Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.5.4
Mukti· LiberationThe Soul Is Distinct From the Body
“In a dream one can see his own head being cut off and thus understand that his actual self is standing apart from the dream experience. Similarly, while awake one can see that his body is a product of the five material elements. Therefore it is to be understood that the actual self, the soul, is distinct from the body it observes and is unborn and immortal.”
What the purport teaches
- In a dream, one may see one’s own head being cut off. The actual self stands apart from that dream experience.
- While awake, one can observe that the body is made of five material elements.
- The soul is distinct from the body it observes. This actual self is unborn and immortal.
Try this today
Take one quiet minute to observe your body and reflect: “The soul observing this body is unborn and immortal.”
Ask yourself
How does observing my body help me consider that I am distinct from it?
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.