Acharya Prashant addresses the question of whether insulting the self means denying the needs of the body. He clarifies that one must deny the needs of the ego, not the body. To the extent that the body's need is for the body, it should be fulfilled. However, to the extent that the body's need is for the ego, it should be insulted. The speaker explains that the needs of an animal's body are purely physical, whereas most of a human's bodily needs are mental. It is the insult of these mental needs that is necessary. One must ask oneself, "What my body is asking for right now, is it going to be useful for the body or for the mind?" If it is for the body alone, it should be given. If it is for the mind, it should not be given to the body. One must learn to make this distinction. For example, there is one type of clothing worn to protect the body from cold, and another type worn so the mind can boast about how fine the cloth is. Similarly, there is food eaten because the body needs energy and nutrition, and there is food eaten because the tongue is craving more. This distinction must be understood. Most of the demands of our body are actually the demands of the mind, which it makes through the body. If a demand is purely physical, its characteristic is that not fulfilling it will harm the body. If a demand is mental but appears physical, its characteristic is that not fulfilling it causes no harm to the body, but fulfilling it inflates the ego. Lust, for instance, is often called physical, but if it is not fulfilled, the body does not bleed or lose limbs. It is mostly mental. Another characteristic of a physical need is that it is always limited and periodic. Hunger is a need of the body; it is limited. A mental demand, however, is infinite and not periodic. The desire for wealth is a mental demand; it is never fulfilled. The speaker clarifies that the word 'insult' (apmaan) means not to accept or give recognition (maanyata). It means to say, "You have no form, you are zero, you are false." Since we have already given respect (sammaan) to the ego, we must now learn to insult it. The speaker concludes by giving the example of sleep. The body needs only 5.5 to 6 hours of sleep. The extra time spent sleeping is for the mind's pleasure. By sleeping extra, one wastes years of their life, becoming their own biggest enemy.
