viśvaṁ bibharti niḥsvaṁ
yaḥ
kāruṇyād eva deva-rāṭ
mamāsau
paramānando
govindas tanutāṁ ratim
“I pray that Lord Govinda, the supremely blissful king of the demigods, who mercifully maintains this pathetic material world, may give me pure love for Him.”
This Third Pāda considers some scriptural texts that may seem to describe the jīva or some other topic, but actually describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: The essence of the materialistic mindset is fear: fear of losing control, fear of suffering and ultimately, fear of annihilation. The material existence seems like a vast and dangerous ocean, and to us tiny, weak living entities it seems very possible to become lost like a tiny bubble of foam on its endless waves. Thus we try to set limits on this unruly ocean of life by naming things, by identifying causes and setting boundary conditions. In this way we seek to impose our will upon the vast ocean of existence and establish a sense of identity.
But in reality we are completely helpless, because the ocean of time is unlimited and eternal by nature, and sends wave after wave of change without respite. We are no more able to restrain the waves of time and change than a tiny minnow is able to calm the mighty ocean in which it lives. This existential situation leads to our creating various theories to assuage our anxiety and give us comfort. One of these theories is impersonalism, and another is materialism. They are often found in close relationship, for they share a common atheistic ontological bias.
Materialistic impersonalism says, “There is no God, no intelligence in control of this world; the ultimate cause of everything is actually material nature. Although, being the source of life, material nature is ultimately good, or at least neutral; but because it is mechanical and unintelligent it develops into the wild and disorderly world that we experience, where everyone is on his own, and we, the pinnacle of intelligent life that has developed by chance evolution, must solve the problems of life and death for themselves.” Therefore despite our best efforts to create an illusion of stability by weaving various defective theories with our limited intelligence, inevitably we return again and again to the existential truth that our lives are constantly permeated by a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability.
What we do not see, due to our ignorant self-preoccupation and disregard for the actual laws of the universe, is that actually the creation is very orderly; it is we ourselves who have introduced conflict and danger into the world by desiring and acting independently of God’s plan. This plan, expressed in grand scope and style in the Vedic literatures, is that everyone in the material creation, especially every intelligent human being, must work toward self-realization by a gradual process of self-purification. The process of purification is based on devotional service to the Supreme Lord, which is given in the Vedas by the Lord Himself, and taught by the great souls who become His representative ācāryas in disciplic succession from the Lord.
Therefore God certainly exists, is firmly in control of the world and nature, and He has set a limit on the existence and changes of the material world. This limit is the shore of eternity, or the spiritual world, and takes the form of the Lord Himself as the force of time.
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
kālo 'smi
loka-kṣaya-kṛt pravṛddho lokān
The Blessed Lord said: “Time I am, destroyer of the worlds, and I have come to engage all people.”
Thus the Lord Himself is the shore of the ocean of time, the limit of the material existence, and the bridge from the dangerous material world, where everything is temporary and changeable, to the spiritual world where we exist eternally along with Him in an unlimited ocean of bliss and perfect knowledge. Pleasing Him by the process of devotional service is the solution for all the ills of material existence. Yet the impersonalists and materialists fight against the plan of the Lord, creating chaos for themselves and others by refusing to follow His clear instructions in the Vedic scriptures. To explain their painful experiences of life and justify their lusty sinful appetites and independent activities, they invent many bogus theories.
The real cause of all our problems is our rebellious attitude against the authority of the Lord, and our lusty attempts to enjoy His material resources by sinful activities like eating meat and indulging in illicit sex, intoxication and speculation. Therefore His servants in this world write many books like Vedānta-sūtra to inform people of the real truth, so they can solve the problems of life and return to the eternal blissful atmosphere. A key ingredient of these transcendental literatures is the refutation of the incorrect speculative theories of impersonalism and materialism that keep us immersed in the endless ocean of birth and death in the material world.
The impersonalist speculators’ favorite trick is to throw doubt on the scriptures through imaginative misinterpretations. By attributing false and illogical conclusions to the scriptures, they try to make them seem unauthoritative. Then when the people doubt the scriptures because of their propaganda, they can advance their own absurd theories, based on nothing more than their own defective imaginations. For example, Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.2.5 says:
yasmin dyauḥ pṛthivī
cāntarikṣam
otaṁ manaḥ saha prāṇaiś ca sarvaiḥ
tam
evaikaṁ jānatha ātmānam
anyā vāco vimuñcathāmṛtasyaiṣa
setuḥ
“Know that He in whom heaven, earth, sky, mind, breath and everything else are woven is the ātmā. Give up talking of anything else. He is the shore of the eternal.”
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: Is the abode of heaven described here the pradhāna, jīva, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: The abode of heaven here is the pradhāna, because pradhāna is the cause of all material transformations, and also because the words amṛta-setu [the shore of the eternal] appropriately describe pradhāna, which leads the living entities to liberation just as milk brings nourishment to a calf. The word ātmā in this passage may refer to pradhāna either because pradhāna brings happiness to the living entities, or because it is all-pervading. Then again the words in this passage may refer to the jīva, because the jīva is the enjoyer of the things in this world and because the jīva possesses the mind and the breath mentioned in this passage.
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: This is a typical miscalculation of the materialistic impersonalists. Rather than simply accept the superior wisdom of the Vedas, they prefer to employ speculation to conclude that there is no personal God to create the world, but simply an impersonal, mechanical cause behind nature, so they can justify their independent activities by claiming, however tenuously, to be God themselves. Now the author of the sūtras sets aside this doubt by speaking the Vedic conclusion.
dyu-bhv-ādy-āyatanaṁ sva-śabdāt
dyu – of heaven; bhū – and earth; ādi – beginning with; āyatanaṁ – the abode; sva – own; śabdāt – because of the word.
The description “the abode of heaven, earth, and other things,” refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the words in this passage specifically describe Him.
The words “the abode of heaven” in Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.2.5 refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why? The sūtra says sva-śabdāt: “Because the words in this passage specifically describe Him.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead is referred to here because the words amṛtasya setuḥ: “The shore of the eternal,” can refer to Him alone, and no one else. Amṛtasya means “of the immortal”; and because setuḥ comes from the verb sinoti, which means “to bind,” the phrase amṛtasya setuḥ means “He who enables one to attain the eternal.” Or the word setuḥ here may mean “like a bridge.” As a bridge enables one to cross to the other side of rivers and other bodies of water, in the same way the bridge of devotional service to the Supreme Lord enables one to attain the liberation that lies on the other shore of the cycle of repeated birth and death. That is the meaning of this phrase. In this matter the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [3.8 and 6.15] says,
tam eva viditvāti mṛtyum eti
“One can overcome the path of birth and death only by understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
yadātma-tattvena tu
brahma-tattvaṁ
dīpopameneha yuktaḥ prapaśyet
ajaṁ
dhruvaṁ sarva-tattvair viśuddhaṁ
jñātvā devaṁ
mucyate sarva-pāśaiḥ
“Without the mercy of the Supreme Lord, there is no alternative for the living entities to get freedom from material bondage. Moreover, in order to receive His mercy, a living entity requires self-realization just as the darkness inside a pot can only be dissipated by a lamp. Similarly, due to our ignorance the Supreme Lord, who is the controller of the entire universe, appears unreal to us. When a living entity realizes himself, he will automatically realize the Supreme Lord. Through knowledge of self-realization a living entity understands that though the Supreme Lord is situated within his heart, He does not take birth like an ordinary living entity. He is aloof from material activities, untouched by nescience, infallible, and supremely pure. Knowing this, the living entity becomes freed from all bondage.” [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 2.15]
Next he says:
muktopasṛpya vyapadeśāt
mukta – liberated; upasṛpya – attaining; vyapadeśāt – because of the statement.
Because it is said [that] the liberated souls attain [this spiritual abode of heaven, earth, and other things].
That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is attained by the liberated souls is described in the following statement of Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [3.1.3]:
yadā paśyaḥ paśyate
rukma-varṇaṁ
kārtāram īśaṁ puruṣaṁ brahma-yonim
tadā
vidvān puṇya-pāpe vidhūya
nirañjanaḥ paramaṁ
samyam upaiti
“One who sees that golden-colored Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Lord, the supreme actor, who is the source of the Supreme Brahman, becomes free from the reactions to past pious and sinful deeds, and becomes liberated, attaining the same transcendental platform as the Lord.”
Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [3.2.1] says:
upāsate puruṣaṁ ye hy akāmās te śukram etad ativartanti dhīrāḥ
“Those sober persons who worship the most pure personality, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, become free from all material desires and are liberated from the bondage of māyā.”
nānumānam atac-chabdāt
na – not; anumānam – that which is inferred; atat – not that; śabdāt – because of a word.
[The “abode of heaven and earth” here is not the pradhāna] because there is no word appropriate to it in this passage.
The pradhāna described in the Smṛti-śāstras is not referred to in this passage. Why? The sūtra says atac-chabdāt, which means that none of the words in this passage are appropriate for the insentient pradhāna. The abode of heaven, earth, sky, mind, breath and everything else cannot be anything material. Heaven is considered the highest destination for a materially conditioned soul, so what material context can contain it? It is not possible that pradhāna is indicated, because the text mentions breath, but pradhāna is the non-living composite of all material energy. The principle of life is not material, but the energy of the soul that animates the inert material body. The abode mentioned in the text must be spiritual, because it is attained by liberated souls.
The ultimate abode of everything is the spiritual world, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead engages in beautiful, unlimited pastimes with His eternal associates. Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.3] states:
atha ya eṣa samprasādo ‘smāc charīrāt samutthāya paraṁ jyoti-rūpa-sampadya svena rūpeṇābhiniṣpadyata eṣa ātmeti hovācaitad amṛtam bhayam etad brahmeti, tasya ha vā etasya brahmaṇo nāma satyam iti
“Then the liberated soul who has achieved the causeless mercy of the Lord leaves his body and attains the supreme effulgent Lord. He is then reinstated in his constitutional position as a servant of the Lord. He then reaches the conclusion that the Lord is the immortal, fearless, and almighty Supreme Soul.”
Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.12] states:
sa uttamaḥ puruṣaḥ sa tatra paryeti jakṣat krīḍan ramamāṇaḥ. taṁ vā etaṁ devā ātmānam upāsate
“The topmost person is he who achieves the Supreme Lord through devotional service. He enjoys food and sports in the abode of the Lord. The demigods worship that Supreme Lord.”
prāṇa-bhṛc ca
prāṇa-bhṛt – the jīva; ca – and.
For the same reason the jīva [is not the “abode of heaven and earth.”]
The word na [not] and the phrase giving the reason [tac-chabdāt] should be understood here from the previous sūtra. The word ātmā in the text under discussion also cannot be understood to be the jīva because the word ātmā, because it is derived from the verb atati [to go], primarily refers to the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the primary meaning of a word is suitable to the context, one cannot take the secondary meaning. The word sarva-vit [all-knowing] also cannot refer to the jīva. For these reasons, because the words in this passage of the Upaniṣad are not appropriate for such an interpretation, he says that the jīva cannot be the “abode of heaven and earth” mentioned here.
The jīva or spirit soul is atomic in size and insignificant in potency and knowledge. The soul is described as one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair point in size. The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [5.9] confirms this:
bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya
śatadhā
kalpitasya ca
bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ
sa
cānantyāya kalpate
“When the upper point of a hair is divided into one hundred parts and again each of such parts is further divided into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the spirit soul.”
Therefore, the individual particle of spirit soul is a spiritual atom smaller than a material atom, and although there are innumerable jīvas, they are not fit to be the abode of anything. Rather, this tiny spiritual spark is the living principle of the material body, and the influence of the spiritual spark is felt all over the body as consciousness; that is the proof of the presence of the soul. Anyone can understand that the material body minus consciousness is a dead body, and that once the soul leaves the body, this consciousness cannot be revived in the body by any material treatment. Therefore, consciousness is not due to any combination of material elements, but to the spirit soul. In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [3.1.9] the measurement of the atomic spirit soul is further explained:
eṣo 'ṇur ātmā cetasā
veditavyo
yasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṁviveśa
prāṇaiś
cittaṁ sarvam otaṁ prajānāṁ
yasmin viśuddhe vibhavaty eṣa
ātmā
“The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of subtle air [prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna and udāna], is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodied living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material prāṇa, its spiritual influence is exhibited.”
bheda-vyapadeśāc ca
bheda – difference; vyapadeśāt – because of the description; ca – and.
And also because the difference [between them] is specifically described.
The jīva is not the “abode of heaven and earth” because the scriptures affirm that the jīva and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are different, as explained in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [2.2.5]
tam evaikaṁ jānathātmānam
“Know Him to be the only Supreme Lord.”
tam ātmasthaṁ ye’ nupaśyanti dhīras-teṣāṁ sukhaṁ śāśvataṁ [śānti śāśvatī] netareṣām
“Only the wise person who can see that Supreme Soul within his heart becomes peaceful and enjoys transcendental bliss.” [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.12-13]
dvā suparṇā sayujā
sakhāyā
samānaṁ vṛkṣaṁ pariṣasvajāte
tayor anyaḥ
pippalaṁ svādv atty
anaśnann anyo ‘bhicākaśīti
“Two companion birds sit together in the shelter of the same pippala tree. One of them is relishing the taste of the tree’s berries, while the other refrains from eating and instead watches over His friend.” [Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.1-3]
prakaraṇāt
prakaraṇāt – because of the context.
[And also] because of the context.
The “abode of heaven and earth” here must be the Supreme Personality of Godhead because of the context. The opening statement of this passage under discussion [Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.1.3], asks yasmin nu vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati: “What is the one thing, knowing which everything becomes known?” Therefore the passage that follows must describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ
pavitram
idam uttamam
pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ
su-sukhaṁ
kartum avyayam
“This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.” [Bhagavad-gītā 9.2]
sthity-adanābhyāṁ ca
sthiti – staying; adanābhyāṁ – eating; ca – and.
And also because one is eating and the other standing.
After describing the “abode of heaven and earth,” the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [3.1.1] goes on to say:
dvā suparṇā sayujā
sakhāyā
samānaṁ vṛkṣaṁ pariṣasvajāte
tayor anyaḥ
pippalaṁ svādy atti
anaśnann anyo ‘bhicākaśīti
“Two friendly birds stay on the same tree. One eats the sweet pippala fruits and the other, not eating, shines with great splendor.”
If the “abode of heaven and earth” had not been previously mentioned then there would be no reason to assume that the splendid bird here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise if the “abode of heaven and earth” had not been mentioned, the sudden, unannounced mention of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the allegory of the two birds would not be understandable. The Upaniṣad did not need to mention the jīva, who is already well known in the world, in the same way. For all these reasons, the “abode of heaven and earth” here refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: The Upaniṣads are the essence of the Vedas, extracted and compiled by Vyāsadeva to help us learn their most important truths. The common theme of the Upaniṣads is that of a student approaching a self-realized spiritual master for instruction and enlightenment. In fact, the very meaning of the word upaniṣad is upa: “come close [to a self-realized soul],” + aniṣa: “sit down [and hear about the Supreme Absolute Truth].” So the Upaniṣads collectively teach us to follow the Vedic process of approaching a guru and inquiring about the Absolute Truth, Brahman.
Just as the Upaniṣads are the essence of the Vedas, the Vedānta-sūtra is the essence of the Upaniṣads. The Upaniṣads are sometimes deliberately vague and metaphorical, because they are meant to provoke us to inquire about the Absolute Truth from a qualified source. Vedānta-sūtra also begins with this process of inquiry about Brahman, athāto brahma-jijñāsā: “Now, therefore, one should desire to inquire about the Absolute.” [Sūtra 1.1.1] Therefore one should study Vedānta-sūtra under the guidance of a self-realized soul, and inquire into the mysteries of the Upaniṣads from someone who has experienced them directly. A fully self-realized spiritual master can explain all these mysteries clearly, and offer practical guidance to the student based on his experience.
Upaniṣadic writing is deliberately mysterious to stimulate this inquiry, and also to protect the confidential Vedic truths from unqualified people. But in the absence of a qualified spiritual master, such vague and paradoxical pronouncements can lead to speculation and guesswork. Often, an unqualified person will pose as a spiritual master and mislead his students with imaginative explanations of the Vedas and Upaniṣads. Sometimes such false teachers are sincere, but simply deluded; others are cynical exploiters seeking fame and fortune at the expense of their followers. Either way, accepting a fraudulent teacher is the most dangerous pitfall on the path of spiritual progress.
