This is quite a long talk, on a very fascinating topic, delivered by Acharya das in the Philippines. It is a comprehensive look into the question of spiritual identity, God-realization, and the resultant experience of the awakening of transcendental and ecstatic love for God which naturally arises from that.

Acharya das outlines three essential questions for self-realization: What is my essence? (spiritual being), What is my position? (subservient part and parcel of God, not the center of everything), and What is my natural function? (to love and serve). He described how material consciousness leads people to try becoming "mini-gods," placing themselves at the center of “their” universe, which ultimately results in emptiness and unhappiness.

Regarding God-realization, he explained three aspects of God's manifestation: Brahman (impersonal spiritual energy), Paramatma (the expansion of God within the heart of all beings), and Bhagavan (the personal form of God in a spiritual realm). The speaker emphasized that love is an exchange between persons and that every soul has an eternal and intimate connection with God who is their true soulmate.

He next explains that pure love for God already exists within everyone's heart and doesn't need to be acquired from external sources. Through the process of bhakti-yoga (devotional practice), particularly chanting God's holy names, this dormant love naturally awakens as the heart becomes purified.

Some of the verses he quoted or which support this topic:

God - He is the eternal among all eternal entities, and the chief conscious being among all conscious beings. Among the many living entities, He is the chief, who fulfills their desires. Śvetāsvatara Upaniṣad 6.13 & Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13

The same jīva (spirit-soul) is eternal and is for eternity and without a beginning joined to the Supreme Lord by the tie of an eternal kinship. He is transcendental spiritual potency. - Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.21

Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān. ‐ Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.2.11

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens. — Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.107

“By chanting the holy name of the Lord, one dissolves his entanglement in material activities. After this, one becomes very attracted to Krishna, and thus dormant love for Krishna is awakened.” — Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.109

CHAPTERS

00:01:13 Introduction to Soul vs. Body Identity ‎

00:05:47The Reality of Death and Eternal Nature of the Soul ‎

00:09:33 The Vedic Teaching on Individual Soul and Supreme Soul ‎

00:14:07 Self-Realization: Understanding Essence, Position, and Function ‎

00:21:34 The Problem of Material Consciousness and Mini-God Mentality ‎

00:27:40 Natural Function: The Joy of Service and Giving ‎

‎00:34:18 Three Aspects of God: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan

00:41:22 The Eternal Relationship and Two Birds Analogy ‎

00:51:39 The Supreme Teaching of Love and Common Misconceptions ‎

00:55:05 The Nature of Love and Three Aspects of God Continued ‎

00:56:52 The Process of Awakening Dormant Love ‎

01:01:10 Sadhana Bhakti: The Practice of Devotional Service ‎

01:05:12 Meditation as Spiritual Immersion, Not Mental Activity ‎

01:23:29 Kirtan