Our Real Identity – The Soul

Our Real Identity – The Soul

Human life is distinguished from all other forms of life by virtue of a more developed consciousness that enables us to ask questions  like , “ Who am I ? “  “ Where do I come from ? “ and “ What is the goal of my life ? “ Through the process of Krishna Consciousness we can explore this human potential to the highest   degree.

If we were to conduct a survey by asking the question  “ Who are you ? “ . we would get answers such as “ I am Mr.Smith”, “ I am a man “, “ I am a woman “ , “ I am an American “ , “ I am a Christian “ , I am a carpenter “ ,  “ I am black “ , “ I am a communist “ , and so on. Though people identify themselves in many different ways, none of these responses answers the  question  of  “ Who I am ?   “ Why ?  Because  they  refer only to the body.

We may  took at our body and try to determine with which part we can identify. Are we our hands? Well, there are many people with amputated hands, and still they have retained their identity.  The same holds true for arms, feet, and legs. May be we are the heart? But what about all the people who received another  heart ? They seem to be the same person after the transplant. What about the brain? When the head is badly injured and a good part of the skull and brain has to be removed, still the person retains his identity.

Now we are coming to the dead end with our research. What is our real identity, that which distinguishes you and me so clearly from one another, even though we may  look  the same, have the same name, weight, height, and complexion?

Materialistic science has not come up with an answer to this question. But the world’s oldest books of knowledge, the Vedas, define our   identity   in this way: aham brahmasmi – I am spirit. I am an eternal spirit soul, distinct from matter or the body. The Bhagavad gita  ( 2.20 ) explains : “ For the soul there is neither birth  nor death  at anytime. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn,   eternal , ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.”

-Reproduction from a course in Vedic Knowledge which appeared in the book “ Back to Godhead “ Magazine, by Pavanesvara dasa  / as appeared in the book “ Vedic Philosohy for Students “  Chapter 3 – by Siddhi-lalasa Dasi