The scriptural basis of Vaishnavism or Krishna consciousness can be found in the essence of Vedic literature, the Bhagavad-Gita. According to the Hindu-Vaishnava tradition, the Bhagavad-Gita was spoken 5000 years ago on a battlefield by Krishna, who is considered by Vaishnavas to be God Himself. The first teaching Krishna gives in the Bhagavad-Gita is that we are not the body but are eternal spirit souls. The idea that we are not the body, but the soul within the body is a fundamental belief of Vaishnavism. As Prabhupada often states in his writings, it is impossible to attain spiritual realization until we realize our existence as separate from the body. The concept of a soul in Vaishnavism is not limited to human beings. It is stated in the Vedic literature that consciousness is a symptom of the soul. Prabhupada describes this in his commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita. “This current of the spirit soul is felt all over the body as consciousness, and that is the proof of the presence of the soul” (97). Consciousness, as understood by Vaishnavas, can never be produced by matter and anytime we perceive consiousness within matter we have to conclude that there is a soul present. Under this definition it is understood that animals also have souls. The body is compared to a covering over the light of the soul. The less evolved the body, the thicker the covering over the light of the soul, and thus the consciousness comes out differently based on the body. Once the soul attains the human form, there is the necessary intelligence required to understand God and reawaken our relationship with Him. The bodily dress is described by Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita as being composed of both gross material elements and subtle material elements. The gross material elements are earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The subtle material elements are mind, intelligence, and false ego. According to Vaishnavas, the false ego constitutes the basic principle of material existence. An example of false ego is when people say things like, "I am American", "I am Indian", "I am a man", or "I am a woman." According to Vaishnava philosophy, religious designations also fall under the false ego. So statements such as "I am a Christian", or "I am a Muslim", or "I am a Hindu", or "I am an atheist" are also referring to the false ego, which is an element of the material body, rather than the spirit soul. According to Vaishnavas, the soul is neither Christian nor Muslim nor Hindu. This philosophy is what makes Vaishnavism a non-sectarian religious group. It is understood among Vaishnavas that one can be a Christian or Muslim and still be a Vaishnava, because the spirit soul is more subtle than the false ego.