BY: SUN STAFF
Feb 18, CANADA (SUN) —
Bhagavat Sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
SECTION SIXTEEN
The Lord's energy is natural
Sage Pippalayana informed King Nimi that these energies are naturally existent in the Lord (S.B. 11.3.37):
Originally one, the Absolute Brahman becomes threefold, manifesting as the three modes of material nature--goodness, passion, and ignorance. Brahman further expands its potency, and thus the power to act and the power of cognition is manifest along with the false ego, which covers the identity of the conditioned living being.
Thus, by the expansion of the multi-potencies of the Absolute, the demigods, as the embodiment of knowledge, are manifest, along with the material senses, their objects, and the results of material activity, namely happiness and distress. In this way the manifestation of the material world takes place as the subtle cause and as the visible material effect, in the appearance of gross material objects. Brahman, the source of all subtle and gross manifestations, is simultaneously transcendental to them, being absolute.
Brahman alone exists as a great potency, urusakti, which means that It possesses multifarious potencies. The word eva (only) indicates that this potency constitute the essential nature of the Lord and is not imaginary. The reason is that transcendental Brahman is grossly manifest (sat) as the effect in the form of the material elements like earth and so on, and subtlety manifest (asat) as the cause in the form of the material nature. Both of these are products of His external potency. Beyond this is the manifestation of His internal potency such as Vaikuntha and also the pure living entity, a manifestation of His marginal energy. If Brahman has no natural energies, then all such manifestations will be impossible. How do all these forms of Brahman or manifestations exist? The sage answers: By jnana-kriya-artha-phala-rupataya, as cognition, activity, object, and the result. The form of cause and effect manifests as cognitive potency characterized by the Mahat-tattva, as working energy characterized by the sutra, as object characterized by tanmatra, or the subtle elements, and as the homogeneous state of everything characterized by material nature (prakriti). The fruit or result is beyond both the cause and effect. The fruit is the transcendental substance called Bhagavan with all His opulences, being the embodiment of goal of human endeavors. The conscious substance called pure jiva or living entity because of being a follower of the Lord, is also counted as the fruit. The cognitive energy, working energy, and so on indicate that the Lord has great potency.
The sage Pippalayana with evidence clarifies the natural existence of this energy in the Lord:
Originally the Brahman is one, then It manifests into the threefold Pradhana consisting of the modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance. This further transforms into sutra by the working energy and into Mahan by the cognitive energy. Next follows false ego or aham.
The Brahman also exists as the pure jiva. The Vedas also describe the opulence such as Vaikuntha, which indicates It. (?) Such descriptions are: "My dear boy, in the beginning this existed only as sat" (Ch.U. 6.2.1). The fact that He was alone in the beginning and then variety manifested from Him proves that the energy is innate in Him. Because nothing else existed, there is no possibility of the energy being a product of limiting or incidental upadhis. Although the opulence in His essential nature is eternal being like various limbs, they exist just like the atomic sun rays based on sun's existence. The opulence's existence depends on the existence of Brahman or the Lord, which is both the material cause and fountainhead as well. The Vedas affirm this: "All this shines forth by His brilliance." (Katha.U. 6.14).
The innate and inconceivable nature of the energy is described in the Vishnu Purana (1.3.12) by the sage Parasara in reply to Maitreya's query. Maitreya asked, "How can we accept Brahman, which is devoid of modes, immeasurable, pure, and free from material conditioning as the agent behind the creation and likewise?"
Sri Parasara replied, "O best of the ascetics, the energies of all the existent products are inconceivable yet perceivable just as the heat in fire. Similarly, know the Brahman's energies such as the creative energy to be inconceivable and beyond human intelligence. "
Sridhara Swamipada comments: In this way It was stated that Brahman is the agent behind activities such as the creation of the universe. Sri Maitreya raises a doubt on this. In this verse (1.3.1) nirgunasya means devoid of the three modes; aprameyasya means not limited by space, time and so on. Suddhasya means either without a body or devoid of any assisting causes; amalatmanah means free from any pious or sinful reactions, or devoid of impurities like attachment to matter. In this world an agent has qualities distinct from these, as seen in the case of a mud pot, how then can Brahman having such qualities be the agent behind activities such as creation of the universe? Sri Parasara clarifies the doubt in one and half verses. In the material world the energy or potency of all the objects, such as gems or mantras, is inconceivable, yet their effect is perceivable. It means that which can be understood by knowledge which contradicts logic and which is attained by the process called karya-nyathanupapatti or the acceptance based on the result. Or the meaning is that one cannot regard something the same as or different from its source, but it is understood only by presumption (arthapatti).
