How the soul falls into the material world without leaving the spiritual sky (Srimad Bhagavatam #36)
The original consciousness of the soul is Krishna Consciousness, and being eternal, this original consciousness can't be lost, although it may be temporarily covered.
A central point in Prabhupada's teachings is the idea that the soul is an eternal servant of Krishna. The original consciousness of the soul is Krishna Consciousness, and being eternal, this original consciousness can't be lost, although it may be temporarily covered. Due to free will, the soul comes to the material world, where due to the identification with the false ego, the soul gradually becomes covered by the intelligence, mind, senses, and eventually, a gross body, forgetting his original spiritual nature. As he explains, the soul doesn't really fall into the material world, remaining in his eternal position, just like someone sleeping.
Many, incapable of understanding the deepness of Prabhupada's teachings, question his conclusions. However, a careful study of the teachings of Lord Kapila in chapter 3.27 reveals details of how exactly this happens. All questions about how the eternal soul can "fall" into the material world are answered in this chapter.
» Get the lesson in audio, as a podcast 🔉
» Download the PDF:
Understanding Material Nature (SB 3.27)
The main purpose of the Sankhya system is to bring us back to our original transcendental position. For this, Lord Kapila explains the workings of the material world, the entanglement of the soul in the material energy, and the shortcomings of material life, together with the process of devotional service to the Lord that can free us from it. This combination of analytical knowledge and devotional service makes this process extraordinarily effective, and we can understand why it is described in so much detail in the Srimad Bhagavatam.
In chapter 3.25, Lord Kapila summarized his teachings, explaining the process of devotional service to the Lord. In chapter 3.26 he explained in detail the structure of the universe and the components of material nature. Now, in chapter 3.27 he will explain in more detail how the soul becomes entangled in this illusory reality. This chapter describes thus more about material nature and the entanglement of the soul in it, knowledge that is essential for us to find our way out.
As mentioned in a previous chapter of the Srimad Bhagavatam, when we are sleepin none of our material senses can wake us up. We can be awakened only when we are helped by the Lord in the form of the Supersoul. Therefore, we should become aware of the Supreme Lord through the practice of devotional service, combined with detachment and the cultivation of spiritual knowledge.
Like the sun reflected on water
"The Personality of Godhead Kapila continued: When the living entity is thus unaffected by the modes of material nature, because he is unchanging and does not claim proprietorship, he remains apart from the reactions of the modes, although abiding in a material body, just as the sun remains aloof from its reflection on water. When the soul is under the spell of material nature and false ego, identifying his body as the self, he becomes absorbed in material activities, and by the influence of false ego he thinks that he is the proprietor of everything. The conditioned soul therefore transmigrates into different species of life, higher and lower, because of his association with the modes of material nature. Unless he is relieved of material activities, he has to accept this position because of his faulty work. (SB 3.27.1-3)
The example of the sun or the moon being reflected on water is given in many passages of the scriptures. In reality, the soul never mixes with matter. Because the soul is of a different nature, this mixture is not possible. Instead, the soul remains always aloof, just as oil on water. However, the consciousness of the soul is reflected in matter, just like the sun or moon may be reflected in a lake or any other body of water. The reflection may thus appear to be wavering, but this doesn't mean the sun or moon is wavering.
Sometimes this example is used to explain the difference between the Lord and the jivas. The Lord is like the sun in the sky, completely unaffected, while the conditioned soul is compared to the reflection, being affected by the movements of the water. In this case, however, Lord Kapila is using the same example to explain the difference between a conditioned soul and a liberated soul. The conditioned soul identifies with the reflection on water and thus suffers or enjoys according to the movement of the three modes. A liberated soul however identifies with his real identity, transcendental to matter. This example is certainly appropriate. "Tat tvam asi", a liberated soul is as good as the Lord. Just as the Lord is transcendental, the liberated soul is also transcendental.
How can we be elevated to this level of understanding? As Prabhupada mentions: vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7): when one engages fully in the activities of devotional service, bhakti-yoga, he becomes just like the sun reflected on water. Although a devotee appears to be in the material world, in reality he is transcendental to it.
To be transcendental to the influence of the three modes does not mean one has to abandon everything and sit to chant under a tree. As Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-Gita, a person working in Krishna Consciousness is unaffected by karma, although performing all kinds of activities. Such activities in Krishna Consciousness are called akarma, transcendental activities that liberate us from karma. It depends thus more on one's consciousness since everything can be used in the service of the Lord.
