Bhagavat · Sanskrit §103 · English §91
Source[१०३] अत्र साध्ययोर् विज्ञान-रहस्ययोर् आविर्भावार्थम् आशिषं ददाति - यावान् अहं यथा-भावो यद्-रूप-गुण-कर्मकः तथैव तत्त्व-विज्ञानम् अस्तु ते मद्-अनुग्रहात् [भ्प् २.९.३१] यावान् स्वरूपतो यत्-परिमाणकोऽहम् । यथा भावः सत्ता यस्येति । यल्- लक्षणोऽहम् इत्य् अर्थः । यानि स्वरूपान्तरङ्गानि रूपाणि श्यामत्व-चतुर्- भुजत्वादीनि गुणा भक्त-वात्सल्याद्याः कर्माणि तत्-तल्-लीला यस्य स यद्- रूप-गुण-कर्मकोऽहम् । तथैव तेन तेन सर्व-प्रकारेणैव तत्त्व- विज्ञानं याथार्थ्यानुभवो मद्-अनुग्रहात् ते तवास्तु भवताद् इति । एतेन चतुःश्लोक्य्-अर्थस्य निर्विशेषत्वं स्वयम् एव परास्तम् । वक्ष्यते च चतुःश्लोकीम् एवोद्दिशता श्री-भगवता स्वयम् उद्धवं प्रति । पुरा मयेत्यादौ ज्ञानं परं मन्-महिमावभासम् इति [भ्प् ३.४.१३] । तत्र विज्ञान-पदेन रूपादीनाम् अपि स्वरूप-भूतत्वं व्यक्तम् । अत्र्र विज्ञानाशीः स्पष्टा । रहस्याशीश् च परमानन्दात्मक-तत्-तद्- याथार्थ्यानुभवेनावश्यं प्रेमोदयात् ॥
[103] atra sādhyayor vijñāna-rahasyayor āvirbhāvārtham āśiṣaṃ dadāti - yāvān ahaṃ yathā-bhāvo yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmakaḥ tathaiva tattva-vijñānam astu te mad-anugrahāt [BhP 2.9.31] yāvān svarūpato yat-parimāṇako'ham | yathā bhāvaḥ sattā yasyeti | yal- lakṣaṇo'ham ity arthaḥ | yāni svarūpāntaraṅgāni rūpāṇi śyāmatva-catur- bhujatvādīni guṇā bhakta-vātsalyādyāḥ karmāṇi tat-tal-līlā yasya sa yad- rūpa-guṇa-karmako'ham | tathaiva tena tena sarva-prakāreṇaiva tattva- vijñānaṃ yāthārthyānubhavo mad-anugrahāt te tavāstu bhavatād iti | etena catuḥśloky-arthasya nirviśeṣatvaṃ svayam eva parāstam | vakṣyate ca catuḥślokīm evoddiśatā śrī-bhagavatā svayam uddhavaṃ prati | purā mayetyādau jñānaṃ paraṃ man-mahimāvabhāsam iti [BhP 3.4.13] | tatra vijñāna-padena rūpādīnām api svarūpa-bhūtatvaṃ vyaktam | atrra vijñānāśīḥ spaṣṭā | rahasyāśīś ca paramānandātmaka-tat-tad- yāthārthyānubhavenāvaśyaṃ premodayāt ||
English translation
English witness · section(s) 91
Anuccheda 91
1 Because it has none of the variety present in the Lord’s form, Brahman is said to be the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Devaki-devi explains this in her prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.3.24): “My dear Lord, there are different Vedas, some of which describe You as unperceivable through words and the mind. Yet You are the origin of the entire cosmic manifestation. You are Brahman, the greatest of everything, full of effulgence like the sun. You have no material cause. You are free from change and deviation, and You have no material desires. Thus the Vedas say that You are the substance. Therefore, My Lord, You are directly the origin of all Vedic statements, and by understanding You, one gradually understands everything. You are different from the light of Brahman and Paramatma, yet You are not different from them. Everything emanates from You. Indeed, You are the cause of all causes, Lord Visnu, the light of all transcendental knowledge.”* In this verse the word ‘brahma-jyotih’ means (the effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’ and the word ‘rupam’ means ‘the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” 2 This is also explained in Sri Brahma-samhita (40): “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with great power. The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman, which is absolute, complete, and unlimited, and which displays the varieties of countless planets, with their different opulences, in millions and millions of universes.
Bhagavat · Sanskrit §104–105 · English §92
Source[१०४] तद् एव उपदेश्य-चतुष्टयं चतुःश्लोक्या निरूपयन् प्रथमं ज्ञान- विज्ञानार्थं स्व-लक्षणं प्रतिपादयति द्वाभ्याम् । तत्र ज्ञानार्थम् आह - अहम् एवासम् एवाग्रे नान्यद् यत् सद्-असत् परम् । पश्चाद् अहं यद् एतच् च यो ऽवशिष्येत सो ऽस्म्य् अहम् ॥ [भ्प् २.९.३२] अत्राहं-शब्देन तद् वक्ता मूर्त एवोच्यते न तु निर्विशेषं ब्रह्म तद्- अविषयत्वात् । आत्म-ज्ञान-तात्पर्यके तु तत्त्वम् असीतिवत् त्वम् एवात्येव वतुर्म् उपयुक्तवात् । ततश् चायम् अर्थः - सम्प्रति भवन्तं प्रति प्रादुर्भवन्न् असौ परम-मनोहर-श्री-विग्रहोऽहम् एवाग्रे महा-परलय-कालेऽप्य् आसम् एव । वासुदेवो वा इदम् अग्र आसीन् न ब्रह्मा न च शङ्करः । एको नारायण आसीन् न ब्रह्मा नेशान इत्य् आदि श्रुतिभ्यः । भगवान् एक आसेदम् अग्र आत्मात्मनां विभुर् इत्य् [भ्प् ३.५.२३] आदि तृतीयात् । अतो वैकुण्ठ-तात्-पार्षद्- आदीनाम् अपि तद्-उपाङ्गत्वाद् अहं-पदेनैव ग्रहणं राजासौ प्रयातीतिवत् । ततस् तेषां च तद्वद् एव स्थितिर् बोध्यते । तथा च राज-प्रश्नः - स चात्र स चापि यत्र पुरुषो विश्व-स्थित्य्-उद्भवाप्ययः । मुक्तात्म-मायां मायेशः शेते सर्व-गुहाशयः ॥ [भ्प् २.८.१०] इति । श्री-विदुर-प्रश्नश् च - तत्त्वानां भगवंस् तेषां कतिधा प्रति-सङ्क्रमः । तत्रेमं क उपासीरन् क उ स्विद् अनुशेरत ॥ इति [भ्प् ३.७.३७] । काशीखण्डेऽप्य् उक्तं श्री-ध्रुव-चरिते - न च्यवन्ते हि मद्-भक्ता महत्यां प्रलयापदि । अतोऽच्युतोऽखिले लोके स एकः सर्वगोऽव्ययः ॥ इति । अहम् एवेत्य् एव-कारेणकर्त्-अन्तरस्यारूपत्वादिकस्य च व्यावृत्तिः । आसम् एवेति तत्रासम्भावनाया निवृत्तिः । तद् उक्तं यद्-रूप-गुण-कर्मक [भ्प् २.९.३२] इति । अतएव । यद् वा आसम् एवेति ब्रह्मादि-बहिर्जन-ज्ञान-गोचर-सृष्ट्य्-आदि- लक्षण-क्रियान्तरस्यैव व्यावृत्तिः । न तु स्वान्तरङ्ग-लीलाया अपि । यथाधुनासौ राजा कार्यं न किञ्चित् करोतीत्य् उक्ते राज्य-सम्बन्धि-कार्यम् एव निषिध्यते न तु शयन-भोजनादिकम् अपीति तद्वत् । यद् वा अस गति- दीप्त्य्-आदानेष्व् इत्य् अस्मात् आसं साम्प्रतं भवता दृश्यमानैर् विशेषैर् एभिर् अग्रेऽप्रि विराजमान एवातिष्ठम् इति निराकारत्वादिकस्यैव विशेषतो व्यावृत्तिः । तद् उक्तम् अनेन श्लोकेन साकार-निराकार-विष्णु-लक्षण-कारिण्याम् मुक्ता- फल-टीकायाम् अपि । नापि साकारेष्व् अव्याप्तिः । तेषाम् आकारातिरोहितत्वाद् इति । ऐतरेयक-श्रुतिश् [?] च आत्मैवेदम् अग्र आसीत् पुरुष-विध [बौ ४.१.१] इति । एतेन प्रकृतीक्षणतोऽपि प्राग्-भावात् पुरुषाद् अप्य् उत्तमत्वेन भगवज्- ज्ञानम् एव कथितम् । ननु क्वचिन् निर्विशेषम् एव ब्रह्म आसीद् इति श्रूयते तत्राह - नान्यद् यत् सद्- असत्-परम् इति । सत् कार्यम् असत् कारणं तयोः परं यत् ब्रह्म तन् न मत्तोऽन्यत् । क्वचिद् अधिकारिणि शास्त्रे वा स्वरूप-भूत-विशेष-व्युत्पत्त्य्- असमर्थे सोऽयम् अहम् एव निर्विशेषतया प्रतिभातीत्य् अर्थः । यदा तदानीं प्रपञ्चे विशेषाभावान् निर्विशेष-चिन्-मात्राकारेण विकुण्ठे तु स-विशेष- भगवद्-रूपेणेति शास्त्र-द्वय-व्यवस्था । एतेन च ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहम् इत्य् अत्रोक्तं भगवज्-ज्ञानम् एव प्रतिपादितम् । अतएवास्य परम-गुह्यत्वम् उक्तम् । ननु सृष्टेर् अनन्तरं नोपलभ्यसे । तत्राह पश्चात् सृष्टेर् अनन्तरम् अप्य् अहम् एवास्म्य् एव वैकुण्ठेषु भगवद्-आद्याकारेण प्रपञ्चेष्व् अन्तर्याम्य्- आकारेणेति शेषः । एतेन सृष्टि-स्थिति-प्रलय-हेतुर् अस्येत्य् आदि प्रतिपादितं भगवज्-ज्ञानम् एवोपदिष्टम् । ननु सर्वत्र घट-पटाकारा ये दृश्यन्ते ते तु तद्-रूपाणि न भवन्तीति तवापूर्णत्व-प्रसक्तिः स्याद् इत्य् आशङ्क्याह । यद् एतद् विश्वं तद् अप्य् अहम् एव मद्-अनन्यत्वान् मद्-आत्मकम् एवेत्य् अर्थः । अनेन सोऽयं तेऽभिहितस् तात भगवान् विश्व-भावनः । समासेन हरेर् नान्यद् अन्यस्मात् सद्-असच् च यद् इत्य् आद्य् उक्तं भगवज्-ज्ञानम् एवोपदिष्टम् । तथा प्रलये योऽवशिष्यते सोऽहम् एवास्म्य् एव । एतेन भवान् एकः शिष्यते शेष-संज्ञ इत्य् उक्तं भगवज्-ज्ञानम् एवोपदिष्टम् । तथा पूर्वं स्वानुग्रह-प्रकाश्यत्वेन प्रतिज्ञातं यावत् त्वं सर्व-काल-देशापरिक्च्छेद्यत्व-ज्ञापनायोपदिष्टम् । एवं नान्यद् यत् सद्-असत्-परम् इत्य् अनेन ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहम् इति ज्ञापनया यथा-भावत्वम् । सर्वाकारावयव-भगवद्-आकार-निर्देशेन विलक्षणानन्त-रूपत्व-ज्ञापनया यद्-रूपत्वम् । सर्वाश्रयाति-निर्देशेन विलक्षणानन्त-गुणत्व-ज्ञापनया यद्-गुणत्वम् । सृष्टि-स्थिति- प्रलयोपलक्षित-विविध-क्रियाश्रयत्व-कथनेन लौकिकानन्त-कर्मत्व- ज्ञापनया यत्-कर्मत्वं च । [१०५] अथ तादृश-रूपादि-विशिष्टस्यात्मनो व्यतिरेक-मुखेन विज्ञानार्थं माया- लक्सणम् आह ऋते ऽर्थम् [भ्प् २.९.३३] इत्य् आदि । पूर्वं व्याख्यातम् एव[*एन्द्नोते #३५] । सङ्क्षेपश् चायम् अर्थः । परम-पुरुषार्थ-भूतं माम् ऋते मद्-दर्शनाद् अन्यत्रैव यत् प्रतीयते यच् चात्मनि न प्रतीयेत मां विना स्वतः प्रतीतिर् अपि यस्य नास्तीत्य् अर्थः तद् वस्तु आत्मनो मम परमेश्वरस्य मायां विद्यात् । अत्र दृष्टान्तः । यथाऽऽभासः प्रतिबिम्ब-रश्मिः । यथा च तमस् तिमिरम् इति । तत्राभासस्य तादृशत्वं स्पष्टम् एव । तमसोऽपि ज्योतिर् दर्शनाद् अन्यत्रैव प्रतीतेर् ज्योतिर् आत्मकं चक्षुर् विना चाप्रतीतिर् इति । विद्याद् इति प्रथम-पुरुष- निर्देशस्यायं भावः । अन्यान् प्रत्य् एव खल्व् अयम् उपदेशः । त्वं तु मद्- दत्त-शक्त्या साक्षाद् एवानुभवन्न् असीति । एवं मायिक-दृष्टिम् अतीत्यैव रूपादि-विशिष्टं माम् अनुभवेद् इति । व्यतिरेक-मुखेनानुभावनस्यायं भावः । शब्देन निर्धारितस्यापि सत्-स्वरूपादेर् मायाकार्यावेशेनैवानुभवो न भवति । अतस् तद्-अर्थं माया-त्यजनम् एव कर्तव्यम् इति । एतेन तद्-अविनाभावात् प्रेमाप्य् अनुभावित इति गम्यते ।
[104] tad eva upadeśya-catuṣṭayaṃ catuḥślokyā nirūpayan prathamaṃ jñāna- vijñānārthaṃ sva-lakṣaṇaṃ pratipādayati dvābhyām | tatra jñānārtham āha - aham evāsam evāgre nānyad yat sad-asat param | paścād ahaṃ yad etac ca yo 'vaśiṣyeta so 'smy aham || [BhP 2.9.32] atrāhaṃ-śabdena tad vaktā mūrta evocyate na tu nirviśeṣaṃ brahma tad- aviṣayatvāt | ātma-jñāna-tātparyake tu tattvam asītivat tvam evātyeva vaturm upayuktavāt | tataś cāyam arthaḥ - samprati bhavantaṃ prati prādurbhavann asau parama-manohara-śrī-vigraho'ham evāgre mahā-paralaya-kāle'py āsam eva | vāsudevo vā idam agra āsīn na brahmā na ca śaṅkaraḥ | eko nārāyaṇa āsīn na brahmā neśāna ity ādi śrutibhyaḥ | bhagavān eka āsedam agra ātmātmanāṃ vibhur ity [BhP 3.5.23] ādi tṛtīyāt | ato vaikuṇṭha-tāt-pārṣad- ādīnām api tad-upāṅgatvād ahaṃ-padenaiva grahaṇaṃ rājāsau prayātītivat | tatas teṣāṃ ca tadvad eva sthitir bodhyate | tathā ca rāja-praśnaḥ - sa cātra sa cāpi yatra puruṣo viśva-sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ | muktātma-māyāṃ māyeśaḥ śete sarva-guhāśayaḥ || [BhP 2.8.10] iti | śrī-vidura-praśnaś ca - tattvānāṃ bhagavaṃs teṣāṃ katidhā prati-saṅkramaḥ | tatremaṃ ka upāsīran ka u svid anuśerata || iti [BhP 3.7.37] | kāśīkhaṇḍe'py uktaṃ śrī-dhruva-carite - na cyavante hi mad-bhaktā mahatyāṃ pralayāpadi | ato'cyuto'khile loke sa ekaḥ sarvago'vyayaḥ || iti | aham evety eva-kāreṇakart-antarasyārūpatvādikasya ca vyāvṛttiḥ | āsam eveti tatrāsambhāvanāyā nivṛttiḥ | tad uktaṃ yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmaka [BhP 2.9.32] iti | ataeva | yad vā āsam eveti brahmādi-bahirjana-jñāna-gocara-sṛṣṭy-ādi- lakṣaṇa-kriyāntarasyaiva vyāvṛttiḥ | na tu svāntaraṅga-līlāyā api | yathādhunāsau rājā kāryaṃ na kiñcit karotīty ukte rājya-sambandhi-kāryam eva niṣidhyate na tu śayana-bhojanādikam apīti tadvat | yad vā asa gati- dīpty-ādāneṣv ity asmāt āsaṃ sāmprataṃ bhavatā dṛśyamānair viśeṣair ebhir agre'pri virājamāna evātiṣṭham iti nirākāratvādikasyaiva viśeṣato vyāvṛttiḥ | tad uktam anena ślokena sākāra-nirākāra-viṣṇu-lakṣaṇa-kāriṇyām muktā- phala-ṭīkāyām api | nāpi sākāreṣv avyāptiḥ | teṣām ākārātirohitatvād iti | aitareyaka-śrutiś [?] ca ātmaivedam agra āsīt puruṣa-vidha [BAU 4.1.1] iti | etena prakṛtīkṣaṇato'pi prāg-bhāvāt puruṣād apy uttamatvena bhagavaj- jñānam eva kathitam | nanu kvacin nirviśeṣam eva brahma āsīd iti śrūyate tatrāha - nānyad yat sad- asat-param iti | sat kāryam asat kāraṇaṃ tayoḥ paraṃ yat brahma tan na matto'nyat | kvacid adhikāriṇi śāstre vā svarūpa-bhūta-viśeṣa-vyutpatty- asamarthe so'yam aham eva nirviśeṣatayā pratibhātīty arthaḥ | yadā tadānīṃ prapañce viśeṣābhāvān nirviśeṣa-cin-mātrākāreṇa vikuṇṭhe tu sa-viśeṣa- bhagavad-rūpeṇeti śāstra-dvaya-vyavasthā | etena ca brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham ity atroktaṃ bhagavaj-jñānam eva pratipāditam | ataevāsya parama-guhyatvam uktam | nanu sṛṣṭer anantaraṃ nopalabhyase | tatrāha paścāt sṛṣṭer anantaram apy aham evāsmy eva vaikuṇṭheṣu bhagavad-ādyākāreṇa prapañceṣv antaryāmy- ākāreṇeti śeṣaḥ | etena sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-hetur asyety ādi pratipāditaṃ bhagavaj-jñānam evopadiṣṭam | nanu sarvatra ghaṭa-paṭākārā ye dṛśyante te tu tad-rūpāṇi na bhavantīti tavāpūrṇatva-prasaktiḥ syād ity āśaṅkyāha | yad etad viśvaṃ tad apy aham eva mad-ananyatvān mad-ātmakam evety arthaḥ | anena so'yaṃ te'bhihitas tāta bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ | samāsena harer nānyad anyasmāt sad-asac ca yad ity ādy uktaṃ bhagavaj-jñānam evopadiṣṭam | tathā pralaye yo'vaśiṣyate so'ham evāsmy eva | etena bhavān ekaḥ śiṣyate śeṣa-saṃjña ity uktaṃ bhagavaj-jñānam evopadiṣṭam | tathā pūrvaṃ svānugraha-prakāśyatvena pratijñātaṃ yāvat tvaṃ sarva-kāla-deśāparikcchedyatva-jñāpanāyopadiṣṭam | evaṃ nānyad yat sad-asat-param ity anena brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham iti jñāpanayā yathā-bhāvatvam | sarvākārāvayava-bhagavad-ākāra-nirdeśena vilakṣaṇānanta-rūpatva-jñāpanayā yad-rūpatvam | sarvāśrayāti-nirdeśena vilakṣaṇānanta-guṇatva-jñāpanayā yad-guṇatvam | sṛṣṭi-sthiti- pralayopalakṣita-vividha-kriyāśrayatva-kathanena laukikānanta-karmatva- jñāpanayā yat-karmatvaṃ ca | [105] atha tādṛśa-rūpādi-viśiṣṭasyātmano vyatireka-mukhena vijñānārthaṃ māyā- laksaṇam āha ṛte 'rtham [BhP 2.9.33] ity ādi | pūrvaṃ vyākhyātam eva[*ENDNOTE #35] | saṅkṣepaś cāyam arthaḥ | parama-puruṣārtha-bhūtaṃ mām ṛte mad-darśanād anyatraiva yat pratīyate yac cātmani na pratīyeta māṃ vinā svataḥ pratītir api yasya nāstīty arthaḥ tad vastu ātmano mama parameśvarasya māyāṃ vidyāt | atra dṛṣṭāntaḥ | yathā''bhāsaḥ pratibimba-raśmiḥ | yathā ca tamas timiram iti | tatrābhāsasya tādṛśatvaṃ spaṣṭam eva | tamaso'pi jyotir darśanād anyatraiva pratīter jyotir ātmakaṃ cakṣur vinā cāpratītir iti | vidyād iti prathama-puruṣa- nirdeśasyāyaṃ bhāvaḥ | anyān praty eva khalv ayam upadeśaḥ | tvaṃ tu mad- datta-śaktyā sākṣād evānubhavann asīti | evaṃ māyika-dṛṣṭim atītyaiva rūpādi-viśiṣṭaṃ mām anubhaved iti | vyatireka-mukhenānubhāvanasyāyaṃ bhāvaḥ | śabdena nirdhāritasyāpi sat-svarūpāder māyākāryāveśenaivānubhavo na bhavati | atas tad-arthaṃ māyā-tyajanam eva kartavyam iti | etena tad-avinābhāvāt premāpy anubhāvita iti gamyate |
English translation
English witness · section(s) 92
Anuccheda 92
1 The Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the impersonal Brahman. Lord Siva confirms this in his instructions to the Pracetas (Srimad Bhagavatam 4.24.28): “Any person who is surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, who is above the Brahman effulgence, the material nature, and the living entity, is actually very dear to me.” 2 In this verse the word ‘rahah’ means ‘Brahman’. Greater than Brahman (rahah), the unmanifest stage of the three modes of material nature (tri-gunat), and the individual living entities (jiva-samjnitat), is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One surrenders to Him by hearing about Him, offering the fruits of one’s work to Him, and serving Him in other ways. 3 This is also confirmed in the Visnu-dharma Purana, Naraka-dvadasi-vrata, Sri Visnu-stava: “Lord Vasudeva, the all-pervading Supersoul, is present in the sky and other material elements, in sound and other objects of sense-perception, in the ears and the other senses, in the mahat-tattva and other primordial forces, in the material energy, in the individual person, and in the impersonal Brahman splendour. This truth brings to destruction the sins that would make me suffer in hell. This truth gives me every day the glory of transcendental piety.” In this context a different interpretation of the word ‘sarvatma’ cannot be accepted. 4 This is also confirmed by the following statement of Visnu-dharma Purana, Uttara-khanda, Ksetabandhupakhyaya: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in the impersonal Brahman. He is present in the unmanifested pradhana. He is present in the manifested material cosmos. I shall become His devotee.” 5 That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the impersonal Brahman is also confirmed in the following statement of Visnu-dharma Purana, Masarksa-puja: “O infallible Lord, O Supreme Soul greater than the impersonal Brahman, please grant my desire! O limitless Lord, please remove this danger!” 6 In the Sri Visnu Purana (1.5.55) also it is said: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the impersonal Brahman.” The Sruti-sastra (Mundaka Upanisad 2.1.2) says: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the impersonal Brahman.”
