Can you explain the difference between God and atma according to the Bhagavad-Gita?
Last Updated: 30.06.2025 03:59
Krishna sums the relationship up in two verses:-
Priyam = Love.
Asti = being
Bikini-clad Brooke Shields celebrates milestone birthday on beach vacation: ‘This is 60!’ - Page Six
Dvaita Vedānta - (Duality) God and the individual Self are absolutely distinct and separate.
Visiṣṭhādvaita Vedānta - (Qualified non-duality) They are one but ontologically distinct, like a flower and its smell or like a picture and its pixels.
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.
Reality TV star’s son dead at 16: ‘Life is so cruel and unfair’ - AL.com
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:-
Advaita Vedānta - (Non-duality) God (Paramātma) and the individual Self (jīvātma) are one and the same = identical.
Bhāti = illumination - consciousness
Eating green bananas can lower your risk of cancer by over 60% - The Brighter Side of News