Academic Session 2024-2025 (Odd Semester)

Year: II Semester: III

Name of Subject: Universal Human Values

Subject Code: (BVE 301)

Name of Faculty: Prof. (Dr.) Laxmi Vajpeyi

Name of Department: Humanities & Professional Communication

BABU BANARASI DAS

NORTHERN INDIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
LUCKNOW

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 UNIT 2 HARMONY IN SELF
Topic - Understanding the Human Being as the Co-Existence of Self and Body

Understand human being

Human beings are complex creations of the elements of nature. Physically they are a composition of
minerals and water. At the next level human beings are capable of movement and the ability to respond to
stimuli. At the third level human beings are thinking beings that have intellect and emotions. At the
highest level human beings have a spiritual aspect. They aspire towards the transcendental (spiritual).
Thus human being is co-existence of the body and the self ‘jivan’. There is a familiar shape and structure
of a human body that is immediately apparent to us and we imagine someone with similar human body
like features. But in addition to the body, the entities that keep the body ‘alive’ and make it operate in
various ways. This aliveness is called jivan or self.

Human being is co-existence of this body and self. This self is also called ‘I’ or consciousness. All the
feelings that we feel or the decisions that we take are govern by the self only and not the body. Body only
performs the activities decided by the self.

Human being as a combination of the sentiment ‘I’ and material body

Human beings are a complex combination of the sentiment ‘I’ which relates to all the feelings and the
material ‘body’ which refers to all the physical facilities available to them. Often there is a clash between
the needs of the body and the feelings. This may manifest itself in many ways. Ex. The state of depression
or sadness. In this state the body needs food and nourishment but the feelings over-ride the situation. Both
these aspects of feelings and body needs and requirements form an essential part of ‘what we are’. This
co-existence must be harmonious.

Human needs :
Human being

Body Inner self (I)

Needs (I) suvidha Needs (II) sukh

Fig: Human needs
Suvidha:
It implies that it is looking for physical comforts and all the sources of attaining such
comforts. When our body gets used to a certain level of comfort then we will only feel comfortable at
that level. Ex. comfort in fan, cooler or air conditioner. Different people have a different perception of
suvidha and will seek a corresponding level of suvidha according to their perceptions.

Sukh:
The beauty of sukh is that it is a holistic and all encompassing state of the mind that creates
inner harmony.

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By nature man is fond of comfort and nourishment clothes for
happiness so he goes on making desires and protection, and instruments to
ambitions one after the other to enjoy more in ensure right utilization can be
life. To lead a comfortable life he also categorized as being ‘physical’ in
accumulates many facilities, so that his life nature, or also called ‘physical
may become full of comfort and happiness. facilities’ (suvidha) whereas the
Sukh depends upon our thinking, so many need of I is essentially to live in a
times we are surrounded by materialistic state of continuous happiness
possessions but we feel unsatisfied. People (sukh). The needs of the body
think that their happiness depends upon are physical in nature, whereas
suvidha (facilities) but is it not so; happiness the needs of the self (‘I’) are not
depends upon our thinking or our mental physical in nature - like trust,
satisfaction. respect, happiness etc.

Understanding Myself as Co-Existence of 2. The needs of ‘I’ are continuous

Self and Body in time, unlike the need of the
body, which is temporary in
In Co-existence with
Human Being = Self (‘I’) Body
Information
time. We want happiness
continuously. We also want the
The human being is the co-existence of ‘I’ feeling of respect continuously
and the body, and there is exchange of and so also acceptance in
information between the two. We can make relationship. We do not want to be
this distinction between the self and the body unhappy even for a single
in three ways in terms of the needs, activities moment, or lose the feeling of
and the types of these two entities, as shown respect for ourself for a single
in the table below: moment.
If we talk about food, clothing,
I shelter, or instruments,
Body these are
needed Food,
only for some amount of
Trust, Respect…. Clothing…
Needs are …. time, or we can say that the need
Happiness (sukh) Physical Facilities (suvidha)
for physical facilities of the body
In time needs are……. Continuous Temporary
Needs is temporary in time- it is not
In quantity, needs are... Qualitative Quantitative (limited in quantity)
continuous.
Right understanding and
Needs are fulfilled by….. Food, clothing, etc.
right feelings
3. Physical facilities are needed for
Desiring, thinking etc. the Breathing,
body in aheart-beat, etc.
limited quantity.
Activities Activities are ….. Knowing, assuming, WhenRecognizing,
we try andfulfilling
exceed these
recognizing, fulfilling limits, it becomes troublesome for
Type It is of type….. Conscious (non-material) us Physico-chemical
after some time. Let’s take the
(material)
example of eating. As far as,
A. Understanding needs of the self and physical facilities (say rasgulla)
needs of the body go, they are necessary in the
beginning, but if we keep
In the process of identifying the distinct consuming, it becomes intolerable
characteristics of the self and the body, we with the passage of time. This
will first focus towards their distinct needs: applies to every physical facility.
We can only think of having
1. The needs of the body like food for unlimited physical facilities, but
if we try and consume, or have
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  Desiring
4. The need of the self (‘I’), for happiness
 Dreaming
(sukh) is ensured by right understanding
and right feelings, while the need of the  Imagining
body, for physical facilities (suvidha), is  Analyzing
ensured by appropriate physico-chemical
things.

