The body is temporary; it is always changing. We become attracted to a certain image, a certain form, and we suffer when it changes or when we eventually lose it. If we ask any old woman if she would like to be 18 again, not many of them would answer no.

If the body is temporary, why do we become so attached to it? And how to free ourselves of this identification?

Verse 2.16 of the Bhagavad-Gita is probably one of the most overlooked verses in the book. Krishna speaks this verse right at the beginning of His explanation about the soul. Prabhupada translates it as:

“Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.”

At first, it may appear that the verse just explains the difference between the body, being temporary, and the soul being eternal. This is of course the direct meaning of the verse, telling Arjuna that he should not lament for the body.

There is however another meaning in the first two lines, which is hinted at by Srila Prabhupada at the purpose, and explained in more detail in other verses:

nāsato vidyate bhāvo
nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ

The word “sataḥ” means something real, and “asataḥ” is the opposite, something unreal, or illusory. The word “bhāvaḥ” in turn means the quality of permanency or endurance, while “abhāvaḥ” is the opposite, denoting something that changes. Vidyate is just the connective word, “there is”.

These are simple words, but the way Krishna combines them in the sequence makes the composition extremely powerful and significant.

nāsato vidyate bhāvo: For the unreal (illusory), there is no permanence.
nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ: For the eternal, there is no change.

Everything that is real, in the full sense, is eternal, and everything that is not eternal is illusory, like a mirage in the desert or fake money.

When we start analyzing the world according to this simple instruction, we start to understand the difference between material and spiritual, and the difference between what is valuable and what is not.

Everything that is real, in the full sense, is eternal. It is just ours and we never lose it. If an intelligent person were offered a million dollars for five minutes, he would not be very enthusiastic, because he would understand the temporariness of it. What is the point of becoming a millionaire just to lose everything in the next moment? It would be better to get something permanent. However, a fool could become thrilled by the idea, and then suffer when the money is taken away.

What is eternal? Krishna is eternal. We are eternal, the spiritual world is eternal. Our relationship with Krishna is eternal, and the relationship with the spiritual master and other pure devotees of Krishna is eternal.

What is temporary? Everything that is material: our bodies, material possessions, material relationships, social status, and the universe itself.

By using this parameter we can understand what is valuable and what is not, and start prioritizing what is important over what is not important in our lives. Krishna certainly can see the reality behind the illusion of this material world, and He shares this vision with us in His instructions.

Everything we experience in this world is transitory and temporary. It will all change, disappear, or be taken away from us at a certain point, while spiritual assets are permanent. In the spiritual platform, once we have something, it is ours forever; we never lose it.

We can accept things with a spirit of detachment, using them while they are available, as tools to attain a higher purpose, but if we become attached to the objects and situations that are presented to us, we just pave the way for our own suffering in the future. All suffering arises from attachment to the temporary, while true happiness comes from attachment to the eternal.