The Supreme Goal and Eternal Return
Having revealed through the preceding chapters the structure of the material universe, the examples of great spiritual practitioners, the universal principles governing spiritual development, and the various paths through which consciousness can progress, the Fifth Canto now presents the ultimate vision of the supreme goal toward which all sincere spiritual effort is directed. This goal transcends all material concepts of success or achievement and consists of nothing less than eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord in one of the infinite expressions of love available in the spiritual realm.
For countless ages, the soul has been traveling through material existence, passing from body to body, experiencing momentary pleasures and sufferings, accumulating karma, and gradually developing consciousness. Despite all the complex experiences of material life, what all conscious beings are actually seeking—whether consciously or unconsciously—is a return to their eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. All material desires for wealth, power, fame, and sensory pleasure are ultimately misplaced attempts to fulfill the deeper longing for infinite love, infinite joy, infinite knowledge, and infinite beauty that can be found only in relationship with the Divine.
The Fifth Canto teaches that the supreme goal is not impersonal absorption into an undifferentiated Absolute, not dissolution of individual consciousness into universal consciousness, not the cessation of existence in some form of void. Rather, the supreme goal consists of the eternal soul achieving consciousness of its identity as an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord and taking up its eternal constitutional engagement in one of the infinite relationships available in the Lord's spiritual kingdom. For some souls, the supreme goal is to serve the Lord as a humble servant. For others, it is to enjoy friendship with the Lord. For still others, it is to serve as a parent caring for the Lord, or as a spouse in conjugal love with the Lord. All of these relationships and infinite others exist eternally in the spiritual realm and represent authentic possibilities available to developing consciousness.
Maitreya revealed that the spiritual realm, called the Kingdom of God or Vaikuntha, is not imaginary or abstract but is as real as the material realm—actually far more real, for it is eternal and unchanging while the material world is temporary and constantly subject to transformation. In this spiritual realm, the Supreme Lord exists in eternal majesty, surrounded by innumerable liberated souls who have achieved their supreme goal and who engage eternally in loving relationships with the Divine. These liberated beings do not experience boredom or stagnation despite the eternal nature of their existence, for their relationship with the Supreme is constantly deepening, constantly expanding, and constantly revealing new dimensions of joy and love.
The path to achievement of this supreme goal is not long or difficult in principle—it requires only sincere dedication to spiritual practice and the gradual purification of consciousness through which false identifications gradually fall away and true spiritual identity gradually awakens. Each sincere effort in spiritual practice produces effects that gradually transform consciousness and move the soul closer to its eternal destination. Though the journey may seem long from the material perspective, in the ultimate analysis it is as simple as turning one's consciousness toward the Supreme Lord with sincere love and dedication.
The Fifth Canto teaches that the Supreme Lord Himself actively facilitates this journey of return. He appears in various forms and incarnations to provide guidance. He arranges circumstances in each being's life according to their karma and their capacity for development. He sends genuine spiritual teachers and sacred texts to provide instruction. He lives within the heart of every being as the Supersoul, eternally aware of each being's sincere efforts toward spiritual realization and eternally prepared to grant the grace necessary to facilitate that realization.
Maitreya concluded his discussion of Canto Five by assuring Vidura that any sincere being who understands these teachings and dedicates themselves to spiritual practice will inevitably achieve the supreme goal. The path is open to all, regardless of circumstances, background, or past actions. The Supreme Lord does not discriminate against any being but grants equal opportunity to all to develop spiritually and to achieve eternal relationship with the Divine. Those who respond to this opportunity with sincere effort will find themselves gradually transformed, progressively elevated, and ultimately returned to their eternal position in the spiritual realm where they will engage in eternal loving relationship with the Supreme Lord through which consciousness achieves its ultimate fulfillment and eternal happiness.
Through the fifth canto's comprehensive presentation of cosmic structure, spiritual principles, the example of great teachers, the various paths of spiritual development, and the ultimate goal of eternal relationship with the Divine, sincere seekers are provided with both the intellectual foundation and the practical guidance needed to progress toward the supreme realization. The Fifth Canto thus serves as both a conclusion to one phase of spiritual knowledge and an invitation to deeper realization through sincere engagement in the devotional path that leads directly and swiftly to the Supreme Lord and to eternal happiness in relationship with the Divine Source of all existence.