Jagat

In Sāṅkhya-Yoga I became intrigued by the concept of Puruṣa = svārtha, Prakṛti = parārtha. i.e. the Spirit Self exists for itself, but Nature or Phenomena exist for another, i.e., the Puruṣa. (See Sāṅkhya-kārikā 17, 56, Yoga-sūtra 3.35 and their commentaries.) The idea is that as conscious beings, we experience and process phenomena entirely as though we ourselves are the center of the universe. This has really nothing to do with selfishness in its ethical sense, though that is an outcome of this perfectly natural state. This is in fact one of Sāṅkhya philosophy's arguments for the existence of the spiritual self as separate and distinct from matter. Any Vaishnava looking at Gītā 7.4-5 will recognize how the idea of the Puruṣottama adds a further dimension to this concept, but it is one that makes a huge difference. bhūmir āpo'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca ahaṁkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām jīva-b...

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण For people like me, who have a tendency to get lost in the woods of faith and doubt, our Gaudiya Vaishnava dharma has a wonderful fallback position: Acintya-bhedābheda . Brahma-Paramatma-Bhagavan. कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे Brahman is satyam. Sat , existence. We are that. So take a deep, nasal breath. Sit down. Clear your head. Forget all the details that you are supposed to believe in and just be. Let becoming take care of itself. You are that peace, eternity and love. हरे राम हरे राम Brahman is oneness. Paramatman is difference. Bhagavan is inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference. Be Brahman. Pray to Paramatman. Be one with Bhagavan in love. राम राम हरे हरे Take a deep breath. Forget the details. The Holy Name has no content. It is pure being. It is prayer. It is being one with God in love. Take shelter of the Holy Name. This is the essence. The rest is filler. Jai Sri Radhe Shyam!