When Krishna says we cast off our bodies at death just as we cast off old worn out coats, he:

When Krishna says we cast off our bodies at death just as we cast off old worn out coats, he:

• A. The soul leaves the body
• B. The transmigration of souls
• C. Death ends all existence
• D. Denies any afterlife

Answer: (A)

The thing being tested is the distinction between the self and the body in Krishna’s teaching: the body is temporary, while the soul is enduring. He uses the coat metaphor to show that, at death, the worn-out body is shed just as a worn coat is discarded. This makes clear that what continues is the soul, not the physical form. So the best understanding is that the soul leaves the body. Transmigration is a related Hindu belief about the soul taking on new bodies, but this line specifically highlights the act of shedding the body at death. The ideas that death ends all existence or that there is no afterlife don’t fit with the image Krishna uses, which centers on the soul’s continued existence beyond the body.

The thing being tested is the distinction between the self and the body in Krishna’s teaching: the body is temporary, while the soul is enduring. He uses the coat metaphor to show that, at death, the worn-out body is shed just as a worn coat is discarded. This makes clear that what continues is the soul, not the physical form. So the best understanding is that the soul leaves the body.

Transmigration is a related Hindu belief about the soul taking on new bodies, but this line specifically highlights the act of shedding the body at death. The ideas that death ends all existence or that there is no afterlife don’t fit with the image Krishna uses, which centers on the soul’s continued existence beyond the body.