ng and without end, and are immortal by their very nature. Also, all powers, blessing, purity, omnipresence and omniscience are buried in each soul. In every man and in every animal, however weak or wicked, great or small, resides the same omnipresent, omniscient soul. The difference is not in the soul, but in the manifestation. This is the greatest idea that India has preached -- brotherhood of all creation. The Sanskrit word for soul is Atman. The Atman is separate from the mind. This Atman goes through birth and death, accompanied by the mind, the Sukshma Sharira (the subtle body). And when the time comes that it has attained to all knowledge and manifested itself to perfection, then this going from birth to death ceases for it. Then it is at liberty either to keep that mind, the Sukshma Sharira, or let it go for ever, and remain independant and free throughout eternity. The goal of the soul is freedom. What is heaven ? Hinduism also has the concept of heavens. But, these are not infinite. They are just repetitions of this world, with a little more happiness and a little more enjoyment. There are many of these heavens. Persons who do good works here with the thought of reward, when they die, are born again as gods in one of these heavens, as Indra and others. These gods are the names of certain states. They also had been men, and by good work they have become gods; and those different names like Indra and so on are not the names of the same person. It is a position, and remains in it only a certain time. He then dies and is born again as man. But the human body is the highest of all. It is this earth, which is the Karma Bhumi (the place of work); it is this earth from which we attain to liberation. Even the gods have to be born as men to become liberated. The goal is to become liberated. So long as time and space works on you, you are slaves. The idea is to be free of external and internal nature. Nature must fall at your feet, and y...