Bhagavat · Sanskrit §106 · English §93
Source[१०६] अथ तस्यैव प्रेम्नो रहस्यत्वं बोधयति -- यथा महान्ति भूतानि भूतेषूच्चावचेष्व् अनु प्रविष्टान्य् अप्रविष्टानि तथा तेषु न तेष्व् अहम् [भ्प् २.९.३४] यथा महाभूतानि भूतेष्व् अप्रविष्टानि बहिः-स्थितान्य् अपि अनुप्रविष्टान्य् अन्तः-स्थितानि भान्ति । तथा लोकातीत-वैकुण्ठ-स्थितत्वेनाप्रविष्टोऽप्य् अहं तेषु तत्-तद्-गुण-विख्यातेषु न तेषु प्रणत-जनेषु प्रविष्टो हृदि स्थितोऽहं भामि । अत्र महाभूतानाम् अंश-भेदेन प्रवेशाप्रवेशौ तस्य तु प्रकाश-भेदेनेति भेदेऽपि प्रवेशाप्रवेश-मात्र-साम्येन दृष्टान्तः । तद् एवं तेषां तादृग्-आत्म-वशकारिणी प्रेम-भक्तिर् नाम रहस्यम् इति सूचितम् । तथा च ब्रह्म-संहितायाम् -- आनन्द-चिन्मय-रस-प्रतिभाविताभिस् ताभिर् य एव निज-रूपतया कलाभिः । गोलोक एव निवसत्य् अखिलात्म-भूतो गोविन्दम् आदि-पुरुषं तम् अहं भजामि ॥ [ब्रह्मस् ५.२९] प्रेमाञ्जन-च्छुरित-भक्ति-विलोचनेन सन्तः सदैव हृदयेषु विलोकयन्ति । यं श्यामसुन्दरम् अचिन्त्य-गुण-स्वरूपं गोविन्दम् आदि-पुरुषं तम् अहं भजामि ॥ [ब्रह्मस् ५.३०] अचिन्त्य-गुण-स्वरूपम् अपि प्रेमाख्यं यद् अञ्जनं तेन च्छुरितवत् उच्चैः प्रकाशमानं भक्ति-रूपं विलोचनं तेन इत्य् अर्थः । ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्य् अहम् । इति [गीता ९.२९] गीतोपनिषदश् च । यद् वा तेषु यथा तानि बहिः-स्थितानि चान्तः-स्थितानि च भान्ति तद्वत् भक्तेषु अहम् अन्तर्मनोवृत्तिषु बहिर्-इन्द्रिय-वृत्तिषु च स्फुरामीति च । भक्तेषु सर्वथाऽनन्य-वृत्तिताहेतुर् नाम किम् अपि स्व-प्रकाशं प्रेमाख्यम् आनन्दात्मकं वस्तु मम रहस्यम् इति व्यञ्जितम् । तथैव श्री-ब्रह्मणोक्तम् -- न भारती मे ऽङ्ग मृषोपलक्ष्यते न वै क्वचिन् मे मनसो मृषा गतिः । न मे हृषीकाणि पतन्त्य् असत्-पथे यन् मे हृदौत्कण्ठ्यवता धृतो हरिः ॥ [भ्प् २.६.३४] इति । यद्यपि व्याख्यान्तरानुसारेणायम् अर्थोऽपलपनीयः स्यात् तथाप्य् अस्मिन्न् एवार्थे तात्पर्यं प्रतिज्ञा-चतुष्टय-साधनायोपक्रान्तत्वात् तद्-अनुक्त्रम- गतत्वाच् च । किं तस्मिन्न् अर्थे न तेषु इति छिन्न-पदम् अपि व्यर्थं स्याद् दृष्टान्तस्यैव क्रियाभ्याम् अन्वयोपपत्तेः । अपि च रहस्यं नाम ह्य् एतद् एव यत् परम-दुर्लभं वस्तु दुष्टोदासीन-जन-दृष्टि-निवारणार्थं साधारण-वस्त्व्-अन्तरेणाच्छाद्यते । यथा चिन्तामणिः सम्पुटादिना । अतएव परोक्ष-वादा ऋषयः परोक्षं च मम प्रियम् इति [भ्प् ११.२१.३५] श्री- भगवद्-वाक्यं च । तद् एवं परोक्षं क्रियते यद् अदेयं विरल-प्रचारं महद्-वस्तु भवति । अस्यैवादेयत्वं विरल-विचारत्वं महत्त्वं च । मुक्तिं ददाति कर्हिचित् स्म न भक्ति-योगम् इत्य् [भ्प् ५.६.१८] आदिषु बहुत्र व्यक्तम् । इदं भागवतं नाम यन् मे भगवतोदितम् । सङ्ग्रहो ऽयं विभूतीनां त्वम् एतद् विपुली कुरु ॥ [भ्प् २.७.५१] यथा हरौ भगवति नृणां भक्तिर् भविष्यति । सर्वात्मन्य् अखिलाधारे इति सङ्कल्प्य वर्णय ॥ [भ्प् २.७.५२] तस्मात् साधु व्याख्यातं स्वामि-चरणैर् अपि रहस्यं भक्तिर् इति ॥
[106] atha tasyaiva premno rahasyatvaṃ bodhayati -- yathā mahānti bhūtāni bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni tathā teṣu na teṣv aham [BhP 2.9.34] yathā mahābhūtāni bhūteṣv apraviṣṭāni bahiḥ-sthitāny api anupraviṣṭāny antaḥ-sthitāni bhānti | tathā lokātīta-vaikuṇṭha-sthitatvenāpraviṣṭo'py ahaṃ teṣu tat-tad-guṇa-vikhyāteṣu na teṣu praṇata-janeṣu praviṣṭo hṛdi sthito'haṃ bhāmi | atra mahābhūtānām aṃśa-bhedena praveśāpraveśau tasya tu prakāśa-bhedeneti bhede'pi praveśāpraveśa-mātra-sāmyena dṛṣṭāntaḥ | tad evaṃ teṣāṃ tādṛg-ātma-vaśakāriṇī prema-bhaktir nāma rahasyam iti sūcitam | tathā ca brahma-saṃhitāyām -- ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ | goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi || [BrahmaS 5.29] premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti | yaṃ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṃ govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi || [BrahmaS 5.30] acintya-guṇa-svarūpam api premākhyaṃ yad añjanaṃ tena cchuritavat uccaiḥ prakāśamānaṃ bhakti-rūpaṃ vilocanaṃ tena ity arthaḥ | ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham | iti [Gītā 9.29] gītopaniṣadaś ca | yad vā teṣu yathā tāni bahiḥ-sthitāni cāntaḥ-sthitāni ca bhānti tadvat bhakteṣu aham antarmanovṛttiṣu bahir-indriya-vṛttiṣu ca sphurāmīti ca | bhakteṣu sarvathā'nanya-vṛttitāhetur nāma kim api sva-prakāśaṃ premākhyam ānandātmakaṃ vastu mama rahasyam iti vyañjitam | tathaiva śrī-brahmaṇoktam -- na bhāratī me 'ṅga mṛṣopalakṣyate na vai kvacin me manaso mṛṣā gatiḥ | na me hṛṣīkāṇi patanty asat-pathe yan me hṛdautkaṇṭhyavatā dhṛto hariḥ || [BhP 2.6.34] iti | yadyapi vyākhyāntarānusāreṇāyam artho'palapanīyaḥ syāt tathāpy asminn evārthe tātparyaṃ pratijñā-catuṣṭaya-sādhanāyopakrāntatvāt tad-anuktrama- gatatvāc ca | kiṃ tasminn arthe na teṣu iti chinna-padam api vyarthaṃ syād dṛṣṭāntasyaiva kriyābhyām anvayopapatteḥ | api ca rahasyaṃ nāma hy etad eva yat parama-durlabhaṃ vastu duṣṭodāsīna-jana-dṛṣṭi-nivāraṇārthaṃ sādhāraṇa-vastv-antareṇācchādyate | yathā cintāmaṇiḥ sampuṭādinā | ataeva parokṣa-vādā ṛṣayaḥ parokṣaṃ ca mama priyam iti [BhP 11.21.35] śrī- bhagavad-vākyaṃ ca | tad evaṃ parokṣaṃ kriyate yad adeyaṃ virala-pracāraṃ mahad-vastu bhavati | asyaivādeyatvaṃ virala-vicāratvaṃ mahattvaṃ ca | muktiṃ dadāti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam ity [BhP 5.6.18] ādiṣu bahutra vyaktam | idaṃ bhāgavataṃ nāma yan me bhagavatoditam | saṅgraho 'yaṃ vibhūtīnāṃ tvam etad vipulī kuru || [BhP 2.7.51] yathā harau bhagavati nṛṇāṃ bhaktir bhaviṣyati | sarvātmany akhilādhāre iti saṅkalpya varṇaya || [BhP 2.7.52] tasmāt sādhu vyākhyātaṃ svāmi-caraṇair api rahasyaṃ bhaktir iti ||
English translation
English witness · section(s) 93
Anuccheda 93
1 This is also confirmed in the Sruti-sastra (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.1.3-2.5.1) in the passage beginning with ‘He, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is realised in His form of anna-rasa), and continuing through the statements ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the basis of everything...He is the basis of the earth....He is the basis of the Vedas....He is the basis of light....He is the basis of the impersonal Brahman.’ This is also confirmed in the fifth Veda, the Smrti-sastra, where, in the Bhagavad-gita (14.27), Lord Krsna says: ‘I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman.”* In this way the statement ‘I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman’ is spoken in both Sruti and Smrti, and in Bhagavad-gita it is emphasized by the word ‘hi’ (certainly). 2 Immediately preceding these words is the following statement (Bhagavad-gita 14.26): “One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.”* 3 This is the verse immediately preceding the statement ‘I am the basis of Brahman’. In this verse, by saying that Brahman is ‘beyond the modes of material nature’ it is clear that the Brahman here is the impersonal Brahman potency and not the demigod Brahma. 4 At this point someone may ask the Lord: “Why is devotional service to You (Bhagavad-gita 14.26, quoted in text 2) the means of attaining impersonal Brahman? One would expect that impersonal Brahman is attained only by meditation on Brahman (and not by devotion to You).’ The Lord answers this question with the words: ‘I am the basis of the impersonal Brahma.’ In the Sruti-sastra (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.2.5.) the answer is also given: ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the basis of the impersonal Brahman’. In this way the Sruti-sastra affirms that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate basis of everything. Also, in that same passage of Taittiriya Upanisad, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as full of bliss. This is also confirmed by the author of Vedanta-sutra (1.1.12): ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead is by nature full of joy’. As the sun-globe is full of light, so the blissful Supreme Personality of Godhead is also (full of the light of Brahman). For this reason the Lord says: ‘I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman.” The Lord may say: ‘Although there is no difference between the impersonal Brahman and Me, nevertheless I am the origin of the Brahman. I am the ultimate. This is so because I am the origin and impersonal Brahman is My potency. The origin is naturally superior to its potency. This is so also because the Sruti-sastra affirms that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the impersonal Brahman. Although I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the impersonal Brahman, are one, We are also different as the splendid sun is different from the slender crescent moon. Therefore, because the impersonal Brahman is subordinate to Me, a person who, with the desire for impersonal liberation, worships me, will attain the impersonal Brahman.” 5 That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin of the impersonal Brahma is also explained in Sri Visnu Purana (6.7.75): “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the basis of the all-pervading Supersoul and the impersonal Brahman.” Srila Sridhara Svami comments: “This verse means that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the basis of the all-pervading Supersoul and the impersonal Brahman. The word ‘asraya’ here means ‘basis’. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (14.27), where Lord Krsna says, ‘I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman.’” In his commentary on this verse in Bhagavad-gita, Srila Sridhara Svami says: “The Lord here says, ‘I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman.’ This means that the Lord says, ‘As the sun-globe is more important than mere light, so I am more important than the impersonal Brahman.’ 6 The word ghani-bhuta here is a use of the grammatical form cvi-pratyaya. The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in the hearts of the devotees, but the impersonal Brahman does not appear there. The interpretation that the word ‘pratistha’ in this verse (Bhagavad-gita 14.27) means ‘pratima’ (reflected) is the idea of envious men. This interpretation is not true, for it makes no sense in this context. As the sun planet is not a reflection of the sunshine, so the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not a reflection of the formless Brahman. The remaining three lines of this stanza (Bhagavad-gita 14.27) do not describe the liberation of the impersonalists. Neither do the verses we have quoted from Visnu Purana and Sruti-saili describe it. The interpretation that ‘pratistha’ means ‘pratima’ should not be accepted, or if it is accepted, then ‘pratima’ should be interpreted to mean ‘basis’ and not ‘reflection’. If this second interpretation is accepted, then the word ‘pratima’ is understood to be derived from the preposition ‘prati’ (toward) and the verb ‘ma’ (to create). 7 This is all also explained in the following prayer (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.17) spoken by the Personified Vedas to the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “My dear Lord, it is imperative that the living entities be engaged in Krsna consciousness, always rendering devotional service by prescribed methods such as hearing and chanting and executing Your orders. If a person is not engaged in Krsna consciousness and devotional service, it is useless of him to exhibit the symptoms of life. Generally it is accepted that if a person is breathing he is alive. But a person without Krsna consciousness may be compared to a bellows in a blacksmith’s shop. The big bellows is a bag of skin which exhales and inhales air, and a human being who is simply living within the bag of skin and bones without taking to Krsna consciousness and loving devotional service is no better than the bellows. Similarly a non devotee’s long duration of life is compared to the long existence of a tree, his voracious eating capacity is compared to the eating of dogs and hogs, and his enjoyment in sex life is compared to that of hogs and goats. The cosmic manifestation has been possible because of the entrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Maha-Visnu within this material world. The total material energy becomes agitated by the glance of Maha-Visnu and only then does the interaction of the three material qualities begin. Therefore it should be concluded that whatever material facilities we are trying to enjoy are available only due to the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. “Within the body are five different departments of existence, known as annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya, and anandamaya. O Lord, You are present in all these five stages.”* 8 In this verse the word ‘anubhrtah’ means ‘individual living entities (jivas), whose breathing is like the breathing of a blacksmith’s bellows’. The verse says: “If (yadi) the people become Your devotees (anuvidhah), then their breathing and living is meaningful. We consider that the life passed by Your devotees is the actually meaningful life among the lives of the living entities. Why? You mercifully created the material universe with its many parts such as mahat-tattva and false ego. Therefore they who are averse to You, turning their faces from You, are no better than ‘breathing’ blacksmith’s bellows. You further showed Your mercy when You personally entered the material universe made of mahat-tattva, false-ego and its other parts.” 9 The Lord here may ask: “Why is it that these things become possible only when I enter the universe?” The personified Vedas then reply: “You are the Supreme Brahman, eternal, dear, and known as anandamaya. You are above the stage of annamaya. You are the Brahman, the basis of everything.” This is confirmed in all Vedic literatures. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord Himself said: “I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman” (14.27). In many other places in Vedic literature this is proven. 10 This is proven in Srimad Bhagavatam (2.9.4): “O king, the Personality of Godhead, being very much pleased with Lord Brahma because of his non deceptive penance in bhakti yoga, presented His eternal and transcendental form before Brahma. And that is the objective goal for purifying the conditioned soul.”* This verse proves, O Lord, that the real nature of the Supreme is You, the form of the Personality of Godhead. Of the purusas beginning with the annamaya-purusa, You are the ultimate, the anandamaya-purusa. O the priya-brahma, moda-brahma, paramoda-brahma, and ananda-brahma, You are the supremely blissful ananda-brahma. Because Your form is the origin of all transcendental bliss, Your entrance into the material world makes it possible for the world to function. This is also confirmed by the Sruti-sastra (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.7): “If the blissful Personality of Godhead is not present in the sky of the heart, who is able to breathe and remain alive?” 11 In this matter the following may be said. Although in the single form of the Supreme many variegated qualities are present, nevertheless, they are only seen with special vision given by the power of the Lord. They cannot be seen in any other way. An example may be given of the sun planet. For material eyes the sun planet is merely a circle of light, although the truth is that within the sun is an assembly of great demigods. From this example may be seen that only by devotional service is the whole truth about the nature of the Supreme understood. By adherence to the philosophy of impersonalism only a portion of the Supreme is understood. That partial manifestation of the Supreme is the impersonal Brahman. By impersonal philosophy only a very general understanding of the Supreme Truth is attained, an understanding unable to see the many diverse qualities present in the Lord. For this reason the impersonal philosophy is situated outside the real truth. The great devotees directly see that the Supreme is filled with a great variety of wonderful transcendental qualities, although the impersonalists mistakenly think He is only a ball of light. In this way it is said that the Supreme has His lesser manifestations, His partial manifestations, and His potencies. The complete understanding of the Supreme is that the Supreme is the Personality of Godhead. His bodily effulgence, which is a vague and generalised manifestation of His form, is the Brahman. Therefore He is the basis of the impersonal Brahman. 12 This is also confirmed by Sruti-sastra: “There is only one Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is Lord Narayana. He is transcendental, self-manifest, and sinless. The earth is His body. The soul is His body. The unmanifest pradhana is His body. The imperishable Brahman is His body. He is the Supersoul present in all creatures.” 13 This statement teaches that the imperishable (aksara), which here means Brahman, and the Supersoul, are Lord Narayana. That the word ‘aksara’ here means ‘Brahman’ is confirmed by the usage of that word in Srimad Bhagavatam 3.15.43. 14 The Supreme Personality of Godhead describes the sankhya philosophy in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.24.27): “Time merges into the Supreme Lord, present in the form of the omniscient Maha-purusa, the original activator of all living beings. That origin of all life merges into Me, the unborn Supreme Soul, who remains alone, established within Himself. It is from Him that all creation and annihilation are manifested. Only the impersonal Brahman remains and does not merge into Me.”*** This means that at the time of cosmic annihilation only Brahman remains and the Supreme Personality of Godhead also remains as the witness of Brahman. The Lord then says (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.24.29): 15 “Thus, I the perfect seer of everything material and spiritual, have spoken this knowledge of Sankhya, which destroys the illusion of doubt by scientific analysis of creation and annihilation.”*** 16 A discussion of Srimad Bhagavatam 11.24.29 (quoted in text 15) follows. The word ‘sankhya’ in this verse means ‘the philosophy expounded in the sankhya scriptures.’ Considering the specific feature of the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as described in those scriptures, it is seen that the Lord’s form remains unchanged at the time of cosmic annihilation. The impersonal Brahman also remains unchanged, as the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the world of Vaikuntha both also remain unchanged at the final stage of cosmic annihilation. That is what is meant to be said here. At that time the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who stays in Vaikuntha and has transcendental potencies, is seen to be different from the impersonal Brahman. However, on the other hand, the impersonal Brahman, which because it has no qualities has neither touch, form, nor any other attribute, is also non different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead because it is His bodily effulgence. This is the explanation. In this way it is proved that the impersonal Brahman is the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is filled with the sweetness of His form, touch, and other transcendental attributes. 17 This is also described in the Sri Hari-vamsa, Maha-kala-pura, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally says to Sriman Arjuna: “O best of the Bharatas, I am the great divine Brahman effulgence you have just seen. It is My eternal splendour. 18 “It is My divine potency. It is eternal. To some it is manifest, and to others it is not manifest. The great yogis enter it and become liberated. 19 “O son of Prtha, it is the goal of the sankhya philosophers, the yogis, and the ascetics. It is the great Brahman that pervades the entire world. O Bharata, you should know that it is My great effulgence.” 20 The verse quoted in text 18 explains that because the Brahman effulgence is the light of the Lord’s body, therefore it is His own transcendental potency. This is also confirmed by the Visnu Purana passage (quoted in Anuccheda 60) describing the Kaustubha jewel. In this way the Srimad Bhagavatam verse (10.87.17) quoted in text 7 is clearly explained.
