"The soul that denies the existence of the Supreme Being or believes Him to be limited to some particular time or place, or conducts itself against the will, nature, character, and attributes of God or bears malice to another, becomes subject to fear." Light of Truth.The maker of anything is always existent, but it is the purpose that necessitates the creation of anything. Even God had needed a purpose for His creation and that is awarding the souls the fruits of their actions. This way, He too can exercise His creative energy and be adored as the Effulgent One. The souls, the secondary efficient cause, is eternal like God but is less subtle, which means it can be pervaded by only God. It is called the Secondary Efficient Cause because it takes different materials out of the universe created by God and molds them into different shapes.
"That substance, in which respiration, nictitating, physical building and animation, movement, sensation, activity of the senses, organic feelings (such as hunger and thirst, fever, pain, etc.), desire, repulsion, feeling of pleasure, feeling, of pain, conscious exertion, and consciousness are found, is called soul." Vaisheshika Shastra, III, ii, 4.
The soul is a fine entity that can reside even in an atom. Its powers, however, are linked with nervauric and electric forces and the nerves, etc., and it is, therefore, kept informed of all that goes on in the physical body. If healthy influences act upon it, it becomes virtuous, and if unhealthy influences operate, it becomes sinful.
"That substratum, in which desire, repulsion, feelings of pleasure, feeling of pain, conscious exertion (will), and consciousness, are found is called the soul." Nyaaya Shaastra II, ii, 16.
Souls are beyond counting and are floating unconsciously around in the atmosphere awaiting the right conditions to take birth either as human beings, animals, birds, insects, fishes or vegetation. The different conditions and inclinations are as a result of their past desirable and undesirable actions as human beings.
The conscious souls also occupy the atmosphere but are enjoying emancipation with total bliss and consciousness with Supreme, but is not one with GOD.
As long as the soul is embodied, it can never be free from worldly pains and sorrows. All men of learning, imbued with piety and desirous of obtaining salvation, worship and adore Him through the practice of YOGA.
To come close to God one must practice the eight parts of Yoga, strive for the union of the soul with God, and directly be in perpetual harmony with the All-blissful, Omnipresent and Omniscient One.
This practice constitutes Emancipation of the soul
The soul inherits four kinds of bodies:-
1. The gross physical body that is seen and felt.
2. The subtle or spiritual body which comprises of the seventeen principles, the five vitals, five senses, five physical such as solids, air, fire, etc., and the principles of volition and discernment. It also accompanies the soul in all its births and deaths. This spirited body is of two kinds
(a) Material which is derived from the fine particles of subtle matter.
(b) The spiritual or natural body which comprises the natural powers and attributes of the soul. Both of these remain with the soul in the state of Emancipation, and it is through them that the soul enjoys the bliss of emancipation.
(3) The causal body which consists of the elementary matter. It is all-pervading and therefore, common to all souls. It is through this that the soul enters into the state called sound dreamless sleep.
(4) The Superior body is that through which the soul is absorbed in the contemplation of the All-blissful Supreme Spirit in the state of superior condition developed by the practice of YOGA and perfect concentration. The energy born of this pure body, the product of the pure influence of the superior condition, is of great service to the soul in emancipation.
The soul alone is the prompter, the possessor, the seer, the doer and the reaper of the fruits of its actions. Many souls are enjoying emancipation ( that condition in which they are freed from misery), meeting other emancipated souls and increasing their knowledge by learning more of nature. There are no special places where they go because God is Omnipresent and all_pervading, they attain happiness and live and keep their individuality in God, anywhere. The wakeful, dreaming and slumbering or sound sleep, in which there is no consciousness of the outside world, nor are there any dreams, are the three states or phases of the soul.
At the beginning of God's creation it was the Aryans who came first, and it is natural to say that they are the embodiment for the soul to achieve emancipation. Many Western scholars like Professor Maxmuller and Wilson made tremendous efforts in studying Sanskrit. Their translations of many Sanskrit texts were proven incorrect in "Commentary of the Rig Veda" by Swami Dayanand, which resulted in this prayer.
