Properties of The Soul: Vedic Philosophy
- Sreshta Appalabattula
- Aug 29, 2022
- 3 min read
(written on September 8, 2019)
(References: BG 2.12 - 2.24)
The soul…
Is eternal and unborn.
The individual soul is sat-chit-ananda vigraha and is eternally part and parcel of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even though the body is born and it goes through many struggles and later on dies, the soul doesn’t go through such changes, it remains eternally blissful and knowledgeable.
Passes from one body to another during the time of death.
Due to past karma and the state of our consciousness, we are given a new body. As stated in the purport of SB 1.2.33, “There are 8,400,000 species of living beings beginning from the highest intellectual being, Brahmā, down to the insignificant ant, and all of them are enjoying the material world according to the desires of the subtle mind and gross material body.”
Never changes.
The soul never changes. The body, on the other hand, is constantly changing. “That the body is changing every moment by the actions and reactions of the different cells is admitted by modern medical science; and thus growth and old age are taking place in the body. But the spirit soul exists permanently, remaining the same despite all changes of the body and the mind.” This is the difference between matter and spirit. Matter is constantly changing, but the self is constant.
Is imperishable (body is perishable) and pervades the body.
The soul can never deteriorate or grow old, it is everlasting. In this verse, it is specifically stated that the soul pervades the body. How can such a minute thing such as a soul pervade the entire body? It does through the consciousness. The consciousness is the proof that the soul exists. Srila Prabhupada says, “Any layman can understand that the material body minus consciousness is a dead body, and this consciousness cannot be revived in the body by any means of material administration. Therefore, consciousness is not due to any amount of material combination, but to the spirit soul.” Because it is beyond material perception, one should not believe that the soul doesn’t exist. That is incorrect.
Cannot slay, cannot be slain (immutable). (Cannot be cut, burned, moistened or withered (is unbreakable and insoluble))
The soul is completely spiritual and is not perceivable by the material senses. Hence, it is impossible to slay the soul because it cannot even be seen. Additionally, the soul is spiritual, so any material means cannot do anything to destroy it. (This means any harm cannot be applied to the soul, either, such as being cut or burned). The body on the other hand, can be destroyed. This doesn't mean that one should kill the body without the proper authority. That conception is false. Such offense is described as abominable and can be punishable by the law and by the Lord, too. One should exist with the concept of nonviolence.
Is present everywhere.
Living entities live everywhere; this is explained by Srila Prabhupada in the purport of BG 2.24 “The word sarva-gata (“all-pervading”) is significant because there is no doubt that living entities are all over God’s creation. They live on the land, in the water, in the air, within the earth and even within fire. The belief that they are sterilized in fire is not acceptable, because it is clearly stated here that the soul cannot be burned by fire. Therefore, there is no doubt that there are living entities also in the sun planet with suitable bodies to live there. If the sun globe is uninhabited, then the word sarva-gata – “living everywhere” – becomes meaningless.” So living entities exist everywhere, not just on planet Earth but even in different universes and on the sun.
20 specific qualities of the soul:
Invisible.
Inconceivable.
Immutable.
Can’t be burned.
Can’t be dried.
Unbreakable.
Insoluble.
Everlasting.
All-pervasive.
Unchangeable.
Immovable.
Eternal.
Cannot be cut.
Cannot be withered.
It accepts material bodies.
Unborn.
Cannot slay.
Cannot be slain.
Immeasurable.
Pervades the entire body.
Comments