Jiva Gosvami teaching Narottam, Srinivas and Syamananda at Radha Damodar Temple
BY: SUN STAFF
Mar 28, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Paramatma-Sandarbha, Volume 5, by Srila Jiva Goswami
Anuccheda 90
Text 1
atra kevalam cin-matratvam na sambhavatiti bhagavattvam evangi-krtya sri-maitreya uvaca
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not only spiritual in nature. He is also the master of all opulences. sri Maitreya accepts this when he says (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.9):
Text 2
seyam bhagavato maya
yan nayena virudhyate isvarasya vimuktasya
karpanyam uta bandhanam
"Certain conditioned souls put forward the theory that the Supreme Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is overcome by illusion, or maya, and at the same time they maintain that He is unconditioned. This is against all logic."
Text 3
yaya visva-srsty-adikam bhavati. seyam bhagavato 'cintya- svarupa-sakter mayakhya saktih. yad ya ca nayena tarkena virudhyate. tarkatitataya seyam apy acintyety arthah.
Here the words "seyam bhagavato maya" mean the Lord's potency that creates, maintains, and destroys the material worlds, a potency that is called maya and is manifested from the Lord's inconceivable internal potency". "Yan nayena virudhyate" means "This is against all logic". The meaning is that the Lord's inconceivable potency is beyond ordinary material logic.
Text 4
yadyapy evam dvayor apy acintyatvam. tathapi bhagavato mayety anena vyaktatvat svarupa-sakter antarangatvad bahirangaya mayaya gunaih sattvadibhis tat-karyaih sthapanadi-lilabhis ca nasau sprsyata ity arthah.
Although the internal and external potencies of the Lord are both inconceivable, for the external potency maya is itself manifested from the internal potency, nevertheless the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not touched by maya's three material modes, which begin with the mode of goodness, nor is He touched by maya's pastimes of creating, maintaining, and destroying the material worlds. That is the meaning.
Text 5
tatra kevalam cin-matratvam na. tantrena cayam arthah. satyam paramesvare na te guna na ca tah kriyah. kintu yasyas te gunas tad-asraya-balaya yaya ca kriyamanam karma tasminn aropyate. seyam tasya mayakhya bahiranga saktih.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not only spirit. Here is the meaning: Neither material activities nor the material modes have any influence over the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However because maya's material modes and material activities ultimately find their shelter in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is imagined that they have influence over Him. Here the words "seyam" mean "the Lord's external potency, which is called maya".
Text 6
tad uktam rte 'rtham yat pratiyeta ity adi.
The Supreme Lord describes the illusory potency maya in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.9.34):
"O Brahma, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness."
Text 7
tad eva vivrnoti yan nayeneti. yad ity avyayam. yad yaya tad-asritayapi yena bhagavata saha na virudhyate. yaya bhagavan na virodha-visayi-kriyata ity arthah.
The words in this verse (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.9, which was quoted in text 2 of this anuccheda) may also be divided yan na yena virudhyate" instead of "yan nayena virudhyate" Interpreted in this way the word "yan" means "the maya potency, which takes shelter of the Supreme Lord", "na" means "not", "yena" means "by the Supreme Personality of Godhead", and virudhyate" means "is contradicted." Interpreted in this way, the words mean "This is not against all logic".
Text 8
na hy abhasa-gatena kurvuratvadina calanadina va surya- mandalasya tat-tad-yogo viroddhum sakyata iti bhavah. etena vaisamya-patas ca parihrtah.
Here (in Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.34 quoted in text 6 of this anuccheda) the word "abhasah" (reflection) indicates that the rays of sunlight, even if they create colorful rainbows or bewildering mirages, never contradict or obscure the shining of the sun globe, which is their source. Thus in this interpretation of Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.9, quoted in text 2 of this anuccheda) the idea of a contradiction or of illogic is denied.
Text 9
tad etat sarvam abhipretya seyam bhagavato maya ity anena ittham-bhuta-guno harih itivat tat-tat-svabhavaiveyam iti dhvanitam.
In this way Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.9 may be interpreted according to these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.7.10):
"The Lord possesses transcendental qualities and opulences."
