The material world is a place where everyone must work hard. Human life is meant for high thinking and simple living, so that we may understand our true nature. For this, we must understand what this world is, who God is, and who I am.
Shakti and Shaktiman – Energy and Its Master
The scriptures describe that three tattvas – truths or realities – exist: Īśvara (God), jīva (the living entity), and prakṛti (material nature). These truths are also called viṣṇu-tattva, jīva-tattva, and śakti-tattva, respectively.
na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate
na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate
parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate
svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca
"He has no duty to perform, and no one is found to be equal to Him or greater than Him. His powers are multifarious, and thus His deeds are the automatic result of His natural desires."
— Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8
Three Primary Energies
Krishna possesses an innumerable multitude of energies, but the sages group them into three primary ones:
Cit-śakti
Internal energy (antaranga-śakti) – the spiritual world and all transcendental objects.
Jīva-śakti
Marginal energy (tatastha-śakti) – the living entities, situated between spirit and matter.
Māyā-śakti
External energy (bahiranga-śakti) – the material world of illusion.
Important to Understand
Krishna is sarva-śaktiman – He possesses all powers. There is no power that does not depend on Him. The Vedānta-sūtra states: śakti-śaktimator abhedaḥ – energy and the Personality of Godhead are non-different.
Functions of Svarūpa-śakti
Śrīmatī Rādhikā is the full śakti of Krishna. She is called Krishna's svarūpa-śakti (essential power). This energy has three primary functions:
Sandhinī
Energy of eternal existence
Represented by Lord Balarāma. Manifests all transcendental objects and places.
Samvit
Power of knowledge
Embodied by Krishna Himself. Manifests all moods of relationships and emotions.
Hlādinī
Energy of pleasure
Embodied by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Bestows the highest transcendental bliss.
Energies Table
| Energy | Sandhinī (Eternity) | Samvit (Knowledge) | Hlādinī (Bliss) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal | Spiritual world, God's names, forms, qualities, and pastimes | Spectrum of transcendental moods of love | Pure spiritual love (prema) |
| Marginal | Spiritual existence of the living entity, eternal name, and form | Impersonal knowledge of Brahman | Bliss of Brahman-realization |
| External | Material universe, gross and subtle bodies | Conditioned thinking, hopes, and anxieties | Material pleasures |
1. Antaranga-śakti – Internal Energy
It is also called cit-śakti. This energy manifests in the spiritual world. It reveals all objects and relationships of the transcendental world. Essentially, it is the power of consciousness, indicating that in the spiritual world, all objects are of a conscious nature.
Qualities of Internal Energy
- Manifests Krishna's transcendental pastimes in Goloka and Gokula
- Is non-different from the Lord's body
- All objects in the spiritual world are conscious
- Eternal and unchanging
2. Bahiranga-śakti – External Energy
Unlike the internal energy, which is alive, bahiranga-śakti is inert and lifeless. It is completely controlled by laws created by the Lord. Material energy is divided into two parts:
Māyā
Illusory energy, the effective principle. It is a shadow of Krishna's hlādinī-śakti. Māyā always feels a sense of shame and cannot appear in the presence of the Lord.
Pradhāna
The base of material elements, which is completely lifeless and has no active power.
Important to Know
The Lord Himself never comes into contact with His external energy. He controls it through intermediate energies. Māyā-śakti is a shadow of cit-śakti – the diversity of the material world is only a perverted reflection of the spiritual world.
3. Tata-stha-śakti – Marginal Energy
Tata means shore, the boundary between land and water. Tata-stha-śakti is called jīva-śakti. Living entities are spiritual by nature, but due to their weakness, they cannot resist Māyā.
Position of the Jīva
Living entities are the marginal energy because they are between the internal and external energies. They are inconceivably small and therefore always prone to fall under the influence of either the material or spiritual energy.
The jīva is an atomic power of svarūpa-śakti – all three aspects of svarūpa-śakti (hlādinī, samvit, sandhinī) manifest in it in a minute quantity.
Reasons for Creation
The Lord manifests the variety of His energies to enjoy transcendental relationships. Krishna is the cause of everything – He is non-different from His energies, but at the same time remains distinct as a transcendental person.
Nimitta-kāraṇa
Efficient cause – who creates the world?
Upādāna-kāraṇa
Material cause – from what is the world created?
Svarūpa-kāraṇa
Formal cause – how is the world created?
Artha-kāraṇa
Final cause – for what purpose is the world created?
Acintya-bhedābheda-tattva
Acintya means inconceivable. Bheda-abheda means difference and oneness. The Lord is different from the world and non-different at the same time.
Analogy of the Spider
Just as a spider spins a web from itself, spins it itself, the form of the web corresponds to its desires, and the web is the spider's home – so also Krishna creates the world from Himself. The spider does not get entangled in its own web, although other insects do. Similarly, Krishna does not get entangled in the material world.
Relationship between the Jīva and God
Living entities are qualitatively identical to the Lord because they have the same spiritual nature. However, the Lord is Vibhū-ātmā – the infinite soul, while the jīvas are aṇu-ātmā – atomic souls.
Like the Sun and its particles of light – all particles possess the Sun's qualities but have them in very minute quantities. Every soul is a tiny Krishna, but at the same time, not Krishna.
Self-Check Questions
- List in Sanskrit and describe the three primary energies of Krishna and their manifestations.
- What is the difference between eternal associates of Krishna and ordinary living entities?
- How does the illusory energy of the Lord function?
- In what way does the internal energy of the Lord intervene in this material world and in the lives of conditioned souls?
- Explain why the material world is a shadow of the spiritual world?
- What does 'acintya-bhedābheda-tattva' mean?