Jiva Gosvami teaching Narottam, Srinivas and Syamananda at Radha Damodar Temple
BY: SUN STAFF
Apr 12, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Paramatma-Sandarbha, Volume 6, by Srila Jiva Goswami
Anuccheda 105 (Part Three)
Text 51
tatha ca eka-desa-sthitasyagner jnyotnsa- vistarini yatha ity anusarena tat-sattaya tat-satta bhavati.
Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is real, therefore the material world created by Him must also be real. This is confirmed by the following words of sri Visnu Purana (1.22.55):
"Just as the illumination of a fire, which is situated in one place, is spread all over, the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, are spread all over this universe."
Text 52
tato bhagavato mukhyam satyatvam tri-sargasya na mrsatvam iti. tatha ca srutih satyasya satyam iti tatha prana vai satyam tesam eva satyam iti prana-sabdoditanam sthula-suksma- bhutanam vyavaharatah satyatvenadhigatanam mula-karana- bhutam parama-satyam bhagavantam darsayatiti.
The material world cannot be false. It must be real, for it is manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme reality. This is confirmed by the following words of Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (2.1.20):
"The Supreme is real, and therefore the individual souls and material worlds created by Him are also real."
In this passage the word "prana" means "the gross and subtle material elements. In this way it is seen that because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is real, the material elements, which are created by Him, must also be real.
Text 53
atah tam eva tatastha-laksanena ca tatha vyanjayan prathamam visadarthataya brahma-sutranam eva vivrtir iyam samhiteti vibodhayisaya ca tad anantaram sutram eva prathamam anuvadati janmady asya yatah iti.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the natural commentary on Vedanta- sutra. Therefore the first statement of Vedanta-sutra (janmady asya yatah) is explained by the first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Text 54
janmaditi srsti-sthiti-pralayam. tad-guna-samvij ano bahuvrihih. asya visvasya brahma-stamba-paryantaneka- kartr-bhoktr-samyuktasya pratiniyata-desa-kala-nimitta-kriya- phalasrayasya manasapy acintya-vividha-vicitraracana-rupasya. yato yasmad acintya-saktya svayam upadana-rupat kartr-adi-rupac ca janmadi tam param dhimahity anvayah.
Here (in Vedanta-sutra 1.1.2 and Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.1) the word "janmadi" is a tad-guna-samvijnana bahuvrihi- samasa that means "creation, maintenance, and annihilation". Here "asya" means "of the material universe, which is filled with a great variety of living entities, from the demigod Brahma down to the immovable plants, who all perform various actions and attain various perceptions and experiences, and a great variety of times, places, actions, causes, and results, a variety that is far beyond the power of the human mind to comprehend". Here "yatah" means from whom the creation, maintenance, and annihilation of the material world is manifested". This means that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is both the creator and the ingredient of the material world. Then it is said, "I meditate on that Supreme Lord (param dhimahi).
Text 55
atra visaya-vakyam ca bhrgur vai varunir varunam pitaram upasasara. adhihi bho bhagavo brahma ity arabhya yato va imani bhutani jayante. yena jatani jivanti. yat prayanty abhisamvisanti tad vijijnasasva tad brahma iti. tat tejo 'srjata ity adi ca.
That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the creator of the material world is described in these words of Taittiriya Upanisad (3.1.1):
"Bhrgu Muni approached his father, Varuna, and asked, `O master, please teach me about the Supreme'. . . . Varuna replied, `From the Supreme all living beings have come, by His grace they remain alive, and into Him they enter at the end'. Know that is the Supreme."
This is also confirmed by the following words of Chandogya Upanisad (6.2.3):
"The Supreme created the elements of the material world."
Text 56
janmadikam ihopalaksanam. na tu visesanam. tatas tad-dhyane tan na pravisati. kintu suddham eva tad-dhyeyam iti. kim ca atra prag-ukta-visesana-visista-visva-janmades tadrsa-hetutvena sarva-saktitvam satya-sankalpatvam sarvajnatvam sarvesvaratvam ca tasya sucitam. yah sarvajnah sarva-vid yasya jnanamayam tapah. sarvasya vasi ity adi sruteh.
