Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.7.5
Mukti· LiberationThe Soul Is Potency, Not the Potent
“The pure soul is pure consciousness and is never out of consciousness, either due to circumstances, time, situations, dreams or other causes. How then does he become engaged in nescience?”
What the purport teaches
- The living being’s consciousness remains present through changing circumstances. Vidura asks how the pure soul can become forgetful of his spiritual identity.
- The living entity identifies with matter under the influence of avidyā, the potency of ignorance. One potency can be overcome by another potency.
- The living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord as His potency, not as the potent. The Lord controls all potencies, so the living entity can never equal Him.
Try this today
Write this distinction in your own words: the soul can be influenced by ignorance, but the Lord controls all His potencies.
Ask yourself
How does knowing that I am the Lord’s potency change my understanding of independence?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.