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In the Varaha Purana, in the section called "Rudra Gita", it is said:

70.30 - Meaning: In olden times, the residents of the Bhu Loka all worshipped Janardhana. Arriving at Bhuvar Loka, they stayed there and engaged in devotion to Keshava, attaining Svarga loka, and successively progressing to that abode which is (relatively) freed from sorrow.

...

70.32 - He (Hari) who is all pervading, and also ever associated with a form, became manifest before them [the rishis and devas including rudra]. He asked them, “what can I do for you, O best of all yogis, people of great intellect”?

70.33 - They offered obeisance to him [Vishnu], the ruler of the devas, the Lord of all and said: O God of Gods! All people are situated on the path to liberation. How will creation occur and who will then reside in hell?

70.34 - Asked thus by the devas, Janardhana spoke – “In the first 3 yugas, most of those who are competent to meditate will attain me”.

70.35 - In the last yuga (Kali), people who resort to me are very rare. I shall produce delusion which will confuse the people.

This question and answer seems to admit, by the Devas and even Narayana, that it is possible for everyone to be liberated and creation to not continue anymore.

Does this passage admit that there are a finite amount of souls in samsara? What do commentaries say about this verse?

Ramanujacharya in his commentary on the Brahma Sutras says, for this sutra, the following:

...so also the fact of the flow of creation going on from all eternity, 'As the creator formed sun and moon formerly.' [a Vedic verse]

From this he infers that there are an infinite souls in samsara because he interprets the Vedic verse to be saying that creation is always continuous.

But is there any scripture that explicitly says there are an infinite souls in samsara? How can this Purana verse be reconciled with the Vedic verse and the traditional understanding that there are an infinite amount of souls in samsara and that creation is always continuous?

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  • "Does this passage admit that there are a finite amount of souls in samsara?" No I do not understand where you read this. – Wikash_ Sep 26 '19 at 15:49
  • @Wikash_ The Devas think that once everyone gets liberated, creation will no longer continue because there will be no Jivas to experience their karma in creation. Many Vedic scholars have debated this issue, and that's why people like Madhvas think that some souls are destined to be eternally stuck in samsara. – Ikshvaku Sep 26 '19 at 15:51
  • But that doesn't say anything about the amount of souls. – Wikash_ Sep 26 '19 at 16:01
  • @Wikash_ If everyone gets liberated, then it implies there are a finite amount of souls. – Ikshvaku Sep 26 '19 at 16:11
  • No it does not. You do not anything about other souls. – Wikash_ Sep 26 '19 at 18:00
  • @Wikash_ It is not mathematically possible for there to be a time when all infinite souls have been liberated. – Ikshvaku Sep 26 '19 at 18:08
  • Sure there is. Little is known about the spiritual world. Moreover, several commentators speculate that there are an infinite amount of souls. – Wikash_ Sep 26 '19 at 18:14
  • @Wikash_ No it's not, because if an number of souls are liberated, then there are still an infinite number who aren't liberated. – Ikshvaku Sep 26 '19 at 18:44
  • "then there are still an infinite number who aren't liberated. –" how did you came to this conclusion? – Wikash_ Sep 27 '19 at 04:27
  • Related: Number of Jivas according to Vishishtadvaita – Pandya Sep 27 '19 at 07:42
  • @Wikash_ Because let's suppose the number of the infinitely many Jivas left in Samsara right now as Jiva 1, Jiva 2, Jiva 3, etc., and suppose that Jiva 1 is liberated one year from now, Jiva 2 is liberated two years from now, etc.  Then after any number of years, there will still be infinitely many Jivas who have not yet been liberated.  Yet for each Jiva, there is a time when that Jiva will be liberated, specifically Jiva n will be liberated n years from now. – Ikshvaku Sep 30 '19 at 14:52
  • No that is not true. Each jiva is on the path to liberation but it is not specified that they WILL get liberated. – Wikash_ Oct 01 '19 at 06:10
  • @Wikash_ According to Sri Vaishnavism, each Jiva will get liberated, though I don't know the scriptural pramana for that position. – Ikshvaku Oct 01 '19 at 17:25
  • I am not familiar with that verse. If you can find it pls share it. – Wikash_ Oct 01 '19 at 18:01

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