Bhagavat · Sanskrit §107 · English §94
Source[१०७] अथ कथं तथाभूतं रहस्यम् उदयेतेत्य् अपेक्षायां क्रम-प्राप्तं तद्- अङ्ग-भूतं तदीय-साधनम् उपदिशति । एतावद् एव जिज्ञास्यं तत्त्व-जिज्ञासुनात्मनः । अन्वय-व्यतिरेकाभ्यां यत् स्यात् सर्वत्र सर्वदा ॥ [भ्प् २.९.३५] आत्मनो मम भगवतस् तत्त्व-जिज्ञासुना प्रेम-रूपं रहस्यम् अनुभवितुम् इच्छुना एतावद् एव जिज्ञास्यं श्री-गुरु-चरणेभ्यः शिक्षणीयम् । किं तत् ? सद् एकम् एव अन्वय-व्यतिरेकाभ्यां विधि-निषेधाभ्यां सदा सर्वत्र स्याद् उपपद्यते । यथा - न ह्य् अतोऽन्यः शिवः पन्था विशतः संसृताव् इह । वासुदेवे भगवति भक्ति-योगो यथा भवेत् ॥ [भ्प् २.२.३३] इति व्यतिरेकेणोपक्रम्य तद्-उपसंहारे - तस्मात् सर्वात्मना राजन् हरिः सर्वत्र सर्वदा । श्रोतव्यः कीर्तितव्यश् च स्मर्तव्यो भगवान् नॄणाम् ॥ [भ्प् २.२.३६] इत्य् अन्वयेन सर्वदेत्य् उक्तम् । तस्मात् स्व-ज्ञान-विज्ञान-रहस्य-तद्-अङ्गानाम् उपदेशेन चतुःश्लोक्याम् अपि स्वयं श्री-भगवच्-छब्देन ददर्श तत्राखिल-सात्वतां पतिम् [भ्प् २.९.१५] इत्य् अत्र तापनी-श्रुत्य्-अनुकूलितं श्री-कृष्ण-लिङ्गत्वेन च अस्य वक्तुः श्री- भगवत्त्वम् एव स्फुटम् । न जातु तद्-अंश-भूत-नारायणाख्य- गर्भोदशायि पुरुषत्वम् । अतएवास्य महापुराणस्यापि श्री-भागवतम् इत्य् एव व्याख्या । तथैवोक्तम् - - कस्मै केन विभाषितोऽयम् अतुलो ज्ञान-प्रदीपः पुरा इत्य् आदौ तच् छुद्धं विमलं विशोकम् अमृतं सत्यं परं धीमहि इत्य् [भ्प् १२.१३.१९] अत्र पर-शब्देन भगच्-वक्तृत्वम् । आद्योऽवतारः पुरुषः परस्येति द्वितीये भेदाभिधानात् । अत इदं भगवता पूर्वं ब्रह्मणे नाभि-पङ्कजे । स्थिताय भव-भीताय कारुण्यात् सम्प्रकाशितम् इत्य् अत्रापि भगवच्-छब्द- प्रयोगः । श्री-नारायण-नाभि-पङ्कजे स्थितं ब्रह्माणं प्रति स्वयं श्री- भगवता तत्रैव व्यापि-महा-वैकुण्ठं प्रकाश्येदं पुराणं प्रकाशितम् इत्य् अर्थः । अनुगतं चैतत् द्वितीय-स्कन्धेतिहासस्येति । ॥ २.९ ॥ श्री-भगवान् ब्रह्माणम् ॥ १०२-१०७ ॥
[107] atha kathaṃ tathābhūtaṃ rahasyam udayetety apekṣāyāṃ krama-prāptaṃ tad- aṅga-bhūtaṃ tadīya-sādhanam upadiśati | etāvad eva jijñāsyaṃ tattva-jijñāsunātmanaḥ | anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṃ yat syāt sarvatra sarvadā || [BhP 2.9.35] ātmano mama bhagavatas tattva-jijñāsunā prema-rūpaṃ rahasyam anubhavitum icchunā etāvad eva jijñāsyaṃ śrī-guru-caraṇebhyaḥ śikṣaṇīyam | kiṃ tat ? sad ekam eva anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṃ vidhi-niṣedhābhyāṃ sadā sarvatra syād upapadyate | yathā - na hy ato'nyaḥ śivaḥ panthā viśataḥ saṃsṛtāv iha | vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogo yathā bhavet || [BhP 2.2.33] iti vyatirekeṇopakramya tad-upasaṃhāre - tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā | śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyo bhagavān nṝṇām || [BhP 2.2.36] ity anvayena sarvadety uktam | tasmāt sva-jñāna-vijñāna-rahasya-tad-aṅgānām upadeśena catuḥślokyām api svayaṃ śrī-bhagavac-chabdena dadarśa tatrākhila-sātvatāṃ patim [BhP 2.9.15] ity atra tāpanī-śruty-anukūlitaṃ śrī-kṛṣṇa-liṅgatvena ca asya vaktuḥ śrī- bhagavattvam eva sphuṭam | na jātu tad-aṃśa-bhūta-nārāyaṇākhya- garbhodaśāyi puruṣatvam | ataevāsya mahāpurāṇasyāpi śrī-bhāgavatam ity eva vyākhyā | tathaivoktam - - kasmai kena vibhāṣito'yam atulo jñāna-pradīpaḥ purā ity ādau tac chuddhaṃ vimalaṃ viśokam amṛtaṃ satyaṃ paraṃ dhīmahi ity [BhP 12.13.19] atra para-śabdena bhagac-vaktṛtvam | ādyo'vatāraḥ puruṣaḥ parasyeti dvitīye bhedābhidhānāt | ata idaṃ bhagavatā pūrvaṃ brahmaṇe nābhi-paṅkaje | sthitāya bhava-bhītāya kāruṇyāt samprakāśitam ity atrāpi bhagavac-chabda- prayogaḥ | śrī-nārāyaṇa-nābhi-paṅkaje sthitaṃ brahmāṇaṃ prati svayaṃ śrī- bhagavatā tatraiva vyāpi-mahā-vaikuṇṭhaṃ prakāśyedaṃ purāṇaṃ prakāśitam ity arthaḥ | anugataṃ caitat dvitīya-skandhetihāsasyeti | || 2.9 || śrī-bhagavān brahmāṇam || 102-107 ||
English translation
English witness · section(s) 94
Anuccheda 94
1 Although it may also be applied to the all-pervading effulgence of the Lord’s body, because the word ‘brahman’ means ‘the greatest’, it is most properly applied to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in the following statement of the Brahma Purana: 2 “The one Supreme Lord, Visnu, is respectfully called by His many names, such as Ananta, Bhagavan, Brahman and Ananda.” 3 In other places it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called Brahman because His transcendental qualities are limitless. The Padma Purana says: “Because they are limitless, the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be completely described. Because He possesses all transcendental qualities, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called Brahman (the Great). 4 “For this reason Lord Visnu is called Brahman. Because His qualities are limitless only He, and no one else, is the Supreme.” 5 Now this passage will be explained. Srimad Bhagavatam (1.2.11) says: “Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non dual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan.”* The Lord’s feature that has no qualities is called Brahman. The Lord’s feature that does have qualities is called Bhagavan. As previously explained, the Bhagavan feature has form. It is not formless. 6 Sri Visnu Purana (6.7.47) says: “O king, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has form and again He is also formless. He is transcendental, and again He is also material.” In this verse of Visnu Purana four aspects of the Lord are described. If the formless aspect of the Lord is accepted, then the impersonal Brahman is the appropriate object of meditation. 7 The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears as Lord Syamasundara, Lord Caturbhuja Narayana, or one of His other transcendental forms before a devotee who sincerely loves Him. The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears as His material universal form, where Patalaloka is imagined to be His feet and the other parts of the material world are imagined to be other parts of His body, before a devotee whose love for Him is not sincere. The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears as the transcendental formless Brahman before a person attached to dry philosophical speculation. The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears as material formless fate before a devotee whose love for Him is heavily mixed with philosophical speculation. The Lord’s spiritual form and His formless Brahman are not material. This means that neither the formless Brahman nor the Lord’s transcendental form are inferior. 8 The Visnu Purana (6.7.69) explains: “The form of visva-rupa is Lord Hari’s form as the mahat-tattva.” Because the Lord creates the material universe it should be understood that He Himself is both eternal and all-powerful. The Visnu Purana (6.7.77) again explains: “The form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not rest on anything outside itself.” This means that the Lord’s form has no limitations.. The Visnu Purana again explains (6.7.82): “One should meditate on Lord Visnu, whose form is spiritual.” This means that the Supreme has spiritual qualities. The Visnu Purana again explains (6.7.75): “The Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be attained by the three kinds of meditation.” Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be attained by the three kinds of meditation, namely fruitive work, philosophical speculation mixed with fruitive work, and pure philosophical speculation, because He is full of transcendental qualities, and because He appears only in response to devotional service, He is the ultimate, the real feature of the Supreme. 9 The Visnu Purana again explains (6.7.75): “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the basis of the impersonal Brahman and the all-pervading Supersoul.” 10 This statement affirms that they who worship the form of the Lord are superior and they who worship the formless Brahman are inferior. Visnu Purana 6.7.69 quoted in text 8, affirms that the form of the Supreme is His ultimate feature. 11 This is confirmed by the next statement of the Visnu Purana (6.7.70): “O king, the Supreme Personality of Godhead displays His transcendental forms, which are like those of demigods, men, and animals, and which are endowed with all potencies, and enjoys transcendental pastimes.” 12 Srimad Bhagavatam (1.3.2) explains: “A part of the purusa lies down within the water of the universe, from the navel lake of His body sprouts a lotus stem, and from the lotus flower atop this stem, Brahma, the master of all engineers in the universe, becomes manifest.”* After describing this form of the Lord, the Bhagavatam proceeds to reveal the origin of the various incarnations of the Lord in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.5): “This form (the second manifestation of the purusa) is the source and indestructible seed of multifarious incarnations within the universe. From the particles and portions of this form, different living entities, like demigods, men and others, are created.”* 13 In his commentary on Visnu Purana 6.7.69 (quoted in text 8) Sripada Ramanujacarya affirms the transcendental nature of the Lord’s form. Accepting the reading ‘visva-rupa-vairupyam’ (instead ‘visva-rupa-rupam vai’), he explains that the word ‘vairupyam’ here means ‘filled with variety’. Because the material universe is filled with variety, the Lord’s universal form is also filled with variety. 14 The Lord’s form is proved by the following words of the Sruti (Svetasvatara Upanisad 3.16): “Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes, heads, and faces, and He has ears everywhere.”* These words do not describe a form different from the previously described all-pervading universal form. This is the universal form. 15 The universal form is described in Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda: “Youthful Lord Hari accepts the limitless universal form and, the splendour of His body like the nectar moon, enjoys pastimes with Laksmi, the mother of the universes.” 16 This verse says the universal form is limitless because it is all-pervading. Lord Hari, whose form is eternally youthful, enjoys pastimes with the goddess of fortune. That is the meaning here. The word ‘upeyivan’ here means Lord Hari is eternal, as has already been explained in the passage from Sruti sastra quoted in Anuccheda 93, text 12. Because in these passages the eternality of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is proved many times, it should be concluded that the transcendental form of the Lord is the ultimate creator of the spiritual worlds, which comprise three-fourths of His potencies. 17 The Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda also explains: “Infallible, eternal, transcendental, eternally young Lord Hari eternally enjoys pastimes with the goddesses Isvari-devi, Sri-devi and Bhumi-devi.” 18 The conclusion is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose qualities are described here, is the original, primeval nature of the Supreme, whose three aspects are described in Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.11. This is confirmed in Moksa-dharma, Sri Narayaniyopakhyana: 19 “The great sages who seek the truth with thorough philosophical analysis have concluded that the Supreme Truth is Lord Narayana, who is known as Hari and is the master of Yogamaya.” 20 This is also confirmed in Narayana Upanisad: “Narayana is the Supreme Brahman. Narayana is the ultimate truth.” 21 This is again confirmed by the following passage quoted by Sripada Ramanujacarya from the Sruti-sastra: “There is only one Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is Lord Narayana. He is transcendental, self-manifest and sinless. The earth is His body. The soul is His body. The unmanifest pradhana is His body. The imperishable Brahman is His body. He is the Supersoul present in all creatures.” In this way many scriptural passages confirm that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate aspect of the Supreme. 22 Here is has thus been proven that the Purusa-avataras and other expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are the Supreme Truth and have forms that are eternal. How much more so must it be, therefore, that the original Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Truth and has a form that is eternal? In the previous portions of this book this has been confirmed by many statements, and in the latter portions of this book it will again be confirmed. 23 Again in the Visnu Purana (1.22.53-54) the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in the following words: “The Supreme Brahman has two features: a feature with form and a feature without form. These two features each have another two features: a material feature and a spiritual feature. The two formless features are both all-pervading. The spiritual formless feature is the impersonal Brahman and the material formless feature is the entire universe itself.” 24 After saying this, and after describing Lord Visnu, Lord Brahma, and Lord Siva in the material world, the Visnu Purana (1.22.58) says: “O best of the sages, the Supreme Brahman is eternal, but the material universe is a place of appearance, disappearance, birth and death.” 25 Here the word ‘aksara’ means ‘the Supreme Brahman, which is eternal’, and ‘akhila’ means ‘the material universe, which is created and destroyed’. The words ‘appearance and disappearance’ here refer to the plenary expansions of Lord Visnu, and the words ‘birth and death’ refer to everyone else. The forms of Lord Visnu do not actually become part of the material world, really entering it, when They appear within it. That is the meaning. 26 “Eternally staying in its own abode, the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which is different from both the temporary material world and the eternal impersonal Brahman, is the third and ultimate feature of the Supreme. It is described in these words (Visnu Purana 1.22.59, 61-62): 27 “Lord Visnu, the master of all potencies, has form, and is different from the formless Brahman. Since ancient times the yogis have meditated on Him in mystic trance. 28 “He is different from His potencies, but He is not different from the impersonal Brahman. O fortunate one, His form is spiritual. Everything about Lord Hari is spiritual. He is the loom on which the material world is woven.” 29 In this passage the words ‘yogibhih purvam cintyate’ mean ‘After realising Brahman, the yogis meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’ Therefore the impersonal Brahman and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are not different. The sequence of worshipping impersonal Brahman and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, where Brahman is manifest first and then the Supreme Personality of Godhead is manifest is described in Bhagavad-gita (18.54) where the Supreme Personality of Godhead says: “One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realises the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state He attains pure devotional service unto Me.”* 30 Here the words ‘sa parah sarva-saktinam’ mean ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead is different from all His potencies, and therefore He is their ultimate shelter.’ ‘Sarvam brahma-mayah’ means ‘He whose form is perfectly spiritual’. Because it is not the master of potencies, the impersonal Brahman is not spiritual in perfection. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the feature of the Lord described in Bhagavad-gita (15.15) as ‘known by all the Vedas.’ This is the meaning of ‘sarvam brahma-mayah’. 31 The Supreme Personality of Godhead describes Himself in these words (Bhagavad-gita 15.18): “Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person.”* 32 Although the word ‘aksara’ used in Bhagavad-gita 15.16 refers to the pure jiva (individual spirit soul), it also refers to the Supreme Brahman. Therefore the phrase ‘aksaram param brahma’ (Visnu Purana 1.22.53) quoted previously (in text 23) can refer to both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the jiva because both are spiritual in nature. 33 The form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.43.17): “When Krsna entered the wrestling arena with Balarama and Their friends, He appeared differently to different people according to their different relationships (rasas) with Him. Krsna is the reservoir of all pleasure and all kinds of rasas, both favourable and unfavourable. He appeared to the wrestlers exactly like a thunderbolt. To the people in general He appeared as the most beautiful personality. To the females He appeared to be the most attractive male, Cupid personified, and this increased their lust. The cowherd men who were present there looked upon Krsna as their own kinsman, coming from the same village of Vrndavana. The ksatriya kings who were present there saw Him as the strongest ruler. To the parents of Krsna, Nanda and Yasoda, He appeared to be the most loving child. To Kamsa, the king of the Bhoja dynasty, He appeared to be death personified. To the unintelligent, He appeared to be an incapable personality. To the yogis present, He appeared to be the Supersoul.”* Here it is the yogis who understand Him most directly. The yogis in this verse are the great sages who have the four Kumaras as their leaders.