B. Understanding activities in the self and

activities in the body

If we look at the variety of activities that we

are engaged in commonly – we see that we can
put them in three categories:
1. Activities that are going on in the self
2. Activities that are going on in the body
3. Activities involving both the self and
the body

1. Activities in the self: Activities in self are:

 Thinking
 Believing
 Speaking
 Feeling
 Understanding

These activities are going on in us all the time, and we are usually unaware of them. If we start paying
attention to them, we can become aware of them. We can also see that these activities take place
irrespective of the state of the body. Our capacity to imagine does not change even when we are engaged
in some other work physically.

2. Activities involving both the self (I) and the body: There are some activities that we do, in which
both ‘I’ and body are involved. The decisions and choices are made in ‘I’, and these are carried out
via the body. These activities are:
 Walking  Seeing
 Eating  Listening
 Talking

Take the example of eating. Here, I first decide which food to eat, then make the choice to take the
food inside the body, use my hands to carry the food to the mouth, use the mouth to chew the food
and them swallow it. Thus, eating is an activity which involves both the self (‘I’), where the choice is
been made, and the body, with which the activity is carried out.
Recognition of body is definite but our (self) recognition depends on our assumptions. There is no
assuming at the level of body.

3. Activities in the body – but only with the consent of ‘I’: The body is a set of ‘self-organized
activities’ that are occurring with self (‘I’’s) consent but without my (‘I’’s) active participation. These
are functions like:

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  Digesting
 Blood flow
 Heart beat
 Breathing

Some observations are here for better understanding of the role of self and body:
 I am the conscious entity; the body is the material entity. Body is my instrument. I am the one who
takes decisions, the body acts accordingly. The awareness of being alive is in me, in ‘I’.
 It is not just that I what to live, I want to live with continuous happiness. For the body, physical
facilities are required in a limited quantity and temporarily. There are three requirements related to the
body, nutrition, protection and right utilization. For the nurture of the body, food is required. For
protection, clothing is required. For right utilization, instruments are required.
 My complete program is to understand and live in harmony at all the four levels of my living.
Ensuring physical facilities for the body is only a small part of the program. It consist of production,
protection and right utilization of physical facilities.
 I am the seer. I see through eyes, the eye don’t see, they are just an instrument used by me. In the
eyes, different images are formed every time - it is ‘I’ who is able to relate it to its meaning. Seer also
means the one that understands
 I am the doer. I select to do, and use the hands or feet or other parts of the body to do the things.
‘Doer’ means ‘the one that does’, who takes decisions to do. It is also called ‘karta’.
 I am the enjoyer. When I eat, I get the taste. The body just gets in touch with the food and sends the
information to me; it is ‘I’ who enjoys the food. Enjoyer means ‘the one who enjoys’. It is also called
‘bhokta’.

Why Should I Study Myself: Knowing ourselves better helps us in the following ways:

 The self is the basis of everything we do. All the desires and expectations we have are all
there in self. For e.g. to be famous, to get good marks, get great job, having good relationships
in our family or wanting ‘rasgulla’. Hence, it becomes important to understand these desires,
thoughts, and activities in self, so that we know whether they are right.
 To understand happiness better and the causes for unhappiness because happiness and
unhappiness are states in self.
 It helps us have more clarity about how we are within. This helps us become self- confident.
It also helps in establishing proper synergy between the self and the body.
 Study of self unable us to know our weaknesses and how to remove.
 The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand other person as well and our
relationship with them.
 It helps us to better understand our program, i.e. what is valuable to us, or what do we
ultimately want and how do we fulfill them.

