Bhagavad Gītā – Chapter 7 Notes

 

Krishna describes how he is the source, foundation, sustainer and destination of the universe.  This is an important concept: although the Gita accepts and teaches the fundamentals of Samkhya philosophy, it also rejects the Samkhya doctrine of duality -- of the universe consisting of prakṛti  plus puruṣa, in favour of one which unites both within Brahman.  Puruṣa in Chapter 7 is the static, unmanifest aspect of Brahman which is pure spirit, pure consciousness; as contrasted with prakṛti, the manifest aspect of Brahman which is substance, matter, energy, differentiation, phenomena.

 

“Part of the Gita’s genius lies in its universality.  While some are more direct than others, all religious traditions are recognized as valid paths to God, and since all deities and all religious conceptions are embodiments of a simple Divine Truth, one can, by worshipping any god, worship the one God.”  (Barbara Powell, Windows into the Infinite, pp. 48-49)

 

 

 

 

Notes from Radhakrishnan’s commentary on BG