शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः | गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् ||
śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt
Translation
When the lord (individual soul) takes a body and when it departs, it takes these (the senses and mind) and goes, as the wind carries away fragrances from their source.
Interpretation
The soul's journey between lives is described through an exquisite simile: as wind carries fragrance from flowers without any visible transfer, the soul takes its subtle body — the senses and mind — from one life to the next. The physical body changes; the subtle body of senses and mental tendencies migrates. This verse explains why beings are born with particular personalities, aptitudes, and inclinations: these are the fragrances the wind of the soul carries from previous gardens of experience. Our present character is the accumulated essence of our entire spiritual history.