Topic: Harmony of Self (I) with The Body – Sanyama And Swasthya

Our Body – A Self Organized Unit

The human body is a self organized and highly sophisticated mechanism. The body is made up of several
organs and glands and the different parts of the body keep working in a close co-ordination. All the
activities keep the body fit for the use of ‘I’ (self or jivana) so that ‘I’ and the body may work in synergy
as a human being. The silent aspects of this harmony b/w ‘I’ and the body are:-

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 1. The body acts according to the needs of I.
2. There is harmony among the parts of the body.
3. What our body follow only by the permission of I.
4. There is a strong coupling b/w I and the body. If I am in disharmony e.g. in anger or stress or
despair. It immediately starts affecting the body adversely.
5. There are many diseases of the body that are caused or accentuated due to disharmony in I. These
are called psychosomatic diseases such as asthma, migraine, hyper-tension etc. On the other hand,
when there is a strong disturbance in the body manifesting in the form of severe pain, it distracts I
from its normal functions.
6. I have the feeling of sanyama for the body and the body has swasthya. Sanyama is basic to
swasthya.

SANYAMA
Sanyama means the feeling of responsibility in the self (I) for nurturing, protection and right
utilization of the body.
Self control or sanyama is the control of the mind and its desires, urges, emotions and delusions. It
is controlling the outgoing tendencies of the mind and the senses and bringing them back to our self
within. Self control is the key to success in any field of life and it is an indispensable necessity for self–
realization, the goal of spiritual quest. Practice of self control is most purifying because self– control
transform the quality of our mind.

Aspects of Sanyama
Self control constitutes two main aspects of will power and self discipline.
Self control

Will power Self discipline

Achievement of goals and objectives

Fig: The components of self control

Will Power: Will power is an individuals’ activity to harness his or her energy. Energy may be:-
 Physical
 Mental
 Emotional
 Spiritual energy

In order to achieve the goals and objectives, one aspires for such energy is necessary. If one’s
energy is a little deficient, then the individual makes up with another, so strong is the will to achieve the
goal. E.g. a marathon athlete may be tired and thirsty and every body part may be aching but his mental
strength drives him to complete the marathon and achieve his goal.

Self Discipline: Self discipline is the accompanying input that goes into self control. Self discipline
refers to the ability to train our body, mind, emotions and spirit to perform as per a schedule or a
routine.

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 Self discipline makes a person strong enough to reject immediate gratification towards a higher
goal but it does require efforts and time to become self disciplined. If a person has will power and is
disciplined, he/she gains control over his/her actions. Thus he/she can choose his/her behaviour and
reactions, instead of being ruled by them.

Advantages of Self Control

1. Keeps a check on wrong habits, addictions etc.
2. Gives us confidence and improves our self esteem.
3. Keeps our emotions in control.
4. Creates peace of mind, balance and a sense of equanimity (equilibrium, calmness)
5. Helps us to take charge of our own life.
6. Makes us more responsible and efficient in achieving our goals.

Obstacles in the Path of Self Control

1. Inability to understand the true meaning of self control.
2. Overwhelming emotional outbursts
3. Acting without thinking
4. Mo incentive (encouragement) to exercising self control
5. Lack of faith in one’s own abilities
6. Lack of confidence
7. Thinking that self control is the opposite of fun.
8. Hedonistic life values - the attitude of ‘eat drink and be merry’ which may encourage loosing
control.

SWASTHYA
Swasthya is the condition of the body where every part of the body is performing its
expected function. The word swasthya literally means being anchored to the self, being in close
harmony with the self.
In other words, swasthya, in Sanskrit means self– dependence (swa = our own). Also, embedded
in its meaning is health, sound state, comfort and satisfaction. In Hindi, the most widely spoken language
of India, it merely means health. In this case, using the Hindi accent, it is pronounced “suasti”.

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 Health is the general condition of a person. It is also a
level of functional and/or metabolic efficiency of an organism,
often implicitly human.
At the time of creation of the World Health Organization
(WHO) in 1948, health was defined as being ‘a state of complete
physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the
absence of diseases or infirmity’. In 1986, the WHO, in the
Ottawa Charter of Health Promotion, said that health is ‘a
resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and
personal resources, as well as physical capacities’.
The English word “health” comes from the old English word hale, meaning “wholeness, a
being whole, sound or well”. Hale comes from the Proto-Indo-European root kailo, meaning
“whole, uninjured, of good omen”.
Physical health
Aspects of Swasthya
Health or swasthya is a holistic term which includes: Healthy
 Physical health Individual
 Mental health Mental health Social health
 Social health Fig: The Inputs of Holistic Health
Physical Health
For humans, physical health means a good body health, which is healthy because of regular
physical activity (exercise), good nutrition, and adequate rest.
Physical health relates to anything concerning our bodies as physical entities. In other terms,
physical health is physical wellbeing. Physical wellbeing is defined as something a person can achieve
by developing all health– related components of his/her life style. Fitness reflects a person’s cardio-
respiratory endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and body composition. Other contributors of physical
wellbeing may include proper nutrition, body weight management, abstaining from drug abuse, avoiding
alcohol abuse, responsible sexual behaviour (sexual health), hygiene and getting the right amount of
sleep.

