At some point in life, every thoughtful person asks:

“What is the purpose of life?”

With so many religions, philosophies, and opinions in the world, finding the real answer can feel confusing. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that true self-realisation begins when we understand who we are, who is god and what is our relationship with him.

He compares the heart to a dusty mirror. When a mirror is covered with dust, we cannot see our reflection clearly. In the same way, our real spiritual identity is covered by material distractions, desires, and misunderstandings. Because of this, many people say things like:

• “There is no God,”

• “God is dead,”

• or “I have no relationship with God.”

But just because we cannot see something clearly does not mean it does not exist. Śrīla Prabhupāda gives the example of the sun hidden behind fog. The fog does not cover the sun — it only covers our vision. Similarly, God is always there, but our consciousness is covered.

So how do we cleanse the heart and understand our true identity?

Prabhupāda explains that in this age, the simplest and most effective process is the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

This chanting gradually cleanses the heart and awakens our dormant love for Krishna.

Many spiritual processes like deep meditation, severe austerities, or complex philosophical study are difficult in modern life. But chanting can be done without the consideration of time, place and circumstances.

As the heart becomes purified, a person begins to understand:

“I am not simply this body. I am an eternal soul, part and parcel of Krishna.”

Our real happiness comes when we revive this forgotten relationship. Just as a finger has value when connected to the body, we become fulfilled when connected to Krishna through devotion and remembrance and the easiest way to do this is by chanting holy names of Krishna.