2.13: Just as childhood, youth, and old age occur in this human body of the embodied soul, so too is the acquisition of another body. Regarding this, the wise person is not deluded.
Commentary: Explanation—'Just as childhood, youth, and old age come to the embodied soul in this body...' First, childhood comes to the embodied soul in this body, then youth, and then old age. The meaning is that a single state never remains in the body; there is constant change within it.
By stating 'in this body of the embodied soul' here, it is established that the soul is separate and the body is separate. The soul is the seer, and the body is the seen. Therefore, the change of states such as childhood, etc., that occurs in the body does not occur in the soul.
'So too is the acquisition of another body'—Just as the body has states like childhood and youth, so too is the acquisition of another body, i.e., another body is obtained. Just as the gross body changes from a child to a youth and from a youth to an old man, no sorrow is taken due to the change of these states. Similarly, when the soul goes from one body to another body, there should be no sorrow regarding this either. Just as childhood, youth, etc., occur while the gross body remains, similarly, the acquisition of another body occurs while the subtle and causal bodies remain. That is, just as childhood and youth are states of the gross body, similarly, the acquisition of another body (assuming another body after death) is a state of the subtle and causal bodies.
The change of states like childhood, etc., occurs while the gross body remains—this is the gross perspective. From the subtle perspective, even the gross body undergoes constant change, just like the states. The body that existed in childhood is not present in youth. In truth, there is not a single moment in which the gross body does not change. Similarly, there is constant moment-to-moment change in the subtle and causal bodies as well, which becomes clearly apparent as the acquisition of another body.
Now, the consideration is this: we have knowledge of the gross body, but we do not have knowledge of the subtle and causal bodies. Therefore, when we do not even have knowledge of the subtle and causal bodies, how can we have knowledge of their change? The answer is: just as knowledge of the gross body is obtained by considering its states, similarly, knowledge of the subtle and causal bodies is also obtained by considering their states. The gross body is considered to be in the 'waking' state, the subtle body in the 'dream' state, and the causal body in the 'deep sleep' state. In his childhood, a person sees himself as a child in dreams; in youth, he sees himself as a youth in dreams; and in old age, he sees himself as old in dreams. This proves that along with the gross body, the subtle body also changes. Similarly, the state of deep sleep is more prevalent in childhood, less in youth, and becomes very minimal in old age; thus, the change of the causal body is also proven. Another point: the freshness that comes to the body and senses upon sleeping in childhood and youth is not obtained upon sleeping in old age, i.e., in old age, one does not get rest like in childhood and youth. In this way too, the change of the causal body is proven.
One who obtains the body of another deity, animal, bird, etc., experiences in that body (due to identification with the body) 'I am this'—this is the change of the subtle body. Similarly, in the causal body, there exists nature (Prakriti), which from the gross perspective is called habit. That habit is different for a deity and different for animals, birds, etc.—this is the change of the causal body.
If the soul (the embodied one) underwent change, then even upon the change of states, the knowledge 'I am the same' would not occur. However, even upon the change of states, the knowledge occurs: 'I am the same one who was a child before, who was a youth before.' This proves that there has been no change in the soul, i.e., in the Self.
Here, a doubt may arise: we have knowledge of the change of states of the gross body, but why is there no knowledge of the previous body when another body is acquired? The reason for not having knowledge of the previous body is that there is great suffering at the time of death and birth. Due to that suffering, the memory of the previous birth does not remain in the intellect. Just as upon being paralyzed or in extreme old age, the intellect does not retain knowledge as before, similarly, at the time of death and birth, due to a great shock, the knowledge of the previous birth does not remain. However, one whose death does not involve such suffering, i.e., for whom the acquisition of another body occurs effortlessly, just like the acquisition of another state of the body, his intellect may retain the memory of the previous birth.
Now consider that the kind of knowledge that occurs in the acquisition of another state does not occur in the acquisition of another body; however, the knowledge of one's own existence as 'I am' remains for everyone. For example, in deep sleep, one has no knowledge of anything, but upon waking, a person says, 'Such deep sleep came that I was unaware of anything'—so the knowledge 'I was unaware' certainly exists. The one I was before sleeping is the same I am after waking, so I was the same even during deep sleep—thus, the knowledge of one's own existence remains continuously in an unbroken form. No one ever has the knowledge of the absence of their own existence. The existence of the embodied soul remains in an unbroken form; only then is liberation possible, and it remains in the liberated state. Indeed, in the state of liberation while living, even if there is no knowledge of other bodies, the experience certainly occurs that 'I am separate from all three bodies.'
'The wise person is not deluded therein'—Wise is only he who has discerned the real and the unreal. Such a wise person is never deluded regarding that subject; he never has doubt. This does not mean that such a wise person acquires another body. Birth in high and low species is due to association with the gunas (qualities), and when association with the gunas is severed, a wise person cannot possibly acquire another body.
Here, the meaning of the word 'therein' is not 'regarding the subject of acquiring another body,' but rather 'regarding the subject of body and soul.' The meaning is: What is the body? What is the soul? What is changing? What is unchanging? What is impermanent? What is permanent? What is unreal? What is real? What is subject to modification? Regarding this subject, he is not deluded. He is never deluded regarding the subject that the body and soul are entirely separate. He has unbroken knowledge of his unattached nature.
Connection: This is said to dispel the sorrow that arises from clinging to impermanent objects like the body.
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