Shrimadbhagwad Gita Verse
17, Chapter 2
अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।
विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति ।।17।।
avinasi tu tad viddhi, yena sarvam idam tatam I
vinasam avyayasyasya, na kascit kartum arhati II17II
In this Verse, the Lord Krishna tells the disciple Arjuna about the real nature of the soul present in the body. The Lord says; know that, the soul, the pure consciousness which pervades the entire body is indestructible.
The soul is the essence of life. The soul is indestructible. No one is
able to destroy the imperishable soul. The soul enters the body while the
mother conceives a baby in her womb and departs from it at the time of death
(of the body). The body only decays and dies while the soul remains unborn and
imperishable. The soul assumes new body at the bodily birth, which undergoes
changes constantly from childhood to adulthood and to old age and finally
perishes at death but the soul within, remains the changeless and imperishable.
The indivisible soul is spread all over the entire body all the time. It
is the consciousness, the life force itself which is the cause of all voluntary
and involuntary bodily functions. Everyone is conscious of the pains and
pleasures of the body in part or as a whole all the time and is limited within
one's own body. The pains and pleasures of one body are unknown to another.
Therefore, each and every body is the embodiment of an individual soul, and the
symptom of the soul's presence is perceived as individual consciousness. The
soul also known as a spiritual spark is the real cause of the material body. It
is like the current flowing through an electric circuit of a light bulb which
cannot be seen but it's effect can be seen and felt from the glow of the light
bulb. Similarly, this bodily current is felt all over the body as
consciousness, and that is the proof of the presence of the soul. 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; by injecting any food or oxygen. Therefore, consciousness
is not due to any amount of material combination, but is due to the soul. This
all intelligent soul converts the material combination; food and oxygen into
energy to run the bodily power house.
The place, parents and environment where a baby is born is dependent on
the karmic pattern through which the soul has passed in previous births.
The very nature of the child and the grownups too is dependent on his/her
accumulated karmas (actions) in previous lives and acquired from the
environment in the particular life. Of course, the God has given everyone
choices to get free from the shackles of past karmic patterns through the power
of discrimination (wisdom) to enjoy ever joy and bliss. The purity of heart,
mind, right actions, right living & right thinking and meditation on the
Lord are the keys for the liberation.
The mystery of life and death has been challenging the scientist over
ages to understand the real nature of the soul but have not succeeded in
resolving the mystery. While the saints and yogis too have been engaged in
solving the mystery over the ages, few have succeeded to know the real
nature of the soul. The spiritual masters like Lord Krishna, Christ and many
others have spread the secret knowledge of the soul and spirit for the benefit
of mankind. We too can realize the truth by regular study of the scriptures and
walking on the path shown by the great masters, the gurus (teachers).
