In a game with Nachiketa

Story

Today, when Nikhil came home from school, he was very sad. When his mother asked him the reason, he avoided the question and silently went to his room. He sat there for a long time, lost in thought. Because of his magical powers, Nikhil’s friend Nachiketa knew that Nikhil was feeling low. Nachiketa went back in time to see what had happened at school. He saw that some mischievous kids were making fun of Nikhil's short stature and chubby body. Nachiketa returned to the present. As it was raining, Nachiketa, wearing a raincoat, flew to Nikhil's house through his magical umbrella.

"Good thing Nachiketa, you came. I was getting very bored alone," Nikhil said.

"I know, that's why I came to play with you," Nachiketa replied.

"So, what should we play, carrom, chess, video games, or something else?" Nikhil asked Nachiketa.

"Today, we will play something new. The game is called 'Who are you?'" Nachiketa said.

"What is this game? I know who I am, I am Nikhil."

"Today, you will find out who you are besides that through this fun game, let's start."

"Nikhil, who are you?" Nachiketa began the game.

"I am my hands, with which I do all my work," Nikhil said.

Nachiketa tied Nikhil's hands with a cloth.

"Now, you cannot use your hands. Who are you now?"

"Yes, I am my legs, with which I can go anywhere," Nikhil said.

Nachiketa tied Nikhil's legs as well. "Now, you cannot go anywhere. Who are you now?"

"Yes, I am my eyes, with which I can see the whole world," Nikhil said.

Nachiketa blindfolded Nikhil and asked the same question.

In response, Nikhil said, "I am my intellect, with which I understand everything and can answer difficult questions."

Nachiketa, using his magic, reduced Nikhil's thinking and understanding ability. Once again, he asked the question, “Now tell me, do you exist?”

 “Strange, but I still think I am me. But how can this be?" Nikhil said.

"Because you are not your name, body, or intellect. You are beyond that. You are the power through which you can know that you exist," Nachiketa explained.

Nikhil couldn't fully understand Nachiketa's words, but he understood what he was not.

"Now, I won't feel bad if someone makes fun of my body. Thank you, Nachiketa," Nikhil said.

In the Nirvana Shatakam, Adi Shankaracharya says that we are blissful like Shiva beyond our body and mind.

"I am not the mind, intellect, ego, or memory

I am consciousness, I am Shiva, I am Shiva"

We should not pay too much attention to the structure or appearance of our body because we are beyond that.