Dasa Mula Tattva, Chapter 3
BY: HDG SRILA BHAKTIVINODA THAKUR
Jun 23, CANADA (SUN) — Sri Sri Caitanya Siksamrta by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur - A serial presentation in 11 chapters.
Dasa Mula Tattva
Chapter 3
Krishna is the Absolute Truth (Part Two)
After understanding brahman, paramatma and the Lord of Vaikuntha, a truly learned person surrenders to the supreme shelter, fully expert in the affairs of rasa-vipascit brahman, Krishna-and enjoys eternally with the Lord, fulfilling his desires in dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, and madhura rasa.
The Paramatma expansion of Krishna is described in the Bhagavad Gita.
athava bahunaitena kim jnatena bhavarjuna
vishtabhyaham idam kritsnam ekamsena sthito jagat
What need is there Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself, I pervade and support this entire universe.
B.G.10.42
The brahmajyoti as the bodily effulgence of Krishna is described in the Brahma Samhita.
yasya prabha prabhavato jagadanda koti
kotishv asesha vasudhadi vibhuti bhinnam
tad brahma nishkalam anantam asheshabhutam
govindam adipurusham tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with great power. The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman, which is absolute, complete and unlimited and which displays the varieties of countless planets, with their different opulences, in millions and millions of universes.
BS.5.40
There is a karika (to define the form of the Lord):
deha-dehi-bhida nasti dharma-dharmi-bhida tatha
sri krishna svarupe purno' dvaya-jnanatmake kila
Unlike the jiva, in Krishna there is no difference between himself and his body, between himself and his qualities. In his spiritual form, his body is his self and his qualities are himself. Though Krishna is situated as one form of medium size, he is also situated everywhere.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says:
purnam adah purnam idam purnat purnam udacyate
purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasishyate
The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the complete whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the complete whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.
Narada Pancaratra says:
nirdosha purna guna grahatma tantre
niscetanatmaka-sarira-gunais ca hinah
ananda-matra-kara-pada-mukhodaradih
sarvatra ca svagata-bheda-vivarjitatma
The Supreme Lord is endowed with all qualities in perfect, without birth, maintenance and destruction common to material bodies. His body is conscious, devoid of material qualities, composed of bliss. His form is devoid of distinctions between of body and possessor of the body, quality and possessor of the quality, devoid of internal difference.
It has been shown above that Krishna, bhagavan, full of eternity knowledge and bliss is the shelter of paramatma and brahman, and is the Supreme Lord. Now it is necessary to show how the Vedas indicate Krishna by secondary and primary reference (gauna and mukhya), and by negative and positive statement (vyatireka and anvaya).
Krishna is described by direct abhidha use of words in the Chandogya Upanishad:
syamac chavalam prapadye
savalac chyamam pradadye
In surrendering to syama, Krishna I take shelter of the essence of the pleasure potency. In taking shelter of the pleasure potency, I surrender to Krishna.
Chandogya Upanishad 8.13.1
Savala means the variegated svarupa sakti of Krishna. The abhidha vritti or primary meaning of the word Syama is Krishna.
In the Rg veda Samhita and Aranyopanishad 5th mantra it is said:
tad vishnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam vishnor yat paramam padam
The wise continuously see the highest form of Vishnu. This supreme form, perceived with spiritual eyes, is Krishna.
Again in the Rg Veda it is said:
apasyam gopam anipadyamana ma ca para ca pathibhis carantam
sa sadhricih sa vishucir vasana avarirvati bhuvaneshv antah
I saw a cowherd. He never falls from his position; sometimes he is near, and some times far, wandering on various paths. He is a friend, decorated with a variety of clothes. He comes again and again to the material world.
Rg Veda 1.22.164 sukta 31 rik
In this Vedic statement Krishna's eternal pastimes are directly described.
It is also said:
ta vam vastuny usmasi gamadhyai yatra gavo bhuri sringa ayasah
atraha tad urugayasya vishnoh parama-padam avabhati bhuri
I desire to go to the houses of Radha and Krishna, where the cows have big horns and fulfill the desires of the devotees. This supreme abode of Krishna reveals itself completely.
Rg Veda 1.54 sukta 6 rik
In this Vedic mantra, Krishna in Gokula is described very nicely. There are many more direct descriptions of Krishna in the Vedas.
The Svetasvatara Upanishad describes the Lord by figures of speech (lakshana vritti).
yasmat param naparam asti kincid
yasman naniyo na jyayo'sti kascit
vriksha iva stabho divi tishthaty ekas
tenedam purnam purushena sarvam
There is no one greater than Him. There is no one smaller or lager than Him. By this person everything becomes complete.
He is situated firmly like a tree, surrounded by effulgence.
Svetasvatara Upanishad 3.9
Katha Upanishad says:
agnir yathaiko bhuvanam pravishto
rupam rupam pratirupo babhuva
ekas tatha sarva-bhutantaratma
rupam rupam prati rupo bahis ca
Just as the element fire enters the world and takes the form of many similar fires, the Supreme Lord, the soul of all souls, enters the material world, as many jivas.
Katha Upanishad 2.2.9
That which is like the original but dependent is called counter- image or pratibimba. Though the jiva is an expansion of paramatma and thus similar, it can never become the original, being situated at a distance from the original. As the sun has particles situated in its external rays, so paramatma has the jivas as his expansions.
Isavasya Upanishad says:
hiranmayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham
tattvam pusan apavrinu satya dharmaya drishtaye
O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face (form) is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to your pure devotee.
