Sections 61–63

English witness · section(s) 61

TEXT 61.1

asya Sri-bhagavatasya maha-puranatva-vyaïjaka-laksanam prakarantarena ca vadann api tasyaivasrayatvam aha dvayena sargo ’syatha visargas ca vrtti raksantarani ca vamso vamsanucaritam samstha hetur apasrayah

dasabhir laksanair yuktam puranam tad-vido viduh kecit païca-vidham brahman mahad-alpa-vyavasthaya @VCONTINUE = antarani manv-antarani. In the following two verses Sri Suta Gosvami describes in a different way the characteristics of Srimad-Bhagavatam that qualify it as a Maha-purana, and in so doing he affirms that the Supreme Lord alone is the asraya: “O brahmana, authorities on the matter understand a Purana to contain ten characteristic topics: sarga, the creation of this universe; visarga, the subsequent creation of worlds and beings; vrtti, the maintenance of all living beings; raksa, the sustenance of all living beings; antarani, the rule of various Manus; vamsa, the dynasties of great kings; vamsanucarita, the activities of such kings; samstha, annihilation; hetu, motivation; and apasraya, the supreme shelter. Other scholars state that the great Puranas deal with these ten topics while lesser Puranas may deal with five” [Bhag. 12.7.9–10]. Here the word antarani refers to periods of Manus.

TEXT 61.2

païca-vidham sargas ca pratisargas ca vamso manv-antarani ca vamsanucaritam ceti puranam païca-laksanam @VCONTINUE = iti kecid vadanti. sa ca mata-bhedo mahad-alpa-vyavasthaya maha-puranam alpa-puranam iti bhinnadhikaranatvena. yady api visnu-puranadav api dasapi tani laksyante tathapi païcanam eva pradhanyenoktatvad alpatvam. According to some, a Purana has five characteristics: “The five characteristics of a Purana are sarga, creation; pratisarga, annihilation; vamsa, genealogy; manv-antarani, the reign of Manus; and vamsanucaritam, the activities of dynasties of kings and successions of saints” [Matsya Pur. 53.65]. This difference of opinion is due to the different topics that characterize greater and lesser Puranas. Although Puranas such as the Visnu Purana discuss all ten topics, these Puranas are still considered lesser because they discuss only five of the topics in depth.

TEXT 61.3

atra dasanam arthanam skandhesu yatha-kramam praveso na vivaksitas tesam dvadasa-sankhyatvat. dvitiya-skandhoktanam tesam trtiyadisu yatha-sankhyam na samavesah. nirodhadinam dasamadisv astama-varjam anyesam apy anyesu yathokta-laksanataya samavesanasakyatvad eva. In Srimad-Bhagavatam there is no intention of discussing the ten topics consecutively, one per canto; after all, the Bhagavatam has twelve cantos. Nor should one think that because the ten topics are listed in the Second Canto they can be found one after another from Canto Three to Twelve, because the three topics of nirodha, mukti, and asraya can all be found in the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Cantos. Nor will one find the remaining topics in order in the other cantos, with the exception of the Eighth Canto.

TEXT 61.4

tad uktam Sri-svamibhir eva dasame krsna-sat-kirti-vitanayopavarnyate dharma-glani-nimittas tu nirodho dusta-bhu-bhujam prakrtadi-caturdha yo nirodhah sa tu varnitah @VCONTINUE = iti. ato ’tra skandhe Sri-krsna-rupasyasrayasyaiva varnana-pradhanyam tair vivaksitam. uktam ca svayam eva dasame dasamam laksyam asritasraya-vigraham @VCONTINUE = iti. evam anyatrapy unneyam. Srila Sridhara Svami also indicates this [absence of a strict correspondence between the Bhagavatam’s topics and cantos]: “To spread Lord Krsna’s glories, the Tenth Canto describes how unrighteous rulers suffered annihilation (nirodha) because they deviated from religious principles. The four types of annihilations of the total material nature have already described earlier." Sridhara Svami’s intention here is to show that the Tenth Canto primarily discusses the asraya, the form of Sri Krsna. As Sridhara Svami himself states, “The subject of the Tenth Canto is the tenth topic, the Supreme Lord, who shelters His dependent devotees.” We can draw similar conclusions about the other cantos.

TEXT 61.5

atah prayasah sarve ’rthah sarvesv eva skandhesu gaunatvena va mukhyatvena va nirupyanta ity eva tesam abhimatam. srutenarthena caïjasa ity atra tathaiva pratipannam sarvatra tat-tat-sambhavat. tatas ca prathama-dvitiyayor api maha-puranatayam pravesah syat. tasmat kramo na grhitah.

Thus Sridhara Svami would agree with us that virtually every canto touches on all ten topics, either directly or indirectly. It is in the same light that we should understand the statement “these topics are described here either directly or indirectly” [Bhag. 2.10.2], since we actually do find these topics discussed both directly and indirectly throughout the Bhagavatam. And for the same reason we should recognize that the First and Second Cantos also belong to this Maha-purana. Therefore we do not accept the idea that these topics are discussed in a strict sequence.

