A Study of the Bhagavadgita :10-3. Swami Krishnananda.
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Friday, March 11, 2022. 20:00.
Chapter-10. The Hidden Meaning of the Seventh Chapter of the Gita-3.
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But there is something above them. That is the Supreme Purusha. (Gita 7.5).
SBG : Ch-7, Slo-5.
"Apareyam itas tvanyam prakritim viddhi me param
jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat."
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Translation - SBG 7.5 :
"Such is My inferior energy. But beyond it, O mighty-armed Arjun, I have a superior energy. This is the jiva shakti (the soul energy), which comprises the embodied souls who are the basis of life in this world."
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Translation - Words :
aparā—inferior;
iyam—this;
itaḥ—besides this;
tu—but;
anyām—another;
prakṛitim—energy;
viddhi—know;
me—my;
parām—superior;
jīva-bhūtām—living beings;
mahā-bāho—mighty-armed one;
yayā—by whom;
idam—this;
dhāryate—the basis;
jagat—the material world
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Commentary :
Shree Krishna explains that beyond the eight-fold prakṛiti, the material energy, which He says is inferior; there exists another that is far more superior. This energy is completely transcendental as compared to the lifeless matter. It is His spiritual energy, the jīva śhakti, which includes all the living souls of the world. Now, He has moved from explaining material science toward the spiritual realm.
Many great philosophers of India have given their perspectives and described the relationship between God and the jīva, the individual soul. For example, the non-dualists state: jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ “The soul itself is God.” But this concept gives rise to several questions, such as:
How can the soul itself be God? God is most powerful, and Maya is His subservient energy. The souls are always overpowered by; Maya. Then is Maya stronger than God?
The individual soul is always; gripped by ignorance and misery. It needs a continuous reminder from the saints and scriptures, even about its existence and purpose. How can God, who is all-knowing, be considered a soul which is subject to ignorance?
The Vedas repeatedly state that God is all-pervading in this world and beyond. Similarly, individual souls should also be able to exist anywhere at any given time. Then what about the question of going to heaven or hell after death?
There is only one God, but the souls are countless. If the soul itself is God, then there should be many Gods. Therefore, the claims by non-dualistic philosophers that the soul itself is God are inconclusive.
The dualist philosophers’ state that the souls and God are separate. Even though it may answer some of the above questions, yet it is still an incomplete philosophy in light of what Shree Krishna states in this verse. He says that the soul is a part of jīva śhakti God’s spiritual energy. And as explained earlier, Maya, the material energy, is also His subservient. Thus, God is supreme; He is the governor of both the lower material and the higher spiritual energies. Now let us see what the scriptures and various saints have said:
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Conclusion :
This eightfold Prakriti mentioned is like a roster. Right from Prakriti downwards – through the series of Mahat, ahamkara,the five tanmatras and the five mahabhutas – may be considered as lower categories of creation, but the vitality, the force, the prana, the energy, the life, the consciousness that is behind these elements is something different, which is the life principle operating in all, which is God Himself. Jīvabhūtāṁ: There is life, purposiveness, longing, desire, restlessness, aspiration in everything. In dead matter you cannot find all these activities.
Next - Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 7, Slokam 6.
To be Continued ....
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