Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.22.48
Mukti· LiberationThe Lord’s Mercy Frees Bodily Identification
“Although the material body is different from the self, because of the ignorance due to material association one falsely identifies oneself with the superior and inferior bodily conditions. Sometimes a fortunate person is able to give up such mental concoction.”
What the purport teaches
- The material body is different from the self. Ignorance arising from material association makes one identify with superior and inferior bodily conditions.
- Such bodily identification is a mental concoction. A fortunate person can give it up through the special mercy of the Supreme Lord.
- There is always a chance of escaping the cycle of birth and death. The Lord’s mercy makes freedom from false bodily identity possible.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer to the Supreme Lord for mercy to give up false bodily identification.
Ask yourself
Which bodily condition do I most often mistake for my true identity?
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.