70 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 7
can understand where the soul is. One who is not expert, however, can-
not distinguish gold from earth, nor the soul from the body.
TEXT 24
TTR RAITT |
SHATATAATA TARTAR: VII
anvaya-vyatirekena
vivekenosatatmana
svarga-sthana-samaémndayair
vimrsadbhir asatvaraih

anvaya—directly; vyatirekena—and indirectly; vivekena—by
mature discrimination; usata—purified; dtmand—with the mind;
svarga—creation; sthdna—maintenance; samdmndayaih—and with
destruction; vimrsadbhih—by those making a serious analysis; asat-
varaih—very sober.

TRANSLATION

Sober and expert persons should search for the spirit soul with
minds purified through analytical study in terms of the soul’s con-
nection with and distinction from all things that undergo creation,
maintenance and destruction.

PURPORT

A sober person can study himself and distinguish the soul from the
body by analytical study. For example, when one considers his body —his
head, his hands and so on—one can certainly understand the difference
between the spirit soul and the body. No one says, “I head.” Everyone
says, “My head.” Thus there are two entities—the head and “I.” They
are not identical, although they appear to be one conglomeration.

One may argue, ““When we analyze the body we find a head, hands,
legs, a belly, blood, bones, urine, stool and so on, but after everything is
considered, where is the existence of the soul?’ A sober man, however,
avails himself of this Vedic instruction:
