BY: SUN STAFF
Feb 21, CANADA (SUN) —
Bhagavat Sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
SECTION NINTEEN
The Internal energy is the source of all activities.
Now, the internal energy, called svarupa bhuta is described by showing it as the cause behind all actions, in two Bhagavatam verses (6.16.23-24):
Brahman emanates from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and expands like the sky. Although untouched by anything material, it exists within and without. Nonetheless, the mind, intelligence, senses, and life force can neither touch Him nor know Him. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.
The body, senses, life-force, mind, and intelligence, although matter, can function when infused with a particle of consciousness, jiva, by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this state he gets the name seer. As iron cannot burn unless heated by fire, the senses cannot act unless favored by the Supreme Brahman.
Sridhara Svami comments: "I bow down to that Brahman, which is although all-pervasive like the sky, yet whom the life airs do not touch by their working potency nor do the faculties know by their cognitive power. The cause for this ignorance in them is stated in 6.16.24. Infused by a fraction of the conscious energy of the Lord, the body, senses and others are able to perform their respective activities in the waking and dreaming states, but not in states such as unconscious and deep sleep. Iron in its normal cold state cannot burn, but when heated it acquires burning power from the fire yet it cannot burn the fire itself. Similarly, the body and senses perform their respective functions by the knowledge and working potency of the Brahman, yet they cannot approach or know It. This is part of his comment.
In this regard while refuting a Sankhya doctrine in (Advaita Sariraka), his commentary on the Vedanta Sutra 1.15, Sankaracarya also writes, "Then again one should contemplate that the pradhana acquires the quality of seeing from the witness (Purusha). Just as from fire, a piece of iron acquires the ability to burn. This being the case, He who is the cause of the Pradhana's seeing quality is certainly the all-cognizant, the chief source of the universe." This is part of his comment.
This is affirmed in the Katha Upanishad (2.2.15), "All this shines after His brilliance"; and the Taittriya Upanishad (2.7.1) states, "If Brahman, the personification of bliss, is not in the sky or in the heart, who else would infuse activity and maintain the life air?" The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states, "He is the seeing power of the eye and the hearing capacity of the ear."
The remaining portion of the commentary on the verse under discussion states: "Just because the jiva gets the power to see, does it mean that he can know everything by himself? The verse answers in negation. Only Brahman or Paramatma acquires the name "the seer" in the wakeful and dreaming states. Besides Brahman there is no such thing as jiva. This is confirmed in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.7.23, "Besides Him, there is no other seer."
An alternate meaning is that Paramatma knows the jiva who gets the designation "seer," but the jiva does not know Him. This is the end of his comment.
Therefore the SrimadBhagavatam (2.10.9) states, "The one who knows these three is the Supersoul, who is supported by His own self and is the basis of everything." The Vedas also confirm that the jiva is not an independent self-existing entity. The meaning is that the jiva exists in Paramatma alone. Therefore there is no other seer than the Lord. The meaning is that there is no other seer of the all seeing Lord. This is how the verse should be explained.
COMMENTARY
In Section Seventeen Srila Jiva Gosvami said that prior to explaining the internal potency he would first explain the external energy. In Section Eighteen he defined Maya as dependent on the Lord and established that she cannot function independently. In this Anuccheda he explains more explicitly how action in the material world ultimately emanates from the Lord, more specifically from His internal potency.
To establish that all activities originate from the internal potency Jiva Gosvami cites two Bhagavatam verses that Narada Muni spoke to King Citraketu. The first verse explains that both the working and knowledge-acquiring senses are unable to perceive the Lord. This is because they lack the capacity to know Him, not because He is too far away. To illustrate this the verse says that the Lord is all-pervading like the sky, but impalpable to the senses. The sky can be perceived through its quality of sound and granting space to the objects, but not the Lord.
The second verse explains the cause of this inability. The body and senses are inert by nature, being products of gunamaya. An inert object has no capacity to perceive anything. But when the living entity spreads consciousness into the inert body and senses, which include the mind, they can function and perceive their respective sense objects. The proof of this is that during an unconscious state or in deep sleep the senses do not perceive their respective objects. A sleeping man is as good as a dead man as far as external sense awareness is concerned. That's why it is sometimes said, "Sleep is an image of death". This is because in deep sleep or in an unconscious state the living entity loses contact with the senses. Therefore by direct and indirect inference it is logical to conclude that senses get their functional energy from the living entity. Even when surcharged by the potency of the living entity they cannot approach the Lord. This is illustrated by the example of a piece of iron, which has no natural capacity to burn, but when infused with heat it can do so. Still, it can never surpass the heat of its source. That's what Narada meant when he said that it cannot burn its source. The meaning is that a hot iron can make a cold object hot by its acquired heat, but the iron can never heat its source.