COMMENTARY Sri Suta Gosvami Lists the Ten Topics of Srimad-Bhagavatam Previously Srila Jiva Gosvami showed that Suta Gosvami, Sukadeva Gosvami, and Srila Vyasadeva all agreed about what is the essential message of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Here Srila Jiva Gosvami reiterates this conclusion by citing Suta Gosvami’s statements regarding the characteristics of a Maha-purana. Although the ten topics Sri Suta lists seem to differ from those listed by Sukadeva Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami shows that in essence they are the same. In the Bhavartha-dipika, while commenting on verse 12.7.9 of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sridhara Svami offers the following reconciliation between Sukadeva’s list and Suta’s list: “Sarga and visarga are found in both lists. Sthana in the first list is called vrtti in the second, posana is called raksa, uti is called hetu, manv-antara is called antara, and isanukatha is called vamsa and vamsanucaritam. Nirodha and mukti are both called samstha in the second list.” (Mukti can also be counted as one of the four types of annihilations mentioned in TEXT 63). Below is a table comparing the two lists of ten topics: TOPICS IN THE BHAGAVATAM

Listed by Sri Sukadeva Gosvami Listed by Sri Suta Gosvami 1. Sarga (primary creation) Sarga 2. Visarga (secondary creation) Visarga 3. Sthana (maintenance) Vrtti 4. Posana (sustenance) Raksa 5. Uti (material desires) Hetu 6. Manv-antara (reigns of Manus) Antara 7. Isanukatha (activities of Lord and His devotees) Vamsa, Vamsanucarita 8. Nirodha (annihilation) Samstha 9. Mukti (liberation) Samstha 10. Asraya (the supreme shelter) Apasraya A Maha-purana deals extensively with these ten topics, while a lesser Purana deals with only five—sarga, creation; pratisarga, dissolution; vamsa, the genealogies of kings or sages; manv-antaras, the reigns of Manus; and vamsanucarita, the histories of various sages, kings, and incarnations. In the course of discussing these five topics, a lesser Purana will discuss all ten topics of a Maha-purana, but will treat only these five in depth. This difference in how extensively the ten topics are treated constitutes the principal distinction between a Maha-purana and a lesser Purana. The following table illustrates in what con TEXT a lesser Purana discusses the ten characteristics of a Maha-purana: 1. Sarga Sarga, Visarga, Asraya 2. Pratisarga Nirodha, Mukti 3. Vamsa Isanukatha 4. Manv-antara Manv-antara, Sthana 5. Vamsanucarita Isanukatha, Posana, Uti, Asraya Srimad-Bhagavatam contains twelve cantos, but the list of a Maha-purana’s topics is in the Second Canto. From this, plus the fact that the first two cantos seem in some ways introductory, some scholars conclude that the Bhagavatam explains these ten topics successively in each canto from the Third Canto onwards. Srila Jiva Gosvami has no regard for this theory. Since a Maha-purana treats ten topics, if the first two cantos of the Bhagavatam described none of these, then the Bhagavatam proper would have only ten cantos. It is obvious enough, however, that the First and Second Cantos discuss at least sarga, visarga, and raksa. Earlier Srila Jiva Gosvami listed the defining characteristics of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and among these were its having eighteen thousand verses and twelve cantos and its beginning with a reference to the Gayatri mantra. If the first two cantos are not really part of the Bhagavatam, then what remains no longer meets the criteria for being the Bhagavatam. Other scholars say that because Sukadeva speaks only from the Second Canto on, the First Canto is not part of the Bhagavatam proper. But their opinion is countered by the same reply. Srila Jiva Gosvami additionally argues that the ten topics of Srimad-Bhagavatam are not described in strict sequence, one per canto. First of all, there are twelve cantos and only ten topics. If we try to resolve this dilemma by excluding two of the cantos, Srimad-Bhagavatam will be reduced to less than the stipulated eighteen thousand verses. Srila Jiva Gosvami further says that although nirodha is the eighth topic, it is discussed profusely in the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Cantos. This opinion is confirmed by Sridhara Svami, one of the earliest and most respected authorities on Srimad-Bhagavatam. According to the adherents of a successive description of the ten topics beginning from the Third Canto, the Tenth Canto should describe the eighth topic, nirodha, and the Twelfth Canto the tenth topic, asraya. Undoubtedly the Tenth Canto discusses nirodha, but its principal topic is the asraya, whom it establishes to be Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Srila Jiva Gosvami’s opinion, which finds support in Sridhara Svami’s writings, all twelve cantos of the Bhagavatam describe all ten topics, though some cantos place more emphasis on certain topics and less on others. In his Sarva-samvadini, Srila Jiva Gosvami specifies which topics are covered extensively in each canto: Topic Cantos Primarily Discussed In 1. Sarga 2, 3 2. Visarga 2, 3, 4 3. Vrtti 3, 7, 11 4. Raksa throughout 5. Manv-antara 8 6. Vamsa 4, 9 7. Vamsanucarita 4, 9 8. Samstha 11, 12 9. Hetu 3, 11 10. Apasraya 10 As mentioned before, the ultimate purpose of Srimad-Bhagavatam is to explain the tenth subject, the asraya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is therefore illogical to expect that the Bhagavatam will deal with the other nine subjects strictly successively, as if presenting mathematical theorems. Instead, the Bhagavatam presents these other subjects primarily to establish and explain the glories of the Supreme Lord. We have no reason to insist on a consecutive order of the ten subjects or to depreciate the first two cantos. From the very start of the Tattva-sandarbha, Srila Jiva Gosvami has proposed that Srimad-Bhagavatam focuses entirely on Lord Sri Krsna, the supreme shelter of all existence. The Bhagavatam describes Sri Krsna in its beginning, middle, and end, and not just in the last canto. Sri Jiva will explain this matter in more detail in Sri Krsna-sandarbha. In the next TEXT Srila Jiva Gosvami presents Suta Gosvami’s definitions of the first seven of the ten topics.