As Prabhupada explains in his purport:
"Avikāra means “without change.” It is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā that each and every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and thus his eternal position is to cooperate or to dovetail his energy with the Supreme Lord. That is his unchanging position. As soon as he employs his energy and activities for sense gratification, this change of position is called vikāra. Similarly, even in this material body, when he practices devotional service under the direction of the spiritual master, he comes to the position which is without change because that is his natural duty. As stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, liberation means reinstatement in one’s original position. The original position is one of rendering service to the Lord (bhakti-yogena, bhaktyā)."
On the opposite, when a soul comes under the strong influence of the false ego, he sees himself as the body and thinks that he is doing things and that he is the proprietor of everything. In other words, he identifies with the reflection in the water, instead of his original position in the sky. By identifying with the gross and subtle bodies in this way, he has to enjoy or suffer according to the fate of the body. One has to experience death, suffer in hell, and so on. The soul does not die or go to hell, but by identifying with this particular material identity, the soul has to go through such experiences. Ultimately, all types of material activities are bad, because they reinforce this identification with the body and create results that extend our existence in this material world. Pious activities are a little better, because they may over time bring one to the platform of goodness, but they also lead one to another material body. The only solution is to perform akarma, activities performed in devotional service that don't produce material results.
As Prabhupada mentions, "One who desires material liberation has to turn his activities to devotional service. There is no alternative."
Like a dream
"Actually a living entity is transcendental to material existence, but because of his mentality of lording it over material nature, his material existential condition does not cease, and just as in a dream, he is affected by all sorts of disadvantages. It is the duty of every conditioned soul to engage his polluted consciousness, which is now attached to material enjoyment, in very serious devotional service with detachment. Thus his mind and consciousness will be under full control." (SB 3.27.4-5)
Here, Lord Kapila gives another example to illustrate the position of the soul in the material world. Our position here is similar to a dream, where we suffer and enjoy many illusory situations that have no connection with our real position.
One may dream that he is in a dark forest and feel fear, or one may even have a nightmare, dreaming he is dying, being devoured by a tiger. Both are simply due to his delirious condition. There is no possibility of one being killed by the illusory tiger he sees in a dream. The tiger inside of the dream does not affect reality, and one can easily understand that as soon as he finally awakens from the dream.
In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna explains that the soul is immortal and can't be harmed by any type of weapon. This shows how all the threats we fear in this world are just like the tiger in the dream. The soul has his real existence outside of this material creation, and as soon as we wake up from it we can clearly see that all the fear and lamentation we experienced here were nothing more than a dream.
A dream is not false, it exists on a subtle level and we are experiencing it. The defect is that we accept the situations created in the dream as real, and thus we enjoy or suffer. A similar example is a movie. A movie is not false, it exists. The fault is when we identify with the characters in the movie and start thinking that it is real. In this case, we laugh and cry following their adventures, although in reality, it has nothing to do with our lives. In other words, both the dream and the movie are real, but they have nothing to do with our real existence. What happens inside the dream or the movie has no effect in the real world.
Similarly, this whole material creation is like the dream of Maha-Vishnu. He creates it as an alternate reality for the souls who want to forget their real lives and temporarily join the dreamland. Being parts and parcels of the Lord, we join Him in His dream and thus are placed in this material world. The material world is thus not false, the problem is in accepting what we experience here as reality. Krishna Consciousness means to focus on our real life of service to Krishna, and gradually wake up from the dream.
As Prabhupada says, "The best service to the people in general is to awaken them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that they may know that the supreme enjoyer, the supreme proprietor and the supreme friend is Kṛṣṇa. Then this illusory dream of lording it over material nature will vanish."
Living in the dream means to think of ourselves as the enjoyers, the proprietors, the objects of attention, the maintainers of others, and so on. In the spiritual world, Krishna is the center of attention of everyone. He maintains everyone, is the friend of everyone, and is the Supreme proprietor and enjoyer. Life in this material world means trying to imitate Krishna. When we think like this, maya covers our consciousness and we become engaged in so many material activities, trying to enjoy this world and help others to also enjoy. A gross materialist uses his money to enjoy his senses to the best capacity, while a pious materialist performs charity and uses his money to help others to satisfy their senses. In both cases, the object of service is the material senses. The pious materialist is considered a little better, but both are in illusion and are in practice more or less the same.
The basic principle of bhakti-yoga is to accept that Krishna is the proprietor, Krishna is the enjoyer, Krishna is the maintainer, the friend, etc., and that all our actions should be performed in cooperation with His desire. Being Krishna Conscious means accepting these principles and then trying to broadcast them and presenting this knowledge to others. The sound of the holy names and descriptions of Krishna's form, qualities, pastimes, etc., are non-different from Krishna, and they can thus elevate our consciousness, connecting us with Him.