Text 10
tad etad-arthasyanukulo 'yam api sabda-dhvani-lambhito 'rtha-visesah sphurati. yatha nayena tarkena virudhyata iti. yat seyam bhagavato mayeti. yad yaya mayaya yena bhagavata saha na virudhyate. nasau virodha-visayi-kriyata iti. yad va yena bhagavata na virudhyate. na sarvatha nirvisayi-kriyata iti ca.
If these words are interpreted "nayena virudhyate", they may mean "the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be understood by material logic". If the words are interpreted "na yena virudhyate" they may mean "the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be understood by taking shelter of His maya potency".
Text 11
evam eva sasthe navamadhyaye duravabodha iva tavayam ity-adina gadyena tasya saguna-kartrtvam virudhya punar atha tatra bhavan iti gadyenantaryamitaya guna-visarga-patitatvena jiva-vad bhoktrtva-yogam sambhavya na hi virodha ubhayam ity adi gadyena tatra tatravitarkya-saktitvam eva ca siddhante yojitam.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.9.34) it is said:
"O Lord, You need no support, and although You have no material body, You do not need cooperation from us. Since You are the cause of the cosmic manifestation and You supply its material ingredients without being transformed, You create, maintain, and annihilate this cosmic manifestation by Yourself. Nevertheless,although You appear engaged in material activity, You are transcendental to all material qualities. Consequently, these transcendental activities of Yours are extremely difficult to understand."
In this prose passage of Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is clearly said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not perform material activities impelled by the material modes. In the next passage (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.9.35) it is said:
"These are our inquiries. The ordinary conditioned soul is subject to the material laws, and he thus receives the fruits of his actions. Does Your Lordship , like an ordinary human being, exist within this material world in a body produced by the material modes? Do You enjoy or suffer the good or bad results of actions under the influence of time, past work, and so forth? Or, on the contrary, are You present here only as a neutral witness who is self-sufficient, free from all material desires, and always full of spiritual potency? We certainly cannot understand Your actual position."
In this prose passage of Srimad-Bhagavatam the Lord's feature as the Supersoul is described and it is asked whether His presence in the material world of the three modes is like that of the conditioned souls who try to enjoy the material nature. In the next passage it is said:
"O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all contradictions can be reconciled in You. O Lord, since You are the Supreme Person, the reservoir of unlimited spiritual qualities, the Supreme Controller, Your unlimited glories are inconceivable to the conditioned souls. Many modern theologians argue about right and wrong without knowing what is actually right. Their arguments are always false and their judgments inconclusive because they have no authorized evidence with which to gain knowledge of You. Because their minds are agitated by scriptures containing false conclusions, they are unable to understand the truth concerning You. Furthermore, because of polluted eagerness to arrive at the right conclusion, their theories are incapable of revealing You, who are transcendental to their material conceptions. You are one without a second, and therefore in You contradictions like doing and not doing, happiness and distress, are not contradictory. Your potency is so great that it can do and undo anything as You like. With the help of that potency, what is impossible for You? Since there is no duality in Your constitutional position, You can do everything by the influence of Your energy."
In this prose passage of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has inconceivable potencies.
Text 12
tatra svarupa-sakter avitarkyatvam bhagavati ity adibhir visesanair mayayas catma-mayam ity anena darsitam.
That the Supreme Lord's potencies are inconceivable is confirmed by the descriptions that follow the word bhagavati" in this prose passage of Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.9.36).
Text 13
tatra svarupa-dvayabhavat ity asya tathapy acintua-saktya tat-kartrtvam tad-antah-patitvam vidyata ity arthah.
That the Supreme Lord employs His inconceivable potency to personally enter the material world is confirmed here (in Srimad- Bhagavatam 6.9.36) by the use of the word "svarupa- dvayabhavat".
Text 14
sama-visama-matinam iti tu gadyam tathapy uccavaca- buddhinam tatha tatha sphurasiti pratipatty-artham j eyam.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.9.37) it is said:
"A rope causes fear for a bewildered person who considers it a snake, but not for a person with proper intelligence who knows it to be only a rope. Similarly You, as the Supersoul in everyone's heart, inspire fear or fearlessness according to one's intelligence, but in You there is no duality."
