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Soul and Transmigration

Verses
29
Groups
5
Chapters
11

Lord Kṛṣṇa begins His teachings to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gīta by describing the ātma-jñāna or the knowledge about the soul. The spirit soul is qualitatively equal to the Superme Spirit Kṛṣṇa and is a part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa.

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But due to material desires and material deeds under the influence of mat

Verses grouped by topic

Identity and characteristics of the soul 3
  1. The soul is a fragmental part of Lord Kṛṣṇa (15.7 mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke...)
  2. The soul is eternally an individual. (2.12 na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ...)
  3. For more characteristics of the soul see 2.16-25 in the overview section.
Soul changing bodies – examples 3
  1. Soul’s changing the bodies is compared to a person’s changing different dresses. (2.22 vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya...)
  2. Just as embodied soul passes through different stages of life (boyhood → youth → old age), after death the soul passes into another body. (2.13 dehino 'smin yathā dehe...)
  3. The soul in the material world carries one’s different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. (15.8-9 śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti...)
Role of three modes in the transmigration of soul 3
  1. Association with the modes of material nature leads to different good and evil among various species. (13.22 puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi...)
  2. The three modes facilitate the filfillment of soul’s desires through providing different bodies, under the supreme direction of Supreme Lord (5.14-15 na kartṛtvaṁ na karmāṇi...)
  3. The material modes govern one’s destinations after death. (14.18 ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā...)
Role of Supersoul in transmigration 2
  1. The Supersoul acts as the supreme proprietor, overseer and permitter for the soul’s activities (13.23 upadraṣṭānumantā ca...)
  2. The Supersoul always accompanies the soul in all material bodies (18.61 īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ...)
Factors that determine the next body 6
  1. Thoughts at the time of death determine the future birth (8.5 anta-kāle ca mām eva... 8.6 yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ...)
  2. State of consciousness throughout the life is carried to the next body (15.8 śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti...)
  3. The bewildered soul, under the influence of modes, thinks himself the doer. (3.27 prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni...)
  4. Demons are condemned life after life. (16.19 tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān... 16.20 āsurīṁ yonim āpannā...)
  5. By demigod worship one is transferred to demigod planets. (9.25 yānti deva-vratā devān... 7.23 antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ...)
  6. By pure bhakti one is transferred to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s abode. (18.55 bhaktyā mām abhijānāti...)

By performing bhakti-yoga, one can rise above the three modes and thus transcend the cycle of repeted birth and death.

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