But the attitude that the associates of Sree Gaursundar want us to realize in regard to these Activities of the Lord is different from what are recommended by both the above views. The depredations that are committed against our worldly 'possessions' by Godhead are of the nature of His Special Favour. This becomes self—evident, as soon as they are understood as proceeding directly from the Will of the Lord. In the cases we are considering just now, this latter condition was supplied automatically by the fact that the mischievous Acts of the Child were actually liked by those persons against whom they were committed by the Lord Himself and were liked because of their connection with the Lord. If we love a frail mortal child, the imperfections of the object of our passion prevent the sentiment from acquiring the permanence that is its due and without which its full requirement is not satisfied. Hence the love of average worldly people for their children is unsure and shallow and cannot, by the very nature of its imperfection, extend to other children or even to all acts of one's own child. If one sets himself deliberately to love all little children without reservation, he will be rightly charged with trying to do something that is unnatural and fictitious. Such affection has no real basis to stand upon. We want to love our children from a natural impulse which is baulked of its satisfaction by the unworthiness of the object to which it is directed. There was no cause of any such disappointment in the case of their love for Sree Gaursundar, as He is, indeed, Godhead Himself. Hence, says the Bhagavatam, 'all the faculties really succeed in obtaining what they seek only when they are directed towards Godhead.' This overwhelming attractiveness also supplies an indirect proof of the Perfect Personality of the Supreme Lord.

You are your body, right? You are chemical in essence ... right? At least, that's what one of America's most influential scientists claims:

I am a collection of water, calcium and organic molecules called Carl Sagan. You are a collection of almost identical molecules with a different collective label.*

Like Sagan, most people believe that they are their body. So if you ask them who they are, they think and respond in terms of bodily labels.
"I'm Susan. I'm blond, 29 years old, a mother, and still 36—24—36!"
"I'm Henry. I'm a white American male and proud of it!"
"I'm John. I'm a lawyer. I'm 40 years old and getting older every day."
"I'm Alice. I'm a female student. I'm fat and I'm a Methodist."
Name, race, age, sex, religion, nationality, occupation, height, weight, and so on-all these are bodily labels. Therefore if you consider your body to be yourself, you automatically identify yourself with such labels. If your body is fat and ugly, you think, "Woe is me! I am fat and ugly." If your body is 60 years old and female, you think, "I am a 60—year—old female." If your body is black and beautiful, you think, "I am black and beautiful."
But is the body really the self? Are you really your body?
Science of Identity Foundation — Siddhaswarupananda

*Carl Sagan, Cosmos (New York: Random House, 1980), p. 127.

An incident. of these Infant days is thus recorded by Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami. One day Sachi brought a vessel full of fried rice and sweetmeats and gave it to Nimai, asking Him to sit down and eat the same. Sachi then left Him to attend to household work. The Boy, however, began to eat raw earth by avoiding any notice. Sachi, however, perceived this and came running to the Child with expostulations of disapproval, snatched the earth from the Boy and asked Him why He preferred it to the other eatables. The Child burst into tears. 'Why are you angry?' He said, 'How am I to blame? It is you who gave Me the earth to eat. Fried rice, sweetmeats, cooked rice, etc., are all transformations of earth. This, which I am eating, is earth; those are also earth. Why do you consider them to be different? This body is of earth; its food is also earth. Consider this well. I am helpless, if you blame without reflection.' Sachi was very much surprised in her heart at such reply. 'Who taught you,' she said, 'to eat earth by the barren policy of intellectualists ? The body is nourished only by eating cooked rice which is a transformation of earth. If raw earth is eaten, disease is produced and the body is destroyed thereby. We fetch water in a pitcher which is a transformation of earth. If we put water on a lump of clay, it soaks and dries up., The Child said, 'Why did you not tell Me this before? I shall no more eat earth now that I know. When I feel hungry, I shall suck your breast.' And, saying this, the Boy smiled and climbed to the lap of mother and began to suck. These revelations of Supreme Power were constant and various. They were secured against recognition by the display of childishness that followed and served to blind everybody's judgment.

