690425 - Letter to Lilavati written from Boston

Letters by Date, 1969

Tridandi Goswami

A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness

CENTER: 95 Glenville Avenue
Allston, Mass. 02134

DATE: April 25, 1969

My Dear Lilavati,

Please accept my blessings to yourself as well as to your good husband and nice daughter, Subhadra. I beg to thank you for your letter dated April 18, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding your question about the relationship between the living entities and Krishna, the answer is that qualitatively we are one with Krishna: There is no qualitative difference, although the living entity has a different function than Krishna. Prakrti means nature. Just like fire; its nature is heat, and the heat is not a different quality although the function is different. In one sense, fire and heat are nondifferent. Therefore, Lord Chaitanya's philosophy of inconceivably simultaneously one and different is the perfect philosophy of our relationship with the Absolute Truth. Everything is manifestation of the prakrti of the Lord, exactly like the heat and light of the fire. Heat and light are not different from the fire, but at the same time, heat and light are not the fire. In this way we have to understand the purusa and prakrti. The Lord is the purusa, or Enjoyer, and prakrti is the enjoyed.

Regarding your question about our relationship with Srimati Radharani, She is the internal energy, we are marginal energy. Marginal means sometimes internal, sometimes external. When we are under the internal energy, that is our normal life, and when we are under the external energy, that is our abnormal life. Therefore, we are called marginal energy; we can be either this way or that way. But being qualitatively one with the purusa, our tendency is to remain in the internal energy. Being in the external energy is our artificial attempt.

I hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami