Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.3Famous
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स यथा पेशस्कारी पेशसो मात्रामुपादायान्यन्नवतरं कल्याणतरं रूपं तनुत एवमेवायमात्मेदं शरीरं निहत्याविद्यां गमयित्वान्यन्नवतरं कल्याणतरं रूपं कुरुते। पित्र्यं वा गान्धर्वं वा दैवं वा प्राजापत्यं वा ब्राह्मं वा अन्येषां वा भूतानाम्॥
sa yathā peśaskārī peśaso mātrāmupādāyānyаnnavataraṃ kalyāṇataraṃ rūpaṃ tanuta evamevāyamātmedaṃ śarīraṃ nihatyāvidyāṃ gamayitvānyannavataraṃ kalyāṇataraṃ rūpaṃ kurute | pitryaṃ vā gāndharvaṃ vā daivaṃ vā prājāpatyaṃ vā brāhmaṃ vā anyeṣāṃ vā bhūtānām ||
"Just as a goldsmith, taking a piece of gold, fashions a newer and more beautiful form, so does the Self, casting off this body and dispelling ignorance, make for itself a newer and more beautiful form - of the fathers, gandharvas, gods, Prajapati, Brahma, or other beings."
What This Means:
Like a goldsmith melting gold to make a new ornament, the Self leaves this body and fashions a new one - human, celestial, or divine.
Going Deeper:
The goldsmith analogy: the Self is the constant material; bodies are temporary forms. The next form depends on karma.
How To Apply This:
You are the gold, not the ornament. Bodies are temporary forms the eternal Self takes.
#goldsmith#new form#various births#eternal Self