Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.14.13
Mukti· LiberationConsider the Body and the Eternal Soul
“Through proper deliberation, one should give up attraction to his wife’s body because that body will ultimately be transformed into small insects, stool or ashes. What is the value of this insignificant body? How much greater is the Supreme Being, who is all-pervading like the sky?”
What the purport teaches
- The verse recommends thoughtful deliberation to loosen attraction to one's wife's body. That body will ultimately become insects, stool or ashes.
- The body may perish at any moment, but the soul is eternal. Understanding this distinction helps reduce attachment to the body and sex life.
- The Supreme Being is all-pervading like the sky and far greater than the temporary body. Giving up bodily attachment and increasing attachment for the spirit soul makes life successful.
Try this today
Reflect for one minute today on the teaching that the body perishes but the soul is eternal.
Ask yourself
How might remembering the soul's eternity change what attracts my attention?
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.