The Subtle Body

The Bhagavad Gita is a scripture that is over 5000 years old and its knowledge and wisdom is still as relevant today as it was when it was first spoken. It is revered as the highest authority, as it is one of the only scriptures that is spoken by God himself. So who better to explain who we are than our eternal father, the Supreme Personality of Godhead! From my last post, we concluded that we are the soul and not the body, but where does the mind and intelligence fit in? Are we not the thoughts and feeling in our mind? Lord Krishna further elaborates and explains in Bhagvad Gita chapter 3 text 42 the following. 

The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence. (BG 3.42)

As illustrated in the diagram above, we see that the Gross body is a construction of physical elements. However the Subtle body is invisible and intangible. How can we prove or understand something that we cant see? 

Srila Prabhupada Says: Just because something is invisible doesn't mean we can’t know it exists. The subtle body of mind, intelligence, and ego is also invisible to you, but you know that the subtle body is there. We have two kinds of bodies: a gross body of earth, water, fire, air, and ether, and a subtle body of mind, intelligence, and ego. You can see the body of earth, water, and so on, but can you see the subtle body? Can you see the mind? Can you see the intelligence? Yet everyone knows you have a mind and I have a mind....Anyway, you accept that the subtle body exists even though you cannot see it. That is my point. Similarly, the soul exists even though you cannot see it. The soul is covered by the subtle and the gross bodies. What is known as death is the annihilation of the gross body. The subtle body remains and carries the soul to a place where he can again grow another material body just suitable for fulfilling the desires of his mind.

Source:http://www.harekrishnayoga.com/2013/02/the-subtle-body.html

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