“O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.26)

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वेदाहं समतीतानि
वर्तमानानि चार्जुन
भविष्याणि च भूतानि
मां तु वेद न कश्चन

vedāhaṁ samatītāni
vartamānāni cārjuna
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni
māṁ tu veda na kaścana

“I am sure you follow these raging debates about various aspects of siddhanta. Well, that is the main point of contention. Just what exactly is the siddhanta when it comes to the origin of the jiva.

“For those who may not be familiar with the arguments, the jiva soul is the living being. Jiva is the classification on the atma. The jiva soul has vulnerability to falling down, to succumbing to illusion, to making false identifications.

“The comparison is to being on the shore of a beach, near the ocean. If you stand in a certain spot, you might think that the waves will never hit you, but there is no guarantee. One second you are dry, and the next you are covered by water.

“The travels of the jiva soul are similar. They may be in the liberated state or they might be within illusion, in the material world. That is why the jiva is considered the tatastha-shakti, or the marginal potency.

“The debate is over the origin. One side says that the jiva is nitya-baddha. This means eternally bound. A similar concept is anadi-baddha. This means bound without any date of origin. To be liberated means to unite with Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for the first time.

“The other side says that the soul is never really in illusion. The jiva only thinks they are separated. Since the time in that illusion has been so long, we use terms like nitya and anadi, but the jiva always has the opportunity to return to the natural state. The return aspect is key. It is going back to Godhead, instead of going to Godhead for the first time.

“What confuses me is the issue of the spiritual master. You are lecturing to a new devotee that they are nitya-baddha, eternally bound. Then one day that devotee becomes a spiritual master. The spiritual master is eternally liberated; they are never bound. This means that suddenly the history changes. How is that possible?”

It is not possible. If the living being has the potential to become a liberated soul, it means that they are always that way. Conditioned life is merely forgetfulness of the transcendental position. It is like walking around with one hundred dollars in your pocket and begging money from others. This is because you think you are penniless and poor, but that is only due to ignorance.

ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानां
हृद्-देशे ऽर्जुन तिष्ठति
भ्रामयन् सर्व-भूतानि
यन्त्रारूढानि मायया

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.61)

Bhagavad-gita gives the proper conclusion. Shri Krishna is seated within the heart. This is true for every living entity. Whether they are a tiny ant, the highest demigod in heaven, a man, a woman, an eternally bound jiva, or an enlightened soul giving counsel to attentive disciples.

Krishna is with everyone, and everyone always exists. They are here now, in the manifest state, but they were just as vibrant before. They will continue in their existence in the future, beyond the period of observable activity.

न त्व् एवाहं जातु नासं
न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः
न चैव न भविष्यामः
सर्वे वयम् अतः परम्

na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ
na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ
sarve vayam ataḥ param

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.12)

We only think that a person is no more. We cannot perceive to where they have gone, but that limitation in perception has no bearing on viability. Whether someone knows who I am, where I live, and what I look like makes no impact on my actual existence.

Shri Krishna knows the entire past. He knows the present and also the future. We do not. We can barely remember what we did one week ago. How will we accurately trace out our previous lives, up to and including the supposed disengagement from the Brahman effulgence?

The way out is clear. The potential is there for uniting with Krishna, who is God the person. Should there be any other concern? Should time be wasted in the sophistry of ever-changing histories for the individual, based on their level of understanding of the Vedanta culture?

In Closing:

Let me get this straight,
For liberation to await.

Since eternally bound,
But what if guru position found?

Then always liberated to say,
Sophistry these words to play.

Chance now for liberation to get,
Focus on Krishna’s interest set.

Categories: questions

Tags: fall of the jiva, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, vaikuntha, vedanta