Achieving the transcendental platform
"One has to become faithful by practicing the controlling process of the yoga system and must elevate himself to the platform of unalloyed devotional service by chanting and hearing about Me. In executing devotional service, one has to see every living entity equally, without enmity towards anyone yet without intimate connections with anyone. One has to observe celibacy, be grave and execute his eternal activities, offering the results to the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (SB 3.27.6-7)
What is the process to elevate ourselves to this spiritual consciousness? How can we wake up from the dream? In many passages, Prabhupada extends the analogy of the dream by explaining that when we are dreaming, all the senses are dormant, except hearing. When we hear someone shouting that there is fire, we immediately wake up, and thus we can be saved. Similarly, when we are sleeping under the spell of maya, absorbed in the dream of the material creation, the only way we can be awakened is by sound coming from the other side, from the spiritual world. This transcendental sound pierces through the coverings of the universe and awakens us to our real consciousness. Sound is the first material manifestation, appearing together with the element ether. Sound is thus the frontier between the material and the spiritual. It is the medium through which the transcendental reality can become manifest in our plane.
Lord Kapila mentions here the system of astanga yoga, composed of eight stages, starting from yama and niyama (rules and regulations, what to do and what not to do), but the emphasis is on the goal, the idea of attaining the platform of unalloyed devotional service. Lord Kapila initially described the Sankhya system in Satya-yuga, when people used to practice meditation, but the emphasis was on the practice of devotional service. There are different processes offered in the Vedas, such as karma, jnana, mystic yoga, etc. but all these processes are more or less useless without being combined with bhakti. When bhakti is added, these processes become, respectively, karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, astanga-yoga, etc. These processes are thus secondary, the main component is bhakti, which has its foundation in the process of hearing and chanting.
As Prabhupada explains, "The practice of yoga by physical exercise is not the ultimate goal; the real end is to concentrate and to control the mind and train oneself to be situated in faithful devotional service."
Often we have the impression that hearing and chanting is the process for Kali-yuga, and people in other eras were doing other things, but this is actually not true. In Satya-yuga, hearing and chanting were performed by pronouncing the sacred syllable Om, which is another form of the Maha-mantra. During Treta-yuga, hearing and chanting were done by the recitation of mantras during fire sacrifices, and in Dvapara-yuga by reciting mantras during deity worship. The process is thus the same for all ages, just the external format changes. Without being engaged in the process of hearing and chanting, there is no possibility of liberation.
Even after being situated in Krishna Consciousness, we still have to continue living in this body until it expires. This is valid not only for us but also for demigods and others, who have to finish their long lives before they can go back to Godhead. The next question is thus how should we act in this world after being situated on the platform of devotional service? In these two verses, Lord Kapila answers:
a) A devotee should see all living beings as equal, seeing the soul and not the body. Understanding that every soul is dear to Krishna and that He is personally residing in every body as Paramatma, we should not have enmity towards any living being, even the ones who act in unpleasant ways, understanding that they all act according to their respective natures, according to the three modes.
b) Not feeling enmity is however just part of it. We should also not have attachment. In previous ages, people used to live in the forests, where they could practice devotional service without having contact with anyone. An easier process however is to just associate with other devotees engaged in devotional service. The essence is not to just be alone but to avoid intimate association with materialistic people. Association with devotees who inspire us in our devotional service is always welcome.
What about relationships with family members, friends, etc? Ideally, one should explain Krishna consciousness to them. If we can make our family members devotees, or if at least they become receptive to hearing about Krishna from us, our association with them can be very inspiring in our spiritual path. If they are not interested, we may externally associate with them following normal social norms, without attachment or aversion. We may then just agree with whatever they say, without being very intimate with them.
Another principle is to observe celibacy. Again, there are two ways to do that. The first is to completely avoid sex life, as preferred by devotees in renounced life. Another way is to restrict oneself to religious sex for begetting children in married life. Both processes led to similar benefits.
c) Lord Kapila mentions two other qualities, maunena and sva-dharmeṇa. Maunena means practicing gravity, avoiding speaking more than necessary. Gravity and introspection are two other factors that are very favorable for a saintly life. Speaking more than necessary about mundane topics just serves to agitate the mind. However, just as performing activities in devotional service is considered inaction, or akarma, speaking about Krishna is considered mauna, or silence.
The final quality is sva-dharmeṇa, being occupied in one's dharma. There are two levels of performance of dharma. The first is the naimittika–dharma, or ordinary duties based on one's position in society, family connections, and so on. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna advises us to practice such duties with a spirit of detachment, as an offering to Him until we ascend to a liberated platform, and after that as a way to give example to others. The second level is nitya-dharma, or the cultivation of our eternal attitude of devotional service to Krishna. This should be our primary occupation.
