Mantralaya-2062
(The Eternal Soul, It's Journey, Karma, Liberation)
Date : Oct 2, 2025
Dear Devotees : Namaskara.
| Sri MannMoolaRamastu Mannmathe Moolamahasamsthhaana Mantralaya Sri Rayaramathe||
|| OM SRI RAGHAVENDRAAYA NAMAHA||
Background
The Eternal Soul’s Journey, Karma, and Liberation are described in Mantralaya described Mantralaya (2062).
Meaning
Wishing
you a blessed Dasara. May Lord Srinivasa, Sri Mahalakshmi Durga Devi
and Sri RaghavendraTeertharu grant us the wisdom to recognize the
presence and nature of Kali and the strength to follow dharma, the true
weapon that defeats Kali.
Today, let us reflect on The Eternal
Soul, It's Journey, Karma, Liberation and explore how we can explain
these profound truths to young minds through simple, relatable examples
they can easily understand.
To truly understand Vedic concepts
and grasp the depth of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, one must first
comprehend the soul, its journey through multiple incarnations and the
karmas associated with it. The challenge lies in explaining such subtle
ideas to young minds in a way that is both logical and convincing. The
Bhagavad Gita provides the perfect foundation. What may initially
appear as diverse teachings about the soul are, under the guidance of
our Acharyas, revealed to be perfectly harmonious and deeply consoling.
Lord Sri Krishna makes this clear in the second chapter of the Gita. In verse 2.20, He states:
na jayate mriyate va kadacin
nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah
ajo nityah sasvato yam purano
na hanyate hanyamane sarire
The
soul is never born, nor does it ever die. It has not come into being,
nor will it ever cease to be. It is unborn, eternal, everlasting and
primeval. Even when the body is destroyed, the soul remains
undiminished. Sri Madhwacharyaru explains in his Bhagavad Gita Tatparya
Nirnaya that the soul is eternal and indestructible, yet always
dependent on the Supreme Lord. The body may perish, but the soul, being
of the nature of consciousness, cannot be destroyed. Madhwacharyaru
firmly rejects the idea that the soul is identical with Brahman.
Instead, the soul is distinct, individual, and eternally dependent on
Paramatma. This understanding also dispels the misconception that
consciousness is a product of the body. The body can be destroyed, but
the self endures.
Krishna further illustrates this in verse 2.22:
vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya
navani grhnati naro parani
tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany
anyani samyati navani dehi
Just
as a man discards worn out clothes and takes on new ones, so the soul
discards old bodies and takes on new ones. Madhvacharyaru explains that
the soul, though eternal, takes on bodies according to karma and the
will of the Supreme Lord. The body is merely a covering for the atman.
This analogy emphasizes the temporariness of the body and the
continuity of the soul’s journey, which is never random but governed by
divine order and the law of karma.
Sri RaghavendraTeertharu
notes that these two verses together establish the immortality of the
soul and explain transmigration. Arjuna, worried that war would end
lives, is reassured that the soul can never be slain. The cycle of
bodies continues until liberation, granted by the grace of Paramatma.
These teachings are not merely philosophical, they are practical,
preparing the devotee to act without fear or attachment. Through the
insight of our Acharyas, apparent contradictions vanish. The soul never
dies, yet it changes bodies under divine order. Madhwacharyaru
emphasizes the eternal distinction between soul and God, while Sri
Raghavendra Swamy demonstrates how these truths strengthen faith,
dissolve sorrow, and steady one on the path of dharma.
In chapter fifteen, verse 7, Sri Krishna explains:
mamaivamso jiva loke
jiva bhutah sanatanah
manah sasthanindriyani
prakrtisthani karsati
This
teaches that the soul is His eternal fragmental part. Although bound by
mind and senses in this world, by its origin it belongs to the Lord.
Madhwacharyaru emphasizes that the soul is eternally dependent on
Paramatma but never identical with Him. This amsha relationship is
real, and the soul’s true joy lies in service to Hari. The soul’s
bondage to mind and senses is temporary and governed by karma and
divine will. Madhwa teaches that the soul’s purpose is not
identification with Brahman but recognition of its eternal servanthood
and eventual return to service through grace. Sri RaghavendraTeertharu
explains that this truth consoles the afflicted soul, affirming its
sacred origin. Knowing oneself as Hari’s amsha removes despair and
inspires devotion. All disciplines of the Gita aim to free the soul
from false identification so it may resume its natural service.
