Spiritual wisdom encourages us to spiritual realization by demonstrating the precariousness of the material body. Whether or not one believes in the existence of the soul, there is no reason to lament the loss of the body.

God reveals to us the splendor of the soul.

The Lord says: Some see the soul, and it is an astonishing wonder to them. Likewise, others speak of it, and still others hear of it. Yet there are those who, even after hearing of it, cannot comprehend it.

That the infinitesimal soul can occupy the body of a gigantic or tiny animal, or that of a great banyan tree or a blade of grass, as well as those of the billions of germs contained in every cubic centimeter of space, is undoubtedly something extraordinary.

The Lord adds: He who dwells in the body is eternal; he can never be killed.

The Lord shows us that the soul is eternal, and the body, ephemeral. Thus enlightened, let us continue to fulfill our duty as human beings according to the social class to which we belong, without being held back by the fear that a member of our family or acquaintance may die. Likewise, enlightened by the Lord, we must accept that there exists beyond a shadow of a doubt a soul distinct from the material body and refuse to believe that the signs of life appear at a certain stage in the evolution of matter by a simple combination of chemical elements. However, although the soul is immortal, violence is not to be encouraged, except in times of war, when it is truly necessary. And when we say “truly necessary,” this implies that it is applied with the Lord's sanction, not capriciously.

The element of time is at the origin of the appearance and disappearance of the material body.

Since it is certain that the material body will be destroyed and the duration of our existence is uncertain, we should not praise either death or life.

Rather, we should observe eternal time, within which living beings appear and then disappear. Since time immemorial, living beings in the material universe have sought to resolve the problem of birth and death. Some emphasize death by stressing the illusory nature of all that is material, while others turn to life, striving to perpetuate it and enjoy it to the fullest. But both attitudes are the work of dishonest and unintelligent individuals. It is recommended to become aware of the eternity of the element of time, which is at the origin of both the appearance and disappearance of the material body, and to see how living beings are imprisoned by this element. We must observe the activities of eternal time, the origin of birth and death. It is because living beings are subject to the domination of time that they are born and die, life after life. This time element is the impersonal representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who grants living beings conditioned by material nature a chance to escape its grasp by surrendering to Him.