Maintaining the body
"For his income a devotee should be satisfied with what he earns without great difficulty. He should not eat more than what is necessary. He should live in a secluded place and always be thoughtful, peaceful, friendly, compassionate and self-realized. One’s seeing power should be increased through knowledge of spirit and matter, and one should not unnecessarily identify himself with the body and thus become attracted by bodily relationships. One should be situated in the transcendental position, beyond the stages of material consciousness, and should be aloof from all other conceptions of life. Thus realizing freedom from false ego, one should see his own self just as he sees the sun in the sky." (SB 3.27.8-10)
The soul doesn't depend on food, shelter, or anything else in this material world, but the body does. Since one should not destroy his material body, understanding that the body is the property of Krishna and should be used in His service, one has to maintain it until it expires by itself. This demands being involved in material activities to a certain extent. How can we do that while at the same time keeping ourselves in a pure platform?
Materialistic people usually work very hard to improve their material condition. One who is poor works to escape poverty, and one who is well-to-do works equally hard to increase his income. This comes from the desire to lord over the material nature. The more money one has, the more possibilities he has in the material sphere, therefore most people are very attracted to material wealth. Lord Kapila however doesn't recommend that we enter into the rat race.
Instead, he emphasizes the word yadṛcchayā, which means "by its own accord". As Prabhupada explains, "every living entity has a predestined happiness and distress in his present body; this is called the law of karma. It is not possible that simply by endeavors to accumulate more money a person will be able to do so, otherwise almost everyone would be on the same level of wealth. In reality everyone is earning and acquiring according to his predestined karma. According to the Bhāgavatam conclusion, we are sometimes faced with dangerous or miserable conditions without endeavoring for them, and similarly we may have prosperous conditions without endeavouring for them. We are advised to let these things come as predestined."
Contradictory as it may seem, working hard does not make one more wealthy. On the opposite, Srimad Bhagavatam lists working too hard as one of the factors that brings misery. We can see this in practice. Most people work hard in modern societies all over the world, but just a small part of them become wealthy. If working hard would make one rich, everyone who works hard would earn the same, but that's not what we see. The point is that one earns according to his previous karma. The scriptures thus recommend that we work according to our prescribed duties, and be satisfied with the income that comes naturally as a result of such work. This will probably consume one-third of our time or so. The rest should be used to perform our other duties, connected with our families, and so on, and especially invested in our practice of Krishna Consciousness. By being balanced in our activities, we will attain the best results.
If our karma is to become rich, money will come naturally by just performing our duties, and if being rich is not in our future, working more than required will not improve the situation. On the opposite: working more will make us neglect other duties, and especially neglect our practice of Krishna Consciousness, which will make us miserable in the end. Therefore, Lord Kapila says that "a devotee should be satisfied with what he earns without great difficulty."
The next recommendation is mita-bhuṅ, we should eat little, just as necessary to keep the body healthy. Overeating increases the influence of the mode of ignorance, which in turn covers our consciousness and brings material misery. We can practically see that overeating is behind most health problems. Eating little on the other hand helps us to ascend to the mode of goodness, which brings self-control, health, peace, and self-satisfaction. If we can learn to control our tongue and eat just what is necessary, we will have more facilities to conduct our spiritual practice. Apart from quantity, the quality of what we eat is also important. This is taken care of when we eat only pure and wholesome food offered to Krishna.
Lord Kapila also recommends vivikta-śaraṇaḥ, living in a secluded place. Nowadays most people live in big cities because they offer more material conveniences, but these are not very good places for spiritual practice. Instead, a devotee should seek to live close to other devotees who are serious about practicing devotional service. Living in a community brings some inconveniences, but wasting our human form of life and having to accept another material body, possibly in dificult conditions, is a much worse outcome.
By this practice, combined with the cultivation of spiritual knowledge, we can develop spiritual vision, seeing ourselves as separated from matter. In this way, we can gradually reduce our identification with the body and to relationships based on the body and gradually come to the transcendental position, realizing our eternal nature as souls. As Lord Kapila mentions, "one should see his own self just as he sees the sun in the sky." We should identify with our true nature, and not with the reflection.
The word mentioned is "ātmānam", which means "the Self". In the word-for-word, as well as in the translation, Prabhupada goes with the direct meaning of the word, translating it as "his own self". However, in the purport Prabhupada opens up the deeper meaning of the term, meaning our identification with our eternal identity as a servant of the Supreme Lord, who is present everywhere. Seeing ourselves thus, in the higher sense, means becoming free from the false egoistic identification with the body, and instead seeing ourselves as eternal servitors of the Lord. When we can establish ourselves on this platform, we can always see Kṛṣṇa, both outside and inside.
