Sections 21–30

English witness · section(s) 21

TEXT 21

garude ca purnah so ’yam atisayah artho ’yam brahma-sutranam bharatartha-vinirnayah

gayatri-bhasya-rupo ’sau vedartha-paribrmhitah purananam sama-rupah saksad bhagavatoditah

dvadasa-skandha-yukto ’yam sata-viccheda-samyutah grantho ’stadasa-sahasram Sri-bhagavatabhidhah @VCONTINUE = iti. And the Garuda Purana states: “This Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most perfect Purana. It is the natural COMMENTARY on the Vedanta-sutra, it establishes the meaning of the Mahabharata, it is a COMMENTARY on Gayatri, it explains and expands the meaning of the Vedas, it is the Sama Veda of the Puranas, and it was spoken by the Supreme Lord Himself. It has twelve cantos, hundreds of chapters, and eighteen thousand verses.”

TEXT 21.2

brahma-sutranam arthas tesam akrtrima-bhasya-bhuta ity arthah. purvam suksmatvena manasy avirbhutam tad eva sanksipya sutratvena punah prakatitam pascad vistirnatvena saksat Sri-bhagavatam iti. tasmat tad-bhasya-bhute svatah-siddhe tasmin saty arvacinam anyad anyesam sva-sva-kapola-kalpitam tad-anugatam evodaraniyam iti gamyate. Here the words brahma-sutranam arthah mean that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the natural COMMENTARY on the Vedanta-sutra. First the Bhagavatam appeared in the heart of Sri Vyasadeva in a subtle form. He then summarized it in the form of the Vedanta-sutra, and later He expanded it into Srimad-Bhagavatam as we know it. Since the Vedanta-sutra already has a natural COMMENTARY in Srimad-Bhagavatam, whatever else more recent commentators have produced from their own brains should be taken seriously only when it is faithful to the version of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 21.3

bharatartha-vinirnayah nirnayah sarva-sastranam bharatam parikirtitam

bharatam sarva-vedas ca tulam aropitah pura devair brahmadibhih sarvair rsibhis ca samanvitaih

vyasasyaivajïaya tatra tv atiricyata bharatam mahattvad bhara-vattvac ca mahabharatam ucyate @VCONTINUE = ity-ady-ukta-laksanasya bharatasyartha-vinirnayo yatra sah. Concerning the phrase bharatartha-vinirnayah (“Srimad-Bhagavatam establishes the meaning of the Mahabharata”), we find the following verses describing the Mahabharata’s importance in the Mahabharata itself [Adi-parva 1.272–74]: “The Mahabharata is glorified because it contains the conclusions of all scriptures. Long ago, on the request of Srila Vyasa, Lord Brahma and the other demigods came together with all the great sages and placed the Mahabharata on one side of a scale and the entire Vedas on the other. The Mahabharata, it turned out, weighed more because of its greatness (mahattva) and heaviness (bhara-vattva). For this reason it is called Maha-bharata.” The message of the Mahabharata, whose importance is as described here, is made clear in the TEXT of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 21.4

Sri-bhagavaty eva tatparyam tasyapi. tad uktam moksa-dharme narayaniye Sri-veda-vyasam prati janamejayena idam sata-sahasrad dhi bharatakhyana-vistarat amathya mati-manthena jïanodadhim anuttamam

nava-nitam yatha dadhno malayac candanam yatha aranyam sarva-vedebhya osadhibhyo ’mrtam yatha

samuddhrtam idam brahman kathamrtam idam tatha tapo-nidhe tvayoktam hi narayana-kathasrayam @VCONTINUE = iti. Another way in which Srimad-Bhagavatam establishes the meaning of the Mahabharata is that the message of both culminates in the Supreme Lord alone. That the Mahabharata’s message culminates in the Lord is evinced in the Narayaniya section of the Mahabharata’s Moksa-dharma portion [170.11–14], where Janamejaya says to Srila Vyasadeva: “O brahmana, abode of austerities, just as butter can be extracted from yogurt, sandalwood from the Malaya mountains, the Upanisads from the Vedas, and life-giving nectar from herbs, so by Your churning the ocean of the highest knowledge with the rod of Your intelligence, this Narayaniya has been extracted from the Mahabharata’s hundred thousand verses. The Narayaniya’s narrations are related to Lord Narayana and are sweet like nectar.”

COMMENTARY Srimad-Bhagavatam Is the Natural COMMENTARY on the Vedanta-sutra Srimad-Bhagavatam is one of the eighteen Puranas, but Srila Vyasadeva wrote it after compiling the essence of the Vedas in the Vedanta-sutra and also composing the Mahabharata and Puranas. But, one might ask, if the eighteen Puranas had already been compiled, does this make Srimad-Bhagavatam the nineteenth Purana? In TEXT 21.2 Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that this is not the case. Srimad-Bhagavatam appeared first to Srila Vyasa in a concise and subtle form, as one of the eighteen Puranas. Srila Vyasa composed the Vedanta-sutra on the basis of this first edition of the Bhagavatam. Later, when He sat in trance in pursuance of Narada Muni’s order, the expanded form of Srimad-Bhagavatam was revealed to Him as the natural COMMENTARY on the Vedanta-sutra. Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Vedanta-sutra share the same subject, the Absolute Truth, and they describe the same principles of sambandha (the relationship between the soul and God), abhidheya (the process of attaining the supreme goal), and prayojana (the supreme goal, perfect devotion to the Lord). Many acaryas and scholars wrote later commentaries on the Vedanta-sutra, but only those that agree with Srimad-Bhagavatam—such as those given by Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, and Baladeva Vidyabhusana—are bona fide. Suta Gosvami alludes to Veda-vyasa’s composing two editions of Srimad-Bhagavatam: sa samhitam bhagavatim krtvanukramya catmajam sukam adhyapayam asa nivrtti-niratam munih “The great sage Vyasadeva, after compiling Srimad-Bhagavatam and revising it, taught it to His own son, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, who was already absorbed in self-realization” (Bhag. 1.7.8). Commenting on this verse, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura writes, atas tadaiva purva-nirmitasyaiva Sri-bhagavatasyanukramanam: “The word anukramya in this verse means that Veda-vyasa compiled a new edition of the already existing Srimad-Bhagavatam.”

TEXT 21.3 relates how the Mahabharata was once shown to be literally heavier than the Vedas. This heaviness came about because the Mahabharata, using simple narrations, elaborated upon and lucidly explained the concise and cryptic subject matter of the Vedas. Vyasadeva makes this point in the Mahabharata itself (Adi-parva 1.62): brahman veda-rahasyam ca yac canyat sthapitam maya sangopanisadam caiva vedanam vistara-kriya “O Lord Brahma, in this great work [Mahabharata] I have included the secret essence of all the Vedas and of all other scriptures as well. It explains in detail the Vedas’ six corollaries and the Upanisads.” Originally the Mahabharata had six million verses, but at present only one hundred thousand are available on earth. The rest can be found on higher planets, where people have life spans and memories suitable for absorbing such large amounts of information. The distribution of the Mahabharata’s verses is also mentioned in the Mahabharata itself (Adi-parva 1.106–107): sastim sata-sahasrani cakaranyam sa samhitam trimsac chata-sahasram ca deva-loke pratisthitam

pitrye païcadasa proktam gandharvesu caturdasa ekam sata-sahasram tu manusesu pratisthitam “Then Srila Vyasadeva compiled another samhita [Mahabharata], containing six million verses. Of these, three million are present in the heavenly planets, one and a half million on the planet of the forefathers, and one million four hundred thousand on the planet of the Gandharvas. The remaining one hundred thousand verses are available among human beings.” Although abridged, the version of Mahabharata on this planet is the longest epic ever written here. So, due to the profundity of its topics (mahattva) and its great weight (bhara-vattva) it is known as Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is more versatile than the Vedas because the restrictions that apply to studying the Vedas are absent with the Mahabharata. Anyone may read and enjoy the Mahabharata, regardless of social position or gender. However, only the Moksa-dharma and a few other sections of the Mahabharata directly glorify Lord Narayana as supreme. Other sections mainly deal with a mixture of topics, such as fruitive rituals, politics, and charity. By contrast, the entire Bhagavatam speaks only about the glories of the Supreme Lord, and this exclusive focus makes it superior to the Mahabharata. Thus it has been said, “Srimad-Bhagavatam establishes the meaning of the Mahabharata.” In the next Text, Srila Jiva Gosvami cites further proof that the Bhagavatam is the essence of all Vedic literature and the topmost pramana.

English witness · section(s) 22

TEXT 22.1

tatha ca trtiye @VL1 = munir vivaksur bhagavad-gunanam @VL2 = sakhapi te bharatam aha krsnah @VL1 = yasmin nrnam gramya-kathanuvadair @VL2 = matir grhita nu hareh kathayam @VCONTINUE = iti. Similarly, the Third Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam [3.5.12] confirms [that the Bhagavatam establishes the meaning of the Mahabharata]: “Your friend, the great sage Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasa, has already described the transcendental qualities of the Lord in His great work the Mahabharata. But the whole idea is to draw the attention of the mass of people to krsna-katha through their strong affinity for hearing mundane topics.”

TEXT 22.2

@VCONTINUE = hemadrer vrata-khande stri-sudra-dvija-bandhunam trayi na sruti-gocara karma-sreyasi mudhanam sreya evam bhaved iha iti bharatam akhyanam krpaya munina krtam @VCONTINUE = iti vakyam Sri-bhagavatiyatvenotthapya bharatasya vedartha-tulyatvena visisya nirnayo krta iti tan-matanusarena tv evam vyakhyeyam, bharatarthasya vinirnayo vedartha-tulyatvena visisya nirnayo yatreti. In his Catur-varga-cintamani, Vrata-khanda [1.28], Hemadri cites the following verse and attributes it to Srimad-Bhagavatam: “Out of compassion, the great sage thought it wise to do something that would enable even those who were ignorant of how to act for their own welfare to achieve the ultimate goal of life. Thus He compiled the great historical narration called the Mahabharata for women, laborers, and friends of the twice-born because they do not have access to the Vedas” [Bhag. 1.4.25]. Hemadri uses this verse to demonstrate that the Mahabharata is as valuable as the Vedas, and thus the phrase bharatartha-vinirnayah (“Srimad-Bhagavatam establishes the meaning of the Mahabharata”) should be explained, in accordance with this view, as saying that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the literature in which the Mahabharata’s message is conclusively defined and is shown to be equal to that of the Vedas.

TEXT 22.3

yasmad evam bhagavat-paras tasmad eva `yatradhikrtya gayatrim' iti krta-laksana-Sri-bhagavata-nama granthah Sri-bhagavat-paraya gayatrya bhasya-rupo ’sau. tad uktam `yatradhikrtya gayatrim' ity-adi. Since the book named Srimad-Bhagavatam, characterized as “beginning with the Gayatri mantra,” is thus dedicated to the Personality of Godhead, it serves as a COMMENTARY on Gayatri, which is also dedicated to the Supreme Lord. This same point—that Srimad-Bhagavatam is a COMMENTARY on the Gayatri mantra—is made in such statements as “in which [Bhagavatam] Gayatri is introduced as the basis of discussion.”

TEXT 22.4

tathaiva hi agni-purane tasya vyakhyane Sri-bhagavan eva vistarena pratipaditah. tatra tadiya-vyakhya-dig-darsanam yatha taj jyotih paramam brahma bhargas tejo yatah smrtah @VCONTINUE = ity arabhya punar aha taj jyotir bhagavan visnur jagaj-janmadi-karanam sivam kecit pathanti sma sakti-rupam vadanti ca

kecit suryam kecid agnim daivatany agni-hotrinah agny-adi-rupi visnur hi vedadau brahma giyate @VCONTINUE = iti. And furthermore, the Agni Purana describes the Personality of Godhead at length in the course of its exposition of the Gayatri mantra. Here is a short summary of this explanation from the Agni Purana: “That light is called the Supreme Brahman because the word bhargas [in Gayatri] means ‘effulgence,’” [Agni Pur. 216.3]. Then Agni says: “That effulgence is Lord Visnu, who is the cause of the universe’s creation, maintenance, and dissolution. Some people say ‘effulgence’ here refers instead to Siva, while others say it means Sakti. Others say it refers to the sun, and still others to Agni. While chanting Gayatri, the brahmanas who perform Vedic fire sacrifices (Agni-hotris) worship various demigods. But Lord Visnu is present in the forms of Agni and all the other demigods, and the Vedas praise Him as the Absolute Truth, Brahman” [Agni Pur. 216.7–8].

TEXT 22.5

atra `janmady asya' ity asya vyakhyanam ca tatha darsayisyate. `kasmai yena vibhasito ’yam' ity upasamhara-vakye ca `tac chuddham' ity-adi-samanam evagni-purane tad-vyakhyanam nityam suddham param brahma nitya-bhargam adhisvaram aham jyotih param brahma dhyayema hi vimuktaye @VCONTINUE = iti. atra aham brahma iti `nadevo devam arcayet' iti nyayena yogyatvaya svasya tadrktva-bhavana darsita. dhyayema ity aham tavad dhyayeyam sarve ca vayam dhyayemety arthah. Later, while commenting on the opening verse of the Bhagavatam (beginning janmady asya), we will again present this idea of the Bhagavatam’s being a COMMENTARY on Gayatri. Also, in one of the concluding verses of the Bhagavatam ([12.13.19,] beginning kasmai yena vibhasitah), we find the phrase tac chuddham (“it is pure”), which is exactly echoed in the Agni Purana’s explanation of Gayatri: “For liberation, let us meditate on the Supreme Brahman, who is eternal, pure, transcendental, and always effulgent, and who is the supreme controller, and as we meditate let us think, ‘I am that light, the Supreme Truth’” [Agni Pur. 216.6]. Here the mood of thinking “I am one with Brahman” is meant to help the meditator become fit to worship the Supreme Lord, following the principle “One who is not godly cannot properly worship God.” The verb form dhyayema (“we should meditate”) signifies that “not only I but all of us should meditate.”