Finally, in verse 18.66, Krishna provides the ultimate guidance:
sarva dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tva sarva papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
Abandon
all dharmas and take refuge in Him alone. He promises liberation from
all sins, offering a clear and singular path. Madhwacharyaru interprets
this as the culmination of the Gita, surrender to Hari is the means and
His grace is the end. This surrender does not erase the eternal
distinction between jiva and Paramatma but places the soul in the only
relationship that leads to liberation. True surrender is bhagavat seva
service combined with right knowledge and dharma. Sri
RaghavendraTeertharu highlights compassion in this verse, showing that
surrender is not weak resignation but a dynamic offering of love, trust
and action to Hari. When the soul relinquishes false autonomy and rests
in the Lord, it attains freedom from bondage and experiences true
spiritual life.
These verses frame the soul’s journey and
purpose in the Gita. The soul is eternal, fragmental, dependent on the
Lord, bound by mind and senses but created for loving service and
liberation. Madhwacharyaru stresses eternal distinction and bhagavat
seva as the highest goal. Sri RaghavendraTeertharu makes these truths
practical and consoling, showing how they resolve doubt and guide life.
Under their guidance, the Gita is not abstract philosophy but a direct
roadmap for the soul to remember its origin, surrender to Hari, and
live in devoted service until liberation is granted by His grace.
Jiva
Svabhava (Nature of Soul), in Madhwa’s teaching, refers to the
intrinsic nature or innate constitution of each soul. It is the soul’s
own fixed identity, distinguishable from the body or mind, enduring
across births. Madhwaru holds that every Jiva is a real, eternal,
conscious being with its own sense, capacities, limitations and
distinct personality. Even after liberation, the differences among
souls persist. According to Madhwaru, a soul’s nature (svabhava)
determines much about its journey, inclinations, karma and capacity to
engage in devotional service. Souls are of different gradations,
taratamya(hierarchy, gradation or order of superiority), depending on
their nature(svabhava). Some are more sattvic, some rajasic or tamasic
in temperament. These qualities correspond to how strongly the soul is
inclined to devotion, knowledge or inertia. Yet, these differences do
not change the soul’s core identity. The temperament, past karma, or
guṇa may affect behavior and choices, but not the soul’s intrinsic
nature.
Madhwaru introduces the doctrine of Svabhava Ajnana
Vada, ignorance arising from one’s own nature. Though the soul is self
luminous and capable of knowing its true relationship with God, it
often remains veiled in ignorance. This ignorance is natural, arising
from the soul’s dependence on prakṛti, its past karma and the coverings
of mind, senses, and false identification. Because of svabhava and past
karmas, the soul is drawn into samsara, the cycle of birth and death.
The soul exercises free will, enjoys or suffers according to karma and
remains dependent on Paramatma for deliverance. Only through knowledge,
devotion, surrender, and grace can the soul recognize its true nature.
Svabhava also means not all souls are the same in potency, bliss, or
realization. Even in liberation, Madhwaru maintains qualitative
gradation among souls. Two liberated souls are not identical, each
retains individuality but enjoys communion with God.
Well all
this is good but how to illustrate this for young minds ?. To
illustrate this for young minds, think of the soul as a Google account.
The body is like your phone, temporary and replaceable. When you sign
in on a new phone, all your emails, contacts, and photos are restored
from the cloud. Similarly, the soul enters new bodies but carries
karma, like the data stored in the cloud. Good karma is like quality
data, ensuring smooth experiences, while bad karma is like clutter or
viruses, complicating future journeys. The soul remains eternal, like
the cloud account, while bodies are temporary (like your phone).
Connection to God, like cloud infrastructure, ensures proper function
and ultimate liberation.
For software engineers, the soul can be
visualized as the master branch of a Git repository or a persistent
microservice in the cloud. The body is a local clone or container
temporary and replaceable. Karma is the state, logs, or commit history,
influencing future deployments. Good karma is clean, tested code. Bad
karma is buggy, broken code. Liberation is the final stable deployment
under the guidance of the ultimate DevOps God. This analogy conveys the
soul’s persistence, the temporary nature of bodies, and the importance
of actions and guidance in achieving ultimate purpose.
In
essence, the soul is eternal, distinct from God, yet dependent on Him.
Bodies are temporary vessels, karma is persistent across lifetimes, and
the ultimate goal is loving service and liberation. Understanding this
provides clarity, removes fear, inspires devotion, and guides life with
practical wisdom rooted in the teachings of the Gita and the insights
of our Acharyas.
The devotion towards
Sri Raghavendrateertharu is the ultimate truth and is the most simple
and effective way to reach Sri Hari - "NAMBI KETTAVARILLAVO EE
GURUGALA"! “Those who have complete faith in this Guru will never be
disappointed.”
|| BICHALI JAPADAKATTI SRI APPANACHARYA PRIYA MANTRALAYA
SRI RAGHAVENDRATEERTHA GURUBHYO NAMAHA||