So by our desire we get a particular type of form. It may be human being, it may be demigod, it may be elephant, it may be cat, it may be dog, it may be tree -- in this way, in different forms, 8,400,000 different forms, we are trying to enjoy this material world. This is called material conditional life. Because we are failing to understand atma-darsana. Because the purpose is atma-darsana. Jnanam nihsreyasarthaya purusasya atma-darsanam. Atma, one should see his real identification: "What I am?" That is the inquiry of a human being. Athato brahma jijnasa. That when I understand that "I am not this body; I am Brahman," then we should go on inquiring about further about Brahman: "What is the form of Brahman? What is Parabrahman? What is the relationship between Parabrahman and the Brahman? Why Brahman has come to this material world and he has got this material body? This material body is finishable, temporary, and Brahman is eternal. Why this conjunction?" These are brahma-jijnasa. This is Vedanta-sutra, brahma-jijnasa.
By H.D.G. Srila Prabhupada
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