Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.3.31
Mukti· LiberationLook Beyond the Outward Covering
“Clouds and dust are carried by the air, but less intelligent persons say that the sky is cloudy and the air is dirty. Similarly, they also implant material bodily conceptions on the spirit self.”
What the purport teaches
- Material eyes and senses cannot see the Lord, who is all spirit. They cannot even detect the spiritual spark within a living being’s body.
- We see the outward body or subtle mind, but not the spiritual self within. Assigning bodily qualities to that self is like identifying the sky with the clouds covering it.
- Those who wish to see God without the necessary qualification are first shown the material cosmos as the virāṭ-rūpa. This is an introductory conception; the Lord is both within and without.
Try this today
When you meet someone today, pause and remember that the visible body is an outward covering of the spiritual self.
Ask yourself
How often do I identify a person only with the outward body I can see?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.