Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.7.48
Mukti· LiberationThe Body Changes, the Soul Remains
“The various phases of one’s material life, beginning with birth and culminating in death, are all properties of the body and do not affect the soul, just as the apparent waxing and waning of the moon does not affect the moon itself. Such changes are enforced by the imperceptible movements of time.”
What the purport teaches
- The body undergoes birth, growth, maintenance, production of by-products, dwindling and death. These changes belong to the body, not the soul.
- The moon appears to grow and diminish, yet the moon itself is not changed by these apparent phases. Similarly, bodily changes do not alter the eternal soul.
- The soul is neither born nor subject to death. The gross body and subtle mind, through which we perceive its reflection, undergo material changes.
Try this today
When you notice a change in your body or mind today, pause and distinguish it from the unchanging soul.
Ask yourself
How might remembering the soul’s permanence change my response to bodily changes?
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.