What is Your Identity ?

Mangesh woke-up in the morning and got ready for the office, before leaving for the office, he stood before a mirror and gave a pep-up talk…”I am a diamond…” and happily reached to the office. One of his sub-ordinates met him and said.. “Sir, you are a platinum…”. He mumbled,” I was just thinking of myself a diamond… I am more precious than that … I am a platinum…”. With this attitude he started his work. After some time, his boss called him, and said, “ you know, … you are a copper…”. He got confused whether he was a diamond, a platinum or a copper. With this confusion, he reached his home. His wife understood that something has happened with him. In front of your wife, neither you can express your happiness nor sadness. In both the cases, you have to give the explanation which is more perilous than expressing your emotions. His wife asked the reason for his upset. He explained what had happened.  She shown the sympathy and said, “ how can your boss call you a copper, this is not fair ….you are not a copper… you cannot be a copper …you are …..a …..plastic of low quality..”.

What this story says….

The person who does not understand his true identity gets depression or arrogance on temporary name, fame, shape, body, mind, success or failure. Whether it is the depression of your failure or arrogance of your success, both snatch your happiness.  

We are not a body, as a body is the accumulation of 100 billion cells. The old cells die and new one take birth, it is the indication of the end of the body. It means, we are not a body. We are not a mind as well, as the mind is nothing but the collection of the thoughts, and our thoughts keep changing. What the thoughts you had when you were 5 years old and now, have no match. What the thoughts you have now and after 10 years would have a yawning difference. It means, you are not a mind. You are the same person being called by different names and epithet according to your profession, age and relationship, it means, you are not a name, post, positions, titles etc.

…Then what is your real identity that never changes with the changes in shape, name, body and mind ?

Let us understand it. There is a gold ring, a gold necklace and a gold bracelet. When you melt a gold ring. What do you get? Ring loses its shape and size, and gold remains. When you melt a gold necklace. What do you get? Necklace loses its shape and size, and gold remains. When you melt the bracelet. What do you get this time ? Of course, gold. In this way, ring, necklace or bracelet are not the reality, the reality is the gold. Ring, necklace or bracelet is the temporary form of the gold. Similarly, we are not bound by any outer manifestation, these all are ephemeral. When all outer manifestation ceases, we get pure consciousness which never changes, which is our true identity. This is called soul also.

As Vedanta says, if you know yourself, there is nothing in this world to be known, or getting bewildered.

 Despite all the luxury and achievements, this world is not as happy as it should be. There are  animosity, hatred, despise, jealousy and other kind of negativity pervaded in this world. This is because of the wrong understanding of the true identity. And there is always a wrong result of a wrong understanding.