The Chandogya Upanisad describes a spiritual nature, "para", which is present everywhere. Impersonalists interpret this as the impersonal Brahman, but as Vaishnavas, we understand that this all-pervading nature is Krishna, present everywhere as Paramatma. We are parts and parcels of Krishna, and thus we are all also part of this spiritual, blissful, all-pervading nature. As Lord Kapila mentions, when we attain self-realization we can see Krishna everywhere, just as we can see the sun.
The reflection in the dark room
"A liberated soul realizes the Absolute Personality of Godhead, who is transcendental and who is manifest as a reflection even in the false ego. He is the support of the material cause and He enters into everything. He is absolute, one without a second, and He is the eyes of the illusory energy. The presence of the Supreme Lord can be realized just as the sun is realized first as a reflection on water, and again as a second reflection on the wall of a room, although the sun itself is situated in the sky. The self-realized soul is thus reflected first in the threefold ego and then in the body, senses and mind." (SB 3.27.11-13)
These three verses give a very deep explanation of the nature of our material, conditioned consciousness, the presence of the Lord, and the vision of a pure devotee.
The Lord is present everywhere in the material creation, even in the false ego, which is the most subtle of all material elements. However, at the same time, it is said that the Lord never touches material nature. How is it that the Lord is present everywhere if He never touches the material creation?
Lord Kapila explains this point by using the example of the sun reflected on a pot of water and then on the walls of a room. The material world is by nature dark, just like a dark room, and the only light comes from the Lord.
Prabhupada explains this example: "The example given herewith is perfect. The sun is situated in the sky, far, far away from the surface of the earth, but its reflection can be seen in a pot of water in the corner of a room. The room is dark, and the sun is far away in the sky, but the sun’s reflection on the water illuminates the darkness of the room."
Because the sun is so powerful, even the reflection of the sun in a pot of water in the corner of a dark room is sufficiently luminous to be again reflected in the walls of the room and thus illuminate the whole place. The sun thus enters into the room and illuminates it, although it never leaves its position in the sky. Similarly, although the Lord is far, far away, outside the coverings of the universe, he becomes present everywhere by the diffusion of the reflection of His energy.
The Lord is situated in the spiritual sky, and He never comes in contact with the material energy. However, at the same time, He becomes present through the reflection of His energy. In this way, Lord Maha-Vishnu appears as Lord Garbhodakasayi-Vishnu and then as Ksirodakasayi Vishnu, and from Him, all avataras are manifested. Even Krishna Himself, who never leaves Vrindavana, appears in the different universes together with his supreme abode. A pure devotee can thus see Krishna present everywhere, although He is eternally situated in the spiritual sky.
This also shows that although present everywhere, Paramatma is just one. Ksirodakasayi Vishnu is like the reflection of the sun in the pot of water. The light of the reflection illuminates the whole room, although all the light comes from a single source. Just like the light coming from the reflection on the pot of water illuminates the whole room, Paramatma permeates all parts of the universe, although, at the same time, living in his own abode in Svetadwipa. The Lord is thus simultaneously all-pervading (being present everywhere) and localized (being present in one place). This may sound like a contradiction but is just another illustration of the transcendental nature of the Lord.
Prabhupada reinforces this point in his purport: "The word advayam, “without a second,” which is used in this verse, indicates that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is represented in everything, including the atoms, He is not divided." And then: "In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is stated that as the presence of fire is understood by heat and light, so the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although one without a second, is perceived everywhere by the diffusion of His different energies. It is confirmed in the Īśopaniṣad that the presence of the Lord is perceived everywhere by the liberated soul, just as the sunshine and the reflection can be perceived everywhere although the sun is situated far away from the surface of the globe."
What about the soul? The soul is just like the Lord (tat tvam asi). The Lord is like the sun, and the soul is like a ray of the sun or like a small sun. Sometimes it is also described as the Lord being like the moon and the souls being like stars, conveying the same idea. They are qualitatively one, but quantitatively distinct.
The infinite Lord can simultaneously permeate all material universes, while the infinitesimal soul can permeate just a single material body. Just like the Lord doesn't come in contact with the material energy, the soul also doesn't, although the consciousness of the soul somehow becomes entrapped here. Lord Kapila explains this point on verse 3.27.13: evaṁ trivṛd-ahaṅkāro, bhūtendriya-manomayaiḥ, svābhāsair lakṣito ’nena, sad-ābhāsena satya-dṛk.
There are two meanings in this verse. One is that the soul is reflected in the false ego, and then in the body, senses, and mind, and another is that the Supreme Brahman, the Lord, is reflected in the material elements and is thus present everywhere. Prabhupada translates it as "The self-realized soul is thus reflected first in the threefold ego and then in the body, senses and mind." and then explains also the other meaning in his purport.
