God Is The Supreme Spirit - The Infinite Source of All Spiritual Sparks
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the foundational lesson of the Bhagavad-gītā is the distinction between matter and spirit. While we identify ourselves with the temporary material body, our actual identity is that of a spiritual spark. Beyond these innumerable minute sparks lies the Supreme Spirit, the original source and maintainer of all existence.
The Infinite and the Infinitesimal
The relationship between the living entity and God is one of simultaneous oneness and difference. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that although we share the same spiritual nature as the Supreme Spirit, we must never forget the vast difference in our respective capacities.
- In the Vedanta-sutra it is said that spirit soul or God... God is the supreme spirit, and we are minute. He is vibhu, unlimited; we are anu, very small - molecular or atomic.
- The Supreme Spirit is infinite, but the living entity, or the individual soul, is infinitesimal, although it is not different in quality from the Supreme Spirit.
- The Supreme Spirit is all-pervading, but the very small spirit is the individual soul.
- From the spiritual point of view we are all spiritual sparks, parts and parcels of the Supreme Spirit, God.
The Source of All Emanations
Everything we perceive in the material and spiritual worlds has its origin in the Supreme Spirit. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that just as heat and light expand from a central fire, all energies are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- In the Visnu Purana it is stated that as fire expands its rays and heat from one place, similarly the Supreme Spirit, the Personality of Godhead, expands Himself by His manifold energy everywhere and anywhere.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who emanates the material and spiritual worlds, is the Supreme Spirit.
- A combination of the material energy and the spiritual energy, the living entity, exists in every creation. Therefore the same principle, the combination of the supreme spirit and the material elements, is the cause of the cosmic manifestation.
- The spirit soul is very, very minute. From that minute spirit so much earth, water, fire is coming. So why not the supreme spirit, from whom a huge quantity of water and earth will come?
Transcending the Material Platform
Our entanglement in the material world is due to the forgetfulness of our spiritual origin. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that spiritual progress begins the moment we realize our eternal connection to the Supreme Spirit and lose interest in temporary material designations.
- So long we do not come to the platform of understanding that, "I am spirit soul; I am part and parcel of the Supreme Spirit," we are in the ignorance - in different forms.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not identify Himself with any of the eight varnas and asramas. He identified Himself as the Supreme Spirit.
- Bhakti means spiritual. So as soon as you are touched with the Supreme Spirit, viraktir anyatra syat, no more enjoyment in this material world.
- When the material energy is engaged in the service of the Supreme Spirit, so-called material energy is also transformed into spiritual energy, just as an iron rod becomes fire when placed in contact with fire.
The Perfection of Consciousness
The ultimate goal of human life is to achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which means acting in full awareness of the Supreme Spirit. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that this realization brings true fame, protection, and the fulfillment of the soul's destination.
- The realization that one is the infinitesimal part and parcel of the Supreme Spirit makes him unattached to material, conditional life. That is the beginning of devotional service.
- It is deplorable to become famous on the basis of the body or to become known as a man of spiritually developed consciousness without knowing the supreme spirit, Visnu. Real fame can only be had if one attains Krsna consciousness.
- I am not this body. I am spirit soul. My destination is how to go to the spiritual world, how to meet the supreme spirit, God, and live with Him in His association.
- Although the demon's soul had departed his body, the Supreme Spirit touched the body, and therefore his bodily luster did not fade. The individual soul is different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Conclusion
The world is a mixture of matter and spirit, but spirit is the superior, guiding principle. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that just as our individual bodies are animated by our presence as spirit souls, the entire universe is animated by the presence of the Supreme Spirit. Identifying with the material body and its temporary designations is the hallmark of ignorance. True liberation begins when the individual soul understands its constitutional position as a minute part and parcel of the Supreme Spirit, Lord Viṣṇu. By engaging our senses and the material world in the service of the Lord, we transform our existence from material to spiritual. This connection with the Supreme Spirit acts like fire upon an iron rod, spiritualizing our very nature and leading us back to our original home in the spiritual world, where we can eternally associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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