Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 18.115
Distinguish the Soul, Matter, and the Supreme
“A foolish person who says that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the same as the living entity is an atheist, and he becomes subject to punishment by the superintendent of death, Yamarāja.
What the purport teaches
- The living entity is under the control of the illusory energy, while the Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental to all material qualities. The verse warns that equating them brings punishment by Yamarāja.
- The purport also calls one who denies the spirit soul a pāṣaṇḍī. Such a person does not distinguish between spirit and matter.
- Blaspheming the Vedic literature is an offense against chanting the holy names. Considering the body to be the self and becoming overly absorbed in bodily necessities are also described as offensive.
Try this today
Before attending to one bodily need today, pause and remind yourself that the body is not the self.
Ask yourself
When do you find yourself thinking of the body as your whole identity?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.