Category:Position of a Living Entity
Theme Analysis
The absolute foundation of spiritual knowledge begins with a proper understanding of the soul's constitutional identity. Throughout his extensive teachings, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the living entity is an eternal, fragmental part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Recognizing and reviving this subordinate but profoundly joyful relationship is the ultimate goal of human life.
- The Constitutional Identity: The jīva, or spirit soul, is qualitatively one with the Supreme Lord but quantitatively infinitesimal. Just as a drop of ocean water shares the chemical composition of the entire ocean, the living entity is as good as Kṛṣṇa in spiritual quality, yet eternally remains His subordinate servitor.
- The Illusion of False Independence: The material world is created when the soul desires to imitate the Supreme Lord. Although constitutionally prakṛti (the predominated energy), the living entity falsely adopts the mentality of a puruṣa (the predominator or enjoyer), leading to an immediate covering by the Lord's illusory energy, māyā.
- The Awkward Material Condition: Forgetting its original spiritual identity, the conditioned soul is forced to transmigrate through various species of life. Entangled by the laws of karma and the three modes of material nature, the soul experiences continuous suffering and duality, mistakenly identifying the temporary physical body as the self.
- Awakening Through Transcendental Guidance: Escaping this entrapment requires the compassionate intervention of the Supreme Lord and His pure devotees. By associating with a bona fide spiritual master and studying authoritative śāstra like the Bhagavad-gītā, the soul can gradually awaken from its long slumber and understand its actual position.
- Reinstatement Through Bhakti: The highest religious principle is the revival of the soul's original, dormant consciousness. Engaging in devotional service, or bhakti-yoga, is the direct process for the living entity to transcend material existence and reinstate itself as the eternal, loving servant of the Supreme.
- The True Nature of Liberation: Genuine liberation does not entail the destruction of the soul's individual identity or merging into a formless void. Rather, it means being fixed in one's original position, completely free from material contamination, and continuously experiencing transcendental bliss in the association of the Lord.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Understanding the Eternal Position of a Living Entity.
Pages in category "Position of a Living Entity"
The following 108 pages are in this category, out of 108 total.
A
- A conditioned living entity should become aware of his real position and should pray to the Lord, How much longer will I be under the rule of all these bodily functions such as lust and anger?
- A living being is placed in a particular position by the order of the Supreme Lord, and he is again shifted from that place by the order of the Supreme Lord or His authorized agents
- A living entity in the liberated position of transcendental service to God becomes attracted to one of the mellows, and when one is engaged in transcendental loving service to God one's service attachment in the material world is automatically vanquished
- A living entity is not purusa; he is prakrti. But because he wanted to enjoy this material world, nature has given him a dress like a purusa, and he is falsely trying to enjoy it. This is the position
- A person on the path of devotional service may inquire from his spiritual master all about the spiritual position of God and the living beings
- According to authorized Vedic Scriptures liberation means to be fixed up in one's original position. The original position is that each and every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord
- According to Vedic instructions, one should understand the constitutional position of the living entity, the position of the Lord, and the position of material energy in their interrelation
- Actually one suffers for want of food when material nature, under the order of the father, refuses to supply him food. It is the living entity's position that determines whether food will be supplied or not
- After Krsna's disappearance, less intelligent people misunderstood Him. They became contaminated with the Mayavadi philosophy, which produced so many mental speculators that people forgot the actual position of the Absolute Truth and the living entity
- All living entity, anyone who has come into this material world, under different body or different dress they are suffering in this material world. Therefore the sastra is meant for the human being so that he can understand his awkward position
- All these plans (of the so-called scientists) are ultimately failures because they are illusory. In this way the living entity forgets his position as an eternal servant of the Lord. He instead becomes a servant of maya. In any case he remains a servant
- Any so-called religious process that interferes with the unadulterated spiritual position of the living being must be considered a pretentious process of religiosity
- As already mentioned, this position of the living entity as a fragment of the Supreme Lord is declared in the Bhagavad-gita (15.7) to be eternal; it cannot be changed
- As long as the living entity is not enlightened so that he may understand his real position, he will be attracted to materialistic life, to house, country or field, to society, sons, family, community, bank balance and so on