English witness · section(s) 62

TEXT 62.1

VERSE = atha sargadinam laksanam aha avyakrta-guna-ksobhan mahatas tri-vrto ’hamah bhuta-matrendriyarthanam sambhavah sarga ucyate @VCONTINUE = pradhana-guna-ksobhan mahan tasmat tri-guno ’hankaras tasmad bhuta-matranam bhuta-suksmanam indriyanam ca sthula-bhutanam ca tad-upalaksita-tad-devatanam ca sambhavah sargah. karana-srstih sarga ity arthah. Suta Gosvami then describes the features of the ten topics, beginning with creation: “From the agitation of the original modes within the unmanifest material nature, the mahat-tattva arises. From the mahat-tattva comes the element false ego, which divides into three aspects. This threefold ego further manifests as the subtle elements, as the senses, and as the gross sense objects. The generation of all of these is called creation (sarga)” [Bhag. 12.7.11]. The mahat-tattva comes into being when the original, dormant material nature (pradhana) is agitated, and from the mahat comes false ego in each of the three material modes. From this threefold ego come the subtle elements, the senses, and the physical elements. The appearance of the elements implies the appearance of their presiding deities as well. All together, the appearance of these constitutes sarga, the manifestation of the subtle causes of creation.

TEXT 62.2

purusanugrhitanam etesam vasana-mayah visargo ’yam samaharo bijad bijam caracaram @VCONTINUE = purusah paramatma. etesam mahad-adinam jivasya purva-karma-vasana-pradhano ’yam samaharah karya-bhutas caracara-prani-rupo bijad bijam iva pravahapanno visarga ucyate. vyasti-srstir visarga ity arthah. anenotir apy ukta. Suta Gosvami continues: “The secondary creation (visarga), which exists by the mercy of the Lord, is the manifest amalgamation of the desires of the living entities. Just as a seed produces additional seeds, activities that promote material desires in the performer produce moving and nonmoving life forms” [Bhag. 12.7.12]. Here the word purusa (“person”) refers to the Supersoul, and etesam (“of these”) indicates the elements, beginning with the mahat. The primary reason the elements combine is the karma the jivas have accumulated from their previous lives. Thus the moving and nonmoving living beings take their births in a perpetual cycle, like the generation of one seed from another. This constant flow of generated products is called visarga, secondary creation. In other words, visarga is the creation of the individual organisms, and thus this discussion of visarga includes the topic of uti (“impulses for activity”).

TEXT 62.3

vrttir bhutani bhutanam caranam acarani ca krta svena nrnam tatra kamac codanayapi va @VCONTINUE = caranam bhutanam samanyato ’carani ca-karac carani ca kamad vrttih. tatra tu nrnam svena svabhavena kamac codanayapi va ya niyata vrttir jivika krta sa vrttir ucyata ity arthah. “Vrtti means the process of sustenance, by which the moving beings live upon the nonmoving. For a human being, vrtti specifically means acting for one’s livelihood in a manner suited to one’s personal nature. Such action may be carried out either in pursuit of selfish desire or in accordance with the Vedic injunctions” [Bhag. 12.7.13]. Mobile living beings generally thrive on immobile ones, but the word ca (“and”) in this verse hints that, when the desire impels them, moving creatures will also subsist on other moving creatures. For human beings, however, the means of livelihood is prescribed according to their individual natures, on the basis of either selfish desire or scriptural injunction. All this is called vrtti.

TEXT 62.4

raksacyutavatareha visvasyanu yuge yuge tiryan-martyarsi-devesu hanyante yais trayi-dvisah @VCONTINUE = yair avataraih. anenesa-katha sthanam posanam ceti trayam uktam. “In each age, the infallible Lord appears in this world among the animals, human beings, sages, and demigods. By His activities in these incarnations He protects the universe and kills the enemies of Vedic culture. This is called raksa” [Bhag. 12.7.14]. Here the word yaih (“by them”) means by the incarnations. This definition of “protection” (raksa) also incorporates the three topics isa-katha (“narrations about the Supreme Lord”), sthana (“maintenance”), and posana (“nourishment”).

TEXT 62.5

manv-antaram manur deva manu-putrah suresvarah rsayo ’msavataras ca hareh sad-vidham ucyate @VCONTINUE = manv-ady-acarana-kathanena sad-dharma evatra vivaksita ity arthah. tatas ca praktana-granthenaikarthyam. “In each reign of Manu (manv-antara), six types of personalities appear as manifestations of Lord Hari: the ruling Manu, the chief demigods, the sons of Manu, Indra, the great sages, and the partial incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead” [Bhag. 12.7.15]. From the mention here of the activities of the Manus and the others, it is understood that the topic of sad-dharma (“progressive religious principles”) is also covered. In this way this list of ten topics is equivalent to the one given earlier in the Bhagavatam.