A pure devotee can see the Lord present everywhere by His reflection in the material energy, understanding that everything should be used in His service. Prabhupada gives the example that when a conditioned soul sees a nice flower, he thinks how this flower can be used for his sense gratification, while a liberated soul sees the flower as a reflection of the superior energy of the Lord, and plans how to utilize it in His service. A pure devotee also sees the Lord present in his body, mind, intelligence, and senses, and thus understands that all of these should be used in the service of the Lord.
Just as the Lord is present in the material world as a reflection, the pure devotee can see himself also present as a reflection. The consciousness of the soul is first reflected in the three divisions of the false ego (in goodness, passion, and ignorance) and from there permeates the body, senses, and mind, just like the sun first reflected in the water and then in the walls. In this way, the big sun permeates all material universes, while the small sun permeates just a particular body, but both are eternally situated in the sky.
How the soul enters into the body without leaving the spiritual sky
As explained, the soul enters into the body in the form of consciousness, and goes from one body to the other, even though the soul never factually comes into contact with matter, remaining always in his eternal transcendental position. The material consciousness we have now is manifested by Lord Vasudeva as a reflection of the original consciousness of the soul, and this reflected consciousness is then covered by the false ego, manifested by Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa, and then the intelligence and the mind, manifested from Lord Pradyumna and Lord Aniruddha. This combination, what we call the subtle body, is the particle of consciousness that is transported by the vital air from one body to the other. However, if one looks for the soul inside the subtle body, one will not find it, because in reality, the soul is not present there. The soul is present in his original position in the spiritual sky, and only his attention is somehow captured in the material elements. This elusive nature of the soul is indicated in the Svetasvatara Upanisad (5.9), "When the upper point of a hair is divided into one hundred parts and again each of such parts is further divided into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the spirit soul." If one takes the smallest particle he can measure, he will find that the soul is still smaller. If, by the improvement of technology one becomes able to detect and measure a still smaller particle, like an atom, he will find the soul is still smaller. In this way, one will never the able to measure the soul, it will always escape him.
As explained by Lord Kapila, we are not factually present in this material world, although our consciousness is focused here. This explains how a soul can achieve liberation by just focusing his meditation on Krishna. When one can do so, he sees himself immediately with Krishna, even while still technically living in a material body. Being in the material world is thus not a question of being in a geographical space, but a matter of consciousness. As long as our consciousness is focused on the material world, we are here, but as soon as our consciousness is again focused on Krishna, we suddenly realize we never left. This is a very subtle point in our philosophy Prabhupada explains in his purports.
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Srila Rūpa Gosvāmī explains that a pure devotee can be liberated even while living in his material body. From this, we can understand that liberation is not about living in a certain geographical space, but about becoming aware of one's eternal relationship with Krishna. This leads us to the question: How can the pure devotee become aware of His eternal relationship with Krishna and thus be directly present with Krishna even though he is still living in his physical body?
The answer is that the sun still shines in the sky, even though reflected in the water. The light of the sun has no problem in being manifested in many places simultaneously. As Prabhupada explains: "When one is reflected through the material contamination of the body and mind in false identification, he is in the conditional state, but when he is reflected in the pure stage he is called liberated."
The eternal servitor of the Lord
Prabhupada goes further by explaining the eternal position of the soul as a servitor of the Lord. This is the explanation for the "origin" of the soul that Prabhupada consistently gives in his books, and is the only explanation that does not contradict the scriptures.
As he mentions: "Real individuality is to understand oneself to be the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. This information is received from the mouth of Lord Caitanya. He said clearly, upon the inquiry of Sanātana Gosvāmī, that a living entity is the servitor of Kṛṣṇa eternally. Kṛṣṇa also confirms in Bhagavad-gītā that the living entity is eternally His part and parcel."
In the Bhagavad-Gita Krishna explains that "nāsato vidyate bhāvo, nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ". Everything that is sat (real) is eternal or immutable, and everything that changes or has a beginning is asat (non-existent, or illusory). If the relationship of the soul with Krishna had the be established at a certain point in time, this relationship would have a beginning and thus would be asat, illusory, and temporary, existing only under the purview of the material manifestation. The only way the soul can have an eternal relationship with Krishna is if that relationship is eternally existing. As Prabhupada explains, the soul is eternally connected with Krishna in a bond of love. This relationship is eternal and ever existing, and can't ever be broken, although it can be temporarily forgotten. The soul thus can come to the material world and become focused on the temporary reality, just like the light of the sun can be reflected in the pot of water and from there illuminate a room, although the sun is permanently fixed in the sky. The reflection of the soul thus becomes engaged with the material ego, mind, intelligence, and senses, creating a delirious consciousness from where one believes there is no God, or that he is one with Brahman, or that he is eternally part of the material world, he was never with Krishna or doesn't have a relationship with Krishna, that an eternal relationship with Krishna has to be established, and so on. These are all illusory concepts that come from one's delirious condition.