Bhagavat · Sanskrit §108 · English §95
Source[१०८] तद् एतत् सर्व-शास्त्राणां समन्वयस् तस्मिन्न् एव भगवति । तथा च सर्वैश् च वेदैः परमो हि देवो जिज्ञास्यो नान्यो वेदैः प्रसिध्येत् । तस्माद् एनं सर्व-वेदान् अधीत्य विचार्य च ज्ञातुम् इच्छेन् मुमुक्षुर् इति चतुर्वेद- शिखायाम् । यं सर्व-देवा आनमन्ति मुमुक्षवो ब्रह्मवादिनश् चेति श्री- नृसिंह-तापन्याम् [न्तु २.४.१०] । न वेदविन् मनुते तं बृहन्तं सर्वानुभूतम् आत्मानं साम्पराये । त्वं त्व् औपनिषदं पुरुषं पृच्छामीत्य् [बौ ३.९.२७] आदिर् अन्यत्र । वेदैश् च सर्वैर् अहम् एव वेद्यो वेदान्त-कृद् वेद-विद् एव चाहम् इति [गीता १५.१५] श्री- गीतोपनिषत्सु । सिद्धान्ते पुनर् एक एव भगवान् विष्णुः समस्तागम- व्यापारेषु विवेचन-व्यतिकरं नीतेषु निश्चीयत इति पाद्मे । सर्व- नामाभिधेयश् च सर्व-वेदेडितश् च स इति स्कान्दे । नताः स्म सर्व-जगतां वचसां प्रतिष्ठा यत्र शाश्वती इति [विप् १.१४.२३] वैष्णवे । सर्व-वेदान् सेतिहासान् स-पुराणान् स-युक्तिकान् । स-पञ्चरात्रान् विज्ञाय विष्णुर् ज्ञेयो न चान्यथा ॥ इति ब्रह्म-तर्के । तद् एवं सर्व-वेद-समन्वयं स्वस्मिन् श्री-भगवत्य् एव स्वयम् आह - मां विधत्ते ऽभिधत्ते मां विकल्प्यापोह्यते ह्य् अहम् । [भ्प् ११.२१.४२] ॥ ११.२१ ॥ श्री-भगवान् ॥ १०८ ॥
[108] tad etat sarva-śāstrāṇāṃ samanvayas tasminn eva bhagavati | tathā ca sarvaiś ca vedaiḥ paramo hi devo jijñāsyo nānyo vedaiḥ prasidhyet | tasmād enaṃ sarva-vedān adhītya vicārya ca jñātum icchen mumukṣur iti caturveda- śikhāyām | yaṃ sarva-devā ānamanti mumukṣavo brahmavādinaś ceti śrī- nṛsiṃha-tāpanyām [NTU 2.4.10] | na vedavin manute taṃ bṛhantaṃ sarvānubhūtam ātmānaṃ sāmparāye | tvaṃ tv aupaniṣadaṃ puruṣaṃ pṛcchāmīty [BAU 3.9.27] ādir anyatra | vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham iti [Gītā 15.15] śrī- gītopaniṣatsu | siddhānte punar eka eva bhagavān viṣṇuḥ samastāgama- vyāpāreṣu vivecana-vyatikaraṃ nīteṣu niścīyata iti pādme | sarva- nāmābhidheyaś ca sarva-vedeḍitaś ca sa iti skānde | natāḥ sma sarva-jagatāṃ vacasāṃ pratiṣṭhā yatra śāśvatī iti [ViP 1.14.23] vaiṣṇave | sarva-vedān setihāsān sa-purāṇān sa-yuktikān | sa-pañcarātrān vijñāya viṣṇur jñeyo na cānyathā || iti brahma-tarke | tad evaṃ sarva-veda-samanvayaṃ svasmin śrī-bhagavaty eva svayam āha - māṃ vidhatte 'bhidhatte māṃ vikalpyāpohyate hy aham | [BhP 11.21.42] || 11.21 || śrī-bhagavān || 108 ||
English translation
English witness · section(s) 95
Anuccheda 95
1 Although Srimad Bhagavatam, the mature ripened fruit of Vedic literature (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.3) is sublime for many reasons, it is most sublime because it teaches the truth about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is described in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.2): 2 “Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva (in his maturity), is sufficient in itself for God realisation. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.”* 3 Dharma is described in the Srimad Bhagavatam (1.2.6-12) in these words: “The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which men can attain to living devotional service unto the transcendental Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.* “By rendering devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.* “The occupational duties a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labour if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.* “All occupational engagements are certainly meant for ultimate liberation. They should never be performed for material gain. Furthermore, according to sages, one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service should never use material gain to cultivate sense gratification.* “Life’s desires should not be directed toward sense gratification. One should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for inquiry about the Absolute truth. Nothing else should be the goal of one’s works.* “Learned transcendentalists who know the absolute Truth call this non dual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan.* “The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and detachment, realises that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard from the Vedanta-sruti.*” 4 Srimad Bhagavatam (1.2.13) concludes: “O best among the twice born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.”* 5 These verses explain that pure devotional service alone satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.2 (quoted in text 2) cheating religion, defined as religion motivated by the desire to enjoy the fruits of work, is emphatically (pra) rejected (ujjhita). The word ‘pra’ also means that even salokya-mukti and other kinds of liberated are rejected. The word ‘nirmatsara’ means ‘those who are not envious’. An envious person is one who desires the fruits of his own work and cannot tolerate others’ good fortune. Non-envious persons are kind even to the animals. They are saintly and carefully follow the principles of dharma. In this way devotional service is better than the fruitive works described in the karma-khanda and upasana-khanda parts of the Vedas. 6 The message of these parts of the Vedas is very far from pure devotional service, which begins with chanting the glories of the Lord. The word ‘vedyam’ (the highest truth) here affirms that pure devotional service is better than the jnana-kana part of the Vedas. That pure devotional service is better than the spiritual paths that ignore devotion to the Lord is confirmed in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.4): “My dear Lord, devotional service to You is the only auspicious path. If one gives it up simply for speculative knowledge or the understanding that these living beings are spirit soul and the material world is false, he undergoes a great deal of trouble. He only gains troublesome and inauspicious activities. His actions are like beating a husk that is already devoid of rice. One’s labour becomes fruitless.”* 7 The phrase ‘tapa-trayonmulanam’ here means ‘breaks the ignorance that is the root of suffering’. ‘Siva’ means ‘transcendental bliss’, and ‘dam’ means ‘causes to experience’. Devotional service is different from the philosophy that maintains that without attaining the four purusarthas one cannot attain liberation. Srimad Bhagavatam does not maintain that it is good to attain the difficult-to-attain results of the purusarthas. The word ‘bhagavate’ here means ‘in the evidence presented in Srimad Bhagavatam’ and ‘srimat’ means ‘filled with the Lord’s holy name and His many transcendental potencies. The affix ‘matup’ here adds the possessive affix ‘mat’ to the word ‘sri’. The affix ‘mat’ (possessing) is employed here just as the affix ‘vat’ is employed in the compound word ‘niloypaladi-vat’. If this interpretation is not accepted, then the word has the fault of thoughtlessness (avimrsta-vidheyamsa). 8 Srimad Bhagavatam is described in the following statement of the Garuda Purana: “The scripture named Srimad Bhagavatam has eighteen-thousand verses.” 9 Srila Sridhara Svami comments (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.3): “The desire tree here is Srimad Bhagavatam.” In some places Srimad Bhagavatam is referred to as ‘Bhagavatam’, without the word ‘Srimad’. This is like the use of the shortened form Bhama for the name Satyabhama. 10 The cause of Srimad Bhagavatam’s glory is given in the word ‘maha-muni’ (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.2). because its author is the crest jewel of the greatest of philosophers, Srimad Bhagavatam is glorious. The Sruti-sastra explains: ‘He became a great philosopher and meditated on the truth.’ In this way the essence of the revelation of Srimad Bhagavatam is described in these first four verses of Canto One. This revelation is again described in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.19): ‘The Lord revealed Srimad Bhagavatam to the demigod Brahma.” 11 Srimad Bhagavatam is the best of all scriptures. This verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.2) says the direct appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which is the best goal of life and the best of all knowledge described in the Vedic literature, is easily attained in Srimad Bhagavatam. This verse describes the Srimad Bhagavatam’s superexcellent glory by saying: “What is the need of any other scripture or the spiritual paths described in them? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.” The word ‘va’ (or) here is like a momentary sidelong glance. The word ‘susrusubhihi’ here means ‘they who desire to hear’. As soon as one desires to hear, the Lord is established in the heart. 12 At this point someone may object: ‘Is it not so that everyone hears Srimad Bhagavatam?” The answer is given in this verse (1.1.2) in the word ‘krtibhih’ which means ‘by the pious men’. By they who have not performed pious deeds, but simply desire to hear, the Lord is not established in the heart. That is the meaning. What is the use of spiritual paths not free from material desires, even up to liberation, the path of superficial performance of rituals to worship the Lord, meditation on impersonal Brahman and other spiritual paths mentioned and not mentioned here? How glorious are they? That is the meaning here. For they who engage in sadhana-bhakti (devotional service in practice) the Lord is at once established in the heart. It is they who always desire to hear Srimad Bhagavatam. Because it attracts the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus contains the most confidential secret of the three parts of the Vedas, Srimad Bhagavatam is the best of all scriptures. In this way three lines of this verse (1.1.2) have been explained. The conclusion is that everyone should hear Srimad Bhagavatam.
Srila Jiva Gosvami’s Sri Bhagavat-sandarbha An Essay on Bhagavan Volume Three
Table of Contents
Volume Five
Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.30-33, Anucchedas 96-97 Page 2
The Vedas Describe Bhagavan, Anucchedas 98-99 Page 9
Bhagavan Can Be described, The Prayers of the Personified Vedas, Anucchedas 100-102 Page 14
Bhagavan’s Potencies, Laksmi-devi, Hladini-sakti, Visuddha- sattva, Bhagavan Reveals Himself by His own wish, Anuccheda 103 Page 26
Laksmi-devi, Anuccheda 104 Page 37
Bhagavan Cannot be Know by Material means, Anuccheda 105 Page 39
Bhagavan Can be Known by Devotional Service, Anuccheda 106 Page 40
Bhagavat · Sanskrit §109 · English §96
Source[१०९] तद् एवं भगवत एव सर्व-वेदार्थत्वं दर्शितम् । तत्र राज्ञः प्रश्नः । श्री-विष्णु-रात उवाच - ब्रह्मन् ब्रह्मण्य् अनिर्देश्ये निर्गुणे गुण-वृत्तयः । कथं चरन्ति श्रुतयः साक्षात् सद्-असतः परे ॥ [भ्प् १०.८७.१] अस्यार्थः । श्रुतयस् तावच् छब्द-मात्रस्य साधारण्याद् गुणेषु सत्त्वादिषु वृत्तिर् यासां तादृशो दृश्यन्ते । ब्रह्म तु निर्गुणं सत्त्वादि-गुणातीतं तस्माद् एवानिर्देश्यम् । तत्-तद्-गुण-कार्य-भूत-जाति-गुण-क्रियाख्याननां गुणान्तराणाम् अभावास्पदत्वात् तादृश-द्रव्यस्याप्य् अप्रसिद्धत्वाद् अनिर्देश्यं सत्त्वादि कार्यं भूताभ्यां सद्-असद्भ्यां कार्य-कारणाभ्यां परम् इति तेन तेनासम्बन्धं चेत्य् अर्थः । तथा च सति यथा डित्थ-वाचि कस्मिंश्चिद् अद्वितीये द्रव्ये तच्-छब्दस्य मुख्या वृत्तिः प्रवर्तते । यथा च सिंहो देवदत्त इत्य् अत्र गौण्या वृत्त्या शौर्य-गुण-युक्ते देवदत्ते सिंह- शब्दः प्रवर्तते । यथा च गङ्गायां घोष इत्य् अत्र-लक्षणया वृत्त्या गङ्गा-शब्दस् तस्मिन्न् इत्य् असम्बन्धे तटे प्रवर्तते । तथा तत्-तद्- भावास्पदे ब्रह्मणि तया तया वृत्त्या श्रुतयः कथं प्रवर्तेरन् । श्रुतीनां च शास्त्र-योनित्वाद् इति [व्स् १.१.३] न्यायेन तत्-प्रतिपादकतायाम् अनन्यानां तत्र प्रवृत्तिर् अवश्यं वक्तव्या । तस्मात् तस्मिंस् ताः साक्षाद्- रूपतया मुख्यया वृत्त्या केन प्रकारेण चरन्ति । तं प्रकारं विशेषः कृपयापि स्वयम् उपदिशेति । अन्यथा पदार्थत्वायोगाद् अपदार्थस्य च वाच्यार्थत्वायोगान् न श्रुति-गोचरत्वं ब्रह्मणः स्याद् इति स्थिते कुतस्तरां तद् उपरि चर-स्फूर्तेर् भगवतस् तद्-गोचरत्वं तत् कथम् एवं स्वभक्तयोर् इत्य् आदौ स्वतां स्वतः प्रमाण-भूतानां वेदानां मार्गं भगवत्-परत्वम् आदिश्येत्य् उक्तम् इति ।
[109] tad evaṃ bhagavata eva sarva-vedārthatvaṃ darśitam | tatra rājñaḥ praśnaḥ | śrī-viṣṇu-rāta uvāca - brahman brahmaṇy anirdeśye nirguṇe guṇa-vṛttayaḥ | kathaṃ caranti śrutayaḥ sākṣāt sad-asataḥ pare || [BhP 10.87.1] asyārthaḥ | śrutayas tāvac chabda-mātrasya sādhāraṇyād guṇeṣu sattvādiṣu vṛttir yāsāṃ tādṛśo dṛśyante | brahma tu nirguṇaṃ sattvādi-guṇātītaṃ tasmād evānirdeśyam | tat-tad-guṇa-kārya-bhūta-jāti-guṇa-kriyākhyānanāṃ guṇāntarāṇām abhāvāspadatvāt tādṛśa-dravyasyāpy aprasiddhatvād anirdeśyaṃ sattvādi kāryaṃ bhūtābhyāṃ sad-asadbhyāṃ kārya-kāraṇābhyāṃ param iti tena tenāsambandhaṃ cety arthaḥ | tathā ca sati yathā ḍittha-vāci kasmiṃścid advitīye dravye tac-chabdasya mukhyā vṛttiḥ pravartate | yathā ca siṃho devadatta ity atra gauṇyā vṛttyā śaurya-guṇa-yukte devadatte siṃha- śabdaḥ pravartate | yathā ca gaṅgāyāṃ ghoṣa ity atra-lakṣaṇayā vṛttyā gaṅgā-śabdas tasminn ity asambandhe taṭe pravartate | tathā tat-tad- bhāvāspade brahmaṇi tayā tayā vṛttyā śrutayaḥ kathaṃ pravarteran | śrutīnāṃ ca śāstra-yonitvād iti [Vs 1.1.3] nyāyena tat-pratipādakatāyām ananyānāṃ tatra pravṛttir avaśyaṃ vaktavyā | tasmāt tasmiṃs tāḥ sākṣād- rūpatayā mukhyayā vṛttyā kena prakāreṇa caranti | taṃ prakāraṃ viśeṣaḥ kṛpayāpi svayam upadiśeti | anyathā padārthatvāyogād apadārthasya ca vācyārthatvāyogān na śruti-gocaratvaṃ brahmaṇaḥ syād iti sthite kutastarāṃ tad upari cara-sphūrter bhagavatas tad-gocaratvaṃ tat katham evaṃ svabhaktayor ity ādau svatāṃ svataḥ pramāṇa-bhūtānāṃ vedānāṃ mārgaṃ bhagavat-paratvam ādiśyety uktam iti |
English translation
English witness · section(s) 96
Anuccheda 96
1 Srila Sukadeva Gosvami met the Supreme Personality of Godhead in his heart. For this reason the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in the four central verses (1.9.30-33) of Srimad Bhagavatam. Sukadeva Gosvami taught Srimad Bhagavatam based on his own personal knowledge and realisation. Because the demigod Brahma was a great devotee, the Supreme Lord personally taught him the four most important verses of His own scripture, which bears the name Srimad Bhagavatam. The Lord said (Srimad Bhagavatam (2.9.30): 2 “Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realised in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up very carefully.”* 3 In this verse the Lord says: “Please accept this transcendental Vedic knowledge I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, am speaking to you. Others do not know this knowledge.” The word ‘parama-guhyam’ here means “This knowledge is most confidential than the knowledge of impersonal Brahman.” That this is so is confirmed in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.14.5): “O great sage, among many millions who are liberated and perfect in knowledge of liberation, one may be a devotee of Lord Narayana, or Krsna. Such devotees, who are fully peaceful, are extremely rare.”* 4 The Lord says: ‘Please accept this spiritual knowledge based on direct perception.’ The Lord then says that this knowledge is very confidential. That means this knowledge will eventually reveal prema-bhakti (devotional service in pure love of God). The Lord then says: ‘Please also accept the paraphernalia of this knowledge.’ When the obstacles of offenses are present, this confidential knowledge will not be manifest immediately. The Lord therefore says: ‘Please accept this paraphernalia to assist in understanding this knowledge.’ That paraphernalia is the process of devotional service, which begins with hearing (about Krsna). In this sentence the word ‘tad-angam’ modifies ‘sa-rahasyam’. These words are like two friends that help each other. 5 Next the Lord gives a blessing so this jnana (knowledge) and rahasya (confidential paraphernalia) may be manifested (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.31): “All of Me, namely My actual eternal form and My transcendental existence, colour, qualities and activities - let all be awakened within you by factual realisation, out of My causeless mercy,”* 6 In this verse ‘yavan’ means ‘eternal form’ and ‘yatha-bhavah’ means ‘transcendental existence’. The Lord here says ‘I am like this’. His forms include His dark complexioned form of Syamasundara and His four-armed Visnu forms. His qualities begin with His love for His devotees. His activities are His transcendental pastimes. This is the meaning of the words ‘yad-rupa-guna-karmakah aham’. The Lord here says: ‘Let all these be awakened within you by factual realisation, out of My causeless mercy.” Lord Krsna refers to these four verses (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.30-33) in this instruction to Uddhava (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.4.13): “O Uddhava, in the lotus millennium in the days of yore, at the beginning of the creation, I spoke unto Brahma, who is situated on the lotus that grows out of My navel, about My transcendental glories, which the great sages describe as Srimad Bhagavatam.”* 7 The words ‘vijnana’ here means ‘with the truth of My transcendental forms and qualities.’ The Lord here gives a blessing that this knowledge may become manifest. Out of love (for His devotee, the Lord gives the blessing that) the confidential truth of His blissful nature may be directly seen (by Brahma). 8 The first two of these four verses mention jnana and vijnana, which are further described in the next two verses (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.32-33). Jnana is described in the following verse, where the Lord says (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.32): 9 “Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.”* 10 Here the word ‘aham’ (I) means the form of the Lord, not the featureless Brahman, because Brahman cannot be perceived by the senses. This verse is like the famous statement (Chandogya Upanisad 6.8.7) ‘tat tvam asi’ (You are that). The Lord here says: ‘After the time when the material universe is annihilated, I in My handsome transcendental form, will remain.” 11 That the Supreme Personality of Godhead exists before and after the manifestation of the material universes is confirmed by the following quotes: “Lord Vasudeva existed before the material world was created, when there was no Brahma and no Siva.” Maha-Narayana Upanisad “In the beginning was only Narayana. There was no Brahma and no Siva.” Maha-Narayana Upanisad “The Personality of Godhead, the master of all living entities, existed prior to the creation as one without a second. It is by His will only that creation is made possible and again everything merges in Him. This Supreme Self is symptomised by different names.”* Srimad Bhagavatam 3.5.23 12 As in the sentence ‘The king goes’ the word ‘king’ may also mean ‘the king’s messenger’ or ‘the king’s soldiers’, so the word ‘aham’ (I) here does not only mean the Lord but also means the Lord’s abode of Vaikuntha, the Lord’s associates, and everything else in direct relation with the Lord. In this way the meaning should be understood. The Lord is again described in the following question of King Pariksit (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.8.10): 13 “Please also explain the Personality of Godhead, who lies in every heart as the Supersoul and as the Lord of all energies, but is untouched by His external energy.”* 14 Vidura asks a similar question (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.7.37): “Please describe how many dissolutions there are for the elements of material nature and who survives after the dissolutions to serve the Lord while He is asleep.”* 15 In the Kasi-khanda, Sri Dhruva-carita, it is said: “Because the Lord’s devotees do not perish when the material cosmos is destroyed, the all-pervading, eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead also never perishes.” 16 In this verse the words ‘aham eva’ refute the idea that the Supreme is formless and impersonal, and the words ‘asam eva’ refute the idea that the Supreme is beyond the power of thought. This is confirmed by the words ‘yad-rupa-guna-karmakah’. Aside from the activities of material creation, the demigod Brahma and other outsiders know nothing of the Lord’s real activities. They do not know of the Lord’s internal, spiritual pastimes. As a king has nothing that he must perform as his duty, so the Supreme Lord does not have to sleep, eat, or do any other thing. The verb ‘as’ (asam) may also mean ‘to go’, ‘to shine’, or ‘to accept’. When ‘as’ is interpreted to mean ‘shine’, this verse may mean that the Lord says to Brahma: ‘I am splendidly manifest before you as you gaze on My transcendental features.’ Interpreted in this way, these words refute the idea that the Supreme has no form. In his discussion of form and formlessness in relation to Lord Visnu, Srila Bopadeva Gosvami explains in his Muktaphala-tika commentary on this verse: “It is not that the forms of the Lord cannot be all pervading. The Lord’s form does not disappear into nothingness simply because He is simultaneously everywhere.” The Aitareya Upanisad (1.1.1) also explains: “Before the material world was created the Supreme Person existed.” From this it may be understood that because the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead existed before the material creation, the knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest truth. 17 At this point someone may object: ‘Is it not so the Sruti-sastra says that before the material creation the Brahman, which has no qualities, existed?’ To this objection the Lord answers: ‘nanyad yat sat-asat-param’. This means: ‘Before the creation there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation.’ In this statement the word ‘asat’ means ‘effect’ and ‘sat’ means ‘cause’. Because the Lord says that ‘there was nothing but Myself’, He says ‘the impersonal Brahman, which is above the cause and effect of this world, is not different from Me.’ He says: ‘Because some scriptures cannot understand my personal form and qualities, I am reflected in them in my impersonal aspect.’ In the material world, where spiritual variety is not understood, I appear as the undifferentiated Brahman, but in the spiritual world of Vaikuntha I appear as the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way these two aspects of the Supreme are described in the scriptures. The truth about the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described by Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (14.27) in the words: ‘I am the basis of the impersonal Brahma.’ In this way the Lord says that knowledge of Him is ‘very confidential.’ 18 At this point someone may object: ‘O Supreme Personality of Godhead, is it not so that when the material universe is no longer manifest, You also no longer exist?’ The Lord answers (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.31): ‘After annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.”* In the material universes the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests His form of the Supersoul, and in the spiritual world of Vaikuntha He manifests His forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That the Lord is not affected by the destruction of the material universes is confirmed in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.35): “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material universes. No one is the cause of Him.” 19 At this point someone may object: ‘O Lord, the pottery, clothing, and other forms seen in the material universe are not Your forms, for they are not all powerful.’ Thinking someone might raise this objection, the Lord said: ‘I am the material universe. Because it is not different from Me, it is My very self.” It is also said (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.7.50): 20 “My dear son, I have no explained in brief the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the creator of the manifested worlds. Without Him, Hari, the Lord, there are no other causes of the phenomenal and nominal existences.”* 21 In this way the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is explained. The Himself says (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.33): “After annihilation of the material universe what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.” About the Supreme Personality of Godhead the scriptures declare: ‘O Lord, because You alone remain (sesa) when the material universes are destroyed, You bear the name Sesa.’ The Lord teaches that He is present in all places and at all times. He says (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.33) ‘I, the Personality of Godhead was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself.’ He again says (Bhagavad-gita 14.27): ‘I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman.” In Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.32 the word ‘yad-bhavah’ indicates that all forms are limbs of the Lord’s own form, and the word ‘rupa’ in that verse indicates that the Lord has unlimited wonderful transcendental forms different from material forms. The word ‘guna’ in that verse indicates that the Lord is the shelter of everything and He has unlimited transcendental qualities different from material qualities. The word ‘karmakah’ in that verse indicates that the Lord is the shelter of many extraordinary activities, such as His creation, maintenance, and destruction of the material universes. 22 In the next verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.34), in order to teach the truth that His forms and qualities are different from matter, the Lord describes the qualities of the illusory energy (maya). He says: “O Brahma, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.”* The summary explanation of this verse is: “I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Anything present before the eyes that is not Me has no reality. Anything without relation to Me has no reality. Know it as the illusory energy of Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” 23 The word ‘yathabhasah’ gives the example of a reflection. Darkness is here compared to a reflection. Darkness may mean either that there is no light in a certain place although light shines in other places, or darkness may also mean that light does shine in a certain place although the beholder has no eyes to see it. The word ‘vidyat’ (know), although in the third- person, expresses the meaning of the second-person. This instruction, therefore, is intended for others. The Lord says: “With the power I give, you will be able to see and understand Me. Transcending material vision, you will directly see and understand Me, whose forms and qualities are transcendental. By turning from the illusion of matter, one may understand Me. The conclusion is that My transcendental form and qualities cannot be seen or understood by a person in the thrall of material illusion.” For this reason material illusion should be given up. Without giving up material illusion it is not possible to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Bhagavat · Sanskrit §110 · English §97
Source[११०] अत्र श्री-शुकदेवेन दत्तम् उत्तरम् आह - ऋषिर् उवाच - बुद्धीन्द्रिय-मनः-प्राणान् जनानाम् असृजत् प्रभुः । मात्रार्थं च भवार्थं च आत्मनेऽकल्पनाय च ॥ [भ्प् १०.८७.२] बुद्ध्यादीन् उपाधीन् जनानाम् अनुशायिनां जीवानां मात्राद्य्-अर्थं प्रभुः परमेश्वरोऽसृजत न तु जनाः स्वाविद्ययासृजन्न् इति विवर्त-वादः परिहृतः । मीयन्त इति माया विषयाः तद्-अर्थम् । भवार्थं भवः जन्म- लक्षणं कर्म तत्-प्रभृति-कर्म-करणार्थम् इत्य् अर्थः । आत्मने लोकान्तर-गामिने आत्मनस् तत्-तल्-लोक-भोगायेत्य् अर्थः । अकल्पनाय कल्पना-निवृत्तये मुक्तये इत्य् अर्थः । अर्थ-धर्म-काम-मोक्षार्थम् इति क्रमेण पद-चतुष्टयस्यार्थः । मोक्षोऽप्य् अत्र चिन्-मात्रतयावस्थिति-रूपः । यथावर्ण-विधानम् अपवर्गश् च भवति, योऽसौ भगवतीत्य् आदिना अनन्य-निमित्त-भक्ति-योग-लक्षणो नाना-गति-निमित्ताविद्या-ग्रन्थि-रन्धन- द्वारेणेत्य् [भ्प् ५.१९.२०] अन्तेन पञ्चमोक्त-गद्येन तथा निरुक्तत्वात् साध्य- भक्ति-प्रादुर्भाव-लक्षणं चेति द्विविधो ज्ञेयः । उभयत्रापि कल्पना- रूपाविद्याया निवृत्तेः । एतद् उक्तं भवति । यस्मात् स्वयम् ईश्वरस् तत्-तद्- अर्थं तत्-तत्-साधकत्वेन दृश्यमानानां बुद्ध्यादीन् सृष्टवान् तस्मात् तत्- तत्-सम्पादन-शक्ति-निधान-योग्यतया तेषु कृतवान् इति लभ्यते । तत्र त्रिवर्ग-सम्पादिकाः शक्तयः कल्पनात्मिका माया-वृत्त्य्-अविद्या-शक्तेर् अंशाः बहिर्मुख-कर्मात्मकत्वात् स्वरूपान्यथा-भाव-संसारित्व-हेतुत्वाच् च । एवं च यावज्-जीवानां भगवद्-बहिर्मुखता तावत् केवलं कल्पनात्मिकानाम् अविद्या-शक्तीनां प्रकाशात् तत्-प्रधाना बुद्ध्य्-आदयः स-गुणा एवेति निर्गुणं साक्सान् न कुर्वत इत्य् एवं सत्यम् एव । यदा तु तद्- अन्तर्मुखता तदा तेषु चिच्-छक्तेः प्रादुर्भावात् तं साक्षात् कुर्वत एव इति स्थितम् । बुद्ध्यादिमयत्वाद् वचसोऽपि तथा व्यवहारः सिध्यति । तद् अत्रैवाभेदेन सिद्धान्तितम् अन्ते । तद् एतद् वर्णितं राजन् यो नः प्रश्नः कृतस् त्वया । यथा ब्रह्मण्य-निर्देश्ये नरिगुण्येऽपि मनश् चरेत् ॥ इत्य् अत्र मन इति । तत्र बुद्ध्य्-आदौ चिच्-छक्तिस् तदीयाप्राकृत-परमानन्द-स्वरूप-तादृश- गुणादौ स्वयं प्रकाशमयी वचसि च तत्तन्-निर्देश-मयीति ज्ञेया । अतोऽप्राकृत-तादृश-स्वरूपाद्यालम्बनेन श्रुतयश् चरन्तीति सिद्धान्त- सिद्धये । तद् एवं पौरुषस्यापि वचसो भगवच्-चरित्रं सिद्धम् । यथोक्तम् -यस्मिन् प्रति श्लोकम् अबद्धवत्य् [भ्प् १.५.११] अपीति । तथा च सति तथाविध-वच-आदीनाम् एकाश्रयस्य साक्षाद्-भगवन्- निश्वासाविर्भाविनोऽपौरुषेयस्य तच्-चारित्वं किम् उत । तस्मात् साक्षात् चरन्त्य् एव श्रुतयः । वक्ष्यते च - क्वचिद् अजयात्मना च चरतोऽनुचरेन् निगम[*एन्द्नोते #३६] इति । तथा च प्रणवम् उद्दिश्योक्तं द्वादशे -- स्वधाम्नो ब्रह्मणः साक्षाद् वाचकः परमात्मनः । स-सर्व-मन्त्रोपनिषद् वेद-बीजं सनातनम् ॥ [भ्प् १२.६.४१] इति । श्रुतौ च - ॐ इत्य् एतद् ब्रह्मणो नेदिष्ठं नामेति नेदिष्ठं लक्षणादि- व्यवधानं विनेत्य् अर्थः । अतएव केन च प्रकटिण साक्षाच् चरन्ति स कथ्यताम् इत्य् एवं राजाभिप्रायः । अत्र शब्दो निर्देश्यत्वे दोषस् त्व् अग्रे द्युपतय इत्य् [भ्प् १०.८७.४१] अत्र परिहार्यः । अथ श्रुतिष्व् अपि याः काश्चित् त्रिवर्ग-परत्वेन बहिर्मुखाः प्रतीयन्ते तासाम् अप्य् अन्तर्मुखतायाम् एव पर्यवसानम् । तथा हि परमेश्वरस्य सतत- परमार्थ-बहिर्मुखता-पराहत-जीव-निकाय-विषय-कृपा-विलास- पर्यवसायि-निःश्वास-रूपाः श्रुतयः प्रथमतः स्व-विषयकं विश्वासं जनयितुम् अदृष्टवस्त्वनभिज्ञानसततदृष्टम् ऐहिकम् एवार्थम् ईहमानांस् तान् प्रति तत्-सम्पादकं पुत्रेष्ट्यादिकं विदधति । ततश् च तेन जात-विश्वासानैहिकस्यात्यन्तम् अस्थिरत्वे प्रदर्श्य दिव्यानन्द-चमत्कार- विचित्रस्य पारलौकिक-स्वर्गादि-लक्षण-तत्-तत्-कामस्य जनकेऽग्निष्टोमादौ प्रवर्तयन्ति । ततस् तेषां निरन्तर-तद्-अभ्यासाद् धर्म एव रुचिं जनयन्ति । अथ लब्ध-धर्म-रुचीनां शुद्धान्तः-करणानां तद्-अर्तह-विचार- पराणां जगद् अप्य् अनित्यम् इति ज्ञानवतां संसार-भय-दीनानां निर्वाणानन्दाभिलाषं सम्पादयन्ति । निर्वाणानन्दश् च पर- तत्त्वाविर्भाव-रूप एवेति । तद् उक्तम् श्री-सूतेन -- धर्मस्य ह्य् आपवर्ग्यस्य नार्थो ऽर्थायोपकल्पते । नार्थस्य धर्मैकान्तस्य कामो लाभाय हि स्मृतः ॥ [भ्प् १.२.९] कामस्य नेन्द्रिय-प्रीतिर् लाभो जीवेत यावता । जीवस्य तत्त्व-जिज्ञासा नार्थो यश् चेह कर्मभिः ॥ [भ्प् १.२.१०] इति । ततश् च यथा बुद्ध्यादयोऽन्तर्मुखता-तारतम्येन चिच्-छक्त्याविर्भावात् परे तत्त्वे तारतम्येन चरन्ति, तथा श्रुति-लक्षणं वचनम् अपि चिच्-छक्ति- प्रकाशानुक्रमेण त्रैगुण्य-विषयत्वम् अतिक्रम्य केवल-नैर्गुण्य- विषयम् एव सत् तस्मिन् निर्गुणे तत्त्वे सम्यग् एव चरितुं शक्नोति । अगुण- वृत्तित्वेन योग्यत्वात् । तद् उक्तं द्वादशे प्रणवम् उपलक्ष्य - ततोऽभूत् त्रिवृद् ओङ्कारो योऽव्यक्त-प्रभवः स्वराट् । यत् तल् लिङ्गं भगवतो ब्रह्मणः परमात्मनः ॥ [भ्प् १२.६.३९] इति ॥ तत्र तत् तत्त्वं द्विधा स्फुरति भगवद्-रूपेण ब्रह्म-रूपेण चेति । चिच्- छक्तिर् अपि द्विधा तदीय-स्वयं-प्रकाशादि-मय-भक्ति-रूपेण तन्-मय- ज्ञान-रूपेण च । ततो भक्ति-मय-श्रुतयो भगवति चरन्ति ज्ञान-मय- श्रुतयो ब्रह्मणीति सामान्यतः सिद्धान्तितम् ।
[110] atra śrī-śukadevena dattam uttaram āha - ṛṣir uvāca - buddhīndriya-manaḥ-prāṇān janānām asṛjat prabhuḥ | mātrārthaṃ ca bhavārthaṃ ca ātmane'kalpanāya ca || [BhP 10.87.2] buddhyādīn upādhīn janānām anuśāyināṃ jīvānāṃ mātrādy-arthaṃ prabhuḥ parameśvaro'sṛjata na tu janāḥ svāvidyayāsṛjann iti vivarta-vādaḥ parihṛtaḥ | mīyanta iti māyā viṣayāḥ tad-artham | bhavārthaṃ bhavaḥ janma- lakṣaṇaṃ karma tat-prabhṛti-karma-karaṇārtham ity arthaḥ | ātmane lokāntara-gāmine ātmanas tat-tal-loka-bhogāyety arthaḥ | akalpanāya kalpanā-nivṛttaye muktaye ity arthaḥ | artha-dharma-kāma-mokṣārtham iti krameṇa pada-catuṣṭayasyārthaḥ | mokṣo'py atra cin-mātratayāvasthiti-rūpaḥ | yathāvarṇa-vidhānam apavargaś ca bhavati, yo'sau bhagavatīty ādinā ananya-nimitta-bhakti-yoga-lakṣaṇo nānā-gati-nimittāvidyā-granthi-randhana- dvāreṇety [BhP 5.19.20] antena pañcamokta-gadyena tathā niruktatvāt sādhya- bhakti-prādurbhāva-lakṣaṇaṃ ceti dvividho jñeyaḥ | ubhayatrāpi kalpanā- rūpāvidyāyā nivṛtteḥ | etad uktaṃ bhavati | yasmāt svayam īśvaras tat-tad- arthaṃ tat-tat-sādhakatvena dṛśyamānānāṃ buddhyādīn sṛṣṭavān tasmāt tat- tat-sampādana-śakti-nidhāna-yogyatayā teṣu kṛtavān iti labhyate | tatra trivarga-sampādikāḥ śaktayaḥ kalpanātmikā māyā-vṛtty-avidyā-śakter aṃśāḥ bahirmukha-karmātmakatvāt svarūpānyathā-bhāva-saṃsāritva-hetutvāc ca | evaṃ ca yāvaj-jīvānāṃ bhagavad-bahirmukhatā tāvat kevalaṃ kalpanātmikānām avidyā-śaktīnāṃ prakāśāt tat-pradhānā buddhy-ādayaḥ sa-guṇā eveti nirguṇaṃ sāksān na kurvata ity evaṃ satyam eva | yadā tu tad- antarmukhatā tadā teṣu cic-chakteḥ prādurbhāvāt taṃ sākṣāt kurvata eva iti sthitam | buddhyādimayatvād vacaso'pi tathā vyavahāraḥ sidhyati | tad atraivābhedena siddhāntitam ante | tad etad varṇitaṃ rājan yo naḥ praśnaḥ kṛtas tvayā | yathā brahmaṇya-nirdeśye nariguṇye'pi manaś caret || ity atra mana iti | tatra buddhy-ādau cic-chaktis tadīyāprākṛta-paramānanda-svarūpa-tādṛśa- guṇādau svayaṃ prakāśamayī vacasi ca tattan-nirdeśa-mayīti jñeyā | ato'prākṛta-tādṛśa-svarūpādyālambanena śrutayaś carantīti siddhānta- siddhaye | tad evaṃ pauruṣasyāpi vacaso bhagavac-caritraṃ siddham | yathoktam -yasmin prati ślokam abaddhavaty [BhP 1.5.11] apīti | tathā ca sati tathāvidha-vaca-ādīnām ekāśrayasya sākṣād-bhagavan- niśvāsāvirbhāvino'pauruṣeyasya tac-cāritvaṃ kim uta | tasmāt sākṣāt caranty eva śrutayaḥ | vakṣyate ca - kvacid ajayātmanā ca carato'nucaren nigama[*ENDNOTE #36] iti | tathā ca praṇavam uddiśyoktaṃ dvādaśe -- svadhāmno brahmaṇaḥ sākṣād vācakaḥ paramātmanaḥ | sa-sarva-mantropaniṣad veda-bījaṃ sanātanam || [BhP 12.6.41] iti | śrutau ca - om ity etad brahmaṇo nediṣṭhaṃ nāmeti nediṣṭhaṃ lakṣaṇādi- vyavadhānaṃ vinety arthaḥ | ataeva kena ca prakaṭiṇa sākṣāc caranti sa kathyatām ity evaṃ rājābhiprāyaḥ | atra śabdo nirdeśyatve doṣas tv agre dyupataya ity [BhP 10.87.41] atra parihāryaḥ | atha śrutiṣv api yāḥ kāścit trivarga-paratvena bahirmukhāḥ pratīyante tāsām apy antarmukhatāyām eva paryavasānam | tathā hi parameśvarasya satata- paramārtha-bahirmukhatā-parāhata-jīva-nikāya-viṣaya-kṛpā-vilāsa- paryavasāyi-niḥśvāsa-rūpāḥ śrutayaḥ prathamataḥ sva-viṣayakaṃ viśvāsaṃ janayitum adṛṣṭavastvanabhijñānasatatadṛṣṭam aihikam evārtham īhamānāṃs tān prati tat-sampādakaṃ putreṣṭyādikaṃ vidadhati | tataś ca tena jāta-viśvāsānaihikasyātyantam asthiratve pradarśya divyānanda-camatkāra- vicitrasya pāralaukika-svargādi-lakṣaṇa-tat-tat-kāmasya janake'gniṣṭomādau pravartayanti | tatas teṣāṃ nirantara-tad-abhyāsād dharma eva ruciṃ janayanti | atha labdha-dharma-rucīnāṃ śuddhāntaḥ-karaṇānāṃ tad-artaha-vicāra- parāṇāṃ jagad apy anityam iti jñānavatāṃ saṃsāra-bhaya-dīnānāṃ nirvāṇānandābhilāṣaṃ sampādayanti | nirvāṇānandaś ca para- tattvāvirbhāva-rūpa eveti | tad uktam śrī-sūtena -- dharmasya hy āpavargyasya nārtho 'rthāyopakalpate | nārthasya dharmaikāntasya kāmo lābhāya hi smṛtaḥ || [BhP 1.2.9] kāmasya nendriya-prītir lābho jīveta yāvatā | jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ || [BhP 1.2.10] iti | tataś ca yathā buddhyādayo'ntarmukhatā-tāratamyena cic-chaktyāvirbhāvāt pare tattve tāratamyena caranti, tathā śruti-lakṣaṇaṃ vacanam api cic-chakti- prakāśānukrameṇa traiguṇya-viṣayatvam atikramya kevala-nairguṇya- viṣayam eva sat tasmin nirguṇe tattve samyag eva carituṃ śaknoti | aguṇa- vṛttitvena yogyatvāt | tad uktaṃ dvādaśe praṇavam upalakṣya - tato'bhūt trivṛd oṅkāro yo'vyakta-prabhavaḥ svarāṭ | yat tal liṅgaṃ bhagavato brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ || [BhP 12.6.39] iti || tatra tat tattvaṃ dvidhā sphurati bhagavad-rūpeṇa brahma-rūpeṇa ceti | cic- chaktir api dvidhā tadīya-svayaṃ-prakāśādi-maya-bhakti-rūpeṇa tan-maya- jñāna-rūpeṇa ca | tato bhakti-maya-śrutayo bhagavati caranti jñāna-maya- śrutayo brahmaṇīti sāmānyataḥ siddhāntitam |
English translation
English witness · section(s) 97
Anuccheda 97
1 In the next verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.35) the Lord explains the secret of love for Him: “O Brahma, please know that the universal elements enter into the cosmos and at the same time do not enter into the cosmos; similarly, I Myself also exist within everything created, and at the same time I am outside of everything.”* 2 This verse means: ‘The universal elements do not enter the cosmos, that is to say they remain outside, and at the same time they do enter, that is to say they stay within. In the same way I do not enter the material cosmos because I stay in Vaikuntha, which is beyond the material sphere, and at the same time I do enter the cosmos because I stay in the hearts of the virtuous and surrendered devotees.’ A certain part of the material elements enters and another part does not enter the cosmos. In the same, a partial expansion of the Lord enters, and another feature of the Lord does not enter the material world. That is the example here. In these words the secret of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which is attained by the self-controlled, is hinted. 3 The Lord’s remaining in the spiritual world is described in Brahma-samhita (37): “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who resides in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who embodies His ecstatic potency (hladini). Their companions are Her confidantes, who embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are embued and permeated with ever-blissful spiritual rasa.”* 4 The Lord’s entrance in the devotees’ hearts is described in these words (Brahma-samhita 38): “I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His eternal form of Syamasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee.”* 5 The Lord’s form is filled with inconceivable transcendental qualities. The ointment here is the ointment of love. The Lord appears before a person whose eyes are filled with devotion, having been anointed with that ointment. That is the meaning. 6 The Lord again describes this in Bhagavad-gita (9.29): “But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.”* 7 In this verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.35) the Lord says: “As the material elements are simultaneously within and without the cosmos, so I am simultaneously within the devotees’ thoughts, and also outside the devotees, manifest before their senses. Because the devotees dedicate everything to Me, I appear before them in My form filled with bliss and love. That is My secret. The demigod Brahma also describes this (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.6.34): 8 “O Narada, because I have caught hold of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, with great zeal, whatever I say has never proved to have been false. Nor is the progress of my mind ever deterred. Nor are my senses ever degraded by temporary attachment to matter.”* 9 Although the interpretations of this statement (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.35) may be given, the meaning here is clear because this statement follows the four important statements of the Lord (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.31-34). Other interpretations are also refuted by the words ‘na tesu’ here. In this way the great secret is explained. As a cintamani jewels is hidden in a jewellery case, so materialistic interpretations hide this secret from the wicked and indifferent. 10 The Lord Himself says (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.21.35): “The wise tell My secret. This secret is very dear to Me.” 11 This great secret is explained in many places in Vedic literature. The greatness of this secret is described in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 5.6.18): “Those engaged in getting the Lord’s favour attain liberation from the Lord very easily, but He does not very easily give the opportunity to render direct service unto Him.”* 12 The Supreme Personality of Godhead personally told this secret to the two great devotees Arjuna and Uddhava in these words: “Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you My supreme instruction, the most confidential knowledge of all. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit.”* Bhagavad-gita 18.64 “I will now tell you the most confidential knowledge.” Srimad Bhagavatam 11.11.49 13 Brahma revealed this secret to Narada in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.7.51-52): “O Narada, this science of God, Srimad Bhagavatam, was spoken to me in summary by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it was spoken as the accumulation of His diverse potencies. Please expand this science yourself.* 14 “Please describe the science of Godhead with determination and in a manner by which it will be quite possible for the human being to develop transcendental devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead Hari, the Supersoul of every living being and the summum bonum source of all energies.”* 15 Srila Sridhara Svami eloquent explains that the word ‘rahasyam’ (secret) here (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.31) refers to pure devotional service. How is this secret, described in the passage beginning Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.31 understood? The Supreme Personality of Godhead teaches the method of understanding it in the next verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.36): 16 “A person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, must certainly search for it up to this, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly.”* 17 In this verse the word ‘atmanah’ means ‘of Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead’, ‘tattva-jijnasuna’ means ‘desiring to understand the secret of pure love’, ‘jijnasyam’ means ‘may be learned from the spiritual master’, and ‘anvaya-vyatirekabhyam’ means ‘with the instruction to do certain acts and refrain from certain acts’. This should be done in all circumstances and all space and time. 18 This is described in Srimad Bhagavatam (2.2.33): “For those who are wandering in the material universe, there is no more auspicious means of deliverance than what is aimed at in the direct devotional service of Lord Krsna.”* 19 Actions to be done and to be avoided are described in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.36): “O King, it is therefore essential that every human being hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, always and everywhere.”* 20 This should be done, as said in Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.36 ‘in all circumstances, and in all time and space’. In this way the Supreme Personality of Godhead teaches about jnana, vijnana, rahasya, and tad-anga in these four verses (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.31-34). In the beginning of this chapter it is also said (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.9): “The Personality of Godhead, being thus very much satisfied with the penance of Lord Brahma, was pleased to manifest His personal abode, Vaikuntha, the supreme planet above all others. This transcendental abode of the Lord is adored by all self-realised persons freed from all kinds of miseries and fear of illusory existence.”* It is then said (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.14): “Lord Brahma saw in the Vaikuntha planets the Personality of Godhead, who is the Lord of the entire devotee community, the Lord of the goddess of fortune, the Lord of all sacrifices, and the Lord of the universe, and who is served by the foremost servitors like Nanda, Sunanda, Prabala and Arhana, His immediate associates.”* In these words of Srimad Bhagavatam, as well as the words of Gopala-tapani Upanisad, Lord Krsna is described as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Krsna is never described as an incarnation of Lord Narayana, Lord Garbhodakasayi Visnu, or the purusa-avataras. Because it describes Lord Krsna, the speaker of these four verses (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.31-34) as the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Bhagavan), this Maha-Purana is called Srimad Bhagavatam. 21 That Lord Krsna is the original speaker of Srimad Bhagavatam is confirmed in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.19): “I meditate upon that pure and spotless supreme Absolute Truth, who is free from suffering and death and who in the beginning personally revealed this incomparable torchlight of knowledge to Brahma. Brahma then spoke it to the sage Narada, who narrated it to Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasa. Srila Vyasa revealed this Srimad Bhagavatam to the greatest of sages, Sukadeva Gosvami and Sukadeva mercifully spoke it to Maharaja Pariksit.”*** The word ‘para’ in this verse indicates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original speaker of the Bhagavatam. That Lord Krsna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead is hinted in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.6.42): “Karanarnavasayi Visnu is the first incarnation of the Supreme Lord, and He is the master of eternal time, space, cause and effects, mind, the elements, the material ego, the modes of nature, the senses, the universal form of the Lord, Garbhodakasayi Visnu, and the sum total of all living beings, both moving and unmoving.”* This statement indicates that Lord Krsna is different (because He is the origin of all incarnations) from the various incarnations of god. 22 That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original speaker of Srimad Bhagavatam is also confirmed by these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.10): “It was to Lord Brahma that the Supreme Personality of Godhead first revealed the Srimad Bhagavatam in full. At the time, Brahma, frightened by material existence, was sitting on the lotus flower that had grown from the Lord’s navel.”*** 23 The word Bhagavan (Supreme Personality of Godhead) is used in this verse. It was Bhagavan who spoke to Brahma as he sat on the lotus flower grown from Lord Narayana’s navel. It was also Bhagavan who revealed the world of Vaikuntha in the passage from Second Canto (2.9.9 and 2.9.14, quoted in text 20).
