Destruction of the Body - The Eternal Soul vs. The Temporary Dress
The fear of death haunts every conditioned living entity, driving the desperate and ultimately futile endeavor to maintain the physical form. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this fear is born of pure ignorance; true spiritual education begins with the realization that the destruction of the material body has no bearing on the eternal existence of the spirit soul.
The Inevitable End of the Body
Anything created within the material world must eventually be destroyed. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the physical body is merely a temporary byproduct of material nature, governed by the Supreme Lord, and is inevitably destined for annihilation.
- The gross material body is a result of the interaction of the modes of material nature, and it is doomed to destruction.
- In different types of bodies, the Lord (isvara) gives directions as Paramatma, and again, to destroy the body, He employs the tamo-guna. This is the way the living entities receive different types of bodies.
- Krsna replied, "All material bodies are subject to these six conditions (growth, maintenance, expansion, deterioration and, finally, disappearance) and any relative acquisitions accumulated by this body are definitely subject to final destruction."
- Only the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable, and eternal living entity is subject to destruction; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata.
The Illusion of Death
The greatest misconception of modern science is the belief that life ends with the physical form. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the idea that consciousness is destroyed along with the body is simply ignorance; the eternal soul is never vanquished.
- The concept that the material body is the living entity and that with the destruction of the body the consciousness is also destroyed is called knowledge in the mode of passion.
- A living entity is as eternal as the Supreme Lord, but due to his forgetfulness he is put into this material nature and transmigrates from one body to another, and when the body is destroyed, he thinks that he is also destroyed.
- When our body is destroyed, that does not mean we are dead. You are spirit soul, I am spirit soul, every one of us, but we have no death. That is another illusion.
- The general impression of the people, that "I die, you die." But Bhagavad-gītā says, na hanyate hanyamane sarire (BG 2.20). Nobody dies, even after the destruction of this body. This is the beginning of that instruction. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire. We are eternal.
Transmigration via the Subtle Body
Because the soul cannot be seen with material eyes, its departure from the dying body remains a mystery to ordinary men. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that when the gross body is destroyed, the eternal soul is carried to its next destination by the subtle body, which is composed of mind, intelligence, and ego.
- Changes of the gross body are conducted by the subtle body. After the destruction of the gross body, the subtle body takes the living entity from his present gross body to another.
- The living soul is not destroyed after the destruction of this body. Therefore he remains, and his finer dress, subtle dress, is there - mind, intelligence, and ego. So according to the composition of his mind, he develops another gross dress.
- Even after the destruction of this body, consciousness is not destroyed. Rather, consciousness is transferred to another type of body and again makes us aware of the material conception of life. That is also described in the Bhagavad-gita.
- It is impossible to see with the material eyes how the living entity is in contact with this body and how he is out of it after the destruction of the body. No one in science can ascertain this.
The Futility of Bodily Attachment
Armed with the knowledge of the soul's eternity, a wise person stops wasting time on temporary physical arrangements. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that true intelligence means abandoning lamentation over the destructible body and focusing all one's energy on cultivating eternal spiritual happiness.
- The soul is never vanquished, even when the body is destroyed. An intelligent man, therefore, should care for the happiness of the spirit soul, not of the body.
- Modern civilization is supposed to be making advancement in scientific knowledge, but what is this scientific knowledge? It is based on bodily comforts only, without knowledge that however comfortably one maintains his body, the body is destructible.
- This requires knowledge, intelligence that, "If I am eternal," "I am not destroyed even this body is destroyed." Then you should seek after eternal happiness. Why temporary? That is not in your interest.
- Soul is eternal. So there is nothing, no cause for lamentation, because soul will remain. Even the body is destroyed, there is no cause of lamentation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda identifies the foundational misunderstanding that traps the living entity in the cycle of suffering: the false identification with the temporary physical form. The gross material body is merely a mechanical vehicle composed of material elements, inherently flawed and inevitably scheduled for destruction. When a person falsely believes that consciousness ends with the death of this body, they are overwhelmed by fear and waste their entire life seeking temporary, mundane comforts. However, the Absolute Truth, as presented in the Bhagavad-gītā, is that the spirit soul is eternal, immeasurable, and entirely unaffected by the destruction of the physical dress. At the moment of death, the subtle body seamlessly carries the indestructible soul to its next physical destination based on its accumulated desires. By thoroughly assimilating this knowledge, the sincere practitioner ceases to lament over the perishing material body and instead redirects all their efforts toward reviving their original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, thereby achieving true, eternal happiness.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Destruction of The Body. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.