True self

Expressions researched:
"true self"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

The first symptom of the self-realized person is that he is not illusioned by the false identification of the body with his true self.

BG 5.20, Purport: The symptoms of the self-realized person are given herein. The first symptom is that he is not illusioned by the false identification of the body with his true self. He knows perfectly well that he is not this body, but is the fragmental portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is therefore not joyful in achieving something, nor does he lament in losing anything which is related to his body. This steadiness of mind is called sthira-buddhi, or self-intelligence. He is therefore never bewildered by mistaking the gross body for the soul, nor does he accept the body as permanent and disregard the existence of the soul. This knowledge elevates him to the station of knowing the complete science of the Absolute Truth, namely Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān.

SB Canto 5

King Rahūgaṇa said to Jaḍa Bharata :By the influence of your true self, all kinds of contradiction in the śāstras have been removed.

SB 5.12.1, Translation: King Rahūgaṇa said: O most exalted personality, you are not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By the influence of your true self, all kinds of contradiction in the śāstras have been removed. In the dress of a friend of a brāhmaṇa, you are hiding your transcendental blissful position. I offer my respectful obeisances unto you.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

By Your arrangement the infinitesimal spirit souls falsely identify with the three modes of material nature, and their perception of their own true self thus becomes clouded.

SB 10.16.42-43, Translation: Obeisances unto You, who are the ultimate soul of the physical elements, of the subtle basis of perception, of the senses, of the vital air of life, and of the mind, intelligence and consciousness. By Your arrangement the infinitesimal spirit souls falsely identify with the three modes of material nature, and their perception of their own true self thus becomes clouded. We offer our obeisances unto You, the unlimited Supreme Lord, the supremely subtle one, the omniscient Personality of Godhead, who are always fixed in unchanging transcendence, who sanction the opposing views of different philosophies, and who are the power upholding expressed ideas and the words that express them.

Expert transcendentalists always direct their affection toward You because they recognize You as their true Self and eternal beloved.

SB 10.29.33, Translation: Expert transcendentalists always direct their affection toward You because they recognize You as their true Self and eternal beloved. What use do we have for these husbands, children and relatives of ours, who simply give us trouble? Therefore, O supreme controller grant us Your mercy. O lotus-eyed one, please do not cut down our long-cherished hope to have Your association.

That mortal rejects Lord Kṛṣṇa—his true Self, dearmost friend, and Lord—for the sake of sense objects, refuses nectar and instead consumes poison.

SB 10.63.42, Translation: That mortal who rejects You—his true Self, dearmost friend, and Lord—for the sake of sense objects, whose nature is just the opposite, refuses nectar and instead consumes poison.

Although Lord Kṛṣṇa is their true Self, people in general fail to delight in Him.

SB 10.87.22, Translation: When this human body is used for Your devotional service, it acts as one's self, friend and beloved. But unfortunately, although You always show mercy to the conditioned souls and affectionately help them in every way, and although You are their true Self, people in general fail to delight in You. Instead they commit spiritual suicide by worshiping illusion. Alas, because they persistently hope for success in their devotion to the unreal, they continue to wander about this greatly fearful world, assuming various degraded bodies.

Persons who have turned their attention away from Lord Kṛṣṇa, their own true Self, are unable to give up material dualities.

SB 11.22.34, Translation: The speculative argument of philosophers—"This world is real," "No, it is not real"—is based upon incomplete knowledge of the Supreme Soul and is simply aimed at understanding material dualities. Although such argument is useless, persons who have turned their attention away from Me, their own true Self, are unable to give it up.

The material body made of earth is not the true self.

SB 11.28.24, Translation: The material body made of earth is not the true self; nor are the senses, their presiding demigods or the air of life; nor is the external air, water or fire or one's mind. All these are simply matter. Similarly, neither one's intelligence, material consciousness nor ego, nor the elements of ether or earth, nor the objects of sense perception, nor even the primeval state of material equilibrium can be considered the actual identity of the soul.

By constantly meditating upon the Supreme Lord, Vāsudeva, you should consider your true self .

SB 12.5.9, Translation: My dear King, by constantly meditating upon the Supreme Lord, Vāsudeva, and by applying clear and logical intelligence, you should carefully consider your true self and how it is situated within the material body.

The snake-bird Takṣaka, will not burn your true self.

SB 12.5.10, Translation: The snake-bird Takṣaka, sent by the curse of the brāhmaṇa, will not burn your true self. The agents of death will never burn such a master of the self as you, for you have already conquered all dangers on your path back to Godhead.

I worship Your lotus feet, having renounced my identification with the material body and everything else that covers my true self.

SB 12.8.44, Translation: Therefore I worship Your lotus feet, having renounced my identification with the material body and everything else that covers my true self. These useless, insubstantial and temporary coverings are merely presumed to be separate from You, whose intelligence encompasses all truth. By attaining You—the Supreme Godhead and the master of the soul—one attains everything desirable.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

"If a brahmana gives up sva-dharma, then it becomes a varna-sankara."

Room Conversation with Reporter from Researchers Magazine -- July 24, 1973, London:

Reporter: My question was that when there is no more people following their sva-dharma, their true self...

Prabhupāda: That anyone can do at any moment, any moment.

Reporter: Hm?

Prabhupāda: Any moment.

Reporter: Yeah. But then what is the action for the... Practical action, practical...

Prabhupāda: Practical action... If you give up... If a brāhmaṇa gives up sva-dharma, then it becomes a varṇa-saṅkara.

Reporter: Yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: Kula-dharma, what is that in the Bhagavad-gītā? Jāti-dharma, kula-dharma. So they produce varṇa-saṅkara. If one does not follow the jāti-dharma, the kula-dharma, then he comes to the category of varṇa-saṅkara. Saṅkaro narakāyaiva. So when... A person born in brāhmaṇa family not acting as a brāhmaṇa, he's varṇa-saṅkara. So when there are number of people from the varṇa-saṅkara class, then the whole society becomes hell, narakāyaiva. Śaṅkaro narakāyaiva.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

"God means spirit, supreme spirit. If you cannot understand what is spirit, then how you'll understand God?"

Evening Darsana -- August 9, 1976, Tehran: Ali: Is it necessary to get to know the true self before knowing God?

Prabhupāda: Yes, God means spirit, supreme spirit. If you cannot understand what is spirit, then how you'll understand God? You must know what is spirit, what is matter, and when we have little understanding of the spirit, then we can make progress spiritually. Ali: How does one get to know the true spirit?

Prabhupāda: By knowledge, by knowledge. Just like you are talking. How you are talking? Because the spirit soul is there within you. As soon as it is gone, you cannot talk. Your this body and everything will remain, but you cannot talk, you cannot understand, everything is finished. So this is matter. Body is matter, and the force which is helping you to talk, that is spirit. Now you have to understand it thoroughly.