776 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 20

material body is called deha, or the embodiment of the soul. The body is
changing at every moment, but the soul is fixed; therefore the soul is called
kutastham. The change of body is enacted by the reactions of the three
modes of nature. One who has understood the fixed position of the soul
should not be disturbed by the incoming and outgoing interactions of the
modes of material nature in the form of happiness and distress. In
Bhagavad-gita also Lord Krsna recommends that since happiness and dis-
tress come and go due to the interaction of the modes of nature on the
body, one should not be disturbed by such external movements. Even
though one is sometimes absorbed in such external movements, he has to
learn to tolerate them. The living entity should be always indifferent to the
action and reaction of the external body.

Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita that the body made of the gross physi-
cal elements (earth, water, fire, air and sky) and the subtle elements (mind,
intelligence and ego) is completely different from the soul proper. One
should therefore not be disturbed by the action and reaction of these
eight gross and subtle material elements. The practical process to attain
this stage of indifference is to execute devotional service. Only one who
constantly engages in devotional service twenty-four hours a day can be in-
different to the action and reaction of the external body. When a man is
absorbed in a particular thought, he does not hear or see any external ac-
tivities, even though they are enacted in his presence. Similarly, those who
are fully absorbed in devotional service do not care what is going on with
the external body. That status is called samadhi. One who is actually situ-
ated in samadhi is understood to be a first-class yogi.

TEXT 12

fre fox aE
RAMEE |
we ang Arg aa
a fafeacd aft vqatear: Rail

bhinnasya lingasya guna-pravaho
dravya-kriya-karaka-cetanatmanah
drstasu sampatsu vipatsu surayo
na vikriyante mayi baddha-sauhrdah
