4. The Science of the Living Entity

The Living entity is the eternal Soul and not the temporary Body We are a spiritual being in a material body. We (the soul) are eternal, and the body in which the soul resides is temporary.

"That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul." (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.17) The Law of Conservation of Energy Supports the Bhagavad-Gita Science of the Soul Knowledge Energy cannot be created nor destroyed but it can be transferred from one object to another. We (the soul) are the energy and the body are the form. When our current form (the body) is destroyed, we move into another form (another body). Energy (the soul) cannot be destroyed, but it can be transferred from one body to another “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. As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change. “(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.12-2.13) “The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.23)

We are All Eternal When a person dies, we say ‘he passed away’, but the body is right in front of us. This implies there are 2 entities, the ‘body’ and the ‘he’. The ‘he’ is the soul, the real person. This is the first teaching from the Bhagavad-Gita, the real ‘he’ is the soul and not the body. The body is temporary but the ‘he’ is eternal. Where has he (the soul) passed away to? Another body. Death is not the end. It’s the beginning of a new Life. “One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.27) "As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones." (Lord Krishna, BhagavadGita 2.22) The Qualities of the Soul Anyone can see that the material bodies of living beings (humans, plants, and animals) are physically different, temporary, situated in different conditions, circumstances, and locations. Within each body of living beings, there is the soul, which are all equal and eternal. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

We are the soul and not the body All living beings (humans, plants, and animals) have a soul All souls are equal, one soul is neither inferior nor superior to another The soul is not Brahmin, nor Ksatriya, nor Vaisya, nor Sudra The soul is not high caste, nor low caste All souls are eternal, full of knowledge, and completely blissful Every soul has an eternal companion relationship with God Every soul is a family member of God Every soul is accompanied by the Super Soul (God) in the heart. He is the witness, permitter, and the well-wisher Every soul gets liberation eventually, there is no eternal damnation The soul cannot be destroyed by any weapon, burned, blown, nor moistened The soul is neither male nor female The soul is neither black nor white The soul is not Indian, nor American, nor African The soul is not Hindu, nor Christian, nor Muslim The soul is neither diseased nor healthy One soul is neither richer nor poorer than another The soul is not old, nor young, and does not age The soul has no weight and cannot be seen with the eye The soul is situated in the heart of all living beings The size of every soul is 1/10,000th of the tip of the hair

Number of Species of Living Beings

"jalaja nava lakshani, sthavara laksha-vimshati, krimayo rudra-sankhyakah, pakshinam dashalakshanam, trinshal-lakshani pashavah, chatur lakshani manavah" (Padma Purana) Jalaja (Water based life forms) - 0.9 million Sthavara (plants and trees) - 2.0 million Krimayo (Reptiles) - 1.1 million Pakshinam (Birds) - 1.0 million Pashavah (animals) - 3.0 million Manavah (human-like) - 0.4 million Total 8.4 million species of living beings. A soul occupies a Body exactly based on its Desires and Deserves The living entity (soul) is placed in a particular body, universe, planet, country, City, street, house, room, and the womb of a particular mother - exactly according to his past deeds. Life is an intelligent design; nothing happens by chance. “The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another, as the air carries aromas. Thus, he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 15.8) “The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus, he meets with good and evil among various species.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 13.22)