The Soul
The swaroopa
Disconcerting as it may be, the scriptures say that the swaroopa of the jeeva which is the jeeva itself and is also referred to as ‘soul’ has not been created by the supreme lord. They have been in existence since eternity (anaadi) just as Naarayana himself is. The jeevas or souls have inherent natures (satva, rajo and tamo) that determine the entire course of their existence. The supreme lord grants form and shape to the swaroopas and grants them birth. The jeevas that have neither achieved mukthi nor andha taamisra * at the end of every cycle of creation are absorbed into the cosmic belly of Naarayana where they remain in limbo for thousands of years**. When Naarayana is gently prodded into action from this state by Lakshmi devi, a lotus emerges from his navel. Seated in the navel is Bramha who takes thousands of years to fully realise Naarayana and then begins the process of next cycle of creation (srushti).
*eternal damnation
**Bramha’s night
Where is the soul?
The infinitesimal soul is present within the heart* of the jeeva. Whether one is aware of this or not, one always points to the heart when they refer to the ‘self’. When someone asks “Who did this?” the respondent taps his hand on his chest and says “I”.
Within this infinitesimal soul, the lord is present as ‘bimba rupa’** in the size of the tip of a thumb of a being. The jeevas remain unaware of their bimba rupa till they become self-realised. Till one ‘sees’ the bimba-rupa, he or she can assume the form of Narasimha to be the bimba-rupa and contemplate on it.
not the physical and visible heart of the sthoola deha but the *sookshma hridaya of the swaroopa deha
**although the bimba rupa is always Naarayana, the form which he assumes in each jeeva is different
The nanoscopic anatomy of sookshma sharira
The three dehas that remain in existence after the death of the gross body (sthoola deha) possess five karmendriyas, five gnyaanendriyas and manassu*, which are also sookshma** and nitya ***. Therefore the sookshma deha is able to perceive, understand and experience, even when it does not have a physical body.
*hands, feet, organs of excretion, urination and reproduction; sight, vision, hearing, sense of touch and smell; the mind which receives inputs from gnyaanendriyas, interprets the information, and directs karmendriyas to function.
**not gross
***ever-present/unchanging
The swaroopa deha has ‘aakaara’ or form which is known only to Hari and Vayu, and becomes known only to muktha-jeevas*. The swaroopa deha is either male or female, originally. It is said that a purusha swaroopa may very rarely be born as a woman, but a sthree swaroopa will never be born as a man.
*when they experience aparoksha, i.e. ‘see’ bimba rupa of the paramaatma and their own swaroopa
God, despite being omnipotent, does not change the swaroopa * of the jeeva because he abides by his own rules. Therefore, the swaroopa deha follows the path charted by its inherent guna, through various births accruing merit and sin along the way.