Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.28.13
Nirodha· Winding upThe Soul Leaves With the Subtle Body
“The city’s superintendent of police, the serpent, saw that the citizens were being attacked by Kālakanyā, and he became very aggrieved to see his own residence set ablaze after being attacked by the Yavanas.”
What the purport teaches
- The living entity is covered by a gross body and a subtle body. When the gross body ends, the subtle body carries the living entity to another gross body.
- The serpent, the city's police superintendent, figuratively represents the subtle body. Its work of carrying the soul is not visible to ordinary scientific observation.
- Like a superintendent rendered powerless during an all-out attack, the subtle body cannot maintain control. It also experiences pain as the life air prepares to leave.
Try this today
Write one sentence explaining the difference between the end of the gross body and the soul's departure.
Ask yourself
How does the distinction between gross and subtle bodies change my understanding of death?
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.