TEXT 22.6

tad etan-mate tu mantre ’pi bharga-sabdo ’yam ad-anta eva syat. `supam su-luk' ity-adina chandasa-sutrena tu dvitiyaika-vacanasya amah su-bhavo jïeyah. yat tu dvadase `om namas te' ity-adi-gadyesu tad-arthatvena suryah stutah, tat paramatma-drstyaiva na tu svatantryenety adosah. According to this view, however, the word bharga in the Gayatri mantra should end with the vowel a, making the original word bharga instead of bhargas. This irregular usage of bhargas where bharga might be expected can be explained as an instance of the type given in Panini-sutra 7.1.39, which is intended for the analysis of Vedic texts. The sutra is supam su-luk, which means that the suffix -am of a singular accusative case may be replaced by -su. In the prose section of the Bhagavatam’s Twelfth Canto ([12.6.67–72,] beginning om namas te) the sun is praised as the object of worship in Gayatri. We should understand that this passage refers to the Supersoul residing within the sun rather than to the sun independently; interpreted in this way, the statement is faultless.

TEXT 22.7

tathaivagre Sri-saunaka-vakyam bruhi nah sraddadhananam vyuham suryatmano hareh @VCONTINUE = iti. na casya bhargasya surya-mandala-matradhisthanatvam, mantre varenya-sabdena atra ca granthe para-sabdena paramaisvarya-paryantataya darsitatvat. Later in the Bhagavatam Saunaka Rsi confirms this interpretation: “O Suta, kindly explain to us, who are faithful, the glory of Lord Hari’s expansion as the Supersoul within the sun” [Bhag. 12.11.28]. Similarly, one should not think that the word bharga (“effulgence”) in Gayatri refers only to the controller of the sun globe, since the word varenya (“transcendental”) in the Gayatri mantra and the word para in the Bhagavatam verses cited above [1.1.1 and 12.13.19] have both been shown to refer ultimately to the transcendental opulence of the Supreme.

TEXT 22.8

tad evam agni-purane ’py uktam dhyanena puruso ’yam ca drastavyah surya-mandale satyam sada-sivam brahma tad visnoh paramam padam @VCONTINUE = iti. tri-loki-jananam upasanartham pralaye vinasini surya-mandale cantar-yamitaya pradurbhuto ’yam puruso dhyanena drastavya upasitavyah. yat tu visnos tasya maha-vaikuntha-rupam paramam padam tad eva satyam kala-trayavyabhicari sada-sivam upadrava-sunyam yato brahma-svarupam ity arthah. The Agni Purana similarly states: “One may further meditate on this Supreme Lord as present in the sun, but the final goal of life is Lord Visnu’s abode, which alone is the eternal and ever-auspicious Absolute Truth” [Agni Pur. 216.16]. The meaning of this verse is as follows: The Personality of Godhead should be meditated upon as the Supersoul, or inner controller, dwelling within the sun globe, where He appears so that the inhabitants of the three worlds may worship Him. This sun globe will be destroyed at the time of dissolution, but the transcendental abode of Lord Visnu, Maha-vaikuntha, is permanent, unchanging in the past, present, and future. It is also always auspicious—that is, free from all disturbance—because it is identical with the Supreme Lord’s own self.

TEXT 22.9

tad etad gayatrim procya purana-laksana-prakarane `yatradhikrtya gayatrim' ity-ady apy uktam agni-purane. tasmat agneh puranam gayatrim sametya bhagavat-param bhagavantam tatra matva jagaj-janmadi-karanam

yatradhikrtya gayatrim iti laksana-purvakam @V1PLUS = Srimad-bhagavatam sasvat prthvyam jayati sarvatah tad evam asya sastrasya gayatrim adhikrtya pravrttir darsita. After explaining Gayatri in this way, the Agni Purana further elaborates on Gayatri in the section dealing with the characteristics of Puranas, which contains the verse beginning yatra adhikrtya gayatrim. Thus we say: “The Agni Purana explains that the Gayatri mantra is dedicated to the Personality of Godhead, the source of the universe’s maintenance, dissolution, and other phases of existence. Srimad-Bhagavatam, characterized by the phrase ‘taking Gayatri as its topic,’ is thus ever-glorious all over the earth.” And so we have shown how it is that the beginning of this scripture [Srimad-Bhagavatam] refers to Gayatri as its subject.

TEXT 22.10

yat tu sarasvata-kalpam adhikrtyeti purvam uktam, tac ca gayatrya bhagavat-pratipadaka-vag-visesa-rupa-sarasvatitvad upayuktam eva. yad uktam agni-purane gayaty ukthani sastrani bhargam pranams tathaiva ca tatah smrteyam gayatri savitri yatra eva ca

prakasini sa savitur vag-rupatvat sarasvati @VCONTINUE = iti. Still, the statement made earlier—that the Bhagavatam’s subject is the Sarasvata-kalpa, the day of Brahma related to Sarasvati—is appropriate because Sarasvati is the goddess of speech, who glorifies the Supreme Lord. Gayatri is also a manifestation of Sarasvati as a special verbal expression establishing the Lord’s glories. Thus the Agni Purana says about Gayatri: “It is called Gayatri because it sings about (gayati) or illuminates the Vedic mantras, the scriptures, the Supreme Lord, and one’s intelligence. It is called Savitri because it reveals Lord Savita, the creator. And it is called Sarasvati because it is the essence of speech” [Agni Pur. 216.1–2].

TEXT 22.11

atha krama-prapta vyakhya. tasmat `gayatri-bhasya-rupo ’sau.’ tathaiva hi visnu-dharmottaradau tad-vyakhyane bhagavan eva vistarena pratipaditah. atra janmady asya ity asya vyakhyanam ca tatha darsayisyate. `vedartha-paribrmhitah' vedarthasya paribrmhanam yasmat. tac coktam `itihasa-puranabhyam' ity-adi. Now we will resume our sequential explanation of the terms in the passage quoted above from the Garuda Purana [at the beginning of TEXT 21]: Thus "Srimad-Bhagavatam is a COMMENTARY on Gayatri." This is shown in the Visnu-dharmottara Purana, which elaborately demonstrates, in its explanation of the Gayatri mantra [Prathama-khanda 165], that the object of meditation in the Gayatri is the Supreme Lord. We shall provide similar proofs of the Srimad-Bhagavatam's being a COMMENTARY on Gayatri when we comment on the Bhagavatam’s first verseSria (beginning janmady asya). That the Srimad-Bhagavatam explains and expands the Vedas (vedartha-paribrmhitah) is confirmed by the statement in the Mahabharata (Adi-parva 1.267): "One should supplement the Vedas with the Itihasas and Puranas."

TEXT 22.12

`purananam sama-rupah' vedesu sama-vat sa tesu srestha ity arthah. puranantaranam kesaïcid apatato rajas-tamasi jusamanais tat-paratvapratitatve ’pi vedanam kanda-traya-vakyaika-vakyatayam yatha samna tatha tesam Sri-bhagavatena pratipadye Sri-bhagavaty eva paryavasanam iti bhavah. tad uktam vede ramayane caiva purane bharate tatha adav ante ca madhye ca harih sarvatra giyate @VCONTINUE = iti pratipadayisyate ca tad idam paramatma-sandarbhe. The phrase purananam sama-rupa means that just as the Sama Veda is the supreme Veda, so Srimad-Bhagavatam is the supreme Purana. The idea here is as follows: The Sama Veda reconciles the statements of the three divisions of the Vedas—karma-kanda, jïana-kanda, and upasana-kanda—by showing that their message is one. Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam shows that although some of the Puranas appear to be tainted with the modes of passion and ignorance, the essence of all the Puranas is worship of the Supreme Lord. Thus it is said: “Throughout the Vedas, Ramayana, Puranas, and Mahabharata, Lord Hari is glorified everywhere, in the beginning, middle, and end” [Mahabharata, Svarga-parva 6.93]. This we will demonstrate later, in the Paramatma-sandarbha (68–73).

TEXT 22.13

`saksad bhagavatoditah' iti `kasmai yena vibhasito ’yam’ ity upasamhara-vakyanusarena jïeyam. `sata-viccheda-samyutah' iti vistara-bhiya na vivriyate. tad evam Sri-bhagavatam sarva-sastra-cakravarti-padam aptam iti sthite `hema-simha-samanvitam' ity atra `suvarna-simhasanarudham' iti tika-karair vyakhyatam tad eva yuktam. atah Srimad-bhagavatasyaivabhyasavasyakatvam sresthatvam ca skande nirnitam. That Srimad-Bhagavatam is saksad bhagavatoditah (“spoken directly by the Supreme Lord”) is confirmed in the verse near the end of the Bhagavatam beginning kasmai yena vibhasitah, wherein it is said, “We meditate upon the Supreme Lord, who spoke this Srimad-Bhagavatam to Brahma” [Bhag. 12.13.19]. Here we will not explain the phrase sata-viccheda-samyutah (“Srimad-Bhagavatam contains hundreds of divisions”) because we are concerned that this book may become too long. In this way it has been shown that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the emperor of all scriptures. And thus it is most appropriate that Sridhara Svami has interpreted the phrase hema-simha-samanvitam [from Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.13] to mean “mounted on a golden throne,” although ordinarily it would mean “along with a golden lion.” In this way we ascertain from the evidence of the Skanda Purana that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the best scripture and the only one we need to study.

TEXT 22.14

ata eva skande sataso ’tha sahasrais ca kim anyaih sastra-sangrahaih na yasya tisthate gehe sastram bhagavatam kalau

katham sa vaisnavo jïeyah sastram bhagavatam kalau grhe na tisthate yasya sa viprah sva-pacadhamah

yatra yatra bhaved vipra sastram bhagavatam kalau tatra tatra harir yati tridasaih saha narada

yah pathet prayato nityam slokam bhagavatam mune astadasa-purananam phalam prapnoti manavah @VCONTINUE = iti. Therefore the Skanda Purana says: “In Kali-yuga what is the value of collecting hundreds of thousands of other scriptures if one does not keep Srimad-Bhagavatam at home? How can a person be considered a Vaisnava in Kali-yuga if Srimad-Bhagavatam finds no place in his house? Even if he is a learned brahmana, such a person should be considered lower than a dog-eater. O learned brahmana Narada, wherever Srimad-Bhagavatam is present in Kali-yuga, there the Supreme Lord goes along with the demigods. A person who faithfully recites one verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam every day, O sage, attains the fruit of reading the eighteen Puranas” [Skanda Pur., Visnu-khanda 5.16.40, 42, 44, 331].

TEXT 22.15

`sata-viccheda-samyutah' païca-trimsad-adhika-sata-trayadhyaya-visista ity arthah. spastartham anyat. tad evam paramartha-vivitsubhih Sri-bhagavatam eva sampratam vicaraniyam iti sthitam. The phrase sata-viccheda-samyutah (“having hundreds of divisions”) implies that the Bhagavatam has three hundred and thirty-five chapters. The meaning of the rest of the passage [quoted at the beginning of TEXT 21] is obvious. Thus we have established that at the present time those who want to know the highest goal of life should deliberate on Srimad-Bhagavatam alone.

