Esoteric Teaching Seminars: Secrets of the Soul

You don't have a soul — you are a soul!

Everyone has heard about the soul. But most people don't really have a good understanding of the soul. That is a cause of all kinds of misunderstanding, because the soul, or conscious living force, is who we really are. This amazing series of essays covers the most important aspects of the science of the soul: who and what the soul is, where he comes from, where his real home is, and his eternal relationship with God.

In August and September 2006, David Bruce Hughes wrote a series of 32 essays on Bhagavad-gita 2.13. This is such an important sloka that David's spiritual Master Teacher Srila Prabhupada spoke on it more than any other verse of the Vedas. Therefore David selected it as the theme for his Your Perfect Body podcast for almost two months. This amazing tour de force establishes David's prowess as a premiere interpreter of the spiritual lineage of the Vedic Esoteric Teaching. The complete series is presented below.

First, the original Sanskrit verse from Bhagavad-gita:

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

SYNONYMS

dehinaḥ—of the embodied; asmin—in this; yathā—as; dehe—in the body; kaumāram—boyhood; yauvanam—youth; jarā—old age; tathā—similarly; dehāntara—transference of the body; prāptiḥ—achievement; dhīraḥ—the sober; tatra—thereupon; na—never; muhyati—deluded.

TRANSLATION

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

Part 1

Every living entity is an individual eternal spirit soul. Nevertheless, the material body of each spiritual living entity is changing at every moment, manifesting first as an embryo, then as an infant, a child, a youth, an adult, and finally as an old person.

Part 2

Ordinary yogis try to realize the self by meditation. Yogic meditation means that first one has to accept some process of bodily and mental purification (yama-niyama). And if they can successfully concentrate the mind in meditation on its original nature (samadhi), then they can realize the soul as pure consciousness (cit-sakti).

Part 3

Arjuna’s rationalization for refusing to fight in the Battle of Kuruksetra was that “If I kill the opposing fighters, especially Bhisma and Drona, my grandfather and teacher, then the society will become morally degenerate, and the sin incurred will make it impossible to be happy.” This was looking at the situation from a materialistic point of view.

Part 4

Now Arjuna’s question is, “Yes, I understand that my grandfather is spirit soul and this body is material. Still, I’m human. By nature I’ll be unhappy if my grandfather and teacher are killed. Whether or not I realize the spiritual truth of the soul, I’ll still be unhappy.” Of course, even a self-realized soul is unhappy to see the suffering of this world. No one wants himself or others to die.

Part 5

These are the signs, characteristics or symptoms of someone who is qualified to attain spiritual liberation in this lifetime. A person who realizes aham brahmasmi, “I am spirit soul,” cannot be deviated or discouraged by the changing conditions of the material world. Both happiness and suffering refer only to the material body. Spiritual existence is on the platform of eternal transcendental bliss.

Part 6

This is a very important sloka of Bhagavad-gita. We refer to it often, because it summarizes the difference between the material and spiritual natures. If we observe that something is changing, going through various transformations in time, then it must be material. Everything truly spiritual is eternal and unchanging, while the temporary material existence is in constant flux.

Part 7

Now, what is it that pervades the body? It is consciousness. The spirit soul is very small, atomic in size, but his influence is so potent and pervasive that this tiny particle is the source and controller of the entire material body. Just like if you take a tiny dose of LSD, just a few micrograms—which you cannot even taste—still you will feel its influence all over your body, and even in your mind.

Part 8

Dehinah means the person who possesses this body. Like the Sanskrit word guninah, meaning a person who has some special attribute (guna), dehinah means the possessor of the body (deha). The implication is that we may temporarily possess this material body, but we are not its creator, proprietor or owner. We are simply the inhabitants.

Part 9

The sloka continues, asmin dehe yatha, kaumaram yauvanam jara: even in this life I experience that I have changed apartments so many times. First I was in an infant’s body; then I changed from that apartment into a boy body; then again I changed from that apartment into an adolescent body; then I changed to an adult body.

Part 10

The soul is changing apartments according to his qualification. That is explained here: dehino ’smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara. Even in this life, the soul lives in different apartments: the fetus body, the infant body, child body, adolescent body, adult body, old man body. And one’s intelligence and consciousness develop according to the apartment, according to the body.

Part 11

Many people, both in India and the West, are under the mistaken impression that the paramatma or Supreme Soul, and the jivatma or individual soul are the same, and that therefore Brahman and Parabrahman are one. Certainly, the atma is the part and parcel of Paramatma, the Supreme Lord, but does this really mean that atma and Paramatma are one?

Part 12

The soul is a particle of conscious energy. What kind of energy particle has properties like consciousness? A fragmental particle of the Supreme Consciousness. When Arjuna asked Kṛṣṇa, “How are You controlling the whole cosmos, Your vibhuti, Your power and energies?” Kṛṣṇa explained His energies to Arjuna in detail.

Part 13

The living entity, or soul, is an energy of the Supreme Lord, just like the sunshine is the energy of the sun globe. The sunshine appears homogeneous, but is actually composed of tiny shining subatomic particles. Similarly, we jiva souls are also miniscule particles of the Supreme Lord.

Part 14

Here is the solution for all the problems of material life, including the problem of death. The suffering of material existence is due to the constant changing of the body, beginning from conception up to death. Yet the spirit soul is eternal and indestructible, and does not die when the body dies. A sober person who knows this Esoteric Teaching perfectly is relieved from all the anxieties of material life.

Part 15

The Esoteric Teaching is a living mystery school meant to preach all over the world that Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavan svayam: “Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.28]. You are searching after God; that is why you are reading this. You are taxing your brain so much, trying this kind of yoga and that kind of meditation, going to this teacher and that seminar, and reading many different books. But in spite of making so much effort, you are still unsure what is the truth.