The conditioned soul is already too much under the influence of the material body and mind. So when a so-called spiritual teacher offers an easy path based on the material body, it seems attractive because the body is something familiar and well-understood. Other false teachers portray the spiritual path as a matter of abstract knowledge alone. They hint at a shortcut to enlightenment based on some tricky mental adjustment. All these prey on the natural tendency of the conditioned soul towards laziness and lack of intellectual integrity.
The actual spiritual path has a number of well-known stages, where the Supreme Absolute Truth is realized in a progressively more subtle series of His energies and aspects, culminating in direct realization of the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. In the passage below, the great teacher Śrī Sanat-kumāra explains this path, beginning with meditation on the Holy Name of the Lord as given in all scriptures. The whole passage [Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.1.1-7.26.2] is given here for context:
Nārada approached Śrī Sanat-kumāra saying, “Please teach me, Sir.” Sanat-kumāra replied, “First tell me what you know already, then I will tell you what is beyond that.”
Nārada said, “I know the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, the Sāma Veda and the Atharva Veda, the fourth; the Itihāsa Purāṇa [Mahābhārata], which is a fifth book among the Vedas; the science of ancestors, the science of numbers, the science of devatās, the science of finding treasure, the undivided original Veda and its twenty-four branches, the superhuman deva sciences, the science of Brahman, the science of ghosts, the science of politics, the science of the stars, the science of serpents and Gandharvas; all this I know, venerable Sir.
“But Sir, with all this, I am like one who knows the mantras only, but not the Lord. I have heard from persons like Your Honor that one who knows the Lord overcomes all grief. I am in grief; therefore, O Sir, take me over this ocean of grief.” Sanat-kumāra replied, “Whatever you have read is verily only the name of the Lord.
“Verily the name of the Lord is the presiding Deity of the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, the Sāma Veda and the Atharva Veda, the fourth, and the rest [of the Vedic scriptures]. All these are verily name only; meditate on Brahman in the name.
“He who meditates on Brahman in name gets freedom of movement throughout all that region over which name has her scope; therefore, meditate on Brahman in name.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than name?” “Yes, there is something better than name.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Speech is better than name. Speech makes us understand the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, the Sāma Veda and the Atharva Veda, the fourth and the rest. Meditate on Brahman in speech.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than speech?” “Yes, there is something better than speech.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Mind is higher than speech. For name and speech are enclosed in mind, just as when two myrobalan plums or haritaki fruits are held in one’s closed fist. When one wishes to study the mantras, he does so in mind as Brahman. Meditate on Brahman in mind.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than mind?” “Yes, there is something better than mind.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Will [mitra] is better than mind. For when a man wills, then he thinks in his mind, then he utters speech, and sends it forth as a name. In name all mantras are included, and all Vedic rituals abide in mantras. Therefore all these have their refuge in will; they have will as their Lord, abide in will and so on. Meditate on Brahman in will.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than will?” “Yes, there is something better than will.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Flickering memory [citta] is verily greater than will. For when a man recollects, then he thinks in his mind, then he utters speech, and sends it forth in a name. In name all mantras are included, and all Vedic rituals abide in mantras. All these, beginning with mind and ending in sacrifice, have memory as their center, have memory as their Lord and are supported in memory. Meditate on Brahman in memory.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than memory?” “Yes, there is something better than memory.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Meditation [dhyāna] is better than memory. The earth is in meditation, as it were; and also the sky, the intermediate region, heaven, the water, the mountains and divine men. Meditate on Brahman in dhyāna. Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than meditation?” “Yes, there is something better than meditation.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Understanding is better than meditation. Through understanding, one understands the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, the Sāma Veda and the Atharva Veda, the fourth and the rest, food and its tastes, this world and that world; all this we understand through understanding. Meditate on Brahman in understanding. Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than understanding?” “Yes, there is something better than understanding.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Spiritual power is verily better than understanding. Here is this world, one man of spiritual power makes a hundred men of understanding tremble. If a man is spiritually powerful, he rises to higher planes; rising to higher planes, he serves the Masters; serving the Masters, he attracts their attention; attracting their attention, he gets their audience and their teachings; then he ponders over their teachings and begins to understand them and act on them; thus he becomes wise. By power, the earth stands firm; by power the intermediate world stands firm; by power the deva-loka stands firm; by power the mountains and divine men, the cattle and birds and herbs and beasts down to the worms, insects and ants stand firm; by power the world stands firm. Meditate on Brahman in power.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than power?” “Yes, there is something better than power.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Food [Aniruddha or spiritual love] is better than spiritual power. Meditate on Brahman in spiritual love.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than spiritual love?” “Yes, there is something better than spiritual love.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Water [prāṇa or spiritual peace] is better then spiritual love. Therefore, if seasonal rain were not to fall, all beings beings become wretched from lack of food; while if seasonal rains fall, all living beings rejoice, for there will be plenty of food. Therefore meditate on Brahman in water.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than water?” “Yes, there is something better than water.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Fire [Indra or the fire of genius] is better than water. Therefore when heat pervades the atmosphere, people say ‘It is warm and sultry, it will rain.’ Meditate on Brahman in fire.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than fire?” “Yes, there is something better than fire.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Ether [Umā or the steady light of genius] is higher than fire. Meditate on Brahman in ether.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than ether?” “Yes, there is something better than ether.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Memory [Rudra or spiritual omniscience] is higher than ether. Meditate on Brahman in memory.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than memory?” “Yes, there is something better than memory.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“Hope [Sarasvatī or the bliss of divine vision] is better then memory. Kindled by hope, memory reads the sacred hymns, performs sacrifices, desires sons and cattle, desires this world and that world. Meditate on Brahman in hope.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than hope?” “Yes, there is something better than hope.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“The chief breath of life [prāṇa] is better than hope. As the spokes of a wheel are all attached to the hub, so all are attached to this prāṇa. But the chief breath himself moves through the Supreme Breath. This Supreme Breath gives to the Chief Breath all that he desires, when the prāṇa mediates between the soul and the Supreme; yea, gives to him his very life. This Supreme Breath is verily the father; the Supreme Breath is the sister; the Supreme Breath is the teacher; the Supreme Breath is the priest.
“The Supreme Breath verily exists in all these. He who sees it thus, perceives it thus, knows it thus, becomes the teacher of the highest truth [ativādin]. If the people say to him, “You are an ativādin,” let him say “I am an ativādin.” He need not conceal it.” Nārada inquired, “Is there something better than prāṇa?” “Yes, there is something better than prāṇa.” “Sir, please tell it to me.”
“The Lord called the Absolute Truth is higher than prāṇa. But he in reality is a higher ativādin who declares the Lord Viṣṇu to be the Absolute Truth.” “Sir, may I become an ativādin by the grace of the Absolute Truth?” “Yes, but first we must desire to know the Absolute Truth.” “Sir, I desire to know the Absolute Truth.”
“When one understands the Lord as omniscient, then one declares the Lord good [satyam]. One who does not understand Him as omniscient cannot declare Him good. Only he who understands the omniscience of the Lord can declare Him good. This omniscience, however, we must desire to understand.” “Sir, I desire to understand the omniscient Lord.”
“When one realizes Him as the Thinker, then one understands Him as omniscient. One who does not so realize cannot understand Him as omniscient. This Thinker, however, we must desire to understand.” “Sir, I desire to understand the Thinker.”
“When one known Him as the All-holy, then one understands Him as the Thinker. One who does not know Him as the All-holy, cannot understand Him as the Thinker. This All-holy, however, we must desire to understand.” “Sir, I desire to understand the All-holy.”
“When one knows Him as firm, then one believes Him holy. One who has no knowledge of His firmness cannot believe Him to be holy. One who knows Him as firm, believes Him holy. This firm Lord, however, we must desire to understand.” “Sir, I desire to understand the firm one.”
“When one understands Him as the creator, then he can know Him as having firmness. One who has no knowledge of Him as the creator cannot know Him to be firm. One who knows Him as the creator, knows Him as firm. This creator Lord, however, we must desire to know.” “Sir, I desire to know the creator.”
“When one knows Him as pleasure, he knows Him as the creator. One who does not know Him as pleasure does not know Him as the creator. Realizing Him as pleasure alone, one knows Him as the creator. This pleasure, however, we must desire to understand.” “Sir, I desire to know Him as pleasure.”
“He who is the Lord Nārāyaṇa called the infinity [Bhūmā] is the real pleasure. Without the grace of the infinity [Bhūmā] there is no pleasure for the finite living beings. The Bhūmā alone is happiness. One must therefore inquire into Bhūmā.” “Sir, I desire to know Bhūmā.”
“When one attains Him one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, and knows nothing else. That is Bhūmā. When one sees something else, hears something else, and knows something else, he knows that is very small. He who is the Bhūmā, He is verily the Immortal. But what is limited, that is the mortal.” “Sir, in what does this Bhūmā rest?” “In His own glory, or perhaps not even there.
“In this world, cows and horses, elephants and gold, slaves and wives, fields and houses are said to be glorious. But I do not mean this glory,” said Sanat-kumāra, “I mean something different from worldly glory.
“He indeed is below, above, behind, before, right and left; thus He indeed is full. Now the teaching regarding Him called as ‘I’: the ‘I’ is below, the ‘I’ is above, the ‘I’ is behind, the ‘I’ is before, the ‘I’ is to the right and left; thus the ‘I’ is verily the nearest and the full.
“Next follows the teaching regarding Him as the Ātman. The Ātman is below, Ātman is above, Ātman is behind, Ātman is before, Ātman is to the right and left; thus Ātman alone is the nearest and the full. He who sees Him thus, understands Him thus, thinks Him thus, always thinks the Ātman to be the highest; he sports in the Ātman, he unites with the Ātman, has the Ātman for his joy, and comes directly under the rule of the Ātman. For him there is freedom of movement in all the worlds. But those who understand Him differently live in worlds that are perishable, and are under inferior rulers; for them there is no freedom of movement in all the worlds.
“For the realized soul who sees thus, who thinks thus, who understands thus, there is the vision of how the Chief Prāṇa comes out of the Ātman, how the hope comes out of the Ātman, how the steady memory comes out of the Ātman, how the ether comes out of Him, how the fire comes out of Him, how the water comes out of Him, how the appearance and disappearance of the worlds comes out of Him, how the food comes out of Him, how the power comes out of Him, how the understanding comes out of Him, how meditation comes out of Him, how the flickering memory comes out of Him, how the will comes out of Him, how the mind comes out of Him, how the speech comes out of Him, how the name comes out of Him, how the mantras of the Vedas come out of Him, how the karmas come out of Him; verily the realized soul sees how all this universe come out from the Ātman alone.
“There is this verse about it: ‘The liberated soul does not see death, nor illness nor pain. The realized soul sees everything and obtains everything, everywhere. He becomes one, he becomes three, he becomes five, he becomes nine, and it is said he becomes eleven as well, nay he becomes one hundred and eleven, and one thousand and twenty.’
“Right doctrine leads to right thinking. Right thinking leads to firm meditation. When meditation is form, all bondage is loosed completely, through the grace of the Lord.”
Thus the great teacher Sanat-kumāra showed the other side of darkness to the sage Nārada. Sanat-kumāra is called the Great Warrior; yea, he is called the Great Warrior.
In this passage, after describing the Lord’s Holy Names and qualities, Śrī Sanat-kumāra was asked by Śrī Nārada Muni [Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.23.1-7.24.1]:
bhūmā tv eva vijijñāsitavya iti bhūmānaṁ bhagavo vijijñāsa iti. yatra nānyat paśyati nānyac chṛṇoti nānyad vijānāti sa bhūmā. atha yatrānyat paśyaty anyac chṛṇoty anyad vijānāti tad-alpam
“ ‘One should ask about Bhūmā.’ ‘My lord, I wish to know about Bhūmā.’ ‘When one attains Him one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, and knows nothing else. That is Bhūmā. When one sees something else, hears something else, and knows something else, he knows that is very small.’ ”
The word bhūmā often means “many,” but here it means “the all-pervading fullness.” The text says yatrānyat paśyati... tad-alpam: “When one sees something else, he sees that which is very small.” The Bhūmā is contrasted against alpa [the small]. The opposite of small is “all-pervading,” not “many.” Therefore Bhūmā here means “the all-pervading fullness,” and indirectly indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa and His transcendental pastimes.
Bhūmā is one of a class of Holy Names of the Lord that is derived from His qualities, such as Brahma [pure consciousness, the cosmic root substance], Caitanya [living force], Ātmā [the soul of the universe], Paramātmā [the Supreme Soul], Jagadīśa [controller of everyone], Virāṭ [the universal form], Vibhu [He who is full of all opulence], Viśvarūpa [whose body is the universe] and Vyāpaka [the all-pervading Lord]. One may get a little light from these names, but it is difficult to realize that the Holy Name of the Lord is identical with the Personality of Godhead through these indirect names. Therefore the impersonalists are fond of these names, because unlike Holy Names such as Kṛṣṇa, Govinda or Viṣṇu, they do not force one to confront the reality that the Supreme is a transcendental personality.
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: Does Bhūmā here mean prāṇa [life-breath or energy], or Lord Viṣṇu?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: In the passage previous to this, the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [7.15.1] says prāṇo vā āśāyā bhūyān: “prāṇa is better than hope.” Because prāṇa is the topic immediately preceding Bhūmā, and because no question and answer intervenes between them, therefore prāṇa and Bhūmā are the same. Here the word prāṇa [life-breath] means the jīva soul, who has breath for his companion. It does not mean merely air. Because this passage begins [7.1.3] by describing the jīva soul, tarati śokam ātma-vit: “He who knows the soul crosses beyond grief,” and ends [7.26.1] by again describing the jīva soul as ātmana evedaṁ sarvam: “The soul is everything,” therefore the description of Bhūmā situated between these two statements must be a description of the jīva soul. When the Upaniṣad says [7.25.1] yatra nānyat paśyati: “When one attains Him one sees nothing else,” it means, in this interpretation, that when the jīva is rapt in deep sleep and his senses are all in the grip of prāṇa, he cannot see anything beyond himself. When the Upaniṣad says [7.23.1] yo vai bhūmā tat sukham: “the Bhūmā is bliss,” it does not contradict the idea that the Bhūmā is the jīva here, because the śruti-śāstra says tasyāṁ sukham aham asvāpsam: “I slept very happily.” In this way it is proved that this passage of the Upaniṣad describes the jīva soul. All the other portions of this passage are also very favorable to this interpretation of the jīva.
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: He says:
bhūmā samprasādād adhyupadeśāt
bhūmā – the Bhūmā; samprasādāt – than the jīva, who is the object of the Lord’s mercy; adhi – greater; upadeśāt – because of the teaching.
[The Bhūmā here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead] because of the scriptural teaching that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the jīva soul.
The Bhūmā here is Lord Viṣṇu and not the jīva, who has prāṇa [life-breath] as his companion. Why? The Sūtra says, samprasādād adhy upadeśāt: “Because of the scriptural teaching that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the jīva soul.” The Bhūmā is the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the passage here [Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.23.1] says in the words yo vai bhūmā tat sukham—“The Bhūmā is bliss”—and because the Sūtra here says that the Bhūmā is superior to all. Also, Bhūmā indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.3.4, 8.12.3] says:
eṣa samprasādo ‘smāc charīrāt samutthāya...
“ ‘Now the jīva who has attained the mercy of the Lord rises above the gross material body, attains the effulgent spiritual world and in his true spiritual form comes before Ātman.’ Thus he spoke when asked by his pupils. This Ātman or Viṣṇu is the immortal, the fearless, this is Brahman, and the name of the Brahman is the Absolute Truth, satyam.”
“Thus does that liberated jīva, after having been released from the body, reach the highest light, and appears in his true spiritual form before the highest Spirit. He moves about there laughing, playing and rejoicing, be it with women, carriages or relatives, never being conscious of persons near him, so great is his ecstasy. As the charioteer is appointed to the chariot, so is the Prāṇa appointed in this body.”
Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the jīva, who is dependent on the Lord’s mercy, and who has prāṇa [life-breath] as his companion.
