BY: SUN STAFF
Dec 29, CANADA (SUN) —
Tattva Sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
SECTION THIRTY-TWO
The process (abhidheya) and the goal (prayojana), as established previously, are based on the essential difference between the Lord and the living entity. Sri Vyasa saw this distinction, as explained in the verse beginning with "yaya"(SB. 1.7.5). The living entity, deluded by Maya, although conscious by nature and beyond the inert three modes, considers himself to be this insentient body, composed of the three modes of material nature. Because of this the living entity attains the undesirable end, repeated birth and death.
Not only is the living being conscious, but yaya-sammohita, "deluded by Maya", and manute, "considers himself", indicate that he has consciousness as his very nature, just as light has the capacity to illuminate itself and other objects. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, ajnanenavritam jnanam tena muhyanti jantavah (B.g. 5.15) "Living beings are bewildered because their consciousness is covered by ignorance." Thus the other opinion that "the limiting material designation, upadhi, constitutes the nature of a jiva" and "being rid of the upadhi is liberation" has been rejected.
Here the phrase "deluded by Maya", implies that Maya alone is responsible for deluding the living being and the Lord is indifferent. As seen later in Srimad Bhagavatam, "The illusory energy of the Lord cannot stand in front of the Lord, being ashamed of her deeds, but foolish people deluded by her, speak proudly of "I" and "mine". (SB. 2.5.13)
Here the phrase "being ashamed" means that she knows her bewildering the living beings is not pleasing to the Lord, yet she is unable to tolerate that they have turned their backs on the Lord. This is explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam: "Being attracted to something other than the Lord the living beings become fearful." (SB.11.2.37) Hence she covers their real nature and attracts them to matter since time immemorial.
Sri Jiva Toshani Commentary
In this section, Srila Jiva Gosvami shows the process of self-realization (abhidheya) as service to the Lord and the goal (prayojana) as love of God. Whenever there is service or love, there must be a distinction between the server and the served or the lover and the beloved, and therefore an eternal distinction must exist between the Lord and the living entities.
According to the impersonalists this distinction exists only at vyavaharika, or the conditioned stage. At parmarthika, the liberated stage, all such distinction ceases, because Brahman alone exists on that level. Impersonalists hold that due to absolute oneness between God and the living being there can be no distinction whatsoever on the Brahman level.
When this Brahman acquires Maya as a limiting adjunct (upadhi), He (if we are allowed to use this pronoun) is called jiva. The jiva does not otherwise exist, it is only this proximity to Maya (upadhi) that causes Brahman to have the apparent nature of jiva. Hence the featureless Brahman, for no other reason than adulteration by Maya, gets deluded and displays a form and a personality only when masquerading as a jiva. Salvation for this deluded Brahman, the mayavadis say, is simply the giving up of this upadhi--by acquiring knowledge of Brahman.
But this contradicts what Vyasa saw in his trance. Srila Vyasa saw in His trance that jivas, by their intrinsic nature, are distinct from the Lord. He saw that only the jiva was deluded by Maya, and not Brahman or the Personality of Godhead; rather, He saw that Maya was not even able to face the Lord. God Himself has no direct involvement in deluding the jiva; He remains indifferent. In conclusion, Vyasadeva realized that the Lord, the jiva, and Maya are all eternal, the Lord being the support and the other two the supported.
The phrases "being deluded" and "he thinks" indicate that delusion and its effects, ignorance and misery, are not part of the jiva's nature. These two phrases also indicate that the jiva is both conscious and possesses consciousness. A light bulb does not need an external light to illuminate itself and at the same time its light illuminates the objects around it. Similarly a jiva is self-conscious and simultaneously he has the capacity to know objects outside of himself. In other words, to possess knowledge is an intrinsic aspect of his nature and it is not an acquired or borrowed ability, which is what the mayavadi doctrine implies by positing that the jiva has no intrinsic attributes and has to acquire knowledge so he might get salvation.
But when a jiva does not desire to serve the Lord, then Maya cannot tolerate that. She covers his knowledge and simultaneously casts him into a material body. These are the chief functions of Maya, to punish and to rectify the jiva who has turned his back on the Lord. The purpose of the punishment is not to inflict pain on the jiva, but to rectify him. That's why Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that transcendental knowledge burns all the bondage of karma, just as fire burns fuel, because once a person has transcendental knowledge punishment has no purpose.
But this does not mean that the jiva loses his capacity to possess knowledge. That is never possible. The jiva's knowledge is covered, but not lost, like when a light bulb is covered by an opaque object. Light may not show outside, but it still shines within. Similarly, although in the conditioned state the jiva's knowledge faculty is covered, his ability is still present. When his knowledge is covered, however, the conditioned jiva misuses his knowledge faculties and service propensities. Thus he suffers. But as soon as he again puts these faculties to proper use by practicing sadhana-bhakti, his natural concealed state is revealed, he regains his original svarupa and becomes situated in unending bliss. A more detailed discussion about this and other aspects of the jiva is given in the Paramatma Sandarbha.
But the question then arises, why does the all-powerful Lord not stop Maya from bewildering the jiva? Srila Jiva Gosvami explains this in the next section.
Go to Section Thirty-three
Return to Section Thirty-one