Bhagavat · Sanskrit §111 · English §98
Source[१११] अथ तत्र विशेषं वक्तुं तदीय एवेतिहास उपक्षिप्यते । श्री-सनन्दन उवाच - स्व-सृष्टम् इदम् आपीय शयानं सह शक्तिभिः । तद् अन्ते बोधयाञ्चक्रुस् तल्-लिङ्गैः श्रुतयः परम् ॥ [भ्प् १०.८७.१२] स्वयं निर्मितम् इदं विश्वं लय-समये आपीय संहृत्य शक्तिभिः सह शयानं प्रकृतिं पुरुषं तद्-अंशांशश् चात्म-सात्कृत्य तत्-कार्यं प्रति निमीलिताक्षं परं भगवन्तं तद्-अन्ते प्रलय-कालावसान-प्राये तल्-लिङ्गैस् तत्-प्रतिपादकैर् वाक्यैः श्रुतयः प्रबोधयाञ्चक्रुः प्रातः प्रबोधनः स्तुति-भङ्ग्या तुष्टुवुर् इत्य् अर्थः । अस्य भगवत्त्वम् एव गम्यते न तु पुरुष त्वं भगवान् एक आसेदम् अग्र आत्मात्मतां विभुः । आत्मेच्छानुगतावात्मो नानाम् अत्य् उपलक्षणः ॥ [भ्प् ३.५.२३] इति तृतीय-स्कन्ध-प्रकरणे तदानीं पुरुषस्य तद्-अन्तर्भाव-श्रवणात् ।
[111] atha tatra viśeṣaṃ vaktuṃ tadīya evetihāsa upakṣipyate | śrī-sanandana uvāca - sva-sṛṣṭam idam āpīya śayānaṃ saha śaktibhiḥ | tad ante bodhayāñcakrus tal-liṅgaiḥ śrutayaḥ param || [BhP 10.87.12] svayaṃ nirmitam idaṃ viśvaṃ laya-samaye āpīya saṃhṛtya śaktibhiḥ saha śayānaṃ prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ tad-aṃśāṃśaś cātma-sātkṛtya tat-kāryaṃ prati nimīlitākṣaṃ paraṃ bhagavantaṃ tad-ante pralaya-kālāvasāna-prāye tal-liṅgais tat-pratipādakair vākyaiḥ śrutayaḥ prabodhayāñcakruḥ prātaḥ prabodhanaḥ stuti-bhaṅgyā tuṣṭuvur ity arthaḥ | asya bhagavattvam eva gamyate na tu puruṣa tvaṃ bhagavān eka āsedam agra ātmātmatāṃ vibhuḥ | ātmecchānugatāvātmo nānām aty upalakṣaṇaḥ || [BhP 3.5.23] iti tṛtīya-skandha-prakaraṇe tadānīṃ puruṣasya tad-antarbhāva-śravaṇāt |
English translation
English witness · section(s) 98
Anuccheda 98
1 The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in all the Vedas. This is confirmed in the following words of the Catur-veda-sikha: “By all the Vedas the Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be known. The Vedas describe no one else. A person who aspires after liberation should study the Vedas, reflect on their words, and try to understand Him.” 2 This is again confirmed in these words: “The demigods, the sages who desire liberation, and the brahmavadis all meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Sri Nrsimha-tapani Upanisad 2.4 “All the Vedas meditate on the feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and all austerities chant His glories.” Katha Upanisad 1.2.15 “Let me approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the great Supersoul who sees everything. They who are ignorant of the Vedas cannot understand Him.” Sruti-sastra “I ask about the Supreme Person, who is described in the Upanisads.” Sruti-sastra “By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of the Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.”* Lord Krsna, in Bhagavad-gita 15.15 3 In the Padma Purana it is said: “In conclusion, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Visnu is described in all the Vedas.” 4 In the Skanda Purana it is said: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is named by all names and worshipped by all the Vedas.” 5 In the Visnu Purana it is said: “We offer our respectful obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the eternal author of the Vedas.” 6 In the Brahma-tarka it is said: “In all the Vedas, Itihasas, Puranas, and Yuktika-sastras, only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no one else, is to be known.” 7 The Supreme Personality of Godhead describes Himself as the conclusion of the Vedas (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.21.43): “The purpose of Vedic literature is to know Me by different speculations, either by indirect understanding or by dictionary understanding.”* 8 In this verse ‘mam’ means ‘Me, the object of the Vedic sacrifices’, ‘vidhatte’ means ‘the Vedas ordain’, and ‘abhidhatte mam’ means ‘the Vedas set form Me, the form of all Deities and the creator of the sky and the other material elements.’ That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the creator of the sky is confirmed by the following words (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.1.3): “From the Supreme Personality of Godhead the sky was born.” “Vikalpyapohyate hy aham’ means ‘speculating that nothing is different from Me.”
Bhagavat · Sanskrit §112–113 · English §99
Source[११२] पूर्व-पद्यार्थे दृष्टान्तः । यथा शयानं सम्राजं वन्दिनस् तत्-पराक्रमैः । प्रत्यूषेऽभ्येत्य सुश्लोकैर् बधियन्त्य् अनुजीविनः ॥ [भ्प् १०.८७.१३] तस्य सम्राजः पराक्रमो य एतैर् न तु निर्विशेषत्व-व्यञ्जकैः शोभनैः श्लोकैः । यथा शयानं सम्राजम् इत्य् अस्यायम् अभिप्रायः । यथा रात्रौ सम्राट् महिषिभिः क्रीडन्न् अपि बहिःकार्यं परित्यज्यान्तर्गृहादौ स्थितत्वात् तज्-जनैः शयान एवोच्यते । वन्दिभिश् च तत्-प्रभावमय-श्लोक- कृत-प्रबोधन-भङ्ग्या स्तूयते तथायं भगवान् तदानीं जगत्- कार्याकृत-दृष्टिर् निगूढं निज-धाम्नि निज-परिकरैः क्रीडन्न् अपीति । अनुजीविन इत्य् अनेन ते यथा तन्-मर्मज्ञास् तथा न अपीति सूचितम् । [११३] तत्र प्रथमतो ज्ञानादि-गुण-सेवितेन सम्यग्-दर्शन-कारणेन भक्ति- योगेनानुभूयमानं भगवद्-आकारम् अखण्डम् एव तत्त्वं स्व- प्रतिपाद्यत्वेन दर्शयन्त्यो ब्रह्म-स्वरूपम् अपि तथात्वेन क्रोडीकुर्वन्त्यः श्रुतयः ऊचुः । जय जय जह्य् अजाम् अजित दोष-गृभीत-गुणां त्वम् असि यद् आत्मना समवरुद्ध-समस्त-भगः । अग-जगद्-ओकसाम् अखिल-शक्त्य्-अवबोधक ते क्वचिद् अजयात्मना च चरतो ऽनुचरेन् निगमः ॥ [भ्प् १०.८७.१४] बोह् अजित जय जय निजोत्कर्षम् आविष्कुरु । आदरे वीप्सा । अत्राजितेति सम्बोधनेनेदं लभ्यते । नाम-व्याहरणं विष्णोर् यतस् तद्-विषया मतिर् इति [भ्प् ६.२.१०] न्यायेन नाम्ना भगवान् असौ साक्षाद् अभिमुखीक्रियत इति लिङ्गाद् एव तच्-छ्री-विग्रहवत् तद् अपि तत्-स्वरूप-भूतम् एव भवति । तद् विजानीये तद्-अभिमुखी-करणार्हत्वात् । अतएव भय-द्वेषादौ श्री-मूर्तेः स्फूर्तेर् इव साङ्गेत्य्-आदाव् अप्य् अस्य प्रभावः श्रूयते । विशेषतश् चात्र श्रुति- विद्वद्०अनुभआव् अपि पूर्वम् एव प्रमाणीकृतौ । तस्मात् यत् त्वं श्री- विग्रह-रूपेण चक्षुर् आदाव् उदयते तद् एव नाम-रूपेण वाग्-आदाव् इति स्थितम् । तस्मान् नाम-नामिनोः स्वरूपाभेदेन तत्-साक्षात्-कारे तत्-साक्षात्- कार एवेत्य् अतः किं वक्तव्यम् अन्यत्रान्यवद् भगवति श्रुतयोऽपि जात्यादि- कृत-संज्ञा-संज्ञि-सङ्केतादि-रीत्या रूढ्यादि-वृत्तिभिश् चरन्तीति । यासां श्रुत्य्- अभिधानां वल्लीनां साक्षात् तथाभूतानि नामान्य् एव फलानीति । उत्कर्षम् आविष्कुर्व् इत्य् अनेन इत्थं सर्वोत्कृष्टता-गुण-योगेन मुख्ययैव वृत्त्या श्रुतयस् तस्मिंश् चरन्तीति दर्शितम् । श्रुतयश् च न ते महि त्वाम् अन्व् अश्नुवन्ति [?], न तत् समश् चाभ्यधिकश् च दृश्यते [श्वेतु ६.८] इत्य् आद्याः । अत्र श्रुतयो जय जयेति स्व-भक्त्याविष्कारात् भक्तिम् एव तत्-प्रकाशे हेतुं गमयन्ति । केन व्यापारेणोत्कर्षम् आविष्कर-वाणीत्य् आशङ्क्य माया- निरसन-द्वारा स्व-भक्ति-दानेनेत्य् आहुः । अजां मायां जहि । ननु माया नाम विद्याविद्या-वृत्तिका शक्तिः । तर्हि तद्- धनने विद्याया अपि हतिः स्याद् इत्य् अत्र आह दोष-गृभीत-गुणां जीवानाम् आत्म-विस्मृति-हेताव् अविद्या-लक्षणे दोषे एव गृभीतो गृहीतस् तत्-स्मृति-हेतोर् विद्या-लक्षणो गुणो यया ताम् । स्वयम् एव स्वावेशेनाविद्या-लक्षणं दोषम् उत्पाद्य क्वचिद् एव कदाचिद् एव कथञ्चिद् एव कञ्चिद् एव जीवं त्यजतीति तस्यास् त्यागात्मक-विद्याख्य-गुणेऽपि दोष एव । तस्मात् तां निर्मूलां विधाय जीवेभ्यो निज-चरणारविन्द-विषयां भक्तिम् एव दिशेति तात्पर्यम् । अतो माया-घातक-योग्य-शक्तित्वेन तद्-अतीतत्वं व्यपदिश्य सच्-चिद्-आनन्द- घनत्वं भगवतो व्यञ्जयन्त्योऽतन्-निरसन-मुखेन तात्पर्य-वृत्त्या श्रुतयश् चरन्तीति व्यञ्जितम् । श्रुतयश् च - मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान् मयिनं तु महेश्वरम् [श्वेत् ४.१०][*एन्द्नोते #३७] इति । अजाम् एकाम् इति । सर्वस्याधिपतिः सर्वस्येशानः [बौ ४.४.२२] स वा एष नेति नेतीत्य्[*एन्द्नोते #३८] आद्याः । ननु माया-नाशं सम्प्रार्थ्य मम तद्-उपाधिकम् ऐश्वर्यादिकम् अपि नाशयितुम् इच्छथेत्य् अत्र समाधत्ते त्वम् इति । यद् यस्मात् त्वम् आत्मना स्वरूपेणैव समवरुद्ध-समस्त-भग-प्राप्त-त्रिपाद्-विभूत्य्-आख्य- सर्वैश्वर्यादिर् असि । तस्मात् तव तुच्छया तद्-उपाधिकैश्वर्यादिभिर् वा किम् इत्य् अर्थः । तथा च स यद् अजया त्व् अजाम् इत्य् अत्र पद्ये टीका - नहि निरन्तराह्लादि-संवित्- काम-धेनु-वृन्द-पतेर् अजया कृत्यम् इति । तथा न ह्य् अन्येषाम् इव देश- कालादि-परिच्छिन्नं तवाष्ट-गुणितम् ऐश्वर्यम् अपि तु परिपूर्ण- स्वरूपानुबन्धित्वाद् अपरिमितम् इत्य् अर्थः । इत्य् एषा । अत्रात्म-शब्देन स्वरूप-मात्र-वाचकेन तथा भग-शब्देन स्वरूप- भूत-गुण-वाचकेनेदं ध्वन्यते । स्वरूपादि-शब्दा ईश्वरादि-शब्दाश् च स्वरूप-मात्रावलम्बनया स्वरूप-भूत-गुणावलम्बनयापि रूढ्या निर्देष्टुं शक्नुवन्तीति । श्रुतयश् च - यद्-आत्मको भगवान् तद्-आत्मिका व्यक्तिः इत्य् [?] आद्याः परास्य शक्तिर् विविधैव श्र्”यते इत्य् [श्वेतु ६.८] आदिकाश् च । सा च स्वरूप-शक्तिः सर्वैर् एवावगम्यत इत्य् आहुः अगानि स्थावराणि जगन्ति जङ्गमानि ओकांसि शरीराणि येषां तेषां सर्वेषाम् एव जीवानां या अखिलाः शक्तयस् तासाम् अवधकेति सम्बोधनम् । तेषु विचित्र-शक्ति-लहरी-रत्नाकर इत्य् अनुमीयत इत्य् अर्थः । यद् वा । ननु माया-हननेन तद्-उपाधेर् जीवस्य तु शक्ति-हानिः स्यात् तत्राहुः अगेति । अथ पूर्ववद् एव । ततः स्वरूप-शक्त्यैव प्रत्युत तेषां सुखैक-प्रदा पूर्णा शक्तिर् भविष्यतीति भावः । अत्रेत्थं तटस्थ- लक्षणेन श्रुतयश् चरन्तीत्य् उक्तम् । श्रुतयश् च को ह्य् एवान्याद् [तैत्ति २.७] इत्य् आदिकाः प्राणस्य प्राणम् इत्य् आदिकाः । तम् एव भान्तम् [कठउ २.२.१५] इत्य् आदिकाः । देहान्ते देवस् तारकं ब्रह्म व्याचष्टे [न्तु १.७][*एन्द्नोते #३९] इति । यस्य देवे परा भक्तिर् [श्वेतु ६.२३] इत्य् आद्याश् च । ननु विशेषतो भवत्यः कथं जानन्ति यद् अजया मम कृत्यं नास्ति तथा सच्-चिद्-आनन्द-घन एव स्वरूप-शक्त्या समवरुद्ध-समस्त-भग इति तत्राहुः क्वचिद् इति । क्वचित् कदाचित् सृष्ट्यादि-समये पुरुष-रूपेण अजया मायया चरतः क्रीडतः नित्यं च स्वरूप-शक्त्याविष्कृत-स्वरूप-भूत- भगेन सत्य-ज्ञानानन्दैक-रसेनात्मना चरतस् तवास्मल्-लक्षणो निगमः शब्द-रूपेण देवता-रूपेण च अनुचरेत् सेवते । तस्माद् वयं सत् सर्वं जानीम इत्य् अर्थः । कर्मणि षष्ठी । एतद् उक्तं भवति । अत्र द्विविधो वेदस् त्रैगुण्य-विषयो निस्त्रैगुण्य-विषयश् च । तत्र त्रैगुण्य-विषयस् त्रिविधः । प्रथम-प्रकारस् तावत् तद्- अवलम्बन-ताटस्थ्येन तल्-लक्षकः । यथा यतो वा इमानि भूतानीत्य् आदिः । द्वितीय-प्रकारश् च त्रिगुणमय-तद्-ईशितव्यादि-वर्णनादि-द्वारा तन्- महिमादि-दर्शकः । यथा इन्द्रो यतोऽवसितस्य राजेत्य् आदिः । तृतीय-प्रकारश् च त्रैगुण्य-निरासेन परम-वस्तूद्देशकः । सोऽप्य् अयं द्विविधः । निषेध- द्वारा सामानाधिकरण्य-द्वारा च । तत्र पूर्व-द्वारा अस्थूलम् अनणु नेति नेतीत्य् [बौ ३.७.८] आदिः । उत्तर-द्वारा सर्वं खल्व् इदं ब्रह्म तत्त्वम् असीत्य् आदिः । पूर्व-वाक्ये । तज्-जातत्वाद् इति हेतोः सर्वस्यैव ब्रह्मत्वं निर्दिश्य तत्राविष्कृतः सद् इदम् इति प्रतीति-परमाश्रयो योऽंशः स एव शुद्धं ब्रह्मेत्य् उद्दिश्यते । उत्तर-वाक्ये त्वं-पदार्थस्य तद्वच् चिद्-आकार-तच्- छक्ति-रूपत्वेन तत्-पदार्थैक्यं यद् उपपाद्यते तेनापि तत्-पदार्थो ब्रह्मैवोद्दिश्यते । तत्-पदार्थ-ज्ञानं विना त्वं-पदार्थ-ज्ञान-मात्रम् अकिञ्चित्-करम् इति तत्-पदोपन्यासः । त्रैगुण्यातिक्रमस् तूभयत्रापि । अत्र त्रैगुण्य-निरासेन तद्-उद्देशेन यत्र तदीय-धर्माः स्पष्टम् एव गम्यते तत्र भगवत्-परत्वं यत्र त्व् अस्पष्टं तत्र ब्रह्म-परत्वम् इत्य् अवगन्तव्यम् । व्याख्यातस् त्रैगुण्य-विषयः । तद् एतद् अजया चरतोऽनुचरे व्याख्यातम् । अथ निस्त्रैगुण्योऽपि द्विविधः । ब्रह्म-परो भगवत्-परश् च । यथा आनन्दो ब्रह्मेत्यादि । न तस्य कार्यं करणं च विद्यते न तत्-समश् चाभ्यधिकश् च दृश्यते । परास्य शक्तिर् विविधैव श्रूयते स्वाभाविकी ज्ञान-बल-क्रिया च ॥ [श्वेतु ६.८] इत्यादिश् च । तद् एतद् आत्मना चरतोऽनुचरे इति व्याख्यातम् । अतः श्रुतेस् तच् चारित्वं सिद्धम् । साक्षाच् चारित्वं च निस्त्रैगुण्यानां स्वत एव अन्येषां तु तद्-एक- वाक्यतया ज्ञेयम् । माया-निरसनार्थम् एव तत्-तद्-गुणानुवादः क्रियते पश्चाद् अखण्डम् एव तां निरस्य साक्षाद्-भगवत्-स्वरूप-गुणादिकं निर्दिश्यते इति तद् एक-वाक्यता-द्योतनया स एष एव सिद्धान्तोऽस्मिन्न् उपक्रम-वाक्ये समुद्दिष्टः । तथोपसंहारे च श्रुतयस् त्वयि हि फलन्त्य् अतन्-निरसनेन भवन्-निधना [भ्प् १०.८७.४१] इति । श्रुतयश् च मध्व- भाष्य-प्रमाणिताः न चक्षुर् न श्रोत्रं न तर्को न स्मृतिर् वेदो ह्य् एवैनं वेदयति इत्य् आद्या । औपनिषदः पुरुष इत्य् [बौ ३.९.२६] आद्याश् च ।
[112] pūrva-padyārthe dṛṣṭāntaḥ | yathā śayānaṃ samrājaṃ vandinas tat-parākramaiḥ | pratyūṣe'bhyetya suślokair badhiyanty anujīvinaḥ || [BhP 10.87.13] tasya samrājaḥ parākramo ya etair na tu nirviśeṣatva-vyañjakaiḥ śobhanaiḥ ślokaiḥ | yathā śayānaṃ samrājam ity asyāyam abhiprāyaḥ | yathā rātrau samrāṭ mahiṣibhiḥ krīḍann api bahiḥkāryaṃ parityajyāntargṛhādau sthitatvāt taj-janaiḥ śayāna evocyate | vandibhiś ca tat-prabhāvamaya-śloka- kṛta-prabodhana-bhaṅgyā stūyate tathāyaṃ bhagavān tadānīṃ jagat- kāryākṛta-dṛṣṭir nigūḍhaṃ nija-dhāmni nija-parikaraiḥ krīḍann apīti | anujīvina ity anena te yathā tan-marmajñās tathā na apīti sūcitam | [113] tatra prathamato jñānādi-guṇa-sevitena samyag-darśana-kāraṇena bhakti- yogenānubhūyamānaṃ bhagavad-ākāram akhaṇḍam eva tattvaṃ sva- pratipādyatvena darśayantyo brahma-svarūpam api tathātvena kroḍīkurvantyaḥ śrutayaḥ ūcuḥ | jaya jaya jahy ajām ajita doṣa-gṛbhīta-guṇāṃ tvam asi yad ātmanā samavaruddha-samasta-bhagaḥ | aga-jagad-okasām akhila-śakty-avabodhaka te kvacid ajayātmanā ca carato 'nucaren nigamaḥ || [BhP 10.87.14] boh ajita jaya jaya nijotkarṣam āviṣkuru | ādare vīpsā | atrājiteti sambodhanenedaṃ labhyate | nāma-vyāharaṇaṃ viṣṇor yatas tad-viṣayā matir iti [BhP 6.2.10] nyāyena nāmnā bhagavān asau sākṣād abhimukhīkriyata iti liṅgād eva tac-chrī-vigrahavat tad api tat-svarūpa-bhūtam eva bhavati | tad vijānīye tad-abhimukhī-karaṇārhatvāt | ataeva bhaya-dveṣādau śrī-mūrteḥ sphūrter iva sāṅgety-ādāv apy asya prabhāvaḥ śrūyate | viśeṣataś cātra śruti- vidvad0anubhaāv api pūrvam eva pramāṇīkṛtau | tasmāt yat tvaṃ śrī- vigraha-rūpeṇa cakṣur ādāv udayate tad eva nāma-rūpeṇa vāg-ādāv iti sthitam | tasmān nāma-nāminoḥ svarūpābhedena tat-sākṣāt-kāre tat-sākṣāt- kāra evety ataḥ kiṃ vaktavyam anyatrānyavad bhagavati śrutayo'pi jātyādi- kṛta-saṃjñā-saṃjñi-saṅketādi-rītyā rūḍhyādi-vṛttibhiś carantīti | yāsāṃ śruty- abhidhānāṃ vallīnāṃ sākṣāt tathābhūtāni nāmāny eva phalānīti | utkarṣam āviṣkurv ity anena itthaṃ sarvotkṛṣṭatā-guṇa-yogena mukhyayaiva vṛttyā śrutayas tasmiṃś carantīti darśitam | śrutayaś ca na te mahi tvām anv aśnuvanti [?], na tat samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate [ŚvetU 6.8] ity ādyāḥ | atra śrutayo jaya jayeti sva-bhaktyāviṣkārāt bhaktim eva tat-prakāśe hetuṃ gamayanti | kena vyāpāreṇotkarṣam āviṣkara-vāṇīty āśaṅkya māyā- nirasana-dvārā sva-bhakti-dānenety āhuḥ | ajāṃ māyāṃ jahi | nanu māyā nāma vidyāvidyā-vṛttikā śaktiḥ | tarhi tad- dhanane vidyāyā api hatiḥ syād ity atra āha doṣa-gṛbhīta-guṇāṃ jīvānām ātma-vismṛti-hetāv avidyā-lakṣaṇe doṣe eva gṛbhīto gṛhītas tat-smṛti-hetor vidyā-lakṣaṇo guṇo yayā tām | svayam eva svāveśenāvidyā-lakṣaṇaṃ doṣam utpādya kvacid eva kadācid eva kathañcid eva kañcid eva jīvaṃ tyajatīti tasyās tyāgātmaka-vidyākhya-guṇe'pi doṣa eva | tasmāt tāṃ nirmūlāṃ vidhāya jīvebhyo nija-caraṇāravinda-viṣayāṃ bhaktim eva diśeti tātparyam | ato māyā-ghātaka-yogya-śaktitvena tad-atītatvaṃ vyapadiśya sac-cid-ānanda- ghanatvaṃ bhagavato vyañjayantyo'tan-nirasana-mukhena tātparya-vṛttyā śrutayaś carantīti vyañjitam | śrutayaś ca - māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ vidyān mayinaṃ tu maheśvaram [Śvet 4.10][*ENDNOTE #37] iti | ajām ekām iti | sarvasyādhipatiḥ sarvasyeśānaḥ [BAU 4.4.22] sa vā eṣa neti netīty[*ENDNOTE #38] ādyāḥ | nanu māyā-nāśaṃ samprārthya mama tad-upādhikam aiśvaryādikam api nāśayitum icchathety atra samādhatte tvam iti | yad yasmāt tvam ātmanā svarūpeṇaiva samavaruddha-samasta-bhaga-prāpta-tripād-vibhūty-ākhya- sarvaiśvaryādir asi | tasmāt tava tucchayā tad-upādhikaiśvaryādibhir vā kim ity arthaḥ | tathā ca sa yad ajayā tv ajām ity atra padye ṭīkā - nahi nirantarāhlādi-saṃvit- kāma-dhenu-vṛnda-pater ajayā kṛtyam iti | tathā na hy anyeṣām iva deśa- kālādi-paricchinnaṃ tavāṣṭa-guṇitam aiśvaryam api tu paripūrṇa- svarūpānubandhitvād aparimitam ity arthaḥ | ity eṣā | atrātma-śabdena svarūpa-mātra-vācakena tathā bhaga-śabdena svarūpa- bhūta-guṇa-vācakenedaṃ dhvanyate | svarūpādi-śabdā īśvarādi-śabdāś ca svarūpa-mātrāvalambanayā svarūpa-bhūta-guṇāvalambanayāpi rūḍhyā nirdeṣṭuṃ śaknuvantīti | śrutayaś ca - yad-ātmako bhagavān tad-ātmikā vyaktiḥ ity [?] ādyāḥ parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śr”yate ity [ŚvetU 6.8] ādikāś ca | sā ca svarūpa-śaktiḥ sarvair evāvagamyata ity āhuḥ agāni sthāvarāṇi jaganti jaṅgamāni okāṃsi śarīrāṇi yeṣāṃ teṣāṃ sarveṣām eva jīvānāṃ yā akhilāḥ śaktayas tāsām