What Does It Mean To Be Deluded By The Change Of Bodies

“Any man who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the individual soul, the Supersoul, and nature—both material and spiritual—is called a dhira or a most sober man. Such a man is never deluded by the change of bodies.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13 Purport)

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FRIEND1: You hear this word a lot. Dhira.

FRIEND2: Umm, I’m pretty sure a lot of people have never heard that word.

FRIEND1: Sorry, I mean in terms of the presentation of the science of self-realization. Dhira means “sober”. It can also mean “intelligent”. The context of the word, the one in which I first heard it and am most familiar, is for understanding the changing body.

FRIEND2: What does it mean? What is a changing body?

FRIEND1: Well, you could say that there is only one kind of body: changing. There is no fixed body.

FRIEND2: What is your definition of fixed?

FRIEND1: Standing tall. Not changing. Like a building that looks exactly the same. Like that newly minted quarter.

FRIEND2: Basically, something which does not degrade over time.

FRIEND1: Degrade, upgrade, improve, regress – all of those are changes. A fixed body never changes. The body for the living being is always changing, so that is why I say there is only one kind of body.

FRIEND2: Okay. Understood.

FRIEND1: The dhira individual is not deluded by the changing body. These are the exact words of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

FRIEND2: What does that mean, though? How is someone deluded by the changing body?

FRIEND1: Delusion is like being tricked, but in the negative context.

FRIEND2: How can someone be tricked in a positive context?

FRIEND1: Hmm. Say that you are at a magic show. You are seated in the front row of a theater performance. You paid good money to watch a standup comedian go through their act.

FRIEND2: How are you tricked in these situations?

FRIEND1: You know that it is magic, but you temporarily set aside logic and reasoning. You know that the play is a scripted performance, with trained actors, but you still laugh, cry, and get angry. You know that the comedian rehearsed their act beforehand, but you still pretend like they are speaking extemporaneously, as if the jokes just come to them.

FRIEND2: I see.

FRIEND1: Deluded means you are tricked when you should know better. But what does it mean in this context? How can someone be deluded by the changing body?

FRIEND2: Well, what is the context of the discussion?

FRIEND1: Bhagavad-gita.

FRIEND2: What is the context of Bhagavad-gita?

FRIEND1: Two people on a chariot. One is guiding the chariot. The other is giving directions to the person guiding the chariot. The rules suddenly change when the bow-warrior hesitates. They do not know what to ask for. They almost want to go back into the garage, so to speak. Cancel the trip.

FRIEND2: Why the sudden change of heart?

FRIEND1: It is like that song, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”, but with the added dimension of friends and well-wishers. Arjuna does not want to proceed in a military conflict since there is death involved. The death will apply to people like Drona and Bhishma, who are respected. Arjuna’s concern extends to the affected families. He does not want to turn the households into single-parent. He understands the importance of the father and how the father maintains family traditions.

उत्सन्न-कुल-धर्माणां
मनुष्याणां जनार्दन
नरके नियतं वासो
भवतीत्य् अनुशुश्रुम

utsanna-kula-dharmāṇāṁ
manuṣyāṇāṁ janārdana
narake niyataṁ vāso
bhavatīty anuśuśruma

“O Krishna, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.” (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 1.43)

FRIEND2: Where does dhira come into play?

FRIEND1: Shri Krishna, who was moments prior the charioteer but is now the spiritual guide, explains that the body always changes. From boyhood to youth to old age. The same change takes place after death. That is to say, the individual inside never changes. They simply move on to another body. The dhira person can understand this constant change.

FRIEND2: I think there is your answer.

FRIEND1: To what?

FRIEND2: About being deluded by the changing bodies.

FRIEND1: I am still not clear.

FRIEND2: Don’t you see? Arjuna is deluded by the changing bodies. That is the impetus for his hesitation. He thinks the changing body will mean a changing individual. He is more concerned with the bodies than the individuals themselves.

FRIEND1: That is why he doesn’t want to fight? What should he be concerned with, then? Under such justification, every dhira individual would be signing up for a death cult. There would be no reason to respect innocent life. After all, such respect is only towards the changing body. The person offering such respect must be deluded by the changing body.

FRIEND2: That is why Bhagavad-gita continues, turning into a lengthy discussion. Arjuna is deluded by the changing body, using it as an excuse for avoiding dharma. The individual is like operating a machine. The machine has to work, even if it is changing. The machine needs something to do.

ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानां
हृद्-देशे ऽर्जुन तिष्ठति
भ्रामयन् सर्व-भूतानि
यन्त्रारूढानि मायया

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.61)

FRIEND1: Okay, but Arjuna wants to temporarily turn off the machine.

FRIEND2: But for the wrong reason. His dharma is to fight valiantly in a military conflict. His dharma is to uphold dharma. He is protecting the innocent by prosecuting the guilty. He may or may not succeed. He could get killed as a result of the conflict. He will continue to live, as only the body will change. He should carry forward with his duty, which is also dharma. He will be but an instrument of the Divine will.

“Savyasachin refers to one who can shoot arrows very expertly in the field; thus Arjuna is addressed as an expert warrior capable of delivering arrows to kill his enemies.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 11.33 Purport)

FRIEND1: The dhira individual is not deluded by the changing body, but they also respect innocent life. Is that what you are saying? They do not use the knowledge of the imperishable soul as an excuse to behave callously.

FRIEND2: Exactly. It is actually callous to consider only the bodily welfare of individuals. It is genuine kindness and compassion to uplift society in general through the shining example of a life in devotion, operating a machine dedicated to serving the interests of the Supreme Lord, appropriate to the time and circumstance.

In Closing:

Appropriate to circumstance and time,
With an example to shine.

Of life dedicated and true,
Shri Krishna to.

Like on machine otherwise seated,
Proceed whether victorious or defeated.

Meaning of sober and rational understanding,
Knowledge of changing body commanding.