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Krishna.com eBook Club | Bhagavad-gita As It Is | Part [BG.IN.04]
The position of isvara, the Supreme Lord, is that of supreme consciousness. The jivas, or the living entities, being parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are also conscious. Both the living entity and material nature are explained as prakriti, the energy of the Supreme Lord, but one of the two, the jiva, is conscious. The other prakriti is not conscious. That is the difference. Therefore the jiva-prakriti is called superior because the jiva has consciousness which is similar to the Lord's. The Lord's is supreme consciousness, however, and one should not claim that the jiva, the living entity, is also supremely conscious. The living being cannot be supremely conscious at any stage of his perfection, and the theory that he can be so is a misleading theory. Conscious he may be, but he is not perfectly or supremely conscious.
The distinction between the jiva and the isvara will be explained in the Thirteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. The Lord is kshetra-jna, conscious, as is the living being, but the living being is conscious of his particular body, whereas the Lord is conscious of all bodies. Because He lives in the heart of every living being, He is conscious of the psychic movements of the particular jivas. We should not forget this. It is also explained that the Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is living in everyone's heart as isvara, as the controller, and that He is giving directions for the living entity to act as he desires. The living entity forgets what to do.
First of all he makes a determination to act in a certain way, and then he is entangled in the actions and reactions of his own karma. After giving up one type of body, he enters another type of body, as we take off and put on clothes. As the soul thus migrates, he suffers the actions and reactions of his past activities. These activities can be changed when the living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and understands what sort of activities he should adopt. If he does so, then all the actions and reactions of his past activities can be changed. Consequently, karma is not eternal. Therefore we stated that of the five items (isvara, jiva, prakriti, time and karma) four are eternal, whereas karma is not eternal.
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Translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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Please read the Terms & Conditions of this eBook Club. All materials © copyright Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. http://www.krishna.com/en/node/2215
The position of isvara, the Supreme Lord, is that of supreme consciousness. The jivas, or the living entities, being parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are also conscious. Both the living entity and material nature are explained as prakriti, the energy of the Supreme Lord, but one of the two, the jiva, is conscious. The other prakriti is not conscious. That is the difference. Therefore the jiva-prakriti is called superior because the jiva has consciousness which is similar to the Lord's. The Lord's is supreme consciousness, however, and one should not claim that the jiva, the living entity, is also supremely conscious. The living being cannot be supremely conscious at any stage of his perfection, and the theory that he can be so is a misleading theory. Conscious he may be, but he is not perfectly or supremely conscious.
The distinction between the jiva and the isvara will be explained in the Thirteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. The Lord is kshetra-jna, conscious, as is the living being, but the living being is conscious of his particular body, whereas the Lord is conscious of all bodies. Because He lives in the heart of every living being, He is conscious of the psychic movements of the particular jivas. We should not forget this. It is also explained that the Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is living in everyone's heart as isvara, as the controller, and that He is giving directions for the living entity to act as he desires. The living entity forgets what to do.
First of all he makes a determination to act in a certain way, and then he is entangled in the actions and reactions of his own karma. After giving up one type of body, he enters another type of body, as we take off and put on clothes. As the soul thus migrates, he suffers the actions and reactions of his past activities. These activities can be changed when the living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and understands what sort of activities he should adopt. If he does so, then all the actions and reactions of his past activities can be changed. Consequently, karma is not eternal. Therefore we stated that of the five items (isvara, jiva, prakriti, time and karma) four are eternal, whereas karma is not eternal.
----------------------------
Translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Discuss this book in the forum: http://connect.krishna.com/forum/7
To listen to this book free (and more options): http://www.krishna.com/audiobook
To buy the print edition of this book: http://store.krishna.com/Detail.bok?no=2325
Please read the Terms & Conditions of this eBook Club. All materials © copyright Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. http://www.krishna.com/en/node/2215
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