This being the case with empirical experience, then certainly inconceivable potencies inhere in Brahman that are the cause of creation, maintenance, and so forth, just as fire has inconceivable burning potency. The conclusion is that even though Brahman is devoid of the modes of nature, He is the agent behind creation and so on by His inconceivable energies.
The Vedas also confirm this Svetasvatara Upanishad (6.8) "He has no material body nor senses; nothing is equal to or superior to Him, yet multifarious transcendental energies such as cognition, will, and action naturally exist in Him." And, "Know Prakriti, or material nature, to be Maya and the Supreme Lord as the owner of it." (Svet.4.10). The import of the reply is that all real objects certainly have inconceivable but perceptible energies in them just as fire has heat. In case of Brahman these energies are innate in Him meaning they are non-different from His essential nature. As is confirmed in the Vedas (Svet 6.8), "He has multifarious transcendental potencies."
Therefore His natural energies unlike heat in fire, cannot be subdued by anything such as gems or mantras. Thus His magnificence is unconquerable. This too is confirmed in the Vedas (Brihat. Up. 4.4.22.), "He is the controller, Lord, and presiding Deity of all." Therefore it is not unreasonable to say that creation, destruction, and annihilation come from Brahman. This much is his comment.
Here it should be understood that Maitreya questioned assuming Brahman to be without qualities, but Parasara answered considering that He has qualities. Therefore in Maitreya's question suddhasya (of the pure) was explained as adehasya, devoid of a body. Because in the answer it has been established that Brahman has innate qualities in Him. It is proper to explain suddhasya as kevala, or "only" meaning pure. According to the opponents view it is understood that Brahman is devoid of all energies.
Therefore the question has also to be understood differently. Nirgunasya means free from manifested material and spiritual qualities and thus beyond the scope of any process of acquiring knowledge (pramana). Therefore He is pure, spirit and uncontaminated unlike the crystal, which, owing to the reflection of a foreign element, is subject to visual changes. He does not appear differently in this way though the question assumes Brahman to be without qualities, the first explanation of the answer, disregarding the stand of quality-less Brahman, establishes energies for proving that Brahman possesses agency. This is the first scheme or explanation. In the second, a special goal is achieved. It is concluded that the energies in Brahman are not incidental like heat in water. This is affirmed by the Vedas, "Nothing is equal or superior to That." (Svet. 6.8) The potency of gems and mantras can negate incidental and seemingly natural qualities, but Brahman energy cannot be subdued by something external. This also has been shown.
Activities like creation are transformations of the material modes such as goodness owing to the mere influence of the internal energies and not because of the direct contact of Brahman. Thus in both explanations Brahman remains free from the defect of materialism.
Moreover by the word Brahman the popular meaning "Indeed all this is Brahman" (Ch. 3.14.1) is implied. It means that although Maya, consisting of the modes of nature, like goodness, is non-different from Brahman, It is nirguna. In this way accepting that It is untouched by the material modes of their external nature has been accepted. This is accepted by the Vedic statement, "Know material nature as Maya." (Svet. 4.10.) As in the statement of the Bhagavatam (l.7.4), "Maya although removed from Him is supported by Him", here also because He is Mahesvara, the great controller (in Svet. Up. 4.10.) it is understood that Maya, although existing outside of Him, derives her support from Him, and the Lord excels her.
Therefore, as before, it is shown that all energies are natural in Him, and He is untouched by the defects of Maya. Thus the application, in logical phrasing, is like this: Brahman has natural energies because of being a real object, like fire. The negative example is like the horns of a rabbit. The Vedas state (Svet. Up. 4.10) "Know the prakrti or material nature to be Maya and the Supreme Lord as the owner of it."
And Sri Gitopanishad also states (BG.13.13,14):
"I shall now explain the knowable, knowing which you will taste the eternal. Brahman, the spirit, beginningless and subordinate to Me, lies beyond the cause and effect of this material world.
Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes, heads and faces, and He has ears everywhere. In this way the Supersoul exists, pervading everything. "(Bg. 13.13,14)
The explanation is like this: That the one Absolute Reality, by His natural inconceivable power always exists in fourfold forms as, (1) His own self; (2) His magnificence; (3) as the living entity; and (4) as Pradhana (the unmanifest material nature). This is like the effulgence in the sun globe, the sun globe, the sun rays, and the reflection of the sun. The Vishnu Purana (1.22.54) similarly states, "Just as the light of a fire situated in one place is diffused all around, so also the energy of the transcendental Lord is spread all around the universe."
And the Kathopanishad (2.2.15.) and Svetasvataropanishad (6.14) state, "All this shines by His brilliance." Here the improbability of all these features abiding along with features like all pervasion of Brahman is resolved by the inconceivable quality of the energy. To do the impossible is called inconceivability.
That energy of the Lord is of three types--internal, marginal, and external. By His internal energy, called svarupa sakti, He exists in His complete form, as well as His magnificence such as the Vaikuntha planet likened to the sun and its orb. By His marginal energy He exists as the pure living entities which are conscious by nature and are like the sun's rays. By His external energy called Maya, which is compared to the variety of colors in the reflection of the Sun rays, He exists as the external opulence in the form of inert Pradhana. These constitute His fourfold manifestations. Because the jiva is under the influence of His marginal energy only he is called the tatastha energy. Considering Pradhana within Maya, the Vishnu Purana (6.7.61, 63) counts the three energies:
The energies of Lord Visnu are of three types, Para, or transcendental, kshetrajna, or the living entity, and avidyakarma, or the external energy. O King, the kshetrajna energy, because of the influence of Maya, at various levels in all species of life.
The energy whose influence (karma) produces avidya or ignorance is called avidya-karma. It means Maya. Although she is external, she is capable of covering the jiva who is constituted by marginal energy. This is stated in the verse beginning with taya, (second verse). Tartamyena, or gradation, means that living entities exist with different levels of covering as big or small in different bodies beginning with Lord Brahma down to the immovable living entities. The Srimad Bhagavatam (1.7.5.) states:
The living entity is bewildered by her, Maya.
Since the jiva is like a ray particle outside the orb of the sun, it is appropriately said that the jiva is the magnificence which is separated from the orb and gets overpowered by the covering of Maya. Thus the verse from the Vishnu Purana (6.7.63) later states that because of Maya the marginal energy exists in different gradations. This inconceivable Maya is the reason that the Pradhana which is devoid of qualities such as consciousness and immutability appears inert and mutable. That the Pradhana is a manifestation of Maya will be explained later on. Here the internal, marginal, and external energies, which belong to the Lord, are each influential in their respective regions and not in the whole personality of the Lord. Thus it is said that they are tat-tat-sthaniya, or limited to their own regions; and they do not comprise the particular parts of the Lord. Thus their defects cannot affect Him.
COMMENTARY
There are many schools of philosophies in India such as the followers of Sankaracarya who consider that ultimate reality is without any attributes or energy. Bhagavan is a secondary manifestation from this ultimate Reality and His energies and form are not ultimately Real. Such misconception was very prevalent during the time of Srila Jiva Gosvami. Therefore he argues very strongly and arduously against such misunderstandings. If Bhagavan is not understood properly one will have improper ideas about Bhakti, the abhidheya and will never understand priti, the prayojana.
The pre-eminent characteristic of Bhagavan is that His omni potency manifests in multifarious ways. To understand the personal feature of God, therefore, it is essential that we understand His potencies and their relationship with Him. One basic and vital element of that understanding is that His energies are inherent in Him. They are not borrowed or superimposed from elsewhere. The various manifestations of His potencies, which are without limit, can neither overwhelm Him nor can they act or exist independent of Him. They are subservient to Him and He manipulates them at His will.
Another remarkable feature about His energies is that although they function harmoniously, they never mix with each other. Each remains in its own realm and any individual imperfection never stigmatizes the Lord. There is in fact no imperfection in any of His energies. Imperfection is merely a matter of point of view. What appears as imperfection from the point of view of the finite individual soul is not seen as imperfection from the standpoint of the infinite Supreme Person.