Similarly, the material senses cannot know the Lord. In fact the material senses cannot even know the soul. One may question: The jiva is called the seer and is conscious so why is it that he cannot know the Lord? Narada replies that the jiva is also limited in its function and is an atomic fraction of the Lord's marginal energy. Krishna says, mamaivamso jivaloke jivabhutah sanatanah, "The living entities in this material world are my eternal fragmented parts". Just as the senses and the body are getting energy from the soul, the soul in turn gets energy from Krishna. "My fragmented parts" does not mean that the souls are chipped off from the Lord's body like stone pieces, but that they are parts of His energy. Just as the parts are dependent on the whole and are meant to serve the whole, so also the jivas are dependent on the Lord and are servants of the Lord. A part looses its function if separated from the whole. Similarly, the soul, when not serving the Lord, becomes engrossed in matter. But he is always under the control of the Lord. The jiva is not an independent seer. Although he is the seer during the wakeful and dreaming states he cannot see anything during deep sleep. He does not lose the power to see as stated in the Brihadaranyakopanishad (4.3.23) yad vai tan na pasyati pasyan vai drashtavyan na pasyati, na hi drashturdrishterviparilopo vidyate--(In deep sleep) he certainly does not see. Although seeing, he does not see the visible objects: the seeing capacity of the seer is not lost. But his seeing is under the control of the Lord. This is corroborated by various Upanishadic statements like, "The Lord is the seeing power of the eye and hearing power of the ear," and "Everything shines after His brilliance". Thus the Lord is the original seer and by his power the living entity can also see.
In Sections 58-59 of Tattva Sandarbha, Srila Jiva Gosvami established that the Lord is the ultimate support. Although the jiva, adhyatmika purusha, the body adhibhautika purusha, and presiding deities of the senses adhikdaivika purusha can also act as mutual supports, the Lord is the support of everyone, including Himself. Thus He is the Absolute asraya, or support. The jiva and the material energy both function by His power. Lord Krishna confirms this (B.g. 15.12):
"The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and of fire are also from Me."
He gives a brief list of His opulences in the tenth chapter and then concludes (B.g. 10.42):
"But what need is there Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe."
About the living entities He says, sarvasya caham hridi sannilvishto mattah smritir jnanamapohanam ca, "I am seated in everyone's heart and from Me comes remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness". The words smriti, jnanam and apohanam can also refer to the three states of dreaming, waking and deep sleep. Dreaming is nothing but seeing what one has experienced which is like smriti. Jnanam is the proper awareness of the world as in waking and apohanam means loss of knowledge and signifies deep sleep wherein one looses contact with sense perception as well as with memory. Lord says that all the three states are under His control. They come from Him. The Brihadaranyaka Sruti (3.7.23) rightly says nanyo'to'sti drashta," There is no seer other than Him".
The essence of all this is that the jiva is not a self existent entity. He is a seer, but his seeing power is dependent on the Super-seer, the Lord, as confirmed by the Vedanta Sutra (2.3.39), parattu tacchruteh,: the activities of the soul depend on the transcendental Lord because the scriptures say so. This is said in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.7.15) yah sarvani bhutanyantaro yamayati--who controls all beings from within.
Although the jiva is in the body during deep sleep, he cannot perceive either the subtle or gross body. In fact he is dependent on the Supersoul to bring him to the wakeful state from deep slumber. This can be demonstrated logically. When one is in deep sleep he cannot hear his name being called. One must be awake in order to respond. Then how does one wake up when called? There must be a third party to help one reach external consciousness. This party must have the power to reach the sleeping soul as well as hear the call. This can be performed only by the Supersoul, who is all-pervasive like the sky, antarbahisca vitatam vyomavat, as the verse (6.16.23) says. Because the three states of the jiva are dependent on the Lord, it is established that all the activities of the material nature as well as that of the living being are dependent on the internal potency.
This conclusion defeats the Sankhya philosophy of Kapila Muni. There are two Kapila Munis and both propagated a system called Sankhya philosophy. One is described in the Srimad Bhagavatam. He was an incarnation of God. He is the fifth of the twenty-two incarnations listed in the third chapter of the First Canto. He gave His teachings to Asuri and to His mother Devahuti and His philosophy is in line with the Bhagavatam. The other Kapila Muni propagated Sankhya doctrines, but they differ from the conclusions of Srimad Bhagavatam. He complied his philosophy into 526 aphorisms called Sankhya Sutras, which are divided into six chapters. He too had a disciple named Asuri. His is a dualistic doctrine in which the purusha (living entity) and prakriti (material nature) are two independent eternal realities. Insentient prakriti or pradhana is the independent cause of the world. Pradhana creates the world in order to give release to the conditioned souls. Although insentient, it creates the world just as insentient milk turns into yogurt of its own accord. How can an insentient object work for the welfare of a sentient being? The answer is that in the same way that the mother's breast fills with milk for the nourishment of her child upon delivery. There is no conscious effort on the part of the mother. It is all nature's arrangement.
