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Prabhupada, Los Angeles, November 29, 1968: Now, this simple fact, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, that dehino ’smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara [Bg. 2.13], the change of body is taking place every moment. Every moment. Just like this child, the child, if there is some measuring instrument, if you measure this child today, tomorrow you’ll find the child has grown or changed the body.
That is a medical science also. The body is changing. The body is changing, but the soul is there. Just like I had my childhood body, boyhood body, and now I am in a different body, but I remember all the activities of my childhood. Therefore I am permanent. And body is changing. This simple truth, what is the difficulty for the people to understand this simple truth?
The body is changing, but I am not changing. I am eternal. Therefore I am not this body. I am not changing. This simple truth, the first instruction of Bhagavad-gita. Krsna has begun instructing Arjuna… After Arjuna has accepted his discipleship, the first instruction is this, that “You are lamenting on the body of your grandfather and teacher regarding fighting, but your grandfather, or the soul…,” which is already explained that, “You are soul, I am the supreme soul, or all these kings and soldiers who has assembled, they are also souls.
They existed in the past. Now they have changed their body. Again they will change their body, but they will exist.” This is the instruction. The body is changing, and the vivid example? That in this life you are changing body. So what is the difficulty of understanding this simple truth that the soul is different from the body? And so far eternity of the soul, that is also, there is proof.
Because in childhood I was present, in boyhood I was present, in youthhood I was present, and in this old age I am still present. So naturally it is concluded that when I change this body, I exist. When I change this body… This body will be changed. Tatha dehantara-praptih. As the parents of this child… Now she is, say, one-feet long only. When this child will grow five feet long, the father and mother, will they cry, “Oh, my child! Where is my child, that one-feet long?” He knows.
The parents know that my child is there, but changed the body. This is a fact. Similarly, “You are lamenting on the body of your grandfather and teacher, even they change their body, what is the cause of lamentation? They will exist.” This is the beginning of instruction of Bhagavad-gita or spiritual instruction.
Unless one understands this simple fact, that the soul is different from this body, the soul is eternal, the body is temporary, changing… Because without understanding this, there is no spiritual education. A false education. If one identifies with this body, there is no understanding of spiritual knowledge.
So the yogis, they are trying to come to this point by meditation, “Whether I am this body or not.” Full Lecture
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