By: BK Usha
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/2254/the-daily-guardian/14
Dated: April 5th, 2025
The soul is often described as the incorporeal essence of a living being. In different religious traditions there are varying beliefs about the qualities of the soul. The common Christian belief is that when people die, their souls are judged by God and they then go to heaven or hell. Islam teaches that the soul is immortal and eternal, and that our deeds are recorded and judged in the court of God, after which they go to heaven or hell. Sikhism considers the soul to be a part of God. Various hymns in the Sikh holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, suggest this belief. "God is in the soul and the soul is in God”, says one. The Bahá'í faith affirms that the soul continues to live after the body dies, and is immortal.
Among Hindus, there are various beliefs about the soul, some of which are contradictory. One is that the soul is a part of God and eventually merges with Him, meaning that it ceases to exist as an independent entity. Another is that the soul always remains pure, unaffected by our deeds.
On careful consideration, many of these beliefs turn out to be misconceptions. Take the belief that the soul is a part of God. According to this belief, souls have emerged from God and will eventually merge into Him. If that is so, the soul should have the qualities of God, which is obviously not the case. God’s qualities of compassion, peace, unconditional love, and purity are now so rare in people that those who have them are looked upon as exceptional.
If souls were to merge with God, they would lose their independent existence and not be immortal. Also, if souls were merging as well as emerging from God, the human population would not be increasing at the present rate. Is it that only some, not all, souls merge with God? If that is so, what are the criteria for such a divine merger? If one believes that souls remain unaffected by their deeds, then all souls should be of the same quality and qualified for such merger.
Those who argue that the soul always remains pure say that it is the body that bears the consequences of our actions. This is why the devout take a dip in ‘holy’ rivers to cleanse themselves of all sins. If it was so easy to wash away our sins, no one would be deterred from sinning. But we also find that the religious-minded are more likely to desist from doing any wrong, afraid that they will have to suffer for it, either in this life or in future lives. They even fear that they would be born as insects or worms as punishment for their sins. Even this is an irrational belief: had people been born as bugs as punishment for their sins, there would have been few humans left in the world by now. The reality is that the human population is continuously increasing.
The soul carries within it a record of all the actions it performs in each life, and bears the consequences thereof. The body is the physical medium through which the soul expresses itself. According to the quality of the soul, a person becomes great, ordinary, or evil. The soul can become pure only after it becomes aware of its spiritual identity, its innate goodness, and makes the effort to return to its original, pure state by remembering God, the purifier. Such remembrance fills the soul with power and reinforces its purity, peace, truth, and happiness, which ultimately helps it overcome its weaknesses.
Many people also hold that the soul has no form. No sentient entity with an independent existence can be formless. The soul is an infinitesimally small point of light. While its size does not change, its brightness varies according to its degree of purity.
One of the strongest beliefs about the soul, in both Hinduism and Jainism, is that by long and intense effort one can attain ‘moksha’ or liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Those who seek liberation do so in order to permanently escape all kinds of suffering. No one seeks ‘moksha’ when they are happy. If the soul were to never take birth, what would be the purpose of its existence? It would be like a battery that is never used, its electric charge unutilised, and thereby rendered worthless. Souls can express themselves only when they are in a body. Living in this world does not necessarily mean that one has to suffer. It is possible to live a life free from sorrow; all that is needed is a change of consciousness. Knowing the self as an originally pure soul and connecting with God helps the soul detach from the harmful qualities that weaken it, rob it of dignity, and bring suffering. Understanding the law of karma is also important. When we recognise the truth that our experiences in life are the result of our thoughts, words, and actions, we realise the wisdom in performing good deeds, which are the seeds that bring forth the fruit of happiness. This is the enlightened way – and the only way – to attain liberation from sorrow.
BK Usha is a Rajyoga teacher
at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Abu Road, Rajasthan.