COMMENTARY Srimad-Bhagavatam Is the Essence of All Vedic Literature In the previous Text, Srila Jiva Gosvami quoted three verses from the Garuda Purana. He explained the first of these in that Text, and now he explains the other two. First he quotes a Bhagavatam verse (3.5.12), and then another (1.4.25), which also appears in Hemadri’s Catur-varga-cintamani, an authoritative 13th-century work on Dharma-sastra dealing with such subjects as vratas (vows), dana (charity), sraddha (memorial rituals), and kala (considerations of time). Jiva Gosvami’s intention in quoting these verses is to show that the Mahabharata is equal to the Vedas. In this part of the Catur-varga-cintamani, Hemadri raises a question about the salvation of those who are not twice-born: Since they do not have access to the Vedas, which give knowledge about Brahman, and since knowledge of Brahman is required for salvation, how can they be saved? To resolve this question he quotes Srimad-Bhagavatam’s description (in verse 1.4.25) of Srila Veda-vyasa’s writing Mahabharata to solve this very problem. The first of the two Bhagavatam verses cited (3.5.12) also states that Srila Vyasa compiled the Mahabharata to attract common people toward the glories of the Personality of Godhead by enticing them to listen to seemingly mundane stories. To fulfill this plan He included the Bhagavad-gita in the Mahabharata. Since the Mahabharata is considered equal to the Vedas in purpose, as is evident from the second verse (Bhag. 1.4.25), and as corroborated by Hemadri, we can deduce that the Vedas also aim at glorifying the Supreme Lord. This being so, the Gayatri mantra, which represents the essence of the Vedas, should also refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. It is with this understanding that the Skanda Purana says that Srimad-Bhagavatam, which glorifies the Lord at every step, is based on Gayatri. Indeed, as we have seen, this is one of the distinctive characteristics of Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the Paramatma-sandarbha, Srila Jiva Gosvami will analyze the first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam in terms of its being an explanation of the Gayatri mantra. Gayatri is explained in the concluding verses of the Bhagavatam as well. This combination of indications from beginning and ending verses makes it indisputably clear that Srimad-Bhagavatam’s purpose is to explain the Personality of Godhead. The prevalent understanding among traditional Vedic scholars is that Gayatri is meant for worshiping either the sun-god or impersonal Brahman. Srila Jiva Gosvami here establishes, however, that the real meaning of Gayatri is the worship of Lord Visnu, who is nondifferent from Lord Krsna. To support his opinion he cites the Agni Purana, which gives Srila Vyasa’s opinion on the meaning of Gayatri. In the Visnu-dharmottara Purana (Prathama-khanda, 165th chapter), King Vajra asks Markandeya Rsi why Gayatri is chanted in Vaisnava sacrifices if its presiding deity is the sun-god. Markandeya replies that Gayatri refers to Lord Visnu, and then he proceeds to show how each word of Gayatri is related to Lord Visnu. His explanation concludes with this verse: kama-kamo labhet kamam gati-kamas tu sad-gatim akamas tu tad avapnoti yad visnoh paramam padam “A person desiring material gain or liberation in the next life can achieve either by chanting Gayatri, but the worshiper who is devoid of desires attains the supreme abode of Lord Visnu.” It would not be possible to attain the Lord’s abode by meditating on Gayatri if it did not in fact express worship of Lord Visnu; this accords with the Lord’s own statement in the Bhagavad-gita (9.25) that “Only My worshiper attains Me.” Thus Gayatri and the first verse of the Bhagavatam are in complete agreement because they are both meditations on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The verse cited from the Agni Purana in TEXT 22.5, advising us to meditate on Brahman as nondifferent from ourselves, is also in agreement with the Bhagavatam and Gayatri. The verse is meant to remind us of our spiritual nature, to teach us a meditation that removes our bodily identification and thus helps us worship the Supreme Lord. In the later Texts of the Tattva-sandarbha Srila Jiva Gosvami will discuss in more detail the qualitative oneness of the jiva-Brahman with the Supreme Brahman. In Texts 22.6–8, Srila Jiva Gosvami discusses the relationship between Gayatri and the sun. Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.6.67–72) records the sage Yajïavalkya’s prayers in praise of the sun or sun-god, among which texts 67–69 explain the three legs of the Gayatri mantra. From these prayers it may seem that Gayatri is also meant for glorifying the sun-god, but Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that Yajïavalkya is not worshiping the sun-god independently; rather, he is worshiping the Supersoul dwelling within the sun-god. Generally people hail a taxi driver by calling out “Taxi!”, not “Taxi driver!”, for they regard the driver and his taxi as one unit. Similarly, Yajïavalkya worships the sun-god while considering “the vehicle” (the sun-god) and “the driver” (the Supersoul) as one. This explanation by Jiva Gosvami finds confirmation in Sri Saunaka’s question to Suta Gosvami that led to the recitation of Yajïavalkya’s prayers. Saunaka explicitly requests “to hear about Lord Hari, the Supersoul of the sun” (Bhag. 12.11.28). Brahmanas customarily chant Gayatri at dawn and at dusk while facing the sun. In this way they meditate on the Supreme Lord through His energies. The logical principle at work here is called candra-sakha-nyaya, or “the example of the branch and the moon.” The idea is that to show someone the moon you may first ask him to look at a tree branch, from which you may then draw his attention to the moon beyond the branch. Similarly, the process of meditating on the Lord may include allowing one’s attention to be drawn to the Lord through His energies, such as the sun. It is not always practical or advisable for a twice-born brahmana to carry an actual Deity of the Lord, but still he must perform his daily duty of meditating on the Lord at dawn and dusk. So the Vedas enjoin that he should meditate on the Lord through the medium of the ever-present sun, always remembering that beyond the effulgent sun is Lord Visnu. This is called pratikopasana. Srila Jiva Gosvami concludes his discussion of Srimad-Bhagavatam’s relationship with Gayatri in TEXT 22.10, where he quotes a statement from the Agni Purana that Gayatri is so called because it sings (gayati) or illuminates the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and protects (trayate) the chanter by fixing his mind on the Lord. Gayatri is related with the sun because one of the words used in Gayatri is Savita, a name for the sun-god. Moreover, another name for Gayatri is Savitri, the daughter of the sun-god. Gayatri is also Sarasvati, the presiding deity of speech, because it is the sound representation of the Supreme Lord. The Skanda Purana therefore states (as quoted in TEXT 20.1) that the Bhagavatam is based on Gayatri (Sarasvati), that it is the sound representation of Krsna, and that it recounts events which occurred during the Sarasvata-kalpa. All this implies that the Bhagavatam’s narrations glorify only Krsna. In TEXT 22.11 Srila Jiva Gosvami resumes his analysis of each phrase of the verses from the Garuda Purana quoted in TEXT 21. In these verses Srimad-Bhagavatam is described as “the Sama Veda among the Puranas.” Lord Krsna makes a similar statement in the Bhagavad-gita (10.22), where He says, “Of all the Vedas I am the Sama Veda.” Here Krsna indicates that since the Sama Veda is the best of all the Vedas, containing beautiful prayers glorifying the Supreme Lord, it therefore represents Him. Such glorification of the Lord is after all the ultimate purpose of the Vedas, as Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.28) states: vasudeva-para vedah. The karma-kanda and jïana-kanda portions of the Vedas glorify Krsna indirectly, while the Sama Veda glorifies Him directly, and therefore it is the most important of the Vedas. Like the Vedas, the Puranas also glorify various deities, although their underlying purpose is Krsna’s glorification, and Srimad-Bhagavatam is the Sama Veda among the Puranas because it focuses exclusively on Krsna. It reconciles the other Puranas just as the Sama Veda reconciles the Vedas’ various kandas. Thus, the Skanda Purana declares, by studying Srimad-Bhagavatam one gets the benefit of studying all the Puranas. The very name of Srimad-Bhagavatam reveals its superior position. Srimat means “beautiful,” and bhagavata means “related to the Supreme Lord.” Srimad-Bhagavatam is thus the most beautiful literary creation because it describes the beautiful pastimes of the Supreme Person. Srimat also means “opulent.” Srimad-Bhagavatam is most opulent because it is identical with Bhagavan, the Personality of Godhead replete with all opulences. Sata-viccheda-samyutah literally means that the Bhagavatam “has hundreds of sections.” Although Srila Jiva Gosvami does not comment in detail upon this phrase here, we may point out that most editions of the Bhagavatam have 335 chapters, divided into twelve cantos, but some Vaisnava commentators acknowledge only 332 chapters. They claim that chapters Twelve, Thirteen, and Fourteen of the Tenth Canto are interpolations. However, such great authorities as Sridhara Svami and Vopadeva have accepted these three chapters as authentic and commented on them, and Srila Jiva Gosvami has done so as well. The three chapters in question describe the killing of Aghasura and Lord Brahma’s bewilderment by Krsna. In Chapter Twelve of the Twelfth Canto, Suta Gosvami gives a list of the Lord’s pastimes, and in the twenty-eighth TEXT of that list he mentions the killing of Aghasura and Lord Brahma’s bewilderment. This inclusion of the pastimes from the three disputed chapters clearly indicates that these chapters have a place in the Bhagavatam. Thus in the opinion of Srila Jiva Gosvami the Bhagavatam contains 335 chapters, since otherwise it would fall short of the required eighteen thousand verses. Commenting on the phrase hema-simha-samanvitam (Bhag. 12.13.13), which literally means “together with a golden lion,” Srila Sridhara Svami says that simha (lion) indicates a simha-asana, or Deity’s throne. In other words, Srimad-Bhagavatam recommends that one mount the Bhagavatam on a golden throne and then donate it. A golden throne is not recommended for any other Purana. Srila Jiva Gosvami concludes, therefore, that just as the lion is the emperor of all animals, Srimad-Bhagavatam is the sovereign ruler of all scriptures. Consequently it is also the sovereign ruler among all pramanas, and, as the Skanda Purana recommends, a person wishing to understand the Absolute Reality need not study any other scripture. Next Srila Jiva Gosvami describes how all the great acaryas and scholars of the past held Srimad-Bhagavatam in the highest esteem.

English witness · section(s) 23

TEXT 23.1

ata eva satsv api nana-sastresv etad evoktam `kalau nasta-drsam esa puranarko ’dhunoditah' iti. arkata-rupakena tad vina nanyesam samyag-vastu-prakasakatvam iti pratipadyate. yasyaiva Srimad-bhagavatasya bhasya-bhutam Sri-hayasirsa-païcaratre sastra-kathana-prastave ganitam tantra-bhagavatabhidham tantram. yasya saksat Sri-hanumad-bhasya-vasana-bhasya-sambandhokti-vidvat-kamadhenu-tattva-dipika-bhavartha-dipika-paramahamsa-priya-suka-hrdayadayo vyakhya-granthas tatha mukta-phala-hari-lila-bhakti-ratnavaly-adayo nibandhas ca vividha eva tat-tan-mata-prasiddha-mahanubhava-krta virajante. Thus while there are many authoritative scriptures, only Srimad-Bhagavatam has been glorified with the statement “For the blind souls of Kali-yuga, this Purana has now risen like the sun” [Bhag. 1.3.43]. This comparison of the Bhagavatam to the sun indicates that without its help other scriptures cannot illuminate the Absolute Truth. The Hayasirsa Païcaratra, in its chapter classifying various scriptures, describes the Tantra-bhagavata as essentially a COMMENTARY on Srimad-Bhagavatam. Among the Bhagavatam’s direct commentaries are the Hanumad-bhasya, Vasana-bhasya, Sambandhokti, Vidvat-kamadhenu, Tattva-dipika, Bhavartha-dipika, Paramahamsa-priya, and Suka-hrdaya; there are also many works written about Srimad-Bhagavatam, such as Mukta-phala, Hari-lila, and Bhakti-ratnavali. All these works have been produced by the most eminent thinkers of their respective philosophical schools.

TEXT 23.2

yad eva ca hemadri-granthasya dana-khande purana-dana-prastave mastya-puraniya-tal-laksana-dhrtya prasastam. hemadri-parisesa-khandasya kala-nirnaye ca kali-yuga-dharma-nirnaye `kalim sabhajayanty aryah' ity-adikam yad-vakyatvenotthapya yat-pratipadita-dharma eva kalav angi-krtah, samvatsara-pradipe ca tat-kartra `sataso ’tha sahasrais ca' ity-adikam prag-darsitam skanda-vacana-jatam utthapya sarva-kala-dosatah pavitryaya katicit Sri-bhagavata-vacanani lekhyaniti likhitani. Srimad-Bhagavatam is also glorified in the Dana-khanda section of Hemadri’s Catur-varga-cintamani. His chapter entitled “Giving Puranas in Charity” praises Srimad-Bhagavatam by noting that it possesses the defining characteristics specified in the Matsya Purana [53.20–22]. In the Parisesa-khanda of the same book, in the Kala-nirnaya section, where Hemadri defines the appropriate religion for Kali-yuga, he quotes the Bhagavatam verse beginning kalim sabhajayanty aryah (11.5.36). In this way he recognizes as appropriate for this age only the religious principles established in Srimad-Bhagavatam. miAnd in a passage that quotes the previously cited series of statements from the Skanda Purana beginning sataso ’tha sahasrais ca, the Samvatsara-pradipa includes several verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam that are meant to be TEXT copied out as an exercise by one who wishes to purify himself from all the faults caused by living in this age.

TEXT 23.3

atha yad eva kaivalyam apy atikramya bhakti-sukha-vyaharadi-lingena nija-matasyapy upari virajamanartham matva yad apauruseyam vedanta-vyakhyanam bhayad acalayataiva sankaravatarataya prasiddhena vaksyamana-sva-gopanadi-hetuka-bhagavad-ajïa-pravartitadvaya-vadenapi etan-matra-varnita-visva-rupa-darsana-krta-vrajesvari-vismaya-Sri-vraja-kumari-vasana-cauryadikam govindastakadau varnayata tata-sthi-bhuya nija-vacah-saphalyaya sprstam iti. It is widely acknowledged that Sri Sankaracarya is an incarnation of Lord Siva. Sankaracarya understood the importance of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which, with its statements about the bliss of pure devotional service surpassing even the joy of impersonal liberation, proves superior to his doctrine of impersonalism. He dared not interpret the Bhagavatam, for he recognized it as an exposition of Vedanta philosophy that is without human author. As we shall explain later, on the Supreme Lord’s order Sankaracarya taught his doctrine of monism to conceal the Lord’s identity, but still, to make his own words successful by saying something about Srimad-Bhagavatam, he touched on it indirectly, describing in his Govindastaka and other hymns certain pastimes of Lord Krsna’s that are related only in the Bhagavatam. These include Mother Yasoda’s amazement at seeing Krsna’s universal form, and His stealing the clothes of the young damsels of Vraja.

