God and the Living Entities - The Philosophy of Simultaneous Oneness and Difference
The ultimate inquiry of spiritual life is to discover our true identity and our relationship with the Absolute Truth. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the perfect conclusion of all Vedic literature is found in the philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, which perfectly defines the living entities as being simultaneously one with, yet eternally different from, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Principle of Simultaneous Oneness and Difference
The living entities are not separate creations independent of God, but His very own expansions. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that while the souls share the exact same spiritual quality as the Lord, they remain quantitatively minute, forever establishing their position as subordinate parts and parcels.
- According to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, the living entity and the Supreme Lord are accepted as one and different at the same time.
- According to the Vedas, the Lord and the living entity are equal in quality but different quantitatively. The real philosophy of the Absolute Truth states that the Lord and His creation are inconceivably and simultaneously one and different.
- All the living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are as good as the Lord qualitatively, but quantitatively there is a great difference between them, for the Lord is unlimited whereas the living entities are limited.
- As fragmental portions (of God), they (the living entities) are qualitatively one with the Supreme, but they are not unlimited.
- The cosmic manifestation and the living entities are energies of the Lord, and they are considered to be simultaneously one with and different from Him.
The Marginal Energy and Material Conditioning
Because the living entities are infinitesimal, they possess the vulnerability to be influenced by either the spiritual or the material energy. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this marginal position allows the soul to misuse its minute independence, resulting in conditioning by the inferior modes of nature.
- The conditioned living entity is the marginal energy of the Lord; he tends to be in contact with both the material energy and the spiritual energy.
- Because they are between the internal and external potencies, the eternally transcendental living entities are called the marginal potency of the Lord.
- The living entities are the marginal energy of the Lord, and therefore they are meant for being properly utilized in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. When this is not done, one's situation is called maya.
- The spirit soul (the living entity) and matter are different energies of the Supreme Lord, and since both the energies are products of the Supreme Eternal, or the Supreme Truth, they are factual, not false.
- The elements of nature - earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego - all belong to the Lord's inferior, material energy (apara prakrti),whereas the living being, the organic energy, is His superior energy (para prakrti).
The Supremacy of the Lord
The qualitative oneness of the soul and God should never be misinterpreted as absolute equality. Śrīla Prabhupāda firmly asserts that the Supreme Lord is forever beyond the jurisdiction of the material modes, while even the most elevated living entities remain His eternal subordinates.
- A living entity cannot be on the level of a visnu-tattva, or the Personality of Godhead, at any stage; therefore it is ludicrous for a living entity to claim to be God. Advanced spiritualists would never accept such a thing.
- The Supreme Lord and the living entities are both antimaterial in quality, we are informed. Thus, we can have an idea of the Supreme Lord by an elaborate study of the living entities. Every living entity is an individual person.
- A living entity, however great he may be in the material estimation, can never equal the Supreme Lord. Anyone who is a constant companion of the Lord is certainly a liberated person, but he cannot be equal to the Lord.
- Because Lord Visnu is not within the jurisdiction of the material qualities, He is always superior to the living entities who are controlled by the material energy. This is one of the differences between the Supreme Lord and the living entities.
- Both the Lord and the living entities are eternal and sentient, but the difference is that the Lord is unlimited whereas the living entities are limited.
The Supreme Father and Maintainer
God is not a detached creator; He is the intimate, loving father of all that exists. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Supreme Personality of Godhead provides for the necessities of every single living entity, treating all species of life as His own dependent children.
- Since everything is the property of God, and all living entities - not only human beings but even animals, birds, plants and so on - are children of God, everyone has the right to live at the cost of God.
- A father wants all of his children to become happy under his direction. Similarly, God, or Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has the right to see that all living entities are happy.
- According to the Vedic injunction, eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: the Supreme Personality of Godhead maintains this creation; therefore, He arranges for a supply of whatever is required for all living entities.
- Although a son may forget his father, a father never forgets his son. Similarly, God, the original father of everything, everybody, all living entities, will never forsake us.
- The father knows the necessities of the son and supplies them, and the Supreme Lord knows the necessities of the living entities and supplies them sumptuously.
The Presence of the Supersoul
To facilitate the desires of the conditioned souls and guide them back to perfection, the Lord expands Himself. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that as the Paramātmā, the Lord is universally present in the hearts of all living entities and even within every atom of the creation.
- A devotee has to execute the principles of devotional service exactly as they are, and he must know that however insignificant a living entity may be, the Lord is present within him. A devotee must realize this universal presence of the Lord.
