Who Am I?
This question was asked by Sanatana Goswami to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and is found in the Caitanya Caritamrta.
Why does this question matter?
Unless one knows who they are, one cannot be truly happy nor satisfied. In Cc. Madhya 20.102, Sanatana Goswami asks:
ke āmi’, ‘kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya’
ihā nāhi jāni — ‘kemane hita haya’
“Who am I? Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble? If I do not know this, how can I be benefited?”
Without understanding the self and the nature of suffering, no lasting benefit can be attained.
The Threefold Miseries
The Vaishnava scriptures describe two simultaneous realities: the material body and the eternal soul.
1. Miseries Caused by One’s Own Body and Mind
Disease, dissatisfaction, mental agitation, and attachment arise due to misidentification with the body and mind.
2. Miseries Caused by Other Living Entities
Conflict, emotional distress, fear, and physical harm arise through interactions with other beings.
3. Miseries Caused by Natural Activities
Floods, droughts, climate disturbances, and unforeseen calamities affect one beyond personal control.
Who Am I?
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time…”
The soul is eternal, unborn, and undying. Death belongs only to the physical body.