Part 16

The more we consider that “I am this material body,” the more we become bewildered by the sufferings and anxieties of material existence. After many, many lifetimes of being kicked by the constantly shifting, illusory qualities of material nature, by some causeless good fortune we come into association with a great soul, a Master Teacher of the Esoteric Teaching.

Part 17

This verse of Bhagavad-gita gives the first criterion of understanding spiritual life. People generally do not understand that there is another aspect of existence—consciousness or spirit soul—beyond this material body. Generally, people are under the mistaken impression that “I am this body. I am American,” or “I am Indian.”

Part 18

This very important sloka of Bhagavad-gita teaches us the first step of real spiritual knowledge. Those who understand their eternal identity as spirit soul are truly situated in knowledge, jnana. But to consider one’s identity solely in terms of this material body is ignorant, ajnana. If you consider your identity on the basis of this temporary bodily dress, then you are ajnani, ignorant.

Part 19

When Arjuna was puzzled by the difficult situation on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, he lost his will to fight, although he was the greatest hero of his time. He became adhira, lost his composure, and was bewildered by the need to fight his close relatives. Therefore he thought it wise to accept Kṛṣṇa not as his friend, but as guru.

Part 20

In the beginning of Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna was confronted with a problem whose solution was beyond the range of his own intelligence and resources. Therefore he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and became His disciple. Bhagavad-gita records the dialog as Kṛṣṇa instructs Arjuna, who demonstrates the perfect example of how to accept a spiritual master.

Part 21

Arjuna was bewildered by the necessity of fighting with his relatives, so he accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual Master Teacher to help him solve his problem on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. In the beginning, they were talking like friends. But friendly talking is not very helpful for solving difficult problems.

Part 22

This sloka of Bhagavad-gita is the beginning of real spiritual education. Now where is this knowledge of the soul being taught? We have traveled all over the world, but we have never seen any university or other department of education where this simple truth is presented: na hanyate hanyamane sarire: “The soul does not die when the body dies.”

Part 23

We students of the Esoteric Teaching do not speculate or manufacture spiritual knowledge. That would be bogus. Knowledge of spiritual life has to be accepted and understood from the explanations of great authorities. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the greatest authority of spiritual knowledge because He is God Himself; therefore we study His Bhagavad-gita very carefully.

Part 24

If we do not accept Bhagavad-gita in terms of the statements given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then it is simply a useless waste of time. One cannot make any meaningful commentary on Bhagavad-gita based on fallible human knowledge. Bhagavad-gita is not very difficult to understand. It is written in very simple Sanskrit language, and the philosophy is very clear—as clear as sunlight in the clear sky.

Part 25

Study Bhagavad-gita as it is, without your or anyone else’s bogus misinterpretation; then you will be benefited. Kuru-ksetre dharma-ksetre [Bhagavad-gita 1.1]. It is a fact: Kuruksetra is a dharma-ksetra. Samaveta yuyutsavah: and the persons assembled there, namely, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, wanted to fight. Yuyutsavah: the same word as Japanese jujitsu, fighting.

Part 26

Deha means this body, and dehi means the owner or occupant of the body. Who lives in this body? The embodied spirit soul is considered the owner of the body. Now, modern scientists and philosophers may be very highly materially educated, but they do not know that this body is not the person; the person is the spirit soul within the body. Asmin dehe: within this body, there is the proprietor of the body, or the soul.

Part 27

Kṛṣṇa says in this sloka that the soul, dehi, is passing or transmigrating through different types of bodies, even within this life. First of all, he gets a small body, a fetus within the womb of the mother. It starts out as a simple blastocyte, then develops through many other forms resembling more primitive reptiles and animals. When the human form is complete, the body comes out of the womb as an infant.

Part 28

All our troubles and suffering are simply due to identification with the material body and its imperfect senses. The world is complete, because it is created by the Complete; but because we have identified with this body, we are thinking, “I am American,” “I am Indian,” “I am an Englishman,” “We are German,” or “Russian,” and we have demarcated: “This is my country, and that is your country.” This is ignorance, based on the misconception that the body is the self, and the country or land of birth is the homeland.

Part 29

Identifying with this body is ignorance because when one is under the bodily concept of life, his interest becomes dictated by the imperfect senses of this body. Because they are in the bodily conception of life, and subscribe to the materialistic ontology, they do not know what is their real self-interest. One who is in material consciousness cannot know actually what is good for him. Our real self-interest is to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our eternal self-interest, eternal perfect happiness. But people do not know, because of a lack of spiritual knowledge.

Part 30

It is such a simple point, but even so-called educated people cannot understand. Therefore it is mentioned here, dhiras tatra na muhyati. Dhira means a sober, cool-headed man, really intelligent—and the opposite is called adhira. Adhira means low-class intelligence, or rascal. Dhira means sober; the exact translation is ‘gentleman,’ dhira. Those who are not gentlemen—uncultured, rascals—cannot understand, though they have materialistic so-called education.

Part 31

In the previous verse [Bhagavad-gita 2.12] Kṛṣṇa said, “All of us—you, me, and all these soldiers and kings who are present here—existed eternally in the past, are existing now, and shall continue to exist eternally in the future.” In other words, the spirit soul is immortal.

Part 32

This simple concept—transmigration of the soul—is explained very clearly in Bhagavad-gita. And all living entities are also eternal individuals. There is no question of our mixing together or merging into the Supreme. Everyone of us is an individual by our spiritual constitutional nature. God is an individual, and we are also individuals.

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