Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.25.14
Ūti· What drives us to actThe Body Is Not the Self
“That city was surrounded by walls and parks, and within it were towers, canals, windows and outlets. The houses there were decorated with domes made of gold, silver and iron.”
What the purport teaches
- The city's features represent parts of the body: skin is its protective wall, hair its parks, and eyes its windows. The eyelids serve as protective gates.
- Gold, silver and iron represent the three modes of material nature. Gold stands for goodness, silver for passion and iron for ignorance.
- The body is also described as a bag containing mucus, bile and air. The purport strongly warns against considering this material body to be the self.
Try this today
While caring for your body today, pause and remember that the body is not the self.
Ask yourself
When do I mistake my bodily appearance or condition for my whole identity?
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.