Query on Jiva sarva gatah

[Guest guest]

> In Bg, Lord Krishna says, "Jiva sarva gatah"

 

> In SB 5th canto, we find that the space beyond "loka loka mountain" is

> un-populated. (Speaking from rememberance of what I had read few years

> back.) Since practically 50% of our universe is thus empty, how do we

> understand these two in sincronicity.

 

Srila Prabhupada on sarva-gatah:

 

"Similarly, it is understood from Bhagavad-gita that the spirit soul (nityah

sarva-gatah) may exist even within fire, water or outer space, since the

existence of the soul never depends upon material conditions but is an eternal

fact. "

 

"The spirit soul in Bhagavad-gita is called sarva-gatah, which means that he

has the ability to go wherever he likes."

 

"Krsna says, sarva-gatah. The living entities are everywhere. Krsna is also

within everyone."

 

"Every atmosphere is suitable for life-any atmosphere. Therefore the Vedas[1]

describe the living entities as sarva-gatah, which means 'existing in all

circumstances.'"

 

"So nobody has gone there, but this means the soul is everywhere. As soon as it

gets the opportunity, it accepts a material body immediately. As soon as there

is opportunity. That is explained in the Seventh Chapter very nicely. "

 

"Sarva-gatah. So the spirit soul has got so much freedom, sarva-gatah, anywhere

he likes he can go. But this impediment is this body which is checking our

freedom. So if you get rid of this material body and be situated in spiritual

body... Just like Narada Muni, he can move anywhere, he's moving, his business

is moving. Sometimes he's going to Vaikunthaloka or sometimes coming to this

material loka. He has got spiritual body, he's free to move anywhere,

spaceman."

 

So the souls inhabiting this universe are everywhere but they are not able to

go beyond Lokaloka i.e Alokavarsa because they cannot do so in any kind of

material body. 'The soul is everywhere' should not be accepted literally saying

it means that the soul compulsorily has to be everywhere. Prabhupada says that

sarva-gatah that it may* exist even within fire, water or outer space. If

Krishna dosen't want any living entities to be there in Aloka-varsa (region of

total darkness), then how can the living entities enter there. This is because

beyond Asoka-varsa in the Vaikuntha in this material world which Krsna wants to

be made inaccesible to unqualified living entities. So this unihabited

Asoka-varsa is there.

 

"And past this Lokaloka range of mountains is this Aloka-varsa, which is

described that there is no living being which can go to there. The only

occasion where anyone went through there is when Krsna and Arjuna went to see

the Maha-Visnu in the spiritual sky. So Krsna with His cakra penetrated through

all of these regions, and then He went through all of the coverings of the

universe who were there. That was the only occasion where anyone went to this

land. So this is a general picture of Bhu-mandala."

 

The lower complete half (50%) portion is filled by the Garbhodaka ocean. So

considering a unihabited strip of one billion miles on the upper part of the

universe after Lokaloka, it is almost 44% of the total volume of the universe.

 

"My dear King, outside Lokaloka Mountain is the tract of land known as

Aloka-varsa, which extends for the same breadth as the area within the

mountain-in other words, 125,000,000 yojanas [one billion miles]. Beyond

Aloka-varsa is the destination of those who aspire for liberation from the

material world. It is beyond the jurisdiction of the material modes of nature,

and therefore it is completely pure. Lord Krsna took Arjuna through this place

to bring back the sons of the brahmana."

 

"Past this golden land, until here, is the Lokaloka Mountain, which is the

border between this Aloka-varsa, or the uninhabited land, and the inhabited

place. This Aloka-varsa is constituted by a protective mountain that stops the

rays of the sun to go beyond this portion. And it goes very, very high, it is

described. It goes higher than Dhruvaloka. So the whole planetary system of

Bhu-mandala is like a big lotus flower with very high, high petals. It is very

wonderful."

 

"Viraraghava Acarya mentions that this Vaikuntha is within the universe. It is

situated above the mountain known as Lokaloka. This planet is worshiped by

everyone."

 

"Lord Krsna then took Arjuna onto His transcendental chariot, and the two of

them crossed over the seven universal islands with their seven oceans, passed

over the Lokaloka mountain range and entered the region of dense darkness.

Since the horses could not find their way, Krsna sent His blazing Sudarsana

disc ahead to pierce the gloom. Gradually they came to the water of the Causal

Ocean, within which they found the city of Lord Maha-Visnu."

 

Your servant,

Nayana-ranjana das