The Seed and the Soul

Hello Shawn,

Trust this finds you well. Coming to the answers,

Q1: When and how does the soul or 'Jivâtma' enter the body?
A: This topic has been dealt with in the 'Chândogya Upanishad' a great treatise concerning the soul, the Almighty and the methods one should follow for final emancipation. There it is said:-

"The soul of a man who has residual karma in his causal body, after death, rises in its astral body to the Lunar orb where it spends much time in a state of enjoyment or pain depending on the nature of its actions while alive. After spending the stipulated amount of time there and after having exhausted the period of enjoyment or suffering due, based on its merit or demerit, the Jivâtma (soul) falls from that location, reaches the electric zone of Earth's atmosphere and enters a rain bearing cloud. Upon dissolution of the cloud into rain water that showers on earth, the drop of water containing the soul falls on a vegetable or grain producing plant and is then inducted into the seed of the crop. This grain, further to harvest is eaten by the man who is destined to be the father of the child which will embody the soul. The vegetable or grain containing the 'Jivâtma' after being digested by that man becomes his 'Rethas' or 'Veerya' or seed. This is then through the copulatory act thrown into the womb of the woman who will bear the child. In a period of six months, the embryo develops all physical characteristics that are a part of the human body and in the seventh month, the soul manifests itself. After nine months, the body of the child being fully developed comes out of the womb and into the external world to continue with working out its previous karma and objectives"

Thus for all practical purposes, the soul is considered to manifest itself in the seventh month of conception. Till this time, it is in a state of sleep, unaware of its surroundings in the womb. In the seventh month, the scriptures state that the 'Jiva' comes into awareness and becomes attuned to its new state in the womb within the fetus.

Q2: Do genetic manipulations carried out in a lab involve the soul?
A: Unless there is the will of the Almighty behind a soul to embody a new physical body, thus creating life, no amount of efforts by man can result in creation of a new life. This explains why many married couples fail to produce offspring in spite of being perfectly fertile and even after efforts through many years of marriage. The same applies to artificial methods of producing a child. Lack of will and direction by the Almighty cannot induct a soul and thus life into the physical body, however strong and consistent the efforts of a scientist be. If a scientist, at a lab has succeeded in cloning a child, it is only further to the Almighty having directed a soul which has the karma to be born in such a body to occupy it.  So the scientist is at-most the means of such creation and not the cause, just as a brush is the means of producing a painting and not the painter itself!

The presence of life in a human body denotes the presence of a soul along with the presence of the five vital Prâna's, the five elements, five senses of perception, five senses of action, the mind, intellect, consciousness and ego. Hence one can presume that there is a soul involved in a life form produced by genetic efforts in the laboratory. How capable, universal, durable, defect free and perfect, the life derived from such means is another question altogether.

ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)