductive fluid/vital essence. When all seven are nourished and purified through Yoga practice, Jnanam arises naturally in the body.
Yoga Liberates an Entire Lineage
Kukshau tishthati yasyaannam yogabhyasena jiryate,
Kulantarayate teshaam dashapurvan dashaparan.
(Uttara Gita 3:21)
“The food within the stomach is digested through Yoga practice alone. By virtue of this Yoga practice, ten generations of the practitioner’s ancestors (who came before) and ten generations of descendants (who come after) are liberated and redeemed.”
This verse makes the extraordinary claim that the fruits of Yoga practice do not remain confined to the individual alone. The spiritual merit generated by one sincere practitioner has the power to liberate twenty generations of their family lineage — ten before and ten after. This reveals how supremely important Yoga practice is for human beings.
The Vajra Sharira — The Diamond Body
Sapta dhatu mayo deho dagdhoyoga agninaashanaih,
Divairapi na laksyeta Yoga deho Maha-balah.
(Yoga Shikhopanishad 1:7)
“When this body — composed of the seven Dhatus — is gradually purified and strengthened by Yoga-fire, it becomes of great power (Maha Bala). Even the gods cannot overpower such a Yoga body.”
Na tasya rogo na jara na mrityuh,
Praptasya Yogagni mayam Shariram.
(Shvetashvatara Upanishad 2:12)
“One who has attained the Yoga-fire body is free from disease, free from old age, and free from the fear of death.”
Sarvo yogagni na deho hyajado shoka varjitah,
Jadastu parthivo jneyo hyapakvo duhkha do bhavet.
(Yoga Shikhopanishad 1:6)
“The body purified by Yoga-fire becomes free of inertia and free from grief. The body without Yoga-fire remains inert, earthly, and immature — and such a body brings only suffering.”
Hanuman is described as ‘Vajrangi’ — one whose very limbs are like diamond — because he was a Maha Yogi of the highest order. His army is therefore called ‘Vajranga Dala’ (the Bajrang Dal — the diamond-limbed army). This proves that Hanuman was a perfected Yogi.
When steel is purified in fire, it transforms into diamond-hard material. Similarly, when the body is progressively purified in the fire of Yoga, it becomes a Vajra Sharira — a diamond body — beyond the reach of disease, decay, or the fear of death. Complete physical and mental health are achieved simultaneously through Yoga.
‘Yogagnir dahati kshipram ashesham papa-panjaram.’
(Ishvara Gita, Kurma Purana)
“Yoga-fire quickly burns away the entire cage of accumulated sin (Papa Panjara).”
The Transformation of Food into Prana
The body must therefore be protected and maintained through Yoga alone. Food-essence (Annarasa) progressively transforms: first it becomes blood (Rakta), then gradually becomes vital essence (Shukla), then Ojas (radiant vitality), and then Tejas (inner luminosity). Through Yoga practice, what begins as gross food is refined step by step into pure spiritual light.
The importance and rarity of this human body is immeasurable. Yet we use it like a tenant who rents a vehicle — we fill the tank with food as fuel, place this body-vehicle on the road of the visible world, and go for a ride through the highways of the five senses, collecting the rental income of three Vasanas (worldly desires) as our profit. And as the vehicle wears out, we abandon it — planning to find another vehicle in the next birth, and again discarding it.
It is not the gross body we must abandon. We must attain Jiva-Brahma Aikya (the union of the individual soul with Brahman) within this very body — in the Budhi Guha (the cave of the intellect at the Bhrumadhya) — and from there release the three bodies (gross, subtle, and causal) and the three states (waking, dream, and deep sleep), rising to the Turiya state.
Regulation of Food, Rest, and Activity
The texts say ‘Tyajan deham’ and ‘Tyaktva deham’ — ‘abandoning the body.’ This does not mean the Yoga sadhaka should renounce food. Food, as required by the sadhana, should be consumed as needed. As sadhana deepens, what was previously experienced as ‘food’ gradually transforms into Prana itself — ‘Ashanaiti annam’ — Prana becomes the food.
Yuktaahara viharasya yukta cheshtasya karmasu,
Yukta svapna avabodhasya Yogo bhavati duhkhaha.
(Bhagavad Gita 6:17)
“For the Yogi who is regulated in food and recreation, regulated in action and work, regulated in sleep and wakefulness — for such a one, Yoga becomes the destroyer of all suffering.”
