Clouds are not spheres, coastlines are not circles, bark is not smooth, nor does lightning travel in straight lines.
-- Mandelbrot.
Dear John,
In answer to your message: (I wanted to ask you this morning how Hindus explain the huge amount of "souls" in the world today (i.e. how do "new" souls come into existence))
I quote Fritjof Capra from The Tao Of Physics,
"The masses of Indian people, however, have received the teachings of Hinduism not through the Upanishads but through a large number of popular tales, collected in huge epics, which are the basis of the vast and colourful Indian mythology. One of those epics, the Mahabharatha, contains India's favourite religious text, the beautiful spiritual poem of the Bhagavadhgita."
Accordingly, I am sending the literal translations of certain relevant texts from the Gita as I feel they reflect the views of Hinduism better than any layman. I am not sending "interpretations" or commentaries as I am more interested in getting to the crux of the verse without being by clouded by religious, or more aptly theistic biases that have developed over the centuries. Given below is a word-by-word translation. So the grammar (english wise) may be erratic. Kindly bear with the same.
cheers,
Meera, The Gita Addict.
The Bhagavdhgita - Chapter Two
Text 12:
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.
Text 13:
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.
Text 16:
Those who are seers of truth have concluded that of the non existent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the external [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.
Text 17:
That which pervades the entire body you should know o be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.
Text 20:
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.
Text 22:
As a person puts on new garments , giving up old ones, the sould similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.
Text 23:
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
Text 24:
The individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.
Text 25:
It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.
Text 26:
If, however, you think that the soul is always born and dies forever, you still have no reason to lament, O mighty-armed.
Text 27:
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.
Text 28:
All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annhilated. So what need is there for lamentation?
The nature of the soul (transmigration, two kinds of souls - duality etc) is described in subsequent chapters but that is a different topic altogether. Do the above verses answer your question on "soul" explosion?
Some excerpts from Upanisads explaining the nature of the soul:
kesagra-sata-bhagasya
satamsah sadrsatmakah
jivah suksma-svarupo yam
snakhyatito hi cit-kanah
(Svetasvatara Upanisad 5.9)
"There are innumerable particles of spiritual atoms, which are measured as one thousandth of the upper portion of the hair."
eso nur atma cetasa veditavyo
yasmin pranah pancadah samvivesa
pranais cittam sarvam otam prajanam
yasmin visuddhe vibhavaty esa atma
(Mundaka Unpanisad 3.1.9)
"The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. The atomic soul is floating in five kinsd of air (prana, apana, vyana, samana and udana), is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodies living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exibited."
The hatha yoga system is meant for controlling he five kinds of air encircling the pure soul by different kinds of sitting postures - not or any material profit, but for the liberation of the minute soul from the entanglement of the material atmosphere.
The influence of the atomic soul can be spread all over a particular body. According to the Mundaka Upanisad, this atomic soul is situated in the heart of every living entity, and because the measurement of the atomic soul is beyond the power of appreciation of the material scientists, some of them assert foolishly that there is no soul.
The individual atomic soul is definitely there in the heart along with the Supersoul, and thus all the energies of bodily movement are emanating from this part of the body. The corpuscles which carry the oxygen from the lungs gather energy from the soul. When the soul passes away from this position, the activity of the blood-generating fusion ceases. Medical science accepts the importance of the red corpuscles but it cannot ascertain that the source of the energy is the soul. Medical science however does admit that the heart is the seat of all energies of the body.
There are two kinds of souls - namely the minute particle soul (anu-atmah) and the Supersoul (vibhu-atma).
anor aniyan mahato mahiyan
atmasya jantor nihito guhayam
tam akratuh pasyati vita-soko
dhatuh prasadan mahimanam atmanah.
(Katha Upanisad 1.2.20)
"Both the Supersoul [Paramatma] and the atomic soul [Jivatma] are situated on the same tree of the body within the same heart of the living being, and only one who has become free from all material desires as well as lamentations can, by the grace of the Supreme understand the glories of the soul."
In answer to your message: (I wanted to ask you this morning how Hindus explain the huge amount of "souls" in the world today (i.e. how do "new" souls come into existence))
I quote Fritjof Capra from The Tao Of Physics,
"The masses of Indian people, however, have received the teachings of Hinduism not through the Upanishads but through a large number of popular tales, collected in huge epics, which are the basis of the vast and colourful Indian mythology. One of those epics, the Mahabharatha, contains India's favourite religious text, the beautiful spiritual poem of the Bhagavadhgita."
