The Soul and the Supersoul

To actually establish ourselves on the spiritual platform, not only must we know ourselves (spirit) and matter (our bodies, minds and the world around us), but we must know the controller of both (God) as well. We know that God exists because there's no other sensible explanation for the design of the universe. A story about Isaac Newton illustrates this point well. The famous British scientist once made an intricate model of the solar system. Somehow he'd figured out how to gear miniature planets to revolve around a miniature sun in a facsimile of their observed orbits. One day an acquaintance, an atheist, dropped by his house and was astonished by the ingenious machine.

"Who made this wonderful machine?" he asked. "Nobody," Newton replied. "It just happened." "Oh come now, stop teasing me. Who put together this machine?"

"Well," said Newton, "you're convinced that some person constructed this machine. But when you confront the entire universe, which is manufactured with a degree of precision far beyond that of this model, and on a scale infinitely greater, then you say it just happened by chance. Why is that? Only because you don't want to admit there's a person so great he could do such a thing. But there is, and He is God."

What role God plays in our sojourn throughout the many species of life in the material world is explained by Lord Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita: "The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart…and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine made of the material energy." (Bg. 18.61) When we transmigrate from one body to another, we forget all our past activities and unfulfilled desires. But the omniscient Lord, the eternal witness within our heart, knows all these things, and He fashions another body just suitable for us to try to satisfy our unfulfilled desires.

Thus the only way to escape from the chained victimization of repeated birth and death in this material world is to transform our mentality in such a way that at the moment of death we'll be completely free of all material desires. It's not necessary, or even possible, to stop desiring altogether; rather, it is the quality of our desires that must change-from material to spiritual. Material desires we're familiar with-we've been cultivating them all our lives. But what are spiritual desires, and how can we cultivate them? Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita: "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me and become My devotee. Offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." (Bg. 9.34)

At present we are always absorbed in thoughts of material well-being. As we have seen, however, this mentality inevitably leads to the misery and frustration of repeated birth and death. To be released from this painful wheel of karma, we need only transfer our thoughts to the Supreme Lord, Krsna. Then, at the time of death, He will award us a spiritual body to enjoy eternal, blissful association with Him.

The easiest way to absorb our mind in thoughts of Krsna is to hear and chant His glories, beginning with the maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. In addition, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has written many books describing the activities, qualities and words of Lord Krsna. By sincerely trying to follow the instructions found in these books, all of which contain the highest Vedic wisdom, one can cultivate loving devotion to Krsna and go back home, back to Godhead at the end of this lifetime.