Page 60 - Metaphysical questions of life

son, and He possesses different separated and internal energies.”

“In the material energy, the principal manifesta ons are eight, as
above men oned. Out of these, the first five manifesta ons, namely
earth, water, fire, air and sky, are called the five gigan c crea ons or
the gross crea ons, within which the five sense objects are included.
They are the manifesta ons of physical sound, touch, form, taste and
smell. Material science comprises these ten items and nothing more.
But the other three items, namely mind, intelligence and false ego, are
neglected by the materialists. Philosophers who deal with mental ac-
vi es are also not perfect in knowledge because they do not know the
ul mate source, Kṛṣṇa. The false ego – “I am,” and “It is mine,” which
cons tute the basic principle of material existence – includes ten sense
organs for material ac vi es. Intelligence refers to the total material
crea on, called the mahat-ta va. Therefore from the eight separated
energies of the Lord are manifest the twenty-four elements of the ma-
terial world, which are the subject ma er of Sāṅkhya atheis c philoso-
phy; they are originally offshoots from Kṛṣṇa’s energies and are sepa-
rated from Him, but atheis c Sāṅkhya philosophers with a poor fund of
knowledge do not know Kṛṣṇa as the cause of all causes. The subject
ma er for discussion in the Sāṅkhya philosophy is only the manifesta-
on of the external energy of Kṛṣṇa, as it is described in the Bhagavad-
gītā.” (Bg 7.4 – purport)

“What is material nature? This is also explained in the Gītā as inferi-
or prakṛ , inferior nature. The living en ty is explained as the superi-
or prakṛ . Prakṛ is always under control, whether inferior or superi-
or. Prakṛ is female, and she is controlled by the Lord just as the ac vi-
es of a wife are controlled by the husband. Prakṛ is always subordi-
nate, predominated by the Lord, who is the predominator. The living
en es and material nature are both predominated, controlled by the
Supreme Lord. According to the Gītā, the living en es, although parts
and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are to be considered prakṛ . This is
clearly men oned in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. Apareyam
itas tv anyāṁ prakṛ ṁ viddhi me parām/ jīva-bhūtām: “This material
nature is My inferior prakṛ , but beyond this is another prakṛ – jīva-
bhūtām, the living en es.” (Bg Introduc on)

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