The human body is difficult to obtain. Therefore, this very birth — with this very body — must be made fruitful and purposeful.
Punah gramam punah kshetram punarvittam punagriham,
Punah shubhashubha karma na Shariram punah punah.
(Garuda Purana)
“A village lost can be regained. A field lost can be reacquired. Wealth lost can be earned again. A home lost can be rebuilt. Good and bad deeds may be repeated. But this sacred human body — once lost — cannot be recovered again and again. It is an extraordinary rarity.”
Everything else in life can be regained or replaced — wealth, home, land, relationships. But this sacred human body, with its capacity for Self-realisation, once departed, is extraordinarily rare to receive again. Therefore this birth itself must be used for the attainment of liberation — that is the supreme purpose of this chapter.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Shariram (The Body) — Key Teachings
- The word ‘Shariram’ comes from ‘Shri yate’ — that which decays. ‘Deham’ comes from ‘Dahyate’ — that which is consumed/burned. Both terms acknowledge the body’s impermanence while recognising its sacred function.
- The body, though impermanent, is the primary instrument (Upakarna/Upadhi) for knowing Parabrahman. It is the most sacred and necessary object in creation: ‘Shariramadyam khalu Dharma sadhanam.’
- Vedantic descriptions of the body as inert, impure, and impermanent apply only to those who have already attained liberation through Yoga. For Sadhakas still on the path, the body must be actively protected, nourished, and disciplined.
- The Deha (body) is a Devalaya (temple). The eternal Jiva within is the God. Through Yoga, we cast away Ajnana (ignorance) and worship with the understanding of So-ham (I am That).
- Continuous Yoga practice kindles the Jatharagni (digestive fire), which perfectly digests food. The food-essence (Rasa) nourishes and develops the seven Dhatus (bodily constituents: skin, blood, flesh, brain/fat, bone, marrow, vital essence). As the Dhatus are strengthened, Jnanam spontaneously arises in the body — and the sins of one billion lifetimes are burned away.
- The merit of one practitioner’s Yoga extends to liberate ten generations of ancestors and ten generations of descendants (Uttara Gita 3:21) — demonstrating Yoga’s extraordinary power.
- Through Yoga-fire, the body is progressively transformed into a Vajra Sharira (diamond body) — free from disease, ageing, and fear of death (Shvetashvatara Upanishad 2:12).
- Hanuman’s body was ‘Vajrangi’ (diamond-limbed) because he was a supreme Maha Yogi — direct evidence that great physical and spiritual strength is the fruit of advanced Yoga.
- Food is not to be abandoned by the Yoga aspirant. As sadhana deepens, food transforms progressively into blood, vital essence, Ojas, and finally Tejas — pure spiritual luminosity.
- The Bhagavad Gita (6:17) prescribes the Yogi to be moderate and regulated in food, recreation, action, sleep, and wakefulness — this balanced regulation makes Yoga the destroyer of suffering.
- True ‘abandoning of the body’ (Tyajan deham) does not mean physical death or renunciation of food. It means attaining Jiva-Brahma Aikya within this body — realising the union of individual soul and Brahman in the Budhi Guha — and releasing the three bodies and three states into the Turiya (transcendent fourth state).
- This sacred human body is the rarest gift — village, wealth, home, and even past deeds can be regained, but this body once lost cannot be easily recovered. Use this very birth for liberation.
Key Concepts Glossary — English
Shariram: The body; from ‘Shri yate’ — that which decays and wears away. The sacred instrument of spiritual practice.
Deham: The body; from ‘Dahyate’ — that which is consumed/burned by the Prana Vayu animating it.
Upakarna / Upadhi: Instrument or vehicle; the body as the tool through which Brahman is realised.
Achara: Right conduct; bodily and behavioural discipline that sustains the body in health and virtue. ‘Acharat pradhamah Vedah’ — Achara is the first Veda.
Ashashvatam: Impermanent, transient; one of the Vedantic descriptions of the body applicable only to the liberated Yogi.
Kshanabhanguram: Momentarily fragile; the body is subject to destruction at any instant.
Jadam: Inert; the body without the animating Prana is lifeless matter.
Devalaya: Temple; the body is the temple in which the eternal Jiva (God) dwells.
Ajnana: Ignorance; the impurity that must be burned away through Yoga practice within the body-temple.
