Bhagavat Sandarbha, Part 49
BY: SUN STAFF
Jun 28, 2019 — CANADA (SUN) — Sad Sandarbhas by Srila Jiva Goswami
Bhagavat Sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
SECTION FORTY-NINE
The Lord's Bodily limbs are non-material.
Because His sense organs like hands and feet are different from those of human beings, He is said to be devoid of senses like hands and feet, apanipada. As Srimati Rukmini Devi said (SB.10.60.45):
A woman who fails to relish the fragrance of the honey of Your lotus feet becomes totally befooled, and thus she accepts as her husband or lover a living corpse covered with skin, whiskers, nails, head-hair and body-hair and filled with flesh, bones, blood, parasites, feces, mucus, bile and air.
In this verse the distinction between blissful nature of Lord's bodily parts such as hair, described here, from those of others whose bodily parts are not blissful in nature is very clear. Therefore, Lord Brahma's boon to Hiranyakasipu that he would not be slain by various people and weapons is also appropriate, as is said (SB.7.3.37):
Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets.
The negation here is not of the senses but of the agent, the possessor of the senses, because the subject in this context is the agent. The same is available from the phrase apranibhi pranibhirva, "One who has life air or no life air". Although the killer Lord Nrisimha has similarity with the body of a jiva because the clippable part of the fingernails grow from the conscious part of the body, are lifeless so the negation is of the agent. So our Vedic canons such as, "He is without life, without mind, and pure" (Mundaka Upanishad 2.12), and also "These scriptures have appeared from the breath of that great Lord" (Brihad.Upanishad 4.5.11) are not improper.
Therefore the Varaha Purana states: "His form is not material, composed of fat, marrow, and bones nor is it manifested by the mystic power of yoga, but the all-powerful, infallible Lord's form is eternal by His own Supremacy."
The meaning is that His non-material form is eternal because He is the Supreme Controller. It is not manifest by His will owing to His being the Supreme Yogi.
The logical formulation is this: The Lord has a form, because like a potter He has the agency with cognition, volition, and endeavor. This form is eternal because like His cognition, it is the sense of the Supreme Controller. Therefore it is different form the mortal form. The term jivacchavam means that the body is alive because of the association of the conscious entity. By itself it is dead. But the Lord's form, being conscious by nature is always alive and thus the distinction is proper. The significance is that It is also proper that His form is worshipable because it is eternal, blissful, and conscious by nature.
COMMENTARY
To further substantiate that "no hand or legs" indicates their transcendental counterparts, Srila Jiva Gosvami cites a verse by Rukmini Devi, the principal and most affectionate queen of the Lord. As He is her constant companion and has great affection for her, she became a little proud. To correct this the Lord jokingly spoke the following words: "O Rukmini, many kings were eager to marry you and all are more opulent, beautiful, generous, and powerful than Me . Indeed your father betrothed you to Sisupala who is a great hero and was mad to have your hand in marriage. You rejected all of them, however, and chose to marry Me. Why did you make such a mistake? O beautiful one, don't you understand that I reside in the midst of the ocean owing to fear of Jarasandha and other powerful enemies? Most dear one, I am not qualified to be king, nor do I know how to behave with cultured women of royal families. I am a pauper and am only loved by similar people. Those who have wealth and high birth generally avoid Me. Therefore, O princess of Bhishmaka, you have made a severe blunder. You heard my so-called glories from beggars who are devoted to Me, and owing to short-sightedness, you fell in love with Me. It is not too late to rectify this mistake. You can now chose some suitable king as your husband. Actually I abducted you only to curb the pride of Salva and Sisupala who are envious of Me. Otherwise I am very indifferent, having no attraction and attachment for wife, children, and wealth."
Srimati Rukmini devi was terrified to hear these sharp words never before uttered by her Lord. Drowning in an ocean of sorrow, she fainted from thoughts of being separated from Him. Seeing this, Lord Krishna became very compassionate, lifted her up, wiped the tears from her eyes, and consoled her by admitting that he had only been joking with her. She was convinced after His repeated pleadings and spoke many verses explaining the actual meaning of Lord's Krishna's statements. Verse 10.80.45 of the Srimad Bhagavatam is one such verse which indirectly explains the transcendental nature of the Lord's form.
She gives a lucid description of the material body, which is dead but appears alive. She asks how one can enjoy embracing a dead body, which is impure, filthy, abominable, untouchable, and a source of fear. The only mellow a sane man can relish from material body is bibhatsa rasa, the disgusting sentiment. The outer covering of skin may look attractive but the inside is filled with foul intestines, flesh wrapped around bones, all tied together with nerves and veins. The body is full of unsightly blood, worms, bile, stool, mucus, and urine. Furthermore, it is always afflicted with various miseries like boils, wounds, fever, cancer, and so on. Srila Jiva Gosvami cites the following verse in Vaishnava Toshani to give us insight to the body's actual make up:
"If the contents of the body were worn outside, one would continuously pass his time warding off dogs and vultures with a stick."
Rukmini devi has indicated that the limbs and body of the Lord are different than the material limbs being described here. Even the Lord's hair is saccidananda.
At certain times of the day however, we get a glimpse of the foul nature of the contents of the body. So the question arises how can a woman be attracted to a man's body and vice-versa. Rukmini devi answers, kantamati, because she thinks him beautiful and lovable. A further doubt is raised. Everyone is exposed to the various foul odors emanating from the body so how can it be considered beautiful? The answer is that such persons are foolish and bewildered vimudha. They are compared to an intoxicated man who takes pleasure in lying in the gutter.
