Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.16.8
Mukti· LiberationThe Body Dies, Not the Living Entity
“Even though one living entity becomes connected with another because of a relationship based on bodies that are perishable, the living entity is eternal. Actually it is the body that is born or lost, not the living entity. One should not accept that the living entity takes birth or dies. The living being actually has no relationship with so-called fathers and mothers. As long as he appears as the son of a certain father and mother as a result of his past fruitive activities, he has a connection with the body given by that father and mother. Thus he falsely accepts himself as their son and acts affectionately. After he dies, however, the relationship is finished. Under these circumstances, one should not be falsely involved with jubilation and lamentation.”
What the purport teaches
- It is the body that is born or lost, not the living entity. The living entity is eternal.
- While living in a material body, the living entity falsely thinks he is that body. Bodily relationships with father and mother arise from past fruitive activities.
- These illusions continue until one understands the living entity’s actual situation. One should therefore not be falsely absorbed in jubilation and lamentation over bodily relationships.
Try this today
Write down this reminder and reflect on it today: “The body changes and dies; the living entity is eternal.”
Ask yourself
Where do I most strongly confuse my bodily identity with my actual self?
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.