COMMENTARY Srimad-Bhagavatam Is Luminous Like the Sun Although there are numerous works of Vedic literature, when Saunaka Rsi questioned Sri Suta Gosvami about where religion would take shelter now that Lord Krsna had returned to His own abode, Suta compared Srimad-Bhagavatam to the sun because it shines the light of the Absolute Truth so brightly that it can dissipate the dense darkness of the Kali Age. When the sun rises, rogues and thieves hide and ordinary people become fearless and active. Similarly, when Srimad-Bhagavatam is read, lust and greed leave one’s heart and one becomes qualified to engage in the service of the Supreme Lord. Hence great saints and thinkers have revered Srimad-Bhagavatam by writing commentaries and essays on it. This practice continues in modern times. Among such contemporary saintly persons, the most noteworthy is His Divine Grace Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who was not only a scholar of the Bhagavatam but a perfect embodiment of its teachings. He tirelessly imparted its philosophy up to the last moments before he passed away. By presenting Srimad-Bhagavatam in English with an elaborate COMMENTARY , he made the message of the Bhagavatam both unmistakably clear and widely accessible for the first time. Through his efforts, many souls indulging in every sort of roguish vice have had a chance to read the glorious Bhagavatam and have thus undergone a change of heart. They have left their degraded life and taken to the devotional service of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This practical evidence leaves no room for doubting the potency of Srimad-Bhagavata Purana. Srila Jiva Gosvami again refers to the Catur-varga-cintamani (Dana-khanda 7) of Hemadri, who recommends that one donate Srimad-Bhagavatam after mounting it on a golden throne, and who glorifies it for having the defining characteristics described in the Matsya Purana (see TEXT 19). While determining the religion for this age in the fourteenth chapter of his Catur-varga-cintamani, Parisesa-khanda, Hemadri quotes a Bhagavatam verse (11.5.36): kalim sabhajayanty arya guna-jïah sara-bhaginah yatra sankirtanenaiva sarvah svartho ’bhilabhyate “Those who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate the essential value of this Age of Kali. Such enlightened persons worship Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life can easily be achieved by the performance of sankirtana.” Commenting on the word sankirtana, Hemadri declares that hari-sankirtana is the only way to reach perfection. Then he quotes the next verse (11.5.37): na hy atah paramo labho dehinam bhramyatam iha yato vindeta paramam santim nasyati samsrtih “Indeed, there is no higher possible gain for embodied souls forced to wander throughout the material world than the Supreme Lord’s sankirtana movement, by which one can attain the supreme peace and free oneself from the cycle of repeated birth and death.” In this way Hemadri recognizes the authority of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the matter of establishing the principles of religion for Kali-yuga. Sankaracarya respected Srimad-Bhagavatam both by not commenting on it and by composing prayers based on its narrations. One such prayer is his Govindastaka:

satyam jïanam anantam nityam anakasam paramakasam gostha-prangana-ringana-lolam anayasam paramayasam maya-kalpita-nana-karam anakaram bhuvanakaram ksamaya natham anatham pranamata govindam paramanandam “Please bow down to Govinda, supreme bliss personified. He is the Absolute Truth, as well as unlimited and eternal knowledge. Though different from the sky, He Himself is the supreme sky. Though He effortlessly rolled and frolicked in the courtyards of Vraja, He appeared to become tired. Though formless, He manifests in various forms fashioned by Maya, including the form of the universe. Though He shelters all the universes, He appears to need shelter.” mrtsnam atsiheti yasoda-tadana-saisava-santrasam vyadita-vaktralokita-lokaloka-caturdasa-lokalim loka-traya-pura-mula-stambham lokalokam analokam lokesam paramesam pranamata govindam paramanandam “Please bow down to Govinda, supreme bliss personified. Though He is the supreme master of the universe, He seemed to become frightened like an ordinary infant when Mother Yasoda chastised Him. When she asked, “Are You eating mud?” He opened His mouth to prove He had not—and showed her the fourteen planetary systems, including Lokaloka Mountain. He is the supporting pillar for this citylike universe of three worlds. Though He is beyond all vision, He is the source of everyone’s vision. trai-vistapa-ripu-vira-ghnam ksiti-bhara-ghnam bhava-roga-ghnam kaivalyam navanitaharam anaharam bhuvanaharam vaimalya-sphuta-ceto-vrtti-visesabhasam anabhasam saivam kevala-santam pranamata govindam paramanandam “Please bow down to Govinda, supreme bliss personified. He relieves the earth of its burden by killing the demigods’ enemies, the demons, and He grants liberation by curing the disease of materialism. Though He never needs to eat, still He eats butter, and He also devours the whole universe at the time of annihilation. Though distinct from all the shadow manifestations of this world, He manifests in the sanctified desires of a pure heart. He is most auspicious and peaceful.” gopalam bhu-lila-vigraha-gopalam kula-gopalam gopi-khelana-govardhana-dhrta-lila-lalita-gopalam gobhir nigadita-govinda-sphuta-namanam bahu-namanam gopi-gocara-duram pranamata govindam paramanandam “Please bow down to Govinda, supreme bliss personified. That protector of cows appeared in the form of a cowherd among the cowherds to perform His pastimes on earth, such as lifting Govardhana Hill to protect the cowherds and dallying with the cowherd damsels. Even the cows called Him by the name Govinda. He has unlimited names, is distinct among the cowherd boys, and is beyond the reach of the gopis’ senses [when He goes to the forest during the day, or when He resides in Mathura or Dvaraka].” gopi-mandala-gosthi-bhedam bhedavastham abhedabham sasvad go-khura-nirdhutoddhat-dhuli-dhusara-saubhagyam sraddha-bhakti-grhitanandam acintyam cintita-sad-bhavam cintamanim ahimanam pranamata govindam paramanandam “Please bow down to Govinda, supreme bliss personified. He enters the assembly of cowherd damsels and divides them into groups for His pastimes. He is simultaneously different from and one with everything. He considers it His good fortune to be always smeared with the dust raised by the cows’ hooves. He is pleased by faith and devotion. Though He is inconceivable, His pastimes are the object of meditation. He is like a transcendental touchstone.” snana-vyakula-yosid-vastram upadayagam uparudham vyaditsantir atha dig-vastra hy upadatum upakarsantam nirdhuta-dvaya-soka-vimoham buddham buddher antah-stham satta-matra-sariram pranamata govindam paramanandam “Please bow down to Govinda, supreme bliss personified. He stole the bathing damsels’ clothes and climbed a tree with them, and when the naked maidens asked for their clothes back, He told them to come closer. He dispels lamentation and delusion. He is knowledge personified, realized by intelligence, and is also the personification of pure existence.” kantam karana-karanam adim anadim kalam anabhasam kalindi-gata-kaliya-sirasi muhur muhuh sunrtyantam kalam kala-kalatitam kalitasesam kali-dosa-ghnam kala-traya-gati-hetum pranamata govindam paramanandam “Please bow down to Govinda, supreme bliss personified. He is most beautiful. He is the original cause of all causes, and He has no cause. He is free from all superimpositions of illusion. He danced wonderfully on the hoods of the Kaliya serpent in the Yamuna. Though He is time, He is beyond all divisions of time. He knows everything, He destroys the defects of Kali-yuga, and He is the source of past, present, and future.” vrndavana-bhuvi vrndaraka-gana-vrndaradhyam vande ’ham kundabhamala-manda-smera-sudhanandam suhrd-anandam vandyasesa-maha-muni-manasa-vandyananda-pada-dvandvam vandyasesa-gunabdhim pranamata govindam paramanandam “Please bow down to Govinda, supreme bliss personified. He is the reservoir of all worshipable qualities. All worshipable saintly persons worship His blissful lotus feet within their hearts. He is my worshipful Lord. All the demigods, and Srimati Vrndadevi as well, worship Him in the land of Vrndavana. His pure and beautiful smile emanates bliss like a kunda flower pouring forth nectar. He gives transcendental ecstasy to His cowherd friends.” govindastakam etad adhite govindarpita-ceta yo govindacyuta madhava visno gokula-nayaka krsneti govindanghri-saroja-dhyana-sudha-jala-dhauta-samastagho govindam paramanandamrtam antah-sthah sa samabhyeti “Anyone who who recites this Govindastaka, who fixes his mind on Govinda, and who sweetly chants, ‘O Govinda, Acyuta, Madhava, Visnu, Gokula-nayaka, Krsna,’ thus cleansing away all his sins with the ambrosial water of meditation on the lotus feet of Lord Govinda—such a soul will certainly attain Lord Govinda, the supreme, everlasting bliss of the heart.” The Personality of Godhead Govinda ordered Lord Siva to take birth as Sankara to propagate impersonalism. Then from the Mayavada viewpoint Sankaracarya wrote commentaries on the Vedanta-sutra, eleven of the principal Upanisads, the Bhagavad-gita, and Sri Visnu-sahasra-nama. He did not interpret Srimad-Bhagavatam, however, because he considered it very dear to the Lord and His devotees, and also nondifferent from the Lord. There can be no doubt about Lord Siva’s appreciation of the Bhagavatam, since in the Twelfth Canto Siva is described as the greatest Vaisnava. As such, he must be fully aware that it is the supreme pramana, and so out of respect he did not interpret it. From the Padma Purana (Uttara-khanda 71.107) we learn how Lord Visnu ordered Siva to propagate monism: svagamaih kalpitais tvam ca janan mad-vimukhan kuru mam ca gopaya yena syat srstir esottarottara “[Lord Visnu said:] O Siva, make people averse to Me by writing speculative scriptures and thus hiding My glories. In this way the world’s population will increase.” The import of this order is as follows: When Lord Buddha’s teachings were predominant in India, people grew contemptuous of the Vedas and Vedic rituals. They became sunyavadis, or voidists, and Vedic religious practices decreased almost to nil. In this condition the people were not prepared to hear seriously about the personality of the Supreme Lord, His transcendental, eternal, blissful form, or His variegated abode. They would have simply blasphemed these teachings, and then they would have been left with no way to purify their hearts. So the first task in bridging the wide gap between voidism and personalism was to reawaken people’s faith in the Vedas. It was for this purpose that Sankaracarya introduced his Advaita version of monism, a philosophy intermediate between voidism and personalism. Going from the Buddhist nasti to the Mayavada neti, neti—from “The Absolute is nothing” to “The Absolute is something but contains nothing”—is a simple, incremental move, for the difference between these two ideas is hardly noticeable. Still, because Sankara based his philosophy on the Upanisads, Vedanta-sutra, and other Vedic works, that one step was critical in bringing the populace back to accepting the authority of the Vedas. Later in the Uttara-khanda of Padma Purana (236.7) Lord Siva himself describes Advaita monism as veiled Buddhism: maya-vadam asac chastram pracchanam bauddham ucyate. “Mayavada philosophy is an improper explanation of the scriptures; indeed, it is veiled Buddhism.” Sankaracarya’s propagation of Mayavada philosophy was planned by his Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who recognized that until conditioned souls regained access to the Vedas’ spiritual knowledge they could only speculate about transcendent reality and would have no hope of being delivered from the material world. Once Advaita Vedanta had replaced Buddhism and faith in the Vedas had been re-established, people could be brought further along the path of knowledge to an appreciation for the glories of the Personality of Godhead. This would be accomplished by counteracting the appeal of impersonalism with true Vaisnava philosophy. Thus stalwart Vaisnava acaryas like Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, and Sridhara Svami came one after another to drive out impersonalism. In its place they re-established the principles of pure devotional service as the true spirit and intent of the Vedas and its corollary scriptures. For his part, Sridhara Svami helped the impersonalists get a taste for Srimad-Bhagavatam by writing a COMMENTARY that also appealed to them. Still later, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself came in the garb of a devotee, as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and went even further. He taught that even more advanced than vaidhi-bhakti, the path of regulated devotional service, is raga-bhakti, the path of spontaneous loving devotion to Krsna, which one can traverse by following in the footsteps of Vrndavana’s residents. He also taught that this raga-bhakti, which is elaborately explained in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, is the ultimate expression of prema, love of God. Since Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can contest His siddhanta? Rather, the gradual progression from voidism to monism to personalism to raga-bhakti was all the Lord’s plan for mercifully saving the conditioned souls, an arrangement by which they could end the otherwise endless cycle of birth and death. Without a doubt, therefore, the Lord was not acting cruelly or capriciously when He instructed Lord Siva to appear as Sankara and spread the false doctrine of the individual soul’s absolute oneness with the Supreme. To the contrary, He did so out of His limitless mercy. In later Texts, Srila Jiva Gosvami will point out many inconsistencies between Sankara’s teachings and the actual conclusion of the Vedas. In the next TEXT he shows us the glories of Srimad-Bhagavatam that the Bhagavatam itself reveals .

TATTVA SANDARBHA

BY SRILA JIVA GOSWAMI

[PART 5]

English witness · section(s) 24

TEXT 24.1

yad eva kila drstva saksat tac-chisyatam praptair api Sri-madhvacarya-caranair vaisnava-mate pravisya vaisnavantaranam tac-chisyantara-punyaranyadi-ritika-vyakhya-pravesa-sankaya tatra tatparyantaram likhadbhir vartmopadesa krta iti ca satvata varnayanti. Devotees of Lord Visnu recount that although Sri Madhvacarya-carana belonged to the direct disciplic line of Sankaracarya, upon reading the Bhagavatam Madhvacarya changed his allegiance to the Vaisnava school. Then, concerned that other Vaisnavas might be influenced by the commentaries of other disciplic descendants of Sankara, such as the COMMENTARY by Punyaranya, Sri Madhvacarya wrote Bhagavata-tatparyaya, a gloss on Srimad-Bhagavatam that showed the proper method of interpretation.