The word "janmadi" here does not modify the Supreme. Here the supreme is not the person who meditates. Rather He is the supremely pure object of meditation. Furthermore, the Supreme is the creator of the material world, which was described here by the word "janmadi". Because He is the creator of the material world, the Supreme is all-powerful, all-knowing, the controller of all, and the person whose every desire is at once fulfilled. This is confirmed by the following words of Mundaka Upanisad (1.1.9):
"The Supreme is all-knowing and all-powerful."
This is also confirmed by these words of Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (4.4.22):
"The Supreme dominates and controls everyone."
Text 57
tatha paratvena nirastakhila-heya-pratyanika-svarupatvam jnanady-ananta-kalyana-gunatvam sucitam na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate ity adi sruteh.
Because He is the greatest, the Supreme has all virtues and no faults. he is described in these words of Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.8):
"He does not possess bodily form like that of an ordinary living entity. There is no difference between His body and His soul. He is absolute. All His senses are transcendental. Any one of His senses can perform the action of any other sense. Therefore, no one i greater than Him, or equal to Him. His potencies are multifarious, and thus His deeds are automatically performed as a natural sequence."
Text 58
ye tu nirvisesam vastu jijnasyam iti vadanti. tan- mate brahma-jijnasayam janmady asya yatah ity asangatam syat. niratisaya-brhad-brmhanam ca iti nirvacanat. tac ca brahma jagaj-janmadi-karanam iti vacanac ca. evam uttaresv api sutresu sutrodahrta-sruti-gane ceksanady-anvaya-darsanat sutrani sutrodahrta-srutayas ca na tatra pramanam.
The impersonalists claim that the words "brahma- jijnasa" at the beginning of Vedanta-sutra refer to the qualityless impersonal Brahman. By explaining that these words of Vedanta-sutra describe someone who is the creator, maintainer, and destroyer of the material worlds (janmady asya yatah) srimad- Bhagavatam here refutes the impersonalists' idea. The impersonalists' idea is also refuted by these words of the scriptures:
"The Supreme is the greatest. No one is as great as He."
"The Supreme is the original cause of the material world."
The truth is that the words of Vedanta-sutra, the scripture verses quoted in Vedanta-sutra, and the Vedic scriptures themselves do not support the impersonalists' idea.
Text 59
tarkas ca sadhya-dharmavyabhicari-sadhana-dharmanvita- vastu-visayatvan na nirvisesa-vastuni pramanam. jagaj-janmadi- bhramo yatas tad brahmeti svotpreksa-pakse ca na nirvisesa-vastu- siddhih.
Logic also refutes the impersonalists' idea. Because the Supreme must be the origin of all goals that are to be attain as well as all methods that may be adopted to attain these goals, the Supreme cannot be impersonal or qualityless. It is not appropriate to say that the material world is an illusion that is manifested from the Supreme. These words make no sense. In this way it is proved that the Supreme cannot be impersonal or qualityless.
Text 60
brahma-mulam ajnanam ajnana-saksi brahmety upagamat. saksitvam hi prakasaika-rasatayocyate. prakasatvam tu jadad vyavartakam svasya parasya ca vyavahara- yogyata-padanasvabhavena bhavati. tatha sati sa-visesatvam. tad- abhave prakasataiva na syat. tucchataiva syat.
The impersonalists' idea is that the world is an illusion that has its roots in a mistaken idea, and the Supreme is the neutral, aloof witness of this material illusion. However, this very idea affirms that the Supreme is not material, and the Supreme and others perform actions. These are the symptoms of a person. They are not the symptoms of an impersonal, qualityless something. In this way it is seen that the impersonalists' idea is very foolish and insignificant. It is not worth considering.
Text 61
kim ca tejo-vari-mrdam ity anenaiva tesam vivaksitam setsyatiti janmady asya yatah ity aprayojakam syat. atas tat-tad-visesavattve labdhe sa ca visesah sakti-rupa eva.
The impersonalists may try to claim that the words tejo-vari-mrdam" in this verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam support their idea. However, the words "janmady asya yatah" refute all their claims. Because the Supreme has many potencies, therefore He has qualities and He is a person.
