16 Questions
What is the nature of the individuality of the Lord and others according to Kṛṣṇa?
Eternal and spiritual
What is the argument of the Māyāvādī regarding individuality?
Individuality is material but referred to the body
Why is Kṛṣṇa's individuality maintained on spiritual grounds?
Because impersonal Brahman is subordinate to Him
What is the significance of the Bhagavad-gītā if Kṛṣṇa is accepted as an ordinary man?
It becomes a mundane book
What is the common man's limitation according to the text?
They are unable to teach that which is worth hearing
What is the result of condemning the bodily conception of the living entities?
It is not possible for Kṛṣṇa to place a conventional proposition on the body again
Who can understand the spiritual individuality mentioned in the Gītā?
Those who are devotees of the Lord
What is the nondevotee's approach to the teachings of the Gītā compared to?
A bee licking on a bottle of honey
According to the Vedas, what is the role of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
The maintainer of innumerable living entities
What is the relationship between the Supreme Lord and the living entities?
The Supreme Lord is the maintainer of the living entities
What is the nature of the individual living entities?
They are eternal and individual
What is the theory rejected by Lord Kṛṣṇa?
The Māyāvādī theory
What is the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
The supreme individual person
What is the result of seeing the same Supreme Lord within and without?
Perfect and eternal peace
What is the relationship between Arjuna and the Lord?
Arjuna is the Lord's eternal associate
What is the cause of lamentation according to the text?
There is no cause for lamentation
Study Notes
The Individuality of the Living Entities
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead maintains innumerable living entities, taking into account their individual work and reaction to work.
- The Supreme Lord is alive in the heart of every living entity through His plenary portions.
- Only saintly persons can see the Supreme Lord within and without, and attain perfect and eternal peace.
The Eternality of Individual Existence
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna, and all the kings are eternally individual beings.
- Individuality existed in the past, and will continue in the future without interruption.
- There is no cause for lamentation for anyone, as individuality is eternal.
Refutation of Māyāvādī Theory
- The Māyāvādī theory that the individual soul will merge into the impersonal Brahman after liberation is not supported by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
- The theory that individuality is only a conditioned state is also not supported.
The Authority of Kṛṣṇa's Statement
- Kṛṣṇa's statement is authoritative because He cannot be subject to illusion.
- If individuality were not a fact, Kṛṣṇa would not have stressed it so much.
The Spiritual Individuality of Kṛṣṇa
- Kṛṣṇa affirms His individuality in the past and confirms it in the future.
- Kṛṣṇa has maintained spiritual individuality all along, and impersonal Brahman is subordinate to Him.
- If Kṛṣṇa is accepted as an ordinary conditioned soul, the Bhagavad-gītā loses its value as authoritative scripture.
The Importance of the Bhagavad-gītā
- The Bhagavad-gītā is above mundane literature, and no ordinary book compares with it.
- When one accepts Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary man, the Gītā loses all importance.
Explore the concepts of Hindu philosophy, particularly the idea of reincarnation and the role of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in maintaining the cycle of life and death.
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