TEXT 24.2

tasmad yuktam uktam tatraiva prathama-skandhe tad idam grahayam asa sutam atma-vatam varam sarva-vedetihasanam saram saram samuddhrtam @VCONTINUE = dvadase sarva-vedanta-saram hi Sri-bhagavatam isyate tad-rasamrta-trptasya nanyatra syad ratih kvacit For all these reasons, therefore, the following statements in the Bhagavatam are appropriate. In the First Canto [1.3.41]: “After extracting the cream of all the Vedas and Itihasas, Sri Vyasadeva imparted this Srimad-Bhagavatam to his son Sukadeva, the best of the self-realized souls.” In the Twelfth Canto [12.13.15]: “Srimad-Bhagavatam is declared to be the essence of all Vedanta philosophy. One who has felt satisfaction from its nectarean mellow will never be attracted to any other literature.”

TEXT 24.3

tatha prathame @VL1 = nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam @VL2 = suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam @VL1 = pibata bhagavatam rasam a-layam @VL2 = muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukah @VCONTINUE = ata eva tatraiva @VL1 = yah svanubhavam akhila-sruti-saram ekam @VL2 = adhyatma-dipam atititirsatam tamo ’ndham @VL1 = samsarinam karunayaha purana-guhyam @VL2 = tam vyasa-sunum upayami gurum muninam @VCONTINUE = iti Sri-bhagavata-matam tu sarva-matanam adhisa-rupam iti sucakam. sarva-muninam sabha-madhyam adhyasya upadestrtvena tesam sarva-muninam gurutvam api tasya tatra su-vyaktam. And in the First Canto [1.1.3]: “O expert and thoughtful men on the earth, relish Srimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literature, up to liberation and beyond. It emanated from the lips of Sri Sukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.” Thus in the same canto [1.2.3]: “Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto him [Sukadeva], the spiritual master of all sages, the son of Vyasadeva, who, out of his great compassion for those gross materialists who struggle to cross over the darkest regions of material existence, spoke this most confidential supplement to the cream of all Vedic knowledge, the transcendental torchlight of Srimad-Bhagavatam, after having personally assimilated it by experience.” These verses imply that the teachings of Srimad-Bhagavatam rule over all other philosophies. They also clearly indicate that Sri Sukadeva, by taking the speaker’s seat amidst the assembled sages as the Bhagavatam’s preceptor, became the guru of everyone present.

COMMENTARY Srimad-Bhagavatam Is the Topmost Vedic Scripture Here Srila Jiva Gosvami explains Madhvacarya’s reason for commenting on Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sankaracarya wrote poems glorifying Lord Krsna’s pastimes as told in the Bhagavatam, but some of his followers, not understanding his true intention, took this as a license to try to include the Bhagavatam as part of the Mayavada canon. Of those who tried to do this, a few wrote commentaries on the Bhagavatam and somehow managed to screw out an impersonal interpretation. One such COMMENTARY was Punyaranya’s, which is now lost. Srila Madhvacarya, wanting to protect Vaisnavas from being misled, wrote a gloss called Bhagavata-tatparya. Since Jiva Gosvami has already shown that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the topmost pramana, he can now cite it directly to demonstrate its own stature. Such citations will only increase a sincere reader’s faith in the Bhagavatam, and so from this point on Srila Jiva Gosvami relies on the Bhagavatam itself as the principal source for his analysis. Here he also reveals the eminence Srimad-Bhagavatam enjoys by virtue of the status of its brilliant speaker, Sukadeva Gosvami. Vyasadeva taught the Bhagavatam to Sukadeva, his most brilliant student, and Sukadeva chose to study Bhagavatam because it is the most brilliant of books. Although Srila Vyasadeva had many disciples, He gave the Bhagavatam only to Sukadeva. Vyasa did this not because He was partial toward his son but because Sukadeva was atma-vatam varam, “the best of the self-realized.” In other words, Sukadeva had no ulterior, material motives, and therefore he could understand the true purport of the Bhagavatam, the essence of the Vedas, Vedanta, and Itihasas. The most important part of a tree is its sweet, juicy fruit, and so Srimad-Bhagavatam has been compared to the succulent fruit of the tree of Vedic literature. And this Bhagavatam fruit is even more exceptional because it has no skin or pit. In other words, there is nothing to discard in the Bhagavatam. In this TEXT Srila Jiva Gosvami quotes two verses from the Bhagavatam, 1.1.3 and 1.2.3, to show its importance for both liberated and conditioned souls. Because Sukadeva was completely free of selfish motives, he fully realized the Bhagavatam’s significance and so was elected to speak, even in an assembly of learned sages that included his guru and his guru’s guru. The choice of Sukadeva as speaker implies that his qualifications for reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam made him superior to all the other assembled sages. This is one more indication that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the foremost of scriptures and that it alone should be analyzed to know sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana. Next Srila Jiva Gosvami shows the importance of the speaker, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami.

English witness · section(s) 25

TEXT 25.1

yatah @VL1 = tatropajagmur bhuvanam punana @VL2 = mahanubhava munayah sa-sisyah @VL1 = prayena tirthabhigamapadesaih @VL2 = svayam hi tirthani punanti santah p@VL1 = atrir vasisthas cyavanah saradvan @VL2 = aristanemir bhrgur angiras ca @VL1 = parasaro gadhi-suto ’tha rama @VL2 = utathya indrapramadedhmavahau p@VL1 = medhatithir devala arstiseno @VL2 = bharadvajo gautamah pippaladah @VL1 = maitreya aurvah kavasah kumbha-yonir @VL2 = dvaipayano bhagavan naradas ca p@VL1 = anye ca devarsi-brahmarsi-varya @VL2 = rajarsi-varya arunadayas ca @VL1 = nanarseya-pravarams tan sametan @VL2 = abhyarcya raja sirasa vavande p@VL1 = sukhopavistesv atha tesu bhuyah @VL2 = krta-pranamah sva-cikirsitam yat @VL1 = vijïapayam asa vivikta-ceta @VL2 = upasthito ’gre nigrhita-panih @VCONTINUE = ity-ady-anantaram @VL1 = tatas ca vah prcchyam idam viprcche @VL2 = visrabhya vipra iti-krtyatayam @VL1 = sarvatmana mriyamanais ca krtyam @VL2 = suddham ca tatramrsatabhiyuktah @VCONTINUE = iti prcchati rajïi @VL1 = tatrabhavad bhagavan vyasa-putro @VL2 = yadrcchaya gam atamano ’napeksah @VL1 = alaksya-lingo nija-labha-tusto @VL2 = vrtas ca balair avadhuta-vesah Thus it is said [in Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.19.8–12]: “At that time all the great-minded thinkers, accompanied by their disciples, arrived there. On the plea of making a pilgrim’s journey, such sages verily sanctify a place of pilgrimage just by their presence. From different parts of the universe there arrived great sages like Atri, Cyavana, Saradvan, Aristanemi, Bhrgu, Vasistha, Parasara, Visvamitra, Angira, Parasurama, Utathya, Indrapramada, Idhmabahu, Medhatithi, Devala, Arstisena, Bharadvaja, Gautama, Pippalada, Maitreya, Aurva, Kavasa, Kumbhayoni, Dvaipayana, and the great personality Narada. There were also many other saintly demigods, kings, and special royal orders called arunadayas [a special rank of rajarsis] from different dynasties of sages. When they all assembled to meet the emperor [Pariksit], he received them properly and bowed his head to the ground. After all the rsis and others had seated themselves comfortably, the king, humbly standing before them with folded hands, told them of his decision to fast until death.” Then the king said: “O trustworthy brahmanas, I now ask you about my immediate duty. Please, after proper deliberation, tell me of the unalloyed duty of everyone in all circumstances, and specifically of those who are just about to die” [Bhag. 1.19.24]. Then, after the king’s query: “At that moment there appeared the powerful son of Vyasadeva, who traveled over the earth indifferent and satisfied within himself. He did not manifest any symptoms of belonging to any social order or status of life. He was surrounded by women and children, and he dressed as if others had neglected him” [Bhag. 1.19.25].

TEXT 25.2

tatas ca `pratyutthitas te munayah svasanebhyah' ity-ady-ante @VL1 = sa samvrtas tatra mahan mahiyasam @VL2 = brahmarsi-rajarsi-surarsi-varyaih @VL1 = vyarocatalam bhagavan yathendur @VL2 = graharksa-tara-nikaraih paritah @VCONTINUE = ity uktam. Then “the sages all rose from their seats to honor him.” And finally: “Sukadeva Gosvami was then surrounded by saintly sages and demigods just as the moon is surrounded by stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies. His presence was gorgeous, and he was respected by all” [Bhag. 1.19.30].

COMMENTARY Sri Sukadeva Is the Best Scholar of Srimad-Bhagavatam After Srngi cursed Maharaja Pariksit, the king renounced his kingdom and took a vow to fast until death on the bank of the Ganges. At that time sages of all classes and orders came from various parts of the universe and assembled there. Among them were even incarnations of the Lord like Parasurama and Vyasadeva. When Pariksit Maharaja inquired from them about the duties of a human being, especially one who is about to die, no one gave him a definitive answer. At that time the most noble Sukadeva Gosvami arrived, and he was unanimously chosen as the right person to answer Maharaja Pariksit’s query. In the previous TEXT Jiva Gosvami said that all the sages accepted Sukadeva as guru. In this section Jiva Gosvami cites the references to support his claim. Since the sages accepted Sukadeva as guru and it was Srimad-Bhagavatam that he spoke in response to Pariksit Maharaja’s questions, we should understand that the Bhagavatam’s philosophy was accepted by all the assembled sages, who included propagators and followers of various other philosophies. Just as Srila Sukadeva Gosvami shone like an effulgent moon among the starlike sages, Srimad-Bhagavatam shines in the same way among all other scriptures. Next Srila Jiva Gosvami shows that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the representative of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

English witness · section(s) 26

TEXT 26.1

atra yady api tatra Sri-vyasa-naradau tasyapi guru-parama-guru tathapi punas tan-mukha-nihsrtam Sri-bhagavatam tayor apy asruta-caram iva jatam ity evam Sri-sukas tav apy upadidesa desyam ity abhiprayah. yad uktam `suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam' iti. tasmad evam api Sri-bhagavatasyaiva sarvadhikyam. matsyadinam yat puranadhikyam sruyate tat tv apeksikam iti. aho kim bahuna Sri-krsna-pratinidhi-rupam evedam. Sri Vyasadeva and Narada Muni were present in that assembly. Although these two sages were Sri Suka’s guru and grand-guru, respectively, when they heard Srimad-Bhagavatam issuing from his lips, they felt as if they had never heard it before. For this reason it is said here that he taught this most significant wisdom even to them. As mentioned earlier, suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam: “The Bhagavatam is enriched with nectarean juice from the mouth of Suka” [Bhag. 1.1.3]. Thus in this sense also Srimad-Bhagavatam is more glorious than any other scripture. Statements about the superiority of other Puranas, such as the Matsya Purana, are only relatively true. What more need be said! Indeed, Srimad-Bhagavatam is the very representation of Lord Krsna.

TEXT 26.2

yata uktam prathama-skandhe krsne sva-dhamopagate dharma-jïanadibhih saha kalau nasta-drsam esa puranarko ’dhunoditah @VCONTINUE = iti. ata eva sarva-guna-yuktatvam asyaiva drstam `dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra' ity-adina, vedah puranam kavyam ca prabhur mitram priyeva ca bodhayantiti hi prahus tri-vrd bhagavatam punah @VCONTINUE = iti mukta-phale hemadri-kara-vacanena ca. As the First Canto states: “This Srimad-Bhagavatam is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krsna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the Age of Kali shall get light from this Purana” [Bhag. 1.3.43]. In this way we can see that only Srimad-Bhagavatam is full with all virtues, as stated in the second verse of the First Canto: “Here the supreme religion is explained and all cheating propensities are rejected.” The supremacy of the Bhagavatam is also confirmed by the words of both Vopadeva (in his Mukta-phala) and Hemadri: “The Vedas, Puranas, and poetic works instruct one like a master, friend, or beloved, respectively, but Srimad-Bhagavatam instructs like all three.”

TEXT 26.3

tasman manyantam va kecit puranantaresu vedasya sapeksatvam Sri-bhagavate tu tatha sambhavana svayam eva nirastety api svayam eva labdham bhavati. ata eva parama-sruti-rupatvam tasya. yathoktam katham va pandaveyasya rajarser munina saha samvadah samabhut tata yatraisa satvati srutih @VCONTINUE = iti. atha yat khalu sarvam purana-jatam avirbhavyety-adikam purvam uktam tat tu prathama-skandha-gata-Sri-vyasa-narada-samvadenaiva prameyam. Consequently, while some may think that other Puranas need the support of the Vedas’ authority, Srimad-Bhagavatam itself explicitly refutes the possibility that it may be dependent in this way; we thus receive the Bhagavatam on its own authority alone. For this reason it is in fact the highest manifestation of sruti [the original Vedas]. As it is said: “How did it so happen that King Pariksit met this great sage, making it possible for this Vedic TEXT for the pure Vaisnavas (satvati sruti) to be sung to him?” [Bhag. 1.4.7]. That Srimad-Bhagavatam was compiled after the other Puranas, as mentioned earlier, is known from the dialogue between Sri Vyasa and Narada Muni in the First Canto.