Sree Sachi Devi did not evidently belong to the school of empiric abstractionists who deny Godhead the power of real manifestation and real creation, regarding the latter as temporary, unwholesome and illusive and, therefore, impossible of being in any way related to perfect Godhead. Sachi Devi, on the contrary, believed in the relationship of simultaneous unity and diversity of Power with Possessor of Power and was not prepared to ignore qualitative differences that really exist between the fried rice and raw earth, after the manner of the Buddhists or believers in the Undifferentiated Abstract Negation as Brahman. Child Nimai was more easily converted to the, creed of His mother by her effective protest than falls to the lot of the average Mayavadin.

One day as the Child was roaming in the town as usual by Himself and with ornaments on all parts of His Body, He attracted the attention of two thieves who thought on a plan of robbing His ornaments. Accordingly, one of them with sweet words took up the Lord into his arms, saying that they had been searching for Him and would take Him home. The Lord at once consented to their proposal and was carried on their shoulders a long distance through intricate lanes towards the place where the nefarious deed was to be perpetrated with safety and secrecy. Those thieves endeavoured all this time to keep Nimai in humour by sweet words and the offer of prospective sweetmeats. While the Lord was being thus hurried off to their rendezvous, the members of His family missed Him and began to search in all directions, but could find the Boy nowhere. A great fear gradually took possession of their minds. Meanwhile the thieves had been led by the Deluding Power of Vishnu into taking the road to the Home of Jagannath Misra, under the impression that it led to their own place and, on their arrival at Misra's house, felt quite sure that they had successfully reached their destination.

They accordingly made the Boy descend from their shoulders just where Jagannath Misra and the friends and relations of the family were sitting in silent grief, apprehending a great calamity. Nimai at once ran into the arms of His father and all present shouted 'Hari, Hari' in the joy of a great relief, as if Life Himself was restored to their bodies. The thieves looked foolish and perplexed and were very much frightened when they found out that it was not their own place. Thereupon availing of the confusion caused by the arrival of Nimai they made good their escape.

THREE SIMPLE QUESTIONS
Let me ask you a few simple questions: Do you exist at this moment? Did you exist five years ago? Are you your body? Most people would answer "yes" to all three questions. But if you identify your body as yourself, and simultaneously accept that you exist now and also existed five years ago, then you have a problem: The body you had five years ago does not exist today. There is a dynamic turnover of atoms and molecules which make up your body. There isn't a single particle of matter-not one atom-present in your body today that was present five years ago. The body you have today is not the same body you had five years ago. It's not that the body you had still exists but has now changed somewhat. No. The body you had is gone. That collection of atoms appearing as flesh, bone, blood, hair, and so on no longer exists. Yet you still exist.
Science of Identity Foundation — Chris Butler Speaks

They did not stop till they felt that they were out of the reach of any possible pursuers. They were amazed by the nature of their adventure and thought that they had been under the spell of a black magician and had been saved only by the grace of goddess Chandi whom they worshipped. They hugged each other in a close embrace in their ecstasy of joy at their Providential escape. As a matter of fact, it was also no ordinary good luck that had provided them an opportunity of carrying Nimai on their shoulders.

Here, at the house of Jagannath Misra, after the first outburst of joy had subsided, they began to look about for the person who had brought Nimai home with the object of rewarding him by the present of a head—dress. This was a piece of cloth which they wanted to tie round his head with their own hands. But although it transpired that two men had actually brought the Child on their shoulders, no one came forward to claim the reward. Nimai was questioned and declared that He had gone to the bank of the Bhagirathi and had been brought on the shoulders of two strangers by paths that were unknown to Him. The people arrived at the conclusion that it was an instance of what the Scriptures declare, viz., that children, old men and those who have nobody to look after them, are protected by the gods in the shape of luck. Thus thought they in their ignorance, unable to realize the significance of the occurrence by reason of the sportive intervention of the Power of Vishnu. Those, concludes Thakur Brindabandas, who listen to this story, which is one of the hidden narratives of the Scriptures, attain to firm devotion to the Feet of Sree Chaitanya.