TEXT 62.6

rajïam brahma-prasutanam vamsas trai-kaliko ’nvayah vamsanucaritam tesam vrttam vamsa-dharas ca ye @VCONTINUE = tesam rajïam ye ca vamsa-dharas tesam vrttam vamsanucaritam. “Dynasties (vamsa) are lines of kings originating with Lord Brahma and extending continuously through past, present, and future. The accounts of such dynasties, especially of their most prominent members, constitute the subject of dynastic history (vamsanucarita)” [Bhag. 12.7.16]. The activities of the vamsa-dharah (prominent members of those dynasties) constitutes vamsanucarita (“dynastic history”).

COMMENTARY Sri Suta Gosvami Defines the Bhagavatam's Topics At the end of the Second Canto Sukadeva Gosvami lists and defines the ten topics of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and in the Twelfth Canto Suta Gosvami does the same. The first topic is sarga, primary creation. As we have already pointed out, during total dissolution everything in the material universe becomes unmanifest, a state called prakrti or pradhana. In this state the three modes of nature remain in equilibrium. Not until the modes are agitated and put out of balance can creation begin again. This same principle applies to human beings: When a person is satisfied, peaceful, and equipoised he will not initiate some new activity; some stimulus must disturb his equilibrium and motivate him to act. One engages in sex, for example, when one’s mind and body are stimulated by lust or the desire to procreate. The original disturbance in the pradhana is caused by the glance of the Supreme Lord, with which He impregnates prakrti, or material nature, with all the conditioned jivas. Lord Krsna confirms this in the Bhagavad-gita (14.3): mama yonir mahad brahma tasmin garbham dadamy aham. “The total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and it is that Brahman that I impregnate.” Here the word Brahman means prakrti, not the Lord’s impersonal feature. The impregnated or disturbed state of prakrti is called the mahat-tattva. When further impelled by kala, the Lord’s time potency, the mahat-tattva gives rise to the three kinds of ahankara, or false ego. These include vaikarika ahankara, false ego in the mode of goodness; taijasa ahankara, false ego in the mode of passion; and tamasa ahankara, false ego in the mode of ignorance. Vaikarika ahankara gives rise to manas, the elemental substance of mind, and also to the presiding deities of material creation. Taijasa ahankara gives rise to buddhi, the intelligence, and also to the senses, which are of two types, perceptive and working. When the kala potency acts on tamasa ahankara, sound comes into being, followed by ether and the ear. Under the impulse of time, ether then gives rise to tactility, and then air and the skin evolve. Similarly, air gives rise to form, after which fire and the eye evolve; fire gives rise to taste, and then water and the tongue evolve; and finally water gives rise to smell, after which earth and the nose evolve. The Lord Himself performs this primary phase of creation (sarga), which includes the creation of the abovementioned elements’ presiding deities. This is indicated here (in Bhag. 12.7.11) by the word artha. These are the stages of material creation in its primary phase (sarga): PRAKRTI OR PRADHANA (Balanced state of Nature) Glance of the Lord (with Kala) MAHAT-TATTVA (Citta) (Pradhana becomes disturbed) AHANKARA (False Ego)

VAIKARIKA TAIJASA TAMASA (In Goodness) (In Passion) (In ignorance) MIND AND INTELLIGENCE 5 TAN-MATRAS PRESIDING DEITIES AND SENSES (Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, Smell) and 5 material elements.

