The soul is the vital principle of the body.

The Lord God said, “Know that what penetrates the whole body cannot be destroyed. No one can destroy the imperishable soul.”

In truth, the soul is by nature the vital principle of the body it inhabits. Everyone knows that what awakens the body on all sides is consciousness. We are all aware of the joys and sorrows our body experiences, but our consciousness does not extend to others, whose pleasures and sufferings are unknown to us. Each body is therefore the carnal envelope of a distinct soul, perceptible through individual consciousness, its external manifestation.

The distinct soul of God is therefore a spiritual atom, finer than the material atoms. And there are an infinite number of these spiritual atoms. This tiny spark is the life principle of the material body, where its influence is widespread. Consciousness manifests itself thereby exercising its influence throughout the body; it is proof of the presence of the soul, which is its source. Everyone is aware that deprived of consciousness, the material body is a lifeless object that nothing can revive. As a result, it is clear that consciousness comes from the soul, and not from some combination of material elements.

The man with perfect intelligence can perceive the soul, the measure of which is in the infinitely small. It floats, carried by the five kinds of air. Located in the heart, it dispenses its energy to the whole body. Once purified from the contamination of these five kinds of material air, it reveals its spiritual power. Hatha yoga is used to control, through various postures, the five breaths enveloping the pure soul. Its practice is not to derive any material benefit from it, but to free the tiny soul from the matter that traps it.

The infinitesimal soul resides in the heart of each being, from where its influence spreads throughout the body. There is no doubt that if the energy necessary for the functioning of the organism comes from the heart, it is because the distinct soul and the Supreme Soul are both present there. Blood cells, which carry oxygen stored in the lungs, get their energy from the soul. This is why the blood stops circulating and fulfilling its functions as soon as the soul leaves the body. The soul supplies the body with its vital energy, and the heart is the seat of all bodily energies.

The individual and distinct 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 higher energy.