Text 62
saktis cantaranga bahiranga tatastha ceti tridha darsita. tatra vikaratmakesu jagaj-janmadisu saksad-dhetuta bahirangaya eva syad iti sa mayakhya copakranta. tatastha ca vayam dhimahity anena atha yadyapi bhagavato 'msat tad- upadana-bhuta-prakrty-akhya-sakti-visistat purusad evasya janmadi. tathapi bhagavaty eva tad-dhetuta paryavasyati. samudraika-dese yasya janmadi. tasya samudra eva janmaditi.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has three potencies: 1. antaranga (internal), 2. bahiranga (external), and 3. tatastha (marginal). The external potency, which is also called maya, creates, maintains, and annihilates the material universes. The marginal potency is we living entities, who meditate (dhimahi) on the Supreme. Although the material energy is the immediate cause of the material world, because that material potency is part-and- parcel of the Supreme Lord, it is the Supreme Lord who is the ultimate cause of the creation, maintenance, and annihilation of the material universes.
Text 63
yathoktam
prakrtir hy asyopadanam
adharah purusah parah sato 'bhivyanjakah kalo
brahma tat-trtayas tv aham. iti.
This is also confirmed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself in these words (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.24.19):
"The material universe may be considered real, having nature as its original ingredient and final state. Lord Maha-Visnu is the resting place of nature, which becomes manifest by the power of time. Thus nature, the almighty Visnu, and time are not different from Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth."
Text 64
tasya ca bhagavato janmady asya yatah ity anenapi murtatvam eva laksyate. yato murtasyas jagato murti-sakter nidhana-rupa- tadrsananta-para-saktinam nidhana-rupo 'sav ity aksipyate. tasya parama-karanatvangi-karat.
In this way it is seen that the words "janmady asya yatah" from Vedanta-sutra and Srimad-Bhagavatam hint that the Supreme has a form. the material universe is one of His limbs, and His many other potencies are other limbs. They all rest within Him. Thus He is the original cause of all.
Text 65
na ca tasya murtatve saty anyato janmapatet. anavasthapatter ekasyaivaditvenangi-karat sankhyanam avyaktasyeva sa karanam karanadhipadhipo na casya kascij janito na cadhipah iti sruti- nisedhat. anadi-siddhaprakrta-svabhavika-murtitvena tasya tat-prasiddhes ca. tad evam murtatve siddhe sa ca murto visnu- narayanadi-saksad-rupakah sri-bhagavan eva nanyah.
Even though He has a from, the Supreme never takes birth. There must be an original cause of all. The idea that there is an endless series of causes and no original cause cannot be accepted. The Sankhya philosophers claim that the unmanifested material nature is the original cause, but this view cannot be accepted, for the scriptures contradict it. It is contradicted by these words of Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.9):
"The Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes. He is the master of all masters of the senses. No one is His father. No one is His king."
In this way it is proved that the form of the Lord is not material and has no beginning. The Lord has many forms, such as the form of Lord Visnu and Lord Narayana. These are the forms of the Lord. They are not other than the Lord.
Text 66
tatha ca dana-dharme
yatah sarvani bhutani
bhavanty adi-yugagame yasmims ca pralayam yanti
punar eva yuga-ksaye
This is also described in these words of the Dana-dharma:
"In the beginning of creation all living beings are manifested from the Supreme Lord, and at the time of cosmic devastation, all living beings enter Him again."
Text 67
ity adikam tat-pratipadaka-sahasra-namadau. tatraiva tu yathoktam anirdesya-vapuh sriman iti.
That the Lord has a form is also confirmed in the beginning of the Visnu-sahasra-nama, where the Lord is called by the names "anirdesya-vapuh" (He whose form is beyond description) and Sriman" (He who is glorious).
Text 68
evam ca skande
srasta pata ca samharta
sa eko harir isvarah srastrtvadikam anyesam
daru-yosa-vad ucyate
That the Supreme Lord is the creator and controller of the material world is confirmed by these words of Skanda Purana:
"Lord Hari is the only supreme controller. He is only the creator, maintainer, and destroyer of the worlds. Anyone else who may seem to be a creator, maintainer, or destroyer is only a wooden puppet in His hands.
Text 69
eka-desa-kriyavattvan
na tu sarvatmaneritam srsty-adikam samastam tu
visnor eva param bhavet. iti.
"Lord Visnu does not stay only in one place or perform only one action. He can be everywhere and do everything. He is the creator, maintainer and destroyer of the worlds. He is the Supreme."
Go to Anuccheda One Hundred-five (Part 4)
Return to Anuccheda One Hundred-five (Part 2)
