living entity, is a form of consciousness, and the other is a form of consciousness. This is the difference between them. That is why the living entity is said to be superior. Because the living entity has the same consciousness as God. Yet God is the supreme consciousness. No one should say that the living entity is also the form of supreme consciousness. The living entity cannot become the form of supreme consciousness in any state of perfection. The theory that he can become so is a misleading theory. Although he is a form of consciousness, he is not fully conscious or the form of supreme consciousness.

The difference between the living entity and God is explained in the Thirteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. God is the knower of the field, that is, the knower. So is the living entity. But while the living entity is aware of his own body, God is aware of all bodies. Since He resides in the heart of every living entity, He knows all the mental movements of all living entities. We should not forget this. It is also explained that the Supreme Soul (God) resides in the heart of every living entity as the God, the controller, and gives instructions to the living entity to act as He wishes. The living entity forgets what to do. First he decides to act in one way, and then he gets entangled in the reactions of his karma. Just as we take off and put on clothes, he gives up one type of body and enters into another. In this way the soul changes and experiences the results of past karma. When a living being understands what kind of actions he can undertake while in the mode of goodness and in the state of stability of intellect, he can change those actions. If he can do so, all the actions and reactions of his past actions will change. This is why karma is not eternal. That is why it is said that four of the five elements (God, living being, nature, time, and action) are eternal, while karma is not eternal.

The Supreme Conscious Lord is thus similar to the living entity. That is, the consciousness of the Lord and the consciousness of the living entity are divine. Consciousness is not produced by the combination of inert matter. That is a wrong view. The theory that consciousness develops under certain conditions of material combination is not accepted in the Bhagavad Gita. Just as light transmitted through a colored mirror appears as a particular color, consciousness is not produced by material phenomena.

Even though it may appear to be reflected in a distorted way, the consciousness of the Lord is not physically affected. “Mayadhyakshena prakruti” says Lord Krishna. When He appeared in the material world, His consciousness was not physically affected. If He had been affected in that way, He would have been unfit to speak on divine matters, as He did in the Bhagavad-gita. No one can speak anything about the spiritual world unless he is free from materially contaminated consciousness. Therefore, the Lord is not materially contaminated. However, at present our consciousness is materially contaminated. The Bhagavad-gita teaches that we should purify this materially contaminated consciousness. In pure consciousness, our actions become connected with the will of God. That makes us happy. It does not mean that we should stop all actions. Instead, we should purify those actions. Only purified activities are called devotion. Although devotional activities appear to be ordinary activities, they are not contaminated. To the ignorant, a devotee may appear to be acting or functioning like an ordinary person. But such an ignorant person does not know that the activities of a devotee of the Lord are not contaminated by contaminated consciousness or inert matter. They are beyond the three modes of nature. However, we must know that at present our consciousness is contaminated.

Only when we are materially contaminated are we said to be depraved. False consciousness manifests itself in the thought, “I am a product of nature.” This is called false ego. One who is absorbed in the thought of body consciousness cannot understand his own position. The Bhagavad-gita was spoken to liberate man from body consciousness. Arjuna placed himself in that position to receive this information from God. Man must be liberated from body consciousness. That is the basic work of a spiritualist. One who wants to be free, one who wants to be liberated, must first learn that he is not this material body. Liberation means liberation from material consciousness. Liberation is also defined in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. “Muktirjitvavyatha rupam swaroopena satsaptihih” Liberation means liberation from the contaminated consciousness of this material world and establishment in pure consciousness. All the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita are intended to awaken this pure consciousness. That is why we see Lord Krishna asking Arjuna at the last stage of the Gita’s teachings whether he is now in pure consciousness or not. Pure consciousness is the state of the

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