The meaning is this: After describing names and a host of other things, the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [7.15.2] says sa vā eṣa evaṁ paśyan evaṁ manvāna evaṁ vijānann ati-vādī bhavati: “He who sees prāṇa, meditates on prāṇa, and understands prāṇa becomes a true knower of things.” Then after saying that the knower of prāṇa becomes a true knower of things, the Upaniṣad then says [7.16.1] eṣa tu vā ativadati yaḥ satyenātivadati: “He who knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in reality the true knower of things.” The word tu [but] in the passage under discussion ends the discussion of prāṇa. Then the greatest ativādī [wise man] is described as “he who knows the satya [Absolute Truth],” which here means Lord Viṣṇu. In this way the Upanīsad explains that the Bhūmā is both different from and superior to prāṇa. Because in this way the Bhūmā is declared to be superior to prāṇa, prāṇa cannot be identical with the Bhūmā. The Bhūmā is here taught to be superior to the series beginning with name and culminating in prāṇa, and therefore it is clearly seen to be different from speech and the other items in this series. In this way Sanat-kumāra teaches that the Bhūmā is superior to prāṇa.
The word satya is famous as a Holy Name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu. The scriptures often use the word satya in this way. For example, the Taittirīya Upaniṣad [2.1.2] says satyaṁ jñānam anantam—“The unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of transcendental knowledge”—and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [1.1.1] says satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi: “I meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” And in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.2.26, the demigods pray to Lord Kṛṣṇa:
satya-vrataṁ satya-paraṁ
tri-satyaṁ
satyasya yoniṁ nihitaṁ ca satye
satyasya
satyam ṛta-satya-netraṁ
satyātmakaṁ tvāṁ śaraṇaṁ
prapannāḥ
“O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone. Being present in the three phases of cosmic manifestation-creation, maintenance and annihilation—You are the Supreme Truth. Indeed, unless one is completely truthful, one cannot achieve Your favor, which therefore cannot be achieved by hypocrites. You are the active principle, the real truth, in all the ingredients of creation, and therefore you are known as antaryāmī, the inner force. You are equal to everyone, and Your instructions apply for everyone, for all time. You are the beginning of all truth. Therefore, offering our obeisances, we surrender unto You. Kindly give us protection.”
The word satyena in the passage under discussion is in the instrumental case, in the sense of “because.” The meaning here is that one becomes a true ativādī [wise man] by knowing Satya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The person who meditates on prāṇa as an energy of the Supreme is called an ativādī [wise man], because he is wise in comparison to those who meditate on the series of objects mentioned previously, beginning with prāṇa and culminating in hope. But he who meditates on Lord Viṣṇu directly is superior to the person who meditates on prāṇa. Therefore he who meditates on Lord Viṣṇu is the real ativādī, the best ativādī.
For this reason the student asks [Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.16.1] so ‘haṁ bhagavaḥ satyenātivadāni: “My lord, I will become a man wise with knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” The guru then answers satyaṁ tv eva vijijñāsitavyam: “One must yearn to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” The objection of the pūrvapakṣa that “because there are no further questions and answers after the description of the ativādī wise with knowledge of prāṇa, therefore the subject of prāṇa continues into the next sentence,” is invalid. Moreover, the objection that “because there are no questions after the description of prāṇa, therefore prāṇa is the highest,” is also invalid. In describing the series of inanimate things, beginning with name and culminating in hope, the guru did not say that the knower of any of these was an ativādī [wise man]. However, when he described prāṇa [here meaning the jīva] he did say that the knower of prāṇa is an ativādī. The student then assumes that prāṇa is the highest. That is why he asks no further question. However, the guru Sanat-kumāra, not accepting prāṇa as the highest, proceeds to explain that Lord Viṣṇu is higher than prāṇa. The student, now taught that Lord Viṣṇu is the highest, becomes eager to know how to meditate on Him, and asks so ‘ham bhagavaḥ satyenātivadāni: “My lord, I will become an ativādī wise with knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
The opponent may say, “What is referred to here is the jīva, who is the companion of prāṇa [life-breath], and who is referred to in the beginning of this passage as ātmā.”
The reply is: No. Here the word ātmā primarily means the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because to interpret the word otherwise would contradict the statement at the beginning of the passage [7.26.1] ātmanaḥ prāṇaḥ: “prāṇa is manifested from the ātmā.” This view of the opponent also contradicts the statement [7.24.1] yatra nānyat paśyati nānyac chṛṇoti nānyad vijānāti sa bhūmā: “When one attains Him one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, and knows nothing else. That is Bhūmā.” This description of the perception of Bhūmā clearly refutes any idea that the word Bhūmā could mean anything other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The scriptures say sauṣuptikam sukham alpam—“The happiness of deep sleep is very slight”—and therefore to say that the word Bhūmā here means “the jīva who is soundly sleeping” is simply laughable. For all these reasons, therefore, the Bhūmā described here is Lord Viṣṇu.
dharmopapatteś ca
dharma – qualities; upapatteḥ – because of the appropriateness; ca – and.
And also because the qualities described here can be ascribed to the Supreme Personality of Godhead alone.
The qualities ascribed here to the Bhūmā are suitable only for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, and not for anyone else. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad says [7.24.1]:
yo vai bhūmā tad amṛtam
“The Bhūmā is the eternal.”
This describes the eternality that is a natural feature of the Supreme. The Upaniṣad also says sa bhagavaḥ kasmin pratiṣṭhita iti sve mahimni: “Where does the Supreme Personality of Godhead stay? He stays in His own glory.” This explains that the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not depend on anyone. The scriptures also say sa evādhastāt: “The Supreme Person is above, below, in front, behind, to the left and to the right.” This shows that the Lord is the ultimate shelter of everyone and everything.
The scriptures say [Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.26.1]:
ātmanaḥ prāṇaḥ
“The life-force is manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
This shows that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original cause of all causes. These are some of the qualities of the Supreme described in the Vedic literatures. Finally, the word Bhūmā is used to describe Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu in this passage from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [10.89.57]:
tāv āha bhūmā parameṣṭhināṁ
prabhur
beddhāñjalī sa-smitam ūrjayā girā
“Then, as the two of them stood before Him with joined palms, the almighty Mahā-Viṣṇu, supreme master of all rulers of the universe, smiled and spoke to them in a voice full of solemn authority.”
The Vedic principle of samanvaya means that when the meaning of a word is vague, it should be interpreted according to the context. The purpose of all the Vedic scriptures is to reveal the highest truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the best process of self-realization as devotional service to Him. Even though the Vedas may mention other subjects, that is their ultimate conclusion. Therefore when one encounters an ambiguous term in the Vedic literature, there is never any fault in interpreting it as indicating the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Here is another passage containing a word that ostensibly means one thing, but that according to context indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [3.8.6-8] says:
She said, “O Yajñavalkaya! That which is above heaven, and below the earth, which is between heaven and earth, which is in the past, present and future, in what is that woven, warp and woof?”
He replied, “O Gārgi, that which is above heaven, and below the earth, which is also between heaven and earth, which is in the past, present and future, that is woven as warp and woof in the ākāśa [sky].” “In what then is the sky woven, warp and woof?”
He said, “O Gārgi, the brāhmaṇas say it is woven in the imperishable [akṣara]. The imperishable is not large, not small, not short, not tall, not red, not liquid, without shadow, without darkness, without air, without ether, without attachment, without taste, without smell, without eyes, without ears, without speech, without mind, without activity, without breath, without a door, without measure; having no inside or outside, it devours nothing, and no one devours it.”
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: Is the akṣara [eternal] here pradhāna, jīva, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: The word akṣara here may denote any of the three. The meaning is ambiguous.
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: The conclusion follows.
akṣaram ambarānta-dhṛteḥ
akṣaram – the eternal; ambara – with sky; anta – at the end; dhṛteḥ – because of being the support.
[The word] akṣara [here refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because the akṣara is described as] the resting place of all the elements, beginning with the grossest and culminating in sky.
The akṣara here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why? The sūtra says amabarānta-dhṛteḥ: “Because the akṣara is described as the resting place of all the elements, beginning with the grossest and culminating in sky.” The Upaniṣad says etasmin khalu akṣare gārgy ākāśa otaś ca protaś ca: “O Gārgi, the sky is woven, warp and woof, in the eternal.” The word akṣara must refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because it is here described as the resting place of all the elements, which culminate in sky. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [11.24.19], Lord Kṛṣṇa says:
prakṛtir yasyopādānam
ādhāraḥ
puruṣaḥ paraḥ
sato 'bhivyañjakaḥ kālo
brahma
tat tritayaṁ tv aham
“The material universe is real, having prakṛti as its original ingredient and final state. Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu is the resting place of nature, which becomes manifest by the power of time. Thus nature, the almighty Viṣṇu and time are not different from Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth.”
mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid
asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre
maṇi-gaṇā iva
“O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.” [Bhagavad-gītā 7.7]
The objection may be raised: “Akṣara here may refer to pradhāna because pradhāna is the origin of all the changes of this world. Akṣara may also refer to the jīva because the jīva is the resting place of all inanimate objects that come within its perception.”
If these objections are raised, he then says:
sā ca praśāsanāt
sā – that; ca – and; praśāsanāt – because of the command.
Akṣara here must refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the text says that everything is supported by His command.
In the previous sūtra the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as the resting place of all the elements, beginning with the grossest and culminating in sky. Why is this? The sūtra says praśāsanāt: “Because the text says that everything is supported by His command.” The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [3.8.9] says
etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi dyāvā-pṛthivī vidhṛte tiṣṭhataḥ. Etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi sūryā-candramasau vidhṛtau tiṣṭhataḥ...
“By the command of the eternal, O Gārgi, heaven and earth are manifest. By the command of the eternal, O Gārgi, the sun and moon are manifest. By the command of the eternal, O Gārgi, the moments, hours, days and nights, bright and dark fortnights, months, seasons and years all become manifest. By the command of the eternal, O Gārgi, some rivers flow to the east from the white mountains, others to the west, or any other quarter. By the command of the eternal, O Gārgi, men praise those who give, the gods follow the sacrificer, the father, the darvi offering.”
yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā
sakala-grahāṇāṁ
rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir
aśeṣa-tejāḥ
yasyājñayā bhramati
sambhṛta-kāla-cakro
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ
bhajāmi
“The sun who is the king of all the planets, full of infinite effulgence, the image of the good soul, is as the eye of this world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, in pursuance of whose order the sun performs his journey mounting the wheel of time.” [Brahma-saṁhitā 5.52]
nabho dadāti śvasatāṁ
padaṁ
yan-niyamād adaḥ
lokaṁ sva-dehaṁ tanute
mahān saptabhir
āvṛtam
“Subject to the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sky allows outer space to accommodate all the various planets, which hold innumerable living entities. The total universal body expands with its seven coverings under His supreme control.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.29.43]
Because these words describe the order of the eternal, the eternal should be understood to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Neither the inanimate, unconscious pradhāna, nor the conditioned or liberated jīva can create everything simply by their command.
anya-bhāva-vyāvṛtteś ca
anya – another; bhāva – nature; vyāvṛtteḥ – because of the exclusion; ca – also.
And also because the text describes certain qualities that specifically exclude any other being.
The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [3.8.11] says
tad vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy adṛṣṭaṁ draṣṭṛ aśrutaṁ śrotṛ...
“O Gārgi, this eternal sees, but is unseen. He hears, but is unheard. He is inconceivable but thinking, unknown but knowing. There is nothing that sees but He, nothing that hears but He, nothing that thinks but He, nothing that knows but He. In that imperishable [akṣara] O Gārgi, the ether is woven, warp and woof.”
Because these words describe the akṣara in terms that cannot be applied to anyone but the Supreme Personality of Godhead, akṣara must refer to the Supreme Person. The pradhāna is inanimate and unconscious and therefore it cannot see. Because the text here says that the akṣara sees everything but cannot be seen by anyone, it cannot mean the jīva. Similarly, [Bhagavad-gītā 13.15] says:
sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ
sarvendriya-vivarjitam
asaktaṁ
sarva-bhṛc caiva
nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca
“The Supersoul is the original source of all senses, yet He is without senses. He is unattached, although He is the maintainer of all living beings. He transcends the modes of nature, and at the same time He is the master of all the modes of material nature.”
The conditioned souls in the material world want to see the creation as a pleasurable place for their own enjoyment, therefore they concoct so many false theories about the nature of the cosmos. They want to imagine there is no God in control, to remove all impediments to their false proprietorship and enjoyment. They do not understand that a material creation without a spiritual cause is an impossibility; nor do they see the Lord expanded everywhere by His personal expansions and energies. Therefore they are unaware that He is actually the resting place of everything.
loke vitatam ātmānaṁ
lokaṁ
cātmani santatam
ubhayaṁ ca mayā vyāptaṁ
mayi
caivobhayaṁ kṛtam
“In this world of matter, which the conditioned soul accepts as consisting of enjoyable resources, the conditioned soul expands, thinking that he is the enjoyer of the material world. Similarly, the material world expands in the living entity as a source of enjoyment. In this way they both expand, but because they are My energies, they are both pervaded by Me. As the Supreme Lord, I am the cause of these effects, and one should know that both of them rest in Me.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.16.52]
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: In the Praśna Upaniṣad [5.2] the following passage is read:
etad vai satyakāma paraṁ cāparaṁ ca brahma yad oṁkāras tasmād vidvān etenaivāyatanenaikataram anveti... yaḥ punar etaṁ tri-mātreṇom ity anenaivākṣareṇa paramṁ puruṣam abhidhyāyīta sa tejasi sūrye sampanno yathā pādodaras tvacāvinirmucyate evaṁ haiva sa pāpmabhir vinirmuktaḥ sa sāmabhir unnīyate brahmalokaṁ sa etasmāt jīva-ghanāt parāt paraṁ puriśayaṁ puruṣaṁ vīkṣatet
Next Saibya Satyakāma asked him “O Master! What world does he conquer by unceasing meditation on oṁkāra, up to his death?”
“O Satyakāma, the syllable oṁ is both the superior Brahman and the inferior Brahman. A wise man attains one of these two Brahmans through the vehicle of meditation on oṁkāra.
“One who meditates on the syllable oṁ up to the level of exoteric realization, after death he is welcomed by the Supreme Self, and attains another human birth on earth. The devas of the Ṛg Veda lead him to a human body. In that birth he is endowed with austerity, celibacy and faith, and realizes the greatness of the fruit of these.
“Next if he meditates on the syllable oṁ up to the level of mesoteric realization, after death he is carried up by the mantras of the Yajur Veda to the Antarīkṣa or world of the moon. Having enjoyed the vast powers of the moon-world, he returns again.
“But one who meditates on the the eternal oṁ up to the level of esoteric realization, meditating on the Supreme Person, will attain the sun-planet [tejas]. As a snake sheds its skin so does he become free from all sins. By the hymns of the Sāma Veda he is carried to Satyaloka. There he directly sees the Supreme Soul, the Supreme Person residing in the heart. To that effect are the following two verses:
“The three notes [svara] become fatal when uttered singly or in couples, or without harmony. But when properly uttered either in high, low or middle pitch, there is no fear to the wise.
“By the Ṛg Veda one gains this physical world, by the Yajur Veda one gains the astral world, by the Sāman he gains that which is known only by the wise. The knower of Brahman also reaches that which is peace, imperishable, free from fear and Supreme, by the vehicle of oṁ alone.”
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: Is the person seen and meditated on the four-faced demigod Brahmā or the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: The text here says that the devotee who meditates on oṁ of one length attains the world of men, the devotee who meditates on oṁ of two lengths attains the world of heaven, and the devotee who meditates on oṁ of three lengths attains the world of Brahma. The planet here is the planet of the four-faced demigod Brahmā, and the person seen by one who goes there is the four-faced demigod Brahmā.
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: The conclusion follows.
īkṣati-karma-vyapadeśāt saḥ
īkṣati – of seeing; karma – object; vyapadeśāt – because of the description; saḥ – He.
The person here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the description of the object of vision here fits the Supreme Person.
Here the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the īkṣati-karma, or object of vision. Why? The sūtra says vyapadeśāt [because the description of the object of vision here fits the Supreme Person]. This is so because the Upaniṣad [5.2.7] describes the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the following words:
tam oṁkāreṇaivāyatanenānveti vidvān yat tac chāntam ajaram amṛtam abhayam paraṁ parāyaṇaṁ ca
“By reciting oṁ the wise man attains the supremely peaceful, ageless, eternal, fearless Supreme, the ultimate goal of life.”
The conclusion is that, according to the argument of niṣāda-sthapaty-adhikaraṇa-nyāya, the word brahmaloka here means Viṣṇuloka [the planet of Lord Viṣṇu]. The mantra oṁkāra, also known as praṇava actually indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā 7.8:
raso 'ham apsu kaunteya
prabhāsmi
śaśi-sūryayoḥ
praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu
śabdaḥ khe
pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu
“O son of Kuntī [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable oṁ in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.”
