The Eternal Soul (Atman) in the Bhagavad Gita
Discover what the Bhagavad Gita teaches about the eternal, birthless, and indestructible nature of the Soul.
Definition & Meaning
The Atman is the immortal individual consciousness that inhabits physical bodies.
Meaning in the Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 2 contains the most famous description of the soul: it is never born, never dies, cannot be burned by fire or wet by water.
Important Verses on soul
Just as the embodied soul passes through childhood, youth, and old age in this body, so too does it pass into another body; the steadfast one does not grieve over this.
It is not born, nor does it ever die; after having been, it again does not cease to be; unborn, eternal, changeless, and ancient, it is not killed when the body is killed.
Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so too the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others that are new.
An eternal portion of Myself having become a living soul in the world of life, draws to itself the five senses, with the mind as the sixth, abiding in Nature.
Practical Application in Daily Life
Remember in tough moments that your physical body and circumstances change, but your spiritual core remains whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the soul be destroyed by weapons or weapons of mass destruction?
No. BG 2.23 states weapons cannot cut the soul, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it.
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