As mentioned previously, the Bhagavatam distinguishes between the senses and the physical sense organs, the latter being the seats of the former. The above chart shows that false ego in the mode of passion gives rise to intelligence and the senses. These senses are not the sense organs but rather the subtle senses, which accompany the jiva from body to body. The physical sense organs, of course, are dissolved along with the rest of the gross body at death. Each of the five tan-matras, the subtle manifestations of the material elements, becomes mixed with the time energy of the Lord and gives rise to its corresponding gross element and the seat of the corresponding sense organ: TAN-MATRA MATERIAL ELEMENTS SEATS OF SENSES SOUND SKY EARS TOUC HAIR SKIN FORM FIRE EYE TASTE WATER TONGUE SMELL EARTH NOSE The mahat-tattva, ahankara, mind, and intelligence are considered internal senses. These four, plus the five working senses (legs, hands, anus, tongue, and genitals), the five perceptive senses (ears, eyes, nose, skin, and tongue), the five gross material objects (sky, air, fire, water, and earth), and the five subtle elements (sound, tactility, form, taste, and smell) total twenty-four elements, and the jiva and Paramatma can be counted as the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth. Time (kala) is not counted separately, being an energy of the Paramatma. Because pure elements cannot be employed in the process of creation, the five gross material elements listed above must be further combined by the process called païci-karana. In this process each of the elements is mixed with the other four according to a certain ratio. Then Lord Brahma, using these mixed elements, proceeds with the secondary phase of creation, called visarga. He creates the bodies of the myriad living beings according to the stored-up karmic impressions of their previous lives. Visarga includes the manifestation of Brahma’s mind-born sons—Atri, Vasistha, Daksa, Manu, and others. Some of these sons are Prajapatis, progenitors, whose offspring populate the universe. The phases of creation continue in cycles, one phase giving rise to the next, like one seed giving rise to another seed. The seeds in this creative process are the living entities’ fruitive activities. After sarga and visarga come vrtti, sustenance. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.13.47), one living being is generally sustained by eating others: ahastani sa-hastanam apadani catus-padam phalguni tatra mahatam jivo jivasya jivanam “Those who are devoid of hands are prey for those who have hands; those devoid of legs are prey for the four-legged. The weak are the subsistence of the strong, and the general rule holds that one living being is food for another.” Usually, immovable beings are food for those that move, but some moving beings, such as tigers, prey on other moving beings. Human beings are special because they can choose what kind of food they will eat. In this matter they can be guided either by their own desires or by Vedic scriptural injunction. Those who eat according to whim glide down to hellish species, while those who follow scripture progress toward liberation. Since Lord Visnu accepts the responsibility of maintaining Vedic culture in the universe, He incarnates in every millennium to protect His devotees and curb the demoniac. This is called raksa, protection. The Lord does not restrict His appearances only to the human species. As Prahlada Maharaja says in his prayers to Lord Nrsimha, ittham nr-tiryag-rsi-deva-jhasavatarair/ lokan vibhavayasi hamsi jagat pratipan: “My Lord, You appear in various incarnations as a human being, an animal, a great saint, a demigod, a fish, or a tortoise, thus maintaining the entire creation in different planetary systems and killing the demoniac principles” (Bhag. 7.9.38). The material creation is manifest for the duration of Lord Brahma’s life, one hundred years according to his time scale. His one day lasts for one thousand cycles of the four yugas—Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. By human calculation, therefore, a day of Brahma lasts 4,320,000,000 years. For managerial purposes he divides each of his days into fourteen periods called manv-antaras. The person who rules during each of these periods is called Manu, who is assisted by his sons; by demigods such as Candra and Varuna; by Lord Indra; by the seven great sages, called sapta-rsis; and by a special partial expansion of the Supreme Lord who incarnates for each particular manv-antara. The demigods and sages are all appointed for the period of one manv-antara, and the activities of these great personalities constitute sad-dharma, or progressive religious principles. At present we are in the period of the seventh Manu, Vaivasvata Manu, more exactly in the 5,092nd year of Kali-yuga, in the twenty-eighth yuga cycle of the day of Brahma called the Svetavaraha-kalpa, during his fifty-first year. Srimad-Bhagavatam names the fourteen Manus, the corresponding incarnations special to their periods, and the names of Indra in these periods: MANU MANU’S FATHER CORRESPONDING NAME OF AVATARA INDRA 1. Svayambhuva Brahma Yajïa Yajïa 2. Svarocisa Agni Vibhu Rocana 3. Uttama Priyavrata Satyasena Satyajit 4. TamasaPriyavrataHariTrisikha 5. RaivataPriyavrataVaikunthaVibhu 6. CaksusaCaksur Ajita Mantradruma 7. Vaivasvata (Sraddhadeva)Vivasvan VamanaPurandara 8. SavarniVivasvanSarvabhaumaBali 9. Daksa-savarniVarunaRsabhaAdbhuta 10. Brahma-savarniUpaslokaVisvaksenaSambhu 11. Dharma-savarniUpaslokaDharmasetuVaidhrta 12. Rudra-savarniUpaslokaSvadhamaRtadhama 13. Deva-savarniUpaslokaYogesvaraDivaspati 14. Indra-savarniUpaslokaBrhadbhanuSuci Two prominent dynasties of kings come from Lord Brahma— the sun dynasty and the moon dynasty. The description of the deeds performed by the kings appearing in these dynasties is called vamsanucaritam. In the next TEXT Srila Jiva Gosvami explains the definitions of the remainder of the Bhagavatam’s ten topics and concludes Sri Tattva-sandarbha by explaining their purpose.

English witness · section(s) 63

TEXT 63.1

naimittikah prakrtiko nitya atyantiko layah samstheti kavibhih proktas caturdhasya svabhavatah @VCONTINUE = asya paramesvarasya. svabhavatah saktitah. atyantika ity anena muktir apy atra pravesita. “There are four types of cosmic annihilations—occasional, elemental, continuous, and ultimate—all of which are effected by the inherent potency of the Supreme Lord. Learned scholars have designated this topic dissolution (samstha)” (Bhag. [12.7.17]. In this verse the word asya (“His”) refers to the Paramesvara, the Supreme Lord, while svabhavatah (“due to nature”) means “by His energy.” The term atyantikah (“ultimate”) implies that mukti (liberation) is included in this kind of dissolution.

TEXT 63.2

hetur jivo ’sya sargader avidya-karma-karakah yam canusayinam prahur avyakrtam utapare @VCONTINUE = hetur nimittam. asya visvasya. yato ’yam avidyaya karma-karakah. yam eva hetum kecic caitanya-pradhanyenanusayinam prahur apara upadhi-pradhanyenavyakrtam iti. “Out of ignorance the living being performs material activities and thereby becomes in one sense the cause (hetu) of the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the universe. Some authorities call the living being the personality underlying the material creation, while others say he is the unmanifest self” [Bhag. 12.7.18]. The hetu (“cause”) here is the nimitta, or efficient cause. Asya (“of this”) refers to this universe, the existence of which is due to the jivas, who act in ignorance. Some call that same cause the anusayi (“underlying personality”), highlighting the principle of consciousness, while others call him the avyakrta (“unmanifest”), focusing attention on the jivas’ upadhis.