B
- Because the living being takes the superior position for explosion of matter or reaction of matter, therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is admitted that the matter is handled by the living being; it is inferior energy
- By carrying out the orders of the Lord, the conditioned living beings gradually become free from the clutches of material existence. The factual position of the living being is that he is the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord
- By his (the living entity's) personal endeavor in association with authorities, saintly persons and a spiritual master, he has to understand his position and then revert to spiritual consciousness or Krsna consciousness. BG 1972 purports
- By the actions of Kardama Muni we can understand that in spite of his immense mystic power, he remained a devotee of the Lord. That is the real position of every living entity
- By the instruction of a bona fide spiritual master, a living entity can know of his spiritual position, his material body, his senses, how he is entrapped, and how he is under the spell of the material modes of nature. BG 1972 purports
- By understanding the three expansions of the purusa, a living entity can transcend the position of knowing only the twenty-four elements of the material world
E
- Each and every living being has his individual position in one of the above-mentioned five different kinds of reciprocating means with the Lord, and in one's pure spiritual form of svarupa the relation becomes manifest without mundane affinity
- Each and every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and thus his eternal position is to cooperate or to dovetail his energy with the Supreme Lord. That is his unchanging position
- Each and every living entity that be is Krsna's part and parcel, and as such, each and every living entity is His eternal, transcendental servitor. The natural position of one who is part and parcel is to render service to the complete whole
- Either in his conditional material existence or in his liberated position of full knowledge and eternity, the living entity is eternally under the control of the Supreme Lord
- Every living entity is an eternal part and parcel of Krsna in spiritual identity, and that the eternal position of the living entity is therefore never on the level of Krsna or greater than Him
- Every living entity is by nature joyful, spiritually, and because he is materially covered, his joyfulness is hampered. That is the real position
- Every living entity is eternal servant of Krsna. When he forgets Krsna he becomes servant of maya. That is our position. We have to serve
- Every living entity who attains the human form of life can understand the importance of his position & thus become eligible to become a devotee of Lord Krsna. We take it for granted, therefore, that all humanity should be educated in Krsna consciousness
- Except for the madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari discussed above, no one can correctly see the spiritual position of a living being
I
- If a living being does not understand his position, he is stonelike, although dwelling in a human body
- If a living entity takes to Krsna consciousness, he is reinstated in his original position
- If one can understand the position of the living entity as a separated portion of the SPG, by studying the nature of the living entity one can understand the nature of the Supreme Godhead, since the living entity is a fragmental sample of the Godhead
- If the living entity understands his position and surrenders to the Lord, his life becomes successful
- In Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu it is said that by executing devotional service to the Lord, one can understand the transcendental position of the living being and the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- In material consciousness, his (living entity's) nature is to try to be the lord of matter, but in spiritual (Krsna) consciousness, his position is to serve the Supreme. BG 1972 purports
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam, devotional service is discussed to arouse the living entity to the transcendental position of jnana (knowledge) and vairagya - renunciation
- In the superior life forms, spiritual consciousness is fully awakened. Then the living entity understands his real position and tries to escape the influence of material energy by developing Krsna consciousness
- In the transcendental position, a living being can perfectly acknowledge the superiority of serving the Supreme Lord
- In this verse (SB 4.25.33) the girl is expressing the actual position of the living entity. She cannot tell Puranjana her father's name because she does not know from where she has come. Nor does she know why she is present in that place
- It is easy for a conditioned living entity to be falsely directed in this way, and once he is so directed he can never come to his actual position or enjoy his eternal activity in bhakti yoga
- It is the living entity's eternal position to serve the Lord; therefore to help one get release from material bondage is to awaken one to the dormant understanding that he is the eternal servant of Krsna
M
- Maya, or illusion, is the condition of spiritual life contaminated by material infection. Liberation from this material infection does not mean destruction of the original eternal position of the living entity. BG 1972 purports
