The Eternal Goal of the Soul
The soul is eternal, and its goal must be eternal. True fulfillment lies not in liberation or knowledge alone, but in attaining God through loving devotion.
The Question That Now Becomes Unavoidable
We have established:
True Happiness is Infinite, Eternal, and Ever-New.
The material world cannot provide it.
God is its source.
Then one question remains:
What is the soul meant to attain?
The Eternal Goal Defined
The eternal goal of the soul is to attain God and relish Him eternally through loving devotion (bhakti).
But this realization is not uniform.
The nature of that attainment must be understood more precisely.
nature of that attainment
Not liberation.
Not peace.
Not self-realization alone.
Not mere freedom from suffering.
The soul’s goal is God-realization with divine love.
The Positive Definition of the Soul’s Goal
The soul is aṁś — a part.
God is aṁśī — the whole.
The part finds fulfillment only in the whole.
Therefore, the soul’s goal is:
to attain God,
to relish His ānand,
to do so eternally,
through loving relationship.
Not absorption.
Not neutrality.
Relationship.
Liberation vs Fulfillment
Liberation removes suffering.
It ends bondage.
But it does not give ānand.
Happiness begins where suffering ends.
Divine love (prema-bhakti) alone:
is eternal,
ever-increasing,
never diminishing.
Liberation is freedom.
Divine love is fulfillment.
The Role of Bhakti
The goal cannot be reached by effort alone.
It requires:
grace,
surrender,
and guidance of a realized Guru.
Bhakti purifies the mind and enables the soul to experience God directly.
Without bhakti, the goal remains conceptual.
With bhakti, it becomes real.
Common Misunderstandings
The soul does not become God.
Peace is not fulfillment.
Ending rebirth is not the goal.
Knowledge without love is incomplete.
Final Vedic Conclusion
As clarified by Jagadguruttam Swami Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj:
The soul is eternal.
Its goal must be eternal.
God alone is ānand.
Therefore, God alone is the soul’s goal.
This follows directly from the definition of true happiness.
definition of true happiness
The soul does not create happiness.
It attains it in God.
The nature of this fulfillment must now be understood more precisely.
Is liberation sufficient,
or is there something higher?
Continue the Inquiry
(Part 6 of 7 — The Goal of Life)
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