TEXT 63.3

vyatirekanvayau yasya jagrat-svapna-susuptisu maya-mayesu tad brahma jiva-vrttisv apasrayah @VCONTINUE = Sri-badarayana-samadhi-labdhartha-virodhad atra ca jiva-suddha-svarupam evasrayatvena na vyakhyayate. kintv ayam evartho jagrad-adisv avasthasu maya-mayesu maya-sakti-kalpitesu mahad-adi-dravyesu ca kevala-svarupena vyatirekah parama-saksitayanvayas ca yasya tad brahma ca jivanam vrttisu suddha-svarupataya sopadhitaya ca vartanesu sthitisv apasrayah sarvam aty atikramyasraya ity arthah. apa ity etat khalu varjane varjanam catikrame paryavasyatiti. “The Supreme Absolute Truth is present throughout all the states of awareness—waking consciousness, sleep, and deep sleep—throughout all the phenomena manifested by the external energy, and within the functions of all living entities, and He also exists separate from all these. Thus situated in His own transcendence, He is the ultimate and unique shelter” [Bhag. 12.7.19]. It cannot be said that the jiva is the asraya, even in his pure state. That would go against what Srila Vyasadeva experienced in trance. Rather, the correct understanding is as follows: The Supreme Brahman is alone in His original identity. He is always aloof from the states of consciousness known as waking awareness and so on, and also from the manifestations of matter, beginning with the mahat-tattva. All these are products of the external energy, that is to say, creations of His Maya potency. While remaining aloof from all these manifestations, He simultaneously associates with them in His feature as the Supersoul, the supreme witness. Therefore He is the basis for the jivas’ activities in both his pure and his conditioned states. But in this con TEXT the word apasraya indicates that even while He is the foundation for the jivas’ activities He still remains transcendental to everything; the prefix apa refers to “abandonment,” which here amounts to the idea of transcending.

TEXT 63.4

tad evam apasrayabhivyakti-dvara-bhutam hetu-sabda-vyapadistasya jivasya suddha-svarupa-jïanam aha dvabhyam padarthesu yatha dravyam tan-matram rupa-namasu bijadi-païcatantasu hy avasthasu yutayutam

virameta yada cittam hitva vrtti-trayam svayam @V1PLUS = yogena va tadatmanam vedehaya nivartate Such knowledge of the pure nature of the jiva, who is here designated the cause of material existence, leads to realization of the apasraya, or transcendental fountainhead of existence, as Suta Gosvami states in two verses: “Although a material object may assume various forms and names, its essential ingredient is always present as the basis of its existence. Similarly, both conjointly and separately, the jiva is always present with the created material body throughout its phases of existence, beginning with conception and ending with death. “Either on the strength of one’s own power of discrimination or because of one’s regulated spiritual practice, one’s mind may stop functioning on the material platform of waking consciousness, sleep, and deep sleep. Then the jiva understands the Supreme Soul and withdraws from material endeavor” [Bhag. 12.7.20–21].

TEXT 63.5

rupa-namatmakesu padarthesu ghatadisu yatha dravyam prthivy-adi yutam ayutam ca bhavati karya-drstim vinapy upalambhat tatha tan-matram suddham jiva-caitanya-matram vastu garbhadhanadi-païcatantasu navasv apy avasthasv avidyaya yutam svatas tv ayutam iti suddham atmanam ittham jïatva nirvinnah sann apasrayanusandhana-yogyo bhavatity aha virameteti. vrtti-trayam jagrat-svapna-susupti-rupam. atmanam paramatmanam. svayam vamadevader iva maya-mayatvanusandhanena devahuty-ader ivanusthitena yogena va. tatas cehayas tad-anusilana-vyatirikta-cestayah. Sri-sutah. uddistah sambandhah. We can consider the substances earth, water, and so on to be either associated with their products having names and forms—such as pots—or separate from them. After all, we can identify these substances even apart from their products. In the same way, although by the force of ignorance the originally pure spirit soul becomes involved with the nine stages of life from conception to death, he can nonetheless become indifferent by understanding that he is in fact distinct from all this by virtue of his being a pure self. Thus becoming aloof, he is then qualified to inquire about the asraya. That is the purport of the verse beginning virameta [Bhag. 12.7.21]. The vrtti-trayam (“three functional states”) are the states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Atmanam (“Self”) here means the Supersoul. Svayam (“by oneself”) means by carefully studying the illusory nature of the world, as the sage Vamadeva did. Yogena (“by yoga”) indicates that one may conduct this study by means of the kind of meditation Srimati Devahuti and others practiced. Ihaya nivartate (“he becomes free from all actions”) means that he refrains from all activities other than the practice of God-realization. This is our explanation of sambandha, the connection between Srimad-Bhagavatam and the subject it discusses.

TEXT 63.6

iti kali-yuga-pavana-sva-bhajana-vibhajana-prayojanavatara-Sri-Sri-bhagavat-krsna-caitanya-deva-carananucara-visva-vaisnava-raja-sabha-sabhajana-bhajana-Sri-rupa-sanatananusasana-bharati-garbhe Sri-bhagavata-sandarbhe tattva-sandarbho nama prathamah sandarbhah. Thus ends the Tattva-sandarbha, the first book of the Bhagavata-sandarbha, which was written according to the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami, the revered leaders of the universal royal assembly of Vaisnavas. They are unalloyed servants of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the purifier of the jivas in Kali-yuga, who descended to distribute the benediction of His own devotional service.

