All bodies are composed of the five elements and they are alive because of consciousness. When consciousness departs from them, there is no longer any life in the bodies. Consciousness does not die, but merely separates from the body. Without consciousness, the bodies were already dead. So who dies now ?
Consciousness serves as an instrument and thanks to it, the Absolute is able to be a witness. Without consciousness, the Absolute cannot witness anything whatsoever.
The Absolute is first a witness to consciousness, when it exists, and then, it is a witness to the continuum of consciousness. If consciousness is called *Brahman*, its witness is *Parabrahman*.
– Nisargadatta Maharaj – To be nothing is to be everything. Excerpt p 135
