Understanding Our Eternal Existence: Why We Are Here and Our Natural Position

Every soul is an eternal servant of the eternal God. But we find ourselves trapped in the temporary world of matter. Do you notice the stark incompatibility between the soul and the material world? Isn't it true that an eternal, divine soul cannot truly find happiness within the transient cage of matter, just as a fish cannot live happily without water?

Beyond Spiritual Fantasies: Our True Nature as Spiritual Beings

It is important to understand that we are not mere human beings indulging in spiritual fantasies. Rather, each soul is naturally a spiritual entity undergoing a human experience. This profound understanding is articulated beautifully by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a revered spiritual teacher in Vaishnava Vedanta:

'tumi jīva jānamaya kudra sukha tava naya kānanda
tava priya-dhana jihvā caku kara nāsā tuite tava pipāsā samartha nā haya ekakaa tumi jīva ka-dāsa prema-mātra tomāra vibhava.'

As the jīvātmā, an eternal individual spirit soul, our essence is undecaying and indivisible. We possess transcendental knowledge, though currently dormant, and are not meant for fleeting material joys designed to gratify temporary senses. The highest bliss lies in serving God, but our current senses are futile in achieving this because we are meant to be eternal servants of God alone. Prema, or love for God, is our true wealth.

The Natural Struggle and Forgetting Krishna

Forgetting God, we have been struggling in the womb of the material world. This sentiment is echoed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:

'anādi' karama-phale podi' bhavārnava-jale
A living entity is fallen into the ocean of material existence as a result of his selfish activities which are without beginning.

We have forgotten God and been drawn to the external world from time immemorial. Consequently, the illusory energy (māyā) grants us endless forms of suffering in our material existence:

'ka bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukhanataeva māyā tāre deya sasāra-dukha
Forgetting God, 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.'

The Natural Position of a Living Entity: Love and Serve God

Our natural position is to love and serve God. Just as a fish is happiest in water, we belong eternally in service to God. By our very constitution, we are meant to relish the bliss of serving Krishna or God in various loving exchanges. We are His eternal parts, eternally belonging to Him. We can only be happy in serving the whole since a part cannot function independently of the whole.

Establishing Our Constitutional Position

Establishing our natural dharma (constitutional position) means understanding our inherent and essential characteristics. For example:

The dharma of sugar is sweetness. The dharma of water is liquidity. The dharma of salt is sourness. So, the dharma of the living entity is to love and be loved by God.

When we selflessly love Krishna, we are established in our constitutional position, a pure state. In this pure state, we are naturally blissful and satisfied. This happiness is akin to the hand of our body being happy when it collects food to serve the stomach, or when watering a tree's root nourishes the entire tree.

Misuse of Free Will and the Illusion of Material Existence

When a living entity desires to enjoy separate from God, they fall under the influence of Maya and are given a body and opportunities to fulfill their selfish desires. This is known as the misuse of free will:

'krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vanchha karennikatastha maya tare japatiya dhare
When a soul becomes averse to Krsna and desires selfish enjoyment, nearby Maya seizes him in this material world.'

Love God Out of Choice, Not by Force

God wants us to love Him out of choice, not by force. He gives us the opportunity to develop dormant love for Him through free will. He helps sincere spiritual seekers through the guidance of spiritual teachers and the Vedic scriptures. Spiritual seekers are blessed to receive the seed of Bhakti, the creeper of love for God:

'brahmāa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīvanguru-ka-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
A fortunate living entity after wandering in the cycle of birth and death in various species receives the mercy of Guru, the spiritual master, and Krishna, God, and thus the seed of Bhakti creeper, love for God, is received.'

Reviving Our Original State of Bliss

Through the guidance of Vedic scriptures, an association of devotees, and the direction of a spiritual master, God helps the spiritual seeker resume their original position, accepting constant loving service. This is who we are as eternal souls and this is our purely blissful state.

Thank you for your understanding and devotion.