In the mystery that is spirituality, the investigator is the investigated

Suppose an investigator is asked to solve the mystery of the missing heir of a dynasty – and after due investigation, he discovers that he himself is the missing heir! Spirituality is a mystery in that the spiritual realm is incomprehensible to most people. Many people are mystified by the notion of an invisible something that is the source of life. Others are mystified about how something non-material can interact with a material body. The Bhagavad-gita (02.29) indicates that various people for varying reasons find the concept of the soul astonishing. Just as an investigator might have a trail for locating the missing person, we have the trail offered by scripture for detecting the elusive source of consciousness. Initially, this retracing is intellectual as we introspect about what exactly is the essential me. When we practice yogic disciplines for guiding and sharpening our introspection, our investigation gradually rises from the intellectual level to the experiential level. And as we close in on our essential identity, we understand ourselves to be a spark of spirit, imperishable and indestructible. We realize that what we see with becomes what we see – the investigator turns out to be the investigated. While some spiritualists consider this epiphany the end of the spiritual search, Gita wisdom reveals it to be a false end, or at least an incomplete end. The purpose of the investigation is not just to discover the heir but to also help him gain his rightful position as the heir. Similarly, the purpose of our spiritual investigation is not just to realize our spiritual identity, but also to situate ourselves in our eternal relationship with the all-attractive supreme, Krishna. When the soul is thus realized in its eternal glory as a beloved part of the supremely opulent Lord, the spiritual mystery is solved.