Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.12.24
Mukti· LiberationKnow Yourself Beyond the Material Body
“He should properly place the fire element in his own self and in this way give up bodily affinity, by which one thinks the body to be one’s self or one’s own. One should gradually merge the material body into the five elements [earth, water, fire, air and sky].”
What the purport teaches
- The material body is a combination of earth, water, fire, air and sky.
- Merging the body into these elements means understanding perfectly that they are its material causes.
- One should give up thinking that the body is one's self or one's own. Perfect knowledge means understanding that one is not the body but a spiritual soul.
Try this today
Pause today and reflect: “This body is a combination of five elements; I am a spiritual soul.”
Ask yourself
When do I most strongly mistake my body for my true 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.