People who relish the fragrance of lotus flowers will abhor the stench of dead body, whereas a crow will consider it pleasurable. In the same way, those who have tasted the nectarean pastimes of the Lord or experienced the fragrance of His lotus feet will abhor the attempt to enjoy this material body, which is a living corpse. The Srutis confirmed this (S.B. 10.87.35):
"Sages free from false pride live on this earth by frequenting the sacred pilgrimage sites and those places where the Supreme Lord performed His pastimes. Because such devotees keep Your lotus feet within their hearts, the water that washes their feet destroys all sins. Anyone who even once turns his mind towards You, the ever blissful soul of all existence, no longer dedicates himself to serving family life at home, which simply robs a man of his good qualities."
To corroborate this conclusion, Srila Jiva Gosvami next alludes to the history of Hiranyakasipu who performed great penances to please Lord Brahma. When Lord Brahma appeared before, Hiranyakasipu he offered prayers to Lord Brahma. In his prayers he asked many boons including that he may not be killed by any entity created by Brahma. That he not be killed inside or outside any residence, in the day or night, in the sky or on the earth or in the water, that he not be killed by any weapon, and so on. In this way Hiranyakasipu requested boons with the intent of becoming immortal.
Hiranyakasipu also asked, vyasubhirva asusmadbhirva, "That I not be killed by one who has life air nor one who does not have life air." With this statement Srila Jiva Gosvami says he intended to deny an agent with such characteristics and not an instrument without them. He is requesting not to be killed by a being who breathes and does not breathe simultaneously. These characteristics are present only in transcendental persons who breathe, but not like ordinary persons. If his intention was to deny an instrument which has life and no life simultaneously then even a material person would be able to kill him with his nails and keep Brahma's boon intact. because nails have no life air in them as they are clippable yet they have life because they grow. No mortal being however, was able to kill him. Because from the boon asked it is clear that he is asking not to be killed by such a person and material beings do not satisfy his conditions. But He was killed by Lord Nrisimhadeva without flouting Brahma's boons. The Lord killed him with His nails and it means that the Lord's nails are non-different from Himself and satisfy the condition of being with life air and without. The Lord does not breathe material air but spiritual therefore he qualifies the condition set by Hiranyakasipu.
This proves that the Lord's limbs are transcendental and part of His svarupa sakti. Thus the Brihad Aranyaka statement that the Vedas and Vedic literature appeared from the breath of the Supreme is not false or allegorical. Moreover, the Lord's body is not manifest by yogic power but It exists eternally like Himself and can never be separated from Him. It is not living because of its contact with the Lord's soul as is the case with the material body. It is purely conscious and thus worshipable.
Finally, Srila Jiva Gosvami offers logical proof that the Lord has a body and furthermore, that it is eternal and transcendental. The logical steps are given below.
1. Proposition: The Lord must have form.
2. Reason: Because He is the creator, and possessor of knowledge, will, and working capacity.
3. Universal proposition: Whoever creates must have a body. Example: A potter.
4. Application: The Lord created the universe.
5. Conclusion: Therefore, He must have form.
This is the five-step syllogism of Vedic logic called anumana. Creative action indicates the agent must have knowledge. Mere knowledge however, is not sufficient. People have various types of knowledge but that does not mean they create. The will to create must be present, though that in itself is not sufficient. The creator must have sufficient energy and means to create. There should not be strong impediments during the process of creation. When all these conditions are met, an object can be created. Knowledge, will, and working capacity are attributes and can only reside in a substance gunavattva samavayikaranatvam dravyatvam. Knowledge cannot reside in inert matter, jnanaadhikaranam atma. The soul is the substratum of knowledge, therefore it is concluded that the Lord, who is the creator of the universe, has knowledge, will, and energy for creation must be a conscious being. This naturally infers that He must have a body. But His body could be material or spiritual. To prove that His body is spiritual Srila Jiva Gosvami offers another logical phrasing:
1. Proposition: The Lord's form is eternal.
2. Reason: Because it is His instrument.
3. Universal proposition: Whatever is the Lord's instrument is eternal (such as knowledge).
4. Application: The Lord's body is His instrument in creation.
5. Conclusion: The Lord's body is eternal.
Vedic logic is realistic philosophy and logicians accept the Lord is eternal and real. Srila Jiva Gosvami does not go into details of logic because it will be out of context. Interested readers may study Nyaya-kusumanjali of Sri Udayanacary where he gives a logical proof of the existence of God in great detail. Because the Lord is eternal, all His attributes and instruments such as His will, knowledge, and endeavor, are eternal. If His knowledge is eternal, then naturally the substratum of that is also eternal as$nityam gatam nityam--the attributes of eternal objects are eternal.
According to logic, something is considered eternal if it beginningless anadi and endless ananta. This means that there was never a time when the Lord's body did not exist, nor will it ever cease to exist.
In contrast Rukmini devi calls mortal beings living corpses, jivacchavam. That means they are actually dead but appear to live owing to contact with the eternal spirit soul. The Lord's body is not like that as it is conscious by its very nature. This is the implication of the word jivacchavam used in this verse.
In the upcoming Text the author reconciles the opposing statements about the name and form of the Lord.
