“Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.5)

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अपरेयम् इतस् त्व् अन्यां
प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम्
जीव-भूतां महा-बाहो
ययेदं धार्यते जगत्

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat

“Is it possible to reach the realization of the spirit soul, the basic functional atomic unit, the essence of life, through scientific discovery? Through the utilization of microscopes, advanced imagery, scales, tools of measurement, and so forth. Is there a way to prove the concept of spirit soul in an image?

“Do you understand where I am going here? We can show a particle, for instance. We can create images of the atom, though it is obviously a difficult concept to grasp. These things have physical substance. There is a way to relate, in comparing with known objects.

“If we could prove the presence of spirit soul in the same way, that would go a long way towards convincing people of the philosophy that is the basis of sanatana-dharma. At least that is my opinion on the matter.”

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that the scientific discovery in this regard will always be on the inferior particles. Whether large or small, whether in great quantity or a small collection, whether bunched together or floating separately, having their own, unique existence – that which is discovered or shown on an image is inferior.

A single shloka from Bhagavad-gita supports this claim. It is a simple truth, yet profound in its impact. Through this proper characterization, we learn that practically the entire human population, which is supposedly advanced in intelligence, has their priorities backwards. Every endeavor. Every venture. Every stated objective. The people involved are wasting their time.

It is a harsh assessment. It is bold to make such a blanket generalization, but the justification is that there is indeed a superior particle. Within the sphere of influence, in the playing field of the area of study, the superior particle is the individual. They are known as jivatma. These are two Sanskrit words combined into one. The atma, or individual, who is of the jiva category.

Awareness of jivatma is the introduction in the formal instruction in sanatana-dharma, which is the science of self-realization. Let us consider that juxtaposition for a moment. Jivatma is completely ignored in the other fields of study, which are of high repute. In spiritual life, jivatma is the foundation. It is like learning the alphabet in school or the concepts of individual numbers, from one to ten.

Jivatma is subtle in nature and therefore cannot be shown in an image. Consider the visual of a recently departed person. Everything else is the same as it was mere moments ago. But there is a striking difference. Moments prior the individual was alive. Now they are no more. The only difference is the presence of the animating force.

Mind, intelligence, and ego are the subtle elements associated with the gross body composed of earth, water, fire, air and ether. In the manner that we cannot directly perceive the wind, so there is no outlining of the spirit soul in an image. We understand its presence through external indications.

इन्द्रियाणि पराण्य् आहुर्
इन्द्रियेभ्यः परं मनः
मनसस् तु परा बुद्धिर्
|यो बुद्धेः परतस् तु सः

indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur
indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ
manasas tu parā buddhir
yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ

“The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.42)

Jivatma still exists. It is still a distinct object, as one jivatma is different from another. I am not you and you are not me. Though we are part of the singular energy collectively known as Brahman, we never merge into each other. If we wish to understand the size of the spirit soul, there is the comparison to the tip of the hair. Take the tip and divide it into ten thousand parts. One of those parts is something like the size of jivatma.

Jivatma is the superior particle, and so the superior discipline of science is to study jivatma. This is the reason saintly people follow the particular path that they do. They are after real knowledge. They want wisdom to last, in the manner of the jivatma transcending time and space. Wisdom cannot be extinguished, and neither can the individual, who is part and parcel of the Almighty.

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्
नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतो ऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ‘yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.20)

In Closing:

Into whatever species cast,
Superior particle to last.

Because never possible to extinguish,
Despite repeated bodies to relinquish.

Proper study on this aspect superior,
Not just focus on the inferior.

Sanatana-dharma starting from there,
Then issue of Almighty to square.

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Tags: dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, prabhupada, science