There are three stages of chanting mantras for self-realization; the exoteric, mesoteric and esoteric stages, called kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī and uttama-adhikārī: the neophyte, the intermediate student and the mahā-bhāgavata, or the highly advanced devotee. One whose faith is not very strong, who is just beginning, is considered a neophyte devotee. One who is not very expert in argument and logic based on the revealed scriptures, but who has firm faith, is considered a second-class devotee. Such an advanced devotee is very fortunate. One who is expert in understanding the revealed scriptures and in discussing them with transcendental logic, who has firm conviction and deep faith that is not blind, but is based on his own personal experience of self-realization, is considered a topmost devotee in devotional service. He is the most fortunate, for he has personally realized the Absolute Truth.
Typically the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī is eager to engage his materialistic qualifications in the service of the Lord, mistaking such material expertise to be a sign of advanced devotion. But by continuing to serve the Supreme Lord and the devotees engaged in propagating His mission, the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī gradually advances in realization, and comes to the stage of dedicating his activities to helping more advanced Vaiṣṇavas. Even such kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs can help ordinary living entities by their association, since at least the kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs have some faith that self-realization is the purpose of human life and that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because of this faith, the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī gradually becomes detached from those who are opposed to the conclusions of the Vedas and the purposes of the Lord. As he gradually becomes more and more neglectful of those who hate the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and becomes more attracted to friendship with other faithful servants of the Lord, the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī approaches the second-class stage, called madhyama-adhikārī. In the madhyama stage the Vaiṣṇava sees the Lord as the cause of all causes and the chief goal of everyone’s loving propensity. He sees the Vaiṣṇavas as his only friends within this morbid world and is eager to bring innocent people within the shelter of Vaiṣṇava society. Also, a madhyama-adhikārī avoids associating with the self-proclaimed enemies of God. When his devotional service becomes mature, the devotee advances to the stage of ecstatic love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and attains the vision of the Lord face-to-face by the Lord’s mercy. At that time he comes to the stage of uttama-adhikārī. Such a perfect self-realized soul is described as follows:
sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ
paśyed
bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ
bhūtāni bhagavaty
ātmany
eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ
“A person advanced in devotional service sees within everything the soul of souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Consequently he always sees the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of all causes and understands that all things are situated in Him.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.45]
The progression of devotional service from the neophyte stage to the perfection of self-realization is described in detail in this famous passage from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu [1.4.15-16], the science of devotional service:
ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo
'tha bhajana-kriyā
tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā
rucis tataḥ
athāsaktis tato bhāvas tataḥ
premābhyudañcati
sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ
prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ
“In the beginning one must have a preliminary desire for self-realization. This will bring one to the stage of trying to associate with persons who are spiritually elevated. In the next stage one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his instruction the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional service. By execution of devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master, one becomes free from all material attachment, attains steadiness in self-realization, and acquires a taste for hearing about the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This taste leads one further forward to attachment for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is matured in bhāva, or the preliminary stage of transcendental love of God. Real love for God is called prema, the highest perfectional stage of life.”
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: The Vedānta teaching distinguishes between external religious practices performed for personal spiritual merit, and internal devotional service performed out of transcendental love for the Supreme Brahman. Ritualistic practices performed for self-advancement are good, but they are only preliminary to the actual transcendental life of the inner consciousness of Brahman. One may gain great material facility, elevation to heavenly regions, great knowledge, and even superhuman powers or appointment to the post of a demigod by performance of the ritualistic practices of external religion. But the actual fruit of religion, which only the wise know, is the inner enlightenment of direct consciousness of the Supreme Brahman, by which all doubts are erased, all obstacles vanquished and all desires achieved. This is eternal, whereas the fruit of external ritualistic religious practices is but temporary.
It is stated in the Vedic literature that hṛdi hy ayam ātmā pratiṣṭhitaḥ: “Both the jīvātmā, the individual soul, and the Paramātmā, the Supreme Soul, live together within the heart.” Wherever the Lord is situated, the Lord’s abode, the spiritual sky is also there. So this transcendental sky is also present within the heart of every living entity. As Lord Jesus Christ said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” When we come to know that transcendental Lord within our hearts, His abode the spiritual sky is also automatically revealed.
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.1.1-6] is heard the following:
atha yad idam asmin brahma-pure daharaṁ puṇḍarīkaṁ veśma daharo ṣminn antar ākāśas tasmin yad antas tad anveṣṭavyaṁ tad vijijñāsitavyam...
“In a great city is a small lotus palace. In that palace is a small sky. That sky should be sought. That sky should be asked about.
“And they should say to him, ‘Now with regard to that city of Brahman, and the small lotus palace in it, and the small sky within the heart, what is there that deserves to be sought for, or that is to be understood?’
“Then he should say, ‘As large as this sky is [all space], so large is that sky within the heart. Both heaven and earth are contained within it, both fire and air, both sun and moon, both lightning and stars; and whatever there is of the self within this world and whatever is not, all that is contained within it.’
“And if they should say to him, ‘If everything that exists is contained within that city of Brahman, all beings and all desires, whatever can be imagined or desired, then what is left of it when old age reaches it and scatters it, or when it falls to pieces?’
“Then he should say, ‘By the old age of the body, that sky or the Brahman within it do not age; by the death of the body, that ether or the Brahman within it do not die. That Brahman is the true Brahma-city, not the body. All desires are contained within it. It is the Self, free from sin, from old age, from death and grief, from hunger and thirst, who desires nothing but His true eternal desires. Now, as here on earth people follow what they are commanded, and depend on the object they are attached to, be it a country or a piece of land;
“ ‘And as here on earth, whatever has been acquired by exertion perishes, so perishes whatever is acquired in the next world by sacrifices and other actions performed on earth. Those who depart from here after having discovered the Self and those true desires, for them there is freedom in all the worlds.’ ”
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: What is the small sky here in the lotus of the heart? Is it the element sky, the jīva, or Lord Viṣṇu?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: Because the word ākāśa generally means the element sky, it must also have that same meaning here. Or, because the jīva is very small and also the master of the city of the body, it may mean the jīva.
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: The conclusion is given in the following sūtras.
dahara uttarebhyaḥ
daharaḥ – the small; uttarebhyaḥ – because of the descriptions that follow.
The small [sky here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead] because of the description given in the remainder of the text.
The small sky here is Lord Viṣṇu. Why? The sūtra says uttarebhyaḥ: “Because of the description given in the remainder of the text.” The descriptions used here to describe the small sky, such as “as great as the sky,” “maintaining everything,” and “free from all sin,” cannot be used to describe either the element sky [ākāśa] or the jīva soul. The “great city” described in this Upaniṣad is the body of the devotee. The “lotus” is the heart in the body. The “palace” is the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The “small sky” is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who should be meditated upon and sought after, and who possesses a host of transcendental qualities, including being always free of all sin. The passage should be interpreted in this way. Therefore the small sky here is Lord Viṣṇu.
The city of the body is also described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [4.25.13]:
sa ekadā himavato
dakṣiṇeṣv
atha sānuṣu
dadarśa navabhir dvārbhiḥ
puraṁ
lakṣita-lakṣaṇām
“Once, while wandering in this way, he saw on the southern side of the Himalayas, in a place named Bhārata-varṣa [India], a city that had nine gates all about and was characterized by all auspicious facilities.”
The human body is a city of nine gates: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, the genital and the rectum. When the nine gates are clean and working properly, it is understood that the body is healthy. Good health is prerequisite to the mental concentration that is the basis of meditation and spiritual life. If the health is disturbed, then the mind is disturbed and cannot focus on the Lord. Therefore cleanliness and freedom from sinful activities like meat eating, illicit sex, intoxication and gambling are required to keep the body in a healthy condition so that one may make progressive advancement in spiritual life by meditating on the Lord within the heart.
The ākāśa of sky within the heart is the spiritual sky, or abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The quality of ākāśa is that it is the medium of sound vibration. Just like the material sky, the spiritual sky is always vibrating with śabda, sound. But the sound vibration in the spiritual world is śabda-brahman: spiritual sound vibration, beginning with the Holy Name of the Lord and the Vedic hymns. When we come into contact with śabda-brahman, then our whole existence is purified and we can think of the Supreme Lord with love. This is the aim and purpose of human life. Our predecessor spiritual master Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings,
jīvera kalyāṇa-sādhana-kāma
jagate
āsi ' e madhura nāma
avidyā-timira-tāpana-rūpe
hṛd-gagane
virāje
“The Holy Name of Lord Kṛṣṇa descends into the darkness of the material world just to benedict the conditioned souls. The Holy Name of Lord Kṛṣṇa is just like the sun that rises in the clear sky of the heart of the devotees.”
Those who are trying to exploit the material creation of the Lord, either in the name of piety or atheism, cannot understand such brilliant transcendental knowledge. One must become a pure devotee of the Lord, approach Him within the palace of the city of the body and enter the sky of the heart by the transcendental sound vibration of the Holy Name; then one’s knowledge illuminates everything in all directions. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [1.3] states:
yasmin vijñāte sarvam evam vijñātaṁ bhavati
“The devotee of the Lord knows everything material and spiritual in relationship with the Lord.”
Then he says:
gati-śabdābhyāṁ tathā hi dṛṣṭaṁ liṅgaṁ ca
gati – because of going; śabdābhyām – and because of a certain word; tathā hi – furthermore; dṛṣṭam – seen; liṅgam – hinted; ca – and.
[This is so] because of the description of going, because of a certain word, and because it is both directly seen and also hinted at.
Enam [this], which points to the “small sky” within the heart, is the “certain word” mentioned in the sūtra, and the description here of the living entities’ going to the spiritual world of Brahman is the “going” mentioned in the sūtra. Both enam and the going mentioned here show that Lord Viṣṇu is the “small sky.” The Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.3.2] says:
yathā hiraṇya-nidhiṁ nihitam
akṣetrajñā upari
sañcaranto ‘pi na vidus
tathemāḥ sarvāḥ prajā ahar ahar
gacchantya enaṁ
brahmalokaṁ na vidanty anṛtena hi pratyūḍhāḥ
“As people, unaware of what the ground actually holds, walk again and again over buried golden treasure, so do the people of this world day after day go to the spiritual world of Brahman without knowing it.”
Furthermore, in another place the scriptures again describe the living entities’ going to the Supreme in these words:
satā saumya tadā sampanno bhavati
“O gentle one, the living entities are again and again in contact with the Supreme.”
The daily journey to contact Brahman occurs during deep sleep, when the living entity unknowingly rests in the arms of Brahman. This is discussed in Adhyāya 3 Pāda 2 of Vedānta-sūtra, and it is the “directly seen” mentioned in the sūtra. In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [2.1.17] it is said:
ya eṣo ‘ntar hṛdaya ākāśas tasmin śete
“Entering the sky of the heart, the soul sleeps.”
The use of the word brahmaloka hints that Lord Viṣṇu is the topic of discussion here. This is the hint mentioned in the sūtra. The word brahmaloka here cannot refer to the Satyaloka planet because it is not possible for the living entities to go day after day to the Satyaloka planet.
dhṛteś ca mahimno ‘syāsminn upalabdheḥ
dhṛteḥ – because of maintaining; ca – and; mahimnaḥ – of the glory; asya – of Him; asmin – in this; upalabdheḥ – because of being stated.
This is so because of the description of His glory in maintaining all the worlds.
In the passage beginning with the words daharo ‘sminn antar ākāśaḥ: “In that palace is a small sky,” the descriptions “as great as the sky,” “maintaining everything,” and “free from all sin,” and the use of the word ātmā clearly, and show that the “small sky” mentioned here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead without need for support from any other passage. The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.22] also says:
atha ya ātmā sa setur vidhṛtir eṣāṁ lokānām asaṁbhedāya
“He is the Supreme Person, the bridge, the controller who prevents the worlds from becoming broken and destroyed.”
Because the “small sky” is thus shown to possess the glory of maintaining all the worlds, the “small sky” here must be Lord Viṣṇu. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad also says:
eṣa setur vidhāraṇa eṣāṁ lokānām asambhedāya
“He is the bridge, the controller who prevents the worlds from becoming broken and destroyed.”
In these passages and in others also, this glory of the Supreme Personality of Godhead may be understood. The method of entering that transcendental sky by spiritual sound vibration, whose source is given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [12.6.37-41] as the sky of the heart:
samāhitātmano brahman brahmaṇaḥ
parameṣṭhinaḥ
hṛdy ākāśād abhūn nādo vṛtti-rodhād
vibhāvyate
Sūta Gosvāmī said: “O brāhmaṇa, first the subtle vibration of transcendental sound appeared from the sky of the heart of the most elevated Lord Brahmā, whose mind was perfectly fixed in spiritual realization. One can perceive this subtle vibration when one stops all external hearing.
yad-upāsanayā brahman yogino malam
ātmanaḥ
dravya-kriyā-kārakākhyaṁ dhūtvā yānty
apunar-bhavam
“By worship of this subtle form of the Vedas, O brāhmaṇa, mystic sages cleanse their hearts of all contamination caused by impurity of substance, activity and doer, and thus they attain freedom from repeated birth and death.
tato 'bhūt tri-vṛd oṁkāro yo
'vyakta-prabhavaḥ sva-rāṭ
yat tal liṅgaṁ bhagavato
brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ
“From that transcendental subtle vibration arose the oṁkāra composed of three sounds. The oṁkāra has unseen potencies and manifests automatically within a purified heart. It is the representation of the Absolute Truth in all three of His phases—the Supreme Personality, the Supreme Soul and the supreme impersonal truth.
śṛṇoti ya imaṁ sphoṭaṁ
supta-śrotre ca śūnya-dṛk
yena vāg vyajyate yasya vyaktir
ākāśa ātmanaḥ
sva-dhāmno brāhmaṇaḥ sākṣād
vācakaḥ paramātmanaḥ
sa sarva-mantropaniṣad veda-bījaṁ
sanātanam
“This oṁkāra, ultimately nonmaterial and imperceptible, is heard by the Supersoul without His possessing material ears or any other material senses. The entire expanse of Vedic sound is elaborated from oṁkāra, which appears from the Supreme Soul within the sky of the heart. It is the direct designation of the self-originating Absolute Truth, the Supersoul, and is the secret essence and eternal seed of all Vedic hymns.”
prasiddheś ca
prasiddheḥ – because of being famous in this way; ca – and.
And also because this is a traditional usage of the word.
This is so because the word “sky” is commonly used to mean “the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” as may be seen in the following statement of Taittirīya Upaniṣad [2.7.1]:
ko hy evānyat kaḥ prāṇyāt. yad eṣa ākāśa ānando na syāt, eṣa evānandayati.
“Who could breathe if the sky were not bliss? Indeed, He alone is the source of all pleasure.”
viśuddha-sattvasyāntar-hṛdayākāśa-śarīre
“The yogīs who are completely purified meditate on [He who is] the sky in the heart of the body.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.7.7]
anubhavataḥ sarva-pratyaya-sākṣiṇaḥ ākāśa-śarīrasya sākṣāt para-brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ
“You are the witness of all different activities, the Self of the universal sky, and directly the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Supersoul.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.9.42]
Someone may raise the following objection: “The Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.3.4] says:
sa eṣa samprasādo ‘smāc charīrāt samutthāya paraṁ jyotir upasampadya svena rūpeṇābhiniṣpadyate. Eṣa ātmeti hovāca. Etad amṛtam etad abhayam etad brahma
“The liberated jīva rises from the material body. He attains the spiritual effulgence and manifests his original form. ‘This is the self,’ he said. ‘He is immortal. He is fearless. He is Brahman.’ ”
Because this description of the jīva appears immediately afterward, the description of the small sky should be understood to refer to the jīva.”
If this objection is raised, he replies:
itara-parāmarṣāt sa iti cen nāsambhavāt
itara – the other; parāmarṣāt – because of reference; saḥ – he; iti – thus; cet – if; na – not; asambhavāt – because of impossibility.
[If it is said that] because there is mention of something else [the jīva] in the same passage [and therefore the “small sky” here is the jīva, then I say] no, because it is impossible.
Although in the middle of this passage there is a description of the jīva, nevertheless it is not possible to say that the beginning of this passage describes the jīva. Why? The sūtra says asambhavāt: “Because it is impossible.” This is so because in the beginning of this passage there is a description of eight qualities, beginning with “being free from sin,” that cannot be ascribed to the jīva.
