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Spiritual motivation and the understanding of the birth, growing, and death

The goal of human life is self-realization. We inhabit a mortal world of constant coming and going, bound by a force like a magnet. All beings share the same basic elements and the immortal ātmā, yet individual souls carry distinct destinies shaped by karma. We journey through cycles of rebirth, experiencing union and painful separation, which deepens our attachment to this world. We accept the body's birth and growth but resist its inevitable death. While the body is mortal, the ātmā is immortal; the soul functions temporarily to experience the universe. Death is an inescapable certainty for all, a change the ātmā does not fear, for the individual soul merely changes its bodily dress. The ultimate purpose is to return to the origin of changeless, supreme bliss, a realization possible through the cultivated human intellect.

"Destiny is the result, the fruit, the production of our karma."

"Death for the ātmā does not mean anything. This jīvātmā, this individual soul, is just changing its dress."

Filming location: Debrecen, Hungary

A very good evening to everyone. I am very happy to see you again, especially here in this very peaceful and beautiful town of Debrecen. As our dear brother Kriyānand told you, we are practicing yoga in daily life, and the light of Śrī Mahāprabhujī has been here for nearly two decades. Our coming together has great meaning. It is like regenerating spiritual energy, like giving water to a drying plant. It refreshes our memories and supports our motivation towards spirituality, which should lead us toward our divine goal. You all know well that the goal of human life is self-realization, ātmajñāna. The Creator has created 8.4 million different creatures, divided into three categories: jalacara (creatures living in water), sthalacara (creatures living on land), and nabhascara (creatures living in the air or space). These are the various forms of life. Of course, within one form, there are billions of individuals. We all belong to this planet, traveling within this solar system. This planet is known as martya loka, the mortal world, and it is such that those who come here one day must go back, and those who go away must come back. We have a very deep relation with this planet—it is our love, our attachment, our destiny. There is a force that calls us back, like a magnet and iron. We are all related. We all have the same basics and the same roots. We are all made of the five elements. All creatures have the same color of blood. We all share the same principles of life and death. And we all have the same ātmā. But we are, as souls, individual. Please make a correction in your understanding: the soul and the ātmā are different. Each individual soul has its own destiny, and destiny is created through our karma. Destiny is the result, the fruit, the production of our karma. In this cycle of rebirth and death, we are traveling through endless space, fluttering on the waves of time, going through darkness and light, experiencing happiness and unhappiness, pain and pleasure, unity and separation. We come together and we separate again. This individual is like a boat on the ocean, drawn by the wind and waves in different directions. These waves are our destiny. We are conscious of being individuals in this mortal world, as well as in the astral world. Often, we are very unhappy because we create many relations: the relation of mother, father, children, brothers and sisters, partners, and friends. It is pleasant to come together, but it is painful to separate. Separation causes immense pain, and with this pain, we become more and more connected to each other and to this planet. Yet, life on this planet is not easy. We experience many disappointments, pain, and loneliness. Therefore, this individual does not want to separate from this body. But we do not understand our body. We do not accept what is happening to it. The dharma of the body is to be born, grow, and die. We accept that it is born. We accept that it is growing. But we do not understand, and we do not accept, that it dies. The body is mortal and belongs to this planet. But the ātmā is immortal, and the soul has a temporary function. It is through the soul that you experience and wander through the whole universe. Every one of us has our own destiny. Our parents can give us only birth; they cannot give us destiny. Destiny is created individually. It must not be a bad destiny; it can be a good one too. But mostly, it ends with pain and disappointment. Whatever you think will make you happy in this world will one day make you unhappy. This life is connected with suffering. Sometimes it is unbearable, and sometimes it is happy. But you know, death is very cruel. For death, it does not matter how you die. For death, there is only one thing: that you die. And you know that all of us, sooner or later, will be victims of that death. We cannot escape. Death is running, walking, and sitting parallel to us, only waiting for the chance—and that chance means death. We have died many, many times. We do not know this consciously, but our inner self knows, and that is why we are all afraid of it. We do not know who will be the first. Do not think that someone who is old will die first; sometimes the young die first. But death for the ātmā does not mean anything. This jīvātmā, this individual soul, is just changing its dress. When you wear a dress for a day or two, you like to change it. When a dress gets very old, you like to change it. When you put on a fresh dress, you feel very good. When you have a new dress, you go in front of the mirror and look: "Oh, how beautiful I am looking." So, that is the dress of the jīvātmā. The soul is the body, and this dress will be gone one day. After all this, what is the purpose? The purpose is to come to the origin where there are no more changes, no more suffering—only Ānanda, supreme bliss. That is very important to realize. And that can only be realized through the human intellect. The difference between other creatures and humans is this: the human intellect can be trained and placed. The human intellect also needs education—not merely education on how to earn bread.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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