Geethartha Chinthane 125: Does humanity exist in body or soul?

Team Udayavani, Dec 16, 2024, 9:01 AM IST

Transmigration is the experience of transitioning from one body to another. After waking up from sleep, we often say, “I had a good sleep.” This statement arises because of the awareness of the ‘I’ (self). We do not say, “I (self) was absent during sleep,” do we? Whether it is someone awakening from unconsciousness or simply from sleep, they assert, “I am.” This sense of ‘I’ (self) stems from awareness and is an experience of the soul itself. Hence, even during transmigration, the existence of the soul persists.

The experiences of childhood, youth, and old age are not associated with the lifeless physical body. If they were, even a deceased body should have expressed them. The inability to do so is due to the absence of ‘vayu’ (life force). If the soul alone experiences these stages, it does not necessarily mean the soul must be human. Humanity resides in the body, not the soul.

When one says, “I am human,” it signifies that humanness is tied to the body. Statements like “I am a child,” “I am a youth,” or “I am an elder” represent different stages of life but share a unified experience. The soul, however, does not possess attributes like childhood or old age. If that were true, it would imply the soul’s nonexistence. So, how can humanity exist without the soul?

During states like sleep or unconsciousness, there is no experiential awareness, but the body continues to exist. In sleep, there is no recognition of “I am a child,” “I am a youth,” or “I am human.” Even though life remains during sleep, such knowledge does not arise. Isn’t this knowledge something tied to the body?

~ Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji of Paryaya Sri Puthige Sri Krishna Matha

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