this goal, the soul must retain its full consciousness and at the same time know itself to be different from the Sharira (gross body), Prana (subtle body, which is the vehicle of desires and vital forces) and Manas (mental body, which is the seat of the mind), and also as being beyond the gross, subtle and mental worlds.
The soul has to emancipate itself gradually from the illusion of being finite by (1) liberating itself from the bondage of sanskaras, and (2) knowing itself to be different from its bodies—gross, subtle and mental. It thus annihilates the false ego (i.e., the illusion that “I am the gross body, I am the subtle body or I am the mental body”). While the soul thus frees itself from its illusion, it still retains full consciousness, which now results in Self-knowledge and realisation of the Truth. Escaping through the cosmic illusion and realising with full consciousness its identity with the Infinite Oversoul, is the goal of the long journey of the soul.