- Mukti means that we have lost our original, constitutional position. Because here Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that the real position of the living entity is that he is eternal servant of Krsna
O
- On this level (of sakhya-rati) there are fraternal exchanges with the God, and one is free from all bondage. At this stage one practically forgets his inferior position as a living entity, but at the same time he has the greatest respect for the Supreme
- One can understand the mental or conscious position of a living entity by the activities of two kinds of senses - the knowledge-acquiring senses and the executive senses
- One living being is providing, maintaining all other living beings. So our position is being maintained by God and God is maintainer. Our position is being predominated and God is predominator
- One must accept whatever body is offered by the material energy. This is the position of the ordinary living being
- One should always remember the SPG in His localized representation as the Paramatma, who is situated in the core of every living entity's heart. Thus one should offer respect to every living entity according to that living entity's position
- One should understand the position of the living entity in this material world and understand how to return home, back to Godhead
- One who does not forget this position and knows that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord is nitya-mukta. Such a nitya-mukta living entity represents the Supersoul as His expansion. As stated in the Vedas, nityo nityanam
- One who wrongly thinks that the living entity's position and the Lord's position are on the same level is to be understood to be in darkness and therefore unable to engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord. BG 1972 purports
- Only in ignorance does a living entity think that he is lost. If by attainment of knowledge he comes to the real position of his eternal existence, he knows that he is not lost
- Out of compassion Krsna creates this material world to give the living entity a chance to understand his real position
S
- She (the beautiful girl) frankly says that she does not know anything about all this (her father's name, where she is from, what she is doing there). This is the position of the living entity in the material world
- Since the living entity is associated with material nature, he is in an awkward position, but if in the human form of life he is taught how to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee, this position can be overcome
- Situated in everyone's heart, Krsna deals differently according to the living entity's position. The living entity's position is to be under the protection of the illusory energy or under Krsna's personal protection
- Sometimes the servant of God becomes the master of God. The real position of the living entity is to be the servant of God, but in the Bhagavad-gita we can see that the master, Krsna, became the servant of Arjuna
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that the actual position of the living entity is that of eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. BG 1972 purports
T
- The Bhagavatam describes the highest religious form - reinstatement of the living entity in his original position of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord
- The conditioned living entity’s identification with material objects keeps him from attaining his actual position. Although he is an eternal servant of Krsna, he acts differently
- The eternal position of the living entity is never on the level of Krsna or greater than Him. This understanding of Krsna consciousness is the basic principle of real peace. BG 1972 purports
- The flow of DS is so potent that any onlooker also becomes liberated from the influence of the modes of passion and ignorance. These two qualities of nature are thus removed, and the living being is liberated, being situated in his original position
- The living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme, as gold particles are part of a gold mine. Thus the living entity, in his spiritual position, is as good as gold, as good as Krsna in quality
- The living entity forgets his real identity as spirit soul, Brahman, and instead of realizing his factual position thinks himself the product of the material energy
- The living entity has to be situated in the transcendental position where there is no more influence of time nor of the material energy
- The living entity in his original position is pure spirit. He is just like an atomic particle of the Supreme Spirit. BG 1972 purports
- The living entity in the marginal position identifies himself with material energy and thereby becomes subjected to the threefold miseries. Only when he is free from such material contamination can he be situated in his proper position
- The living entity is liberated. His material contamination is temporary, and his actual position is that he is liberated. This liberation is achieved by Krsna consciousness
- The living entity wants to imitate Krsna and tries to lord it over material nature in order to enjoy sense gratification; thus he forgets his original position, and his illuminating power, his spiritual identity, is extinguished
- The living entity's actual position is realized when he is liberated from all material ideas, including the conception of his becoming one in all respects with God. BG 1972 purports
