Does the subtle body dissolve on purification?
They will contribute over there. So, this subtle body change from one body to another, one life to another. And it is also said for a pure soul, subtle body dissolves.
There are two different points over here. Let's take the second first. See, when it is said for a pure soul, subtle body dissolves, what does it mean exactly? There is ahankar as a concept and there is ahankar as an object.
Ahankar as a concept means arrogance. To think I am the doer, to think I am so great, I am so clever. That is a subjective conception.
And ahankar is also an object. It is one of the three elements in subtle body. And the elements in subtle body are a part of what is required for functioning in this world.
The subtle body can be compared to software. The gross body to hardware, the soul to the user. Now, even for a pure devotee, they need the subtle body.
Otherwise, how is the soul's consciousness going to be connected with the body? So, software, even if a person is brilliant working at computers and they are working brilliantly only for Krishna, if there is no software on the computer, how will they function? To connect with the hardware, you need software. So, when it is said for a pure devotee, the subtle body dissolves, it does not mean that the object, there is no mind, there is no intelligence, there is no ego. It is the conception.
The conception that ahankar, I am the body, I am so great. Krishna uses the word ahankar in both senses of the Gita. Ahankara vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate.
Dambhodhatma, what are the other words? In the 16th chapter of Krishna, we can talk about ahankara. So, this ahankara is used as a conception. So, ahankara, the conception is dissolved.
Ahankara, the concept is never destroyed. Ahankara, the conception is dissolved. Ahankara, the object always exists.
Like that the same applies for the subtle body also. Now, as far as subtle body is changing from one life to another is concerned, that's a very different situation. So, it's a drastic change that happens from the movement of the soul from one body to another.
And at that time the soul has also got a new physical apparatus. So, it's a very different apparatus that the soul has. And like that if you consider that the soul changes from one body to another, it can change from one species to another also.
And then there is definitely a change. So, we shouldn't think that there is a disconnect between, a total disconnect between the subtle body and the gross body. It's said that sadatad bhava bhavnidaha.
The bhava, the conception, the consciousness that we have that determines the kind of body that we get in the next life. That means in this life when a person is acting in a particular way, the subtle body is getting inclined in that way. And next life if they get the body, they will have a physical apparatus which is appropriate to that body.
So, the subtle body is changing, no doubt. What to speak of changing throughout the course of life? Actually every single thing that we do, it creates impressions. The things that we do sustainably, they create deep impressions.
And those impressions do affect what we are doing or what we are not doing. Having said that, the subtle body is of a particular nature. And within that nature there can be variation.
Say like among the Pandavas, Arjuna was, Yudhishthira was like a Brahminical Kshatriya. He is Kshatriya but he had more of a Brahminical nature. Bhima was like a Kshatriya, Kshatriya.
Eager to fight, you know, eager to fight. So, it is not that all Brahmanas are Xerox copies or clones of each other. Every soul has its own karma according to get a particular body.
So, there will be varieties. So, definitely even among some Brahmanas, some may have more of a nature where they also are confrontational. Some Brahmanas may just avoid confrontation.
That's fine. Both are intellectual. But some may choose confrontation, some may avoid confrontation.
The important thing is that we keep moving onwards. That we keep moving onwards in our journey towards Krishna, in serving Krishna. So, rather than thinking of our Swabhava as absolutely static or completely changeable, you understand the reality lies somewhere in between.
So, over a period of time if you are inclined to do this kind of service, you should do this kind of service. In Ayurveda there are three prakritis. But there are vikrutis also.
Nobody is pure kapha, pure vata, pure pitta. So, there are combinations of this. So, like that, we also may have some combinations.
And as per our past karma, at different times in our life, certain things may become more prominent as compared to others. So, we should just basically focus on trying to serve Krishna the best that we can. And yes, in some cases, for some devotees, it may happen that they are able to, they are of a particular nature but they change and they serve in a different way.
That's happened, that's one thing. But it's not necessary that it has to happen to everyone. And it's not that because it has happened to someone, that means they are greater devotees and it did not happen to someone, that doesn't mean that they are lesser devotees.
It basically means that we all have to find out the best way we can serve Krishna. In 2015, I had gone to Australia. I met Guruji on the Roop Earth.
So, he told me that he always had an introvert nature. He would like to be alone, safe, write, study. And he said, no, I am doing primarily that.
So, he said, when I was in the front line of preaching, I was doing something which was actually not my nature. You know, opening time for this. He did a lot of service to Krishna.
So, then I asked him, is it that as we become more spiritually advanced, is it that we can transcend our nature more? He said, not necessarily. Actually, the older you become, the less passion you have to go against your nature. In youth, we think I can do anything.
No, no, you know, it's not our nature. Still I will do it. I will push myself to do it.
But it's not that we become complacent or lethargic in our bhakti. It's just that we understand this is what Krishna has made me and this is how I will serve. So, rather than, we should focus on how steadily we are connected with Krishna and how steadily someone else is connected with Krishna.
Rather than worrying too much about whether the nature is changeable or non-changeable, we focus on how best our disposition can match with our engagement. And thus we can move forward steadily in our service to Krishna.