"That thou art"
14. Therefore the thought that the Lord gives us in the Thirteenth Chapter is most valuable. "You are
not the body, you are the Self" "Tat tvam asi" - "You are indeed the
Self." This thought, this saying is most noble, pure and holy. This great truth - "You are not this outer
covering, this skin, but the true indestructible fruit within" - finds
an important place in Sanskrit literature.
The moment there arises
in the mind of man the thought - "That are you," "I am not this body, I
am the Self Supreme" - a new joy, unknown before, wells up in the heart. These
words that spring from the heart are filled with the subtle thoughts, "Nothing, no one, in the world can destroy this
form of mine."
15. I am the Self, indestructible, flawless, transcending the body. The body has been given to me for
the sake of the Self. Whenever there is a chance of the Supreme principle being defiled, I shall in
order to safeguard it, throw away this body. I shall ever be ready to
offer up the body in sacrifice in order to keep the flame of the Self
brightly burning. Is it to compass my own defeat that I am riding the
body? I must hold sway over the body, I shall put it to good use; through it I shall increase the
welfare and prosperity of the world.
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