BG 15.7

15.7 मम My? एव even? अंशः portion? जीवलोके in the world of life? जीवभूतः having become a soul? सनातनः eternal? मनःषष्ठानि with mind as the sixth? इन्द्रियाणि the (five) Indriyas? प्रकृतिस्थानि abiding in Prakriti? कर्षति draws (to itself).Commentary Now the Lord explains how the individual soul comes into being. The individual soul is a ray of the Lord. A ray of the Supreme Being enters Nature? draws to itself the five senses and the mind and becomes an embodied soul (Jiva) by assuming a body. Here is a description of how the subtle body or LingaSariria enters the gross body.Although the sun is reflected in water? it is not in any way tainted. When a crystal comes in,contact with a red cloth or red flower? it seems to be red but it is really not so. Even so the Supreme Beings is not in any way tainted by the actions of the individual soul.Ignorance is the limiting adjunct of the individual soul. On account of the limitation caused by this ignorance the soul experiences that it is the doer and the enjoyer. In essence the individual soul is identical with the Supreme Being or Brahman. When ignorance? the limiting adjunct or principle? is destroyed? the individual soul (Jiva) realises it identity with the Supreme Being (Brahman).Just as the ether in the pot becomes one with the universal ether when the limiting adjunct? the pot? is broken? so also the individual soul becomes one with Brahman when the limiting adjunct? ignorance? is annihilated. Just as there is no return of the potether after it has become one with the universal ether when the pot is destroyed? so also there is no return of the individual soul after the limiting adjunct (the Antahkarana? i.e.? mind and the other inner instruments) is destroyed. It becomes one with Brahman.Pratibimba (reflection) is only a portion of the Bimba (object). The reflected sun is only a portion of the real sun (the rays of the sun). When the water is removed the reflected sun goes back to the original sun? as it were. It does not return to the water again. Even so? when ignorance or the mind is annihilated? the Jiva (individual soul) which is a reflection of Brahman in ignorance is absorbed in the Bimba Brahman. It does not return to this world of birth and death.The individual soul is only an imaginary or fictitious portion of Brahman. It is not a real portion. For the Supreme Being is indivisible. It has no parts. If It has parts? It would be liable to destruction when the parts are disjointed or removed.The senses abide in Nature? in their respective seats such as ear? skin? tongue? eye and nose. A Sannyasi living in the caves of the Himalayas dreams that he is a married man and moves about hither and thither to get a job for his livelihood. Even so? the individual soul forgets its real divine nature? mistakes the impure? perishable body for the pure? immortal Self and imagines that it is the real actor and enjoyer by identifying itself with the body. It says? I am the Karta. I am the Bhokta. I am a soul bound by Samsara. I am happy. I am miserable. It becomes finite.In essence the Jiva is identical with Brahman. The difference is on account of delusion or imagination or superimposition. The illusion of difference is due to the limiting adjunct or principle (the mind) even as the illusion that the ether in the pot is different from the universal ether is caused by the limiting adjunct? viz.? the pot. Jivabrahmabhedabhranti (the delusion of the distinctior between the individual soul and the Supreme Being) is removed when the limiting adjunct (mind) is annihilated. In deep sleep the mind rests in a subtle state along with all the Samskaras (impressions) and Vasanas (tendencies) in its cause (primordial ignorance). Again it comes back from this state of ignorance when you return to the waking state. If the cause (ignorance) is destroyed by the knowledge of the Self? its effect (mind) is also annihilated.Just as the tortoise stretches out its head and feet which were in a state of Laya (absorption) in its body? so also the individual soul strecthces out its mind and senses which were in a state of absorption in primordial ignorance in deep sleep? to enjoy the sensual objects in the waking state.A ray of the Supreme Being enters Nature? draws to itself the five senses and the mind In this verse the formation of the astral body (LingaSarira or Sukshmasarira) is described.The Sruti declaresस एष इह प्रविष्टः आनखाग्रेभ्यः तत् सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्।।That Supreme Being Itself? having created this aggregate of the body from the head to the toe? entered this body in the form of the Jiva.According to Vedanta there are nineteen principles? viz.? the five organs of knowledge? the five organs of action? the five vital airs (Prana? Apana? Vyana? Samana and Udana)? the mind? intellect? Chitta (the subconscious or the unconscious mind)? and egoism. We will have to conclude that the words the five senses and the mind point to the collection of the remaining thirteen principles also.Amsa This does not mean here a particle or portion which has been cut out. It is like the Amsar of the ether in the pot the ether is not cut out but still remains the whole ether. (Cf.XIV.3)

