According to Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy, consciousness is not a product of matter (this is common for all spiritual traditions), but is instead a symptom of the soul. All living beings (jivas), are distinct from their current body - the nature of the soul being eternal, immutable and indestructible without any particular beginning or end. Souls which are captivated by the illusory nature of the world (Maya) are repeatedly reborn among the various (8 400 000 in number) species of life on this planet and on other worlds in accordance to the laws of karma and individual desire. This is consistent with the concept ofsamsara found throughout Hindu belief.
Release from the process of samsara (known as moksha) is believed to be achievable through a variety of yoga processes. However, within Gaudiya Vaishnavism it is bhakti in its purest state (or "pure love of God") which is given as the ultimate aim, rather than liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
~ Gaudiya Vaishnavism