Isopanishad 15
One cannot see the Lord without pure bhakti. Pure bhakti does not arise without the mercy of the Lord. In this verse the devotee pleads for the Lord's mercy.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says:
ayam atma sarvesham bhutanam madhu ayam atma sarvesham
bhutanam adhipatih sarvesham bhutanam raja
This soul is the honey for all living entities. He is the Lord of all living entities, the king of all living entities.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.5.14-15
Here the scriptures are hinting at Krishna by describing his quality. Krishna is described as the sweetness of all living beings, the lord and king. Atma here refers to Krishna. This is the usage in the Bhagavatam as well.
krishnam enam avehi tvam atmanam jagad atmanam
O King, understand that Krishna is the soul of all souls of the universe.
S.B.10.14.52
Chandogya Upanishad makes statements of agreement (anvaya) with the above conclusions:
idam asmin brahma-pure daharam pundarikam vesma
There is a small, lotus-like dwelling place in Brahma pura.
This statement directly explains that there is a spiritual realm shaped like a lotus in brahmapura. This place is also described in the Brahma Samhita:
sahasra-patram kamalam gokulakhyam mahat-padam
tat karnikaram tad-dhama tad-anantamsa sambhavam
The superexcellant station of Krishna, which is known as Gokula, has thousands of petals and a corolla like that of a lotus sprouted from a part of His infinitary aspect.
B.S. 2
esha atma 'pahata-papa vijaro vimrityu visoko vijaghatso'pipasah satya-kamah satya-sankalpah
That soul is without sin, without old age, without death, without lamentation, without hunger, without thirst, fully truthful and whose wish is always fulfilled.
sa yadi sakhiloka kamo bhavati sankalpad evasya sakhayah samuttishtanti tena sakhilokena sampanno mahiyate
If he desires friendship, by his wish, friends appear and with them he can obtain satisfaction.
Chandogya Upanishad 8.1.2-9, 8.2.1
syamac chavalam prapadye savalac chyamam prapadye
I surrender to the energy of Shyama through syama and I surrender to syama through his energy.
Chandogya Upanishad 8.13.1
That supreme place, Gokula, is the shelter of immortality. The jivas residing there are free of sin, without old age, without death, without lamentation, without hunger or thirst. Their desires are pure. All their desires are fulfilled. The pure soul is endowed with these eight qualities. There they enjoy the rasas such as fraternity, from which they derive satisfaction and bliss. They eternally worship syama, who is united with his pleasure potency.
In the above verses the Vedas show by positive statements the eternal abode and pastimes of Krishna.
The Vedas indicate Krishna by negative or contrary statements (vyatireka) in many places. Katha Upanishad says:
na tatra suryo bhati na candra-tarakam
nema vidyuto bhanti kuto'yam agnih
tam eva bhantam anubhati sarvas
tasya bhasa sarvam idam vibhati
Neither sun, moon, stars, lightning, what to speak of fire, can reveal the Supreme. Rather all the luminary objects, in accordance with the Lord, receive their own existence. Everything rests on the existence of the Lord.
Katha Upanishad. 2.2.15
vedaham etam purusham mahantam
aditya varnam tamasah parastat
tam eva viditvatimrityum eti
nanya-pantha vidyate'yanaya
sarvatah pani padam tat sarvato'kshi siro mukham
sarvatah srutima†loke sarvam avrity atitishthati
I know that great person as transcendental to the material world, self illuminating like the sun. The jiva, knowing Him, surpasses death. There is no other path for crossing death. His hands and feet are spread everywhere. His eyes, head, mouth and ears are everywhere. He exists spreading himself in all things.
Svetasvatara Upanishad 3.8,16
na sandrise tishthati rupam asya
na cakshusha pasyati kascanainam
hrida hridi stham manasa ya enam
evam vidur amritas te bhavanti
His form is beyond material sense perception. No one can see Him with material eyes. Those who, by meditation, know him who is situated in the heart, attain liberation.
Svetasvatara Upanishad 4.20
In this manner, the Vedas give abundant descriptions of Krishna by figurative (gauna) and contrary (vyatireka) statements. The literal (mukhya) and supporting (anvaya statements can be recognized as such only by the power of Krishna's spiritual energy, or cit sakti. In the prayers of the personified Vedas in the Bhagavatam, it is said:
jaya jaya jahy ajam ajita dosha-gribhita-gunam
tvam asi yad atmana samavaruddha- samasta-bhagah
agajagad-okasam akhila-sakty avabodhaka te
kvacit ajayatmana ca carato'nucaren nigamah
O Krishna, you destroy the energy of maya called aja, which gives rise to the three modes of nature, full of fault. Through your own energy you are the Lord of all powers. You awaken all the energy of the moving and non-moving entities. The Vedas describe you in two ways. When you operate with maya sakti you are described in one way, and when you use your internal energy or atma sakti in performing Vraja lila, you are described in another way.
SB 10.87.14
This karika summarizes the point:
brahma-rudra-mahendradi damane rasa- mandale
guru-putra-pradanadav aisvaryam yat prakasitam
nanya-prakasa-bahulye tad-drishtam sastra- varnane
atah krishna-paratamyam svatah siddham satam mate
One cannot see anywhere in the scriptures acts as glorious as Krishna's pastimes, such as his conquest of Brahma, Siva and Indra, the rasa dance, or the bringing together of his guru with his lost sons. Therefore the devotees say that Krishna's supremacy is self-evident.
Or as Svetasvatara Upanishad says:
tam isvaranam paramam mahesvaram
tam daivatanam paramam ca daivatam
patim patinam paramam parastad
vidama devam bhuvanesham idyam
You are the Lord of all other controllers such as Brahma and Siva. You are the Lord of all the devatas such as Indra. You are the Lord of all the prajapatis. You are superior to the supreme. We know you as the worshipable Lord, master of all the worlds, and absorbed [some text appears to be missing].
Shvetashvatara Upanishad 6.7
