and snake
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Imported quote 13763 The Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests Himself as one with the cause and effect within this body and also as one who has transcended the illusory energy. This clears the misconception of a snake for a rope. Thus one can understand that the Paramatma is eternally transcendental to the material creation and situated in pure internal energy. Thus He is transcendental to all material contamination. Unto Him only must one surrender.
(More...) Imported quote 13765 This verse is specifically stated to defy the Mayavada conclusion of oneness without differentiation between the individual soul and the Supersoul. The Mayavada conclusion is that the living entity and the Supersoul are one; there is no difference. They proclaim that there is no separate existence outside the impersonal Brahman and that the feeling of separation is maya or an illusion by which one considers a rope to be a snake. The rope and the snake argument is generally offered by the Mayavadi philosophers. Therefore these words, which represent vivarta-vada, are specifically mentioned herein. Actually Paramatma, the Supersoul, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is eternally liberated. In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is living within this body along with the individual soul, and this is confirmed in the Vedas. They are likened to two friends sitting on the same tree. Yet Paramatma is above the illusory energy. The illusory energy is called bahirahga sakti or external energy, and the living entity is called tatastha sakti or marginal potency. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the material energy, represented as earth, water, air, fire, sky, etc., and the spiritual energy, the living entity, are both energies of the Supreme Lord. Even though the energies and the energetic are identical, the living entity, individual soul, being prone to be influenced by the external energy, considers the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be one with himself.
(More...) Imported quote 15666 The Mayavadi philosopher sometimes puts forward the argument of the snake and the rope. In the dark of evening, a curled up rope is sometimes, due to ignorance, taken for a snake. But mistaking the rope as a snake does not mean that the rope or the snake is false, and therefore this example, used by the Mayavadis to illustrate the falsity of this material world, is not valid. When a thing is taken as fact but actually has no existence at all, it is called false. But if something is mistaken for something else, that does not mean that it is false. The Vaisnava philosophers use a very appropriate example comparing this material world to an earthen pot. When we see an earthen pot, it does not at once disappear and turn into something else. It may be temporary, but the earthen pot is taken into use for bringing water, and we continue to see it as an earthen pot. Therefore, although the earthen pot is temporary and is different from the original earth, still we cannot say that it is false. We should therefore conclude that the entire earth and the earthen pot are both truths because one is the product of the other. We understand from Bhagavad-gita that after the dissolution of this cosmic manifestation, the energy enters into the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is ever-existing with His varied energies. Because the material creation is an emanation from Him, we cannot say that this cosmic manifestation is a product of something void. Krsna is not void. Whenever we speak of Krsna, He is present with His form, quality, name, entourage and paraphernalia. Therefore, Krsna is not impersonal. The original cause of everything is neither void nor impersonal, but is the Supreme Person. Demons may say that this material creation is anisvara, without a controller or God, but such arguments ultimately cannot stand.
(More...) Imported quote 18798 So adau sraddha. Krsna says these are on the intellectual platform. Sometimes intellectual platform is taken as sentimental. But if it is rightly taken, somebody believes, even Krsna..., Krsna's statement, they are not sentimental. They are vijnana-sahitam. Jnanam vijnana-sahitam. Yaj jnatva moksyase asubhat, jnanam vijnana-sahitam pravaksyamy anasūyave [Bg 9.1]. Yaj jnatva moksyase asubhat. This is the statement in Bhagavad-gita. Jnanam te 'ham sa-vijnanam vaksyamy asesataḥ [Bg 7.2].
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