THE REAL SELF | PART 03 OF 14 | IWGR I | RAMA राम

The attendant said , " To me . "

and taking up a stick from the hands of the attendant the youth asked ,

" Person so and so , to whom does this stick belong ? "

The attendant said , " To me . "

" Well , to whom does this turban of yours belong ? "

The attendant said , " To me . "

The youth said , " All right . If the turban belongs to you , there is a relation between the turban and you ; the turban is your property , and you are the owner . Then you are not the turban , the turban is yours . "

The attendant said , " Indeed , that is so plain . "

" Well , the pencil belongs to you , the pencil is yours , and you are not the pencil . "

The attendant said , " I am not the pencil because the pencil is mine ; that is my property , I am the owner . " All right .

Then the youth asked , taking hold of the ears of that attendant ,

" Whom do these ears belong to ? "

The attendant said , " To me . "

The youth said , " All right , the ears belong to you , the ears are yours . As such you are not the ears . Similarly the nose belongs to you . As the nose is yours , you are not the nose . Then , whose body is that ? "

( Just beckoning to the body of the attendant . )

The attendant said , " The body is mine ; this body is mine . "

" If the body is yours , then you are not the body ; you cannot be the body because you say that the body is yours ; you cannot be the body . The very statement — my body , my ears , my head , my hand proves that you are something else and the body together with the ears and hands and eyes , etc , is something else .

This is your property , you are the owner , the master ; the body is like your garment and you are the owner . The body is like your horse and you are the owner . Now , what are you ? "

The attendant understood it so far , and also concurred with the youth in saying that when the youth had put down on paper the address of the body and had meant that this address stood for oneself , that a mistake had been made .