Hayagriva das
(jiva.org) Question: I read elsewhere that it is Paramātmā who is present everywhere, in the atoms and in the hearts of every living entity. So, do Kṛṣṇa and Paramātmā both exist everywhere? Or is it Kṛṣṇa that exists everywhere but some see Him as Paramātmā? I am trying to understand the difference in all-pervasiveness of Kṛṣṇa and Paramātmā.
Answer: Paramātmā is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa to look after the affairs of the material creation. He is nondifferent from Krṣṇa. It is Paramātmā who exists everywhere in the material creation. Kṛṣṇa thus pervades the creation through His Paramātmā aspect. This is hinted at by Him in Gītā 9.4–5.
Question: Kṛṣṇa says in Gītā 10.42, ekāṁśena sthito jagat. Does this mean that Kṛṣṇa pervades as Paramātmā and as well as He Himself? Because here He clearly says ekāṁśena.
Answer: He pervades by His part, Paramātmā, not personally as Kṛṣṇa. There is no need for Him to pervade the creation personally. He achieves His purpose through Paramātmā.
Question: Is it true that the Paramātmā of the devotees is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and not his aṃśa?
Answer: Yes. Paramātmā is the ruler of the nondevotees and when one takes shelter of Bhagavān, then such a person comes under the jurisdiction of Bhagavān. Bhagavān also takes the role of Paramātmā for such a person. Although there is no difference between Bhagavān and Paramātmā, yet there is also some difference. Paramātmā, also called Īśvara, means the regulator or controller. To do the function of the regulation, Kṛṣṇa expands Himself into the Paramātmā form. Paramātmā is like an official form of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is like a head of a state in His private life, with His family members. In the material world, a person with a big post may have an official dress but at home, he remains in his casual dress. In the case of Kṛṣṇa, He has two forms. You can compare the two forms and see the difference, which is indicative of the difference in their roles.
