Based on Chapter 8, why is realizing the 'Eternal' so important, especially given its description of the body's fleeting nature?

Chapter 8 argues that realizing the Eternal is the ultimate purpose of human life precisely because the physical body is so fleeting and flawed. The text describes the body as transient, like a lamp's flame that is new each moment, and graphically calls it a foul place where "death is placed at every moment." Given this impermanence and decay, the chapter posits that focusing on the body is a waste. Instead, it encourages deep self-inquiry into our true nature. As Chapter 8 explains, a human being is uniquely free and independent, and therefore the true success of this birth is to use that freedom to realize the permanent, unchanging Eternal Self (Paramatman) rather than being consumed by the temporary physical form.