Consciousness manifests itself by exerting its influence throughout the body. It is the proof of the presence of the soul, which is its source. It is well known that, deprived of consciousness, the material body is a lifeless object, which nothing can revive. Consciousness comes from the soul, not from some combination of material elements. It is located in the heart and distributes its energy to the whole body. The blood cells, which carry the oxygen stored in the lungs, draw their energy from the soul. This is why the blood ceases to circulate and perform its functions as soon as the soul leaves the body.

Consciousness is the manifestation and major energy of the soul. It is the particular consciousness of an individual soul that directs its actions. The human brain is only an instrument that has no relation to the real intelligence, which is in the soul. True intelligence is also another major principle of the soul, for it is in the soul and nowhere else.

Real intelligence, mind and consciousness in their pure form are inherent in the spirit soul, distinct from God, which each of us is. This makes it possible to state with certainty that the brain of the material body is not the centre of intelligence, and that it is the consciousness of the soul that determines the intelligence of its actions.

Whatever brain we have, our life will be successful if we simply turn our consciousness away from matter and direct it towards Krishna, God, the Supreme Person.

The individual being distinct from God is by nature a spirit soul alien to matter and as such is a spark of the Supreme Soul, Krishna, who is the Absolute Truth, the Divine Person. The separate soul must surrender completely to Krishna, the Supreme Soul, to find happiness.

The right-minded man resorts to the spiritual precept and can understand that the whole body is developed by the presence of the soul. If the soul is inside the body, all its parts and limbs will grow, otherwise the body will not grow. A dead child does not grow, because the soul is no longer present. If, in spite of careful study of the body, we cannot discover the existence of the soul, it is because of our ignorance. How can a man understand the soul, that tiny particle of spiritual energy the size of one ten-thousandth of a hair's tip?

In truth, it is the life force that gives the soul its power, and this rests in the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, God, and it is through the presence of this life force that the body develops and grows. Therefore, beyond the existence of the body, there is the Supreme Soul and the individual soul, both of which reside in the heart of the living being, human or animal.

This is the first milestone of spiritual knowledge. The body exists due to the presence of the Supreme Lord who activates the senses as well as the mind in it, and allows the

individual soul, a tiny fragment, an integral part of the Divine Person, Krishna, to use it at its convenience.

The spirit soul is by nature an asexual spiritual entity and is therefore neither male nor female. The soul has no past, present or future. It does not age like the body, for it is eternally young, nor does it beget offspring.

Being by nature of spiritual essence, a tiny particle, an integral part of Lord Krishna, the soul must detach itself from matter and return to the spiritual world, from where it originated, and where its original abode is. This is the true goal of existence.