Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.28.42
Mukti· LiberationThe Soul Endures; the Body Does Not
“This mystic bodily perfection is not valued very highly by those expert in transcendental knowledge. Indeed, they consider endeavor for such perfection useless, since the soul, like a tree, is permanent, but the body, like a tree’s fruit, is subject to destruction.”
What the purport teaches
- A tree’s fruit exists for a short time, while the tree may live for thousands of years. Similarly, the spirit soul is eternal, but the material body is destroyed relatively quickly.
- Even when preserved as long as possible, the body remains subject to destruction. It should never be equated with the eternally existing spirit soul.
- Those who actually have spiritual knowledge are not interested in material mystic perfections. They consider endeavor for such bodily perfection useless.
Try this today
Today, pause for a moment and reflect: “My body is temporary, but I am an eternal spirit soul.”
Ask yourself
How might remembering that the soul is eternal change the importance I give to bodily perfection?
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.