To explain how God has multifarious energies Srila Jiva Gosvami cites a verse Pippalayana spoke to King Nimi, who had inquired (S.B.11.3.34) about the nature of the Absolute.[1] It describes the energies of the Lord. Uru-sakti, the most significant term in this verse, means powerful energy or many energies. The Lord has abundant energies and they manifest in a variety of forms. Whatever exists, whether manifest or unmanifest, subtle or gross, is the energy of the Lord. This is the significance of the indeclinable eva (only) in this verse. We are also part of His creation and one thing which we know without a doubt is that we exist. No one can ever say that he did not exist or does not exist. No one can experience his own death. We are real and so is our experience about our existence. This implies that His energies are not imaginary. If God already has uru-sakti, then what need is there for imaginative energies. A person who owns many milk-cows does not daydream about getting a cup of milk.
The Lord is the source of the material and spiritual creations and of the living entities as well. (B.g. 10.8):
"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts".
The verse by Pippalayana explains how this material world proceeds from the Lord. Before the creation only He existed and only He will exist after the dissolution as confirmed in S.B. 2.9.33:
"Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead."
The material manifestation undergoes perpetual cycles of creation, existence and dissolution. This word ahameva (S.B.2.9.33) "only I" refer to the pre creation state. At that time all the material elements exist in their causal state called Pradhan. This Pradhana is called trivrit because it is comprised by the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. When there is an imbalance created in it by the word it is called sutra which signifies the active potency. A further change in sutra gives rise to mahan or mahat-tattva which signifies the cognitive power. From Mahan comes the false ego in three modes which further gives rise to the senses and sense objects. In this way it is Brahman or the Lord who manifests everything in the material world. But this is not His complete manifestation. He also eternally manifests the spiritual planets which are all beyond the material modes and thus are free from the imperfection of the material world.
One implication of this verse is that the Lord's potencies are inherent. If before the creation only He existed, there is no question His energies being borrowed or superimposed from anywhere. His potencies must originate in Him.
When the Lord says that only He existed before the creation, it is understood that His abode and associates were with Him as they are manifestations of His internal potency. Just as when it is said that the President of the United States lives in the White House, it means that his family members, bodyguards, personal assistants and other servants also live there. The Lord is like the Sun God and the spiritual creation is like the Sun planet, which is dependent and non-different from him and co-existent with the him.
To further explain the inconceivable and intrinsic nature of the Lord's energies, Srila Jiva Gosvami refers to a dialogue between Maitreya and Parasara Munis in the Vishnu Purana. In the previous chapter Sage Parasara previously described the Lord as the creator, maintainer, and annihilator of the universe and beyond the modes of nature. Hearing this Maitreya Muni posed a question, which assumes the Lord to be formless Brahman. In the material world an agent must have a material body, senses, and mind. He has likes and dislikes, is limited and is under the influence of karma. If the Lord is free from all these, as was described by Sage Parasara, then how can He be an agent for any action?
This question is posed from the impersonal standpoint. Impersonalists agree that there must be unity behind the diversity. They assume, however, that the ultimate reality could not possibly have form, variety, energy, attributes, and activity. They say that if reality had all these features it would be no different than the limited mundane realm. Scriptures must tell us which is unknown to us. Duality form, activities are within our own experience. The reality must be beyond our common experience. Such a thing can only be quality-less Brahman. Keeping this in mind, Sri Maitreya raised the doubt.
In answer to Maitreya's question, therefore, Parasara Muni accepts that the Absolute Reality has energies and explains that because His energies are inconceivable‚ form, variety, and activity are possible. Although it is beyond our experience to think that an entity with form and attributes could be transcendental, eternal, unlimited and the cause of all causes, it is possible by the inconceivable power of the Absolute.
Sridhara Swami comments on these verses of the Vishnu Purana that the Absolute's energy is acintya-jnanagocara, inconceivable but perceivable. This is the most crucial factor in understanding the Personality of Godhead. Otherwise one is bound to succumb to the seemingly powerful arguments of the impersonalists. The Absolute must be acintya, otherwise he will become a play thing in the hands of mental speculator. Srila Jiva Gosvami lays a great stress on the acintya aspect of the Lord. In fact he coined the word acintya-bheda-abheda for Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophers.
