the speaking tree - Eternal Entity Versus Biological Mortality
B V Vaman Maharaj
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Human beings are considered mortal. If so, then how is it that they desire eternal existence, knowledge and bliss? Human beings devoid of the attributes of eternal existence, knowledge and bliss, logically cannot express the desire to live in this world eternally, to attain complete knowledge and complete bliss.Human beings are special
Although human birth is considered the best of all other life forms due to endowment of the special quality of power of discrimination, the perceived physical bodies of human beings are all non-eternal; they have an expiry date. Physical bodies are in the grip of numerous births and deaths, and are subject to many other drawbacks.
Further, beyond the existence of the physical body , a human being can directly feel the existence of mind, intellect and perverted ego. As the human is of a finite nature, it follows that his mental and intellectual capacities will also be finite.
The existence of a perverted ego can be perceived by the presence of specific thoughts such as thinking that one belongs to this or that country; this or that religion; that one speaks this or that language or belongs to this or that group whatever it may be.
It may then be questioned whether after death of the physical body there is the existence of any such nationalist, religious or language groups in fact, it may be pertinent to ask whether everything is destroyed or if there is the existence of a subtle body consisting of mind, intelligence and perverted ego or even beyond that, the existence of an eternal entity.The great potency of the Absolute As per the Bhagwad Gita, living beings individual conscious units are the outcome of the marginal potency of the Supreme. The definition of a jiva or individual living being in the Naradiya Purana says, “The spiritual entities which have emanated from the potency of the Absolute Spiritual Substance and have their existence in the marginal potency when tinged with the three qualities of maya the external deluding potency , sattva, rajas and tamahs are designated as jivas.“
Now living beings or souls in one sense are identical with the Supreme as potency cannot be separated from the Substance. That is, potency cannot be conceived of without the Substance. In another sense the jiva or individual soul is distinct from the Supreme as it is an atomic part of the potency of the Lord and not the Substance itself. Even the summation of all the potencies of the Substance cannot become the Substance.
The source and its parts
Sri Krishna is the Infinite Absolute Entity while jivas are the absolute infinitesimals or spiritual atomic parts of the marginal potency of the Absolute as the particle of the ray of the Sun is distinct from the Sun itself.So jivas are simultaneously distinct and non-distinct from the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. This is inconceivable. As the real Self of the jiva is nirguna and transcendental beyond the range of mundane mind and intellect and as Paramatman is also Transcendental (Nirguna), the relation between the two is Nirguna or transcendental, that is, inconceivable.
The soul is eternal. Therefore, due to the Self being eternal, all living beings tend to desire eternal existence, knowledge and bliss. (The writer heads the Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math in Chandigarh.) Post your comments on speakingtree.in
Although human birth is considered the best of all other life forms due to endowment of the special quality of power of discrimination, the perceived physical bodies of human beings are all non-eternal; they have an expiry date. Physical bodies are in the grip of numerous births and deaths, and are subject to many other drawbacks.
Further, beyond the existence of the physical body , a human being can directly feel the existence of mind, intellect and perverted ego. As the human is of a finite nature, it follows that his mental and intellectual capacities will also be finite.
The existence of a perverted ego can be perceived by the presence of specific thoughts such as thinking that one belongs to this or that country; this or that religion; that one speaks this or that language or belongs to this or that group whatever it may be.
It may then be questioned whether after death of the physical body there is the existence of any such nationalist, religious or language groups in fact, it may be pertinent to ask whether everything is destroyed or if there is the existence of a subtle body consisting of mind, intelligence and perverted ego or even beyond that, the existence of an eternal entity.The great potency of the Absolute As per the Bhagwad Gita, living beings individual conscious units are the outcome of the marginal potency of the Supreme. The definition of a jiva or individual living being in the Naradiya Purana says, “The spiritual entities which have emanated from the potency of the Absolute Spiritual Substance and have their existence in the marginal potency when tinged with the three qualities of maya the external deluding potency , sattva, rajas and tamahs are designated as jivas.“
Now living beings or souls in one sense are identical with the Supreme as potency cannot be separated from the Substance. That is, potency cannot be conceived of without the Substance. In another sense the jiva or individual soul is distinct from the Supreme as it is an atomic part of the potency of the Lord and not the Substance itself. Even the summation of all the potencies of the Substance cannot become the Substance.
The source and its parts
Sri Krishna is the Infinite Absolute Entity while jivas are the absolute infinitesimals or spiritual atomic parts of the marginal potency of the Absolute as the particle of the ray of the Sun is distinct from the Sun itself.So jivas are simultaneously distinct and non-distinct from the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. This is inconceivable. As the real Self of the jiva is nirguna and transcendental beyond the range of mundane mind and intellect and as Paramatman is also Transcendental (Nirguna), the relation between the two is Nirguna or transcendental, that is, inconceivable.
The soul is eternal. Therefore, due to the Self being eternal, all living beings tend to desire eternal existence, knowledge and bliss. (The writer heads the Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math in Chandigarh.) Post your comments on speakingtree.in
