Gita 15.8
Purushottama Yoga
शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः | गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् ||८||
śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ | gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt ||8||
In essence: When the soul takes or leaves a body, it carries the mind and senses with it, just as the wind carries fragrances from their source.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "So the soul carries the mind to the next life? Then what determines what kind of body it gets?"
Guru: "The 'fragrances' carried are your samskaras—impressions, tendencies, dominant desires, unfulfilled karmas. These act like seeds seeking appropriate soil. A desire-laden mind attracts a body suited to those desires. A purified mind attracts a higher birth or moves toward liberation. You are literally 'cultivating' your next incarnation right now through your mental gardening."
Sadhak: "The jiva is called 'lord'—but I don't feel like a lord. I feel controlled by my mind and senses!"
Guru: "You are lord in the sense of being the central principle around which your body-mind assembles—the 'attractor' we discussed earlier. But through ignorance, the lord has become confused, identifying with servants (mind and senses) rather than ruling them. Spiritual practice is the lord reasserting true sovereignty, not by force but by knowledge. Know yourself as the eternal fragment, and mastery naturally follows."
Sadhak: "Can the 'fragrances' be changed? Can I transform what I carry?"
Guru: "Absolutely—that is the entire point of sadhana! Every moment of awareness, every choice toward sattva over tamas, every act of devotion, changes the fragrance. You are not stuck with what you inherited; you are actively creating what you will carry forward. This is liberation's possibility: by the time of death, you can carry such refined 'fragrance' that no further embodiment is needed—you return to the Source from which the fragment emerged."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Recognize that you entered today's body carrying 'fragrances' from countless yesterdays. What tendencies are you noticing upon waking—lethargy, anxiety, peace, eagerness? These are the inherited fragrances. Today you can add new notes to this fragrance: practice consciously 'carrying' what you want into future days and lives.
Throughout the day, observe the mind and senses as 'fragrances' you are currently steeping in. Every experience deposits subtle residue. When tempted by something that would leave a negative fragrance (anger, craving, dishonesty), remember: you will carry this. When choosing something that purifies (compassion, truth, devotion), remember: this too will travel with you.
Before sleep—a mini-death—practice conscious release of the day's body-identification while noting the 'fragrances' accumulated. What are you carrying into sleep? Into tomorrow? Eventually, into your next life? Let sleep be practice for death: the body rests, but you—the lord of this body—continue, carrying your subtle essence into the next state.