The body, which is made up of five elements is weak and is bound to disintegrate?

Question

"The body, which is made up of five elements,
is weak and is bound to disintegrate.
Though a hundred years of life-span is prescribed,
one cannot take it for granted.
One may leave his mortal coil at any time,
be it in childhood, youth, or old age.
Death is certain.
Hence, before the body perishes,
make efforts to know your true nature. "

http://www.sathyasai.org/discour/2006/d060905.html

that quote was from the above link

Answer 1

There is a difference between the 5 elements (fire earth air water and ether) and the 100+ elements of the chemists periodic table! And it is more than the material body vehicle that "dies or disintigrates." It is not until spirit soul is separated from BOTH the material body (the gross body) and MIND and INTELLIGENCE and EGO (subtle body) that we are truly LIBERATED and can return to the Eternal Spriitual World and be done with all this reincarnating into dead gross and subtle matter.

It is the temporary mind along with the intelligence and false ego (subtle body-still made up of the "elements") and spirit that separates from the material body after each death of the body that then requires entry into a new temporary body. People erroneous call the "ghost" mind-intelligence-ego (suble body) the "spirit." The True Self, or Spirit, however, is entrapped within the subtle body between lives. So "ghosts" are not eternal spirit. They still have a fallen and ignorant consciousness and may be an entity who committed suicide and who can't get a new gross body yet to go to the next life. (Very bad karma to commit suicide.)

We are not this body, mind, intelligence, ego-personality or the karmic story we are riding in this incarnation. We are fallen and ignorant spirit souls entrapped by and within these 5 cosmic elements and the 100+ elements of chemistry of gross and sublte matter. We were envious and jealous of the Supreme Lord, the Creator of All, The Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, and so He gave us free will to come here because we wanted to be controllers and enjpyers and play with this dead temporary matter instead of truly enlivened eternal spirit, so we are now imprisoned here until we can reawaken, become purified and are worthy enough by His mercy to return Home to Him and His and our Eternal Abode where He is the Supreme Controller and Enjoyer.

BTW, Vedic scripture states that only ten percent of the living entities of this entire creation (spiritual and material worlds combined) are fallen souls like us who incarnated, that 90% are in the spiritual world, so if you are here, you are considered one of the rare rebellious "rascals" who were fool enough to reject Him and Home. We rejected Him, He does not ever reject us. We can go back when we are ready, willing and able to by His mercy.

Answer 2

Nice quote, but a human body made up only five elements does not exist. The human body contains most of the elements on the periodic chart, admittedly in trace amounts. A common vitamin-mineral bottle label lists four or more. Add to that ones such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and others, and you will soon count more than a score common elements in the human body. The total number is much greater.

"Make efforts to know your true nature" though you never will know it. Why not just imagine it.
And after you perish it will be as if you never existed. But it was fun while it lasted.

Answer 3

I bet you don't know what a mortal coil is
hamlet knew
and he didn't shuffle off to buffalo

Answer 4

"bound to disintegrate" is a great name for a metal band