So-ham: The natural mantra of every breath — ‘So’ (inhalation: That) + ‘Ham’ (exhalation: I am). ‘I am That’ — the direct declaration of Jiva-Brahman identity.
Jatharagni: The digestive fire in the stomach; kindled and strengthened by Yoga practice, it perfectly digests food and produces the Sapta Dhatus.
Sapta Dhatus: The seven bodily constituents: (1) Charma/skin, (2) Rakta/blood, (3) Mamsa/flesh, (4) Medas/brain-fat, (5) Asthi/bone, (6) Majja/marrow, (7) Shukla/vital essence. Their development through Yoga produces Jnanam.
Rasa: The refined essence of digested food; the first product of perfect digestion that nourishes all seven Dhatus.
Yoga Agni / Yogagni: The fire of Yoga; the inner purifying heat generated by Pranayama practice that progressively burns away impurities and sin from the body.
Vajra Sharira: The diamond body; the body transformed by Yoga-fire into a supremely strong, disease-free, ageless vehicle of consciousness.
Vajrangi: One whose limbs are like diamond (Vajra); epithet of Hanuman, confirming his status as a supreme Yogi.
Papa Panjara: The cage of sin; the accumulated karma and impurity of countless lifetimes that Yogagni quickly burns away.
Annarasa: The essential nutrient extracted from digested food; transforms progressively into Rakta, Shukla, Ojas, and Tejas through Yoga.
Ojas: Radiant vitality; the refined life-force that develops from purified vital essence through Yoga practice.
Tejas: Inner luminosity/radiance; the highest refinement of food-essence through Yoga — the spiritual light of the body.
Deha Traya: The three bodies: (1) Sthula Deha (gross/physical), (2) Sukshma Deha (subtle/astral), (3) Karana Deha (causal). The Yogi realises Brahman and releases all three.
Avastha Traya: The three states of consciousness: (1) Jagrat (waking), (2) Svapna (dream), (3) Sushupti (deep sleep). Transcended in the fourth state, Turiya.
Turiya: The fourth state; the transcendent state beyond waking, dream, and sleep — the direct experience of pure Consciousness/Brahman.
Jiva-Brahma Aikya: The union of individual soul (Jiva) with Brahman (Supreme Reality); the realisation attained within this very body through Yoga.
Budhi Guha: The cave of the intellect; the inner space at the Bhrumadhya (third eye) where the Jiva meets Brahman in deep practice.
Reflective Questions & Answers — English
Q1. Why does this tradition regard the human body as sacred, despite Vedanta’s descriptions of it as impermanent and impure?
A: Vedantic descriptions of the body as impermanent, inert, and impure are contextual — they apply to the realised Yogi who has already attained liberation and no longer identifies with the body. For the sadhaka still on the path, the body is the sacred temple in which the eternal Jiva dwells — ‘Deho Devalayah prokto’ — and the primary instrument for Dharma and liberation: ‘Shariramadyam khalu Dharma sadhanam.’ To dismiss the body as worthless during active sadhana is a spiritual error. Protecting and purifying the body through Yoga is the most important preparatory work.
Q2. What are the Sapta Dhatus, and how does Yoga affect them?
A: The Sapta Dhatus are the seven essential constituents of the physical body: skin (Charma), blood (Rakta), flesh and muscle (Mamsa), brain/fat (Medas), bone (Asthi), bone marrow (Majja), and vital essence (Shukla). Yoga practice kindles the Jatharagni — the digestive fire — which digests food perfectly. The food-essence (Rasa) then nourishes and strengthens all seven Dhatus in sequence. When all seven are fully developed and purified, Jnanam spontaneously arises within the body. This is not metaphorical — the Varaha Upanishad states it as a direct physiological-spiritual sequence.
Q3. The text says Yoga practice liberates ten generations before and ten after the practitioner. Is this literal or symbolic?
A: The Uttara Gita makes this statement as a factual declaration about the power of Yoga merit (Punya). From one angle, it can be understood symbolically: the depth of spiritual transformation achieved by one practitioner creates ripples of positive karmic influence that touch their entire ancestral and descendant lineage. From a traditional standpoint, it is understood literally — the Jnana Shakti generated through Yoga sadhana is so vast that it can redeem accumulated karma not just of the individual but of their entire family line. Both interpretations point to the same truth: the fruit of Yoga is immeasurably greater than any ordinary merit-making activity.