— vedicscriptures · exposition · source ↗

In this verse the identity of the living being is clearly given. The living entity is the fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord – eternally. It is not that he assumes individuality in his conditional life and in his liberated state becomes one with the Supreme Lord. He is eternally fragmented. It is clearly said, sanātanaḥ. According to the Vedic version, the Supreme Lord manifests and expands Himself in innumerable expansions, of which the primary expansions are called viṣṇu-tattva and the secondary expansions are called the living entities. In other words, the viṣṇu-tattva is the personal expansion, and the living entities are the separated expansions. By His personal expansion, He is manifested in various forms like Lord Rāma, Nṛsiṁha-deva, Viṣṇumūrti and all the predominating Deities in the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The separated expansions, the living entities, are eternally servitors. The personal expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the individual identities of the Godhead, are always present. Similarly, the separated expansions of living entities have their identities. As fragmental parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, the living entities also have fragmental portions of His qualities, of which independence is one. Every living entity, as an individual soul, has his personal individuality and a minute form of independence. By misuse of that independence one becomes a conditioned soul, and by proper use of independence he is always liberated. In either case, he is qualitatively eternal, as the Supreme Lord is. In his liberated state he is freed from this material condition, and he is under the engagement of transcendental service unto the Lord; in his conditioned life he is dominated by the material modes of nature, and he forgets the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As a result, he has to struggle very hard to maintain his existence in the material world. The living entities, not only human beings and the cats and dogs, but even the greater controllers of the material world – Brahmā, Lord Śiva and even Viṣṇu – are all parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. They are all eternal, not temporary manifestations. The word karṣati (“struggling” or “grappling hard”) is very significant. The conditioned soul is bound up, as though shackled by iron chains. He is bound up by the false ego, and the mind is the chief agent which is driving him in this material existence. When the mind is in the mode of goodness, his activities are good; when the mind is in the mode of passion, his activities 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 conditioned 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 information is there in the Mādhyandināyana-śruti: sa vā eṣa brahma-niṣṭha idaṁ śarīraṁ martyam atisṛjya brahmābhisampadya brahmaṇā paśyati brahmaṇā śṛṇoti brahmaṇaivedaṁ sarvam anubhavati. It is stated here that when a living entity 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 Personality as He is. From smṛti also it is understood, vasanti 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 construction is concerned, there is no difference between the part-and-parcel living entities and the expansions of viṣṇu-mūrti. In other words, at liberation the living entity gets a spiritual body by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The words mamaivāṁśaḥ (“fragmental parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord”) are also very significant. The fragmental portion 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 matter, which can be cut into pieces and joined together again. That conception is not applicable here, because the Sanskrit word sanātana (“eternal”) is used. The fragmental portion is eternal. It is also stated in the beginning of the Second Chapter that in each and every individual body the fragmental portion of the Supreme Lord is present ( dehino ’smin yathā dehe ). That fragmental portion, when liberated from the bodily entanglement, revives its original spiritual body in the spiritual sky in a spiritual planet and enjoys association with the Supreme Lord. It is, however, understood here that the living entity, being the fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, is qualitatively one with the Lord, just as the parts and parcels of gold are also gold.

— vedicscriptures · exposition · source ↗