What Is the Soul?

SRF monk Brother Kamalananda conveys wisdom from Paramahansa Yogananda on the nature of the soul and how we can discover for ourselves the answers to profound questions such as, “Why are we here and what is the purpose of existence on this planet? How did we get here and where are we going?” 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 practicing 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. You can help more people find and benefit from Yogananda’s practical wisdom by rating and reviewing this podcast. We greatly appreciate your support! During his talk, Brother Kamalananda refers to two of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons: Lesson 9, “God and His Universe”; and Lesson 10, “The Cycles of Life and Death.” You can receive Paramahansa Yogananda’s personal and comprehensive instruction in the science of meditation and art of balanced living through his SRF Lessons, a home-study course available for a nominal fee. To learn more and about how to enroll: https://srflessons.org Brother Kamalananda also refers to the following book published by Self-Realization Fellowship: “Autobiography of a Yogi,” Paramahansa Yogananda’s acclaimed life story, available at https://bookstore.yogananda-srf.org/product/autobiography-of-a-yogi-ebook/ To view more talks from this series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCqADxk3PzvgapvuKmZMZzL8eloisokH6 If you would like to support the spiritual and humanitarian work of SRF, please click on this link: https://donatesrf.org