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We Are Not These Bodies

dehi nityam avadhyo’yam
dehe sarvasya bharata
tasmat sarvani bhutani
na tvam socitum arhasi

‘““O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body
is eternal and can never be slain. Therefore you need
not grieve for any creature.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.30)

The very first step in self-realization is realizing
one’s identity as separate from the body. “‘I am not
this body but am spirit soul’ is an essential realization
for anyone who wants to transcend death and enter
into the spiritual world beyond. It is not simply a
matter of saying “I am not this body,” but of actually
realizing it. This is not as simple as it may seem at
first. Although we are not these bodies but are pure
consciousness, somehow or other we have become
encased with the bodily dress. If we actually want
the happiness and independence that transcend death
we have to establish ourselves and remain in our
constitutional position as pure consciousness.
