Child's Body and Eternity of Soul
The progression of the material body from infancy to adulthood is not merely a biological process but a profound lesson in spiritual identity. Śrīla Prabhupāda uses the example of a child's body to illustrate the fundamental distinction between matter and spirit. This article examines how the presence of the soul drives physical growth, how the childhood body serves as proof of the changing nature of matter, and how our persistence through these changes confirms our eternal nature.
Soul as Cause of Growth
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the development of a child's body is entirely dependent on the presence of the spirit soul. It is the soul that enters the womb and causes the pea-sized embryo to expand into a baby. Without this active spiritual principle, matter remains inert and cannot grow.
- After a child is born, he grows, and his body develops, but if the child is born dead - if the spirit soul is not present - the body will not develop. Therefore the spirit is the basis for the development of matter, and not vice versa.
- Within the body of a child, for instance, the spiritual principle is present, and therefore changes take place in the body and it develops. But if the spirit leaves the body, the development stops. This law is applicable to every material object.
- When any material object displays development, it must be understood that there is a spiritual soul within the manifestation. The gigantic universe has developed gradually, just as the body of a child develops.
Continuous Change of Bodies
The body is in a state of constant flux. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that the body we possessed as a child is no longer existing; it has been replaced by the body of a boy, a youth, and finally an old man. This continuous change, known as dehāntara-prāptiḥ, occurs every moment, yet the bewildered living entity often fails to recognize this ongoing reincarnation.
- Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth, and sometimes as an old man. Yet the same spirit soul is there and does not undergo any change.
- A child gives up his childhood body and accepts the body of a boy, and the boy gives up his boyhood body to accept a youthful body, which he then gives up for an old body.
- It is simple fact. You are changing. From your childhood body, this body is different. Either you take it that it has grown or either you take it that the body has changed, the same thing. But actually it has changed.
Proof of Eternal Identity
The most compelling argument for the soul's eternity is the persistence of identity despite bodily changes. Śrīla Prabhupāda asks, "Where is that body when I was a child?" The body is gone, but the person remains to remember it. This simple logic proves that the self is an observer, independent of the biological vessel, and will thus survive the final change of body at death.
- Where is that body when I was a child? Where is that body when I was a boy? Where is that body when I was young man? I have got my photograph, my studentship. "Oh, Swamiji, you were like this?" Where is that body? Where it has gone.
- You apply your arguments and you will find, "Yes. I was a child." So that body is no longer existing; I am existing. Therefore the conclusion is, we must conclude logically, that body may be finished but I will exist. That is the eternality of the soul.
- All of us had at one time the body of a small baby. Where is that body? That body is gone. Presently I am an old man, but I remember that I was once a small baby.
Conclusion
The child's body serves as a tangible example of the soul's journey through matter. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that by observing the disappearance of our own childhood bodies, we can understand the distinction between the temporary shell and the eternal self. This realization is the first step toward conquering the fear of death and understanding the spiritual reality beyond the physical frame.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Body of a Child. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.
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