A jīva falls down into material nescience because of countless sinful activities, and in these alien surroundings he goes up and down, traveling through all the planetary systems, from Lord Brahmā’s planet down to Pātālaloka. In the material world the jīva experiences birth, disease, old age, and death and is forced to accept three types of suffering: adhyātmika [from his own self], adhidaivika [from the demigods] and adhibhautika [from other living entities]. Bhagavad-gītā speaks of the living entity is an eternal fragment of the Lord. The atomic fragment of God, the living entity, may fall down into the material world, but the Supreme Lord Acyuta never falls down.
Now our opponent may say: “So be it. Still, after the description of the ‘small sky,’ the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.7.1] says:
ya ātmāpahata-pāpmā vijaro vimṛtyur viśoko vijighatso ‘pipāsaḥ satya-kāmaḥ satya-saṅkalpaḥ so ‘nveṣṭavyaḥ sa vijijñāsitavyaḥ
“The soul is free from sin, old age, death, suffering, hunger, and thirst. It desires only the good. Whatever it desires is attained at once.”
Because these words of the Prajāpati describe the jīva, the qualities described in 7.7.1, and the ‘small sky’ described before that, may also refer to the jīva.”
Considering that this doubt might arise, he says:
uttarāc ced āvirbhāva-svarūpas tu
uttarāt – because of a later passage; cet – if; āvirbhāva – manifestation; svarūpas – form; tu – indeed.
[If it is said that] a later passage [proves that the “small sky” is the jīva then I say no.] The description of the true nature of the jīva [is confined to that passage alone.]
The word tu [but] is used here to dispel doubt. The word na [no] should be understood from the previous sūtra. In this passage spoken by the Prajāpati the teaching is that the jīva manifests the eight qualities mentioned in Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.7.1] quoted above by engaging in spiritual activities, but otherwise these qualities are not manifested. In the passage describing the “small sky” these eight attributes are said to be eternally manifested. The statement of the Prajāpati is, however, that these qualities are present in the jīva only if he engages in spiritual activities. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.3.4] clearly explains the difference between the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who possesses these eight qualities in all circumstances, and the jīva, who possesses these qualities only when he becomes liberated, in the following words:
sa eṣa samprasādo ‘smāc charīrāt samutthāya paraṁ jyotir upasampadya svena rūpeṇābhiniṣpadyate. Eṣa ātmeti hovāca. Etad amṛtam etad abhayam etad brahma.
“The liberated jīva rises from the material body. He attains the spiritual effulgence and manifests his original form. This is the self,” he said. “He is immortal. He is fearless. He is Brahman”.
Although the jīva may manifest some of these eight qualities by engaging in spiritual activities, he still cannot manifest all of them. The qualities of being the “bridge that spans the worlds,” and being the “maintainer of the worlds” are some of the qualities the jīva can never attain. This proves that the “small sky” is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Now our opponent says: “If this is so, then why is the jīva mentioned at all in this passage?”
To answer this question he says:
anyārthaś ca parāmarṣaḥ
anya – another; arthaś – meaning; ca – and; parāmarṣaḥ – reference.
The description of the jīva here has a different object.
The jīva is described here in order to teach about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the jīva becomes liberated and attains his original spiritual form, he also manifests these eight qualities. In this way it may be understood that the “small sky” is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [5.18.12] confirms:
yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty
akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv
abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
mano-rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ
“One who has unflinching devotion for the Personality of Godhead has all the good qualities of the demigods. But one who is not a devotee of the Lord has only material qualifications that are of little value. This is because he is hovering on the mental plane and is certain to be attracted by the glaring material energy.”
Now our opponent says: “Because the ‘small sky’ within is described as very small it must refer to the jīva, which was previously described as also being very small.”
If this objection is given, then he says:
alpa-śruter iti cet tad-uktam
alpa – small; śruteḥ – from the śruti; iti – thus; cet – if; tat – that; uktam – said.
If it is said that when the śruti describes the “small” it must refer to the jīva, then I say no because of what has already been said.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests a very small form to facilitate meditation on Him. This has already been described in Sūtra 1.2.7, which says nicāyyatvād evaṁ vyomavac ca: “Brahman should be meditated on in this way, and because in the same passage the manomaya is said to be as great as the sky.” Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-pervading, in order to facilitate meditation on Him, He manifests a small form the size of the distance between the thumb and forefinger. He appears in this small form so He may be easily meditated upon. Of course, His glories have no limit and His size also has no limit. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [2.2.8] mentions:
kecit
sva-dehāntar-hṛdayāvakāśe
prādeśa-mātraṁ puruṣaṁ
vasantam
catur-bhujaṁ kañja-rathāṅga-śaṅkha-
gadā-dharaṁ
dhāraṇayā smaranti
“Others conceive of the Personality of Godhead residing within the body in the region of the heart and measuring only eight inches, with four hands carrying a lotus, a wheel of a chariot, a conchshell and a club respectively.”
Then he gives another explanation.
anukṛtes tasya ca
anukṛteḥ – because of imitation; tasya – of Him; ca – also.
And also because [the jīva] merely resembles [the Supreme Personality of Godhead] in some respects.
Because, according to the statement of the Prajāpati, the jīva, who only manifests the eight qualities when engaged in spiritual activities, merely resembles in some respects the “small sky,” who manifests the eight qualities eternally, the “small sky” must be different from the jīva. Previously the original form of the jīva is covered by illusion, and then afterwards, by worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the illusion becomes broken and the jīva, manifesting these eight qualities, becomes qualitatively similar to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way, as explained by the Prajāpati, the jīva resembles, in some respects, the “small sky.” The sentence pavanam anuharate hanūmān: “Hanuman resembles the wind,” shows the difference between the resembled object and the thing that resembles it.
That the liberated jīva resembles the Supreme Personality of Godhead may also be seen in the following words from Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [3.1.3]: nirañjanaḥ paramaṁ sāmyam upaiti: “The liberated jīva resembles the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā [8.5]:
anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran
muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty
atra saṁśayaḥ
“And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body, remembering Me, attains immediately to My nature; and there is no doubt of this.”
api smaryate
api – and; smaryate – described in the smṛti-śāstra.
This is also described in the smṛti-śāstra.
In the Bhagavad-gītā [14.2] the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, also explains:
idaṁ jñānam upāśritya
mama
sādharmyam āgataḥ
sarge ‘pi nopajāyante
pralaye na
vyathanti ca
“By becoming fixed in this knowledge, one can attain to the transcendental nature like My own. Once established, one is not born at the time of creation or disturbed at the time of dissolution.”
In this way the smṛti-śāstra explains that the liberated jīvas attain a nature like that of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For these reasons the “small sky” is Lord Hari and not the jīva.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad [2.1.12-13] the following words are read:
aṅguṣṭha-mātraḥ puruṣo
madhya ātmani tiṣṭhati
īśāno bhūta-bhavyaysya tato na
vijugupsate...
“A person the size of a thumb stands in the heart. He is the master of the past and future. He does not fear. This is that. That person of the size of a thumb is like a light without smoke, Lord of the past and future; He is the same today and tomorrow. This is that.”
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: Is this person the size of a thumb the jīva or Lord Viṣṇu?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: The person here is the jīva because the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [5.7-8] says
prāṇādhipaḥ sañcarati sva-karmabhir aṅguṣṭa-mātroravi-tulya-rūpaḥ
“The ruler of breath moves about, impelled by his karma. He is the size of a thumb. He is splendid as the sun.”
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: The conclusion follows.
śabdād eva pramitaḥ
śabdāt – because of the word; eva – even; pramitaḥ – limited.
Even though [He is] very small [this person is the Supreme Lord] because of the words [in the text].
The person here the size of a thumb is Lord Viṣṇu. Why? The sūtra says śabdāt [because of the words in the text]. The Upaniṣad text referred to here is īśāno bhūta-bhavyaysa: “He is the master of the past and future.” It is not possible for the jīva to possess this power, because he is controlled by his karma.
Now it may be asked: “How is it possible for the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead to become limited to this very small form?” To answer this question he says:
hṛdy upekṣayā tu manuṣyādhikāratvāt
hṛdi – in the heart; upekṣayā – with relation; tu – indeed; manuṣya – of human beings; adhikāratvāt – because of the qualification.
This is so because the Supreme Personality of Godhead indeed appears in the hearts of men.
The word tu [indeed] is used here for emphasis. The all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes the size of a thumb because He is meditated on as being the size of thumb within the heart. Another interpretation is that because He appears, by His inconceivable potency, in such a small form in the heart He is meditated on in that way, as has been already described.
adhiyajño 'ham evātra dehe deha-bhṛtāṁ vara
“I, the Supreme Lord, represented as the Supersoul in the heart of every embodied being, am called adhiyajña [the Lord of sacrifice].” [Bhagavad-gītā 8.4]
evaṁ sva-citte svata eva
siddha
ātmā priyo 'rtho bhagavān anantaḥ
taṁ nirvṛto
niyatārtho bhajeta
saṁsāra-hetūparamaś ca yatra
“Thus being fixed [in renunciation], one must render service unto the Supersoul situated in one’s own heart by His omnipotency. Because He is the Almighty Personality of Godhead, eternal and unlimited, He is the ultimate goal of life, and by worshiping Him one can end the cause of the conditioned state of existence.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.2.6]
Someone may object, “Because the different species have bodies of different sizes and hearts of different sizes it is not possible that the Lord can appear in all of them in this size.” If this objection is raised, to answer it he says mānuṣyādhikāratvāt: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in the hearts of men.” Although the scriptures do not specify any particular species, implying that the Lord appears in the hearts of all living entities, he [Vyāsa] singles out human beings. He does this because it is human beings who are able to meditate and therefore the measurement is given here according to the human body. For this reason there is no contradiction here. In the same way in the hearts of elephants, horses, and all other creatures the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in a form the size of the thumb of each creature. In this way there is no contradiction.
It is not possible for the jīva, however, to be present within the heart in a form the size of a thumb because the original form of the jīva is atomic in size, as explained in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [5.9] in the words bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya: “When the upper point of a hair is divided into one hundred parts and again each of such parts is further divided into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the jīva soul.” For all these reasons, therefore, the person the size of a thumb is Lord Viṣṇu.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Advanced yogīs meditate on the Supreme Brahman in the form of the Supreme Lord within the heart, but ordinary people cannot see Him there.
kumārā ūcuḥ
yo 'ntarhito
hṛdi gato 'pi durātmanāṁ tvaṁ
so 'dyaiva no nayana-mūlam
ananta rāddhaḥ
The Kumāras said: “Our dear Lord, You are not manifested to rascals, even though You are seated within everyone’s heart, although You are unlimited. But as far as we are concerned, we see You face-to-face.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.46]
In order to prove that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the person the size of a thumb seated in the heart of every living entity, the Vedic scriptures were quoted to establish that human beings who have the right to meditate on the Supreme Person. For example, Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [1.15] states:
evam ātmātmani gṛhyate ‘sau satyenainaṁ tapasā yo ‘nupaśyati
“The Supersoul is situated within the core of everyone’s heart. One who searches after that Supreme Lord through meditation and austerity can see Him within his heart.”
tam ātmasthaṁ ye’ nupaśyanti dhīras-teṣāṁ sukhaṁ śāśvataṁ [śānti śāśvatī] netareṣām
“Only the wise person who can see that Supreme Soul within his heart becomes peaceful and enjoys transcendental bliss.” [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.12-13]
tam imam aham ajaṁ
śarīra-bhājāṁ
hṛdi hṛdi dhiṣṭhitam
ātma-kalpitānām
pratidṛśam iva naikadhārkam
ekaṁ
samadhi-gato 'smi vidhūta-bheda-mohaḥ
“Now I can meditate with full concentration upon that one Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, now present before me because now I have transcended the misconceptions of duality in regard to His presence in everyone's heart, even in the hearts of the mental speculators. He is in everyone's heart. The sun may be perceived differently, but the sun is one.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.42]
This evidence may lead to the belief that human beings alone have the right to meditate on the Supreme Person. But this is a wrong view. But all men on the path of gradual elevation through karma-yoga must pass through the stage of being devas. Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.7 and 6.2.15] declares:
yadā sarve pramucyante kāmā ye
'sya hṛdi śritāḥ
atha martyo 'mṛto bhavaty atra brahma
samaśnute
te 'rcir abhisambhavanti
“Those who are free from all material desires, which are diseases of the heart, are able to conquer death and enter the kingdom of God through the Arci [higher heavenly] planets.”
And Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā [9.25], yānti deva-vratā devān: “Those who worship the devas will take birth among them.” This is the gradual path of elevation to the spiritual world described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [2.2.22-31]. If meditation on Brahman is enjoined only for human beings, then those men who become devas will not be able to continue their spiritual path. Thus this idea creates a contradiction. Now, by refuting that false belief, the right of others besides men to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead will be proved.
The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [1.4.10] says:
tad yo yo devānāṁ pratyabudhyata
sa eva tad abhavat
tatharṣīṇāṁ tathā manuṣyāṇām
“Whoever among the devas meditated on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, attained Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whoever among the sages meditated on Him attained Him. Whoever among the human beings meditated on Him attained Him.”
The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.16] also says:
tad devā jyotiṣāṁ jyotir āyur hopāsate ‘mṛtam
“The devas meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the splendor of all splendors, and who is eternity and life.”
amī hi tvāṁ sura-saṅghā
viśanti
kecid bhītāḥ prāñjalayo gṛṇanti
“All the hosts of demigods are surrendering before You and entering into You. Some of them, very much afraid, are offering prayers with folded hands.” [Bhagavad-gītā 11.21]
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: Is it possible for the devas to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as human beings do, or is it not possible?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: Because the devas have no senses they are not able to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Indra and the other devas are simply thought-forms, beings created by mantras. They have no bodily senses. Because they have no senses they have no material desires or spiritual renunciation. Hence the devas are not capable of meditation on Brahman.
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: The conclusion follows.
tad upary api bādarāyaṇaḥ sambhavāt
tad – that; upari – above; api – also; bādarāyaṇaḥ – Vyāsadeva; sambhavāt – because of being possible.
Beings superior [to humankind] also can [meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the opinion] of Vyāsa.
The devas and other beings superior to humankind are able to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the opinion of Lord Vyāsadeva. Why? Because according to the Upaniṣads, Vedic mantras, Itihāsas, Purāṇas, and ancient tradition, they do indeed have bodies and senses. While the senses of different kind of bodies may differ in quality, the principle of embodiment is common to all beings, including the demigods.
kvacit pumān kvacic ca strī
kvacin
nobhayam andha-dhīḥ
devo manuṣyas tiryag vā
yathā-karma-guṇaṁ
bhavaḥ
“Covered by the mode of ignorance in material nature, the living entity is sometimes a male, sometimes a female, sometimes a eunuch, sometimes a human being, sometimes a demigod, sometimes a bird, an animal, and so on. In this way he is wandering within the material world. His acceptance of different types of bodies is brought about by his activities under the influence of the modes of nature.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.29]
sarva-bhūteṣu yenaikaṁ
bhāvam
avyayam īkṣate
avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣu
taj jñānaṁ
viddhi sāttvikam
“That knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all living entities, though they are divided into innumerable forms, you should understand to be in the mode of goodness.” [Bhagavad-gītā 18.20]
Because the demigods are servants of the Supreme Lord, and have heavenly bodies and senses, they are certainly able to meditate and pray to Him:
ete devāḥ kalā
viṣṇoḥ
kāla-māyāṁśa-liṅginaḥ
nānātvāt
sva-kriyānīśāḥ
procuḥ prāñjalayo vibhum
“The controlling deities of all the above-mentioned physical elements are empowered expansions of Lord Viṣṇu. They are embodied by eternal time under the external energy, and they are His parts and parcels. Because they were entrusted with different functions of universal duties and were unable to perform them, they offered fascinating prayers to the Lord as follows.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.5.38]
Because the demigods are well aware of the baseness and impermanence of their celestial opulence, the root of the suffering of material existence, they are able to be detached from their opulence and renounce it in the mood of service to the Lord. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa [6.5.50] explains:
na kevalaṁ dvija-śreṣṭha
narake
duḥkha-paddhatiḥ
svarge ‘pi yāta-bhītasya
kṣayiṣṇor
nāsti nirvṛtiḥ
“O best of the brāhmaṇas, torment does not exist only in hell. The residents of the heavenly planets, afraid that they may one day fall from heaven, have no happiness.”