Building Physical Health

1. Eat a healthy, well balanced diet.
2. Take care of personal hygiene and cleanliness (brushes our teeth regularly, bath daily, wear clean
clothes etc.
3. Keep our surrounding clean
4. Drink clean and safe water
5. Breathe deeply. Take deep slow breaths. Our body needs the oxygen
6. Go for a walk regularly
7. Exercise daily, play a game, go to the gym, jog or walk briskly
8. Avoid fizzy drink, chips and junk food as far as possible
9. Eat in moderate quantity – less is better than excess. But make sure what we eat is nutritious
10. Keep our nails clipped and clean

Mental Health
Mental health refers to people’s cognitive and emotional wellbeing. A person who enjoys good
mental health does not have a mental disorder. According to WHO, mental health is:
“A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his/her own abilities can cope with the
normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to
his/her community”.

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 In other words sound mental health is that state of the mind which can maintain a calm
positive poise, or regain it when unsettled for progressively longer durations or quickly, in the
midst of all the external vagaries of work life and social existence.
Most people agree that mental health includes the ability to enjoy life, the ability to bounce back
from adversity, the ability to achieve balance (moderation) the ability t be flexible and adapt, the ability to
feel safe and secure, and self-actualization (making the best of what we have).

The Impediments to Sound Mental Health

Internal Causes: There are some major causes of impaired mental health. They are:
 Greed : for money, power, recognition, etc
 Jealousy : regarding one’s own information base, resources, etc.
 Envy : regarding someone else’s achievement, reward, talent, etc.
 Egoism/vanity : regarding one’s own accomplishment
 Impatience : arise or originates from greed, jealousy, envy and egoism
 Suspiciousness : arise or originates from greed, jealousy, envy and egoism
 Anger : arise or originates from greed, jealousy, envy, egoism,
impatience and suspiciousness
 Frustration : arise or originates from greed, jealousy, envy and egoism
and impatience
External Causes: These causes are often called ‘stressors’ and includes skill obsolescence, job change,
work-pressure, transfers, stock market crises, unemployment, weak empathy, student agitation, problems
with neighbors, militant unionism, and so on.

Restoring Mental Health

Here are a few vital guidelines whose practice could restore our personal command over mental
health:
1. Cultivate a sound philosophy of life, based on values.
2. Identify with an inner core of self-sufficiency through “simple living and high thinking”
3. Nourish a sense of equilibrium strive for excellence through ‘work is worship’ – take pride in our work
4. Build a stable and exalted inner reference point for the integration of contrary impulses, emotions, etc
5. Cultivate the value of purity
6. Practice self discipline through deep breathing
7. Develop the habit of radiating goodwill and harmony from the centre of one’s being- be positive, to
attract good things

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Social Health
Social health refers to the ability of a person to fit in with the social setup and maintain
positive and harmonious inter-personal relations. Social health contributes towards physical and
mental health which is why it must be given due importance.

Enhance Social Health

To enhance social health, a human being must:
1. Learn to be tolerant
2. Learn to appreciate diversity and realize that people can be different from us and yet be very capable
in their own way
3. Practice good manners – always be polite and pleasant
4. Conduct oneself with grace and dignity
5. Be helpful, loyal and trustworthy. Develop the qualities of a good friend
6. Don’t be self centered.

Determinants of health
The health of individual people and their communities are affected by a wide range of contributing
factors. People’s good or bad health is determined by their environment and situation– what is happening
and what has happened to them, say WHO. WHO says that the following factors probably have a bigger
impact on our health than access and use of health care services
 Where we live
 The state of our environment
 Genetics
 Our income
 Our educational level
 Our relationship with friends and family

WHO says the main determinants of health are:-

 our economy and society (“The social and economical environment”)
 where we live what is physically around us (“The physical environment”)
 what we are and what we do (“The person’s individual characteristics and behaviour”)

As our good health depends on the context of our lives, praising or criticizing people for their good or bad
health is wrong. Most of the factors that contribute towards our good or bad health are out of our control.

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