An equation is a mathematical statement that says two amounts or values are the same though expressed differently. Or it is a situation when two or more parts have to be considered together so that the whole situation can understood or explained.
This principle is the basis of the Mahavakyas in the Upanishads when they try to explain the identity of the Jivatma and the Paramatma. Is the Jivatma identical with the Paramatma or is it a separate identity or are both of them held together in an inseparable relationship? When Krishna expounds the knowledge of Kshetra and Kshetrajna, He explains His cosmic manifestation in the manner of “a great equation” to show that the infinite and the particular are combined in a unique way in every individual, pointed out Swami Omkarananda in a lecture. On the one hand, an individual is part of the universal principle, and, on the other, the universal principle enters an individual. It is shown that both views are equal in terms of content though they appear dissimilar. This implies that in the quest to know the nature of the human soul, an individual can approach it in two ways — either from his human aspect or from the divine aspect. Krishna states that the creation comprising the various forms of existence is the Kshetra and He is the indweller who is the Kshetrajna. At the individual level the same truth prevails with respect to the mutable forms that various beings manifest where the self is the indweller and the Lord is the protector of all Kshetras. This knowledge of both the concept of the body and the indwelling spirit that is the Kshetrajna, in the entire creation is the highest knowledge, says the Lord.
The method is to draw on true experience to make it understandable.
