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Shri Datta Swami

 31 Oct 2006

 

How can the soul be born and die daily? How can the soul be inert energy?

[Shri G. Lakshman forwarded the comment of somebody on the soul like this: ‘You have told that the soul is born and is dead daily as per the Gita (Nitya Jatam…). The word ‘Nitya’ means regular and not daily. What is the meaning of inert energy used by you? Why do you characterize the soul by the uncharacterized energy?’]

You say that the soul is born regularly and not daily! There is no difference between these two versions. The word Nitya has the usage in daily sense also. “Nitya Karma” means the worship of Sandhya daily. In the deep sleep, the awareness (soul) has no existence because the nervous system does not function. Only the inert energy exists as body-heat and this alone cannot generate awareness. In deep sleep, neither you are [aware] of yourself as in meditation nor are you aware of physical objects (awaken state) or the feelings (dream state). This is the experience and can never be contradicted. The energy itself is inert. Still, I have used the adjective ‘inert’ for a specific purpose.

  1. The word inert means the absence of independence in one sense. In this angle, the entire creation including the souls is inert, because everything is fully controlled by God and has no real independence. In this sense, the living soul and non-living object cannot be distinguished.
  2. The word inert is also used in sub-division between living and non-living. In this angle, the soul is not inert whereas the energy is inert and I have to distinguish the soul and energy in this view. From this point of view, the energy is called as inert and the soul is not inert since it has partial control over energy in certain contexts. Otherwise, the inter conversion between inert (non-living) and living cannot be explained since both are inert in the first angle.

Energy is a characterized item showing characteristics of wave length, frequency etc. The soul is awareness, which is a special work form of energy. The specialty is due to requirement of nervous system. Work cannot be the characteristic of energy because it requires the presence of second component (machine). Work is only a form of energy that can be generated with the help of the second component. Your conclusion must be based on logical analysis (Science), scripture and experience. In the deep sleep, the awareness is converted into inert energy and this is established by Me in an elaborated way already.

 
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