Category:God's Marginal Potency
Theme Analysis
The philosophical essence of this category defines the exact nature and position of the living entities within the supreme energetic whole. The Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, possesses unlimited potencies that are broadly categorized into three divisions: the internal potency (spiritual world), the external potency (material world), and the marginal potency. The living entities (jīvas) constitute this marginal potency. The term marginal (taṭasthā-śakti) indicates that the living entities are situated on the boundary between the spiritual and material energies. Although they are constitutionally spiritual sparks and qualitatively one with the Supreme Lord, their marginal position makes them prone to being covered by material nescience if they desire to exploit the external energy. Furthermore, because they are infinitesimal separated expansions (vibhinnāṁśa), they are never equal to the Supreme Lord (viṣṇu-tattva), who is the energetic source. The ultimate goal for the living entity is to properly utilize its marginal independence by taking permanent shelter in the internal, spiritual potency.
- The Three Primary Potencies: The unlimited energies of the Supreme Lord are scientifically classified into three main divisions: the internal, external, and marginal potencies. All manifestations are interactions of these energies.
- The Living Entities as Marginal Potency: Every living creature—from Lord Brahmā down to the tiniest ant or aquatic—is a spiritual spark belonging to the Lord's marginal potency. Because all living beings emanate from this same potency, they are all part of the Supreme Being's family.
- The Meaning of Marginal: The living entities are called the marginal potency because they are situated between the internal and external energies. Although constitutionally spiritual, they are prone to being tinged by the material modes if they are enticed by illusion.
- Individuality and Subordination: Even though the living entities share the spiritual quality of the Supreme Lord, they are infinitesimal samples of God. As the marginal potency, they maintain their eternal individuality but are never equal to or greater than the Supreme Lord.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: God's Marginal Potency Situated Between the Material and Spiritual Worlds.
Pages in category "God's Marginal Potency"
The following 40 pages are in this category, out of 40 total.
A
- All living creatures throughout the universe-including birds, reptiles, ants, aquatics, trees and so on-are emanations of the marginal potency of the SL. Therefore all of them belong to the family of the Supreme Being. There is no clash of interest
- Although belonging to the marginal potency, known as jiva-sakti, the spiritual sparks known as the living entities are subjected to the conditions of material energy. It is because these sparks are related with both the internal and external potencies
- An animal that enters a forest keeps its individuality, although apparently the beast merges with the forest. Similarly, in material existence, both the material energy and the living entities of the marginal potency maintain their individuality
- As mentioned in the Varaha Purana, He (the Supreme Lord) expands Himself in visnu-tattva (the svamsa expansion) and in His marginal potency
- As the initiator of the material energy as well as the marginal potency (the living beings), He (the Lord) expands Himself as the purusa-avataras, who are invested with potencies similar to His
B
- Because they are between the internal and external potencies, the eternally transcendental living entities are called the marginal potency of the Lord
- Brahmaji explained to Naradadeva that this temporary world is the work of the external potency of the Lord and that the conditioned souls struggling here for existence are the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead
- By His marginal potency the Lord expands Himself as living beings who are part of Him, just as the sun distributes its rays in all directions
H
- He (God) is aloof from all these interactions of the external and marginal potencies. In the Bhagavad-gita (BG 9.4) it is confirmed that by His potencies alone He is present everywhere and anywhere
- He possesses external and internal energies and the mixed energy called the marginal potency, which consists of all the living entities
I
- In the Bhagavad-gita the living entity is established as the marginal potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet you say that the living entity is completely different from the Lord
- In the material world the living entity is enticed by deluding nescience, but in the spiritual world he is in the normal condition of spiritual existence without any delusion. The living entity is known as the marginal potency of the Lord
L
T
- The almighty Personality of Godhead has three potencies - internal, external and marginal
- The external potency manifests this material world, the internal potency manifests the spiritual world, and the marginal potency manifests the living entities, who are mixtures of internal and external
- The five elements, namely sky, air, fire, water and earth, are all but different qualities of the darkness of false ego. This means that the false ego in the sum total form of mahat-tattva is generated from the marginal potency of the Lord
- The living entities are also similar energy (marginal potency) of the Lord, and thus they are simultaneously one with and different from Him
- The living entities, including Brahma, are not independently separated, but are counted within the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord
- The living entity is called the marginal potency of the Lord
- The living entity is the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, although there is factually no difference between the energy and the energetic
- The Lord has three kinds of potency, namely, internal, marginal, and external
- The Lord is endowed with unlimited potencies (parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate (CC Madhya 13.65, purport)), which are summarized as three, namely external, internal and marginal
- The Lord remembers them all, but His associates, although liberated souls, forget due to their being tatastha sakti, or marginal potency of the Lord. That is the difference between the visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva
- The marginal potency, or the living entities, is also spiritual (prakrtim viddhi me param), but the living entities are never equal to the Lord. The Lord is nirasta-samya-atisaya; in other words, no one is greater than or equal to the Supreme Lord
- The Narada Pancaratra states that the living entities, who are the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, are undoubtedly of the same quality of spiritual existence as the Lord Himself, but they are prone to be tinged with the material qualities
- The omnipotent Personality of Godhead has primarily three potential manifestations, namely internal, external, and marginal potencies, with unlimited expansions of these three energies
- The potencies (of the Supreme Lord) are divided into categories - internal, external, personal, marginal and so forth
- The primary potencies of the Absolute Truth are mentioned to be three: internal, external and marginal
- The spirit soul is the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, and matter is the external potency of the Lord
- The spiritual potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead also appears in three phases - internal, marginal and external. These are all engaged in His devotional service in love
- The spiritual sparks known as the living entities are subjected to the conditions of material energy. It is because these sparks are related with both the internal and external potencies of the Lord that they are known as belonging to the marginal potency
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead has three primary energies, or potencies. The first is called antaranga-sakti, or the internal potency. The second is called tatastha-sakti, or the marginal potency
- The total energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is classified in three divisions - namely, the spiritual or internal potency of the Lord, the marginal potency, or ksetra-jna (the living entity), & the material potency, which is separated from SPG
- The unconditioned marginal potency acts in the spiritual kingdom, and the Lord, by His different plenary expansions, maintains them in different transcendental relations displayed in the spiritual sky
- The vibhinnamsa expansions, the marginal potencies of the Lord, are the living entities
- There are varieties of potencies, and they have been divided into three categories - namely, spiritual, marginal and external