How can five fingers become one?

by | Jan 10, 2024 | Blog | 0 comments

Prabhupāda: You are all individuals. Every one of us is individual. So how you conceive of merging? Suppose, just like we are here—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. How we can merge? You just study philosophy. We are here, eight persons. How we can merge into one? Have you got any idea how we can merge? These eight persons, how we can merge into one?

Impersonalist: To realize ourselves.

Prabhupāda: Well, if suppose you have realized, now, how to merge?

Impersonalist: In realization there is that. In realization there is merging.

Prabhupāda: This realization… Now, there are five fingers—one, two, three, four, five. How they can merge into one?

Impersonalist: By realizing this.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Impersonalist: By realizing this.

Prabhupāda: No. These are five fingers—one, two, three, four, five. So these… There are different, five fingers. How they can merge into one? What is the process?

Impersonalist: The name of the process.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Name or not name, how these five fingers can become merged into one? Tell me. Just like here is thing. All the five fingers capture it; it becomes one. Although they are five—one, two, three, four, five—they are one.

Impersonalist: Becomes one.

Prabhupāda: Yes. If the interest is one—to capture this—then it is one. That means to… You cannot lose your individuality. But if your interest is one, then you merge into. Do you understand? Just like you are all Australian. Why you are all Australian? Or you are all individual. How you become all Australian, merge into the Australian conception?

Because as Australian, you have one interest. So individuality cannot be killed. That is not possible. You are all individual. But when you make your interest one, then you merge into that thing. Each one of us, an individual person