COMMENTARY Srimad-Bhagavatam Is Self-Sufficient Vedic tradition recognizes three ways of teaching—like a ruler, like a friend, and like a lover. The Vedas speak in an imperative voice, like an overlord: satyam vada dharmam cara. “Speak the truth and be religious” (Taittiriya Up. 1.11). The Vedas do not need to offer logical reasons for following their instructions. One is expected to obey without question. The Puranas instruct like a friend, narrating stories with moral conclusions and providing reasoned explanations when required. Kavya, or poetic literature, gives counsel like a beloved lady, speaking sweetly but indirectly. Instructions are expressed in an aesthetically pleasing way to attract the reader or hearer. Srimad-Bhagavatam uses all three of these methods to convey its teachings. Just as a phrase or song becomes more significant when an eminent personality quotes or sings it, so the Bhagavatam has increased in significance because the eminent Sukadeva Gosvami recited it. He narrated the Bhagavatam in such a marvelous way that both his guru, Srila Vyasadeva, and his param guru, Sri Narada Muni, were amazed. They felt as if they had never heard it before. The customary etiquette is that a disciple should neither sit higher than his teachers nor speak as an authority in their presence. Sukadeva Gosvami’s speaking Srimad-Bhagavatam from an elevated seat in the presence of his gurus is one of the rare exceptions. Because his gurus consented to it, however, Sri Suka is faultless, as Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura points out in his COMMENTARY on Bhagavatam 1.17.29, which describes Suka’s accepting the speaker’s seat. From the narrations of the Mahabharata we learn that Narada and Vyasa were often called upon to address various audiences on the subjects of karma, yoga, and jïana. They rarely had an opportunity to hear such extraordinarily pure Bhagavata discourse. So they were moved to great ecstasy when the nectarlike juice of topics concerning the Supreme Personality of Godhead issued from the lips of Sri Suka, their qualified disciple. Srimad-Bhagavatam’s special greatness is thus due to its unparalleled author, its eminent speaker, and its elevated audience. No other scripture in recorded history has ever had such an audience, except perhaps when Grandfather Bhisma instructed King Yudhisthira from his bed of arrows after the Kuruksetra War. Bhisma’s main purpose, however, was to convince Yudhisthira to begin managing his kingdom. By contrast, Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken in just the opposite context: King Pariksit, having renounced his kingdom, simply wanted to hear krsna-katha and in this way discharge the only duty of a dying man. Sri Sukadeva thus had no need to dilute his narration with talk of lower religious principles. Therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most perfect and complete transcendental scripture. It does not even depend on the support of the Vedas. Indeed, the sunlike Srimad-Bhagavatam is the very representation of Lord Krsna. The Lord possesses all good qualities, as Srila Rupa Gosvami explains in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (2.1.17) while analyzing various devotional mellows: nayakanam siro-ratnam krsnas tu bhagavan svayam yatra nityataya sarve virajante maha-gunah “Lord Sri Krsna, the original Personality of Godhead, is the crest jewel of all heroes. All wonderful qualities are eternally present in Him.” Since Srimad-Bhagavatam is nondifferent from Krsna, it is also a reservoir of all good qualities. When Lord Krsna appeared He destroyed many demons and protected His saintly devotees. In the same way, the Bhagavata Purana uproots the demoniac influence in society and protects saintly persons with its ambrosial narrations. Other scriptures speak about fruitive activities, impersonal Brahman, or yoga, and they may or may not say something about the transcendental path of love of Godhead. But the Bhagavatam kicks out all types of inferior, cheating religions like refuse. Only explanations of the Absolute Reality find a place in its pages. Having established Bhagavatam as the supreme pramana, in the next TEXT Srila Jiva Gosvami explains his method of analyzing it.

English witness · section(s) 27

TEXT 27.1

tad evam parama-nihsreyasa-niscayaya Sri-bhagavatam eva paurvaparyavirodhena vicaryate. tatrasmin sandarbha-satkatmake granthe sutra-sthaniyam avatarika-vakyam visaya-vakyam Sri-bhagavata-vakyam. bhasya-rupa tad-vyakhya tu samprati madhya-desadau vyaptan advaita-vadino nunam bhagavan-mahimanam avagahayitum tad-vadena karvurita-lipinam parama-vaisnavanam Sridhara-svami-carananam suddha-vaisnava-siddhantanugata cet tarhi yathavad eva vilikhyate. So it is that we shall focus our attention on studying Srimad-Bhagavatam to determine what is the ultimate good in life. While conducting this study, we shall take into consideration how Srimad-Bhagavatam’s statements harmonize with their preceding and following texts. In these Six Sandarbhas, the statements with which we introduce our explanation of the Bhagavatam verses will serve as the sutras, the Bhagavatam verses themselves will serve as the scriptural TEXT to be analyzed, and the explanations of these verses given by the great Vaisnava Sridhara Svami will serve as the COMMENTARY on the sutras. Sometimes he inserted Mayavadi ideas into his writings to make the glories of the Personality of Godhead more attractive to the minds of the impersonalists, who are now quite prevalent, especially in central India. When Sridhara Svami’s COMMENTARY accords with strict Vaisnava principles, we shall quote it verbatim.

TEXT 27.2

kvacit tesam evanyatra-drsta-vyakhyanusarena dravidadi-desa-vikhyata-parama-bhagavatanam tesam eva bahulyena tatra vaisnavatvena prasiddhatvat Sri-bhagavata eva kvacit kvacin maha-raja dravidesu ca bhurisah @VCONTINUE = ity anena pramita-mahimnam saksac-chri-prabhrtitah pravrtta-sampradayanam Sri-vaisnavabhidhanam Sri-ramanuja-bhagavat-pada-viracita-Sri-bhasyadi-drsta-mata-pramanyena mula-grantha-svarasyena canyatha ca. advaita-vyakhyanam tu prasiddhatvan nativitayate. Sometimes we shall follow the views Sridhara Svami has expressed in writings other than his Bhagavatam COMMENTARY . In other cases we shall follow the original meaning of the TEXT by basing our explanations on the authoritative opinions of the venerable Ramanujacarya Bhagavatpada, expressed in such works as Sri-bhasya. He is the renowned leader of the Vaisnavas of the Sri-sampradaya, which originated directly with Goddess Laksmi. These great devotees are famous throughout India’s southern region (Dravida-desa) and elsewhere. Srimad-Bhagavatam itself states that they are well known as devotees of Visnu in the south: “O king, a few Vaisnavas can be seen here and there in this age, but they can be found in abundance in the Dravida country” [Bhag. 11.5.39]. Since the principles of Advaita-vada are already well known, we shall not discuss them at length.

COMMENTARY Methodology of the Sat-sandarbha Here Srila Jiva Gosvami explains his method of analyzing Srimad-Bhagavatam. He plans to follow a format similar to the one Srila Vyasadeva uses in the Vedanta-sutra. In the Sandarbhas, the introductory statements are like the sutras in the Vedanta-sutra, the statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam constitute the subject to be analyzed, and Srila Jiva Gosvami’s comments on the Bhagavatam’s statements are like the COMMENTARY (bhasya) on the sutras. Jiva Gosvami also indicates that his explanations are not his personal opinion or products of his imagination but are given strictly according to the opinions of the previous Vaisnava acaryas, such as Ramanujacarya and Sridhara Svami. Although Sridhara Svami accepted the renounced order of life in Sankara’s sampradaya, which opposes the personalism of Krsna consciousness, his commentaries on Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Bhagavad-gita, and the Visnu Purana make it obvious that he was a great Vaisnava. He clearly states in his commentaries that the Lord’s form, qualities, abode, associates, and names are all transcendental and eternal, and that devotion to the Lord continues even after liberation. These key philosophical points are opposed to Advaita monism and reveal Sridhara Svami’s true stance. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also accepted sannyasa in Sankara’s line, but from the beginning His teachings refuted the Mayavada doctrine. Hence Sri Caitanya’s great respect for Sridhara Svami and his Bhagavatam COMMENTARY is proof enough that Sridhara Svami was not a Mayavada sannyasi at heart, any more than Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was. Caitanya Mahaprabhu considered all Mayavadis offenders at the lotus feet of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet he would not tolerate even mild or indirect criticism of Srila Sridhara Svami. When Vallabha Bhatta told Lord Caitanya he had written a Bhagavatam COMMENTARY that surpassed Sridhara Svami’s, Lord Caitanya rebuked Vallabha and refused to hear it (see Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 113–37). From this incident we can understand the exalted status of Sridhara Svami as a surrendered, pure devotee of the Lord. We can also be certain that Jiva Gosvami, as a loyal follower of Lord Caitanya’s, held Sridhara Svami’s Bhagavatam COMMENTARY , Bhavartha-dipika, in high esteem. Thus Srila Jiva Gosvami refers to Sridhara as parama-vaisnava, a topmost devotee. In this TEXT Srila Jiva Gosvami tells why Sridhara Svami inserted some Mayavadi ideas into his Bhavartha-dipika COMMENTARY . Some of Sankara’s followers developed a taste for Srimad-Bhagavatam after reading his devotional poems based on the Bhagavatam, but these followers still maintained their overall impersonal outlook. To attract these sannyasis toward the path of devotion, Sridhara Svami wrote a mixed COMMENTARY on the spotless Purana. Just as a fisherman uses bait to catch fish, occasionally Sridhara Svami would present monistic opinions about some Bhagavatam verses in order to attract the Mayavadis who liked to read the Bhagavatam. This was merely part of his preaching strategy; it doesn’t make him a Mayavadi. Nevertheless, although Jiva Gosvami understands Sridhara Svami’s motives, in the Sandarbhas he chooses not to cite the impersonal explanations found in the Bhavartha-dipika. In fact, throughout the Sandarbhas Srila Jiva Gosvami takes every opportunity to demolish the Mayavada view. Clearly he does not consider the Mayavadis his primary audience, as Sridhara Svami must have when he wrote his COMMENTARY . Jiva Gosvami’s intended audience is apparent from his declaration in the sixth TEXT of the Tattva-sandarbha, where he says that no one should read this book who is averse to serving Lord Krsna’s lotus feet. Jiva Gosvami’s intended audience comprises those who are already on the path of Krsna consciousness or at least interested in taking to it. Naturally, therefore, he says here that he will quote from Sridhara Svami’s COMMENTARY only when it accords with strict Vaisnava principles. This statement has caused some modern scholars to criticize Jiva Gosvami for not respecting the liberal sentiments of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but this criticism arises from a superficial understanding of Lord Caitanya’s real attitude. Sridhara Svami was not a Mayavadi, although for the reason mentioned above he did give a monistic slant to some parts of his Bhagavatam COMMENTARY . Considering why Sridhara Svami did this in his Bhavartha-dipika, why should Srila Jiva Gosvami, in an entirely different work meant for an entirely different audience, cite those explanations of Sridhara’s that oppose the true conclusion of the Bhagavatam and even Sridhara Svami’s own convictions? Sri Jiva has already established Srimad-Bhagavatam as the supreme authority, and from this point on in his Sandarbhas he will not deal with any opinions that contradict it. He makes his policy explicit: He respects the purports of Sridhara insofar as they follow the spirit and intent of Srimad-Bhagavatam itself. In this way Srila Jiva Gosvami remains true to the Vaisnavism of Srila Sridhara Svami and also to his own Gaudiya-sampradaya. At the end of this Text, when Jiva Gosvami says he is not going to describe the details of the Advaita monistic doctrine because they are already well known, he implies that Mayavada, though popular, only apparently explains the meaning of the sastras and is not really worth discussing, and he also implies that he intends to refute it. Next Srila Jiva Gosvami describes the sources of evidence other than Srimad-Bhagavatam that he plans to cite in the Sat-sandarbha.

English witness · section(s) 28

TEXT 28.1

atra ca sva-darsitartha-visesa-pramanyayaiva na tu Srimad-bhagavata-vakya-pramanyaya pramanani sruti-puranadi-vacanani yatha-drstam evodaharaniyani. kvacit svayam adrstakarani ca tattva-vada-gurunam anadhunikanam Srimac-chankaracarya-sisyatam labdhvapi Sri-bhagavat-paksa-patena tato vicchidya pracura-pracarita-vaisnava-mata-visesanam daksinadi-desa-vikhyata-sisyopasisyi-bhuta-Sri-vijayadhvaja-brahmatirtha-vyasatirthadi-veda-vedartha-vidvad-varanam Sri-madhvacarya-carananam Sri-bhagavata-tatparya-bharata-tatparya-brahma-sutra-bhasyadibhyah sangrhitani. Here in the Sat-sandarbha I will quote from the Vedas, Puranas, and other such scriptures, just as I have seen them. I will quote these passages to verify my own interpretations, not the statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Some of the verses quoted here I have not seen in their original texts but have gleaned from citations in the Bhagavata-tatparya, Bharata-tatparya, Brahma-sutra-bhasya, and other works by the venerable Madhvacarya, the prolific preacher of the distinct Vaisnava philosophy of Tattva-vada. Although coming originally in the disciplic line of Sriman Sankaracarya, he became an adherent of Vaisnavism and severed his connection with the Advaitins. In his line have appeared such disciples and grand-disciples as Vijayadhvaja Tirtha, Brahma Tirtha and Vyasa Tirtha; very famous in the south, they are most eminent scholars of the Vedic literature and its interpretation.

