It is unborn and therefore immortal. Not created at the moment the body is formed, it does not die when the body ceases to live. Only that which is born must also die. The soul has neither past, present, nor future. It is eternal and primordial. It does not age like the body, and changes to the body do not affect it. Nor does it produce offspring. 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.

The soul benefits from the presence of God, who resides in the heart with it and who activates and enlivens for it the various senses, the vital breath, the heart, and the mind, causing them to function. It can then take command of the body and act as it desires, since the Lord allows it to do so.

In truth, if the energy necessary for the functioning of the organism comes from the heart, it is simply because the spiritual soul, distinct from God, is there in the company of the Supreme Lord in His form as the Supersoul; they are both present there. It is because the heart pumps the blood and distributes it throughout the body that the latter is animated. The function of the heart is to pump the blood and transmit it throughout the entire body.

The red blood cells, which carry the oxygen stored in the lungs, draw their energy from the soul. This is why the blood ceases to circulate and perform its functions as soon as the soul leaves the body. The soul provides the body with its vital energy, and the heart is the seat of all bodily energies.

Consciousness, which is the energy of the soul, is spread throughout the body by the circulating blood. Because consciousness is spread throughout the physical body by the blood, all pains and dysfunctions of the body are felt. Therefore, when consciousness leaves the heart, the heart ceases to beat, and the person is then said to be dead.

See how perfectly the Lord organizes the different elements of the body and maintains them in perfect working order.

Is it true that man is subject to two kinds of illnesses, the first of a material nature, and the second of a spiritual nature?

Yes, indeed, the human being is subject to two kinds of illnesses. The first is of a material nature, and the second, the principal one, is of a spiritual nature.

Although Krishna, God, the Supreme Person, is the pure beauty that permeates everything and the cause of all causes, He is not responsible for the misfortunes and sufferings that we endure.

The Lord teaches: It is the thoughts and memories of the being at the moment of leaving the body that determine its future condition.

The Lord adds: Action should be offered as a sacrifice to the Supreme Being, lest it bind its author to the material world. Therefore, fulfill your duty to please Him, and you will forever be freed from the chains of matter.