Ignoring those who believe that the soul can kill or be killed, the wise man knows well that it neither kills nor dies. Let us understand that the spiritual being is not destroyed when deadly weapons touch the body. The soul is so small that no material weapon can reach it. Being spiritual in nature, it cannot die. Only the body dies, or at least, it is said to die. But let us be careful that such knowledge must in no way encourage murder. God, through the original holy scriptures, enjoins us never to use violence against anyone. Nor does the knowledge that the true being never dies authorize the slaughter of animals. Destroying the body of any being, human, animal, or plant, is an abominable act, punishable by human law as well as by God's.

Krishna, God says: The soul knows neither birth nor death. Living, it will never cease to be. Unborn, immortal, original, eternal, it never had a beginning, and never will have an end. It does not die with the body.

In quality, the infinitesimal soul is one with the Supreme Soul, Krishna, of whom it is a tiny part. It does not undergo changes like the body, and this is why it is also called “immutable.” The body passes through six stages during its existence. It appears in a mother's womb, remains there for a time, then is born, grows, produces offspring, weakens, and finally dies, disappearing into oblivion.

But the soul cannot be said to be born and undergoes these transformations; on the contrary, it is because it must assume a physical envelope that the body is born. It is therefore not created at the moment the body is formed, nor does it die at the moment it is disintegrated. Only that which is born must also die. The soul, therefore, knows neither past, present, nor future. It is eternal and original.

The soul also does not age like the body. Changes in the body do not affect the soul; it does not wither away like a tree or any other material object; nor does it produce offspring. Indeed, a man's children are also separate souls; if they appear to be born of him, it is solely because of the bodily bonds that unite them. Their bodies develop only in the presence of the soul. The soul, subject to no change, the source of no offspring, obeys none of the six laws of bodily evolution.

The soul is always fully conscious and knowing. Now, consciousness is the perceptible manifestation of the soul. While we cannot perceive the presence of the soul in the heart where it resides, we can still apprehend its existence through the consciousness that emanates from it.

Since a consciousness animates all bodies, human, animal, and plant, it must be present in everyone. The consciousness of the individual soul, however, differs from that of God, in that the latter is supreme and possesses complete knowledge of the past, present, and future. The consciousness of the infinitesimal being, on the contrary, is limited and prone to forgetfulness. However, when it forgets its true nature, Krishna, who does not have this weakness, instructs it, enlightens it with his teachings.

Krishna, God, the Supreme Personality, is the source of the Supreme Soul, also called the Holy Spirit, and each of us is an infinitesimal soul, forgetful of its true nature.