Bhagavagd Gita - Session 33- Track 3303

Now, what is the distinction between the two? In the higher nature also there are activities, movements, qualities, powers, forces, properties, all these things that are obtained in the movement are also in Para Prakriti, and the same is also in Apara Prakriti. But the distinction is that in Para Prakriti’s movement, all movements are ‘sovereign’, and all movements are ‘unified’: that is the mark of Para Prakriti. Whenever any movement takes place it is unopposed, every movement: in Para Prakriti every movement is unopposed. Therefore, every movement is sovereign. There is no sense of opposition at all; every action therefore is sovereign; every expression is sovereign, it rules over all the others. And secondly all the movements are unified and that is also another mark. In Para Prakriti no movement is seen as isolated movement. Every movement is seen as part of the totality, of the whole, and every movement is automatically unified with all the others. There is an automatic harmony.

There is a subordinate corollary of this and this is that in Para Prakriti everything is devoid of struggle, devoid of effort; there is spontaneity, effortlessness; and automatic strength, inherent strength.

Now these are the special qualities by which you can distinguish between what is pertaining to Para Prakriti and what is not pertaining to Para Prakriti. Whenever there is an expression which is ‘sovereign’, whenever there is an expression which is ‘unified’, wherever there is a movement which is devoid of effort, where there is spontaneity is perfect.

Now these characteristics also are found in Apara Prakriti from time to time. And whenever these appear even in Apara Prakriti, we can say that’s perfect. A smile of the child which happens spontaneously, effortlessly, that smile is perfect, because there is no opposition to it, there is no constraint on it, it issues automatically spontaneously, effortlessly. A child answering a question to an examiner in a small school, at a very low level of examination and the child simply says: “I don’t know”. It’s a perfect answer. You simply love it because, there is innocence, there is a perfect sincerity, a spontaneity.

Now, these ideas about perfection are important to be kept in mind when we consider this Vibhutiyoga. What Sri Krishna wants to explain to us is that in this world of manifestation, there are two levels of manifestation: one manifestation that takes place in Para Prakriti and another manifestation that takes place in Apara Prakriti. In Para Prakriti everything is perfect; in Apara Prakriti everything is imperfect. And yet this imperfection tends towards perfection and this is very important. In Apara Prakriti everything is imperfect, but it tends towards perfection. So, unless you know what is perfect we won’t understand how it tends towards perfection. There are therefore degrees of imperfections: there are lesser degrees of imperfections, greater degrees of imperfection. Wherever there is higher degree of imperfection, it is viśeśa vibhuti, it is special becoming… Higher degrees tending towards greater perfection: that is Vibhuti.