Gita 08.20 – The spiritual is not just non-manifest but also nonmaterial
Bhagavad Gita 8.20 8.20 8.20 there is another nature 8.20 another transcendental 8.20 beyond the manifest and unmanifest nature Krishna is talking about how the material nature is sometimes manifested and sometimes unmanifest 8.20 8.20 8.20 8.20 8.20 he has stated that in a cyclic way matter becomes manifest and then it becomes unmanifest so here he is stating that the matter which is unmanifest is not transcendental, it is not spiritual so the spiritual reality exists beyond the manifest matter and the unmanifest matter यह ससर्वेशु भूतेशु and everything in this world नश्चत्सु नविनश्चति and everything in this world is destroyed that part, the spiritual world परभाव that is not destroyed in this section of the Bhagavad Gita Krishna is comparing the material and the spiritual worlds and he is thereafter so in the previous three verses 17-19 he has talked about how everything in the material world including even the God of Brahma is temporary and in this verse he is going to talk about how the spiritual world is eternal so this and the next two verses he will talk about the eternality of the spiritual world and Krishna will later on reiterate that this spiritual world is non-different from his kingdom his abode we will talk about that in 8.22 let's focus on the essential point of this verse here Krishna is stating that actually the spiritual world is different from the material world in both the manifest and the unmanifested and the defining characteristic is that it is it remains, it survives and exists and flourishes even when everything in this world is destroyed the word manifest and unmanifest can in different contexts refer to different things we will see how in 8.22 Krishna uses the word unmanifest to refer to the spiritual world whereas the same word avyakta which is used here refers to the material things which are not manifest to the senses so now avyakta can refer to two things even at the material level so broadly subtle matter as contrasted with gross matter is also avyakta subtle matter is also temporary is also unmanifest to our senses and so it can also be called avyakta and that means the mind, the intelligence, the ego these cannot be perceived with our senses in that sense they are unmanifest and gross matter also goes into an unmanifest state during the during the intermission between two phases between two creations that is gross matter also in an unmanifest state that means it still has the potentiality to manifest in multiple forms that are perceived with multiple attributes perceivable by the various senses but it is presently in an unmanifest state that is what happens between the intermissions between two phases of creation and beyond that there is the state of there is a spiritual state so spiritual is also unmanifest and it is unmanifest to the senses and it is not in the phases it is always unmanifest to our senses and you may say that subtle matter is also unmanifest to our senses but subtle matter is not characterized by यहसे सर्वेशु मुतेशु नश्चत्सु नविनश्चति in the case of subtle matter when everything in this world is destroyed that subtle matter doesn't continue to exist that is also destroyed the senses are useful on the spiritual path for for the purpose of engagement not for the purpose of perception or learning primarily spiritual reality is not perceivable with our senses and so in that sense it is fundamentally different from material reality especially cross material reality Krishna will later on in the 15th chapter in the 10th verse talk about how अत्करामन्तम्स्तं वापी भुञ्जानं वागुणान्वितम् वे बुधानानु पशंति पशंति ग्यान चक्षुशः पशंति ग्यान चक्षुशः ग्यान चक्षुशः the soul can perceive be perceived not with the gross senses but with the eyes of knowledge ग्यान चक्षुशः unmanifest means that which is not perceivable with our eyes not perceivable with our senses but that which can be perceived with our with the knowledge that we have the spiritual is indestructible that is one of its defining characteristics it is also invisible but it is not unattainable it can be attained by purification by elevation of consciousness which we will talk about which will be talked about in the Bhagavad Gita in the subsequent verses and the subsequent chapters here Krishna is continuing from what he spoke in 8.16 8.16 talks about two things आब्रमभुवनालोका पुनरावर्थिनो अर्जुन मामुपेत्यतु कौन्तेय पुनरावर्थिनो अर्जुन मामुपेत्यतु कौन्तेय so first half of this verse talks about 8.16 8.16 A and B talks about from the highest to the lowest planets this world is a place of death and destruction second half of it talks about how if those who attain Krishna's abode they don't come back again so the A and B have been expanded in 17, 18, 19 and the C and D by A, B, C, D we are referring to the lines of the verse so A, B are the first two lines आब्रमभुवनालोका पुनरावर्थिनो अर्जुन and C and D are मामुपेत्यतु कौन्तेय पुनरजन्मनविद्यते so by worshipping Krishna we don't take birth again so where do we go? what is that attainment by going where we won't take birth again that Krishna is elaborating in this verse, these three verses and he begins that by declaring that there is an abode which is indestructible and that is beyond the manifest and unmanifest material, it is transcendental thank you.