Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.13.27
Mukti· LiberationThe Soul Witnesses Changing States
“Waking, sleeping and deep sleep are the three functions of the intelligence and are caused by the modes of material nature. The living entity within the body is ascertained to possess characteristics different from these three states and thus remains as a witness to them.”
What the purport teaches
- Wakefulness, dreaming and deep dreamless sleep are functions of intelligence caused by the modes of nature. They arise from goodness, passion and ignorance, respectively.
- The spirit soul is different from these three states and remains their witness. Pure consciousness pervades them without being identical with them.
- Real renunciation means giving up identification with subtle and gross matter. Freedom to witness the functions of illusion is achieved by developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Try this today
Pause once today to notice your present mental state, remembering that you are its witness and directing your attention toward Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
How might remembering that I witness changing mental states loosen my identification with them?
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.