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Anutva of Jeevatma

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Vijay_Srinivasan • February 6, 1998 


Dear Prapatti Group Members:

Rajagopalan Murali had raised very interesting questions about the Jivatma.
I would like to share whatever little I have learned.

(1) The upanishads gives us the 'real' story of Saubhari.  Sage Saubhari
was a great yogi and he could co-exist in several bodies.  He married all
the King's daughters (about 50 of them through different wives) by assuming
different bodies.  However, the interesting part of the story was that
there was one central Saubhari who had the knowledge of all other
Saubharis.  It is not clear from the story whether the other Saubharis knew
each other or the central Saubhari.  It is like the Paramatma permeating
everything and having a knowledge of everything. The object or the being
that is permeated (for eg. the Jiva) does not necessarily have the
knowledge of the Paramatman.  As far as the Lord is concerned, we know Lord
Parasurama met Rama and the Lord can assume limitless number of forms all
at the same time.  That's why we call Him Yogesvaresvara. A crude analogy
is the multiple role played by the same individual but somehow
juxtapositioned in time.

(2) Generally, it is said like this of the Jivatma and Paramatma.  The Jiva
has one center with  circumference everywhere.  God has infinite centers
with circumference everywhere.  The circumference can be interpreted as
that of knowledge.

(3) I also think there is a subtle difference between Amsa and Avatara.
While avatara would mean that the same Jivatma (or entity) assumes
different forms, on the otherhand Amsa would imply that one entity has
chosen to work through the other.

I would seek the forgiveness of the learned members, if the above
interpretations are not in concordance with the Vishishtadvaiitic position.

Vijayaraghavan