avadhaketi sambodhanam | teṣu vicitra-śakti-laharī-ratnākara ity anumīyata ity arthaḥ | yad vā | nanu māyā-hananena tad-upādher jīvasya tu śakti-hāniḥ syāt tatrāhuḥ ageti | atha pūrvavad eva | tataḥ svarūpa-śaktyaiva pratyuta teṣāṃ sukhaika-pradā pūrṇā śaktir bhaviṣyatīti bhāvaḥ | atretthaṃ taṭastha- lakṣaṇena śrutayaś carantīty uktam | śrutayaś ca ko hy evānyād [Taitti 2.7] ity ādikāḥ prāṇasya prāṇam ity ādikāḥ | tam eva bhāntam [KaṭhaU 2.2.15] ity ādikāḥ | dehānte devas tārakaṃ brahma vyācaṣṭe [NTU 1.7][*ENDNOTE #39] iti | yasya deve parā bhaktir [ŚvetU 6.23] ity ādyāś ca | nanu viśeṣato bhavatyaḥ kathaṃ jānanti yad ajayā mama kṛtyaṃ nāsti tathā sac-cid-ānanda-ghana eva svarūpa-śaktyā samavaruddha-samasta-bhaga iti tatrāhuḥ kvacid iti | kvacit kadācit sṛṣṭyādi-samaye puruṣa-rūpeṇa ajayā māyayā carataḥ krīḍataḥ nityaṃ ca svarūpa-śaktyāviṣkṛta-svarūpa-bhūta- bhagena satya-jñānānandaika-rasenātmanā caratas tavāsmal-lakṣaṇo nigamaḥ śabda-rūpeṇa devatā-rūpeṇa ca anucaret sevate | tasmād vayaṃ sat sarvaṃ jānīma ity arthaḥ | karmaṇi ṣaṣṭhī | etad uktaṃ bhavati | atra dvividho vedas traiguṇya-viṣayo nistraiguṇya-viṣayaś ca | tatra traiguṇya-viṣayas trividhaḥ | prathama-prakāras tāvat tad- avalambana-tāṭasthyena tal-lakṣakaḥ | yathā yato vā imāni bhūtānīty ādiḥ | dvitīya-prakāraś ca triguṇamaya-tad-īśitavyādi-varṇanādi-dvārā tan- mahimādi-darśakaḥ | yathā indro yato'vasitasya rājety ādiḥ | tṛtīya-prakāraś ca traiguṇya-nirāsena parama-vastūddeśakaḥ | so'py ayaṃ dvividhaḥ | niṣedha- dvārā sāmānādhikaraṇya-dvārā ca | tatra pūrva-dvārā asthūlam anaṇu neti netīty [BAU 3.7.8] ādiḥ | uttara-dvārā sarvaṃ khalv idaṃ brahma tattvam asīty ādiḥ | pūrva-vākye | taj-jātatvād iti hetoḥ sarvasyaiva brahmatvaṃ nirdiśya tatrāviṣkṛtaḥ sad idam iti pratīti-paramāśrayo yo'ṃśaḥ sa eva śuddhaṃ brahmety uddiśyate | uttara-vākye tvaṃ-padārthasya tadvac cid-ākāra-tac- chakti-rūpatvena tat-padārthaikyaṃ yad upapādyate tenāpi tat-padārtho brahmaivoddiśyate | tat-padārtha-jñānaṃ vinā tvaṃ-padārtha-jñāna-mātram akiñcit-karam iti tat-padopanyāsaḥ | traiguṇyātikramas tūbhayatrāpi | atra traiguṇya-nirāsena tad-uddeśena yatra tadīya-dharmāḥ spaṣṭam eva gamyate tatra bhagavat-paratvaṃ yatra tv aspaṣṭaṃ tatra brahma-paratvam ity avagantavyam | vyākhyātas traiguṇya-viṣayaḥ | tad etad ajayā carato'nucare vyākhyātam | atha nistraiguṇyo'pi dvividhaḥ | brahma-paro bhagavat-paraś ca | yathā ānando brahmetyādi | na tasya kāryaṃ karaṇaṃ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate | parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca || [ŚvetU 6.8] ityādiś ca | tad etad ātmanā carato'nucare iti vyākhyātam | ataḥ śrutes tac cāritvaṃ siddham | sākṣāc cāritvaṃ ca nistraiguṇyānāṃ svata eva anyeṣāṃ tu tad-eka- vākyatayā jñeyam | māyā-nirasanārtham eva tat-tad-guṇānuvādaḥ kriyate paścād akhaṇḍam eva tāṃ nirasya sākṣād-bhagavat-svarūpa-guṇādikaṃ nirdiśyate iti tad eka-vākyatā-dyotanayā sa eṣa eva siddhānto'sminn upakrama-vākye samuddiṣṭaḥ | tathopasaṃhāre ca śrutayas tvayi hi phalanty atan-nirasanena bhavan-nidhanā [BhP 10.87.41] iti | śrutayaś ca madhva- bhāṣya-pramāṇitāḥ na cakṣur na śrotraṃ na tarko na smṛtir vedo hy evainaṃ vedayati ity ādyā | aupaniṣadaḥ puruṣa ity [BAU 3.9.26] ādyāś ca |
English translation
English witness · section(s) 99
Anuccheda 99
1 In this way it is proved that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the subject matter of the Vedas. This is confirmed in the following question of King Pariksit and the answer of Sri Sukadeva Gosvami (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.1): “Since Vedic knowledge generally deals with the subject matter of the three qualities of the material world, how then can it approach the subject matter of transcendence, which is beyond the approach of the three material modes? Since the mind is material and the vibration of words is a material sound, how can the Vedic knowledge, expressing by material sound the thoughts of the mind, approach transcendence? Description of a subject matter necessitates describing its source of emanation, its qualities, and its activities. Such description can be possible only by thinking with the material mind and by vibrating material words. Although Brahma, or Absolute Truth, has no material qualities, our power of speaking does not go beyond the material qualities. How then can Brahman, the Absolute Truth, be described by your words? I do not see how it is possible to understand transcendence from such expressions of material sound.”* 2 The meaning is that the Vedas consist of words that describe mostly the mode of nature, which begin with goodness, and the Supreme Brahman is beyond the modes of nature, which begin with goodness. For this reason the Supreme Brahman cannot be described. Because it is beyond the actions of the modes of material nature, the Supreme Brahman cannot be described. The words ‘sat’ and ‘asat’ here mean ‘cause’ and ‘effect’. Brahman is also beyond cause and effect. Sometimes words are unambiguous and have only one meaning. An example of this is the word ‘dittha’ (toy elephant). Some words have a second meaning. An example of this is the phrase ‘simho devadattah’ (the lion Devadatta), where the word ‘lion’ actually means ‘lionlike’. Sometimes words have a metaphorical meaning. An example of this is the phrase ‘gangayam ghosah’ (a cowherd village on the Ganga), where the word ‘Ganga’ does not mean ‘in the Ganga’ but ‘on the Ganga’s shore’. How is it possible for the Vedas to describe the Supreme Brahman, which has no material qualities, with words, which have so many ambiguous meanings? In the statements of the Vedic literature, which do not describe anything but the Supreme, as for example the statement of Vedanta-sutra (1.1.3) ‘The Supreme Brahman is the origin of the scriptures’ the primary, literal meaning should be accepted. In these self evident statements of the Vedas the literal meaning should be accepted. Why should the literal meaning be accepted? It should be accepted because you (Sukadeva Gosvami) are personally speaking out of great compassion. Otherwise it would not be possible to understand Brahman in the Vedas. How then would it be possible to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is above Brahman, without your explanation? For this reason the path of the self-evident Vedas leads to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is described in this passage, which begins with Srimad Bhagavatam 10.86.59. 3 Srila Sukadeva Gosvami answered in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.2): “The sages said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead has created the mind, senses, and living force for the purpose of sense gratification in transmigration from one kind of body to another, as well as for the purpose of allowing liberation from the material conditions.” 4 In this verse the compound word beginning with ‘buddhi’ means ‘the various attributes’ and ‘jananam’ means ‘of the individual living entities’. To arrange for their sense gratification, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (prabhuh) created their intelligence, mind, senses, and living force. The individual living entities, employing their own knowledge, did not create them. By this statement the vivarta-vada (impersonalists’ theory of transformation) is refuted. The word ‘mtra’ here means ‘of the material senses’, ‘bhava’ means ‘activities that bring one another birth’, ‘atmane’ means ‘to the individual living entity, who has come to the material world to enjoy’, and ‘akalpanaya’ means ‘for liberation and freedom from material desire’. Material desire here is the four goals of economic development, material piety, sense gratification and impersonal liberation. Liberation here is the liberation where one sees everything is spirit. 5 Srimad Bhagavatam (5.19.19-20) explains: “If one’s position is ascertained by a bona fide spiritual master and one is properly trained to engage in the service of Lord Visnu according to the four social divisions (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra) and the four spiritual divisions (brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa), one’s life becomes perfect.* “After many, many births, when the results of one’s pious activities mature, one gets an opportunity to associate with pure devotees. Then one is able to cut the knot of bondage to ignorance, which bound him because of varied fruitive activities. As a result of associating with devotees, one gradually renders service to Lord Vasudeva, who is transcendental, free from attachment to the material world, beyond the mind and words, and independent of everything else. That bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Lord Vasudeva, is the real path of liberation.”* In this prose passage of the Fifth Canto two kinds of devotional service are described. 6 In both these processes of devotional service (following varnasrama and meeting a devotee) one becomes free from the illusions of material ignorance. The Supreme Personality of Godhead therefore creates the intelligence and senses of the conditioned souls to enable them to engage in devotional service. His sampadana-sakti potency makes all this possible. Because the three goals of economic development, material piety, and sense gratification are external and material, liberation is different from them. Liberation is part of the spiritual potency. Because it is internal and consists of spiritual knowledge and devotional service, and because it breaks the bonds of material existence, it is different from matter. This is described in Srimad Bhagavatam 2.10.6: “Liberation is the permanent situation of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies.”* When the living entities are averse to the Lord’s devotional service, then their intelligence and senses are under the thrall of the material ignorance potency. When the living entities are under the thrall of the modes of nature the Lord is not manifest, but when they are free from the modes He appears before them. In this way this verse is explained. 7 Srila Sukadeva Gosvami concludes his answer by says (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.49): “Thus I have replied to the question You submitted to me, O king, about how the mind can have access to the Absolute Truth, which is ineffable and devoid of qualities.”*** 8 In this way the spiritual potency reveals the Lord’s non material, blissful, forms and qualities. Therefore the Lord can be understood and expressed in words. Later on it will also be proved that the Vedas can describe the Lord’s non material forms and qualities. Therefore it is proved that the words of the individual spirit souls can described the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is explained in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.1): “On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc. of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilisation. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung, and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.”* In addition to this it is said that the Vedas are created by the breathing of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Thus there are two kinds of description of the Supreme Personality of Godhead: that spoken by the individual living entities, and that spoken by the Supreme Lord Himself.) What more need be said? The Vedas can directly describe the Supreme. 9 In Srimad Bhagavatam (10.87.14) it will be said: “O Lord, the Vedas understand You and You enjoy pastimes with Your eternal potency.” In the Twelfth Canto (Srimad Bhagavatam 12.6.41), it will be said about the sacred syllable om: 10 “This omkara, ultimately non material and imperceptible, is heard by the Supersoul without His possessing material ears or any other material senses. The entire expanse of Vedic sound is elaborated from omkara, which appears from the soul, within the sky of the heart. It is the direct designation of the self-originating Absolute truth, the Supersoul, and is the secret essence and eternal seed of all Vedic hymns.”*** 11 In the Sruti-sastra also it is said: “Om is the name of the Supreme.” 12 “Nedistham’ here means ‘without concealing any of His characteristics”. The king’s question here is: ‘How is it possible for the Vedas to directly describe the Supreme? Please tell.” The idea is that words are not able to describe the Supreme. This idea is refuted in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.41): “O Lord, because You are limitless even the great demigods cannot find where You end. Even You cannot find where You end. Within You the universes move as specks of dust tossed by the wind. Rejecting everything that is not You, the Vedas become fruitful when they find You.” External, superficial readers think the Vedas describe economic development, material piety, and sense gratification. The conclusion of the Vedas is not these external things, but rather the internal, esoteric description of the Supreme. 13 The Vedas are the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s breath, manifested by the pastime of His compassion on the wretched living entities outside the eternal spiritual reality. First, to create faith in the unseen and unknown (spiritual reality) the Vedas great easily visible goals, such as the attainment of a son, to the living entities striving for such things. From this, faith (in the Vedas’ ability to grant benedictions) is created. With that faith the Vedas show the temporary nature of the material world, create a desire to go to the very wonderful higher worlds of Svargaloka, and give the living entities the Agnistoma-yajna to attain that goal. By again and again practicing religious rituals, the living entity becomes attracted to religion, and with this attraction he becomes pure in heart. He becomes wise and, knowing that his material situation is temporary, becomes tormented with fear of the cycle of repeated birth and death. Then the Vedas give him the desire to attain the bliss of impersonal liberation. From the bliss of impersonal liberation eventually the spiritual form of the Supreme Truth, the Personality of Godhead, appears. 14 This ultimate plan of the Vedas is described in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.9-10): “All occupational engagements are certainly meant for ultimate liberation. They should never be performed for material gain. Furthermore, according to sages, one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service should never use material gain to cultivate sense gratification.* 15 “Life’s desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal of one’s works.”* 16 To the extent the intelligence and senses are situated in the internal spiritual reality, to that extent they are able to understand the Supreme Truth manifest by the spiritual potency. In this way they are able to cross over the Vedic instructions in relation to the three modes of material nature are able to understand the Supreme Truth beyond the modes. In the Twelfth Canto (Srimad Bhagavatam 12.6.39) it is said in relation to the sacred syllable om: 17 “From that the sacred syllable omkara, independent, with unmanifest potencies, and the form of Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan, was manifest.” 18 The Supreme Truth is manifest in two ways: in the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and in the form of the impersonal Brahman. The spiritual potency is also manifest in two ways: in the form of self-manifest devotional service and in the form of spiritual knowledge. The devotional service portions of the Vedas lead to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the knowledge portions of the Vedas lead to the impersonal Brahman. This conclusion is found in the Itihasas.
