Number of Species (bodies) That the Soul Can Occupy
“jalaja nava lakshani, sthavara laksha-vimshati, krimayo rudra-sankhyakah, pakshinam dasha-lakshanam, trinshal-lakshani pashavah, chatur lakshani manavah” (Padma Purana)
Jalaja (Water based life forms) – 0.9 million
Sthavara (Immobile implying 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 particular body, exactly based on its desires, and deserves.
“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)“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 amongst various species.”
(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 13.22)
We Are the Eternal Soul and Not This Temporary Body
When a person dies, we say ‘he passed away’, but the body is right in front of us. This implies there are two entities, the ‘body’ and the ‘he’. The ‘he’ is the soul, the living entity, and not the body. This is the first teaching from the Bhagavad-Gita. The body is temporary, but the soul is eternal. Where has he (the soul) passed away to? Another body.
“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 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 2.12-2.13)
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 there is the living entity, the soul.
•The living entity is the eternal soul and not the temporary body
•The soul is separate from the body
•It is the soul which illuminates the whole body with consciousness
•All souls are equal, one soul is neither inferior nor superior to another
•All souls have the same qualities: Eternal, full of knowledge, and blissful
•The soul is situated in the heart of all living beings
•All living beings (humans, plants, and animals) have a soul
•Every soul has an eternal companion relationship with God
•Every soul is a spark of God and thus every soul is divine
•Every soul is accompanied by the super soul (God) in the heart. He is the witness, permitter, and the well-wisher
•Every soul eventually goes back to the spiritual world
•No soul is high caste, nor low caste
•No soul suffers eternally
•No soul is eternally punished or sent to hell eternally
•No soul can 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, nor atheist
•The soul is neither diseased nor healthy
•The soul is not old, nor young, and does not age
•The soul has no weight and cannot be seen with the naked eye
•The size of every soul is 1/10,000th of the tip of the hair
The Fundamental Law of Physics (Conservation of Energy)
Energy cannot be destroyed but it can change forms. We (the soul) are the energy, and the body is the form. When our current form (the body) is destroyed, we (the soul) move into another form (another body).
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”
(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.22)“For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.27)