God and Living Entity, One in Quality, Different in Quantity

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Bhagavad-gītā 4.13 — October 19, 1975, Johannesburg 751019BG-JOHANNESBURG [51:04 Minutes] BG-04.13_751019BG-JOHANNESBURG Prabhupāda: cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam [Bg. 4.13] This is a verse from Bhagavad-gītā, Fourth Chapter, text number thirteen. Kṛṣṇa... The whole Bhagavad-gītā is bhagavata, means the Supreme Personality of Godhead; gītā, "spoken" or "sung." Gītā means "spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead," Bhagavad-gītā. Just like we speak, similarly God also speaks.

We hear; God also hear. We eat; God also eats. Everything, as we do, Lord Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He also does. The difference...

Difference is that He does unlimitedly; we do limitedly. That's all. The functions are the same, but His functions, His activities, are unlimited, and our functions are limited. Why so?

Now, because we are part and parcel of God. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ [Bg. 15.7]. We are part and parcel of God. The example is: just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body, so the strength of the finger is not as big as the whole body strength.

It is very easily understood. The bodily strength is different from the finger's strength. The finger is also part and parcel of this body. If I say...

If you ask, "What is this?" if I say, "It is my body," so there is no mistake; it is part of the body. But it is not the whole body. The whole body is different. Therefore God and the living entity, they are the same quality, but quantity different. So in the Vedas the description is there about God and ourselves: nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13].

What is God? God means He is the chief, nitya, chief. Nitya means eternal. Nityānām.

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