Truly, the soul is by nature the lifeblood of the body it inhabits. Everyone knows that what awakens the body from all sides is conscience.
We are all aware of the joys and pains our bodies experience, but our conscience does not extend to others, whose pleasures and sufferings are unknown to us. Each body is therefore the physical envelope of a distinct soul, perceptible through individual conscience, its outward manifestation.
The distinct soul of God, which each of us truly is, is therefore a spiritual atom, finer than material atoms. And there are an infinite number of these spiritual atoms. This tiny spark is the lifeblood of the material body, where its influence is widespread.
Consciousness manifests itself by exerting its influence throughout the body; it is proof of the presence of the soul, which is its source.
It is well known that, deprived of consciousness, the material body is a lifeless object, which nothing can revive. Consequently, it is clear that consciousness comes from the soul, and not from some combination of material elements.
A person of perfect intelligence can perceive the soul, whose measure is in the infinitely small. It floats, carried by the five kinds of air. Located in the heart, it dispenses its energy to the entire body. Once purified of the contamination of these five kinds of material air, it reveals its spiritual power. Hatha yoga serves to control, through various postures, the five breaths enveloping the pure soul. Its practice is not aimed at deriving any material benefit, but at freeing the infinitesimal soul from the matter that imprisons it.
The infinitesimal soul resides in the heart of every being, from where its influence spreads throughout the body. There is no doubt that if the energy necessary for the functioning of the organism originates from the heart, it is because both the individual soul and the Supreme Soul are present there. The 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.
The individual and individual souls of God, part of the spiritual whole, of Krishna, can be compared to the innumerable luminous molecules composing the rays of the sun, spiritual sparks; they compose the radiance of the Supreme Lord and constitute His superior energy.
The soul is indestructible, eternal, and immeasurable; only the material bodies it borrows when incarnating are subject to destruction. The material body is, by nature, perishable. Whether it will die in an instant or in a hundred years, it is only a matter of time; it is impossible to keep it alive indefinitely.