Pearls of Wisdom

‘Who is a man?’

TÀvad eva hi puruÚo yÀvad antaḥkaraòaã tadīyaã kÀryÀkÀryaviÚayavivekayogyaã, tad ayogyatve naÚáa eva puruÚo bhavati

(Ādi ŚankarÀcarya's commentary on Bhagavad GītÀ, Chapter II. Verse 63) Translation

Man is fit to be called man so long as his mindset is capable of discriminating between what should and what should not be done. In absence of this trait, he is unworthy of his manhood. Note by the Editor

Moral and spiritual values make real difference between the man and the animal. Human beings have all the traits of the animals. Eating, sleeping, to be afraid and the basic instincts which are common for all the living beings. Human being is blessed with the intellect which helps to control the instinct or the animal nature. To discriminate between good and bad, right and wrong is a typical human trait. In modern language we can say that all the animals including human being are born with the software which they cannot go beyond. But human being can update and edit the software. This capacity of discrimination has made the man capable even to realize God or his true nature.