Sridhar Swami gives two definitions for the word acintya jnana-go cara. Acintya jnana means knowledge beyond logic--tarka-asaham. Although energy is beyond logic yet it has to be accepted gocara because a task cannot be achieved without energy. And Shankaracarya accepts this, sakte'scatmabhutam karyam (Sankara Bhashya 2.1.18) the karya or result of any activity is inherent in energy. If a person suffering from leukemia is cured by a mantra chanter or soothsayer, this will appear illogical from the view point of a physician, who thinks the disease incurable unless the impurities are removed from the blood. It is not logical to him that a simple incantation will cure leukemia. Nevertheless, when the disease is cured by mantra, then we must accept, logically, that the mantra has power, inconceivable power. In this regard Sri Kumarila Bhattapada in his famous work Sloka-Vartika (5.12.29) writes:
"One can never doubt about the natural energy in an object; How can one deny the fact that fire burns and not the sky."
Sridhara Swami's other definition of acintya jnana gocara is our inability to think the energy one with or different from the energetic source. Yet energy is accepted on the authority of presumption. Presumption means we assume a cause by seeing the effect. If a person is whole and hearty, but does not eat during the day, then we assume he must eat at night. Or, it is difficult to say whether the power of a magnet is one with the magnet or distinct from it. Its' energy can be felt outside the magnet and this makes it appear different, yet this energy is not present in the absence of the magnet. Thus no one can deny that the magnet has inherent power. This feature of energy is called acintya jnanagocara and according to the Sge Parasara all real energies have this attribute.
That the Absolute has form and attributes is beyond our experience and is inconceivable has to be accepted on the authority of scriptures. But it is not entirely beyond logic. Absolute is defined as complete, unlimited, perfect. In keeping with this the Vedas describe the Absolute Truth as the source of everything--all qualities, attributes, variety must be contained in it. Further, as pointed our earlier, the Absolute is that level of reality wherein all contradictions and opposing ideas are worked out. Hence both qualities of form and formless inherently exist in the Absolute Truth. This conclusion is quite logical, though one must agree that it is inconceivable to us how this all works. Nevertheless to deny it is to go against logic. We have to allow that such a supra-mundane Absolute Person can exists just to fulfill the literal meaning of the word "Absolute". In the same breadth we have to concede that such a person must be acintya, inconceivable. Inconceivable, however, does not mean incomprehensible.
It follows that this inconceivable person has natural potency svabhavika-sakti; because the Absolute contains everything, all variety, all energy, and so on without limit. Because the Absolute Person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has potency, He is the agent, wielder, and manipulator of all the potencies and yet has no material form. He owns the material energy yet He is not in contact with or influenced by it. He is all-pervading yet He is a person. Upon seeing His creation no one can deny that He is energetic. The creation must have a creator and that implies intelligence, potency, knowledge, and activity. Thus the Svetasvatara Upanishad (6.8) says - svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. "He naturally has knowledge, will, and activity". To create, one must have knowledge, desire, necessary energy, and the resources to do so. By presumption we are obliged to accept that the Lord has natural energy in Him. The energy is one with Him as it cannot exist without Him, and it is different from Him, as He exists independent of its creations. This oneness and distinction between energy and its energetic source is inconceivable. It is to be noted here that although energy is contained in an object in this discussion the objects are also treated as energies of the Lord. The reason is that just as energy cannot exist without its source object, no object can exist without the Lord. Lord is the only supremely independent object. This is the import of the Kathopanishad (2.2.15) statement tasya bhasa sarvamidam vibhati--all this shines forth after his brilliance.
Another vital consideration about the Personality of Godhead is that His energy cannot be subdued by anyone. This is because nothing exists which is superior to Him. The Lord Himself says (B.g. 7.7), "There is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests on Me, as pearls are strung on a thread." In the material world a superior power overwhelms an inferior power just as the brilliant lighting of an outdoor tennis court which belittles the glow of a glow worm at night is barely noticeable in sunlight. The burning power of fire can be subdued by chanting certain mantras or by throwing certain herbs in it. Vedic literatures also mention about a gem called candra-kanta in whose proximity the fire looses its burning capacity. But Lord's energy cannot be curtailed by any such means.
