न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन
नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोsयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे

“What dies is the body, the soul is neither born nor dead” - The Bhagwat Gita

This line from the Gita provides succour to many of those who loose their loved ones. One likes to believe the theory – more so because it is from the Gita – the epitome of human experience from over the centuries.

But there are times when one wonders about its authenticity – if the soul is indeed all powerful, why does it succumb to the illness of the body? So many physically challenged people find their self-confidence diminished throughout their lives. There are some who are mentally strong - but (1) they are more exceptions than a rule (2) most of them have had to go through rough times before they (re)gain their confidence.

One feels even more compelled to question this belief when death comes by. Death – a biological phenomenon; manifestation of the simple fact that just like any other machine, organs of the body wear out with time, and there comes a day when the body can no more sustain itself. The soul must now leave the body and death becomes an inevitable culmination!

One wonders, if science progresses beyond its current limits, if we were able to create life – that small cell which is the building block of each organ; and if we were able to replace each ailing organ – would it be possible to defeat this inevitable cycle – this अविरत चक्र ? Or would there still be a ‘theoretical limit’ to human life?

Can death and disability ever be defeated? Can the soul ever get an ‘अक्षय पात्र’ to house itself?