Bhagavad-gita confirms the agency of the material nature and condemns a person who thinks himself to be the doer (B.g. 3.27):
"The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature."
The prakriti is beginningless, unending and all pervading. It is the root cause and has no further cause. Sankhya Sutra (1.6.7) states, mule mulabhavadamulam mulam. "Because the root has no root, the root of all is rootless."
Purusha, on the other hand, has no attributes and is all-pervading consciousness. There is a separate purusha in everybody. This is supported by Isvara Krishna, a follower of Kapila Muni in his Sankhya-karika (18):
"Because the various bodies have individual birth, death and senses, because everyone does not perform the same activity simultaneously, and because the three modes of material nature have different attributes, it is established that there are many purushas.
They say the pure soul is inactive, has no modification and thus it is without enjoyment. Suffering and enjoyment belong to material nature. When prakriti and purusha come together, their association produces a mutual interchange of qualities. Consciousness and agency appears in matter and enjoyment appears in spirit. This is called adhyasa, superimposition, and it is the cause of the purusha's bondage. They compare prakrti to a blind woman and purusha to a lame man. The lame man rides the blind woman and thus they move and they say this is how the material world is running. But if the purusha can understand the twenty-four elements of the material nature and realize himself as distinct from them, then he can be liberated, because when a man learns of the unchaste behavior of a woman, she shies away. Similarly, when the purusha learns about the various products of prakriti, she flees.
This philosophy, although intriguing, has faulty logic and certainly is not supported by the scriptures. The very fact that material nature cannot produce anything without the association of the purusha proves that prakriti is not the ultimate cause of the creation. It is a common experience that an insentient object (prakrti) cannot be an independent agent. It can only serve as a tool in the hands of a sentient being (purusa). The Sankhya followers misconstrue that because purusha cannot work without prakriti; therefore purusa is not the agent. This is tantamount to saying that because a man cannot write without a pen, he is not a writer, but the pen. He may not be able to write without a pen, but the capacity to do so is within him and not in the pen. But by the Sankhyites logic the pen is the writer.
That their philosophy is not supported by the scriptures is shown by the reference in this Anuccheda to Narada's teachings to King Citraketu. Srila Vyasa has strongly refuted the dualistic Sankhya in his Vedanta Sutras especially in the second Pada of the second chapter. For example the Vedanta Sutra 2.2.1 states racananupapattesca nanumanam, the pradhana, which is inferred from the existence of the world, is not the cause of the world, because it is impossible for it to create by itself. Bhagavad-gita (3.42) quoted earlier teaches that one should not consider himself the only doer. It is not that the soul has no responsibility for action, but is not the only cause. In the Chapter Eighteen, verse fourteen, Krishna explains the five factors of action. The jiva is included as one of the five.
In the phrase "kartaham iti manyate" (B.g. 3.42), the verb manyate, which means "one who thinks", is used. This implies that the soul is a doer, because thinking is mental work. In Bhagavad-gita (18.15) Krishna accepts work performed through the mind, sarira van-manobhiryatkarma prarabhate narah, "whatever work a man performs with his body, speech, or mind." When a person thinks himself the only doer, forgetting the help extended by the Lord and the external energy, he is condemned as foolish and bewildered. It would be wrong, however, to conclude that the jiva does nothing at all. This i9s also the significance of the Brihadaranyaka Mantra (4.3.23) quoted earlier that the seeing capacity of the seer is not lost even in the deep sleep. Jivas have the capacity to desire, hence they are one of the five causes in any action.
The Sankhyites cannot explain why should the insentient prakriti work for th4e welfare of the sentient purusha. The flow of milk in the breast of a mother is not completely the act of prakriti. This will not happen in a dead body. It happens after the birth of a child because it is needed then and not before. If the child dies after the birth then there should be no milk in the breast according to the Sankhya logic. But such is not the case. Therefore we have to accept that prakriti is not in control nor the individual living entity because mother also has no control over the flow of milk. So a higher controlling authority must be accepted. It is by His power that prakriti and her products acquire energy to do their function. This is exemplified by the burning capacity of iron acquired from the fire. Both the working potency, kriyasakti and the cognitive power, the jnana sakti belong to the Lord and not to the prakriti. In this way after denying the independent existence of Prakriti. In the next Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that jiva cannot be the independent knower of the material mode.
Go to Section Twenty
Return to Section Eighteen
