The Eternity of God and the Living Entities

Lord Krishna and the living entities are eternal.

What Does Eternal Mean?

Eternal means:

That which has no beginning and no end.
It always existed, it exists now, and it will always continue to exist.

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🔆 1. Why We Struggle to Understand This

We are used to thinking:

• A baby is born one day.
• A tree grows from a seed.
• The sun rises and sets.

So we always think in terms of beginning and end, because we live inside material time

We are conditioned souls, bound by material time, which has past, present, and future. But the spiritual reality is beyond time. In the material world, everything is created, exists for some time, and then is destroyed.
Hence, we naturally think linearly: “Something must have a beginning.”

But in the spiritual world, time is eternal and non-destructive. Therefore:

• God is eternal and the soul is eternal.

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” — Bhagavad Gītā 2.12

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We are simultaneously one with Krishna and different from Him.

This is called “Achintya Bheda Abheda Tattva” — the inconceivable oneness and difference.

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🌞 Sun and Sunrays

Oneness (Abheda):

• Sunrays have the same nature as the sun — they give light and heat, just like the sun.
• Similarly, the jīva is spiritual, just like Krishna — sac-cid-ānanda (eternal, full of knowledge and bliss).

Difference (Bheda):

• The ray is tiny and dependent on the sun.
• It has no independent existence.
• Likewise, the jīva is a tiny spark of Krishna’s energy, and always dependent on Him.

“Just as the sun produces many rays, Krishna expands Himself into many jīvas.”

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🌳 Tree and Leaves

Oneness:

• The leaf is part of the tree.
• It shares the same life force coming from the root.
• In the same way, the soul is part of Krishna, sharing spiritual essence.

Difference:

• The leaf is not the whole tree. It is just a part.
• If the leaf is separated from the tree, it withers and dies.
• Likewise, if we forget Krishna, our spiritual life withers.

Our nourishment comes when we remain connected to Krishna — the root.

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🧍 Body and Limbs (Eye, Hand, etc.)

Oneness:

• The hand or eye is part of the body.
• It has value and meaning only in relation to the whole body.
• Similarly, the soul’s true nature is to serve Krishna, as His eternal part.

Difference:

• The eye cannot become the whole body.
• The hand cannot act independently.
• Likewise, the jīva can never become Krishna or act independently of Him.