COMMENTARY Conclusion The dissolution of the material creation is called samstha, of which Suta Gosvami says there are four kinds—naimittika, prakrtika, nitya, and atyantika. The dissolution that comes at the end of Lord Brahma’s day is called the naimittika, or occasional. The dissolution of the universe at the end of Lord Brahma’s life is called prakrtika, or complete. The inexorable moment-by-moment progression of everything in the material world toward annihilation is called the nitya, or continuous, dissolution. And when an individual jiva gets free from both his subtle and gross bodies and enters the spiritual sky, that is called the atyantika, or ultimate, dissolution, namely liberation. Having attained this state, one does not have to take birth again in this material world. Thus Srila Jiva Gosvami says that atyantika-laya includes mukti, the ninth topic among the ten topics of Srimad-Bhagavatam Sukadeva Gosvami enumerated in TEXT 56. In his Sarva-samvadini Srila Jiva Gosvami states that, in addition to the dissolutions mentioned above, there is also a partial dissolution at the end of each manv-antara. To substantiate t his statement he cites the Visnu-dharmottara Purana, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the Bharata-tatparya of Sri Madhvacarya. Part of the reference from the Visnu-dharmottara Purana (1.75.1–2) states: vajra uvaca manv-antare pariksine yadrsi dvija jayate samavastha maha-bhaga tadrsim vaktum arhasi

