(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

The Supreme Soul, Which Resides Within The Heart Of Every Living Thing, Never Identifies With The Body Or Is Impacted By Its States Of Life

अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्यय: |
शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते || 13.32||

anāditvān nirguṇatvāt paramātmāyam avyayaḥ
śharīra-stho ’pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate|| 13.32||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 13- Ver. 32:

O son of Kunti, the Supreme Soul is eternal, without beginning, and devoid of all material attributes. It does not act and is not polluted by material energy, despite its location within the body.

Explanation

The Supreme Soul, which resides within the heart of every living thing, never identifies with the body or is impacted by its states of life. Although the soul experiences the law of karma and the cycle of birth and death, His presence in the material body does not make Him material in any manner.

Verse & what we can learn

Space came first, then air, fire, water, and finally earth, each more tangible and apparent than the one before it. As a result, space is the most subtle of aspects. Its primary characteristic is indivisibility. We may erect walls to separate “my room” from “your room,” but the wall itself does not divide space. The wall is an upaadhi, or mental limiter, but it can never be used to physically confine space.

Whatever is contained in space has no effect on it. Dust, water, glue, perfume, scent, or anything else can be thrown into space and it will have no effect. Perfume or scent can alter the air in a room, not space. But, more essentially, space is the source of all existence. No item can ever exist without space. In these ways, Shri Krishna explains, the self is analogous to space. The ego is one but appears to reside differently in different bodies, just as space appears to be divided into rooms. The self is never polluted by the results, responses, sensations, or consequences of any action, just as space is never defiled by whatever is thrown at it.

In the end, we all want for freedom in some form or another. Shri Krishna claims that if we understand that the self within us, the “I” within us, is completely untouched by any reaction or experience of the world, we will achieve liberation. We only need to focus on disassociating from Prakriti and associating with Ishvara in order to remove the ignorance about our true nature.
To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.

There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There is also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

In the next shloka Shri Krishna explains about soul and body.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…