Another Invisible Existence*

The Mahābhārata contains no chapter headings. This title was assigned by the translator on the basis of verse 20 of this chapter.

“Arjuna said: What is this spiritual reality? What is the Supreme Soul? What is cultural activity, O Supermost Personality? … And speaking of the Supreme Supernatural Person and Power, what is that described to be?

“Who is the Supreme Regulator of religious ceremonies and disciplines? How is He located here in this body, O killer of Madhu? And how, at the time of departure from the body, are You to be known by those persons who are subdued?

“The Blessed Lord said: The spiritual reality is unaffected and supreme. The Supreme Soul is described as a personal existence Who causes the production of the mundane world? Cultural action is known as creative power.

“The sum total of gross reality is ever-changing nature. …

“If at the end of one’s life, one recalls Me in particular, as one gives up the body, one is elevated to My condition of existence. There is no doubt about this.

“Moreover, whatever texture of existence is recalled when a person abandons his body in the end, to that same type of life, he is projected, O son of Kuntī, always being transformed into that status of life. “Therefore, at all times, remember Me and fight. Anchor naturally shifted out of visibility at the arrival of each of Brahma’s nights. It again comes into existence at the onset of Brahma’s day. …

“But higher than this, there is another invisible existence, which is higher than the primeval unmanifested states of this dissolvable creation. …

“That invisible world is unalterable, so it is declared. The authorities say that it is the supreme objective. Attaining that, they do not return here. That place is My supreme residence.

“That Supreme Person, O son of Kunti(or Arjun) is attainable through a devotional relationship and not by any other means. Within His influence, all beings exist. By Him, all the universe is energized. … “The yogi, having known all this, goes beyond the good results which are derived from the study of the Veda, beyond religious ceremonies and disciplines, beyond austerities and beyond offering scripturally-recommended gifts in charity. He goes to the Supreme Primal State.” ~Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 8

Spiritual Reality

Spiritual reality is something materialistic people have difficulty understanding. Either they don’t believe in it at all, or they see it as a kind of mirror image or ghostly image of the physical world. They think that in the spiritual world they will live in a house, go fishing, play with their dog or cat, etc. just as in the physical world. But that is not at all what the Spiritual World is. It is very different and those who have seen it say it cannot be described adequately in language designed to describe the physical. The first thing to know is that it is full of Light, bright Light, the Light of God that creates and nourishes all souls.

Supreme Soul, Supreme Regulator

The answer to the questions Arjuna asks here should be obvious. God (Brahman, or Supreme Brahman) is the Supreme Soul, the Supreme Regulator, and the Supreme Good. Lord Krishna says that he is the answer, he is the supreme lord but he is speaking as a Christ. When he advises, “think of me,” it means to think of the Christ Spirit.

Spiritual Reality is Unaffected and Supreme

I’m not sure this is really an answer to Arjuna’s question, but what Sri Krishna is saying here is that the realm of spirit is not altered by what happens in the physical world and it is the supreme realm because it is the realm created by the true God called Brahman in the Upanishads. The realm of matter, the material world, is the creation of the false god that the Gnostics call the Demiurge. The Spiritual realm of the true God is all-pervading and imperishable.

Texture of Existence

Lord Krishna then tells Arjuna (or Arjun) that whatever “texture of Existence is recalled” when he departs from the physical body determines the type of afterlife he experiences. While we in Cosolargy can agree with that to some degree, we can’t agree entirely. It is not just what you are thinking at the time of death, but how you have been living for years before physical death that matters most. Many atheists or non-religious people suddenly get faith when they know they are dying, but that is almost always too late to save your individual soul. They most likely have not awakened and developed their spirit which is necessary for the soul to head toward Heaven when they die. As the Bible says, only one in a thousand is ready for such teachings.

Higher State

The higher state of invisible existence is the spiritual world. If we awaken our spirit and develop it while still in a physical body, we pass into the lowest levels of the spiritual realm after death and then continue our spiritual growth until we reach the highest level of spirit and consciousness (Purusha) called Heaven or Nirvana where we experience oneness with God and with all, where we are omniscient and achieve the level of Knowledge that the Gnostics call Gnosis. Only a small, but growing number of great souls have accomplished this awakening of the higher Self (Adhyatma). This is what Lord Krishna calls “my supreme abode”.

Devotional Relationship

A devotional relationship is required in order for us to become the Supreme Person (Adhyatma) and achieve Purusha as God meant us to, but what that means is not explained here. To many Christians, simply praying to Jesus and recognizing him as your savior is all that is required. Jesus never taught that nor did Buddha, Krishna, or any of the other great spiritual teachers. The Upanishads don’t say that. Jesus did not tell people to worship him in order to be saved. He told them to follow him, do as he did, and they would be saved. Unfortunately, exactly what he did in private with his apostles and disciples was never written down, so Christians don’t really know how to do what Jesus told them to do. We in Cosolargy have brought back some of the ancient teachings, including the use of Spiritual Sun Gazing to awaken our spirits. Unfortunately, only one in a thousand is ready for such knowledge. Many think that such things as sacrifices of their wealth (yajna) or celibacy will bring enlightenment. Or that they need to kill demons like Madhusudana. Too many physically embodied beings are trapped by the delights of the material world and their physical nature (adhibhuta). The day of Brahma is coming, and soon, so we should all be preparing. The Bhagavad Gita also called the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, is, like the teachings of Cosolargy, about saving the immortal souls of humans, which is the only part of us that many spiritual teachers consider living beings since only souls are immortal. So learn to be one with Vishnu, the preserver God of the Upanishads.