Can you explain the difference between God and atma according to the Bhagavad-Gita?
Last Updated: 19.06.2025 10:00
Asti = being
So these verses affirm the identity of God and the Individual Self and there are three views according to the three major schools of Vedānta.
Krishna sums the relationship up in two verses:-
How do military families handle communication when a service member is injured overseas?
Bhāti = illumination - consciousness
Advaita Vedānta - (Non-duality) God (Paramātma) and the individual Self (jīvātma) are one and the same = identical.
Dvaita Vedānta - (Duality) God and the individual Self are absolutely distinct and separate.
Have you ever heard of the god Priapus being the same as the god Phosphorus?
Visiṣṭhādvaita Vedānta - (Qualified non-duality) They are one but ontologically distinct, like a flower and its smell or like a picture and its pixels.
One may ask which of these three views is correct - well each school argues its case in depth and prolixity. The summary and take away information is that Param-ātma and jīvātma are intimately and inseparably related to each other and share three qualities:-
Priyam = Love.