Na Enam Chhindanti Shastrani Na Enam Dahati Pawakaha

Na Cha Enam Kledayanti Aapah Na Shoshayati Marutaha

 

Sounds familiar, right? Have you ever wondered about its meaning? The literal translation of this Shloka will be “A soul can not be killed by weapons, nor can it be burned with a flame. It can not be drenched with water nor can it be dried with air”. Let us see the story behind this.

When Arjuna decided not to fight, Lord Krishna, who was his Sarathi (Charioteer) in the war, guided him. He gave him many examples and wise words to make him walk on the path he hesitated to take. One such advice was nothing can kill the soul.

If we look at the history, in Hindu culture, a lot of importance is given for keeping your soul pure and clean. It is believed that a person with a pure soul can reach heaven after death. Thus, in this Shloka Lord Krishna advises that the body of a person might die, but the soul remains intact. While Arjuna was hesitating to kill his relatives and friends, Lord Krishna told him that what he will fight now will be the bodies of his friends and families. So, even if he kills them in the fight, he will not be harming their souls.

Now, if we understand this carefully, the advice given to Arjuna is applicable in our day to day lives, too. The actions that we perform, the decisions that we make, the paths that we decide are not only affecting our bodies but also our soul. And we might not have the same body after we die, but our soul is living and it has an account of our deeds. Meaning that our good and bad actions are remembered. We might not get the results of our actions immediately, but somewhere, someone is surely making a note of the same. And thus, a good thought, a kind action can always make a big difference.

Now the question arises, how to keep a soul pure? Keeping our soul pure does not always mean to pray to the deities, it also implies to help out people in need. As it is always said, ‘Helping someone might not change the world but it surely means a world to the said person’. It can be applied in both ways. There is always a good feeling that comes with helping others that enriches our mind. It can give a pleasant experience and a memory to preserve.

Keeping negative thoughts away and having a positive attitude can also be a part of having a pure soul. A child or a baby is said to have the purest soul of all, ever thought why? Babies or children look at the world a bit differently. They don’t classify people according to color, caste or status. They get along with everyone. This might be the reason that they don’t feel any obligations or have any negative thoughts about their surroundings. I think that such an attitude is necessary for being pure.

Of course, having pure thoughts and pure soul comes with the benefits. The pure love of one soul can offset the hatred of millions. A pure soul is like a fine pearl; as long as it is hidden in the shell, at the bottom of the sea, no one thinks of admiring it. But if you bring it out in the sunshine, this pearl will shine and attract all the eyes. Thus, a pure soul, which is hidden from the eyes of the world, will one day shine before the angels in the sunshine of eternity. The one who has a pure soul can turn their surroundings into positive energy all around.

If we consider the insightful words told to us by the wise people before us, we can say that they give us the same message: the pure soul shall mount on the native wings and cut the path into heavens of glory. The message that can be interpreted from this is that a soul is never going to die and all our actions will be taken into account. Thus, to make our lives beautiful, we can always try to have a positive attitude and a helpful nature so that we can be remembered in the same way, thus, keeping our soul alive.

It is said that if you do good deeds for other people, you will end up healing yourself too. Because a dose of love is the best spiritual cure. So, all of us can apply this in our daily lives to have a happy soul. If such small things can help us, this will indeed be the best way to keep ourselves alive in the memories of others and in a way, keeping your soul alive too, right?