"O Lord if there is such a process as reincarnation, let me be reborn in India."Prof. Maxmuller.
Anyone who tries to explain the Sanskrit texts in a literal sense can distort the true meaning of one whole text by mistranslating one word. Thus the Rishis so called after their complete practice of Yoga, got the meaning of these texts, when they were absorbed in that complete and profound state of divine bliss with the Supreme. The austerity of the method of Yoga can only be practiced to perfection in perfect physical and mental health. Naturally, it is of one's interest to practice yoga in whatever condition one is in, as such practices upgrade one's life to a higher level through the process of reincarnation.
The injustices many suffer in life, whether they be from natural disasters, fellow mankind or animals, are the results of God's Divine Justice and are caused by the lack of the true knowledge of the Vedas. All the Sciences of the world originate from the VEDAS, the revealed knowledge of God, then they were spread to all other nations of the globe. The Scientists of the world today, of all races, are reincarnations of Vedic philosophies (strictly the oral and some practical study of the Vedas) in previous lives of which the Caucasian race presently seems to be in the majority.
The intent of modern technology is to protect and serve our planet as it has done in the past, but instead, it is the reverse. The urge to acquire the gross physical standards of heavenly bliss that are enjoyed by the soul in the practice of Yoga occurred through all the ages. It was totally predominant in the First Age, the Golden Age and gradually decreased in the Silver and Bronze Ages (see creation). Rapid deterioration occurs in the Iron Age, the last and shortest age of the cycle. God is merciful and compassionate bestows happiness for longer period of time.
Sufferings because of bad actions have always been for a very short period. Happiness has always been for a longer period, but to many, it seems short, as the saying goes, "time flies when there is fun." When there is pain, it seems to last forever. Naturally, when one is in love, time seems to fly as the days pass by, but sitting on a red hot stove burner for a few seconds can seem very long.
The attributes of souls are the desire for the acquisition of things. Repulsion, activity, feelings of pleasure, feelings of pain, sorrow, displeasure; consciousness, inspiration, and expiration, necessitation ~ the opening and closing of the eyes, organic growth, discernment, memory and individuality, movement, regulation of the senses, internal changes and disorders, such as hunger and thirst, joy or sorrow, are the attributes of the soul which distinguish it from GOD.
The existence of the soul is known only by these attributes, as it is not material nor perceptible by the senses. These attributes manifest themselves only so long as the soul is present in the body, but cease to do so as soon as the soul leaves it. Those qualities that manifest themselves in the presence of a substance and cease to do so in its absence belong to that substance alone; as for example, light is the property of the sun and of the lamp, because it is absent in their absence and present in their presence. In the same way, God and the soul are known by their attributes.
God is one, souls are many. God is infinite, the souls are infinite. God is the source of knowledge and bliss. The souls depend on God for their knowledge and bliss. God is the maker of this universe for the sake of the souls, who come to this bondage on account of their shortcomings or ignorance. God does not assume corporeal bodies; He does not need the aid of physical organs, like eyes and hands for seeing and doing; the souls function with the aid of these organs through the cycle of birth and death. Reincarnation is for the souls and not for God.
A soul that, while embodied as a being in this world, does not see God and does not realize the usefulness of the world, becomes involved in the complexities of misery. But when it recognizes God, the cloud of ignorance vanishes and he is free from misery. A baby, finding itself alone, cries out. When it discovers that its mother is close by it is pacified. Similarly, the soul, as long as it thinks that it is alone and has none else to guard it, feels the pangs of worldly miseries. These miseries are caused by its ignorance. Its protector, the Supreme Being, is with him. But as it is ignorant of His existence it feels fear and misery.
As soon as the soul discovers the existence which is all light, which governs the world and which is the store of all knowledge and happiness it is freed from the dual nature of sin and virtue and it gets spiritual equilibrium.
"The quality that predominates in the physical body renders the embodied soul eminently distinguished for that quality.(Manu, XII: 8,9,25)
It is said, "All pain and suffering cease as soon as sin is destroyed just as a tree perishes when its root is cut away."