Hindu concept of the Soul

[ronki23]

Shortly before the Battle of Kurukshetra, Arjun tells Krishna that he can not bear to kill his cousins. Krishna's answer is in 2 parts:

1) The Pandavas are Kshatriyas (Warriors) and it is the duty of a Kshatiriya to fight

2) Only the body is destroyed in battle: the soul is everlasting

But if the soul remembers its past lives then doesn't that mean sins from the next life are added to the soul ? Remember, after Kurukshetra it was actually the Kauravs that went to heaven and not the Pandavs ?

Am I confusing soul and personality ? Psychiatrists try to change personality with drugs so the personality is part of the physical word I.e. the brain

 

[George-ananda]

We have a soul/Causal Body/Karana-Sharira that experiences and influences the personality. This soul incarnates many times on the lower planes of nature.

I re-read your post and am not sure what the confusion is.

 

[stvdv]

Am I confusing soul and personality ?

Yes.

Sai Baba explains soul here.
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 4

Note: find "soul" gives 7 results only, saves you some reading

 

[ronki23]

We have a soul/Causal Body/Karana-Sharira that experiences and influences the personality. This soul incarnates many times on the lower planes of nature.

I re-read your post and am not sure what the confusion is.

If the soul influences personality then that means the Kauravs will always be bad

 

[George-ananda]

If the soul influences personality then that means the Kauravs will always be bad

No, the soul progresses, strengthens, grows through experiences. That is the purpose of reincarnation. Theoretically then each succeeding life/personality should progressively be at a higher level.

In the use of the soul again we are talking about the the individual Causal Body/Karana-Sharira. This soul body continues to grow until Moksha (liberation from the sense of separateness)

 

[ronki23]

No, the soul progresses, strengthens, grows through experiences. That is the purpose of reincarnation. Theoretically then each succeeding life/personality should progressively be at a higher level.

In the use of the soul again we are talking about the the individual Causal Body/Karana-Sharira. This soul body continues to grow until Moksha (liberation from the sense of separateness)

Don't forget Bhishma and Drona only killed / were killed in battle because they swore allegiance to Hastinapur

 

[George-ananda]

Don't forget Bhishma and Drona only killed / were killed in battle because they swore allegiance to Hastinapur

OK but I think I am still missing your point.

 

[Vinayaka]

Shortly before the Battle of Kurukshetra, Arjun tells Krishna that he can not bear to kill his cousins. Krishna's answer is in 2 parts:

1) The Pandavas are Kshatriyas (Warriors) and it is the duty of a Kshatiriya to fight

2) Only the body is destroyed in battle: the soul is everlasting

But if the soul remembers its past lives then doesn't that mean sins from the next life are added to the soul ? Remember, after Kurukshetra it was actually the Kauravs that went to heaven and not the Pandavs ?

Am I confusing soul and personality ? Psychiatrists try to change personality with drugs so the personality is part of the physical word I.e. the brain

The soul is genderless, has no sexual orientations, and also has no personality. The personality is temporary, lasting exactly one lifetime, or less, as our personality can also change during a single lifetime. I would hope that it does.

Karma involves punya and paapa, all action, both 'good', 'bad', and indifferent. The soul doesn't exactly 'remember' as we understand it, but more retains the seeds of previous actions.

 

[The Crimson Universe]

Am I confusing soul and personality ? Psychiatrists try to change personality with drugs so the personality is part of the physical word I.e. the brain

In my opinion, the drugs prescribed by psychiatrists only supresses certain traits and personalities but they are not completely uprooted from your mind. They still lie buried in your chitta (subconsciousness). These supressed traits and behaviours will surely show up again, either in this life or in the next one. They just need the suitable environment to crop up.

Besides, these traits, personalities, dispositions are not produced by the brain as modern science claims. As per vedanta, the Brain and the sense organs are just the instruments through which you register information from the outside world.

When a person dies and leaves behind his old physical body with its dead brain and other dead organs, the soul still carries the traits, personalities, dispositions etc. to the next life.
And what exactly is this soul?
As George said above, It is nothing but the causal/subtle body where all mental and karmic imprints are stored and are carried to the next life.

 

[ronki23]

In my opinion, the drugs prescribed by psychiatrists only supresses certain traits and personalities but they are not completely uprooted from your mind. They still lie buried in your chitta (subconsciousness). These supressed traits and behaviours will surely show up again, either in this life or in the next one. They just need the suitable environment to crop up.

Besides, these traits, personalities, dispositions are not produced by the brain as modern science claims. As per vedanta, the Brain and the sense organs are just the instruments through which you register information from the outside world.

When a person dies and leaves behind his old physical body with its dead brain and other dead organs, the soul still carries the traits, personalities, dispositions etc. to the next life.
And what exactly is this soul?
As George said above, It is nothing but the causal/subtle body where all mental and karmic imprints are stored and are carried to the next life.

It's not just drugs to change personality: counsellors and psychologists use therapy in tandem or even instead of drugs (less effective IMO)

 

[The Crimson Universe]

@ronki23 Therapy too is used to supress your traits but as i said they lie buried in chitta and again pop up when it finds the suitable environment.
And just so you know, Krishna said in the gita that the body is killed but Atman is immortal.
Please do note, Atman and soul are not the same thing. There is only ONE Atman/Brahman and not trillions of them, as many hindus think.
Atman/Brahman is like the vast sky. It is present everywhere, both inside and outside body. It is also called the Self. Whereas the soul is a transmigrating entity and is known as the causal/subtle body.