The gist of this prose passage is: "O Lord, You appear in this world in order to enlighten the intelligent and the unintelligent."
Text 15
duravabodha iva iti praktana-gadye tu asarirah iti sarira-cestam vina. asaranah iti bhumy-ady-asrayam vinety arthah.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.9.34, which was quoted here (in text 11 of this anuccheda), the word "asarirah" means free of having to perform the activities that must be performed by a material body", and "asaranah" means not needing to take shelter of the earth or any other thing". That is the meaning.
Text 16
atha tatra ity adau sva-krte 'pi tasyapi hetu-kartrtvad yojaniyam. tasmad atrapi svarupa-sakter eva pradhanyam darsitam.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.9.35 (quoted in text 11 of this anuccheda) it is hinted that the Lord employs His external potency to create the material world. For this reason the Lord's internal potency is superior to the external potency.
Text 17
ata eva rte 'rtham yat pratiyeta ity adau mayaya abhasa- sthaniyatvam pradarsya tad asprsyatvam eva bhagavato darsitam tvam adyah purusah saksat ity adau mayam vyudasya cic-chaktya ity anena ca tatha jnapitam. maya paraity abhimukhe ca vilajjamana ity anena ca.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.9.34) the Supreme Lord explains:
"O Brahma, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness."
In this way it is shown that the Lord's external potency, maya, is like a reflection. That the maya potency does not directly touch the Supreme Lord is described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.23):
"O Supreme Personality of Godhead, You have cast away the effects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual potency."
This also confirmed by these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.47):
"In the Supreme Personality of Godhead the illusory energy does not stand."
Text 18
tad evam bhagavati tad-virodham parihrtya jive 'py avidya- sambandhatvam atarkyatvena darsitaya tan-mayayaiva samadadhati. isvarasyeti yad ity anenaiva sambadhyate. artha- vasad atra ca trtiyaya parinamyate.yad yaya isvarasya svarupa- jnanadibhih samarthasya. ata eva vimuktasya jivasya karpanyam tat-tat-prakasa-tirobhavas tatha bandhanam tad- darsita-gunamaya-jala-pravesas ca bhavatiti.
In this way any seeming contradictions in the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are resolved and the inconceivable maya potency's bewilderment of the conditioned souls is described. This is shown by the words "isvarasya" and "yan" in Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.9 (quoted here in the beginning of anuccheda 90). Here the word "yan" (yat) has the force of the instrumental case and it means "by the power of His transcendental knowledge and other opulences, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (isvarasya) is perfectly able to remain always free of the influence of maya". On the other hand, even the liberated (vimuktasya) individual soul (jivasya) is in a much inferior (karpanyam) to the Lord, and may have to enter the trap of the three modes of material nature (bandhanam).
Text 19
tad uktam tat-sanga-bhramsitaisvaryam iti.
The state of the individual soul fallen into the material world is described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.5.15):
"If one becomes the husband of a prostitute, he loses all independence. Similarly, if a living entity has polluted intelligence, he prolongs his materialistic life. Frustrated by material nature, he must follow the movements of the intelligence, which brings various conditions of happiness and distress. If one performs fruitive activities under such conditions, what will be the benefit?"
Text 20
tad etat sarvam abhipretya srutayo 'py ahuh sa yad ajaya tv ajam ity adau apeta-bhagah iti ca.
The fate of the individual soul fallen in the material world is also described in these words spoken by the Personified Vedas (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.38):
"The illusory material nature attracts the minute living entity to embrace her, and as a result he assumes forms composed of her qualities. Subsequently, he loses all of his spiritual qualities and must undergo repeated deaths."
Text 21
atra mula-padye bhagavato mayety anena bhagavattvam tv amayikam ity ayatam. indrasya mayety atra yathendratvam. evam purvatrapi jneyam.
In the verse (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.9) quoted in the beginning of this anuccheda the words "bhagavato maya" indicate that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is free from maya's touch. As the monarch who controls maya, He is free from her power. This has been explained previously.
Go to Anuccheda Ninety-one to Ninety-two
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