Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.22.44
Nirodha· Winding upThe Body Changes, the Soul Remains
“The different stages of transformation of all material bodies occur just like those of the flame of a candle, the current of a river, or the fruits of a tree.”
What the purport teaches
- Like a candle flame, a river’s currents or a tree’s fruits, the material body undergoes constant transformation.
- Whatever is produced within material time must eventually be destroyed. The body steadily moves toward old age, disease and death.
- Physical strength may diminish while knowledge increases. Through all these changes, the temporary body should never be confused with the eternal, unchanging spirit soul.
Try this today
Observe a fruit or flowing water today, and briefly reflect that your body also changes while the spirit soul remains unchanged.
Ask yourself
How can noticing bodily changes help me distinguish the body from the unchanging soul?
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.