For this reason the devas desire spiritual happiness. This is so because they have heard from the śruti-śāstra that spiritual bliss is limitless, eternal, and pure. The śruti explains that the devas and other celestial beings observe vows of celibacy to attain spiritual knowledge. This is described in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [5.2.1] in these words:
tatra yāḥ prājāpatyāḥ prajāpatau pitari brahmacaryam ūṣur devā manuṣyā asurāḥ
“The devas, humans, and asuras, who were all sons of Lord Brahmā, lived with their father as celibate students of spiritual knowledge.”
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.11.3] King Indra is described in the following words:
eka-śataṁ ha vai varṣāṇi
maghavā
prajāpatau brahmacaryam uvāsa
“King Indra lived as a celibate student of spiritual knowledge [brahmacārī] in the home of Lord Brahmā for a hundred years.”
For these reasons, therefore, we must accept that the devas and other higher beings are able to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The following objection may be raised: “Your idea, that the devas are not beings created by mantras but are conditioned living entities residing in material bodies, is not consistent with the activities of the devas and other higher beings, because it is not possible that a single embodied demigod could come to many different places at once when called to appear at many agnihotra-yajñas in many different places simultaneously.”
If this is said, he [Vyāsa] speaks the following words:
virodhaḥ karmaṇīti cen nāneka-pratipatter darśanāt
virodhaḥ – contradiction; karmaṇi – in activities; iti – thus; cet – if; na – not; aneka – many; pratipatteḥ – because of the acceptance; darśanāt – because of seeing.
[If it is objected that this idea] is refuted by the activities of the devas, then I say no, because it is seen [that the devas have the power to manifest] many [forms simultaneously.]
There is no contradiction here if it accepted that the devas are embodied souls with material bodies. Why? The Sūtra says aneka-pratipatter darśanāt: “Because it is seen that the devas have the power to manifest many forms simultaneously.” This is so because the scriptures describe that many powerful beings, such as Saubhari Muni, Kardama Muni and others, are able to manifest many forms simultaneously.
vibhajya navadhātmānaṁ
mānavīṁ
suratotsukām
rāmāṁ niramayan reme
varṣa-pūgān
muhūrtavat
“After coming back to his hermitage, Kardama divided himself into nine personalities just to give pleasure to Devahūti, the daughter of Manu, who was eager for sex life. In that way he enjoyed with her for many, many years, which passed just like a moment.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.23.44]
The objector may say: “It may be that there is no contradiction in the description of the devas’ activities for those who believe that the devas have bodies. There remains, however, a contradiction in the description of the words of the Vedas. Before the birth and after the death of each demigod, a period would exist when the name of that demigod would not have any meaning. At that time the words of the Vedas would become meaningless, like the statement ‘the son of a barren woman.’ In this way this idea is refuted. The Mīmāṁsā-Sūtra says: autpattikas tu śabdenārthasya sambandhaḥ: ‘In the Vedas the relation between name and the object named is eternal.’ This idea [that the devas are embodied souls] would then contradict the eternality of the names in the Vedas.”
If this objection is raised, then he [Vyāsa] replies:
śabda iti cen nātaḥ prabhavāt pratyakṣānumānābhyām
śabdaḥ – the words of the Vedas; iti – thus; cet – if; na – no; ataḥ – from this; prabhavāt – because of creation; pratyakṣa – because of śruti; anumānābhyām – and smṛti.
[If someone objects that this idea is inconsistent with the eternal nature of] the words in the Vedas, then I say no, because of [the description of] the creation [of the world, and also because of the evidence given] in śruti and smṛti.
The idea stated here that the devas have bodies is not inconsistent with the nature of the words in the Vedas. Why? The sūtra says prabhavāt pratyakṣānumānābhyām: “Because of the description of the creation of the world and also because of the evidence given in śruti and smṛti.” The creation of the material bodies of the devas and other beings in the universe is done by Lord Brahmā, remembering their eternal, archetypal forms recorded in the statements of the Vedas. These archetypal forms are eternal, and existed before any of the bodies of the living entities were manifested. These archetypal forms are described by Viśvakarmā in his own scripture for drawing forms in the words yamaṁ daṇḍa-pāṇiṁ likhanti varuṇaṁ tu pāśa-hastam: “They draw the demigod Yama with a mace in his hand, and the demigod Varuṇa with a noose in his hand.” The Vedic words describing the devas and other kinds of living entities are not names of specific individuals, but of certain classes of living entities, just as the word “cow” is the name of a certain kind of living entity.
Because the words of the Vedas are eternal, the Vedas are genuine sources of knowledge. This explanation is not at all inconsistent with the previously quoted explanation from the Mīmāṁsā-sūtra. Why is this? The sūtra says pratyakṣānumānābhyām, which means “because of the evidence given in śruti and smṛti.” The śruti [Pañca-vaiṁśati Brāhmaṇa 6.9, 13 and 22] discussing the creation of the world, which was preceded by the eternal words of the Vedas, gives the following description:
eta iti ha vai prajāpatir devān asṛjat asṛgram iti manuṣyān indava iti pitṛīṁs tiraḥ-pavitram iti grahān āsuva iti stotraṁ viśvānīti mantram abhisaubhagety anyāḥ prajāḥ
“Reciting the word ete from the Vedas, Lord Brahmā created the devas. Reciting the word asṛgram, he created the human beings. Reciting the word indava, he created the pitās. Reciting the word tiraḥ-pavitram, he created the planets. Reciting the word asuva, he created songs. Reciting the word viśvāni, he created mantras. Reciting the word abhisaubhaga, he created the other creatures.”
Both the primary creation by the Lord and the secondary creation by Lord Brahmā are performed by the power of Vedic sound vibration. The idea of mechanical creation held by the impersonalists and materialistic scientists will be refuted in Adhyāya 2 of Vedānta-sūtra. Kṛṣṇa describes the process of creation from Vedic sound vibration in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
śabda-brahma su-durbodhaṁ
prāṇendriya-mano-mayam
ananta-pāraṁ gambhīraṁ durvigāhyaṁ
samudra-vat
yathorṇanābhir hṛdayād ūrṇām
udvamate mukhāt
ākāśād ghoṣavān prāṇo manasā
sparśa-rūpiṇā
chando-mayo 'mṛta-mayaḥ
sahasra-padavīṁ prabhuḥ
oṁkārād
vyañjita-sparśa-svaroṣmāntastha-bhūṣitām
vicitra-bhāṣā-vitatāṁ
chandobhiś catur-uttaraiḥ
ananta-pārāṁ bṛhatīṁ sṛjaty
ākṣipate svayam
“The transcendental sound of the Vedas is very difficult to comprehend and manifests on different levels within the prāṇa, senses and mind. This Vedic sound is unlimited, very deep and unfathomable, just like the ocean. ... Just as a spider brings forth from its heart its web and emits it through its mouth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests Himself as the reverberating primeval vital air, comprising all sacred Vedic meters and full of transcendental pleasure. Thus the Lord, from the ethereal sky of His heart, creates the great and limitless Vedic sound by the agency of His mind, which conceives of variegated sounds such as the sparśas. The Vedic sound branches out in thousands of directions, adorned with the different letters expanded from the syllable oṁ: the consonants, vowels, sibilants and semivowels. The Veda is then elaborated by many verbal varieties, expressed in different meters, each having four more syllables than the previous one. Ultimately the Lord again withdraws His manifestation of Vedic sound within Himself.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.21.36, 38-40]
The smṛti also confirms this in the following words [Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.5.64]:
nāma rūpaṁ ca bhūtānāṁ
kṛtyānāṁ
ca prapañcanam
veda-śabdebhya evādau
devādīnāṁ
cakāra saḥ
“By reciting the words of the Vedas in the beginning, Lord Brahmā created the names and forms of the material elements, the rituals, the devas, and all other living entities.”
ata eva ca nityatvam
ataḥ eva – therefore; ca – and; nityatvam – eternity.
And therefore the eternity [of the Veda is proved].
The eternity of the Vedas is proved by the fact that the creator Lord Brahmā creates the world by reciting the Vedic words describing the eternal forms and by remembering the previous creation. Kaṭhaka Muni and the other sages should be understood to be merely the speakers and not the authors of the Vedas. It is stated in the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa:
“The Vedas, in their entirety, are eternal, enduring, and present in the mind of Viṣṇu; in creation after creation, they are brought up as they are, with the same order, same characters and the same notes, never otherwise.”
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ūrdhva-mūlam
adhaḥ-śākham
aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam
chandāṁsi
yasya parṇāni
yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: “It is said that there is an imperishable banyan tree that has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.” [Bhagavad-gītā 15.1]
The objection may be raised: “So be it. The śruti explains that by remembering the words of the Vedas Lord Brahmā creates the forms of the devas and other living entities. This may be in the case after the partial cosmic devastation [naimittika], but how can this method of creation be employed after the complete cosmic devastation [prākṛta], when absolutely everything is destroyed, and how can the Vedas be eternal under the circumstances of such complete destruction?”
If this is said, then he replies:
samāna-nāma-rūpatvāc cāvṛttāv apy avirodho darśanāt smṛteś ca
samāna – same; nāma – because of the names; rūpatvāt – and forms; ca – also; avṛttāu – in the repetition; api – also; avirodhaḥ – not a contradiction; darśanāt – because of the śruti; smṛteś – because of the smṛti; ca – indeed.
Because the names and forms remain the same even at the beginning of a new creation, there is no contradiction. This is proved by śruti and smṛti.
The word ca [indeed] is used here to dispel doubt. That after a complete cosmic devastation there must be a new creation does not at all disprove the eternalness of the words of the Vedas. Why? The sūtra says samāna-nāma-rūpatvāc cāvṛttāv apy avirodho darśanāt smṛteś ca: “Because the names and forms remain the same even at the beginning of a new creation, there is no contradiction. This is proved by śruti and smṛti.”
The core of the meaning is “Because the previously spoken names and forms remain the same.” At the time of the great cosmic devastation, the eternal Vedas and the eternal archetypal forms described by the Vedas enter Lord Hari, the master of transcendental potencies, and rest within Him, becoming one with Him. At the time of the next creation they again become manifested from the Lord. Lord Hari and the four-faced demigod Brahmā both precede their acts of creation with recitation of Vedic mantras, which leads to meditation on the archetypal forms. At the time of a new creation, the Creator remembers what He created in the previous creation, and He again creates as He did before. This is like a potter, who by saying the word “pot” remembers the forms of pots he previously fashioned, and goes on to make another pot just like them. The process of creation after the partial cosmic devastation, and also after the complete cosmic devastation, is performed in this way.
How is all this known? The sūtra says darśanāt smṛteś ca: “Because this is proved by śruti and smṛti.” The śruti says:
ātmā vā idam eka evāgra āsīt sa aikṣata lokān utsṛjāḥ
“In the beginning was only the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He thought: I shall create many worlds.” [Aitareya Upaniṣad 1.1]
yo brahmāṇaṁ vidadhāti pūrvaṁ yo vai vedāṁś ca prahiṇoti tasmi tam
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead created the Vedas and taught them to the demigod Brahmā].” [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.18]
sūryā-candramasau dhātā yathā-pūrvam akalpat
“Brahmā created the sun and moon as he had done before.” [Rg Veda]
The smṛti says:
nyagrodhaḥ su-mahān alpe
yathā
bīje vyavasthitaḥ
samyame viśvam akhilam
bīja-bhūte yathā
tvayi
“O Lord, just as a great banyan tree rests within a tiny seed, in the same way at the time of cosmic devastation the entire universe rests within You, the seed from which it originally sprouted.” [Viṣṇu Purāṇa]
nārāyaṇaḥ paro devas
tasmāj
jātaś caturmukhaḥ
“Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From him the demigod Brahmā was born.” [Varāha Purāṇa]
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.1]
A summary of this explanation follows: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, at the end of the period of cosmic devastation, meditating on the material universe at it had been before, desiring in His heart “I shall become many,” differentiating again the jīvas and material elements that had become merged within Him, creating again the material universe extending from the mahat-tattva to the demigod Brahmā as it had been before, manifesting the Vedas exactly as they had been before, teaching the Vedas to the demigod Brahmā within his heart, engaging the demigod Brahmā in the creation of the forms of the devas and other living entities as they had been before, and personally entering the universe and controlling it from within. Omniscient by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the demigod Brahmā, meditating on the archetypal forms described in the Vedas, creates the devas and other creatures as they had been before. In this way the relationship between the names of the devas headed by Indra and their archetypal forms described in the Vedas is explained.
So the opponent’s argument of the Vedic words does not at all refute this explanation of the nature of the devas, therefore it is proved that the devas and other superior beings have the ability to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead’s form being the size of a thumb is not at all contradicted by this description of the ability of the devas to meditate on Him. This is so because the form of the Lord is the size of a deva’s thumb in this case.
Now will be considered the question of whether the devas are eligible or not to engage in those meditations where they themselves are the object of meditation. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [3.1.1] is the statement
asau vā ādityo deva-madhu tasya dyaur eva tiraścīna-vaṁśaḥ
“The sun is honey for the devas. The heavenly planets are the crossbeam, the sky is the beehive, and the rays of sunlight are the children.”
It is said here that the sun is the honey of the devas, and the rays of sunlight are the openings for drinking the honey. Five classes of devas—the vasus, rudras, ādityas, maruts, and sādhyas—all headed by their leaders, gaze at the honey of the sun and become happy. The sun is called honey because it is the abode of a certain sweetness; one becomes eligible for this sweetness by performing certain religious sacrifices described in the Ṛg Veda, and one attains it by entering through the doorway of the sun’s rays. It is also said that the devas can perform these meditations in other places in the scriptures. For example, it is stated in the Padma Purāṇa [Sṛṣṭi-khaṇḍa, Chapter 17]:
“Accompanied by brāhmaṇas and other devas, or demigods, Lord Brahmā once went to Puṣkara to perform a sacrifice.”
vedāham antar manasīpsitaṁ
te
dadāmi yat tad duravāpam anyaiḥ
satre purā viśva-sṛjāṁ
vasūnāṁ
mat-siddhi-kāmena vaso tvayeṣṭaḥ
“O Vasu, I know from within your mind what you desired in the days of yore when the Vasus and other demigods responsible for expanding the universal affairs performed sacrifices. You particularly desired to achieve My association. This is very difficult to obtain for others, but I award it unto you.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.4.11]
prajāpates te śvaśurasya
sāmprataṁ
niryāpito yajña-mahotsavaḥ kila
vayaṁ
ca tatrābhisarāma vāma te
yady arthitāmī vibudhā vrajanti hi
“My dear Lord Śiva, your father-in-law is now executing great sacrifices, and all the demigods, having been invited by him, are going there. If you desire, we may also go.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.3.8]
The author of the sūtras now explains the opinions of others in this matter.
madhv-ādiṣv asambhavād anadhikāraṁ jaiminiḥ
madhu-ādiṣu – in madhu-vidyā and other Vedic meditations; asambhavāt – because of impossibility; anadhikāram – qualification; jaiminiḥ – Jaimini.
Jaimini says the devas do not engage in madhu-vidyā and other forms of Vedic meditation because it is not possible for them to do so.
Jaimini Muni thinks that the devas are not qualified to engage in madhu-vidyā and other forms of Vedic meditation. Why? The sūtra says asambhavāt: “Because it is not possible for them to do so.” The object of worship cannot also be the worshiper. It is not possible for one person to be both. Furthermore, because the devas do not aspire to attain the result of madhu-vidyā meditation, namely to become vasus or exalted devas, because they already are vasus and devas.
jyotiṣi bhāvāc ca
jyotiṣi – in the splendor; bhāvāt – because of existence; ca – and.
And because the devas do meditate on the effulgent Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.16] says:
tad devā jyotiṣāṁ jyotiḥ
“The devas meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the light of all lights.”
Because the devas do meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is described in this passage from the śruti as the supreme effulgence, they naturally do not engage in the madhu-vidyā and other inferior meditations. The explanation that the devas, as well as the human beings, naturally engage in meditation on the Supreme Personality of Godhead shows that the devas are averse to any other kind of meditation.
Now that this view has been expressed, he [Vyāsa] gives his opinion.
bhāvaṁ tu bādarāyaṇo ‘sti hi
bhāvam – existence; tu – but; bādarāyaṇaḥ – Vyāsadeva; asti – is; hi – because.
Vyāsadeva says the devas do engage in these meditations.
