God and the Individual Souls - The Two Birds in the Tree
The Vedic literatures provide a clear, scientific understanding of our spiritual identity. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that to achieve true self-realization, one must intimately understand the difference and the eternal relationship between the localized individual soul and the all-pervading Supreme Soul residing within the heart.
The Analogy of the Two Birds
The Upaniṣads offer a perfect metaphor to describe the internal situation of every living being. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently cites the analogy of two friendly birds sitting in the tree of the material body to explain how the individual soul acts while the Supersoul silently observes.
- The God, He is also with me always as friend. So it is said in the Upanisad, there are two birds in one tree. The two birds means I, individual soul, and God, the Supreme Soul.
- This one tree is this whole body, and the two birds - one the individual soul and the other is the Supersoul - both of them are sitting as friends. One bird is eating the fruits of the tree, and the other bird is simply onlooker.
- In Upanisad also there is a verse that the two birds are sitting in one tree. One bird is eating the fruit of the tree and the other bird is simply observing. The observing bird is Krsna or the Supersoul, and the eating bird is the individual soul.
- Two birds, namely the Supersoul, Krsna, and the living entity, individual soul, they are sitting together. And one is eating the fruit of the tree and the other is simply witnessing. This is our position.
The Eternal Witness and Friend
The Supreme Lord does not abandon the living entity when they fall into the material world. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that the Supersoul acts as a constant companion, carefully witnessing the soul's desires and perfectly orchestrating the results of their karma through the agency of material nature.
- The Supreme Lord is so kind upon the living entity that He always accompanies the individual soul and in all circumstances is present as the Supersoul or Paramatma.
- As a friend, the Lord is always anxious to get back His friend, the individual soul, and bring him back home, back to Godhead. As a witness He is the bestower of all benedictions, and He endows each individual with the result of his actions.
- The Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, seated beside the individual soul, is the witness of the individual soul's activities and is the source of consciousness.
- The Lord is the constant companion of the living entity as Paramatma, or the Supersoul, and therefore He can understand the desires of the individual soul, as one can smell the flavor of a flower by being near it.
Defeating the Māyāvāda Philosophy
The idea that the individual soul and God are completely equal is a dangerous misconception. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while they are qualitatively one in spiritual nature, they are quantitatively vastly different; the individual soul can be overpowered by illusion, whereas the Supreme Lord is the absolute master of it.
- Impersonalists and monists have misguided their followers because they incorrectly think that the Supreme Lord and the individual souls are equal in all respects.
- True, the individual souls are equal in quality with the Supreme Lord, but not in quantity. If the individual soul were quantitatively equal to the Supreme Lord, he would have never been subjected to the laws of material nature.
- The Mayavadi philosophers' thesis that God and the individual soul are one and the same cannot be accepted because the individual soul has to develop his power according to the development of different types of bodies.
- Self-realization does not mean that because the Supreme Soul and the individual soul are both souls they are equal in every respect. The individual soul is prone to be conditioned, and the Supreme Soul is never conditioned.
The Supreme Knower vs. The Localized Knower
The extent of consciousness clearly separates the Supreme from the subordinate. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that the individual soul is conscious only of its own specific body, whereas the Supersoul is simultaneously present in all bodies, possessing unlimited, all-pervading consciousness.
- The Lord also says: "I am also the knower." This means that He is the superknower; the individual soul knows only his particular body.
- The individual soul is also situated in the individual heart, but he is not present in all hearts. That is the distinction between the individual soul and the Supersoul. One who is not factually in the practice of yoga cannot see so clearly.
- The individual soul cannot claim that he is all-pervading. Therefore this verse describes the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead, not the individual soul.
- The Lord, or the Supersoul, can expand Himself into millions of different forms, whereas the individual soul cannot do so.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully clarifies the eternal, dual nature of existence within the heart, perfectly illustrated by the Upaniṣadic analogy of the two birds in the tree. The individual soul (jīva) is the subordinate bird, actively eating the bitter and sweet fruits of material karma and suffering the conditions of the temporary body. Beside him sits the Supreme Soul (Paramātmā), the eternal friend and witness, who remains aloof from the material enjoyment but expertly guides the living entity and supplies the results of their actions. This distinct relationship entirely shatters the Māyāvāda misconception of absolute oneness. While God and the individual soul share the same spiritual quality, their quantities of power and consciousness are vastly different. The individual soul is infinitesimal, localized to one body, and prone to the illusions of material nature. In contrast, the Supreme Lord is infinite, all-pervading, and is the absolute master of the material energy, never subject to conditioning. True self-realization does not mean artificially claiming to be the Supreme; rather, it means acknowledging this eternal difference, giving up the frustrating attempt to enjoy the material fruits independently, and surrendering to the loving direction of the supreme friend, the Supersoul, who is eternally waiting in the heart.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God and the Individual Souls. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.