In the Chatur Shloki Bhagavatam, Krishna refers to himself inclusively, not exclusively – what does this mean?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Krishna is using in this verse I in the inclusive sense and it’s like saying everything existed everything exists and everything will exist in the future so what is the point of that? that’s an obvious known fact no, the point is that I and everything are in one sense the same that those who become Jnanavan they understand that Vasudev is everything so there is our philosophy is there is Bhed and there is Abhed sometimes because most of our Acharyas have written at a time when impersonalism was prominent so they have focused on countering impersonalism a lot, that’s why we focus a lot on the Bhed aspect but the Abhed is also there and we can’t deny that so when it is said that I am everything you could say in one sense I am everything and everything exists in the past the point here is to see everything as integrated with Krishna to see that whatever exists it is not disconnected from Krishna now going back to the same Gita verse 7.19 Krishna says that still there is a difference that when he is saying Vasudev is everything at the same time he is saying that people don’t surrender to everything the Mahatmas surrender to me the Mahatmas no so they have not said Gyanavan Sarvam Prapadyate it is Vasudeva Sarvam it is true but Gyanavan they surrender to Vasudev not to Sarvam, why? because Vasudev pervades the world and also exists beyond the world so both are there so that way when this is Aham then I alone exist so when I am saying it is in an inclusive sense that means that basically Krishna is saying don’t see the world as separate from me so other than saying it as everything existed, everything exists and everything will exist, other is saying that you know when nothing existed I existed when everything exists still it is I alone who exists that means I and everything are one and in what sense they are one that is a matter of philosophical discussion and then again everything will be destroyed, nothing will exist at that time I will exist so the I alone existing is easy to understand before creation and after destruction but while creation is manifest how does I alone exist, what does that mean that means that even when the creation is existing at one level the world and the God are different but another level the world and God are also one so this verse is focusing on the oneness and we are clarifying that the oneness is not absolute oneness but it is a oneness with a differentiation within it, that there are different energies and there are energies for example Jiva has consciousness, has free will so in that sense it is a it is not saying that everything existed everything exists, everything will exist, rather whatever exists, put it another way, whatever existed was me whatever exists is me whatever will exist is me so now whatever exists is me how to understand that that is the, that is not to say that everything that exists apart from me is maya, it is to understand that everything that exists seemingly apart from me it is not actually apart from me, it is connected with me, it is integrated with me and in that sense the next verse says that you see something as separate from me entirely, that is maya that’s how it is