Lord Caitanya encapsulates this intricate point in his famous instructions to Srila Sanātana Gosvāmī: jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’. A living entity is the servitor of Kṛṣṇa eternally.
Later He clarifies: nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya, śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya. "Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens."
These two verses encapsulate the following points:
a) The soul is eternal, and thus has no origin or creation. It is simply ever existing.
b) The soul is constitutionally a servant of Krishna.
c) The soul's relationship with Krishna is eternal (and thus has no beginning).
d) The soul is eternally an individual since a relationship implies two persons. There is no possibility of becoming one with the Lord.
e) Love for Krishna is eternally established in the soul. It is thus part of the soul and inseparable from it.
f) Being part of the soul, this love for Krishna is not something to be gained from another source.
g) Being eternal, the relationship with Krishna can't be broken. Being part of the soul, love for Him can't be lost. Both can only be forgotten.
h) When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.
Lord Caitanya then elaborates, by explaining:
kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha, ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha
"Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy [māyā] gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence."
bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād/ īśād apetasya viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ
tan-māyayāto budha ābhajet taṁ/ bhaktyaikayeśaṁ guru-devatātmā
"When the living entity is attracted by the material energy, which is separate from Kṛṣṇa, he is overpowered by fear. Because he is separated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the material energy, his conception of life is reversed. In other words, instead of being the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes Kṛṣṇa’s competitor. This is called viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ. To nullify this mistake, one who is actually learned and advanced worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his spiritual master, worshipful Deity and source of life. He thus worships the Lord by the process of unalloyed devotional service."
veda-śāstra kahe — ‘sambandha’, ‘abhidheya’, ‘prayojana’
‘kṛṣṇa’ — prāpya sambandha, ‘bhakti’ — prāptyera sadhana
"The Vedic literatures give information about the living entity’s eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, which is called sambandha. The living entity’s understanding of this relationship and his acting accordingly is called abhidheya. Returning home, back to Godhead, is the ultimate goal of life and is called prayojana."
Reflected consciousness
This discussion about the "origin" of the soul is quite complex because it is very dificult for us to think outside of the limitations of material time. The whole discussion is largely misguided because by definition the soul has no origin, but just an eternal nature that is unchangeable.
Our three immediate prominent acaryas, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura share an agreement on the intrinsic nature of the soul as a servant of Krishna, and this goes all the way back to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In fact, all four main Vaishnava acaryas agree on this point, starting with Sri Ramanujacarya. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura named his main work “Jaiva Dharma”, which can be translated as 'The Eternal Nature of the Soul', again emphasizing the intrinsic nature of the soul as a servant of Krishna. When all material contaminations are peeled off, this natural love for Krishna automatically manifests.
However, we may have real trouble connecting our current consciousness with this perfect intrinsic consciousness. If my intrinsic inclination is to serve Krishna, how can my current consciousness be so far from it?
To understand this, it’s important to take into consideration that our current consciousness doesn’t have much to do with our original consciousness. Srila Prabhupada explains it by giving the analogy of a dream, which I believe is the best analogy that can be made on this connection.
When I’m inside of a dream, I can’t remember who I really am, nor can I remember most facts from my “real” life. I also can’t think straight, everything just becomes hazy. Sometimes I may remember something from real life, or even understand I’m inside a dream, but even when this happens, still I can only think inside the constraints of the dream. It's thus more like dreaming I'm dreaming than being factually conscious inside of the dream.
My sleep also has stages. There is very deep sleep, where there is practically no consciousness, different stages of lighter sleep, the dreaming stage, where I perform activities in my altered dreaming consciousness, and a transitional stage, where I’m almost awakened, but still sleepy and still under the effects of the dream. At this stage, my “real” consciousness is more or less awakened, but I still remember the dream and may easily go back to sleep and start dreaming again.
Similarly, our current consciousness is the product of the combination of the false ego, material mind, intelligence, senses, and finally the gross body, including the brain. All these different layers have different effects and the final product is what we call consciousness. Similar to the limited consciousness we have inside of a dream, this is not really “us”, but just a temporary delirious stage. As difficult as it may seem to grasp from the position we are now, the goal of life is not to just remain in this dreaming condition, but to gradually peel the material layers and recover our original spiritual consciousness that is currently forgotten.
