The true nature of the soul (Bg 2.17 to 2.21)

The soul is capable of permeating the entire body, and the symptom of the presence of the soul is consciousness. The soul is indestructible and imperishable and never changes.

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Verse 17: avināśi tu tad viddhi, yena sarvam idam tatam

vināśam avyayasyāsya, na kaścit kartum arhati

That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.

Verse 18: antavanta ime dehā, nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ

anāśino ’prameyasya, tasmād yudhyasva bhārata

The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is sure to come to an end; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata.

Verse 19: ya enam vetti hantāram, yaś cainam manyate hatam

ubhau tau na vijānīto, nāyam hanti na hanyate

Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain.

Verse 20:
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin, nāyam bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ

ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yam purāṇo, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

Verse 21: vedāvināśinam nityam, ya enam ajam avyayam

katham sa puruṣaḥ pārtha, kam ghātayati hanti kam

O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?

In these four verses, Krsna describes the characteristics of the soul. The soul is capable of permeating the entire body, and the symptom of the presence of the soul is consciousness, which can be observed in all living beings to a greater or lesser degree. Even unicellular organisms, that have no nervous system, much less anything resembling a brain, are capable of avoiding obstacles and predators, showing that even in such rudimentary forms of body, consciousness is present. Plants may look inanimate at first, but when we make a time-lapse, we can clearly see that plants move and avoid obstacles in their process of growth.

If the soul is the same, one could question why different living beings show different levels of consciousness and intelligence. Why aren't they all the same? The point is that in conditioned life, the soul identifies with the body, and thus manifests consciousness, intelligence, and other qualities according to the limitations of the body. Different light bulbs will offer different levels of illumination, even though the electrical socket is the same. The soul has the potency to power any powerful material body, up to the body of a demigod, or even Brahma, but if the soul receives the body of an ant, the soul will act on this capacity.

However, the limitations offered by the body affect us only to the extent we identify with the body. Great devotees and yogis can manifest levels of power and awareness that go much beyond the characteristics of their bodies. Once the soul connects with the source of all potency, the Supreme Lord, one can manifest any level of material power, including the different mystical perfections.

The soul is also defined as indestructible and imperishable in verse 2.17, reinforcing the definition of the soul as eternal, given in the previous verse. Vināśam avyayasyāsya, na kaścit kartum arhati: no one is capable of destroying this imperishable soul. The concept of destruction exists only in the material world, where it exists together with the concept of creation. The soul exists in the spiritual plane, where there is just eternity. There is no beginning for the soul, and thus there is no end. Anything that happens here in the material world affects only the physical and subtle bodies, and never the soul. Even when Krsna Himself kills demons, He just destroys the material coverings in the form of the subtle and gross bodies, giving them liberation. Any questions about the possibility of the soul being destroyed, even if by the Lord Himself, miss the point of the basic nature of the soul that Krsna is trying to explain in these verses.

Just like Krsna, as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu (Paramātmā), can permeate an entire universe and be conscious of everything that happens inside, an individual soul can permeate a particular material body, and be aware of this particular body. This illustrates how, although the Lord and the individual soul share the same basic characteristics (being non-material, eternal, etc.), there is a great difference in terms of power. The Lord is infinitely big, and the soul is infinitely small. This is exemplified in the passage of the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, Srila Prabhupada quotes in his purport to verse 2.17. The soul is defined as measuring one ten-thousandth of the upper portion of the hair, illustrating how elusive it is. Whatever is the smallest particle we can measure, the soul will be still smaller. This shows that trying to find the soul by material means is futile. The soul can be perceived only by perfect intelligence, and part of the process of understanding it passes through giving up the idea of the soul being a physical particle that can be found, measured, pushed around, etc.

After explaining the nature of the soul, Krsna then contrasts it with the temporary nature of the body in verse 2.18. Antavanta ime dehā: material bodies are perishable by nature. Even if one tries, there is no way one can maintain his body or any other body indefinitely. The material universe itself will eventually come to an end, and we will find our demise much before that. As already explained, in the same way, the soul passes through infancy, youth, old age, etc., inside the body; at the time of death, the soul migrates to another body. This is a natural and unstoppable process, and therefore, there is nothing to lament.

The soul is immortal and can never be killed. The body, on the other hand, is composed of dead matter and is never really alive. The body looks alive because it is permeated by the energy of the soul, but the source of life is the soul, and not the body itself. As soon as the soul leaves, the body shows its real nature as a corpse. It was a corpse all along, but it was working and moving for some time due to the presence of the soul.

