Bodily Concept of Life - an essential subject

Revision as of 15:56, 22 November 2020 by Vanibot (talk | contribs) (Vanibot #0041: Moves Choose Another box to the end)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Birth, old age, disease and death are the inevitabilities of this life, and in order to deal with them well, one has get out of the bodily concept of life and understand that one is not the body, but is the soul within. Vedic literature says that the soul migrates from one body to another, life after life, until it achieves liberation from this material world, and for it to achieve that stage, one must engage in pure devotional service to Lord Krishna. Engaging in devotional service will help one to understand transcendental knowledge, and when one has done so, he will realize that there is more to life that just this body. Consequently, he will break out of the bodily concept of life.

Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes Bodily Concept of Life category. An introduction from his books is given below in the following 9 quotes.

Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books


vanipedia.org 		Karmīs think that the material body is an instrument for material enjoyment, and that is why they work extremely hard. A devotee, however, has no such desires. A devotee always engages wholeheartedly in the service of the Lord, forgetting about bodily conceptions and bodily activities. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 4.173)



vanipedia.org 		The conditioned soul has a body full of dirty things—bones, blood, urine, stool and so forth. Nonetheless, the most intelligent men in this material world think they are these combinations of blood, bone, urine and stool. If this is so, why can't other intelligent men be made with these ingredients, which are so readily available? The entire world is going on under the bodily conception and creating a hellish condition unfit for any gentleman's living. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.12.2)



vanipedia.org 		The real purpose of controlling the mind by the prescribed method of clearing the passage of the life air is achieved immediately if one fixes his mind directly on the lotus feet of Krsna. The hatha-yoga system, or breathing system, is especially recommended for those who are very absorbed in the concept of bodily existence, but one who can perform the simple process of chanting Hare Krsna can fix the mind more easily. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.28.9)



vanipedia.org 		Actually, the conditioned souls, in ignorance in this material world, are simply guided by sex life, and as soon as they get the opportunity for sex life, they become attached to so-called home, motherland, children, wealth and opulence. As these attachments increase, moha, or the illusion of the bodily concept of life, also increases. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.20.18)



vanipedia.org 		The ten kinds of air acting within the body are compared to the spokes of the chariot's wheels, and the top and bottom of the wheel itself are called religion and irreligion. The living entity in the bodily concept of life is the owner of the chariot. The Vedic mantra praṇava is the bow, the pure living entity himself is the arrow, and the target is the Supreme Being. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.15.42)



vanipedia.org 		The spirit soul is always apart from the material body. There is no change in the spiritual form of the living entity. Any person above the bodily conception of life is pure and can receive transcendental knowledge. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7 Summary)



vanipedia.org 		A materialistic rascal does not know that he is not the body but a spiritual soul within the body. However, one should understand his real position and cultivate knowledge by which to get free from bodily entanglement. Like an unfortunate person who acts madly, haunted by ghosts, a materialist haunted by the ghost of lust forgets his real business so that he can enjoy so-called happiness in the bodily concept of life. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.19.5-6)



vanipedia.org 		Material activities performed for political emancipation and social and humanitarian activities performed with an idea that people of the world will be happy are also illusory because the basic principle is the bodily conception, which is illusory. Whatever we desire or perform under the bodily conception is all illusion. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.5)



vanipedia.org 		The conditioned soul, being in the bodily conception of life, considers his body to be his self and considers everything in relationship with the body to be his. Because he has this wrong conception of life, he is subjected to dualities like praise and chastisement. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.1.24)


Bodily Concept of Life - explore more within this category.

Vanipedia has now over 903 introductory articles compiled from Srila Prabhupada's books under the series titled Essential Subjects. All these articles can be seen in the Table of Content on the right side of this article and also here in this Umbrella Category. Browse through them to relish the breadth and depth of Srila Prabhupada's teachings - There is a subject for everyone.


   
 

HOME

Choose Another
Essential Subject

   


Retrieved from "https://vanipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bodily_Concept_of_Life_-_an_essential_subject&oldid=531080"