“Neither was there a time when I was not, nor these kings who stand before you, nor will there be a time in the future when we all shall cease to be,” says Krishna with a finality right at the onset of His discourse to Arjuna. The emphasis is on the cosmic process that goes on where the Supreme Lord and the innumerable souls coexist through their cycle of birth in their journey to liberation.
In a discourse, Sri O. R. Devanathan drew attention to the analogy of two birds living together in a tree, quoted in the Upanishads, as illustrative of the many similarities and crucial differences between the jivatma and the Paramatma. Each is the friend of the other, and as inseparable companions, they both live in the same tree. Of these two, one eats the fruit of the tree, but the other simply looks on without eating.
The jivatma’s body that is attained through past karma is compared to a tree and the bird enjoying the fruit is the individual’s experience of pleasure and pain.
The jivatma is similar to the Paramatma in respect of its indestructible nature by which it is immortal. It is also the essence of consciousness and bliss. But omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence are the Paramatma’s exclusive traits.
Krishna reveals to Arjuna that He is aware of all the births of all souls while Arjuna’s awareness is very limited. The Lord is the controller of the universe and appears in human form time and again for specific purposes. He incarnates out of His Sankalpa. But the individual soul is bound by karma and is born to experience the effects of karma. The individual soul draws close to the divine by contemplating on His infinite power and by devotion to Him. The path to liberation is through faith and devotion to God and by seeking His feet.
