What Is the Soul?

It is natural to wonder, “Why are we here and what is the purpose of existence on this planet? How did we get here and where are we going?” In this talk with a period of meditation, Self-Realization Fellowship sannyasi Swami Kamalananda Giri conveys wisdom from Paramahansa Yogananda on the nature of the soul and how we can discover for ourselves the answers to these profound questions. As a soul we are a perfect individual reflection of the eternal, ever-newly blissful consciousness of God — but usually we are mistakenly identified with the limitations of the body and mortal consciousness. Through progressing through many incarnations we gradually desire to awaken from that delusion. And by practising the yoga science of meditation we can greatly quicken that process to fully realize our true identity — ever one with infinite Spirit. This talk was given at the SRF temple in Glendale, California, in July 2025.