Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.11.15
Visarga· Brahmā's creationThe Body Ends, but the Soul Remains
“The creation of the material world begins with the five elements, and thus everything, including the body of a man or a woman, is created of these elements. By the sexual life of man and woman, the number of men and women in this material world is further increased.”
What the purport teaches
- Bodies are formed from earth, water, fire, air and ether. Through sexual union, further bodies are produced.
- Creation, maintenance and annihilation occur through material nature under Kṛṣṇa’s superintendence. Manu explained that Dhruva’s brother’s bodily death was an act of material nature, not actually the Yakṣas’ fault.
- Our relationship with the body is material, while the real self is spirit soul. The soul is never annihilated or killed, so one should not be overwhelmed by material nature’s changes.
Try this today
Spend one minute reflecting: “The body changes, but the real self, the spirit soul, is never killed.”
Ask yourself
How can remembering the soul’s enduring existence steady me amid bodily changes?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.