Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.47.31
Mukti· LiberationThe Soul Is Pure Consciousness
“Being composed of pure consciousness, or knowledge, the soul is distinct from everything material and is uninvolved in the entanglements of the modes of nature. We can perceive the soul through the three functions of material nature known as wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep.”
What the purport teaches
- The soul consists of pure knowledge, or consciousness. It is distinct from material nature and uninvolved in the reactions of its modes.
- The soul can be perceived through the changing conditions of wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep.
- The word ātmā can also mean the Supreme Soul, Lord Kṛṣṇa. Deep study of this world, whose material phenomena are His expansions, can lead to perception of God.
Try this today
Pause today and reflect: “The soul is pure consciousness, distinct from changing material conditions.”
Ask yourself
How might remembering that the soul is distinct from material nature change your view of daily experiences?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.