Adi-lila, Chapter 7 105
TRANSLATION

“The Lord is like a great blazing fire, and the living entities are like small sparks
of that fire.

PURPORT

Although sparks and a big fire are both fire and both have the power to burn, the
burning power of the fire and that of the spark are not the same. Why should one
artificially try to become like a big fire although by constitution he is like a small
spark? It is due to ignorance. One should therefore understand that neither the
Supreme Personality of Godhead nor the small sparklike living entities have any-
thing to do with matter, but when the spiritual spark comes in contact with the
material world his fiery quality is extinguished. That is the position of the con-
ditioned souls. Because they are in touch with the material world, their spiritual
quality is almost dead, but because these spiritual sparks are all Krsna’s parts and
parcels, as the Lord states in Bhagavad-gita (mamaivamsah), they can revive their
original position by getting free from material contact. This is pure philosophical
understanding. In Bhagavad-gita the spiritual sparks are declared to be sanatana
(eternal); therefore the material energy, maya, cannot affect their constitutional
position.

Someone may argue, ‘‘Why is there a need to create the spiritual sparks?’’ The
answer can be given in this way. Since the Absolute Personality of Godhead is
omnipotent, He has both unlimited and limited potencies. This is the meaning of
omnipotent. To be omnipotent, He must have not only unlimited potencies but
limited potencies also. Thus to exhibit His omnipotency He displays both. The
living entities are endowed with limited potency although they are part of the Lord.
The Lord displays the spiritual world by His unlimited potencies, whereas by His
limited potencies the material world is displayed. |n Bhagavad-gita the Lord says:

apareyam itas tvanyam
prakrtim viddhi me param
jiva-bhutam maha-baho
yayedam dharyate jagat
“Besides the inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of
Mine, which is all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are
sustaining the universe.” (Bg. 7.5) The jiva-bhuta, living entities, control this material
world with their limited potencies. Generally, people are bewildered by the activities
of scientists and technologists. Due to maya they think that there is no need of God
and that they can do everything and anything, but actually they cannot. Since this
cosmic manifestation is limited, their existence is also limited. Everything in this
material world is limited, and for this reason there is creation, sustenance and disso-
lution. However, in the world of unlimited energy, the spiritual world, there is
neither creation nor destruction.

If the Personality of Godhead did not possess both limited and unlimited energies,

He could not be called omnipotent. Mahato mahiyan anuto ‘niyan: He is greater
