Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Bg 18.21

pṛthaktvena tu yaj jñānaṁ
nānā-bhāvān pṛthag-vidhān
vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu
taj jñānaṁ viddhi rājasam

Synonyms: 

pṛthaktvena — because of division; tu — but; yat — which; jñānam — knowledge; nānā–bhāvān — multifarious situations; pṛthak–vidhān — different; vetti — knows; sarveṣu — in all; bhūteṣu — living entities; tat — that; jñānam — knowledge; viddhi — must be known; rājasam — in terms of passion.

Translation: 

That knowledge by which one sees that in every different body there is a different type of living entity you should understand to be in the mode of passion.

pṛthaktvena tu yaj jñānaṁ, pṛthaktvena there is all diversity

nānā-bhāvān pṛthag-vidhān, they are all of different bhavas, they are all of different natures.

vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu, one who sees all living beings in this way 

taj jñānaṁ viddhi rājasam, that knowledge is in the mode of passion.

So what is the knowledge in the mode of passion, where one escribes as one’s essential nature that which is one’s outer form, one sees there is tree, animals, human beings there external forms are different therefore their inner nature will also be different, where one mistakes outer and inner to be one, like Christian thinkers like Aristotle says there are different kinds of soul only there is vegetable soul, animal soul and human soul then what is the meaning of word soul, that is something which gives life, but actually all living beings have same kinds of soul but difference is in covering of the soul, soul is plant body is covered more than the soul in animal body who is covered more than the soul in the human body, so difference is not in essence in substance but the difference is in covering, so when the difference in covering is ended one can move forward in understanding the commonality of all living beings.

End of transcription.