I received the first e-book on the Bhagavad-Gita and I wanted to inquire about this particular sentence I read:
"Not only Arjuna, but every one of us is full of anxieties because of this material existence. Our very existence is in the atmosphere of nonexistence. Actually we are not meant to be threatened by nonexistence. Our existence is eternal. But somehow or other we are put into asat. Asat refers to that which does not exist."
My question is- isn't the material world created by Krishna also eternal like us? Or has Krishna only made it temporary? I understand the soul is eternal, but what about the material world? Why is that non-existent?What does this mean that our existence in the atmosphere is of nonexistence?
If someone could enlighten me with this.
Hare Krishna.
Material nature is eternal
Hare Krishna. The manifestation of material world takes place in cycles and so is considered temporary. But prakrti, material nature, is eternal and Prabhupada makes this clear in the introduction. The soul is eternal but its association with the material nature is temporary. But there will always be souls who will have contact with material world and so material creation is eternal.
Material reality keeps changing, whereas spiritual reality is one and is always true in all phases of time and beyond time. Krishna explains in chapter 2 that those things which are 'asat' (without permanent existence) have no continuity, and for those elements which have always existed there is no interruption. So what we think today as real in material realm becomes unreal tomorrow due to the changing nature of matter. That is why Prabhupada says our existence (the soul's journey) is in the atmosphere of nonexistence (matter).
Radhikesh das
The prakrti
Good Point-
The prakrti nature is eternal.
But from the scope of our existence, we are within one of those material cycles - its hard to see beyond the scope of Brahma, as an unrealized jiva living in the material reality it is next to impossible to get the comprehension past the point of the known creation.
I have never understood why the Vedas have so much of this type of communication- who is it addressing? - I have to call these concepts that are over and beyond - 'extraterrestrial artifacts' - because without extraterrestrial powers of comprehension, say of during a Sat yuga, some of the concepts are hard to get the mind around.
Haribol
corporeal
There is nothing eternal within the corporeal reality.
There is nothing spiritual within the corporeal atmosphere - if there were this would be coercion, and we would not really Have the real freedom of choice in a condition of coercion.
The life of the corporeal universe is not eternal, but limited to the life span of Brahma.
Haribol
I understand
Thank you all very much. This really helps. I understand now.
Yes and no?
The material world is said to manifest and unmanifest all the time so yes and no is my answer. We can see in nature the moon and sun, the fantasy/detached eye and the concentrated eye, like in our bodies, the trees as loungs, the earth as what goes out of our bodies by seeng the 2 different colours, brown and black.. So since our(!) bodies manifest and demanifest so must the world that looks like our bodies do as well.
Edited below:
One question as Im operating a mental health site and beeng a small believer at least not denying the possibility that fear of death can cause insanity and whereas a belief or maybe better understanding of ones eternal condition might heal one from fear of total unmanifestation - If the planet really manifests and unmanifests so does our bodies! (As human body and planet can be seen as same as I said above). But how can we trust the vedic conclusion that the material world does just that? Are there any scientifical evidences?
Addon: Well I think I got it. As one is born dreaming and then dies dreaming in form av memory loss, unconcentration and so on qualities in the mode of dreaming and detachment one prepares for ones next condition, inside the belly of ones next mother.
> But how can we trust the
> But how can we trust the vedic conclusion that the material world does just that? Are there any scientifical evidences?
Vedas are sabda, material science is anumana. Anumana is inconclusive and can't support or refute sabda, being on a lower level.
> As one is born dreaming and then dies dreaming in form av memory loss, unconcentration and so on qualities in the mode of dreaming and detachment one prepares for ones next condition, inside the belly of ones next mother.
It's a bit more complex. Our karma plays a major role.
Hope this helps. Hari Hari
ys Jan