markandeya uvaca manv-antare pariksine deva manv-antaresvarah mahar-lokam athasadya tisthanti gata-kalmasah “King Vajra asked, `O brahmana, what is the situation of the world when a manv-antara ends? Please explain this to me.’ “Markandeya replied, `At the end of a manv-antara, the demigods appointed for that particular manv-antara, being free from sins, attain to Maharloka and reside there.’” Markandeya goes on to explain that the seven sages, Manu, and Indra go to Brahmaloka while the earth becomes submerged in a deluge. This description of the general annihilation at the end of each manv-antara is similar to the one given in the Twenty-fourth Chapter of the Bhagavatam’s Eighth Canto. Srila Jiva Gosvami comments that the occurrenc of a dissolution at the end of each manv-antara is further substantiated by the Hari-vamsa Purana and commentaries on its chapters dealing with the subject of universal dissolution. Thus the dissolution at the end of a manv-antara can be categorized as naimittika, or occasional, because it occurs repeatedly with the changes of Manus. The hetu, or efficient cause of creation, is the jiva. The Supreme Lord has nothing to gain by creating this material world. He has His own transcendental abode, where He engages in loving pastimes with His dear devotees. But for the welfare of those living beings who have turned their backs on Him, He has created this universe, where the jivas are avidya-karma-karaka, acting out of ignorance and sustaining the universe. In that sense the jivas are the efficient cause behind the creation, even though they neither design nor produce it. As Lord Krsna states in the Bhagavad-gita (7.5), jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat: The living entities sustain the whole material world. The Lord’s ultimate purpose in creating the material world is to enable the jivas to attain liberation from the cycle of repeated birth and death. Sukadeva Gosvami states this explicitly in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.87.2): buddhindriya-manah-pranan jananam asrjat prabhuh matrartham ca bhavartham ca atmane ’kalpanaya ca “The Supreme Lord manifested the material intelligence, senses, mind, and vital air of the living entities so that they could indulge their desires for sense gratification, take repeated births to engage in fruitive activities, become elevated in future lives, and ultimately attain liberation.” From this we can see that the jiva is certainly not the asraya of the universe. According to Srila Vyasadeva’s realization in trance, that position belongs to the Supreme Lord. But if the Lord is the asraya of this material world, wouldn’t He also necessarily be in contact with Maya and her creation? Sri Suta Gosvami replies that the Supreme Lord is apasraya, the transcendental shelter. In other words, He is the asraya, but He is apart from Maya. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.4) the Lord describes His own material nature as bhinna prakrti, His separated energy. In His original form the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely aloof from His creation, but as the Supersoul He witnesses and controls the activities of both the jivas and Maya. Thus by His inconceivable potency He both associates with the creation and remains aloof from it. This He also confirms in the Bhagavad-gita (9.4): maya tatam idam sarvam jagad avyakta-murtina mat-sthani sarva-bhutani na caham tesv avasthitah “By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” Yet even though as the Supersoul the Lord pervades the universe and controls it, He is neither in physical contact with it nor influenced by it. In TEXT 53 Srila Jiva Gosvami showed that knowledge of the pure nature of the jiva is the first step in the science of God- realization. Here in TEXT 63 he substantiates this statement with two verses spoken by Sri Suta Gosvami (quoted in TEXT 63.4). In Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.22.47) Lord Krsna mentions the nine states of bodily existence the jiva experiences: conception, gestation, birth, infancy, childhood, youth, middle age, old age, and death. Although in his conditioned state the jiva seems to associate with these nine states, he never actually does. Just as clay is the essential constituent of a pot yet still exists independent of the pot, so the jiva animates his body but still exists independent of the body and its nine states. When a person knows that, whether awake, dreaming, or merged in deep sleep, he is always distinct from his body during all the nine states, he is qualified to walk on the path of God-realization. That is the stage of athato brahma-jijïasa: One who knows he is distinct from the body is qualified to inquire into the Absolute Truth (V.s. 1.1.1). This TEXT describes two processes for self-realization. The word svayam (“by oneself”) implies the path of jïana, in which one meditates on the self as different from everything else in the realm of Maya. The Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad relates the history of a sage named Vamadeva who followed this path, and the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam tells of another practitioner, Dattatreya. The second process is implied by the word yoga, which means the path of bhakti. On this path one considers oneself different from the three states of existence—the waking state, the dreaming state, and deep sleep—and meditates on the Supersoul. This path is exemplified by Lord Kapiladeva’s mother, Srimati Devahuti, whose story is told in the Third Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srila Jiva Gosvami concludes that the asraya of everything is Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; He alone is the subject (sambandhi- tattva) of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The following is a summary of Sri Tattva-sandarbha: The first eight Texts, which are in verse form, make up the invocation, or mangalacarana. In these verses Srila Jiva Gosvami prays to his teachers and his worshipable Deity, and he also tells why he is writing the book and defines its subject and the qualifications one must have to read it. In Texts 9 through 26 Jiva Gosvami discusses Gaudiya Vaisnava epistemology. He first points out that all human beings are subject to four defects that prevent them from acquiring perfect knowledge independently. Of the ten means of gaining knowledge Srila Jiva accepts sabda, revealed scripture, as supreme, for it alone can give one perfect knowledge. Since the Vedas are sabda-brahma, knowledge revealed by the Supreme Lord, they are the highest authority. But because they are now unavailable in their complete form, because they are cryptic, and because they can no longer be learned from representatives of a proper disciplic succession of teachers, Srila Jiva Gosvami recommends the Puranas, which, along with the Ramayana and Mahabharata, constitute the fifth Veda. Next Srila Jiva shows that the Puranas have the same source, authority, and nature as the Vedas, and that, for us in this age, their simple language and universal accessibility render them an even better source of knowledge than the other four Vedas. But the Puranas seem to contradict one another in various ways—for example, by glorifying different deities as most worshipable—and most of them lack a proper disciplic succession. By the process of elimination, therefore, in TEXT 18 Srila Jiva Gosvami proposes Srimad-Bhagavatam as the most suitable Purana for investigation. From TEXT 19 to 26 Srila Jiva reveals the supreme qualities of Srimad-Bhagavatam and shows how it is the most authoritative Vedic scripture, the ripened fruit of the desire tree of Vedic knowledge. He shows that the Bhagavatam is based on the Gayatri mantra, the essence of the Vedas, and that it is the natural COMMENTARY on the Vedanta-sutra. In Texts 27 and 28 Srila Jiva describes the basic scheme of the Sandarbhas, what sources he plans to refer to, and his method of analysis. From Texts 29 to 63 he establishes the following principles: 1. The subject matter of Srimad-Bhagavatam is Lord Krsna. 2. Lord Krsna is the original personality of Godhead. 3. He has multifarious potencies, which are divided into three main categories—internal, external, and marginal. 4. Maya, His external energy, works under Him but cannot control Him. 5. The jivas have been bound by Maya since time immemorial. 6. The jivas cannot transcend Maya by their own power. 7. Surrender to the Lord is the jivas’ only means of liberation. 8. The goal of life is to attain prema, love of Krsna. To establish these eight principles, Srila Jiva Gosvami first examines the inner mood of Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, the speaker of Srimad-Bhagavatam. In TEXT 29 he quotes and analyzes Sri Suta Gosvami’s prayers, which describe Sukadeva’s realization and exalted position. Then, from Texts 30 to 49 he examines the description of what Srila Vyasadeva realized in trance, which is the basis upon which he composed Srimad-Bhagavatam. While describing Vyasa’s trance, Srila Jiva Gosvami uses logic and scriptural reference in Texts 34 to 43 to decisively smash the two primary doctrines of the Mayavadis, pariccheda-vada and pratibimba-vada. From Texts 50 to 52 he shows that Srimad-Bhagavatam’s subject is the nondual supreme reality by analyzing the second verse of its first chapter. In Texts 53 to 55 he explains the nature of the jiva—namely, that the jiva, being a fractional part of Brahman, is conscious like Brahman but can never be equal to Brahman. Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that understanding this similarity between the jiva and Brahman is the initial step toward realizing the Absolute Truth. From TEXT 56 on he examines the subject matter of Srimad-Bhagavatam from another angle. Here he analyzes the Bhagavatam’s ten topics, citing Sukadeva Gosvami’s list in the Second Canto and Suta Gosvami’s in the Twelfth. He shows that there is no clash of either spirit or content between these two great Bhagavatam authorities. In their descriptions of the first nine topics, both Sukadeva and Suta convey an understanding of the multifarious potencies and activities of the tenth topic, the shelter of all, Lord Sri Krsna. Thus from various angles Jiva Gosvami has established that Srimad- Bhagavatam is the ultimate scriptural authority and that it teaches the following: Sri Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, devotional service is the process for attaining the supreme goal of life, and this supreme goal is unalloyed love of Godhead. In the next three Sandarbhas, Srila Jiva Gosvami will further elaborate on the sambandhi-tattva. HARI OM TAT SAT asadssiaamtiunamaSriaaaSriaaanhahratiaasaiamThus ends the Sri-jiva-tosani COMMENTARY on Sri Tattva-sandarbha, the first book of Sri Sat-sandarbha, by Srila Jiva Gosvami Prabhupada.