The Essence of Dharma-18.

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13/01/2018

Spoken on February 11th, 1973)


Purushah sa parah partha bhaktya labhyas tvananyaya (Gita 8.22);

Isvarah sarvabhutanam hrddese’rjuna tisthati (Gita 18.61);

aham atma gudakesa sarvabhutasayasthitah (Gita 10.20).

When Bhagavan Sri Krishna uses the words Ishvara, Purusha, Aham, it looks as if the Ultimate Reality is a person, but sometimes he speaks of it as an immanent spirit. The Atman is defined as an immanent spirit,

indestructible, present in everything. But sometimes Sri Krishna depicts it as a transcendent spirit, as Brahma, as Parampada, and so on.

Fourthly, reality is defined as a state, a condition. It is not a person, it is not a place, it is not even a spirit as we think of it in an anthropomorphic manner. It is only a state.
This is brought out by such terms as tithi. Tithi means a condition.

Esha brahmi sthitih partha (Gita 2.72).

This is a condition of Brahman. It is not a place of Brahman. It is a condition of Brahman.

Tithi is a peculiar term. All four aspects or definitions we will find in the Bhagavadgita: as a destination to be reached, as if it is a place; as a person to be loved, adored with bhakti; as a spirit to be contemplated; or as a condition to be realised. All these wonders we have in the Bhagavadgita gospel.

To be continued ..
Swami Krishnananda

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