“The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.9)

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श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च
रसनं घ्राणम् एव च
अधिष्ठाय मनश् चायं
विषयान् उपसेवते

śrotraṁ cakṣuḥ sparśanaṁ ca
rasanaṁ ghrāṇam eva ca
adhiṣṭhāya manaś cāyaṁ
viṣayān upasevate

Success in applying the science of self-realization begins with realization of the distinction between matter and spirit. This is the foundational principle. It is like the first principle, prior to the introduction of analogies. Everything else flows from there. This is the start of the race, so to speak, for understanding the mysteries of life. The individual is spirit. The individual is not matter. That spirit is atma, or soul. That which is not atma is known as illusion, matter, or the material nature. That which is not atma is maya. The objective of spiritual life is to realize atma and understand the place of maya. Realization is the objective; not necessarily brand affiliation with a celebrity guru or a rubberstamp of approval from an esteemed institution.

The first analogy based off this first principle is the changing body. The individual is the same throughout the changes. The changes are constant. It is like the body is never fixed, for as long as the individual is inside. This dividing line, the presence of atma, is what determines life and death. Someone is alive when there is atma inside. Someone is dead when atma is no longer inside.

The first principle is not exclusive to the human species. There is the Sanskrit word purusha, which generally refers to a person but actually identifies the individual as enjoyer within a particular body. The animals are also purusha, for as long as they are alive. The same applies to the plants. The analogy of the changing body stretches across every instance of life that we can identify.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

When presented with such principles for the first time, a common objection is to the identification of soul within animals. The critic will object on the grounds that the animals have a different kind of soul. They are never the same as humans, you see. There must be a specifically assigned human soul, which is a different kind of individual. At least that is the theory. This is the justification used for killing animals mercilessly, such as in the slaughterhouse with cows and their children. Man has dominion over the animals; it is an endowment from above. Man is more intelligent. Therefore, man must have a different kind of soul.

If we limit the scope of our analysis for the purposes of simplicity, focusing on the varieties of circumstances found within the human experience, we find that the theory quickly falls apart. If there is indeed a human kind of soul, based on the mark of intelligence and ability, then there must be different kinds of souls to correspond to the drastically different stages of maturity and variety in circumstances.

1. Infancy

In this stage, the so-called human soul barely has ability. They cannot do anything on their own. They have enough intelligence to know how to latch onto the breast of the mother, for feeding. They are less equipped than many animals of the same age. Does this mean that the infant is eligible to be killed? Do the adults have dominion over the infants? How do they govern when invested with that dominion?

2. Childhood

Here we have the same individual, but in a completely different phase of life. If we are staying true to the theory, then there must be a different kind of soul. It must be the child-soul, in comparison with the infant-soul. The child-soul, for our example, has boundless enthusiasm, with a correspondingly high level of energy. The child-soul, however, still lacks intelligence. It requires education in order to learn to do basic things that the adults take for granted. There is no explanation for how the infant-soul suddenly transformed into a child-soul, either.

3. Old age

Here we have the same individual, who only years prior was full of vitality, now with rapidly dwindling abilities. To keep with our theory, there must be a different kind of soul for an old person. The capable dominate over the incapable. The strong over the weak. This must mean that the elderly are in a position to be exploited, to have their valuables extracted for the benefit of the youth of today.

4. Intelligence

If there is a human kind of soul, we see that some are quite intelligent. They can process information. They retain that knowledge and develop conclusions on their own. They are capable of rational thought, logical deduction, deliberation, contemplation, and progressive ascension. This means that they are open to being wrong, to having their minds changed.

5. Ignorance

How can the same human-soul then be less intelligent? Why do we find people who are less intelligent if they have the same kind of soul? Where is the difference? Are the ignorant fit to be exploited? Should they be held in captivity? Human zoos previously existed and are a black mark in history. Should the dumb be the victims of the smart? How can the same human-soul sometimes show intelligence and sometimes show ignorance?

…

The theory of a single, spotless spark of life travelling through a variety of circumstances, which are known as bodies, makes more sense. This is because we already experience the changes. On some days, my brain does not seem to work. I cannot properly process information. On other days, I am ready to go, unafraid of any challenges that should arise. One day I am a youth and years later I am an adult. I have not changed at all; only there is a different kind of body.

Shri Krishna teaches these things and more in Bhagavad-gita. The changes stretch across lifetimes. The bodies change, which means that the human today can be an animal tomorrow. The dog right now might be promoted to a human form in the next life. There is a scientific mechanism to the shifts. The subtle body, consisting of mind, intelligence, and ego, travels forward. It is like the air carrying scents from one place to another.

शरीरं यद् अवाप्नोति
यच् चाप्य् उत्क्रामतीश्वरः
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति
वायुर् गन्धान् इवाशयात्

śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti
yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ
gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti
vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt

“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.8)

If Krishna is correct about the basic principle of an individual soul associating with different manifestations of the material energy, He is correct about other things, as well. He is kind enough to share the most important knowledge, the secret of all secrets, with His dear friend named Arjuna. We are blessed to have access to their conversation today.

राज-विद्या राज-गुह्यं
पवित्रम् इदम् उत्तमम्
प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं
सु-सुखं कर्तुम् अव्ययम्

rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ
pavitram idam uttamam
pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ
su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam

“This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.2)

In Closing:

Perhaps soul of a different kind,
In the human being to find.

Such that to animals superior,
The strong to dominate the inferior.

But still the changing body to see,
How infant same as adult to be?

Truth that one kind of spirit discovering,
A changing body on top covering.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, reincarnation, science, spirituality