# The Marginal Position *On taṭasthā-śakti - the living entity's position between the spiritual and material energies* --- ### Three Energies of God > There are three kinds of prakṛtis, or energies. God has got different energies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Just like an intelligent person, he has varieties of intelligence and energy. We see sometimes in human society a particular person has got special intelligence, special energy. So what to speak of the Supreme Lord? He has got varieties of energies, and all of these energies taken together primarily, divided into three: the material energy, the spiritual energy and the marginal energy. — [[spoken/1976/760817bg.hyd|Bhagavad-gītā 13.22, Hyderabad, 1976]] --- ### Living Entities Are Prakṛti > Real puruṣa is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the living entities, they are actually prakṛti. There are three kinds of prakṛtis, or energies. The external energy of the Lord is manifest as this material world; the spiritual world is the manifestation of His internal potency. This world is like a dead place but in the spiritual world everything is alive. — [[spoken/1972/720329bg.bom|Bhagavad-gītā 7.1, Bombay, 1972]] --- ### The Superior Energy > This material nature is parā or inferior whereas the spiritual world apart from this is apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām. And the superior nature, what is that superior nature? Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho, these living beings, the living entities are also nature, an energy but they are not enjoyer or puruṣa. The puruṣa is the enjoyer and prakṛti or nature is the enjoyed. — [[spoken/1972/720329bg.bom|Bhagavad-gītā 7.1, Bombay, 1972]] --- ### Trying to Become Puruṣa > Our position is that we are actually maidservant of Kṛṣṇa, but here, in the material world, we are trying to become puruṣa, or enjoyer. This is our disease. That is sinful. Suppose if a woman dresses like man... Of course, nowadays it is very fashionable... So that is not very..., liked very much. It is artificial. So anything artificial we do, that is sinful. — [[spoken/1975/750724sb.la|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.43, Los Angeles, 1975]] --- ### Sarva-gaḥ: The Soul Can Go Anywhere > Therefore the living entity's another name is sarva-gaḥ: he can go anywhere. If you like, you go to hell. If you like, you go to heaven. If you like, you go to God. If you like, you become animal. If you like, you can become demigod. Everything, fully. That little independence is there. As you like, Kṛṣṇa will give you facility. — [[spoken/1975/750724sb.la|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.43, Los Angeles, 1975]] --- ### Like Particles of Sunshine > In the impersonal Brahman effulgence, these living entities are small particles. This smallness is also described in the śāstra: one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair, such a small particle. They are congested. That is called Brahman effulgence. So if you want to merge into the Brahman effulgence, it is not difficult, because you are a small particle of spiritual identity. — [[spoken/1976/760717cc.ny|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.110, New York, 1976]] --- ### Falling From Brahman Effulgence > Therefore those who merges into the Brahman effulgence, they again fall down, because they have no engagement in Kṛṣṇa's business. They never cultivated such knowledge. Because the Māyāvādīs, they think, "What is this nonsense, serving Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is māyā. We are not going to serve māyā. We are going to become one with God, with effulgence." — [[spoken/1976/760717cc.ny|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.110, New York, 1976]] --- ### Part and Parcel of the Supreme > Try to understand that we are puruṣa. Puruṣa means we are part and parcel of the supreme puruṣa. Kṛṣṇa is described as the paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma puruṣaṁ param. He's parama-puruṣa and we are subordinate puruṣa. We have got the same constitutional position, but very minute. Kṛṣṇa is mahataḥ, greater than the greatest, and we are the smaller than the smallest. — [[spoken/1976/760817bg.hyd|Bhagavad-gītā 13.22, Hyderabad, 1976]] --- ### Jīva-bhūtaḥ and Brahma-bhūtaḥ > As soon as this covering is taken away, then you become brahma-bhūtaḥ. Now we are jīva-bhūtaḥ. Under the covering of this material energy we are jīva-bhūtaḥ. When covering is taken away, then we are brahma-bhūtaḥ. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. — [[spoken/1976/760817bg.hyd|Bhagavad-gītā 13.22, Hyderabad, 1976]] --- ### Eternal Servants of Kṛṣṇa > The living entity is forever the servant of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa jīvera 'svarūpa' haya-kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa'. Dāsa means servant but not a servant just like we do in this world. This is no ordinary servitorship. Therefore, the living entities are known as superior energy, still, living entities are not enjoyers. — [[spoken/1972/720329bg.bom|Bhagavad-gītā 7.1, Bombay, 1972]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on the marginal position of the soul* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]