Pradyumna: This King Yudhisthira is lamenting that the body, this
material body, does not actually belong to us. We can even see
relatively that the material body belongs, while we are inside this
material body, it belongs to the family. We have debts to pay to so
many living entities–to our forefathers, our family. It belongs to
our country. Our country takes it and says, “You take your body and
you fight in Vietnam,” or “You do this kind of work” or “You don’t do
this.” It is subject to the religion we are born in. It is subject to
so many rules and regulations beyond ourselves. This body, even while
we are in it, does not belong to us, and before we came into this
body, it was matter, belonging to someone else, and after we leave
this body, as it says in the purport, “While there is life in the body
it is meant for the service of others, and when it is dead it is meant
to be eaten by dogs and jackals or maggots.” So after death the body
is disposed of in different ways. Some people bury the body; in that
case the worms take the body. Some people burn the body; in that case
it is consumed by fire and becomes ashes. Continue reading