- The living entity's higher or lower position, his suffering and enjoying, are due to his own karma. The exact word used in this connection is anisah, which means "dependent on their own karma"
- The living entity's position is herein (SB 4.29.30-31) likened to a dog's. By chance a dog may have a very rich owner, and by chance he may become a street dog. As the dog of a rich man, he will live very opulently
- The living entity's spiritual position is as good as gold, as good as Krsna in quality. The difference of individuality continues, otherwise there is no question of bhakti-yoga. BG 1972 purports
- The materialist is benefited by association with devotees because his life then becomes regulated so that his chance of becoming a devotee or making the present life successful for understanding the real position of the living entity is increased
- The mundane qualities do not allow a living entity to understand his real position. The qualities of both ignorance and passion strongly bind one to the illusory bodily conception of the self
- The natural position is that every living entity - animals, plants, and human beings, including Indians, Americans, Czechs - everyone is part and parcel of Krsna
- The natural position of the living being is always as a subordinate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When one agrees to act in such a position, he attains perfection in life, but if one rebels against this principle, he is in the conditioned state
- The natural position of the living entity is to serve the Lord in a transcendental loving attitude. When the living entity wants to become Krsna Himself or imitate Krsna, he falls down into the material world
- The nitya-mukta living entity knows that he is an expansion of the supreme nitya, or the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead. Being in such a position, he sees the material world with a different vision
- The position of a living entity is to render service; unless he comes to the stage of appreciating the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he engages in the service of the various forms of trees, reptiles, animals, Men, demigods, etc
- The real position is that every living entity is female, originally. But falsely he is imitating to become a male, enjoy
- They (Mayavadis) wrongly think that everyone is God or that everyone is equal to God. Therefore, since the real position of the living entity is not clear to them, how can they advance further
- They practice penance (tapasya) & tolerance (titiksa), & they realize the position of the living entity & the Lord (anubhava). These are the eight qualifications of the brahmanas. Therefore among all living entities, no one is superior to the brahmanas
- This is the natural position of the Lord (as the proprietor and the supreme enjoyer), and the natural position of the living being is to surrender unto Him (sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja) - BG 18.66
- This is the position of the infinitesimal living entity. As long as he is forgetful of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who witnesses all his activities, he is subjected to the threefold miseries
- Those who are not conversant with factual knowledge put forward many speculative propositions about the real position of the living entity. It is admitted, however, by all schools of philosophy, that the living being is eternal
- Those who understand simply that the living being is not matter but spirit soul and who desire to merge into the Supreme Spirit Soul are in the lowest transcendental position
- To be obedient to the wishes of the Supreme Lord is the natural position of every living entity. But due only to past misdeeds, a living being becomes averse to the sense of subordination to the Lord and suffers all the miseries of material existence
U
- Understanding the subordinate position of the living entity takes millions of births, but when one is actually wise he surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Unless one can understand his position as a living entity and an eternal servitor of the Lord, there is no question of immortality. But one who accepts these facts becomes immortal
W
- When a living entity falls down to the material world from his original position, he becomes cyuta, which means that he forgets his relationship with Acyuta
- When he (the living entity) is freed from the bodily conception, he can engage in devotional service, which is his actual position of freedom from the clutches of maya. This is all explained in the following verse from the Bhagavad-gita - BG 7.14
- When situated in this original position, the living entity is unaffected by the modes of material nature
- When the living entity understands his real position by the grace of Krsna, he keeps himself always fit in Krsna consciousness and acts accordingly. Thus he gradually becomes completely free from the clutches of maya
- Whenever there is a discrepancy in our constitutional position, the Supreme Lord either comes Himself or sends His representative to inform us of the real position of the living entity
- Whether one is engaged in material activity involving pounds, shillings and pence or is in the renounced order, he should always think that he is an eternal servant of God, for that is the real position of the living being
- With the association of a bona fide spiritual master, he (the living entity) can see his real position, and, by such an understanding, he can become fixed in full Krsna consciousness. BG 1972 purports