Chandogya Upanishad 6.22
beginner
अस्यैक शाखाम्जीवो जहात्यथ सा शुष्यति द्वितीयां जहात्यथ सा शुष्यति तृतीयां जहात्यथ सा शुष्यति सर्वं जहाति सर्वः शुष्यति॥
asyaika śākhāṃjīvo jahātyatha sā śuṣyati dvitīyāṃ jahātyatha sā śuṣyati tṛtīyāṃ jahātyatha sā śuṣyati sarvaṃ jahāti sarvaḥ śuṣyati ||
""If the life departs from one branch, that branch withers. If from a second, that withers. If from a third, that withers. If it departs from the whole tree, the whole tree withers.""
What This Means:
When life leaves a branch, it dies. When life leaves the whole tree, the whole tree dies. Life is what makes it alive.
Going Deeper:
This shows that consciousness (jiva/atman) is the cause of life, not the body. The body dies when the Self departs.
How To Apply This:
Understand that your body lives because of the Self, not the other way around. The Self is the source of life.
#death#departure of life#body-Self relationship