Gaṅgā appears to originate from Gaumukh in the Himalayas, like other rivers fed by glaciers. Why then does the Bhāgavatam describe it as coming from space and falling on the head of Śiva?
“In this way, the self that leaves the body and goes to another body is not purely spiritual. There is a soul there, surrounded by all of these material coverings that form the subtle body.”
I recognize the difference between the Dvait and Adwait takes on whether the soul is individualized. The following video explains the transfer of subtle body and says that it is not the soul itself that moves. Just curious if this can be reconciled or just treated as the age-long difference between the two paths. 🙏
Actually is like that in Vaiṣnava philosophy also. The soul never leaves the spiritual sky, it is just reflected in matter, as consciousness. This forms the subtle body, which is the component that goes from one body to the other. This is the material identity we identify with, but thats not exactly us.
“The path in this case would be to first come to the point about ghosts and other evidence of a subtle plane around us, and if this can be established, expand it to a description of levels of reality that we can’t detect with our senses, culminating with the spiritual level. Only when this is agreed upon does it become possible to enter into other descriptions, like the descent of Gaṅgā.”
Happy to read this part. This is usually the trick that comes to me when I try to convince myself or others of there being a subtler plane beyond the usual physical. Because that is so important to first establish before we go too far trying to understand the details explained in the Puranas.
“In this way, the self that leaves the body and goes to another body is not purely spiritual. There is a soul there, surrounded by all of these material coverings that form the subtle body.”
I recognize the difference between the Dvait and Adwait takes on whether the soul is individualized. The following video explains the transfer of subtle body and says that it is not the soul itself that moves. Just curious if this can be reconciled or just treated as the age-long difference between the two paths. 🙏
https://youtu.be/Zb1mLzRL3wc?si=gLqxKmYF3rBUWe3l
Hare Krsna!
Actually is like that in Vaiṣnava philosophy also. The soul never leaves the spiritual sky, it is just reflected in matter, as consciousness. This forms the subtle body, which is the component that goes from one body to the other. This is the material identity we identify with, but thats not exactly us.
There is an explanation of this context here: https://www.ccdas.net/p/how-the-soul-enters-the-body-without-leaving?open=false#%C2%A7how-the-soul-enters-the-body-without-leaving-the-spiritual-sky
If you read the whole book, there are other interesting points connected with it. :-)
“The path in this case would be to first come to the point about ghosts and other evidence of a subtle plane around us, and if this can be established, expand it to a description of levels of reality that we can’t detect with our senses, culminating with the spiritual level. Only when this is agreed upon does it become possible to enter into other descriptions, like the descent of Gaṅgā.”
Happy to read this part. This is usually the trick that comes to me when I try to convince myself or others of there being a subtler plane beyond the usual physical. Because that is so important to first establish before we go too far trying to understand the details explained in the Puranas.
🙏
Yes, there are many things around us we can’t see. We are just like ants, too absorbed in our immediate surroundings to see the whole picture