PHI-19-18SOUL PDF

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Summary

Ques. Explain the concept of the soul according to Bhagavad Geeta. S o u l , in religion and philosophy, is the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, that which confers individuality and humanity is often considered to be synonymous with the mind or the self. In theology, the soul is furthe...

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Ques. Explain the concept of the soul according to Bhagavad Geeta. Soul Soul, in religion and philosophy, is the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, that which confers individuality and humanity is often considered to be synonymous with the mind or the self. In theology, the soul is further defined as that part of the individual which partakes of divinity and often is considered to survive the death of the body. In Hinduism, the soul is usually referred to as the Self. The Bhagavadgita provides a lot of insight into the nature of the soul (Atman) and its liberation from the mortal world. The scripture mainly deals with the problem of suffering and the paths by which beings or embodied souls (jivas) can escape from suffering and achieve lib CONCEPT OF SOUL In Bhagavad, Geeta Arjun reiterates to Shree Krishna that he is unable to cope with his current situation, where he has to kill his elders and teachers. He

refuses to take part in such a battle and requests Shree Krishna to be his spiritual teacher and guide him on the proper path of action. Then the Supreme Lord starts imparting divine knowledge to Arjun. He begins with the immortal nature of the soul, which is eternal and imperishable. Death only destroys the physical body, but the soul continues its journey. Just as a person discards his old clothes and adorns new ones, the soul keeps changing bodies from one lifetime to another. At first, Shree Krishna tries to motivate Arjun at a mundane level. Then he moves deeper and starts explaining to Arjun the Science of Work. He asks Arjun to perform his deeds without any attachment to their fruits. Shree Krishna, therefore, explains the progression of afflictions of the mind—such as greed, anger, lust, etc. and advises how these can be overcome. The Supreme Lord said: While you speak words of wisdom, you are mourning for that which is not worthy of grief. The wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead. Shree Krishna initiates his discourse with a

dramatic opening statement. Arjun is lamenting, for what he feels are very valid reasons. But, rather than commiserating with him, Shree Krishna takes the wind out of his arguments. No possible reason justifies lamentation. Thus who are surrendered to God simply do their duty in all situations, without being affected by outcomes. Such persons never lament because they accept all circumstances as God’s grace. Whenever divi divine ne knowledge is imparted, it usually begins with knowledge of the self. Shree Krishna follows the same approach in the Bhaga Bhagavad vad Gita:Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. Shree Krishna begins by explaining that the entity that we call the “self” is the soul, not the material body, and is eternal, just as God himself is eternal. crea creation tion is a combination

of

three

entities—God,

soul,

and

Maya— Maya—and and all the three entities are eternal. If we believe the soul is et eternal, ernal, then it follows logically that there is life after the death of the material body. Just as the em embodied bodied soul continuously passes from

childhood to youth to old age, similarly, at the time of death, the soul passes into another body. The wise are not deluded by this. Shree

Krishna

est establishes ablishes

the

principle

of

transmigration of the soul fro from m lifetime to lifetime. He explains that in one lifetime itself, we change bodies from childhood to youth to maturity and then to old age, despite the continual cha change nge of the body, we perceive that we are the same person. That is because we are not the material body, but the spiritual soul seated within. Shree Krishna draws Arjun’s attention to the fact that, since the body is constantly changi changing, ng, in one lifetime its itself, elf, the soul passes through many bodies. Similarly, at the time of death, it passes into another body. What we term as “death” in worldly parlanc parlance e is merely the soul discarding its old dysfunctional body body,, and what we call “birth” is the soul taking on a new body elsewhere. This is the principle of reincarnation. The contact between the sens senses es and the sense objects gives rise to fleet fleeting ing perceptions of happin happiness ess and distres istress. s. These are non-permanent, and come and

go like the winter and summer seasons seasons.. One must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. The human body houses five senses—t senses—the he senses of sight, smell, tast taste, e, touch, and hearing hearing—and —and these, in contact with their objects of perception, give rise to sensations of happiness and distress distress.. None of thes these e sensations is perm permanent. anent. They come and go like the changin changing g seasons. Although cool water in the summer, the same water gives distres distress s in the winter. Thus, both the perceptions of happ happiness iness and distress ex experienced perienced through the senses are transitory. A person of discrimination should prac practice tice tolerating both the feelings of happiness and distres distress s without being disturbed by them. a person who is not affected by happiness and distress distress,, and remains st steady eady in both, become eligible for liberation. Of the transient, there is no endurance, an and d of the eternal, there is no cess cessation. ation. This has verily been observed and conclud concluded ed by the seer seers s of the Truth, after st studying udying the nature of both. That which pervad pervades es the ent entire ire body, know it to be

indestructible. No one can destroy the imperishable soul. God is an ocea ocean n of infinite bliss, and we souls are his tiny pa parts. rts. This means that we are tiny fr fragments agments of an infinite ocean of bl bliss. iss. everything we do in the world is for the sake of happiness. We all may have different views regardi regarding ng where ha happiness ppiness lies or wha whatt form it might take, but all living beings seek nothing apa apart rt from it. The soul, being a tiny pa part rt of God, is div divine ine like God himself. Hence the happ happiness iness that the soul seeks is also di divine. vine. Such happiness must posses possess s the following three characteristics:  It must be infinite in extent.  It must be perm permanent. anent.  It must be everever-fresh. fresh. However, the happiness we experience from the contact of the senses with their objects is the reverse; it is temporary, finite, and insentient. Thus, the material happiness that we perceive through the body can never satisfy the divi divine ne soul. With this discrimination, we must practice tolerating the perception of material happiness. Similarl Similarly, y, we

must tolerate the sensation of mater material ial di distres stres stress. s. Shree Krishna explain explains s that the world does exist, but it is fleeting. Thus, he calls it a set, or “temporary.” He does not call it mithyā, or “non-existe non-existent.” nt.” Shree Krishna est establishes ablishes the re relationship lationship between the body and the soul, by saying that the soul pervades the body. What does he mean by this? The soul is sentient, i.e. it possess possesses es consciousnes consciousness. s. The body is made from insentient matter matter,, devoid of consciousness consciousness.. However,

the

soul

passes

on

the

quality

of

consciousness to the body as well, by residing in it. Hence, the soul pervades the body by spreading its consciousness everywhere in it. Only the material body is perishable; the embodied soul within is indestructible, immeasurable, and eternal eternal.. The gross body is factually made from mud and at the time of death when the soul departs, the body can have one of the three ends: Either it is burnt, in which case it is converted to ashes and becomes mud. Or it is buried, in which ca case se insects eat it and transform it into the mud. Else, it is thro thrown wn into the river, in which case the sea creatures make it their fodder and

excrete it as waste, which ultimately merges with the mud of the seabed. Neither of them is in knowledge—the one who thinks the soul can slay an and d the one who thinks the soul can be slain. For truly, the soul neither kills nor can it be killed. The illusion of depth is created because we identify ourselves with the body. The soul is neither born nor does it ever die; nor ha having ving once existed, does it ever cease to be. The so soul ul is without birth, et eternal, ernal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed. The eternal nature of the soul has been established which is ever-exis ever-existing ting and beyond bi birth rth and death. “The soul is not born, nor does it die; it did not spring from something, and nothing sprang from it. It is unborn, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.” How can one who knows the soul to be imperishable, eternal, unborn, and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill? As a person sheds worn-out garments and wea wears rs new

ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its wornworn-out out body and enters a new one. Continuing to explain the na nature ture of the soul, Shree Krishna reiterates the concept of rebirth, comparing it to everyday activ activity. ity. When garments become torn and useless, we discard them in fav favor or of new ones, but in doing so we do not cha change nge ourselves. In the same manner, the soul remains unchan unchanged, ged, when it discards its worn-out body and takes birth in a new body elsewhere. Weapons cannot shred the soul, nor can fire burn it. Water cannot wet it, nor ca can n the wind dry it. Consciousness, which is the symptom of the soul, can be perceived by material in instrum strum struments, ents, but the soul itself cannot be contacted by any material object. This is so only because the soul is divine, and hence beyond the interactions of material objects. Shree Krishna expres expresses ses this vividl vividlyy by saying that wind cannot wither the soul, nor ca can n water moisten it or fire burn it. The soul is unbreakable an and d incombustible; it can neither be dampened nor dried. It is everlasting, in all

places, unal unalterable, terable, immutable, and primordial. The soul is spoken of as invi invisible, sible, inconcei inconceivable, vable, and unchangea unchangeable. ble. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body. Our eyes, made from material energy, ca can n see only material objects. The soul, being divine and beyond the realm of mater material ial energy, is invisible to our eyes. “Beyond the senses are the objects of the sens senses; es; subtler than the objects of the senses is the mind. Beyond the mind is the intellect, and subtler than the intellect is the soul.” The material intellect can only comprehend material concepts, but can never reach the divine soul by the power of its contemplation. If, however, you think that the self is subject to constant birth and death, even then you should not grieve. Death is certain for one who has been born, and rebirth is inevitable for one who has di died. ed. Therefore, you should not lament over the inev inevitable. itable. all crea created ted beings are unmanifest before birth, manifest in life, and again unman unmanifest ifest on death. So why grieve? The mos mostt certain thing in life is that we will meet with

death one day day.. The instinctive urge to survive at al alll costs is mentioned as a trait of the material intellect. But for one who ha has s taken birth, death is inev inevitable. itable. So when something is inevi inevitable, table, why lament over it? “At every moment people are dyin dying. g. Those who are alive are witnessing this phenomenon, and yet they do not think that one day they will also have to die. What can be more astonishing than this?” Shree Krishna explains that life is inescapa inescapably bly a dead end end,, and so a wise person does not lament over the inevitable. So death is no reason for grief. Some see the soul as amazing, some describe it as amazing, and some hear of the soul as amazing, while others, even on hearing, ca cannot nnot understand it at all all.. The soul, being a fragmental part of God, is more amazing than the things of the world because it is transcendental to material exist existence. ence. Just as God is divin divine, e, its fragment, the so soul, ul, is also divine. Concludi Concluding ng the sum summary mary of the inst instructions ructions on the immortality of the self, and its distinction from the body, the soul that dwells within the body is immort immortal; al; therefore, you should not mourn for anyone....