TEXT 28.2

tais caivam uktam bharata-tatparye sastrantarani saïjanan vedantasya prasadatah dese dese tatha granthan drstva caiva prthag-vidhan pyatha sa bhagavan vyasah saksan narayanah prabhuh jagada bharatadyesu tatha vaksye tad-iksaya @VCONTINUE = iti. tatra tad-uddhrta srutis catur-veda-sikhadya puranam ca garudadinam samprati sarvatrapracarad-rupam amsadikam samhita ca maha-samhitadika tantram ca tantra-bhagavatadikam brahma-tarkadikam iti jïeyam. In his Bharata-tatparya Sri Madhvacarya states: “Having understood other scriptures with the help of the Vedanta-sutra, and having looked at various kinds of scriptures in different parts of the country, I shall give my explanation in accordance with what Sri Vyasadeva, who is none other than the Supreme Lord Narayana, has spoken in His Mahabharata and other works. In this description I will carefully adhere to His viewpoint” [Bharata-tatparyya 2.7.8]. The texts we will cite from the works of Sri Madhvacarya will include portions from such Vedic srutis as the Catur-veda-sikha, Puranic texts from unavailable parts of the Garuda Purana and other works, samhita texts from the Maha-samhita and similar works, and tantra texts from the Tantra-bhagavatam, Brahma-tarka, and so on.

COMMENTARY The Source of References Since Srila Jiva Gosvami has proven Srimad-Bhagavatam to be the supreme pramana, it needs no further validation. Therefore, as he mentions here, from this point onward he will quote scripture only to support his own interpretations, not the Bhagavatam’s statements. He will cite sources he has read in his own library and elsewhere, and he will also borrow references from the writings of Sri Madhvacarya, who lived a few centuries before Jiva. Madhvacarya often quotes from books that by Sri Jiva’s time had already been lost. In Madhvacarya’s time (the twelfth century A.D.) there were no printing presses. Madhvacarya traveled the length and breadth of India collecting scriptures and philosophical books and copying them by hand at the various temples and libraries he visited. He was renowned for his photographic memory, so when he was not allowed to copy the books he found, he read them and later reproduced them from memory. In this way he amassed an immense library at his headquarters in Udupi, in Karnataka. Some say his library had no equal. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire, and many of the books he refers to in his writings were lost forever. In several places in the Sandarbhas Srila Jiva Gosvami has to make do with the references from lost works cited by Madhvacarya in his books. Madhvacarya’s Tattva-vada is by definition the philosophy that “everything is real”: sarvam vastu satyam iti tattva-vadah. The Advaita monists say that only Brahman is real and that everything else is a manifestation of Maya. Madhvacarya soundly defeated the Mayavada philosophy with his Tattva-vada, both in his writings and in public debates with the leading Mayavadis of his time. By relying on books by Srila Madhvacarya and his eminent followers as a principal source of evidence, Jiva Gosvami shows his indebtedness to them. Jiva Gosvami is, however, a follower of Lord Caitanya, whose teachings differ from Madhvacarya’s. In his Sandarbhas Sri Jiva plans to draw from those ideas of Madhvacarya that agree with Lord Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Acintya-bhedabheda philosophy. When examined impartially, the Acintya-bhedabheda philosophy proves the best and most comprehensive explanation of Vedic knowledge. It is the perfect synthesis of all the Vedic literature because its creator, Sri Caitanya, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the Supreme Lord creates a philosophy, it naturally surpasses all other systems of thought. Here the pramana section of Sri Tattva-sandarbha ends. Having established sabda-pramana as the only independently valid means of knowledge, and having established Srimad-Bhagavatam as the topmost form of sabda-pramana, in the next section Srila Jiva Gosvami will begin his discussion of the prameya, or what we come to know by resorting to the topmost pramana.

English witness · section(s) 29

TEXT 29.1

atha namas-kurvann eva tatha-bhutasya Srimad-bhagavatasya tatparyam tad-vaktur hrdaya-nistha-paryalocanaya sanksepatas tavan nirdharayati @VL1 = sva-sukha-nibhrta-cetas tad-vyudastanya-bhavo @VL2 = ’py ajita-rucira-lilakrsta-saras tadiyam @VL1 = vyatanuta krpaya yas tattva-dipam puranam @VL2PLUS = tam akhila-vrjina-ghnam vyasa-sunum nato ’smi Such being the status of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Suta Gosvami concisely defines its basic message by turning our attention to the disposition of the heart of its speaker while offering him obeisances: “Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Sukadeva Gosvami, my spiritual master, the son of Vyasadeva. It is he who defeats all inauspicious things within this universe. Although in the beginning he was absorbed in the happiness of Brahman realization, giving up all other types of consciousness, he became attracted by the pleasing, most melodious pastimes of Lord Ajita. He therefore mercifully spoke this supreme Purana, Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the bright light of the Absolute Truth and which describes the activities of the Lord” [Bhag. 12.12.69].

TEXT 29.2

tika ca Sridhara-svami-viracita `Sri-gurum namas-karoti. sva-sukhenaiva nibhrtam purnam ceto yasya sah. tenaiva vyudasto ’nyasmin bhavo bhavana yasya tatha-bhuto ’py ajitasya rucirabhir lilabhir akrstah sarah sva-sukha-gatam dhairyam yasya sah. tattva-dipam paramartha-prakasakam Sri-bhagavatam yo vyatanuta tam nato ’smi’ ity esa. Sridhara Svami explains in his COMMENTARY : “Suta Gosvami pays obeisances to his spiritual master [Sri Suka], whose mind was filled only with the bliss of the self and who had thus put aside all other thoughts. But even at that elevated stage his mind was drawn to the enchanting pastimes of Lord Ajita, and this attraction caused him to abandon his sober attachment to impersonal bliss. I offer my obeisances unto him, the speaker of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which illumines the supreme goal of life.”

TEXT 29.3

evam eva dvitiye tad-vakyam eva `prayena munayo rajan' ity-adi-padya-trayam anusandheyam. atrakhila-vrjinam tadrsa-bhavasya pratikulam udasinam ca sarvam jïeyam. tad evam iha sambandhi-tattvam brahmanandad api prakrsto rucira-lila-visistah Sriman ajita eva. sa ca purnatvena mukhyataya Sri-krsna-samjïa eveti Sri-badarayana-samadhau vyakti-bhavisyati. tatha prayojanakhyah purusarthas ca tadrsa-tad-asakti-janakam tat-prema-sukham eva. tato ’bhidheyam api tadrsa-tat-prema-janakam tal-lila-sravanadi-laksanam tad-bhajanam evety ayatam. atra vyasa-sunum iti brahma-vaivartanusarena Sri-krsna-varaj janmata eva mayaya tasyasprstatvam sucitam. Sri-sutah Sri-saunakam. Similarly worth examining are the three verses Sri Suka speaks in the Second Canto that begin with the verse whose first line is prayena munayo rajan [Bhag. 2.1.7–9]. In the verse under discussion [Bhag. 12.12.69] we should understand that the words akhila-vrjinam (“all inauspicious things”) indicate everything contrary or irrelevant to devotional service. Therefore the subject of this book (sambandhi-tattva) is Sriman Ajita, who transcends the ecstasy of impersonal realization and is distinguished by His enchanting pleasure pastimes. Later, in the con TEXT of our discussion of Srila Vyasa’s trance, it will be made clear that in His fullest manifestation Lord Ajita is primarily named Sri Krsna. Similarly, the final goal (prayojana-tattva) is the happiness of love for Him, which leads to the sort of attachment to Him that Sri Suka experienced. And thus our means (abhidheya) is service to Him, characterized by such devotional processes as hearing His divine pastimes, an activity that generates love for Him, as it did in the case of Sri Suka. The identity of each of these three principles (sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana) follows as a natural logical consequence. The phrase vyasa-sunum (“son of Sri Vyasa”) [in Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.12.69] alludes to something described in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana—namely, that Sukadeva, because of Sri Krsna’s benediction, remained untouched by Maya from his very birth. The verse under discussion [Bhag. 12.12.69] was spoken by Sri Suta to Sri Saunaka.

COMMENTARY Sri Sukadeva Gosvami’s Faith In the preceding Texts, Srila Jiva Gosvami compared and contrasted the Vedas, Vedanta, Itihasas, and Puranas to show that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the topmost pramana for all time. Now, at the commencement of his analysis of the Bhagavatam itself, he again performs mangalacarana to further invoke auspiciousness for his sacred undertaking of writing the Sat-sandarbha. Once again he uses a Bhagavatam verse as his invocation. By quoting from Suta Gosvami’s prayers to Sukadeva, Srila Jiva Gosvami himself reveres Sukadeva Gosvami to invoke his blessings, so that Jiva may present the purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam without any deviation. Then he points out the tattvas of sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana in the quoted verse. Unlike commentators who twist the Bhagavatam’s statements to support their own ideas, Srila Jiva Gosvami has no interest in forcing any private opinions on us. He wants to explain Srimad-Bhagavatam as it is. To this end he uses a flawless technique, one that leaves us no room for doubting the correctness of his conclusions. First he has us consider the heart of the original writer, Srila Vyasadeva, and also the hearts of the speakers, Sukadeva Gosvami and Suta Gosvami. Then he analyzes the TEXT of the Bhagavatam in light of that examination, incontrovertibly establishing the purpose of this topmost pramana. In the verse quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam in TEXT 29.1, Suta Gosvami reveals something about the life of Sukadeva Gosvami, describing how he became enchanted by the pastimes of Krsna even while absorbed in the bliss of Brahman. Suta’s purpose is to show the firm conviction Sukadeva had in Srimad-Bhagavatam when he narrated it to Pariksit Maharaja. Sukadeva was self-realized even while in the womb. Indeed, he was so absorbed in the bliss of Brahman that he wanted to stay there to avoid being attacked by Maya. He left the womb only when Lord Krsna personally assured him that Maya would not capture him. (Srila Jiva Gosvami informs us that this description is found in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana.) As we learn from Chapter Seven of Srimad-Bhagavatam’s First Canto and from the texts that Srila Jiva Gosvami will quote below, as soon as Sukadeva took birth he left his father’s hermitage for the forest. Later, when he heard a few of Vyasadeva’s disciples reciting some selected Bhagavatam verses, his mind became so enthralled that he abandoned his impersonal meditation on Brahman and began studying the Bhagavatam under his great father. Despite all this, however, some Mayavadis insist that because Srila Sukadeva Gosvami was attached to impersonal Brahman realization even before his birth, he must have remained fixed in this ideal. Therefore, they conclude, Srimad-Bhagavatam in fact promotes Advaita impersonalism. The prayer of Suta Gosvami quoted here refutes this speculation. Another reason Srila Jiva Gosvami quotes Suta’s prayer is to reveal the essential purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam: The happiness of Krsna consciousness surpasses all other kinds, including that enjoyed by merging into God’s impersonal effulgence.In the Second Canto (Bhag. 2.1.7–9), Sukadeva Gosvami himself confirms the superiority of the bliss of bhakti: prayena munayo rajan nivrtta vidhi-sedhatah nairgunya-stha ramante sma gunanukathane hareh pidam bhagavatam nama puranam brahma-sammitam adhitavan dvaparadau pitur dvaipayanad aham pparinisthito ’pi nairgunya uttama-sloka-lilaya grhita-ceta rajarse akhyanam yad adhitavan “O King Pariksit, mainly the topmost transcendentalists, who are above the regulative principles and restrictions, take pleasure in describing the glories of the Lord. At the end of the Dvapara-yuga I studied this great supplement of Vedic literature named Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is equal to all the Vedas, from my father, Srila Dvaipayana Vyasadeva. O saintly King, I was certainly situated perfectly in transcendence, yet I was still attracted by the delineation of the pastimes of the Lord, who is described by enlightened verses. Therefore I studied this Purana.” This incident from Sukadeva’s life demonstrates the wonderful potency of Srimad-Bhagavatam—that it was able to capture the heart of a highly advanced Brahman-realized soul. In the next TEXT Srila Jiva Gosvami begins analyzing the heart of Srila Vyasadeva.

English witness · section(s) 30

TEXT 30.1

tadrsam eva tatparyam karisyamana-tad-grantha-pratipadya-tattva-nirnaya-krte tat-pravaktr-Sri-badarayana-krte samadhav api sanksepata eva nirdharayati bhakti-yogena manasi samyak pranihite ’male apasyat purusam purnam mayam ca tad-apasrayam pyaya sammohito jiva atmanam tri-gunatmakam paro ’pi manute ’nartham tat-krtam cabhipadyate panarthopasamam saksad bhakti-yogam adhoksaje lokasyajanato vyasas cakre satvata-samhitam pyasyam vai sruyamanayam krsne parama-puruse bhaktir utpadyate pumsah soka-moha-bhayapaha psa samhitam bhagavatim krtvanukramya catmajam @V1PLUS = sukam adhyapayam asa nivrtti-niratam munim Sri Suta Gosvami elucidates the same basic message of Bhagavatam while describing the meditative trance of its author, Srila Vyasadeva. What Vyasadeva experienced indicates the principles he will later establish in his book, Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sri Suta describes this trance in brief: “Thus he fixed his mind, perfectly engaging it by linking it in devotional service [bhakti-yoga] without any tinge of materialism, and thus he saw the Absolute Personality of Godhead along with His external energy, which was under full control. Due to this external energy, the living entity, although transcendental to the three modes of material nature, thinks of himself as a material product and thus undergoes the reactions of material miseries. The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyasadeva composed this Vedic scripture [Srimad-Bhagavatam], which is in relation to the Supreme Truth. Simply by one’s giving aural reception to this Vedic scripture, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion, and fearfulness. The great sage Vyasadeva, after composing the Srimad-Bhagavatam and revising it, taught it to His son, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, who was already engaged in self-realization” [Bhag. 1.7.4–8].

