Even though our bodies are different, human beings need to understand that they are all, in essence, souls, and share a soul consciousness, writes Ajit Kumar Bishnoi
Are we notIJ Can you deny that we are soulsIJ And all souls are similar. Yes, our bodies are different. We divide them according to race, gender, age, caste, etc. I will go a step further; we are all unique. Even twins have dissimilarities. But as souls we are one undivided imperishable reality. lord Krishna states in The Gita that knowledge by which one is able to see one undivided imperishable souls in all beings, even though they are divided, know that knowledge to be in goodness. (18.20) Earlier, the lord had said the same thing, “By this knowledge you will see all living entities as souls. (4.35)
There are enormous advantages in accepting this fact. We will not be so overtaken by our ego, which nauseates others; creates frictions in families; forces us to take challenges beyond our resources; makes us take decisions which harm us, etc. A person, who sees others as similar souls, will accept them better. We don’t have to suffer in comparison if someone has done better because we will realize that he or she has used his or her opportunities better having started at the same level being equal souls.
And if someone is placed inferior, one will feel compassion — a great quality. Because one will realize that one is more fortunate. Yes, we make our own fortunes by our efforts, but there are contributions from others towards our well-being. It will be easy to love others if one realizes the affinity of being fellow souls. One will like to cooperate recognizing the bond which already exists as souls.
One will also resist the temptation of taking advantage of others unfairly. Don’t some of us lie, cheat, etc. in order to do thatIJ We won’t be so eager to get angry on a fellow human being. We will feel that to err is human and we could have been in the other’s shoes. Same goes for hating, which is an even worse emotion. This degrades human beings.
These days it has become quite well known how people in superior positions are taking advantage of women in vulnerable situations in lusty ways. This won’t happen if one considers a woman as equal soul not an object of sensuous enjoyment. Soul consciousness can also act as a deterrent against crime. Why does one do soIJ There are plenty of reasons but one that stands out is wanting to harm the other person as if the other person does not deserve any consideration.
This soul consciousness is extremely useful in many other ways as well. The soul is satisfied in self by seeing the self only. (6.20) Anyone who is factually aware of the truth of the soul will not be attached to sense enjoyment. (13.23) He or she will begin to see the not perishing soul similarly situated in perishing bodies of all living entities. (13.27)
The soul is unchanging. (2.25) This soul sustains a body. (7.5) As long as the soul is inside the body, one lives. The soul has no beginning. (13.19) The soul is said to be the cause of enjoying/suffering of pleasures/miseries. (13.20) A ‘jeeva’ is the result of the soul and a material body coming together. A soul exiting throughout the body does not get tainted. (13.32) Just as one sun illuminates the entire planet earth, one soul illuminates the entire body. (13.33) The same soul consciousness helps us in reducing our fear of death. lord Krishna empathetically states that there is no ceasing of the eternal soul. (2.16) Souls keep on taking new bodies after leaving old/useless bodies. (2.22). Not only do we benefit in our day to day lives by realizing ourselves to be souls just like others are but we will make steady advancement in our eternal journey. There are too many advantages to ignore.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com