The Urgent Need to Know What Is The Soul
Modern society invests immense resources into technological and economic advancement while completely ignoring the most vital subject matter of life. Śrīla Prabhupāda identifies this glaring defect by pointing out that people do not even know what is the soul. Without this foundational knowledge, all human endeavors are simply a sophisticated extension of animal life, focusing solely on the temporary physical body.
The True Mark of Humanity
Śrīla Prabhupāda clearly defines the difference between a civilized human being and an animal. Animals are only concerned with bodily necessities like eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. A true human society begins only when people actively inquire about the spirit soul and its relationship with the Supreme Lord.
- A society in which there is no discussion on religious principles, what is dharma, who is God, what is a spirit soul, these questions are not inquired into, understand that society to be of cats and dogs only.
- Dharma is meant for the human society. The animal society, they have no, nothing to do about religion, neither they know what is religion, what is this body, what is soul. It is not their business. Dharma is the business of the human society.
- When one is advanced so much so that he inquires about the spirit soul. But there is no such inquiry. Like the cats and dogs, they cannot inquire what is spirit soul. So Vedic life means to become free as much as possible from the bodily disturbances.
The Blindness of Modern Education
Despite boasting of advanced universities and scientific institutions, the modern world is completely ignorant of spiritual science. Śrīla Prabhupāda strongly criticizes the so-called educational systems for failing to teach students what the soul is or how transmigration works. Because of this spiritual blindness, society remains trapped in the bodily concept of life.
- Modern education, they do not know even what is soul, what is this body, how the transmigration of the soul taking place. All blunt. There is no educational institution all over the world to understand this science.
- There is no education at all in the principles of the soul and what is God, and what is transmigration of the soul in the next life.
- There should be an educational department to understand what is soul, what it is nature, how it is working, what is the future, wherefrom it is coming. So many things there. But there is no education for this prime factor.
The Limit of Mundane Science
Many people mistakenly believe that material science will eventually unlock all the mysteries of life. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that mundane scientists can never measure or comprehend the spirit soul because it exists entirely beyond material calculation. To understand this divine particle, one must receive knowledge from higher authorities like Kṛṣṇa through the authentic disciplic succession.
- There is no possibility of understanding what is soul by material scientist. The only process is to take it from higher authorities like Krsna.
- What is the soul. A minute particle of spirit, it is . . . but they do not understand, big, big scientist, big, big philosopher. But the entire subject matter of Krsna consciousness is not of this material world. All, it is of spiritual world.
- One who has not been trained cannot distinguish between gold and stone. Similarly, fools and rascals who have not learned from an expert spiritual master what is soul and what is matter cannot understand the existence of the soul within the body.
The Foundation of Spiritual Life
A thorough understanding of the soul is the strict prerequisite for all genuine spiritual advancement. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that before diving into the intimate pastimes of the Lord, a student must first master the fundamental teachings found in the Bhagavad-gītā. The entire mission of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to freely distribute this essential science to the world.
- At the present moment, people are in such darkness that they do not even understand the soul. Therefore Bhagavad-gita (2.13) first of all teaches what the soul is.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu never discussed Radha-Krishna Lila with ordinary persons. We have so many other things to discuss; what is the soul, what is bhakti. To understand Radha-Krishna's Pastimes, that is our aim, but we should not indulge in this at present.
- To understand what is the soul, to understand what is the need of the soul, why he is entrapped within this material body, how the soul can be liberated, and after liberation, what is the function of the soul - these things are our subject matter.
- Our Krsna consciousness movement is not on the bodily concept of life. It is the movement on the basic principle of the soul - what is the soul, what is the soul's necessity, how the soul will be peaceful, happy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals that the glaring defect of modern civilization is its total ignorance of the spirit soul. Despite tremendous technological advancements, educational institutions remain completely blind to the eternal reality of the living entity. Treating the physical body as the self simply reduces human society to an animalistic struggle for survival. Because the soul is a spiritual particle, it cannot be discovered by mundane scientific instruments; it must be understood by hearing from higher authorities. Therefore, the highest welfare work for humanity is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, which systematically teaches the world what the soul is, why it is suffering, and how it can return to its original, blissful state of devotional service.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category What Is The Soul. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.