The physical body is made up of countless numbers of tiny material particles called molecules and atoms. These material particles are constantly being replaced by material particles from the outside environment (in the form of food, water, air, and so on). Over a period of five to seven years, this process of metabolism brings about a complete change of the matter that makes up your body.
Science of Identity Foundation — Jagad Guru Speaks

Vishnu's Power possesses at one and the same time a double face. One of these confers the knowledge of the Divinity on one disposed to serve, the other obscures the spiritual vision and makes the jiva, who is averse to the service of Godhead, hanker for sensuous enjoyment. The jiva falls into the clutches of the latter, also called Maya if he makes the attempt to understand the Divinity by the resources of his own paltry intellect. In this instance the thieves were prevented by the Spiritual Energy to act in the wrong way, in spite of their bad intentions. The members of the family of Jagannath Misra were also prevented by the Spiritual Power, who supplies the conjunction of events forming the Leela of Godhead, from realizing the whole truth of the incident. The jiva possesses freedom of will but is lacking in the power of taking the effective initiative which belongs exclusively to Godhead. The jivas are made conscious of the Purpose of Godhead in what they are enabled to do, just in the proportion that is necessary for the Divine Purpose. Those, who rely on their own judgment for finding out the Divine Purpose, without desiring to receive the knowledge of it from Himself, are guided by the Deluding Energy into wrong conclusions; but they are not themselves aware that their conclusions are wrong.

This is, however, really opaque delusion. Those, who submit to receive their enlightenment from Godhead, are not thus deprived of the service of Godhead by the Deluding Power. In this instance it is not the Deluding Energy but the preventing Spiritual Power that relieved the thieves from their thievish propensity and sowed the seed for future service of the Divinity. Herein the thieves were really most fortunate. It could not be otherwise, as Godhead Himself is directly concerned. When thieves steal the property of worldly people, they are under the deluding Power who punishes those who desire to serve themselves instead of God by helping them to gain their object in the shape of the attainment of their selfish enjoyment. But stealth, which is contrived by the Spiritual Power to be directed apparently against God Himself for enhancing the charm of the Divine Leela, produces the best results in spite of the apparently evil intention of the person who attempts to rob Him, if the thief is not really anxious to go consciously against Godhead. In the case even of demon Ravana, who apparently succeeded in robbing Sita Devi, the illusion of his apparent success operated for his benefit by his death at the Hands of Godhead Himself.

Recent studies at the Oak Ridge Atomic Research Center have revealed that about 98 percent of all the atoms in a human body are replaced every year. You get a new suit of skin every month and a new liver every six weeks. The lining of your stomach lasts only five days before it's replaced. Even your bones are not the solid, stable, concrete—like things you might have thought them to be: They are undergoing constant change. The bones you have today are different from the bones you had a year ago. Experts in this area of research have concluded that there is a complete, 100 percent turnover of atoms in the body at least every five years. In other words, not one single atom present in your body today was there five years ago.*
Science of Identity Foundation — Siddhaswarupananda

* Taken from Guy Murchie, The Seven Mysteries of Life (Boston: Houghton—Mifflin, 1978), pp. 321—22.

From these instances we should be careful, however, not to draw the wrong conclusion and suppose that Godhead is apt to reward those who cherish evil intentions towards Himself for such offensive conduct. God rewards everybody impartially and fully. But the reward takes different forms according to the different antecedents of the recipients. In the case of the thieves, the stealth of God's property was prevented; but of this they were not conscious and God was also served unconsciously by allowing Himself to be carried on their shoulders to His Own Home. In the case of Ravana, he was deluded by the Spiritual Power into the belief that he was successful in stealing Sita. He, however, stole only the delusive form of Sita. This proved a means of correction for Ravana, although he had planned his offense against good advice. He was punished by the Spiritual Power by the slaughter of himself with all his kindred and followers. Ravana was well aware that he was going against Godhead. He was more fortunate than the two thieves, because he was enabled to realize that he was punished for his offense and also the utter wickedness of opposing the Divine Will. The Power of Godhead is really One but acts consistently in opposite ways, accordingly as He is served or opposed. Her external face, which alone is open to the view of those who are opposed to Godhead, seems to be terrible and incalculable as long as they continue to be averse to God. Her benign face is seen only by those who are disposed to serve Godhead. The delusion of Jagannath Misra and his kindred and friends was absolutely wholesome, being of the nature of the benign operation of the Spiritual Power of Godhead in furtherance of the joy of His Divine Activities.