You see, we learn in the Vedic scriptures many, many details about life. And also in other scriptures it mentioned these things. We learn from the Vedas: number one, we are spirit soul. We have just learnt that now. It is Vedic revelation: we are not this material body, we are spirit soul. We also learn that we are really not from this world.
There are two worlds or, let’s just say, two creations to make it even more clear. There is a material creation. We call it the material world. It is made up of many universes. In each universe there are many planets. We are on one planet in one universe known as the Earth planet. So, this is the material world.
But there is another world where everything is spiritual energy, not material energy. The only spiritual energy present in the material world are ourselves, spirit souls. Just look in this room. Basically, everything is material energy: the building, all the paraphernalia, seats, chairs, tables, our bodies, our minds. This is material energy. The only spiritual energy are ourselves: these tiny little spiritual sparks. If we put all these sparks together we could not see it, so small. So, the material world is basically all made of material energy with the spiritual sparks starred to that. The spiritual world is all spiritual energy. There is no material energy in the spiritual world.
We originated in the spiritual world and now we have come into this world. When we come into the material world things change. We take on material bodies. Every spirit soul in the material world is covered by material body. Right now we are covered by human bodies. But remember, the soul is life. Wherever there is life there is a person. So, there are many life forms: all the animals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants, on and on it goes. All those forms are the bodies covering spirit souls just like us, there is no difference. We were in those bodies, we now are in human bodies. When we come into the material world we get many different material coverings – suits, clothes. We do not stay in any one suit very long. We have put on a human suit for a few years: 10, 15, 20; 6 months, 90 years, but it is quick. We take off our human suit and we put on another suit: dog, cat, bird, tree, demigod. And each time we think, “This is me, I am a human.” And next time, “I am a dog.” Next time, “I am a sea gull”, and on and on it goes. Of course, all this is illusion, it is not true. But this is the illusion we are in. The material world is the world of illusion.
When we come into the material world not only do we get our material bodies, but in the material world there are laws of material nature. They govern the material world. As soon as we come into the material world, we come under the control of these material laws, knowingly or unknowingly, whether we like it or we do not like it.
Just like when I enter this country, immediately I am under the control of the Russian laws. I have to have a visa to enter this country. It is a Russian law and I am controlled by it. So, if I arrive at immigration post with no visa and they say, “Where is your visa?” and I say, “I do not have a visa. I do not want a visa. I do not like visas. They cost money, difficult to get. I am just coming anyway.” They will say, “Sorry, get on the plane”, and they will take me back. I am controlled, I cannot do anything.
It is like that in every place: the laws are laws, they control us. So on a big scale there is a big law that controls us. There are laws of material nature. Maybe these little laws, if I have enough money I can change them. But with big laws it does not work, “Hey, man, I am rich! I do not want to die. I do not want to get old, I am rich. Let me just pay you to stay young.” It does not work. You watch the rich people. They get old too, they die, they get sick, “Doctor, doctor, look, I have got all the money, save my life.” “I cannot do it, sorry.”
Rich people get into accidents, not just poor people. Princess Di, so famous, so rich, died in a moment, was squashed like a bow on a freeway. “Hey, do not you know who I am? I am a princess Diana!” Everybody, “Ah, she died!” When a poor guy dies, “Of course, he is nobody”, but she is “somebody.” No, everybody is equal. These laws do not play favorites.
So, there are many of such laws. One is called the law of gravity on this planet. It controls us. You can say, “I do not believe in gravity, there is no such thing.” “Ok, fine, could you please climb to the top of this building and jump off? Then you will find out there is gravity and I am controlled by it.”