परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातन: | य: स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति || 20 || |
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“But beyond this unmanifested nature, there is another eternal Unmanifested existence. That Supreme existence does not perish even when all beings perish.”
Commentary: Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna that there exists a state called, ““avyaktah avyaktāt”, an Unmanifest state beyond the immediate unmanifested state of the world. He refers to it as “sanātanaḥ” or Eternal. This Unmanifested nature is beyond the realm of ordinary perception and is eternal in its essence.
Consider the analogy of carving a wooden sculpture: initially existing as an _unmanifested_ idea in the mind of a sculptor with a desire to create. As materials are gathered and the carving begins, the _manifestation_ becomes a beautiful sculpture. Eventually, when the sculpture dissolves into its components after many centuries, the _manifested_ state dissipates. What, then, was the state of consciousness before the initial desire arose? It was a state devoid of thoughts, desires, and attachments—an existence in the realm of the soul, the Primordial Unmanifest state that is eternal and impervious to dissolution, where no subsequent creation of desire can manifest.
Creation and dissolution are the two inseparable sides of existence, akin to two sides of a coin. If one exists, the other also exists! When a person passes away, he enters the unmanifest state carrying all the earthly vibrations of desires necessitating a subsequent rebirth in a new body. However, in the absence of any vibrational desire i.e., coin of existence, that supreme state of consciousness becomes Still, Quiet and Eternal, untouched by the cycles of creation and dissolution. This eternal existence is beyond the limitations of time, space, and causation.
Lord Krishna encourages Arjuna, and all seekers, to strive for union with the true Unmanifested existence. One can attain liberation from the fleeting nature of the _manifested_ and immediately _unmanifested_ vibrating worlds to merge with the motionless *Unmanifested* Imperishable Reality.