In the Brihadarnayaka 2.4.5 it is said : First you stop seeing the not-self (which is not you), then you see the self (which you are the pre existence-consciousness-bliss mass). In the "you are that" great statement, this is the method of extracting the "you" aspect.
After the discrimination-filled explanation of the Prakriti-Purusha, of the field and its knower, it is now easy for us to understand that "neither am I this body, nor is this body mine". This body is an effect or kaarana of Prakriti, a transformation or vikaara of the five elements, a modification or parinaama of maayaa, a reverse appearance or vivarta of brahman. Therefore it is a seen, it transforms, it modifies, it is destructible, it is inert. How can this be the "I" since "I" am the aware witness that knows the seen, the modifications, the transformations and the changes. If "I am not" then even their existence cannot be proven.
For purposes of investigation, we divide the body into three aspects:
1. Gross body 2. Subtle body and 3. Causal body
The body that is available as a corpse is the gross body. In a live human, all three bodies - gross, subtle and causal are available. In the body of a knower of brahman, there are only two available - subtle and gross. His causal body has been destroyed.
Now let us analyze each of them.
Gross body : Marrow, bone, fat, muscle, blood, tissue and skin - that which is made up of these seven materials is called a gross body. Feet, thighs. bosom, arms, back, head and others - these names refer to the various limbs and members of this gross body. The receptacles of the senses, the skull that houses the internal organ, the heart that pumps blood, the network of all veins and nerves, bone, fat, hair, excreta, urine etc. are all parts of this gross body. That body which doctors study by tearing apart, is the gross body. This gross body is a seen, and is a transformation or vikaara of the five great elements. Each of its limbs is filled with all of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and space). The process of pancheekarana divides each element into five parts. Therefore, this body is a combination of a total of 25 elements.
That portion of the body which is the most solid is made of a predominance of the earth element. That which is liquid has prominence of water. That which has heat or its effects has a prominence of fire. That which has motion has prominence of wind. And that which is empty consists of space predominantly.
The human body, per measure of the hand, is three and a half hands long. It is fat-thin, white-black, male-female gender. It alone is created, grows and dies. It alone has the caste of braahman, warrior, businessman or shoodra. Brahmachaaree, householder, retiree or sanyaasee also is of this gross body. This alone is Hindu, Muslim, Christian. It alone is worshipped, revered, insulted. All relations of woman and child etc. are with respect to this gross body alone.
All dealings of the waking state are carried out by this gross body. Man puts the notion of "I and mine" upon it. The ignorant person takes this notion as real, forgets his pure nature, and becomes one with this body. The wise knower understands his pure nature. Therefore, even if there is I or mine notion during worldly dealings, he knows that it is illusory, only a phenomenon. He remains unattached towards that nature and those dealings.
Why did there arise differences in gross forms? Its reason is the prior-created action-impressions of the doer-enjoyer individual soul staying in this body. We see magnets pulling iron filings towards them based on their power and so on. Similarly, the individual soul associates itself with the five great elements according to its desires (vaasanaas).
This gross body is the enjoyment zone of the individual soul. Like the householder stays in his house, this individual soul stays in the gross body. The house is made of bricks, stones, cement, iron and wood, and therefore, belongs to those components. The householder calls it "mine" for transactional reasons. Similarly, this gross body is made of the five great elements and belongs to them. So the individual soul should call it "mine" for transactional reasons, since it is his enjoyment zone. It is never the "I". When this body does not listen to our command, its increase-decrease does not happen per our wishes but in fact happens per the rules of the five elements, then how can this body be mine? It belongs to the five elements. Objects should always be submitted back to their rightful owners.
This gross body which is an agglomeration of 25 elements cannot be the "I" because an agglomeration is always for someone else. This body is for the self, but it is not the self.
No limb of the gross body is the self, nor is the entire agglomeration of limbs the self. The self is the knowledge-nature witness of gross, subtle and causal bodies. That individual soul which is the doer-enjoyer-worldly-disconnected entity, it also is associated with the subtle and causal bodies. This is because the gross body remains here after this life ends. The individual soul goes to another birth by taking the subtle and causal bodies with it.
The thinker should conduct analysis on the lines of Prakriti-Purusha. He should experience himself as different from the gross body and its activities, and their presence and absence. The line of experience is this alone : that which is seen, known, that is unreal, inert, sorrow-filled therefore it is the not-self, not me. And that which is the seer, the knower, the witness, that is of the nature of existence-awareness-bliss, therefore it is the self, it is I. I am the witness of the presence and absence of everything. Therefore I am pure knowledge-nature.
The gross body is the seen, therefore it is inert. It has six transformations : creation, existence, modifying itself into child, youth and old, increasing, aging and decaying, and dying. The self is the witness of all six transformations. It is not created, it is the witness of the creation. Therefore it existed prior to creation. It is the witness of the aging, modification, decay and destruction of the body, therefore it is in all times.
Just as the witness of the pot is different from the pot, in the same manner, the witness of the gross body is different than the gross body.
The identifier (abhimaanee) of the gross body and the waking state is called "Vishva". But the self is different than the Vishva. Its discrimination but be seen in the tri-state-witness-discrimination (avasthaa traya saakshi viveka). The gross body is predominantly action and enjoyment oriented, therefore its power is the rajoguna.
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