But the soul, so tiny, how could an enemy destroy it if he can't even see it?
The soul is so small that it cannot even be measured. Seen from one angle or another, the loss of the body is not worthy of tears, lamentations, or sorrow, since one cannot kill the being itself, that is, the soul.
As for the body, it is in any case impossible to protect and preserve it indefinitely. And it is essential for man to observe religious principles during his earthly life, because the material body in which he will be reincarnated will be the fruit of the deeds performed in this life.
The original holy scriptures call the living being, the soul, a particle of the supreme light, God, “light.” The “light” of the soul keeps the material body alive. As soon as the soul leaves the body, it decomposes; it cannot live without it. The body itself, therefore, matters little.
Ignoring those who believe that the soul can kill or be killed, the wise man knows well that it neither kills nor dies. Let us understand that the spiritual being is not destroyed when deadly weapons touch the body. The soul is so small that no material weapon can reach it. Being spiritual in nature, it cannot die. Only the body dies, or at least, it is said to die. But let us be careful that such knowledge must in no way encourage murder. God, through the original holy scriptures, enjoins us never to use violence against anyone. Nor does the knowledge that the true being never dies authorize the slaughter of animals. Destroying the body of any being, human, animal, or plant, is an abominable act, punishable by human law as well as by God's.
Krishna, God says: The soul knows neither birth nor death. Living, it will never cease to be. Unborn, immortal, original, eternal, it never had a beginning, and never will have an end. It does not die with the body.
In quality, the infinitesimal soul is one with the Supreme Soul, Krishna, of whom it is a tiny part. It does not undergo changes like the body, and this is why it is also called “immutable.” The body passes through six stages during its existence. It appears in a mother's womb, remains there for a time, then is born, grows, produces offspring, weakens, and finally dies, disappearing into oblivion.
But the soul cannot be said to be born and undergoes these transformations; on the contrary, it is because it must assume a physical envelope that the body is born. It is therefore not created at the moment the body is formed, nor does it die at the moment it is disintegrated. Only that which is born must also die. The soul, therefore, knows neither past, present, nor future. It is eternal and original.
The soul also does not age like the body. Changes in the body do not affect the soul; it does not wither away like a tree or any other material object; nor does it produce offspring. Indeed, a man's children are also separate souls; if they appear to be born of him, it is solely because of the bodily bonds that unite them. Their bodies develop only in the presence of the soul.