The next point Parasara establishes is that these energies naturally belong to the Lord. His energies do not dissipate like heat leaving water, causing the water to return to its natural temperature. His energies do not deteriorate or get reduced in any way. The Svetasvatara Upanishad states, "Material nature is called Maya and the Lord is called Mayi--the possessor of Maya." The word Mayi (Mayin) is formed by applying the suffix nini to Maya. As was discussed in Section Three, suffixes such as matup and nini are applied to indicate excess, criticism, glorification, eternal relation and so on. In the case of mayin, the suffix is applied to show eternal possession. This means that the Lord is always the controller of Maya. The mantra refers to the Lord as Mahesvara, or the Supreme Controller (of Maya). Thus Maya can never subjugate the Lord, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (B.g. 9.10):
"Material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, producing all moving and non-moving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again."
The logical phrasing given to prove that Brahman has innate energies is according to the five step syllogism of Indian logic system called inference. For details reader is advised to refer to text 9 of Tattva Sandarbha. Srila Jiva Gosvami gives two phrasing one positive and one negative. The five steps of the first in its simple form will be as given below:
Proposition--Brahman possesses natural potency.
Reason-- Because It is a real object
Universal Proposition--Every real object such as fire possesses potency.
Application--Brahman is a real object.
Conclusion---Therefore It has natural potency.
The negative phrasing will be as:
Proposition--Brahman is not devoid of natural potency.
Reason--Because It is not an unreal entity.
Universal proposition--Only unreal entities like the horns of a rabbit do not have natural potency.
Application--Brahman is not an unreal entity.
Conclusion--Therefore It is not devoid of natural potency.
In this way both from scriptural authority and logical inference it is proven that Brahman or the Supreme Lord has natural potencies.
This completely shatters the theory of the impersonalists that Brahman is quality-less, devoid of all energy and when influenced by Maya becomes jiva, the conditioned soul and the bhagavan. Maya can never influence Brahman but is always under It's control. The manifestation of His energies is not like the appearance of real color in crystal when kept injuncta position to a real object.
A doubt may be raised here. Since Krishna is the Lord of Maya and of the living entities, all the defects belonging to them such as transformation, inertness and so on must also exist in the Lord. Then how can the Lord be considered free from all inferior attributes and the possessor of all good qualities as claimed in Section Three (vina heyairgunadibhih V.P. 6.5.79)?. In reply Sage Pippalayana says, tayoh param, "beyond both the subtle and gross" or cause and effect. The Lord is transcendental to the subtle and gross material world just as a lotus leaf which stays in water but does not get wet. Although the cosmic creation is a manifestation from the Lord--sarvam khalu idam brahma (Ch Up.3.14.1)--He is beyond it. Hence the qualities that inhere in material nature do not necessarily appear in the person of the Supreme Lord. For this reason Srila Jiva Gosvami said : tat sthaniya tvam evocate na too tattadrupatvam--limited to their own regions and not comprising the respective parts of Lord's body. This is possible by His inconceivable potency which can perform seemingly impossible acts. Generally a material cause transforms into an effect, just as a seed transforms into a seedling. The Lord, although, is both the material as well as the efficient abhinna-nimittopadana-karana cause of the creation yet is aloof from it. That's why Swamipada describes acintya as "the inability to distinguish the energy as one with or distinct from the energetic source." Lord is distinct because he does not undergo transformations.
The creation cannot take place without the Lord because every activity needs an agent. In the material world the material cause is different from the efficient cause which is the agent. Sometimes a spider is cited as an example of being both material as well as efficient cause because of its ability to produce cobweb from within its body. But he also has to eat to produce the saliva for producing it. Lord However is absolutely independent in the act of creation, maintenance and annihilation of the universe. Thus Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (9.18):
"I am the goal, the sustainers, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge, and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place, and the eternal seed."