In the Bhagavad-Gita Krishna explains that the soul is immovable. One meaning of that is that it is not possible to mechanically remove the soul from inside the heart and put it in a different place as we can do to a material object. A deeper meaning however is that the soul is immovable because it never leaves its original position. Whatever the soul is, that’s what he is. There is no possibility of becoming anything else. This eternal nature of the soul is defined by our acaryas as a position of service to Krishna. Losing this position would mean becoming something else, which is impossible since by definition spiritual things don’t change.
However, the soul may falsely identify with a temporary material consciousness, composed of false ego, mind, intelligence, etc. The soul thus doesn’t become something else, but identifies with it, just like someone playing a game on a computer doesn’t become part of it, although he may identify with the knight on the screen, thinking that he is killing orcs or being killed by them.
This material consciousness is different from the soul, but we identify with it, just like a driver may temporarily identify with a car he is driving, or a gamer may identify with the avatar in the game he is playing and completely forget he has an existence separated from it. However, differently from the driver or the gamer, who can at any moment be easily pushed back to reality, our identification with the temporary material consciousness is much more intimate and long-lasting, and therefore much harder to give up. If one could play a game long enough, he would eventually forget his original identity as a human being and become completely absorbed in the game. His original identity would be thus “lost”, although in reality he is still a human being, and can go back to his original consciousness if he can somehow or other become free from the illusory reality of the game.
As in any example, this comparison of the conditioned soul and the gamer has its limitations, but still, the basic principle is similar, since it is based on a false identification. Following this example, we can understand why some of our acaryas would use the word “lost” when describing the original position of the soul. When something is forgotten long enough, we can say that it is lost, and when something is “lost” it implies we currently don’t have it with us, but it can still be recovered if we find it. Our true spiritual nature may be thus currently “lost” for us, and as a result, we are disconnected from our original consciousness of love to Krishna, but this original consciousness can be restored if we “find” it with the help of a self-realized soul. This understanding is the key to deciphering many intricate philosophical concepts and many apparent disagreements between different spiritual authorities.
In one sense, we were never out of this material world, because what we now call “us” (our current material consciousness, composed of the false ego, mind, intelligence, senses, etc.) is a product of this material world and was never outside of it. When we look from this perspective, we are eternally conditioned and there was never a time we were out of it. This material identity we identify with was never out of the material world and will never be. The only way for us to become free is by breaking this identification and reconnecting with our original nature. However, being under the influence of material time, we have, from the material perspective, being for so long been disconnected from our eternal nature that it is practically lost to us.
In another sense, however, when we look from the spiritual perspective, of us as immovable souls, we never really left, although our consciousness became somehow entrapped here, identified with the temporary material consciousness. Going back to our original consciousness means thus coming to a stage of Krishna Consciousness, and in this purified consciousness abandon not just our current material body but also the subtle combination of mind, intelligence, and ego we have been identifying with for so long. Although this process is extremely difficult, it is possible when we follow the process of Krishna Consciousness under the guidance of a pure devotee of Krishna.
This understanding allows us to reconcile many apparently contradictory ideas. The soul is an eternal servant of Krishna, but at the same time, we are here in the material world. We have an intrinsic propensity to serve Krishna, but at the same time, we may not have it now. Bhakti is eternally established in the heart, but at the same time, we depend on the mercy of the spiritual master to get it, and so on. When we study the books of Srila Prabhupada, as well as of our previous acaryas with the right understanding, we can understand that there are no contradictions between all these conclusions.
Part of our material conditioning is exactly this propensity of seeing contradictions instead of seeing the underlying principle behind different spiritual principles. For one who is blind, the descriptions of an elephant as being similar to a snake, a fan, a tree trunk, a wall, a rope, and a spear may sound completely contradictory, but a person who can see can immediately understand that these different descriptions are complementary in nature. As long as our intelligence operates under the modes of passion and ignorance, many points of the philosophy will sound contradictory, because under these lower modes, the intelligence operates under material duality, seeing everything as black and white, good or bad, and so on, failing thus to grasp all the delicate aspects of different explanations. Only when we are able to ascend at least to the mode of goodness does our intelligence start to work properly. Apart from that, there is the need to receive the right conclusions from a self-realized soul and have faith in such conclusions. Without following this process, even the greatest celestial sages are incapable of understanding transcendental knowledge.
In his Tattva Sandarbha, Srila Jiva Goswami explains that the Vedic literature is written in very esoteric language, and the only way to understand it is by receiving the right conclusions from a self-realized soul and studying the text under this prism. Even when we go to the works of our previous acaryas, the possibility of misunderstanding is still present, since their books were written in a language and cultural context that is often incomprehensible to us. We then come to the books of Srila Prabhupada, who is the current prominent link of our sampradaya. In these books, we find something that we can clearly understand, and if we accept all the conclusions he gives, we may be able to gradually study all the works of the previous acaryas and properly understand them.