Page 54 - Metaphysical questions of life

sion, his ac vi es are troublesome; and when the mind is in the mode
of ignorance, he travels in the lower species of life. It is clear, however,
in this verse, that the condi oned soul is covered by the material body,
with the mind and the senses, and when he is liberated this material
covering perishes, but his spiritual body manifests itself in its individual
capacity. The following informa on is there in the Mādhyandināyana-
śru : sa vā eṣa brahma-niṣṭha idaṁ śarīraṁ martyam a sṛjya
brahmābhisampadya brahmaṇā paśya brahmaṇā śṛṇo brah-
maṇaivedaṁ sarvam anubhava . It is stated here that when a living
en ty gives up this material embodiment and enters into the spiritual
world, he revives his spiritual body, and in his spiritual body he can see
the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. He can hear and
speak to Him face to face, and he can understand the Supreme Person-
ality as He is. From smṛ also it is understood, vasan yatra puruṣāḥ
sarve vaikuṇṭha-mūrtayaḥ: in the spiritual planets everyone lives in
bodies featured like the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s. As far as
bodily construc on is concerned, there is no difference between the
part-and-parcel living en es and the expansions of viṣṇu-mūr . In oth-
er words, at libera on the living en ty gets a spiritual body by the
grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

“The words mamaivāṁśaḥ (“fragmental parts and parcels of the Su-
preme Lord”) are also very significant. The fragmental por on of the
Supreme Lord is not like some material broken part. We have already
understood in the Second Chapter that the spirit cannot be cut into
pieces. This fragment is not materially conceived. It is not like ma er,
which can be cut into pieces and joined together again. That concep-
on is not applicable here, because the Sanskrit
word sanātana (“eternal”) is used. The fragmental por on is eternal. It
is also stated in the beginning of the Second Chapter that in each and
every individual body the fragmental por on of the Supreme Lord is
present (dehino ’smin yathā dehe). That fragmental por on, when lib-
erated from the bodily entanglement, revives its original spiritual body
in the spiritual sky in a spiritual planet and enjoys associa on with the
Supreme Lord. It is, however, understood here that the living en ty, be-
ing the fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, is qualita vely
one with the Lord, just as the parts and parcels of gold are also
gold.” (Bg 15.7 – Purport)

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