Supreme Self v. Self v. self

[sdevante]

Namaste!

I am studying the Bhagavad Gita, Ecknath Easwaran translation, and am confused by Chapter 15.

In the introduction, it explains that: "The liberated Self enjoys union with Krishna and lives in Krishna's highest home. But the Self does not become Krishna: the immortal soul, even when liberated from its mortal journeying, does not become God."

I thought that Atman = Brahman = Krishna (in His unmanifest reality).

Can somebody explain what the Supreme Self is and how that relates to the Self?

Thanks!

[Jainarayan]

Namaste!

I am studying the Bhagavad Gita, Ecknath Easwaran translation, and am confused by Chapter 15.

In the introduction, it explains that: "The liberated Self enjoys union with Krishna and lives in Krishna's highest home. But the Self does not become Krishna: the immortal soul, even when liberated from its mortal journeying, does not become God."

I thought that Atman = Brahman = Krishna (in His unmanifest reality).

Can somebody explain what the Supreme Self is and how that relates to the Self?

Thanks!

Complete merger with Brahman, because the atman is Brahman is Advaita. Vaishnavas, for whom the Bhagavad Gita is the highest scripture, tends to lean towards VishishtAdvaita: "qualified Advaita". Brahman alone exists, but is characterized by the multiplicity of atma. On the whole, Vaishnava is not Advaita (Atman = Brahman), which is what it seems you are thinking of.

Another Vaishnava school, subscribed to mainly by Gaudiya Vaishnavas (Hare Krishnas) is called Achintya BhedAbheda, "inconceivable oneness and difference" with Krishna. Personally I don't see a great deal of difference, just subtleties, between VishishtAdvaita and Achintya BhedAbheda. Achintya BhedAbheda says we are the same as Krishna, yet different, but the concept is inconceivable to the human mind. Fwiw, I lean towards VishishtAdvaita.

In a nutshell, the Vaishnava schools say we are part of Brahman = Krishna, but we are not Brahman/Krishna.

[sdevante]

Thank you very much for clarifying the distinctions between schools of thought. It makes a lot more sense now.