The important phrase in this verse is bijam avyayam, imperishable seed. There is no seed in the material world that is imperishable. The seed perishes and gives birth to the seedling. Another distinction is that a seed has a source. But the Lord is a seed without a source. He is sarva-karana-karanam or the cause of all causes and he is anadi or beginningless. He produces countless universes yet He remains intact. He is not diminished or transformed because of His being the source of everything. Thus any defects in His energies do not reflect in Him. This is confirmed in the Sruti mantra: (quote Isopanishad verse Om purnam....and translation).
Although the energy of the Lord is one, it manifests in three different ways; internal (antaranga), marginal (tatastha) and external (bahiranga) The internal potency is also called svarupa sakti, or the energy that constitutes the very nature of the Lord. It manifests as His abode along with all paraphernalia required for His pastimes. The marginal potency manifests as the unlimited living entities (jivas) which are of two types--nitya mukta and nitya baddha, ever liberated and ever bound. The external energy, also called Maya, manifests the inert, mutable material world. Although all the energies of the Lord are anadi or beginningless, the material energy undergoes perpetually. The Supreme Person, Krsna, is likened to the Sun orb; the internal energy to the Sun orb; the living entities are like the atomic rays that exist outside the Sun; and Maya is like the reflection of the sun's rays into a dark region. The Paramatma Sandarbha features a detailed description of the tatastha sakti. The Maya Sakti is explained further in Section Eighteen. The various divisions of the internal potency will be described in Text 99 and 100 of Bhagavat Sandarbha.
When the living entities are not in direct contact with the internal potency, they remain under the influence of the external energy, which covers their intelligence. Ajnanena avritam jnanam tena muhyanti jantavah (B.g.5.15, S.B 1.7.5). Depending on the covering, the living entities exist in various grades of life, beginning from Lord Brahma to a piece of stone. Even in a particular species there are different levels of covering. Because the living entity can be influenced by either the internal or external potency he is called marginal. By the inconceivable power of the Lord, Maya, although an inferior energy, can cover the marginal energy, a superior energy. This is stated by Maitreya Muni while instructing Vidura (S.B.3.7.9)
"The external energy of the Supreme Lord acts contrary to logic, otherwise how is it possible that the living entity, who is conscious and liberated becomes bound and miserable."
But it is clear from the Vishnu Purana verses that para sakti is never covered by the external energy called avidya-karma.
Lord Kapila described the various levels of the jiva to His mother (S.B 3.29.28-33)
When a living entity surrenders to Krishna and renders loving devotional service, he becomes free from the clutches of Maya and eternally remains under the protection of the internal potency of the Lord. This is the highest goal of human life and the essential teaching of the Vedic literature.
Another marvelous, inconceivable feature of the Lord is that His external energy produces the pradhana, which is inert and mutable. These two characteristics, inertness and mutability, are antagonist to the dynamic nature of God and yet they emanate from Him. A material comparison of this is the growth of hairs and nails from the human body. Although consciousness pervades the entire body, the same body produces nails and hair which have no consciousness. Nails and hair are in contact with the body, they derive their nourishment from the body, they even grow and yet are inert and mutable. It is astonishing that an inert object grows. Similarly the Pradhana, though inert and mutable, is a product of the Lord's external energy.
All three energies remain active within their respective fields and do not encroach on each other. Thus there is harmony among them. When the jiva is within the internal potency, he is in harmony with it, and when within the external energy, he is in harmony with that. The external energy never influences the internal energy or vice-versa. This also implies that the shortcomings of these energies do not influence the Godhead, just as the presence of hairs and nails do not encumber the person growing them.
In this Anuccheda Srila Jiva Gosvami has established:
1. That the Absolute is a person.
2. The Lord is naturally endowed with energy.
3. The Lord's energies are inconceivably, simultaneously one and different from him.
4. His energy cannot be subdued by anything or anyone.
5. He creates, maintains, and destroys the universes, but He is never influenced by them.
6. His energy manifests as internal, marginal, and external.
7. The energy and the energetic are simultaneously, inconceivably one and distinct.
8. The various energies of the Lord work in their respective fields and do not have any negative influence on Him.
9. When the marginal energy is not in contact with the internal potency, he is covered by the external energy.
10. The external energy creates matter, which is inert and mutable.
In the next Text Srila Jiva Gosvami gives an introduction to the external energy.
[1] A detailed analysis of his question was presented in Section Four
Go to Section Seventeen
Return to Section Fifteen