The word tu [but] is used here to dispel doubt. Lord Vyāsa thinks the devas are able to engage in madhu-vidyā and other kinds of Vedic meditation. The word hi [because] here implies “desiring to again become devas and ādityas, they worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the archetypal deva and aditya. Because of this worship they develop a desire to gain the company of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way it is possible for them to engage in the madhu-vidyā and other Vedic meditations.” This is so because it is understood that the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is both the goal and the means of attaining the goal.
They who are now vasus, ādityas, and other kinds of devas meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the archetypal vasu and āditya. At the end of the kalpa they become vasus and ādityas and engage in the meditation and worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul in their hearts, and who is the cause of their becoming vasus and ādityas again. As a result of this worship they will eventually become liberated.
The words āditya, vasu, and the names of the other devas, are all also names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed by the words ya etam evaṁ brahmopaniṣadaṁ veda: “He who understands this Upaniṣad describing the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” at the end of the Upaniṣad.
It is not that because the devas have already attained their exalted positions therefore they have no desire to become devas and therefore have no interest in attaining the results of Vedic meditation. This is so because it is seen in this world that many people, even though they already have sons in this lifetime, yearn to again have sons in the next life. Furthermore, because they are actually meditations on the Supreme Personality of Godhead the madhu-vidyā meditations of the devas are described in the words of the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.16]
tad devā jyotiṣāṁ jyotir
“The devas meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
The scriptures say
prajāpatir akāmayata prajāyeyeti sa etad agnihotraṁ mithunam apaśyat. Tad udite sūrye ‘juhot.
The demigod Brahmā desired: “Let me create children.” He then saw two agnihotra sacrifices. When the sun rose he performed agnihotra sacrifices.
The scriptures also say
devā vai satram āsata
“The devas then performed a Vedic sacrifice.”
These and other passages from the scriptures show that the śruti does not disagree with the idea that the devas are able to perform Vedic sacrifices. They perform these sacrifices by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in order to protect the material world.
Now someone may object: “They who perform the madhu-vidyā and other Vedic meditations must wait many kalpas before they attain liberation. How is it possible for one who yearns for liberation to tolerate such a delay? They who yearn for liberation do not desire to enjoy any material happiness, even the happiness of Brahmaloka.”
The answer is given: This is true. Still, the scriptures explain that because of certain unknown past actions some persons voluntarily postpone their personal liberation to take up the duties of administering the affairs of the material world. This Adhikaraṇa shows that because even the devas perform the ordinary Vedic duties, how much more so should human beings perform these duties.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: It was stated above that human beings, devas, and other higher beings are qualified to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not possible to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead without having studied and properly understood the Vedānta, for one has to know what he is meditating on, and that information is given in Vedānta-sūtra and similar Vedic works. Therefore the scriptures say aupaniṣadaḥ puruṣaḥ: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed in the Upaniṣads.” From this the next topic follows.
In the beginning of Vedānta-sūtra, we discussed the need for adequate qualifications of the student. This understanding is expressed by the word athāto [now, therefore] in Sūtra 1.1.1, athāto brahma-jijñāsā: “Now, therefore, one should desire to inquire about the Absolute.” We see the application of this principle every day in our teaching work, where we contact many people to share the wealth of this exalted science of the Absolute Truth. Every living entity is a spirit soul, and therefore in principle everyone is qualified to study this great Esoteric Teaching of the Vedas which is for their greatest good; but in actual practice we find that very few can actually take it up. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa confirms:
manuṣyāṇāṁ
sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api
siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
“Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.” [Bhagavad-gītā 7.3]
When a spirit soul, although eternal and pure by nature, becomes entangled in the actions and reactions of the material world, his natural spiritual intelligence becomes covered over by nescience. He then sees things in terms of temporary, relative material designations instead of in relation to the Absolute Truth. Because of this ignorance, he commits many sinful activities, and then has to suffer for them. Until he sincerely desires to escape from this life of suffering, he is blocked by his karma from approaching a self-realized soul and taking up the study of Vedānta.
This understanding is inherent in the Vedic concept of varṇāśrama-dharma. In this system, people are classified into four occupational divisions and four orders of spiritual life. The occupational divisions are brāhmaṇas [intellectuals], kṣatriyas [warriors and administrators], vaiśyas [farmers and businessmen] and śūdras [workers], and the spiritual orders are brahmacārīs [celibate students], gṛhasthas [householders], vānaprasthas [retirees] and sannyāsīs [renunciants.]
cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā
sṛṣṭaṁ
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api
māṁ
viddhy akartāram avyayam
“According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.” [Bhagavad-gītā 4.13]
It is understood that people all over the world naturally fall into these occupational categories, whether or not they subscribe to the Vedic model of understanding. This is because the entire system is based on the concept of the three modes of material nature [guṇas]. The intelligent class of men called brāhmaṇas are situated in the mode of goodness. The administrative class called the kṣatriyas are situated in the mode of passion. The mercantile men, the vaiśyas are situated in the mixed modes of passion and ignorance, and the śūdras or laborer class are situated in the ignorant mode of material nature.
Thus these classifications of people exist in every society, and we find that the great mass of people are śūdras. The intelligent class of brāhmaṇas is a very small minority of the population. And even among the brāhmaṇas, most are engaged in pursuing temporary material opulence by intellectual work, and very few are interested in self-realization and spiritual culture. However, the qualifications of a brāhmaṇa are required to engage in the study and practice of Vedānta. Consequently very few people can begin, and even fewer can successfully complete the study of Vedānta philosophy, because the exalted qualifications of a brāhmaṇa are rarely found in human society, especially today.
It is important to note that these classifications are not determined by birth, but by the qualities and activities of the individual. Moreover, they are subject to modification by experience and training. Thus even a śūdra, if he is willing to take up the Vedic disciplines of abstention from meat eating, intoxication, illicit sex and gambling, and chant the Holy Name of the Lord under the direction of a self-realized soul, can advance in spiritual life until he develops the purity and intelligence of a brāhmaṇa and becomes qualified to study Vedānta philosophy. However this kind of transformation requires enormous austerity, determination, patience and self-discipline, qualities that unfortunately are rarely found in śūdras.
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
kṣāntir
ārjavam eva ca
jñānaṁ vijñānam
āstikyaṁ
brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
“Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness—these are the qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.” [Bhagavad-gītā 18.43]
We generally find that only those who already possess the qualities of a brāhmaṇa can successfully study and practice the path of Vedānta philosophy; although it is theoretically possible for others, the requirements are usually too demanding. Therefore teachers of Vedānta generally screen their students for these qualities, and do not accept those who are, in their judgment, unqualified. They have learned by hard experience that trying to teach these exalted and recondite truths to an unqualified student is a recipe for heartache. Therefore they test each prospective student to see whether he is sufficiently pure and determined. For example, the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [4.1.1-5] narrates the story of Janaśruti Pautrāyaṇa:
There was a king named Janaśruti Pautrāyaṇa. He was a hospitable prince and profuse in his generosity, possessing many good qualities. The mighty devaṛṣis were satisfied with his high-mindedness and assuming the forms of swans, flew across his palace when the prince was lying in the open air on the roof on a sultry summer evening. The swan in the rear addressed the swan in the front, saying “O short-sighted one, do you not see the auric light of this noble prince, extending from his body high up into the air? Do not heedlessly cross his aura, lest it may destroy you.” Hearing this the other swan replied, “Is his aura stronger than Raiṅka Muni? Raiṅka is always on his chariot, making pilgrimages from one sacred place to another, and thus sanctifying all those shrines with his aura. He possesses a Brahmic aura, far more potent than the aura of this petty prince.” The object of the compassionate ṛṣis was to break the shell of of self-complacency into which the prince had unconsciously fallen, so that he would not rest satisfied with the mere performance of charity, though on a profuse scale, and might make efforts to know the Brahma-vidyā.
The king hearing this speech of the swans, found out his inferiority to Raiṅka and was distressed in his heart, passing the night in a state of restless grief. At dawn when the royal bards were playing soft music praising the king and his many noble qualities, the prince rising from his bed, at once sent for his chamberlain and told him to find out without delay the location of this Raiṅka, who was always traveling in his chariot. The chamberlain, after much effort, found Raiṅka in a secluded spot, sitting under his chariot and scratching his itches. He at once returned to the king and informed him of his discovery.
The king taking cows, gold and chariots, went to Raiṅka, and presenting them to him said “Venerable Sir, teach me the God that you worship.” Raiṅka replied, away with your necklace and chariots, O Śūdra! Let your cows remain with you.” Thus rejected and called a śūdra, the king went back a brought more wealth, cows, chariots and even his daughter as a present for the sage. But Raiṅka again sarcastically addressed him as a śūdra, saying “You hope to gain this knowledge through these means?” However he ultimately relented and taught the king the science of saṁvarga-vidyā or meditation on the laws of dissolution.
In this story, after hearing the words of some swans, Jānaśruti approached Raiṅka Muni and offered him many cows, necklaces, and chariots. Raiṅka, however, said ahaha hāre tvā śūdra tavaiva saha gobhir astu: “O Śūdra, keep your cows, necklaces, and chariots!” After being addressed as a śūdra in this way, Jānaśruti again came, this time offering cows, necklaces, chariots, and his daughter in marriage. Raiṅka this time replied tam ājahāremāḥ śūdrānenaiva mukhenālāpayiṣyathāḥ: “O Śūdra, take this away! You hope to gain this knowledge through these means?” Then the Upaniṣad describes how Raiṅka taught him the science of saṁvarga-vidyā.
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: Is a śūdra qualified to study the Vedic knowledge or not?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: A śūdra is qualified to study the Vedas for the following reasons: 1. because it is said that all human beings are qualified, 2. because śūdras have the ability to study, 3. because the śruti sometimes uses the word śūdra, thus hinting that śūdras are qualified to read the Vedas, and 4. because Vidura and other śūdras are described as knowers of the Vedas in the Purāṇas and other Vedic literatures.
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: The conclusion follows.
śug asya tad-anādara-śravaṇāt tadādravaṇāt sūcyate hi
śug – sorrow; asya – of him; tad – that; anādara – disrespect; śravaṇāt – because of hearing; tadā – then; adravaṇāt – because of approaching; sūcyate – is indicated; hi – because.
Because he approached impelled by unhappiness from hearing an insult, the word śūdra here means “unhappy.”
The word na [not], taken from Sūtra 1.3.28, is understood in this sūtra also. Here it means “a śūdra is not qualified to study the Vedas.” Why? The sūtra says hi, which here means “because.” Because Jānaśruti Pautrāyaṇa, who was not enlightened with spiritual knowledge, by hearing the swans’ disrespectful words kam u vara enam etat santaṁ sayugvānam iva raiṅkam āttha: “What is he compared to the great saint Raiṅka?” became unhappy [śuk] and thus ran [dru] to meet Raiṅka. The word śūdra here means “he who was unhappy” and “he who ran.” The sage uses the word śūdra here to display his omniscience in knowing the previous events. The word is not used here to indicate the fourth class of men: the śūdras.
Raiṅka wanted to impress Jānaśruti that the esoteric religion of Vedānta or bhagavata-dharma cannot be approached through external means such as charity, performance of sacrifice, etc. These are only preliminary. Neither should one be motivated to approach a great teacher or the Supreme Lord by personal unhappiness or envy, but by love and a desire to serve. When Arjuna approaches Kṛṣṇa in the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā for relief from his lamentation over having to fight his relatives in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, the first thing Kṛṣṇa tells him is that such lamentation is for fools.
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
aśocyān
anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn
agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
The Blessed Lord said: “While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead.” [Bhagavad-gītā 2.11]
So even if Jānaśruti is not a śūdra, he was acting like one because he approached the sage Raiṅka out of envy and grief. These are not proper motivations for learning transcendental knowledge, therefore Raiṅka rejected him. If Jānaśruti is not a śūdra, then to what class does he belong? To answer this question the next sūtra says he is a kṣatriya.
kṣatriyatvāvagateś cottaratra caitrarathena liṅgāt
kṣatriyatva – status of being a kṣatriya; avagateś – from the understanding; ca – also; uttaratra – in a later passage; caitrarathena – with Caitraratha; liṅgāt – because of the sign.
That he is a kṣatriya is understood from the clue related to the caitraratha.
Jānaśruti is understood to be a kṣatriya. He possesses religious faith and a host of other virtues. He is very charitable. He gives charity generously. He is the ruler of the people. Because he sent a messenger to search for Raiṅka and because he gave cows, necklaces, chariots, his daughter, and many other things in charity, it is said that he is a kṣatriya. It is not possible for anyone but a kṣatriya to possess these qualities. Because he thus displays the qualities of a king, Jānaśruti should be understood to be a kṣatriya. At the end of the story it is also understood that he is a kṣatriya. At the end of the story, where the description of saṁvarga-vidyā is concluded, there is mention of the kṣatriya status of a person named Abhipratārī Caitraratha. In the concluding passage a brahmacārī begged alms from Śaunaka Kāpeya and Abhipratārī Kākṣaseni when these two were serving food to others.
If someone objects: “In this passage the status of Abhipratārī as either a kṣatriya or caitraratha is not proved in any way,” then the sūtra answers: liṅgāt: “Because of a clue.” The clue that Śaunaka Kāpeya and Abhipratārī Kākṣaseni were friends proves it. The Tāṇḍya Brāhmaṇa [20.12.5] says: caitena caitrarathaṁ kāpeyo ayājayan: “The members of the Kāpeya family made Caitraratha perform a sacrifice.” In this way the śruti maintains that because of his relationship with the Kāpeyas, Abhipratārī must have been a Caitraratha.
That the Caitraratha family were kṣatriyas is confirmed by the words tasmāc caitrarathir nāma kṣatra-patir ajāyata: “From him was born another kṣatriya of the Caitraratha family.” In this way his kṣatriya status is clearly proved. Therefore Śaunaka Kāpeya and Abhipratārī Caitraratha, who were both learned in saṁvarga-vidyā, were a brāhmaṇa and a kṣatriya respectively, and in the subject of saṁvarga-vidyā they were also guru and disciple respectively. Raiṅka and Jānaśruti had the same relationship, and therefore Jānaśruti must have been a kṣatriya. In this way it is proved that a śūdra is not qualified to study the Vedas.
Referring to the śruti, he again establishes this point.
saṁskāra-parāmarṣāt tad-abhāvābhilāpāc ca
saṁskāra – of the purificatory rituals; parāmarṣāt – because of the reference; tad – of them; abhāva – of the non-existence; abhilāpāt – because of the explanation; ca – also.
This is also so because the scriptures state both the necessity of undergoing the saṁskāras [rituals of purification] and the exclusion of the śūdras from these rituals.
In the śruti-śāstra is the passage:
aṣṭa-varṣaṁ brāhmaṇam upanīyata tam adhyāpayed ekādeśe kṣatriyaṁ dvādaśe vaiśyam
“One should perform the saṁskāra and teach a brāhmaṇa boy when he is eight years old a kṣatriya boy when he is eleven years old, and a vaiśya boy when he is twelve years old.”
This shows that brāhmaṇas are eligible to study the Vedas because they are also eligible for the saṁskāras. The scriptures also say:
nāgnir na yajño na kriyā na saṁskāro na vratāni śūdrasya
“A śudra is not allowed to light the sacred fire, perform a fire-sacrifice, perform religious rituals, undergo the saṁskāras, or follow vows of penance.”
In this way it is established that because a śūdra is not allowed to undergo the saṁskāras, he is also not allowed to study the Vedas. The twice-born classes of men, namely the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, are expected to undergo a cultural purificatory process known as saṁskāras or purification by Vedic rituals. The dvija-bandhus [friends of the twice-born] are those who are born in the families of brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, but who are not equal to their forefathers because they do not go through the saṁskāras. Such descendants are not recognized as twice-born for want of purificatory qualifications.
The saṁskāras [purificatory activities] begin even before the birth of a child, with the seed-giving reformatory process called garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. One who is not the product of a garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, or conscious conception ceremony, is not accepted as being an actual dvija [twice-born man]. If the father and the mother do not perform garbhādhāna-saṁskāra and simply beget children out of passion, their children are called dvija-bandhus. The dvija-bandhus are certainly not as intelligent or spiritually advanced as the children created in the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, because the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is required to attract the most qualified soul to the womb of the mother. The dvija-bandhus are classified with the śūdras and the woman class, who are by nature less intelligent. The śūdras and the woman class do not have to undergo any saṁskāra except the ceremony of marriage.