Bhagavat · Sanskrit §114 · English §100
Source[११४] अथ विशेषतो ब्रह्मण्य् अपि यथा चरन्ति ब्रह्मणि चरन्तीनाम् अपि यथा भगवत्य् एव पर्यवसानं तथैवोद्दिशन्ति । बृहद्-उपलब्धम् एतद् अवयन्त्य् अवशेषतया यत उदयास्तमयौ विकृते दिवाविकृतात् । अत ऋषयो दधुस् त्वयि मनो-वचनाचरितं कथम् अयथा भवन्ति भुवि दत्त-पदानि नॄणाम् ॥ [भ्प् १०.८७.१५] एतत् सर्वं बृहद्-ब्रह्मैवोपलब्धम् अवगतम् । तत् कथं विकृते विश्वस्मात् सकाशाद् अवशिष्यमाणत्वेन सर्वं घटादि-द्रव्यं मृद् एवोपलब्धा दृष्टा तथा बृहद् अपीत्य् अर्थः । तत्र हेतुः । यतो बृहतः सकाशाद् विकृतेर् उदयास् तमयौ अवयन्ति मन्यन्ते श्रुतयः यतो वा इमानीत्य् आद्याः । तस्मान् मृत- साम्यं तस्य युज्यत इति भावः । तर्हि कथं तद्-विकारि त्वम् अपि नेत्य् आहुः । अविकृतात् । श्रुतेस् तु शब्द-मूलत्वाद् इति न्यायेनाचिन्त्य-शक्त्या तथाप्य् अविकृतम् एव यत् तस्माद् इत्य् अर्थः । यद्यप्य् अत्रापि स-शक्तिकम् एव बृहद् उपपद्यते तथाप्य् आविष्कृत-भगवत्त्वेनानुपादानात् ब्रह्मैवोपपादितं भवति । सर्वथा शक्ति-परित्यागे तद्-उपपादानात् सामर्थ्यात् तुच्छत्वापाताच् च । तस्माद् अत्र ब्रह्मैवोदाहृतम् । अतएव मृन्-मात्र-दृष्टान्तेन कर्तृत्वादिकम् अपि तत्र नोपस्थापितम् । तद् एतद् ब्रह्म-प्रतिपादनम् अपि श्री-भगवत्य् एव पर्यवस्यतीत्य् आहुः । अत इति । अतो ब्रह्म-प्रतिपादनाद् अपि ऋषयो वेदास् त्वयि श्री-भगवत्य् एव मनस आचरितं तात्पर्यं वचनस्याचरितम् अभिधानं च दधुर् धृतवन्तः । द्वयोर् एक-वस्तुत्वाद् भगादीनाम् आविष्कारानाविष्कार-दर्शन-मात्रेण भेद-कल्पनाच् च तत्रार्थान्त्र-न्यासः । नॄणां भू-चराणां सम्यग्-दर्शिनाम् असम्यग् दर्शिनां वा भुवि दत्तानि निक्षिप्तानि पदानि कथम् अयथा भवन्ति भुवं न प्राप्नुवन्ति अपि तु तत्रैव पर्यवस्यन्ति । तस्माद् यथा कथम् अपि प्रतिपादयन्तु फलितं तु त्वय्य् एव भवतीति भावः । तद् उक्तं - ज्ञान-योगश् च मन्-निष्ठो नैर्गुण्यो भक्ति-लक्षणः । द्वयोर् अप्य् एक एवार्थो भगवच्-छब्द-लक्षणः ॥ इति । [भ्प् ३.३२.३२] अत्र श्रुतयश् मध्व-भाष्य-प्रमाणिताः - हन्त तम् एव पुरुषं सर्वाणि नामान्य् अभिवदन्ति यथा नद्यः स्यन्दमानाः समुद्रायणाः समुद्रम् अभिनिविशन्ति एवम् एवैतानि नामानि सर्वाणि पुरुषम् अभिविशन्तीति ।
[114] atha viśeṣato brahmaṇy api yathā caranti brahmaṇi carantīnām api yathā bhagavaty eva paryavasānaṃ tathaivoddiśanti | bṛhad-upalabdham etad avayanty avaśeṣatayā yata udayāstamayau vikṛte divāvikṛtāt | ata ṛṣayo dadhus tvayi mano-vacanācaritaṃ katham ayathā bhavanti bhuvi datta-padāni nṝṇām || [BhP 10.87.15] etat sarvaṃ bṛhad-brahmaivopalabdham avagatam | tat kathaṃ vikṛte viśvasmāt sakāśād avaśiṣyamāṇatvena sarvaṃ ghaṭādi-dravyaṃ mṛd evopalabdhā dṛṣṭā tathā bṛhad apīty arthaḥ | tatra hetuḥ | yato bṛhataḥ sakāśād vikṛter udayās tamayau avayanti manyante śrutayaḥ yato vā imānīty ādyāḥ | tasmān mṛta- sāmyaṃ tasya yujyata iti bhāvaḥ | tarhi kathaṃ tad-vikāri tvam api nety āhuḥ | avikṛtāt | śrutes tu śabda-mūlatvād iti nyāyenācintya-śaktyā tathāpy avikṛtam eva yat tasmād ity arthaḥ | yadyapy atrāpi sa-śaktikam eva bṛhad upapadyate tathāpy āviṣkṛta-bhagavattvenānupādānāt brahmaivopapāditaṃ bhavati | sarvathā śakti-parityāge tad-upapādānāt sāmarthyāt tucchatvāpātāc ca | tasmād atra brahmaivodāhṛtam | ataeva mṛn-mātra-dṛṣṭāntena kartṛtvādikam api tatra nopasthāpitam | tad etad brahma-pratipādanam api śrī-bhagavaty eva paryavasyatīty āhuḥ | ata iti | ato brahma-pratipādanād api ṛṣayo vedās tvayi śrī-bhagavaty eva manasa ācaritaṃ tātparyaṃ vacanasyācaritam abhidhānaṃ ca dadhur dhṛtavantaḥ | dvayor eka-vastutvād bhagādīnām āviṣkārānāviṣkāra-darśana-mātreṇa bheda-kalpanāc ca tatrārthāntra-nyāsaḥ | nṝṇāṃ bhū-carāṇāṃ samyag-darśinām asamyag darśināṃ vā bhuvi dattāni nikṣiptāni padāni katham ayathā bhavanti bhuvaṃ na prāpnuvanti api tu tatraiva paryavasyanti | tasmād yathā katham api pratipādayantu phalitaṃ tu tvayy eva bhavatīti bhāvaḥ | tad uktaṃ - jñāna-yogaś ca man-niṣṭho nairguṇyo bhakti-lakṣaṇaḥ | dvayor apy eka evārtho bhagavac-chabda-lakṣaṇaḥ || iti | [BhP 3.32.32] atra śrutayaś madhva-bhāṣya-pramāṇitāḥ - hanta tam eva puruṣaṃ sarvāṇi nāmāny abhivadanti yathā nadyaḥ syandamānāḥ samudrāyaṇāḥ samudram abhiniviśanti evam evaitāni nāmāni sarvāṇi puruṣam abhiviśantīti |
English translation
English witness · section(s) 100
Anuccheda 100
1 Srimad Bhagavatam (10.87.12) explains: “Sanandana said: After the dissolution of the whole cosmic manifestation, the entire energy and the whole creation in its nucleus form enters into the body of Garbhodakasayi Visnu. The Lord at that time remains asleep for a long, long time, and where there is again necessity of creation, the Vedas personified assemble around the Lord and begin to glorify Him, describing His wonderful transcendental pastimes.”* 2 At the time of cosmic annihilation the Lord withdraws (apiya) the universe He had created and lies down to rest with His potencies. Making the material nature, the purusa-avatara, and the portion of His portions all one with Himself, He closes His eyes. When the time of cosmic annihilation is almost over the Vedas awaken the Lord with prayers describing His transcendental qualities. The Lord here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is not a purusa-avatara expansion. 3 That the purusa-avatara also enters the Lord is described in the Third Canto (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.5.23): “The Personality of Godhead, the master of all living entities, existed prior to the creation as one without a second. It is by His will only that creation is made possible and again everything merges in Him. This Supreme Self is symptomised by different names.”* 4 Continuing the description in text 1, the Srimad Bhagavatam (1.87.13) gives an example: “Then the Vedas glorify the Lord. It is exactly like a king. When he is asleep in the morning, the appointed reciters come around his bedroom and begin to sing of his chivalrous activities, and while hearing of his glorious activities, the king gradually awakens.”* 5 The example here is a powerful king, not an impersonal quality less something, glorified with eloquent prayers. That is the meaning of the words “It is exactly like a king. When he is asleep...” At night the king enjoys pastimes with his queens. He ignores all external duties and stays with His intimate associates in the inner part of his palace. Later, the poets awaken him by reciting many prayers glorifying his prowess. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is compared to this king. Ignoring all in relation to the material universes, He enjoys pastimes with His associates in His own abode hidden from material eyes. The Lord’s associates (anujivinah) are they who know the Lord’s heart. 6 In this passage the Vedas reveal the truth of the Lord’s form, which is directly seen by devotional service, service that allows one to directly see the Lord and also grants transcendental knowledge and a host of transcendental virtues. The Personified Vedas say (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.14): 7 “O unconquerable, You are the Supreme Personality. No one is equal to You or greater than You. No one can be more glorious in his activities. All glories unto You! All glories unto You! By Your own transcendental nature You fully possess all six opulences. As such, You are able to deliver all conditioned souls from the clutches of maya. O Lord, we fervently pray that You kindly do so. All the living entities, being Your parts and parcels, are naturally joyful, eternal, and full of knowledge, but due to their own faults they try to imitate You by trying to become the supreme enjoyer; thus they disobey Your supremacy and become offenders. And because of their offenses, Your material energy has taken charge of them; thus, their transcendental qualities of joyfulness, bliss, and wisdom have been covered by the clouds of the three material qualities. This cosmic manifestation, made of the three material qualities, is just like a prison house for the conditioned souls. The conditioned souls are struggling very hard to escape from material bondage, and according to their different conditions of life they have been given different types of engagement. But all engagements are based on Your knowledge. Pious activities can be executed only when inspired by Your mercy, therefore, without taking shelter at Your lotus feet one cannot surpass the influence of material energy. Actually, we, as personified Vedic knowledge, are always engaged in Your service to help the conditioned soul understand You.”* 8 “Ajita” here means ‘O unconquerable one’ and ‘jaya jaya’ means ‘Please reveal Your glory’. ‘Jaya’ is said twice out of respect. ‘Ajita’ here is in the vocative case. 9 It is said (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.2.10): “Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Visnu, such sinful persons may attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, who therefore considers, ‘Because this man has chanted My holy name, My duty is to give him protection.’”* 10 From this it may be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is personally present, face-to-face, in the sound of His holy name. He is His name, just as He is His transcendental form. He is not present face-to-face in anything that is different from Him. The Sruti-sastra explains that fear, hatred, and other faults and vices present in the Lord’s form are only symbolic. They are not like material fear and hatred. This has already been proved in the Sruti. The form of the Lord appears on the eyes and the holy name of the Lord appears on the voice. The Lord’s form and name are the same direct manifestation of the Lord, although appearing in different ways. That more need be said? Using sanketa, rudha, and other literary devices, the Vedas have in many ways explained that the Lord is not different from His name. The Vedas here say: “O Lord, please reveal Your glories (jaya jaya)!” In this way, without recourse to any indirect literary devices, the Personified Vedas directly say that the Lord’s glories and qualities are the most exalted. This is described in the Sruti-sastra in these words: “O Lord, Your glories are so great even You do not fully understand them.” Sruti-sastra “No one is equal to or greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8 11 The Personified Vedas here say ‘jaya jaya!’ so that the Lord will reveal His devotional service. They do that because the Lord personally appears when there is devotional service. Hearing the Vedas’ words ‘jaya jaya!’, the Supreme Personality of Godhead may ask: ‘Which one of My glories shall I manifest?’ To this question the Personified Vedas reply: ‘ajam jahi’, which means ‘Please manifest the glory of Your gift of devotional service, which casts away the influence of maya.’ 12 Then the Supreme Personality of Godhead may protest: ‘My potency of knowledge and My potency of ignorance are both called ‘maya’, so it ‘maya’ is cast out, then transcendental knowledge will be destroyed.’ The Personified Vedas then reply: ‘This ‘maya’ is ‘dosa-grbhita-guna’.’ ‘Dosa’ here is the fault of ignorance, which makes the living entities forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead. ‘Grbhita’ means ‘accepted’ and ‘guna’ means ‘the knowledge that makes the living entities remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’ This means ‘O Lord, when You enter the living entity ignorance is cast out. No matter where, when, how, or whom, ignorance flees from the living entity. Therefore, O Lord, please uproot ignorance and give the living entities pure devotion for Your lotus feet.’ This means that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is Himself beyond the influence of the potency of ignorance. He is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. Rejecting everything that is not Him, the Vedas describe (caranti) the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 13 That the Lord is above the influence of matter is confirmed in the following words of the Vedas: “One should know that although maya (illusion) is false or temporary, the background of maya is the supreme magician, the Personality of Godhead, who is Mahesvara, the Supreme Controller.”* Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.10 “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is beyond the influence of the unborn potency of illusion.” Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.5 “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of everything. He is the ruler of all,” Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 5.6.1 “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not material. He is not material.” Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 4.2.21 14 At this point the Supreme Personality of Godhead may protest: ‘Is it not so that by praying for the destruction of maya you want to destroy what is one of My opulences?” To answer this the Personified Vedas say: ‘O Lord, You fully possess all six opulences (tvam asi yad atmana samavaruddha-samasta-bhagah).’ This means ‘O Lord, You are the master of a great multitude of opulences in the spiritual world, which is three quarters of all existence. What is the use of this tiny, insignificant opulence of material illusion?” 15 In his commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.38, Sridhara Svami explains: “O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O master of multitudes of kamadhenu cows and the potencies of transcendental bliss and knowledge, what do You have to do with the unborn potency of material illusion? You have nothing to do with the eight material opulences limited by time, place and other material boundaries. Your opulences are spiritual and free of all limits.” 16 Here (in Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.14) the word ‘atma’ means ‘Your form’ and ‘bhaga’ means ‘Your qualities.’ By using these words for form and qualities the Personified Vedas are able, by using the traditional meaning (rudhi) of words, to describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 17 The Sruti-sastra describes the Lord and His potencies: “The Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His potencies are manifest from Him.” Sruti-sastra “The Supreme Personality of Godhead has multifarious potencies.” Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8 18 In this way all the Vedas describe the Lord’s potencies. In this verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.14) the word ‘aga’ means ‘the stationary living entities’, ‘jagat’ means ‘the moving living entities’, and ‘okasam’ means ‘the material bodies that are their homes’. ‘Akhila-sakty-avabodhaka’ means ‘O Lord who awakens all Your potencies, which are the individual living entities (jivas)’ and is in the vocative case. This means: ‘O Lord, by Your glance manifesting the wonderful potencies of maya, You are like an ocean filled with the waves of all Your potencies.” At this point the Lord may protest: ‘Is it not so that if the maya potency is destroyed then the potency that is the individual living entities (jivas) will inevitably also be destroyed?” To this the Personified Vedas reply: This is not so because ‘aga-jagad-oksam akhila-sakty-avabodhaka’ (O Lord, You awaken the moving and stationary living entities). On the contrary, your potency (that eclipses maya) fills the living entities with bliss. In this way the Personified Vedas describe the individual living entities as tatastha-sakti (the Lord’s marginal potency). 19 The relationship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the individual living entity is described in the Sruti-sastra: “Who can breathe and who can live if the supreme bliss, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not stay in the sky of his heart?” Taittiriya Upanisad 2.7.1 “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the life-breath of everyone’s life.” Kena Upanisad 1.2 “Everything that exists is the reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8 This means that the stars and other celestial lights are reflected from the light of the Supreme. The relationship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the individual living entity is also described in these words (Svetasvatara Upanisad): “Only to those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.”* 20 At this point the Supreme Personality of Godhead may protest: ‘How do you Vedas know that I have no duty to perform for the unborn maya potency, and how do you know that I am eternal and full of knowledge and bliss and by My own potencies are full of all opulences?’ The Vedas answer: “Sometimes we see You when, to create, maintain, and destroy the material worlds, in Your form of the purusa-avatara You enjoy pastimes with the unborn maya potency, or when by the means of Your internal potency You manifest Your personal opulences full of the nectar of eternity, knowledge and bliss, or when You appear as the words to us Vedas or as the Supreme worshipable Lord. In this way we Vedas know everything about You.” In this verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.14) the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in the possessive case. 21 The Vedas are divided into two parts, one part dealing with the realm of the three modes of material nature, and the other part dealing with what is beyond the three modes of material nature. The part dealing with the three modes of material nature is in turn again divided into three parts. In the first of these parts the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as being on the border between the spiritual and material worlds. An example of this part is the statement: “From the Supreme Personality of Godhead the material elements were born.” Taittiriya Upanisad 3.1.1 In the second of these parts the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as glorious because He is the controller of all within the realm of the three modes of material nature. An example of this part is the statement: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the king of all within the realm of the three modes.” Sruti-sastra In the third of these parts the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as the teacher that shows how to transcend the realm of the three modes of material nature. 22 The second part (describing what is beyond the three modes of material nature) of the Vedas may be divided into two parts. The first part states that the Supreme is different from the realm of the three modes and the second part states that the Supreme is identical with the realm of the three modes. An example of the first part is the statement: “The Supreme is not large and not small. It is not this. It is not that.” Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 3.8.8. Examples of the second part are the statements: “The entire world is Brahman.” Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1 “You are that.” Chandogya Upanisad 6.8.7 Of the last two quotes the first says that everything is Brahman because everything was born from Brahman. Thus the changeless Supreme Brahman is the shelter of everything and everything is part of it, each part being pure Brahman (spirit). In the second quote the word ‘tvam’ (you) means ‘the individual living entity, who is the potency of the spiritual form of the Supreme’ and ‘tat’ (that) means ‘the Supreme Brahman’. Without understanding the real meaning of the word ‘tat’ the meaning of ‘tvam’ will not be understood. Both ‘tat’ (the Supreme Brahman) and ‘tvam’ (the individual living entity) are by nature beyond the realm of the three material modes. Here it is clear that the Supreme is the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Bhagavan). It is not at all clear that the Supreme is the impersonal Brahman. In this way the words ‘ajaya...carato nucaret’ in Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.14 are explained. 23 The living entities who have transcended the realm of the three modes are divided into two groups: they who are devoted to the impersonal Brahman and they who are devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The impersonal Brahman is described in these words (Taittiriya Upanisad (3.6): “Brahman is full of bliss.” 24 The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in these words (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8): “He does not possess bodily form like that of an ordinary living entity. There is no difference between His body and His soul. He is absolute. All His senses are transcendental. Any one of His senses can perform the action of any other sense. Therefore, no one is greater than Him or equal to Him. His potencies are multifarious, and thus His deeds are automatically performed as a natural sequence.”* 25 In this way the statement ‘atmana carato nucaren nigamah’ is explained. In this way it is proved that the Vedas describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the parts of the Vedas that describe what is beyond the three modes of material nature He is directly described. In the other parts He is described indirectly. To prove that He is not material. His various transcendental qualities are described. Leaving behind all partial descriptions, the Vedas directly describe the transcendental form and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the conclusive explanation of the indirect description of the Lord. 26 In conclusion, O Lord, the Vedas become fruitful in the description of You. This is described in the following verses quoted in the commentary of Sripada Madhvacarya: “Neither eyes, nor ears, nor logic teach of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only the Sruti and Smrti sastras teach of Him.” Sruti-sastra “The Supreme Person is described in the Upanisads: Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 3.9.26