Identification with the body (Lectures, SB)

Expressions researched:
"bodily" |"body" |"identification" |"identifies" |"identify" |"identifying"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Visakhapatnam, February 20, 1972, At Ladies Club:

There is another verse in this chapter:

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

Our heart is filled up with dirty things. The dirty things is misunderstanding. The first misunderstanding is accepting, identifying oneself with this body: "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am this," "I am that." This identification is one of the greatest misunderstanding, and when Kṛṣṇa began His teaching in the Bhagavad-gītā, He first...

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

So yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). One who thinks this body as himself, as self, and bodily relations, sva-dhīḥ, "They are my own, my brother, my family, my nation, my community, my society," so many things, my, I and mine Misconception of "I" as this body and misconception of "my" in relationship with body. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). Bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, bhūmi, bhūmi means land. Ijya-dhīḥ, ijya means worshipable. So at the present moment it is very strong, the conceit that "I am this body," and "I am American," and "I am Indian," "I am European," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am śūdra," "I am this, those...," so many. This is very strong and bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, that because I am identifying to a certain type of body, and wherefrom the body has come out, the land is worshipable. That is nationalism. So yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13), yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile, and tīrtha, place of pilgrimage.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

We are in three status of life. Actually, we are the spirit soul covered by two kinds of dresses. Just like you gentlemen, you are also covered by two kinds of dresses-underwear and coat, shirt and coat. Similarly... Actually "I am" means I am not this shirt and coat. I am within the shirt and coat. Similarly, I, the soul, I am covered by two kinds of layers—mind, intelligence, and false ego. False ego means I am considering, "I am this American dress," "I am this Indian dress." Because I am identifying with this body. If I ask somebody, "What you are, sir?" "I am American." "What you are, sir?" "I am Indian." "I am brāhmaṇa." "I am kṣatriya." But these are the designations. This is not my real identification. The Vedic information is, when I understand I am ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am Brahman, or the spirit soul. That is my beginning of identification.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:

Artificially you have opened this United Nation, but your conception is, "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." So how it can be, there can be unity? It is not possible. That is not brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. That is prakṛta stage, identifying with this body. So long you identify with this body when you are in the material conception of life, there is no question of spiritual understanding, there is no question of joyfulness, there is no question of freedom from lamentation and hankering and there is no question of equality. It is all false show.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:

Hṛdy antaḥ sthaḥ. Hṛdy antaḥ sthaḥ means the contaminations which we have accumulated within our heart, that will be washed off. That will be washed off so that your heart will be cleansed of all rubbish things. And, as soon as all rubbish things are cleared off, then we are situated in pure consciousness. Because it is very difficult to understand, to eradicate oneself from all the designation. Suppose I am Indian. Is it very easy...? It is not very easy to take it for granted immediately that I am not Indian, I am pure soul? Similarly, anyone, to not identify with this bodily designation, it is not very easy task. But still, if we go on hearing the kṛṣṇa-kathā, as we have begun here, it will be very easy. It will be very easy.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:

What is that intelligence? That "I am the part and parcel of the supreme consciousness, pure soul. I am not this body." This is called intelligence. If you identify yourself, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this or that," then you are material placed.(?) If you identify yourself that "I am neither American, nor Indian, but I am pure consciousness, I am subordinate consciousness of the supreme consciousness, or, in other words, I am servant of God...

Lecture on SB 1.2.31 -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

Whatever was done in the past, what will happen in the future, and what is happening, everything is known to Kṛṣṇa. Vijñānena vijṛmbhitaḥ. But we have lost our consciousness. We have lost our memory that we have past, that we are parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa, and we are identifying with this material world in different capacities. Somebody's identifying with this body; somebody's identifying with the society or community or nation or country. But Kṛṣṇa does not become such materially affected. Vijñānena vijṛmbhitaḥ. He's always conscious.

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-4 -- New Vrindaban, May 22, 1969:

Pārāśarya mahā-bhāga bhavataḥ kaccid ātmanā parituṣyati. "Do you think that you'll be satisfied identifying yourself with this material body or mind? That is not possible." Parituṣyati śārīra ātmā mānasa eva vā. Śārīraḥ śarīrābhimāny ātmā, ātmanā tena śarīreṇa kaccit kiṁ parituṣyati(?). One who is... "You have compiled so many books on this concept of life, that the living entities are, some of them are considering that 'I am this body,' and some of them are considering 'I am this mind,' and some of them are considering 'I am this intelligence,' but he is none of them. He's above this. He's transcendental." Unless he comes to that position, there is no question of paritoṣa, or satisfaction.