TEXT 30.2

tatra sa vai nivrtti-niratah sarvatropeksako munih kasya va brhatim etam atmaramah samabhyasat @VCONTINUE = iti saunaka-prasnanantaram ca atmaramas ca munayo nirgrantha apy urukrame kurvanty ahaitukim bhaktim ittham-bhuta-guno harih pharer gunaksipta-matir bhagavan badarayanih adhyagan mahad akhyanam nityam visnu-jana-priyah @VCONTINUE = bhakti-yogena premna. @VL1 = astv evam anga bhajatam bhagavan mukundo @VL2 = muktim dadati karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam @VCONTINUE = ity atra prasiddheh. Saunaka Rsi then inquires: “Sri Sukadeva Gosvami was already on the path of self-realization, and thus he was pleased with his own self. So why did he take the trouble to undergo the study of such a vast literature?” [Bhag. 1.7.9]. Suta Gosvami replies: “All different varieties of atmaramas [those who take pleasure in atma, or spirit self], especially those established on the path of self-realization, though freed from all kinds of material bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liberated souls. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, the son of Srila Vyasadeva, was not only transcendentally powerful. He was also very dear to the devotees of the Lord. Thus, his mind captivated by the enchanting qualities of Lord Hari, he underwent the study of this great narration [Srimad-Bhagavatam]” [Bhag. 1.7.10–11]. The phrase bhakti-yogena (“through devotional service,” [in Bhagavatam 1.7.4]) means “through love of God,” since the same meaning is conveyed in the following statement: “My dear King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda, sometimes grants liberation to those who are engaged in getting His favor, but He rarely grants bhakti-yoga, pure love for Him” [Bhag. 5.6.18].

TEXT 30.3

pranihite samahite `samadhinanusmara tad-vicestitam' iti tam prati Sri-naradopadesat. purna-padasya mukta-pragrahaya vrttya, bhagavan iti sabdo ’yam tatha purusa ity api vartate nirupadhis ca vasudeve ’khilatmani @VCONTINUE = iti padmottara-khanda-vacanavastambhena. tatha kama-kamo yajet somam akamah purusam param pakamah sarva-kamo va moksa-kama udara-dhih tivrena bhakti-yogena yajeta purusam param @VCONTINUE = ity asya vakya-dvayasya purva-vakye `purusam paramatmanam prakrty-ekopadhim isvaram' uttara-vakye `purusam purnam param nirupadhim' iti tikanusarena ca purnah puruso ’tra svayam bhagavan evocyate. The word pranihite (“fixed”) means “concentrated in meditation.” Previously, Narada Muni had instructed Vyasadeva to “experience the pastimes of Lord Krsna in trance” [Bhag. 1.5.13]. The word purna (“complete”) should be understood here in its full, unrestricted sense, as corroborated by the Padma Purana [Uttara-khanda 226.68]: “The words bhagavan and purusa, when free from limiting modifiers, refer to Lord Vasudeva [Krsna], the Supersoul of all.” This is further verified in Sridhara Svami’s COMMENTARY on the following two verses: “One who desires sense gratification should worship the moon, but one who desires nothing of material enjoyment should worship the Supersoul. A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of material desires, without any material desires, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead” [Bhag. 2.3.9–10]. Srila Sridhara Svami states that the words purusam param in the first of these two verses indicates the Supersoul, whose upadhi (apparently limiting qualification) is material nature, while the same word in the second verse indicates the complete Personality of Godhead, who is free from all upadhis. Thus the phrase purna-purusa [in Bhagavatam 1.7.4, quoted in TEXT 30.1] refers to the original Personality of Godhead.

COMMENTARY Analysis of Srila Vyasadeva’s Trance, Part I To understand the meaning of a profound book like Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is important to understand the author’s faith and experience. These two factors guide his writing, and, as in this case, if the subsequent speaker of the book shares the author’s faith and experience, then the author’s ideas will be accurately conveyed. To understand Srila Vyasadeva’s mind, or heart, Srila Jiva Gosvami analyzes Vyasa’s trance, which is the source of Srimad-Bhagavatam and reveals its essential ideas. With this analysis accomplished, Jiva makes it the basis for his explication of the whole Bhagavatam in his Sat-sandarbha. He has therefore dedicated twenty Texts of the Tattva-sandarbha (30–49) just to explore the inner purpose of Srila Vyasadeva’s heart and show how Sukadeva Gosvami’s heart perfectly reflects it. In the previous TEXT Srila Jiva Gosvami described Sukadeva’s heart even before beginning to analyze Srila Vyasadeva’s. Jiva did this to invoke the blessings of Sri Suka, from whom even Srila Vyasadeva was eager to hear the Bhagavatam. The description of Sukadeva in the previous Text, moreover, was based on a single verse Suta Gosvami spoke in glorification of his guru. By contrast, Vyasadeva’s trance is described in six verses. It was thus also more convenient for Jiva Gosvami to discuss Sukadeva’s mood before Vyasadeva’s. In doing so he follows the suci-kataha-nyaya, or “the principle of the needle and the kettle,” which means that when faced with a complex undertaking one should execute the smaller tasks first. In Bhagavatam 1.7.4 (quoted in TEXT 30.1) the term bhakti-yogena means ”by prema, or pure love of Godhead,” because only in the state of pure love of Godhead can one see the Supreme Personality of Godhead along with His potencies. That bhakti-yogena means “by prema” is confirmed by the word amala, meaning “pure” and referring to the condition of Srila Vyasadeva’s heart. According to Srila Rupa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.1), bhakti is of three varieties: sa bhaktih sadhanam bhavah prema ceti tridhodita. “Bhakti is said to be of three types—sadhana, bhava, and prema.” One who attains prema-bhakti realizes Krsna both within and without, and this realization vanquishes both his ignorance about the self and his material miseries. Srila Rupa Gosvami further describes prema-bhakti as follows: sandrananda-visesatma Sri-krsnakarsini ca sa. “[Prema-bhakti] is specially characterized by the experience of intense bliss, and it can attract Sri Krsna” (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.17). Srila Jiva Gosvami concludes, therefore, that it was by the influence of this prema-bhakti alone that Srila Vyasa realized in his trance the bhagavat-tattva along with the maya-tattva, jiva-tattva, and bhakti-tattva. In other words, he saw the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, along with His external, marginal, and internal potencies. This material creation is the manifestation of Lord Krsna’s external potency, and the living entities constitute His marginal potency. The living entities tend to be overcome and bewildered by Maya, the Lord’s external potency. In his pure state the living entity is completely free from the external potency’s influence, but when under Maya’s control he considers himself material. This attitude compels him to suffer the repetition of birth and death, an unnatural, diseaselike condition for the living being. Vyasadeva saw in his trance the solution to this predicament—bhakti-yoga, or devotional service unto Lord Adhoksaja, beginning with hearing about Him. Since most of human society is ignorant of this solution, Vyasadeva composed Srimad-Bhagavatam to propagate it. The term bhakti-yoga mentioned in Bhagavatam 1.7.6. refers to sadhana-bhakti, which is the stage of devotional service in practice. This stage is based on strict following of devotional regulations. In prema-bhakti, the advanced stage of bhakti-yoga, because one is free of all material contamination one surely and steadily engages in devotional service with spontaneous affection. The devotee who has reached this stage of advancement generally still follows the sadhana principles, but inwardly his heart is bathed in waves of blissful emotion rising from his spontaneous mood of loving service. Srila Vyasadeva composed the Satvata-samhita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, to explain the principles of bhakti-yoga in the sadhana and prema phases, along with the intermediate phase of bhava-bhakti, “devotional service with developing ecstasy.” In the next Bhagavatam verse (1.7.7), bhakti means prema-bhakti because, as the verse states, only at that stage is one completely free from lamentation, delusion, and fear. The word utpadyate literally means “is generated,” but here it means “becomes manifest” because prema-bhakti cannot be generated, being the internal potency of the Supreme Lord; rather, it manifests within the heart of an advancing devotee by the blessings of the Lord and His pure devotee. Srila Jiva Gosvami goes on to explain that although there are various purusa incarnations of the Supreme Lord who create, maintain, and destroy this world, the term purusam purnam in Bhagavatam 1.7.4 indicates the original Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. Every word in a language has its own energy (sakti) by which it conveys its meaning. Words can take on varied meanings depending on whether they exhibit their primary or their secondary energies. Each word has one primary meaning and may have several secondary meanings. When a word is not restricted by its context, one should accept its primary meaning. With the term purna-purusa in Bhagavatam 1.7.4, the unrestricted meaning (mukhya-vrtti) of the word purna (literally “complete” or “perfect”) indicates Lord Sri Krsna, who is free of all limitations. Lord Visnu’s purusa incarnations are also supreme and perfect, but They appear limited in some ways, and these limitations distinguish them from the purna-purusa. This distinction is implied in the Bhagavatam statement ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: “All of the above-mentioned incarnations [listed in the preceding verses] are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead” (Bhag. 1.3.28). In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (2.1.43) Srila Rupa Gosvami explains how Krsna has four qualities that none of His expansions possess, namely His wonderful pastimes, His extraordinary associates, His enchanting flute-playing, and His unsurpassed beauty. This explanation of the word purna is further supported by the use of the phrase krsne parama-puruse in Bhagavatam 1.7.7. Here parama-puruse is in apposition to the name Krsna, clearly indicating equivalence. Commenting on the use of a virtually identical term—purusam param—in the Second Canto of the Bhagavatam (2.3.10), Sridhara Svami says that it refers to the purna-purusa, or Complete Person. Etymologically, purusa means “one who lies down in the city,” the city here being a metaphor for the body. Thus the word purusa indicates the Supersoul within each person’s body. The Supersoul is the controller of the material energy, but He is never influenced by it. Lord Sri Krsna, on the other hand, is never in contact with the material nature, though He controls it through His purusa expansions. Sridhara Svami uses the word nirupadhi (“free from all limiting adjuncts”) in reference to Krsna, who is not the mere purusa but the purna-purusa. Unlike the Supersoul, Krsna is free from all upadhis. This term, upadhi, is difficult to grasp and therefore difficult to render into English. Sometimes it is translated as “conditioning,” “limitation,” “false designation,” or “modifier.” In its strict philosophical usage it means “limiting adjunct,” because an upadhi’s effect is to apparently modify the natural state of an object by its proximity or association, though in fact it has no integral or natural relationship with the object. For example, a naturally colorless crystal will appear reddish when held before a red flower. The reddish tinge is not part of the crystal’s nature; rather, because the crystal is near the red flower, the flower “conditions” the crystal to appear reddish. In this way the flower’s redness is an upadhi, or limiting adjunct, superimposed on the crystal. Similarly, the material body is an upadhi superimposed on the jiva soul. The soul is like a crystal in that he is easily influenced, or “colored,” by his association. Thus the soul’s proximity to the material body causes the soul to become mired in material existence and conditioned by the modes of nature. In reality both the soul and Supersoul are nirupadhi, without any limiting adjuncts, just like the Personality of Godhead. One might conclude that this nirupadhi condition of the soul implies his absolute identity with the impersonal Supreme. This conclusion is negated by the word yajeta (“should worship”) in the statement yajeta purusam param, “One should worship the Supreme Person” (Bhag. 2.3.10). The root yaj means “to worship a Deity.” It would be absurd to advise someone to worship a Deity who is an impersonal entity devoid of attributes. Therefore the meaning of purna-purusa is clear without our resorting to the impersonal conception of the Supreme to try to explain it. When Sridhara Svami says that the Supersoul, the purusa, has material nature as His upadhi, one should not take this statement to mean that material nature conditions the Lord as it does the jiva. The intended meaning is that He controls material nature without coming into contact with it or being influenced by it. The Supersoul is always transcendental to material nature, even while residing within it, just as a head of state always remains a free man, even when he visits the state prison. In his comment on Bhagavatam 2.3.10, Sridhara Svami interprets the word purusa to mean the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not the Supersoul, because that Supreme Person is worshiped by advanced souls desiring liberation, souls who are becoming fit to enter the spiritual planets, beyond the jurisdiction of even the Supersoul. The word adhoksaja in Bhagavatam 1.7.6 also refers to Lord Sri Krsna. Etymologically this word means “one who is beyond sense perception,” but it is also a name Lord Krsna received after killing the demoness Putana. The Hari-vamsa Purana (Visnu-parva 101.30–32) confirms this: adho ’nena sayanena sakatantara-carina raksasi nihata raudra sakuni-vesa-dharini pputana-nama ghora sa maha-kaya maha-bala visadigdham stanam raudram prayacchanti janardane pdadrsur nihatam tatra raksasim vana-gocarah punar jato ’yam ity ahur uktas tasmad adhoksajah “When baby Krsna was sleeping in a cradle under the axle of a cart, a demoness came as the flying witch called Putana to kill Him. She gave her poisoned breasts to baby Krsna, but Krsna killed her. The residents of Vraja saw Putana, who was gigantic, powerful, and terrible to look at, lying dead in the forest. But Lord Krsna was safe, and the people therefore called Him Adhoksaja, ‘He who has taken another birth under a cart’s axle.’” The verses describing Veda-vyasa’s trance (Bhag. 1.7.4–7) briefly present the quintessence of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and with it the main elements of Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy. Therefore Srila Jiva Gosvami says more about these verses in the next Text.