- The Lord enters the hearts of all living entities as the Supersoul and He gives them intelligence and fulfills their material desires. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. "I am sitting in everyone's heart."
- As the Supersoul, the Lord enters the hearts of all living entities. As stated in Brahma-samhita (5.38), andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham: "He enters the universe and the atom as well."
- The Brahma-samhita (5.38) states, andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. The Lord is present everywhere, within the heart of every living entity and within each and every atom as well. Thus by this Supersoul feature the Lord is all-pervading.
- The Lord, situated in the hearts of all living entities, directs their senses. But, He directs in terms of the surrender of the living entity, and in the case of a pure devotee He directly controls the senses.
Rejecting the Māyāvāda Misconception
The greatest pitfall in spiritual philosophy is monism. Śrīla Prabhupāda aggressively dismantles the Māyāvāda theory, which foolishly equates the prone-to-illusion living entity with the infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead, labeling such philosophies as dangerous misrepresentations of Vedic knowledge.
- Impersonalist philosophers (Mayavadis) maintain that both the living entity and God Himself are under the control of maya when they come into this material world. This is the fallacy of their philosophy.
- Men with limited knowledge who advocate the monistic theory that God and the living entities are equal in all respects are actually misleading themselves and others.
- The Mayavada philosophy is so degraded that it has taken the insignificant living entities to be the Lord, the Supreme Truth, thus covering the glory and supremacy of the Absolute Truth with monism.
- The Mayavada theory holds that the living entity was formerly God but has now become overwhelmed by the influence of maya.
- The Mayavada philosophy maintains that the demigods, the living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are all equal. It is therefore a most foolish misrepresentation of Vedic knowledge.
The Cause of Material Suffering
God is not the architect of the living entity's suffering. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the material world is manifested solely to accommodate the rebellious desires of the living entities who wish to imitate the Lord and falsely enjoy as independent masters.
- When the living entity forgets the Supreme Lord and wants to enjoy himself independently, imitating the Supreme Lord, he is captured by the false notion that he is the enjoyer and is separated from the Supreme Lord.
- The material world was created for the enjoyment of living entities who wanted to give up the eternal service of the Lord to become the supreme enjoyer themselves.
- When the living entities desire to enjoy themselves, they develop a consciousness of duality and come to hate the service of the Lord. In this way the living entities fall into the material world.
- The living entities are engaged in their respective activities of sense gratification, and these activities are not ordained by the Lord.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not wish to create this material world just to inflict suffering on the living entities. The Supreme Lord creates this world only because the conditioned souls want to enjoy it.
The Supreme Perfection of Devotional Service
The ultimate goal of existence is to cure the disease of material conditioning. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that true freedom, happiness, and perfection are achieved only when the living entity surrenders to the Supersoul and resumes their eternal, loving service to the Supreme Lord.
- A living entity should surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is situated in everyone's heart, and that will relieve him from all kinds of miseries of this material existence.
- The normal condition of every living entity is to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.
- The human form of life offers one a chance to get out of this entanglement simply by reestablishing the lost relationship between the living entity and the SL. The Lord comes personally to teach this philosophy of surrender unto the Supreme, the sambhuta.
- When the living entity engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord, then he becomes attached to this service. This situation is called yuktam.
- When the living entity thus goes back home, back to Godhead, and engages in the personal service of the Lord, he is said to have attained samsiddhi parama, the highest perfection. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully unpacks the profound philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, revealing the precise relationship between the Supreme Lord and the living entities. As the marginal energy of the Absolute Truth, every living entity is an eternal, fragmental part and parcel of God. While they are qualitatively identical to the Lord—sharing His spiritual nature of eternity, knowledge, and bliss—they are quantitatively infinitesimal. This minute nature makes the living entity susceptible to the bewildering influence of the material energy (māyā). When the soul foolishly desires to imitate the Lord and enjoy independently, the Lord compassionately provides the material creation to fulfill those desires. Yet, as the supreme maintainer and loving father, He never abandons His children. Expanding as the Paramātmā, He resides in the heart of every living entity, guiding their wanderings and offering them the intelligence to return to Him. This clear Vedic understanding completely shatters the dangerous Māyāvāda illusion, which ludicrously claims that the conditioned living entity is equal in all respects to the infallible Supreme Lord. Ultimately, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā confirm that the true, healthy, and normal condition of the living entity is not artificial lordship, but unalloyed, loving surrender. By reestablishing this eternal relationship through pure devotional service, the living entity extinguishes all material suffering and achieves the supreme perfection of life: returning back home, back to Godhead.
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