Dedicated to my spiritual master His Divine Grace Abhaya Charan Bhaktivedanta Swami 'Srila Prabhupada'
Introduction
In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna Himself says that every living entity is an individual spirit soul. The soul or jiva or atma is seated in the heart along with the Supersoul or Paramatma. The jiva is driven by the 3 modes of material nature and acts accordingly while the Paramatma seated near-by is witnessing and sanctioning all the activities of the individual soul.
Soul and Supersoul
The Vedas, like the Mundaka Upanisad & Svetasvatara Upanisad, compare the soul and the Supersoul to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds (the individual atomic soul) is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird (Krishna) is simply watching His friend. Although the two birds are the same in quality, yet one is captivated by the fruits of the material tree, while the other is simply witnessing the activities of His friend. This witnessing bird is Lord Krishna Himself, and the bird eating the fruits is Jivatma. Although they are friends, one is still the master and the other is the servant. Forgetfulness of this relationship by the atomic soul is the cause of his changing his position from one tree to another or from one body to another. The jiva or soul is struggling very hard on the tree of the material body, but as soon as he agrees to accept the other bird as the supreme spiritual master - as Arjuna agreed to do so by voluntary surrender unto Krishna for instruction on the battlefield - the subordinate bird immediately becomes free from all lamentations.
Both the Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.2) and Svetasvatara Upanisad (4.7) confirm this:
samane vrkse puruso nimagno
'nisaya socati muhyamanah
justam yada pasyaty anyam isam
asya mahimanam iti vita-sokah
"Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend who is the Lord and knows His glories -- at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties."
Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra submitted to turn his face towards his eternal friend, Krishna. Accepting Him as the Supreme Lord and as a spiritual master he thus understood the Bhagavad-gita. Hearing from Krishna, he could understand the supreme glories of the Lord and was freed from lamentation. BG 2.22. This Bhagavad Gita is meant for all living entities.
Conclusion
The conditioned soul, the living entity, is controlled by the laws of nature, while the Paramatma, or the Supersoul, is the controller of the material energy. SB 1.2.31. The fruit-eater (living entity) in the process has forgotten his real identity and is overwhelmed in the fruitive activities of the material conditions, but the Lord (Paramatma) is always full in transcendental knowledge. That is the difference between the Supersoul and the conditioned soul. Hare Krishna!
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada
Dr Jagadeesh TG
Prabhupada Dasa/ RadhaKrishna Sevak
http://www.drjgdsh.wordpress.com/
http://www.doctor-soul-healer.blogspot.com/ :
http://www.folknet.in/ :
www.twitter.com/drjgdsh :
Facebook – Jagadeesh Gurumurthy:
Indya Rocks – Dr Jagadeesh’s Blog.
Introduction
In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna Himself says that every living entity is an individual spirit soul. The soul or jiva or atma is seated in the heart along with the Supersoul or Paramatma. The jiva is driven by the 3 modes of material nature and acts accordingly while the Paramatma seated near-by is witnessing and sanctioning all the activities of the individual soul.
Soul and Supersoul
The Vedas, like the Mundaka Upanisad & Svetasvatara Upanisad, compare the soul and the Supersoul to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds (the individual atomic soul) is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird (Krishna) is simply watching His friend. Although the two birds are the same in quality, yet one is captivated by the fruits of the material tree, while the other is simply witnessing the activities of His friend. This witnessing bird is Lord Krishna Himself, and the bird eating the fruits is Jivatma. Although they are friends, one is still the master and the other is the servant. Forgetfulness of this relationship by the atomic soul is the cause of his changing his position from one tree to another or from one body to another. The jiva or soul is struggling very hard on the tree of the material body, but as soon as he agrees to accept the other bird as the supreme spiritual master - as Arjuna agreed to do so by voluntary surrender unto Krishna for instruction on the battlefield - the subordinate bird immediately becomes free from all lamentations.
Both the Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.2) and Svetasvatara Upanisad (4.7) confirm this:
samane vrkse puruso nimagno
'nisaya socati muhyamanah
justam yada pasyaty anyam isam
asya mahimanam iti vita-sokah
"Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend who is the Lord and knows His glories -- at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties."
Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra submitted to turn his face towards his eternal friend, Krishna. Accepting Him as the Supreme Lord and as a spiritual master he thus understood the Bhagavad-gita. Hearing from Krishna, he could understand the supreme glories of the Lord and was freed from lamentation. BG 2.22. This Bhagavad Gita is meant for all living entities.
Conclusion
The conditioned soul, the living entity, is controlled by the laws of nature, while the Paramatma, or the Supersoul, is the controller of the material energy. SB 1.2.31. The fruit-eater (living entity) in the process has forgotten his real identity and is overwhelmed in the fruitive activities of the material conditions, but the Lord (Paramatma) is always full in transcendental knowledge. That is the difference between the Supersoul and the conditioned soul. Hare Krishna!
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada
Dr Jagadeesh TG
Prabhupada Dasa/ RadhaKrishna Sevak
http://www.drjgdsh.wordpress.com/
http://www.doctor-soul-healer.blogspot.com/ :
http://www.folknet.in/ :
www.twitter.com/drjgdsh :
Facebook – Jagadeesh Gurumurthy:
Indya Rocks – Dr Jagadeesh’s Blog.
Jagadguru Srila Prabhupada - The Real Soul Doctor
