The Soul Is Immortal - The Science of the Indestructible Self
The cornerstone of Vedic knowledge is the understanding that the self is distinct from the body. Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly emphasized the statement "the soul is immortal" to challenge the materialistic worldview that death is the end of existence. This article explores the logic, the ethics, and the practical application of this profound truth. It is not a matter of faith; it is the science of the indestructible self.
The Logic of Immortality
Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently used the logic given by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā to establish the immortality of the soul. He argued that just as we perceive the changing of the body in this life—from childhood to youth to old age—we must logically accept the final change of the body at death. The observer (the soul) remains constant while the vehicle (the body) changes.
- What is the difficulty to understand this logic, that the soul is immortal and the body is changing? What is the difficulty? Just try to understand. You have to preach immortality of the soul, transmigration of the soul.
- As we experience dehantara, different types of body, we are getting one after another, similarly the soul is immortal; he'll get another body.
- Just like the motorcar is not the driver; he is within the motorcar. Now, that driver, or the soul, within the body is immortal. And it is transmigrating from one body to another. So this transmigration from one body to another is not very good business.
A Bestial Civilization
A society that ignores the existence of the soul is, according to Śrīla Prabhupāda, no better than an animal society. Animals are concerned only with the needs of the body; humans are meant to inquire into the nature of the self. He questioned the value of political leaders who are ignorant of the basic problem of life: birth and death.
- A civilization that does not consider the progressive advancement of the immortal soul merely fosters a bestial life of ignorance.
- Do you understand that the soul is immortal and it is transmigrating, tatha dehantara-praptir (BG 2.13)? Do you know all this problem? Then why you have become national leader.
- One who cannot understand this fact, that soul is immortal, body is... He is no more human; he is animal.
The Cure for Lamentation
The practical benefit of realizing the immortality of the soul is freedom from grief. Śrīla Prabhupāda taught that when we understand that our loved ones are eternal souls who have simply passed into another phase of existence, the crushing weight of material lamentation is lifted.
- Krsna says because the soul is immortal, therefore tasmad evam viditva, understanding of this principle, enam, this body, na anusocitum arhasi. The real factor is the soul. We have to take care of the soul, not of the body.
- Krsna described in sankhya-yoga that "This is your duty... The soul is immortal, the body is perishable, so your grandfather or your kinsmen, they'll not die."
- Accepting that the soul is immortal and it never dies, still, if some relative dies, we feel pain. Is it not a fact.
Immortality and Ethics: Why Not Kill?
A common philosophical query is: "If the soul is immortal and cannot be killed, why is murder a sin?" Śrīla Prabhupāda clarified that while the soul does not die, violently evicting a soul from its body is a violation of the Supreme Lord's order. It is a crime to interrupt the allotted tenure of a living being in a particular body.
- Although soul is immortal, but taking the soul is immortal, you cannot cut anyone's throat. He has got a right to live in that body for some time by the ordained order of the Supreme. I cannot get you out by force. That is sinful.
- Though the soul is immortal, violence is not encouraged, but at the time of war it is not discouraged when there is actual need for it. That need must be justified in terms of the sanction of the Lord, and not capriciously.
"First You Have to Catch Me"
To illustrate the realization of the self, Śrīla Prabhupāda famously quoted Socrates. When asked how he wished to be buried, Socrates replied that they would first have to catch him—implying that he, the soul, would be long gone from the dead body. This realization is the absence of anxiety about the next destination.
- Socrates, for instance, who believed in the immortality of the soul, was condemned to death, and upon being asked how he would like to be buried, replied - First of all you may have to catch me.
- Who is thinking that, "What next body I'm going to accept?" Nobody's interested. They say after finishing this body everything is finished. Bhagavad-gita says, na hanyate hanyamane sarire, nityam . . .na jayate na mriyate va kadacit. The soul is immortal.
Conclusion
The statement "the soul is immortal" is not just a phrase; it is a call to revolution against a materialistic way of life. By accepting this scientific truth, one moves from the platform of "bestial life" to true humanity. As Śrīla Prabhupāda taught, the solution to all human problems—social, political, and emotional—begins with the realization that we are eternal spirit souls, passengers in a temporary vehicle, destined for a higher purpose.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category The Soul Is Immortal. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.