Krsna makes this concept even clearer in text 2.19, stating that neither he who thinks the living entity is the slayer nor he who thinks he is slain is in knowledge. Only due to ignorance, I may think I'm killing someone, and only due to ignorance, I may think I'm being killed by someone. What is being killed? The soul is never killed because it is eternal and spiritual, and the body is also not killed because it is never alive. It would be incorrect to say that someone "killed my car". A car can't be killed because it is not alive in the first place.

The concept of the soul being immortal, however, does not support unnecessary killing. Although the car can't be killed, if it is destroyed, it will surely be inconvenient for the owner, who will have to find some other vehicle to continue his activities. Although there is no harm to the person, it is still a criminal act due to the difficulties it causes.

In normal circumstances, we follow the principle of ahimsa: mā himsyāt sarvā bhūtāni (never commit violence to anyone). However, taking away one's old car to give him a new and better car is not a bad thing. Similarly, we should never commit violence to anyone whimsically, but in certain circumstances, violence may be necessary to uphold higher principles, like in the case of Arjuna. In such circumstances, everyone benefits, and there is no reason for lamentation.

Arjuna knew about this, but due to the severity of the situation, his knowledge became temporarily covered. Similarly, all of us are originally spiritual particles full of knowledge, eternity, and bliss. However, becoming engrossed in the temporality of this material world, our knowledge becomes covered, and we are overwhelmed by hankering and lamentation. Just as the Bhagavad-gītā helped Arjuna regain his position of knowledge, it can also help us to surpass the fear and lamentation derived from the temporary nature of this world and regain our original condition.

In verse 2.20, Krsna gives still more details about the eternal nature of the soul by explaining: na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin (for the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time.) Everything material exists under the limits of material time, which is divided into past, present, and future. Time, or kāla, is an energy of the Lord, and because of this, no one can escape its influence. This time, energy is sent by Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu in the direction of pradhāna, the undivided source of all material elements, and the presence of the time energy puts it into motion, generating the mahat-tattva and the whole cosmic manifestation. The idea that the material manifestation appeared from the combination of material energy and time may sound strange at first, but we have many similar examples even in our plane. If we take milk from a cow and let it sit overnight, cream will appear on top. We can thus say that milk, combined with time, produces cream, just like iron, combined with time, produces rust. Similarly, the combination of pradhāna (the original undifferentiated mass of material energy) with kāla (time) produces the three material modes, and by the recombination of these five energies, all material elements are produced, followed by the whole cosmic manifestation.

However, just like time leads to the creation of the universe, it also leads to its destruction. Nāsato vidyate bhāvo, nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ: Everything that changes is impermanent, everything that is real is eternal and unchangeable. The material creation and everything that exists within it have a beginning and pass through different transformations. As a result, it also must have an end. Even Lord Brahma, who lives for 311.04 trillion years, eventually has to face death. When he dies, the whole universe also faces demise.

The soul is, however, different: Nāyam bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ (has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being). The soul exists eternally as part of the eternal nature, the internal potency of Krsna, where there is no creation and no destruction. The division of time in the past, present, and future observed in our plane is actually a very unnatural situation. It exists only inside the material manifestation, this corner of creation where we somehow became entrapped. In the spiritual plane, there is no past or future. Time also exists there, but it presents itself in the form of an eternal present based on one's relationship with Krsna.

The idea of an eternal situation may sound menacing, we may fear becoming bored, but that's what we are looking for all along. When we find someone we love, we don't make plans to part with him or her, nor do we do with our children or our very lives. On the contrary, we strive for a permanent, happy situation, and we become frustrated when material nature kicks us out and forces us to move from one place to the other, dying again and again. This position of eternal happiness we hanker for exists, and it is the actual, eternal, natural position of the soul. We are just looking for it in the wrong place.

Krsna continues by defining four characteristics of the soul: aja (unborn), nitya (eternal), śāśvata (permanent), and purāṇa (the oldest). The soul is unborn, and therefore eternal, belonging to the spiritual nature. The soul is ever existing, beyond the confines of past, present, and future. The word purāṇa is translated by Prabhupada in the word-for-word as "the oldest" and in the translation as "primeval". The word primeval comes from Latin, combining prīmus (first) and aevum (age, time). Primeval means something that has existed since the beginning of time, being thus timeless. No matter how far we can go back in time, the soul is always there. In fact, the soul was there even before the influence of time over the material energy.

Krsna then concludes the argument about not killing by questioning: "O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?"