Q4. What is the Vajra Sharira (diamond body) and how is it attained?
A: The Vajra Sharira is the body that has been progressively purified, strengthened, and spiritualised by the sustained fire of Yoga practice (Yogagni). Just as iron ore, when fired and refined, becomes hard steel or diamond, the body subjected to years of Yoga practice loses its susceptibility to disease, premature ageing, and the fear of death. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad declares: ‘Na tasya rogo na jara na mrityuh’ — one with a Yogagni-body has no disease, no old age, no death. Hanuman’s diamond limbs (Vajrangi) are the most famous traditional example of this attainment.
Q5. The chapter says Prana Vayu IS the body (Deham). What does this mean?
A: Sri Swami Shivananda Paramahamsa’s teaching is that what we call the ‘body’ is ultimately a crystallisation of Prana Vayu — the life-force. The body is formed by, sustained by, and essentially IS the Prana Vayu in its condensed, structured form. ‘Dahyate iti Deha’ — it is consumed/animated by Prana. When the Prana departs, the body immediately begins to disintegrate. This understanding shifts the Yogi’s attention from external bodily maintenance to inner Prana cultivation. The body is a temporary form taken by Prana — and the real work of Yoga is expanding, purifying, and elevating that Prana.
Q6. What is the meaning of ‘So-ham’ and how does it relate to the body?
A: So-ham is the spontaneous mantra of every human breath — ‘So’ with the inhalation (meaning ‘That’ — the Supreme Brahman) and ‘Ham’ with the exhalation (meaning ‘I am’). Together: ‘I am That.’ This mantra is already happening in every breath of every living being — approximately 21,600 times per day — whether consciously or not. The Uttara Gita instruction ‘worship with So-ham bhavena’ means: recognise in each breath the living declaration of Jiva-Brahma Aikya (the unity of individual soul and Brahman). The body is the temple in which this recognition can be cultivated and deepened.
Q7. Why does the text compare us to tenants renting a vehicle? What is the teaching in this analogy?
A: The analogy is vivid and humbling: we fill this body-vehicle with fuel (food), drive it along the sensory highways (the five sense-roads), collect the ‘rental income’ of worldly desires (Vasana Traya — desires for material gain, sensory pleasure, and power), wear out the vehicle, and then abandon it at death — only to rent another vehicle in the next birth and repeat the process. The teaching is this: we are using this extraordinary vehicle purely for tourism, when it was given to us for the most sacred of journeys — the realisation of the Self. Every birth spent in sensory indulgence is a wasted vehicle. This birth must be used for the purpose it was designed for.
Q8. What does it mean to ‘abandon the body’ in the Vedantic sense, if not physical death?
A: The Vedantic phrase ‘Tyajan deham’ does not mean physical death, suicide, or ascetic starvation. It means transcending identification with the three bodies (gross, subtle, causal) and the three states (waking, dream, deep sleep) — and resting in the Turiya state, the pure witness consciousness. This transcendence happens within the living body, at the Bhrumadhya (Budhi Guha), through deep Yoga practice. The Yogi ‘leaves’ the body in the sense of no longer being imprisoned in its limitations — not in the sense of physical departure.
Q9. The Bhagavad Gita says moderation in all activities makes Yoga destroy suffering. How does this apply practically?
A: Sri Krishna’s verse (6:17) identifies five areas requiring balanced regulation: food (Aahara), recreation (Vihara), physical activity/work (Cheshta/Karma), sleep (Svapna), and waking/awareness (Avabodha). When all five are maintained in appropriate measure — not too much, not too little — the body and mind are in a stable, nourishing rhythm. In this balance, Yoga practice can deepen without the obstacles of physical agitation (excess stimulation) or dullness (excess inertia). The Yogi’s life is one of conscious, proportionate living — not rigid austerity, not indulgence.
Q10. The Garuda Purana verse says this body cannot be regained ‘again and again.’ What is the urgency being communicated?
A: The verse makes a striking comparison: everything lost in life — village, land, wealth, home, even the results of past deeds — can potentially be regained through effort in this or future lives. But this specific configuration of circumstances — a human body capable of Self-realisation, with spiritual yearning, access to a Guru, and the Yoga teaching — is extraordinarily rare to receive again. It is not enough to say ‘I will pursue liberation in the next birth.’ The teaching is urgent: this body, right now, is the most precious thing you have ever been given. Use it. The time for Yoga is now.
