So, so far our constitutional position is, we learn from Bhagavad-gītā that this distinction is there, that I am the soul and my body is the matter. The soul's description is also given here:
- antavanta ime dehā
- nityasyoktāḥśarīriṇaḥ
- (BG 2.18)
This body is to be annihilated, but I am not to be annihilated. Nityasyoktāḥśarīriṇaḥ. Śarīriṇaḥ means "one who possesses." He is nitya. In the Vedic literature, about the soul it is said,
- nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām
- eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān
- (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)
I am citing Sanskrit verses from Vedic literature because according to our concept of civilization, we take Vedic hymns or Vedic version as Absolute Truth, without any mistake, without any cheating. The conditioned soul . . . conditioned soul, one who is not liberated—one who is under the stringent laws of material nature—he is called conditioned soul. He cannot give us perfect knowledge. Conditioned soul. Conditioned souls means one who is identifying with this body, he is called conditioned soul. He is under the condition of this material nature, prakṛti. So such person cannot be perfect. For example, the four kinds of defects, that every one of us, we commit mistakes. To err is human. That is a fact; everyone will agree. Yes. Nobody can say, "I never committed any mistake." Nobody can say that. That is not possible. So long we have got this bodily concept of life, this is mistake. This bodily concept of life itself is mistake. I am not this body, but I am thinking I am this body. Actually I am not this body, and still I am thinking that I am Indian, you are thinking you are American. This is mistake. This beginning is mistake.
So if you can commit mistake, how you can give perfect knowledge? Knowledge means must be perfect, without any mistake, without any illusion. Illusion . . . illusion means to accept something false. The same mistake. And then our imperfectness of the senses: we acquire knowledge; we gather knowledge by perception of our these material senses, but our material senses are imperfect.