Accordingly, I am sending the literal translations of certain relevant texts from the Gita as I feel they reflect the views of Hinduism better than any layman. I am not sending "interpretations" or commentaries as I am more interested in getting to the crux of the verse without being by clouded by religious, or more aptly theistic biases that have developed over the centuries. Given below is a word-by-word translation. So the grammar (english wise) may be erratic. Kindly bear with the same.
cheers,
Meera, The Gita Addict.
The Bhagavdhgita - Chapter Two
Text 12:
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.
Text 13:
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.
Text 16:
Those who are seers of truth have concluded that of the non existent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the external [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.
Text 17:
That which pervades the entire body you should know o be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.
Text 20:
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.
Text 22:
As a person puts on new garments , giving up old ones, the sould similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.
Text 23:
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
Text 24:
The individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.
Text 25:
It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.
Text 26:
If, however, you think that the soul is always born and dies forever, you still have no reason to lament, O mighty-armed.
Text 27:
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.
Text 28:
All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annhilated. So what need is there for lamentation?
The nature of the soul (transmigration, two kinds of souls - duality etc) is described in subsequent chapters but that is a different topic altogether. Do the above verses answer your question on "soul" explosion?
Some excerpts from Upanisads explaining the nature of the soul:
kesagra-sata-bhagasya
satamsah sadrsatmakah
jivah suksma-svarupo yam
snakhyatito hi cit-kanah
(Svetasvatara Upanisad 5.9)
"There are innumerable particles of spiritual atoms, which are measured as one thousandth of the upper portion of the hair."
eso nur atma cetasa veditavyo
yasmin pranah pancadah samvivesa
pranais cittam sarvam otam prajanam
yasmin visuddhe vibhavaty esa atma
(Mundaka Unpanisad 3.1.9)
"The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. The atomic soul is floating in five kinsd of air (prana, apana, vyana, samana and udana), is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodies living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exibited."
The hatha yoga system is meant for controlling he five kinds of air encircling the pure soul by different kinds of sitting postures - not or any material profit, but for the liberation of the minute soul from the entanglement of the material atmosphere.
The influence of the atomic soul can be spread all over a particular body. According to the Mundaka Upanisad, this atomic soul is situated in the heart of every living entity, and because the measurement of the atomic soul is beyond the power of appreciation of the material scientists, some of them assert foolishly that there is no soul.
The individual atomic soul is definitely there in the heart along with the Supersoul, and thus all the energies of bodily movement are emanating from this part of the body. The corpuscles which carry the oxygen from the lungs gather energy from the soul. When the soul passes away from this position, the activity of the blood-generating fusion ceases. Medical science accepts the importance of the red corpuscles but it cannot ascertain that the source of the energy is the soul. Medical science however does admit that the heart is the seat of all energies of the body.
There are two kinds of souls - namely the minute particle soul (anu-atmah) and the Supersoul (vibhu-atma).
anor aniyan mahato mahiyan
atmasya jantor nihito guhayam
tam akratuh pasyati vita-soko
dhatuh prasadan mahimanam atmanah.
(Katha Upanisad 1.2.20)
"Both the Supersoul [Paramatma] and the atomic soul [Jivatma] are situated on the same tree of the body within the same heart of the living being, and only one who has become free from all material desires as well as lamentations can, by the grace of the Supreme understand the glories of the soul."
Meera @ 3:12 PM| permalink
4 Comments:
Meera,
You have a very interesting blog. I'm glad I found it. It's always good to read your thoughts.
Thank you, Fayrouz! :)
Alex,
Metaphysics, from another's perspective, will always "appear" confusing and difficult to understand. The journey is intensely personal.
I have several questions but I will start with just one.
What does Hinduism say about good souls and bad souls?
The event in Russia this week is a good example. Certain Souls decide to take over a school and kill children based upon their religious beliefs.
I know only the basics of Hinduish and as I undertand it your progession as a soul is based up what you do with the body you have now. If you do evil then your soul will come back as a lower form of life.
Question: The souls of the terrorist in Russia this week were born into bodies that,because of geographics,were indoctrinated with a religious belief that disregards the rights of the souls in the small children and so they killed them. What about the souls of the people or person who indoctrinated the terrorist? Are the terrorist's and their teacher's(at death)souls then sent back to the lowest form of life or they just regenerated into another day in and day out body? Is there no punishment for their deeds?
What does Hinduism say about these things?
Dick S.
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