BY: SUN STAFF
Feb 7, CANADA (SUN) —
Bhagavat Sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
SECTION FIVE
Absolute Reality manifests in three features
One who fixes his consciousness on Vishnu, the Supersoul, the prime mover and Supreme Lord of the external energy, consisting of three modes, gets the mystic perfection of controlling other conditioned souls, their material bodies, and their bodily designations.
The yogi who fixes his mind on My form of Narayana, known as the fourth factor and full of opulences, becomes endowed with My nature and thus gets the mystic perfection called vasita.
Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan are also described in the section of the Srimad Bhagavatam explaining mystic perfection (11.15.15-17): One who fixes his pure mind on Me in My manifestation as the impersonal Brahman gets the greatest happiness, wherein all his desires are completely fulfilled.
Sridhara Swami explains: Tryadhisvare means the controller of Maya, composed of the three modes. Kalavigrahe means one who keeps watch, the Supersoul. Turiyakhye means he Lord who is called Turiya having the characteristics as follows, "Virat, Hiranyagarbha, and Karana are the three upadhis of the Lord. One who is free from these three is called turiya, which is the fourth dimension of manifestation". The phrase bhagavacchabda-sabdite means on Him who is called by the word Bhagavan possessing the six opulences described in the Vishnu Purana. The six qualities of controlling potency, inconceivable power, fame, wealth, knowledge and renunciation in their fullness are called bhaga.
COMMENTARY
In the Eleventh Canto, Fifteenth Chapter, Lord Krishna explained the various mystic perfections yogis can develop by different meditations. In three verses cited here, He explained the process to achieve the siddhis called isita, vasita, and kamavasayita respectively. Simultaneously, these three verses also explain the three features of the Absolute. The first of the three verses recommends meditating on Paramatma to attain the mystic perfection called Isita. By this perfection a yogi can control the activities of material energy and the living entities under her control sakti-preranamisita. Because Parmatma is the controller of material nature and the conditioned living entities, Yogi attains these powers by meditating on Him. This does not mean, however, that he can create and destroy the universe. The Brahma Sutra (4.4.17) jagad-vyaparavarjyam prakaranadasannihitatvat states that liberated people do not have the power to create the universe. That can be done only by the Lord. The Supersoul is called Kalavigrahe because He is the personification of time which moves and controls everything. As Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita, kalo'smi, "Time I am", and kalam kalayatamaham, "Of the controllers I am time". Time comes into action when Lord Vishnu glances at the unmanifest material nature, prakriti. This sets everything in motion. Time is considered the movement of His bodily limbs as described by mother Devaki (Quote S.B.10.3.26):
The second of the three verses explain the siddha called vasita. It means not to be influenced by the modes of nature or the sense objects even while among them, genu adagio vasita. This is attained by meditation on Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Narayana is called turiya, because He is beyond all upadhis and thus Bhagavan is the superior manifestation of the Absolute Truth. He does not directly come in contact with modes and thus can never be influenced by them. This Bhagavan has all opulences in their fullness.
The third verse explains the perfection called kamavasayita, which means to attain supreme bliss by which one becomes free from all desires. This is a result of meditating on the impersonal Brahman. Param ananda in this verse means Brahmananda. This is the state where one realizes brahma-saucy, or oneness with Brahman, because one can taste a little bliss of Brahman. Since there is no variety in Brahman the Brahman realized soul loses the duality of enjoyer and enjoyed. He has no desires to fulfill. Since such a yogi does not realize any of the qualities of the Absolute, Brahman is inferior to Paramatma and Bhagavan.
The significance of these three verses is that all the three feature called Narayana, Parmatma and Brahman are manifestation of one Absolute Reality. The Reality manifests in three ways because of different types of worshipers. Because meditations on different features give different perfections, the manifestation of features are not equal in all respects. The feature of Bhagavan is superior to other because by meditation on Him, one can attain all perfections. As Lord said later in the same chapter (S.B.11.15.32):
For a sage who has conquered his senses, breathing and mind, who is self-controlled and always absorbed in meditation on Me, what mystic perfection could possibly be difficult to achieve?
In fact the devotees of the Lord are so superior that they never even desire the various siddhis.
In the next section Srila Jiva Goswami gives a new deliberation on the vadanti tat verse.
Go to Section Six
Return to Section Four