This may sound like a strange question, considering that Krsna is urging Arjuna to fight and kill, but it becomes clear when we examine it in the context of the previous verses. Krsna explains to Arjuna the eternal nature of the soul and the temporality of material happiness and distress in verses 2.12 to 2.17 and then urges him to fight in verse 2.18. To reinforce this conclusion, he explains that no one can be killed and that the idea of killing and being killed in itself is an illusion since the soul is never created or destroyed. By this conclusion, therefore, Krsna advises Arjuna to act in knowledge, performing his duty in the understanding that death means just a change of body, acting in the understanding that no one can kill or be killed and that the eternal benefit derived from the performance of dharma outweighs any temporary consideration.

Main points in the purports of Srila Prabhupada:

"That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul."

a) The symptom of the soul is consciousness, but this consciousness is limited to just one's body. This proves that in each body there is a different individual soul.

b) The souls are innumerable and very small, even smaller than material atoms, ever elusive. It is described as one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair point in size. Still, the influence of the soul spreads all over the body, just like some types of medicine.

c) The constitution of the soul is described in the Vedas, and it is clearly different in power from the Supreme Lord. Only the insane will think of the soul as all-pervading like the Lord.

d) The existence of consciousness is proof of the existence of the soul. A living person minus consciousness is a dead body. This consciousness cannot be revived by any material process. This proves that consciousness is not due to material combination but to the presence of the soul.

e) The process of yoga aims at controlling the vital airs for achieving liberation from material entanglement, and not for any material gain.

f) The soul is situated inside the heart along with the Supersoul, and therefore, the heart is the center of the energies of the body. When the soul moves to another body, all circulation stops. However, because the measurement of the soul is beyond any material experiment or comprehension, many foolishly think there is no soul.

g) The souls are also compared to particles of sunshine in relation to the sun. All the souls are sparks of the rays of the Supreme Lord, part of His spiritual potency. The science of the soul is described in the Bhagavad-gītā.

"The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is sure to come to an end; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata."

a) The material body will inevitably come to an end, be it today or after many years. The soul, however, can't even be seen by an enemy, what to say about being killed?

b) Since the body can't be saved and the soul can't be killed, there is no cause for lamentation. More important than the current situation is the destination of the soul, which is determined by one's activities, especially by properly executing religious duties. This is thus more important than other considerations.

c) The Lord is the Supreme light, and being part and parcel of the Lord, the soul is thus also described as light. Just as the light of the sun maintains the universe, the light of the soul maintains the body. Compared to the soul, the body is unimportant, therefore Arjuna should fight and fulfill his dharma, which is more important than material considerations.

"Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain."

a) The soul is not only very small, but its nature is fully spiritual. Because of this, it is impossible to kill the soul with any material weapon. When one is attacked, only the body may be killed.

b) This, however, does not support slaughter or assassination. The principle is mā himsyāt sarvā bhūtāni: never commit violence to anyone. Killing one's body is a sinful action, punishable both by the law of the state and the law of God.

c) Arjuna, however, is instructed to kill according to the principles of religion, for a higher cause. This is different from a person killing whimsically.

"For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain."

a) The soul is qualitatively one with the Lord. Just as the Lord is eternal and undergoes no transformation, the soul also doesn't change. What changes is only the body.

b) The soul is unborn and immortal, transcendental to past, present, and future. Because the soul identifies with a material body, however, it appears that one takes birth and dies. In reality, however, these are just transformations of the body.

c) The changes of the body don't affect the soul, and therefore the soul never deteriorates. The soul also doesn't produce any by-products. When one begets a child, one just creates a new body, which becomes the abode of a soul that already exists.

d) Even if we can't find the soul inside the heart, we can still understand the soul is there because of the presence of consciousness. When the sky is overcast, we may not see the sun, but we can understand the sun is there due to the presence of light. Similarly, as long as there is some level of consciousness, we can understand the soul is inside the body.

e) There is however a difference between the consciousness of the soul and Krsna. The Lord has complete consciousness of everything, He has all knowledge of past, present, and future. We have very little knowledge and even the little we have we are prone to forget. When we forget our spiritual nature, we can find enlightenment in the instructions of Krsna.

f) The minute soul is called aṇu-ātmā, and the Lord, the Supersoul, is called vibhu-ātmā. Both are situated inside the heart, and the individual soul can become free from all material lamentation and acquire transcendental knowledge by the grace of the Supersoul.

"O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?"

a) Everything has its proper utility, including violence. Although nonviolence is a general principle, sometimes violence is necessary. One who is in perfect knowledge can understand how to act. When a murderer is condemned to death, according to the recommendation of the scriptures, this is beneficial to him because by being punished in this way, he will not have to face the reactions to his crime in his next life.

b) Similarly, if Krsna advises Arjuna to fight and kill, it must be concluded that this violence will be ultimately beneficial for all involved, considering that the destination of the soul is more important than the preservation of the body. A surgical operation is not meant to kill the patient but to cure him.

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