Acharya Prashant advises treating the body as a companion and observing how it behaves. This companion is described as very selfish and greedy, caring only about itself and its own demands. It has no respect for what you, the conscious entity, want to do or attain. The body is likened to a bad life partner with whom you are saddled, one that has no empathy or understanding of who you are. It only knows its own interests and will not compromise on them. For instance, when you have an exam, the body wants to sleep, or when you have an urgent task, it yells for food. The body has no empathy for your objectives and has no respect for who you are. The speaker states that the first tragedy is birth itself, as you are not born alone but are welded to the body. You are born together, but you cannot live together peacefully, yet you must live together. This relationship is not a peaceful coexistence or a harmonious thing; it is a war where one of you must rule. Either you will live as the body, or the body will have to surrender to your power. Spirituality is this war, and you are being trained to fight and win. You must display your might and conquer the body; otherwise, you will be enslaved by it. This is a battle between the conscious entity and the conditioned body. This war cannot be abandoned, nor can you make peace with the enemy; it must be fought. Only if you fight and win does the body become a useful and good slave. The speaker uses the analogy of domesticating a wild wolf into a pet dog, explaining that you must render the body useful. This process of domesticating the body is what is meant by Yoga. Harmony can only come by prevailing over the enemy, which is the body. Once the body starts obeying your commands, it becomes a very good slave. In the case of human life, harmony is achieved by prevailing upon the enemy, and then the enemy becomes a useful and obedient servant. That is Yoga.