To be fully accepted as a dvija, the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra must be followed by other saṁskāras, of which the sacred thread ceremony is performed at the time of spiritual initiation. The seed-giving saṁskāra is considered the first birth, and the spiritual initiation is considered the second birth, after which one is fully qualified as twice-born. Only one who has been able to undergo such important saṁskāras, or attain their equivalent by spiritual training, discipline and initiation, can be called a bona fide dvija [twice-born].
Now he confirms the view that the śūdras are not eligible for the saṁskāras.
tad-abhāva-nirdhāraṇe ca pravṛtteḥ
tat – of that; abhāva – of the non-existence; nirdhāraṇe – in ascertaining; ca – also; pravṛtteḥ – because of endeavor.
[This is so] also because care is taken to determine that [a student] is not [a śūdra].
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [4.4.4-5] when asked about his varṇa, Jābāli said:
nāham etad vede bho yad gotro ‘ham asmi
“I do not know into what varṇa I was born.”
These truthful words convinced the sage Gautama that Jābāla was not a śūdra. Gautama then said:
naitad abrāhmaṇo vivaktum arhati samidhaṁ saumyāhara tvopaneṣye na satyād agāḥ
“One who is not a brāhmaṇa cannot speak in this way. O gentle one, please bring the sacred fuel and I shall initiate you as a brāhmaṇa. You did not deviate from the truth.”
This endeavor by the guru Gautama to determine the varṇa of Jābāli before accepting him as a student demonstrates that only the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas are eligible to receive the saṁskāras. The śūdras are not eligible, because they generally suffer from the animalistic tendencies of uncontrolled senses. Only one who can control the senses, not by force but by intelligence, can make real spiritual advancement.
karmendriyāṇi saṁyamya
ya
āste manasā smaran
indriyārthān vimūḍhātmā
mithyācāraḥ
sa ucyate
yas tv indriyāṇi
manasā
niyamyārabhate 'rjuna
karmendriyaiḥ
karma-yogam
asaktaḥ sa viśiṣyate
“One who restrains the senses and organs of action, but whose mind dwells on sense objects, certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender. On the other hand, he who controls the senses by the mind and engages his active organs in works of devotion, without attachment, is by far superior.” [Bhagavad-gītā 3.6-7]
So artificial control of the senses is equally condemned, because it leads to hypocrisy. Actual renunciation means that one realizes the true nature of the self as spirit soul and also realizes his eternal loving service relationship with the Lord. He then automatically ceases to desire material things, for they can never satisfy the soul, nor can they equal the spiritually attractive qualities of the Supreme Brahman.
śravaṇādhyayanārthaṁ pratiṣedhāt smṛteś ca
śravaṇa – hearing; ādhyayana – study; arthaṁ – for the purpose; pratiṣedhāt – because of the prohibition; smṛteḥ – from the smṛti-śāstra; ca – also.
This is so because the smṛti-śāstra also prohibits the śūdras from hearing and studying [the Vedas.]
The smṛti-śāstra says
pady u ha vā etat śmaśānaṁ yac chūdras tasmāc chūdra-samīpe nādhyetavyam
“A śūdra is a beast. He is a crematorium. For this reason he should not be taught the Vedas.”
The smṛti also says
tasmāc chūdro bahu-paśur ayajñīyaḥ
“A śūdra is a big beast. He cannot perform the Vedic sacrifices.”
Because of these prohibitions a śūdra is not eligible to hear the Vedas. Because he is not allowed to hear the Vedas, it is therefore also not possible for him to study the Vedas, understand their meaning, or follow the rituals and penances described in them; what to speak of approaching the sanctus sanctorum of Vedānta. All these are forbidden for him.
The smṛti-śāstra says
nāgnir na yajñaḥ śūdrasya tathaivādhyayanaṁ kutaḥ kevalaiva tu śuśruṣā tri-varṇānāṁ vidhīyate
“A śūdra is not allowed to light the sacred fire or perform Vedic sacrifices. Neither is he allowed to study the Vedas. What is he allowed to do? His sole duty is to faithfully serve the three higher varṇas.”
The smṛti also says
vedākṣara-vicāraṇe śūdro patati tat-kṣaṇāt
“A śūdra who studies the Vedas at once falls into degraded life.”
There are also prohibitions against śūdras studying the Vedic sciences, such as astrology and other vedāṅgas. This is because materialistic, sensual-minded people will always misunderstand and misbehave, making offenses to the Vedas, to the Lord and the elevated devotees. Therefore it is actually better for them to keep them away from the more esoteric teachings, so they cannot damage their spiritual life any further by their natural offensiveness.
Some souls, such as Vidura and others, although born as śūdras, become elevated by their attainment of perfect transcendental knowledge. By hearing and understanding the Purāṇas, Mahābhārata and other transcendental literatures suited to their understanding, following the regulative principles of abstention from meat eating, intoxication, illicit sex, gambling and speculation, and chanting the Holy Name of the Lord under the direction of a self-realized spiritual master, śūdras and others can become liberated. While the standards of Vedic society are very high, the only real classes of higher and lower among men are determined by the final spiritual result of their lives.
māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye
'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te
'pi yānti parāṁ gatim
“O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas [merchants], as well as śūdras [workers]—can approach the supreme destination.” [Bhagavad-gītā 9.32]
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā
yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye 'nye ca pāpā
yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave
namaḥ
“Kirātas, Hūṇas, Āndhras, Pulindas, Pulkaśas, Ābhīras, Śumbhas, Yavanas, members of the Khasa races, and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of devotees of the Lord, for He is the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him. Even such sinful persons can certainly all be purified if they chant the holy name of the Lord under the direction of a pure devotee.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.4.18]
brahma-hā pitṛ-hā
go-ghno
mātṛ-hācārya-hāghavān
śvādaḥ pulkasako
vāpi
śuddhyeran yasya kīrtanāt
“One who has killed a brāhmaṇa, one who has killed a cow or one who has killed his father, mother or spiritual master can be immediately freed from all sinful reactions simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Nārāyaṇa. Other sinful persons, such as dog-eaters and caṇḍālas, who are less than śūdras, can also be freed in this way.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.13.8]
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Now that the digression of Adhikaraṇas 7 and 8 is concluded, he again reflects on the original topic, namely how the Supreme Personality of Godhead is discussed under various names in the scriptures. In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad [2.6.17-18] is read the following passage:
yad idaṁ kiñcit jagat
sarvaṁ
prāṇa ejati niḥsṛtam
mahad bhayaṁ vajram
udyataṁ
ya etad vidur amṛtās te bhavanti
“This transcendental Person is always seated in the hearts of men. Let a man draw that Self forth from his body, like drawing the pith from a reed. Let him know that Self as the effulgent, immortal Lord, yea as the bright and effulgent Lord. When He breathes, all the manifested world trembles in fear. They who know this thunderbolt become immortal.”
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: Does the word vajra here mean “thunderbolt” or the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: Because the vajra here causes trembling, and because the description of liberation attained by understanding this vajra is merely a collection of meaningless poetic words, the word vajra here should be understood to mean “thunderbolt.” For these reasons, and because the word prāṇa here does not mean “breath” but “protector,” in this passage it is not possible to say that the word vajra means “the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Because the phrase udyataṁ vajram [raised thunderbolt] contradicts this second interpretation, the word vajra must mean “thunderbolt.”
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: The conclusion follows.
kampanāt
kampanāt – because of trembling.
Because [the entire world] trembles [the vajra must be the Supreme Personality of Godhead].
Because it makes the entire universe tremble, this vajra must be the Supreme Personality of Godhead and not an ordinary thunderbolt. This is so also because of the following statement of Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa:
cakraṁ caṅkramaṇād
eṣa
vajanād vajram ucyate
khaṇḍanāt khaḍga
evaiṣa
heti-nāmā hariḥ svayam
“Because He goes [caṅkramaṇa] everywhere He is called “Cakra” [moving in a circle]. Because He moves about [vajana] He is called “Vajra” [thunderbolt]. Because He cuts apart [khaṇḍana] the demons He is called “Khaḍga” [sword]. These are names of Lord Hari.”
Also, because the word prāṇa [breath] and the word bhaya [fear] are used, the passage must refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In these ways it is established that the word vajra here refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
jyotir-darśanāt
jyotiḥ – effulgence; darśanāt – because of seeing.
It is so because the vajra is described as jyotiḥ [splendor].
Before the passage discussed is the following statement [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.15]:
na tatra sūryo bhāti na candra-tārake
“When He does not shine, then neither sun, moon, nor stars show their splendor.”
After the passage discussed is the statement [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.3.3]
bhayād asyāgnis tapati
“Out of fear of Him fire glows.”
In both these passages the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as transcendental splendor, and therefore the passage describing the vajra [thunderbolt] between these two passages, must refer to the effulgent Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.14.1] is the following statement:
ākāśo ha vai nāma-rūpayor nirvahitā te yad antarā tad brahma tad amṛtaṁ sa ātmā
“Sky [akāśa] is the creator of names and forms. That sky within is expanded without limit. That sky is eternal. That sky is the Self.”
Saṁśaya [arisal of doubt]: Does the word “sky” here refer to the jīva liberated from bondage of repeated birth and death, or does “sky” here refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Pūrvapakṣa [antithesis]: The scriptures say aśva iva romāṇi vidhūya pāpam: “As a horse shakes its mane, so do I shake off all sins and become liberated.” This shows that the “sky” here refers to the liberated jīva. The words yad antarā [which is within] clearly points to the liberated jīva who is free from all names and forms. This is also so because the phrase “the creator of names and forms” may refer to the jīva before he was liberated. The word ākāśa here means “effulgence.” Everything therefore indicates that the “sky” here is the liberated jīva. The words tad brahma tad amṛtam: “It is expanded without limit. It is eternal,” describe the qualities the jīva attains when he becomes liberated.
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]: The conclusion follows.
ākāśo ‘rthāntaratvādi-vyapadeśāt
ākāśaḥ – sky; artha – meaning; antaratva – difference; ādi – beginning with; vyapadeśāt – because of the description.
The “sky” here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the “sky” described here is different from the liberated jīva, and for other reasons also.
The “sky” here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and not the liberated jīva. Why? The sūtra says arthāntaratvādi-vyapadeśāt [because the “sky” described here is different from the liberated jīva, and for other reasons also]. The meaning is this: Because the liberated jīva cannot be the creator of names and forms, the “sky” here must be something other than him. When the jīva is not liberated but bound to the material world, he attains various names and forms by the force of his previous karma. By himself he has no power to create these names and forms. When the jīva is liberated he takes no part in the affairs of the material world, as will be described in a later Sūtra [4.4.17]. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, is described in the śruti as the creator of the material world. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad therefore says anenajīvenātmanānupraviśya nāma-rūpe vyākaravāṇi: “With the jīvas I will now enter the material world. Now I will create a variety of names and forms.” For all these reasons the “sky” here should be understood to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The word ādi [and for other reasons also] in the sūtra refers to the phrase brahma [expanded without limit] in the passage of the Upaniṣad. This phrase cannot describe the liberated jīva, although it may very naturally describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way the word “sky” refers to a sky that is all-pervading. Because this description can properly refer only to the Supreme, the “sky” here is proved to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
An objector may say, “So be it. Still, it cannot be held that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is different from the liberated jīva. This is said because of the overwhelming evidence of scripture. For example, in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad it is said:
katama ātmeti yo ‘yaṁ vijñānamayaḥ puruṣaḥ prāṇeṣu hṛdy-antar-jyotiḥ sa samānaḥ sann ubhau lokāv anusañcarati
“Who is the Self? He is a person full of knowledge who stays in the life-breath. He is the splendor in the heart. Remaining always the same, he wanders in the two worlds.”
Describing the conditioned jīva in this way, the text continues:
sa vā ayam ātmā brahma vijñānamayaḥ
“This Self is the omniscient Brahman.”
In this way it says that the jīva is Brahman. It further says:
athākāmayamānaḥ
“He becomes free from all desires.”
This described the liberated jīva’s condition. Then it says:
brahmaiva san brahmāpyeti
“Being Brahman, he attains Brahman.”
In this way it is conclusively stated that he is identical with Brahman. Then, at the end it says:
abhayaṁ vai brahma bhavati ya eva veda
“He who knows this becomes the fearless Brahman.”
The result of hearing the passage is given here. The statement, in some passages, that the jīva and Brahman are different are like the sky within a pot and the great sky beyond it. When he is liberated, the jīva becomes the Supreme just as when the pot is broken the sky in the pot becomes the same as the great sky beyond. Because the jīva is thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is the creator of the universes and everything else that the Supreme is. In this way there is no difference between the liberated jīva and the Supreme Brahman.”
Siddhānta [Vedic conclusion]:To refute this, he says:
suṣupty-utkrāntyor bhedena
suṣupti – in dreamless sleep; utkrāntyor – and in death; bhedena – because of the difference.
Because the difference is present in both death and dreamless sleep.
The word vyapadeśāt [because of the description], which was used in the previous sūtra, should be understood in this sūtra also. In the previously quoted passages it is not possible to derive the understanding that the liberated jīva is actually Brahman. Why? Because it is clearly explained that in the states of dreamless sleep and death the jīva and Brahman are different. The difference in dreamless sleep is described in these words [Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.3.12]:
prājñenātmanā sampariṣvakto na bāhyaṁ kiñcana veda nāntaram
“Embraced by the omniscient Self, he knows nothing else, either without or within.”
The difference in death is described in these words from the same passage:
prājñenātmanā anvārūḍha utsarjan yāti
“Mounted by the omniscient Self, and groaning, he leaves.”
The word utsarjan here means groaning. It is not possible that the jīva, who knows hardly anything, can be the omniscient Self by whom he is mounted. Because the jīva is not omniscient it is also not possible that the omniscient Self here is another jīva.
If it is said “Because in these conditions the jīva is still influenced by material designations, your point is not proved,” then the author replies:
paty-ādi-śabdebhyaḥ
pati – Lord; ādi – beginning with; śabdebhyaḥ – because of the words.
Because of the use of Pati [Lord] and other words.
In the same Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad, a little afterwards, the word pati and other similar words are used in this passage [Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.22]:
sa vā ayam ātmā sarvasya vaśī sarvasyeṣaṇaḥ sarvasyādhipatiḥ sarvam idam praśāsti yad idaṁ kiñca sa na sādhunā karmaṇā bhūyān nātra vāsādhunā kanīyān eṣa bhūtādhipatir eṣa lokeśvara eṣa loka-pālaḥ sa setur vidharaṇa eṣāṁ lokānām asambhedāya
“He is the Self, the dominator over all, the controller of all, the king of all. He rules over all. He is not made greater by pious work, nor lesser by impious work. He is the king of all that is. He is the master of the worlds. He is the protector of the worlds. He is the boundary so the worlds will not break apart.”
From this is may be understood that Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is different from the liberated jīva. Because it cannot be said that the liberated jīva has dominion over all or control over all, and because Sūtra 4.4.17 will say jagad-vyāpāra-varjyam: “The liberated jīva has not the power to create the universes,” the idea the Brahman and the liberated jīva are identical is refuted.
This idea is also refuted by the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, where it is said of Brahman:
antaḥ praviṣṭaḥ śastā janānām
“He is the controller in the living entities’ hearts.”
Neither can it be said that the difference between them is only because of the jīva’s identification with a material body, because the śruti-śāstra explains that the difference between them is present even after the jīva is liberated. In the aṁśādhikaraṇa of this book [2.3.41] we will refute the identification of jīva and Brahman in more detail.
The statement ayam ātmā brahma: “The self is Brahman,” simply means that the jīva has a small portion of Brahman’s qualities. The phrase brahmaiva san brahmāpyeti: “Becoming Brahman, he attains Brahman,” should be understood to mean that the jīva, by attaining a portion of eight of Brahman’s qualities, becomes like Brahman. Because the śruti-śāstra says paramaṁ sāmyam upaiti: “He becomes like Brahman,” and because of the previous explanation of brahmaiva san brahmāpyeti, therefore the nature of Brahman is different from that of the liberated jīva.
In this proof that Brahman is different form the jīva in either conditioned or liberated states of existence, that the “sky” from which all names and forms have come is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and not the liberated jīva, is also proved. Any doubt that may have remained in spite of the statements of the sūtras netaro ‘nupapatteḥ [1.1.16] and bheda-vyapadeśāc ca [1.1.17] is dispelled by this proof that even at the time of liberation the jīva remains different from Brahman. Therefore there is no fault in the explanations given for these two [1.1.16 and 1.1.17] sūtras.
Thus ends the Third Pāda of the First Adhyāya of Vedānta-sūtra. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!