Subtle body (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"subtle bodies" |"subtle body"

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Jadurani -- Vrindaban 9 September, 1967:

Regarding Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, he decended from higher planet for being liberated in the association of Lord Caitanya, so his conditioned life came to an end after he contacted Lord Caitanya. The distinction between subtle and gross bodies is elementary. There are eight elements: five gross and three subtle. When a living entity has only subtle body he is considered to be a ghost, and when he has both, he is considered in full strength. To remain in subtle body in this material world is very uncomfortable. Regarding your work in the temple by painting, wherever you remain, if you are fully absorbed in your transcendental work in K.C., that place is eternally Vrindaban—It is the consciousness that creates Vrindaban. The Lord remains in the hearts of every living entity. He lives in the heart of a hog, and the hog lives in a filthy place. That does not mean that the Lord lives in a filthy place. The Lord lives always inconceivably in His transcendental abode. Similarly, a fully K.C. person lives always in the pastimes of Lord Krishna by such consciousness only. The material atmosphere is no impediment for continuing our K.C. in any circumstance.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Aniruddha -- Los Angeles 14 November, 1968:

Your next question, "Is there a difference between Arjuna's body and his soul, and how does this apply to all Krishna's eternally liberated souls described in the scriptures. Is Arjuna always the same in his appearances with Krishna or is a new soul taking his body each time?" Yes, there is difference. Therefore he forgets his past activities. Just like we forget ourselves while dreaming because our subtle body acts at that time differently from the gross body. Similarly, by changing this body or transmigrating from one body to another, we forget all the activities of our previous body. The associates of the Lord, even though they have a different body, or even though they forget the activities of their past body, still they are associates of the Lord. These explanations are given in the Bhagavad-gita as it is.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Himavati -- Los Angeles 26 April, 1970:

Regarding your question, a sinful person, never mind what kind of sinful man is he, is taken in subtle body to the place of Yamaraja, and there he is trained up in a particular type of suffering. As soon as he is trained up, he is given a particular body by which he can endure such sufferings.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Paramananda -- Allahabad 27 January, 1971:

So far as your questions are concerned: 1) How the five great elements are a gross representation of the subtle false ego. Where is the problem? By false ego, which is part of the subtle body, we are thinking that we are this gross material body made up of the five great elements. That is all. (2) There are 16 factors—10 senses, 5 sense objects and the mind. When the three modes of nature react, then from these 16 factors the gross and subtle elements come out. The soul is the 17th factor.

Letter to Jadurani -- Los Angeles 9 July, 1971:

So you can depict the whole scene or a suitable part, as the endeavor; Krishna appeared as Narayana and when requested, he became a baby. But the picture is all right; The position of the four symbols for all three purusa avataras is the same; All the planets within the stem, that is to be understood. But they are seedling planets and are coming out of the stem, all below the lotus flower, just as seedling universes come out from the body of Maha Visnu; You don't have to paint the subtle bodies. They are entering—that you have to show. Gross and subtle, everything is entering; (In picture no. 4, S.B. 1.1.1, it is all right, but Brahma's features in the darkness must be distinct.)

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Caturbhuja -- Los Angeles 9 May, 1973:

Your fourth question: "Whether or not it is possible for the soul to exist without having this external gross and subtle body covering it? So if the bird is existing within the cage and someone takes away the cage does that mean that the bird can no longer exist? No. This body is illusion. It is only because of out attachment for this body that we have to remain within it. But as soon as one transfers his attachment to Krsna then no more is there any need for this body.

Letter to Jadurani -- New Delhi 8 November, 1973:

Now I want for Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day one book of Ādi lila published, 400 pages at least, hardbound, for being distributed at Mayapur. Regarding the enclosed photo, the Yamadutas are all right. Yes, it is all right to show the subtle body looking just like the gross body. Regarding Lord Caitanya's danda, it was broken for good. So after Puri, He never took danda. So for painting Him as sannyasa, it depends on the time as to whether He had danda or not.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Svarupa Damodara -- Los Angeles 23 June, 1975:

Your second question is not very clear what you want to ask, but the fact is that each and every living entity is covered by two kinds of bodies, one subtle and one gross. So the subtle body causes the living entity to take another gross body. We have got experience that in dreaming the gross body is inactive while the subtle body is continuing activities; and again in deep sleep the subtle body is continuing activities. The living entity after being carried by the subtle body to another gross body, it sometimes remains in deep sleep in the womb of the mother. Then gradually the subtle body begins to act within another gross body. When this gross body is fully developed befitting to come out of the mother's body, that is called another birth.