Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.15.8
Mukti· LiberationMaterial Labels Obscure Our Original Identity
“Divisions of generalization and specification, such as nationality and individuality, are the imaginations of persons who are not advanced in knowledge.”
What the purport teaches
- Material and spiritual energies are ever-existing because both emanate from the eternal Supreme Lord.
- The individual soul has desired to act in forgetfulness of his original identity since time immemorial.
- By accepting different material bodies, the soul receives designations of nationality, community, society and species. These divisions do not express his original identity.
Try this today
Notice one label you apply to someone today and remember that it describes a material position, not the soul’s original identity.
Ask yourself
Which material designation most strongly shapes how I see myself or others?
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.