Madhya6.157

TEXT 157

hlādinī sandhinī samvit

tvayy ekā sarva-saṁśraye

hlāda-tāpa-karī miśrā

tvayi no guṇa-varjite

SYNONYMS

hlādinī—the pleasure potency; sandhinī—the eternity potency; samvit—the knowledge potency; tvayi—in You; ekā—one spiritual (cit) potency; sarva-saṁśraye—the shelter of everything; hlāda—pleasure; tāpa-karī—causing displeasure; miśrā—mixed; tvayi—in You; na u—not; guṇa-varjite—devoid of all material qualities.

TRANSLATION

" ’The Supreme Personality of Godhead is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. This means that He originally has three potencies-the pleasure potency, the potency of eternality and the potency of knowledge. Together these are called the cit potency, and they are present in full in the Supreme Lord. For the living entities, who are part and parcel of the Lord, the pleasure potency in the material world is sometimes displeasing and sometimes mixed. This is not the case with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because He is not under the influence of the material energy or its modes.’

Madhya6.158

TEXT 158

sac-cid-ānanda-maya haya īśvara-svarūpa

tina aṁśe cic-chakti haya tina rūpa

SYNONYMS

sat-cit-ānanda-maya—full of eternity, knowledge and bliss; haya—is; īśvara—of the Supreme Lord; svarūpa—the transcendental form; tina aṁśe—in three parts; cit-śakti—the spiritual potency; haya—becomes; tina—three; rūpa—forms.

TRANSLATION

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His original form is full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. The spiritual potency in these three portions [sat, cit and ānanda] assumes three different forms.

PURPORT

According to the verdict of all Vedic literature, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the living entity and the illusory energy (this material world) constitute the subject matter of knowledge. Everyone should try to understand the relationships among them. First of all, one should try to understand the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From the śāstras we understand that the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the sum total of eternity, bliss and knowledge. As stated in verse 154 (viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā), the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of all potencies, and His potencies are all spiritual.

Madhya6.159

TEXT 159

ānandāṁśe ’hlādinī,’ sad-aṁśe ’sandhinī’

cid-aṁśe ’samvit’, yāre jñāna kari māni

SYNONYMS

ānanda-aṁśe—in the part of bliss; hlādinī—the pleasure potency; sat-aṁśe—in the part of eternity; sandhinī—the sandhinī potency; cit-aṁśe—in the part of knowledge; samvit—the samvit potency; yāre—which; jñāna—as knowledge; kari māni—we accept.

TRANSLATION

"The three portions of the spiritual potency are called hlādinī [the bliss portion], sandhinī [the eternity portion] and samvit [the knowledge portion]. We accept knowledge of these as full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

To acquire knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must take shelter of the samvit potency of the Supreme Lord.

Madhya6.160

TEXT 160

antaraṅgā--cic-chakti, taṭasthā--jīva-śakti

bahiraṅgā--māyā,--tine kare prema-bhakti

SYNONYMS

antaraṅgā—the internal potency; cit-śakti—the spiritual potency; taṭasthā—the marginal potency; jīva-śakti—the living entities; bahiraṅgā—the external potency; māyā—the illusory energy; tine—all three of them; kare—do; prema-bhakti—devotional service in love.

TRANSLATION

"The spiritual potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead also appears in three phases-internal, marginal and external. These are all engaged in His devotional service in love.

PURPORT

The spiritual potency of the Lord is manifested in three phases-the internal, or spiritual, potency, the marginal potency, which is the living entities, and the external potency, known as māyā-śakti. We must understand that in each of these three phases the original spiritual potencies of pleasure, eternity and knowledge remain intact. When the potencies of spiritual pleasure and knowledge are both bestowed upon the conditioned souls, the conditioned souls can escape the clutches of the external potency, māyā, which acts as a cover obscuring one’s spiritual identity. When freed, the living entity awakens to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages in devotional service with love and affection.

Madhya6.161

TEXT 161

ṣaḍ-vidha aiśvarya--prabhura cic-chakti-vilāsa

hena śakti nāhi māna,--parama sāhasa

SYNONYMS

ṣaṭ-vidha—six kinds; aiśvarya—of opulences; prabhura—of the Lord; cit-śakti-vilāsa—enjoyment in the spiritual potency; hena śakti—such sublime potencies; nāhi—not; māna—you accept; parama sāhasa—great impudence.

TRANSLATION

"In His spiritual potency, the Supreme Lord enjoys six kinds of opulence. You do not accept this spiritual potency, and this is due to your great impudence.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is full with six opulences. All of these potencies are on the transcendental platform. To understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead as impersonal and devoid of potency is to go completely against Vedic information.

Madhya6.162

TEXT 162

’māyādhīśa’ ’māyā-vaśa’--īśvare-jīve bheda

hena-jīve īśvara-saha kaha ta’ abheda

SYNONYMS

māyā-adhīśa—the Lord of energy; māyā-vaśa—subjected to the influence of māyā; īśvare—in the Supreme Personality of Godhead; jīve—in the living entities; bheda—the difference; hena-jīve—such living entities; īśvara-saha—with the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kaha—you say; ta’-indeed; abheda—one and the same.

TRANSLATION

"The Lord is the master of the potencies, and the living entity is the servant of them. That is the difference between the Lord and the living entity. However, you declare that the Lord and the living entities are one and the same.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is by nature the master of all potencies. By nature, the living entities, being infinitesimal, are always under the influence of the Lord’s potencies. According to the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.1-2):

dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā
samānaṁ vṛkṣaṁ pariṣasvajāte
tayor anyaḥ pippalaṁ svādv atty
anaśnann anyo ’bhicākaśīti

samāne vṛkṣe puruṣo nimagno
’nīśayā śocati muhyamānaḥ
juṣṭaṁ yadā paśyaty anyam īśam
asya mahimānam eti vīta-śokaḥ

Madhya6.163

TEXT 163

gītā-śāstre jīva-rūpa ’śakti’ kari’ māne

hena jīve ’bheda’ kara īśvarera sane

SYNONYMS

gītā-śāstre—in the Bhagavad-gītā; jīva-rūpa—the identity of the living entity; śakti—potency; kari’-making; māne—accepts; hena—such; jīve—living entity; bheda—different; kara—you make; īśvarera—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sane—with.

TRANSLATION

"In the Bhagavad-gītā the living entity is established as the marginal potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet you say that the living entity is completely different from the Lord.

PURPORT

The Brahma-sūtra states that according to the principle of śakti-śaktimatayor abhedaḥ, the living entity is simultaneously one with and different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Qualitatively the living entity and the Supreme Lord are one, but in quantity they are different. According to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s philosophy (acintya-bhedābheda-tattva), the living entity and the Supreme Lord are accepted as one and different at the same time.

Madhya6.164

TEXT 164

bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ

khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca

ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me

bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

SYNONYMS

bhūmiḥ—earth; āpaḥ—water; analaḥ—fire; vāyuḥ—air; kham—ether; manaḥ—mind; buddhiḥ—intelligence; eva—certainly; ca—and; ahaṅkāraḥ—false ego; iti—thus; iyam—this; me—My; bhinnā—separated; prakṛtiḥ—energy; aṣṭadhā—eightfold.

TRANSLATION

" ’Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego are My eightfold separated energies.

Madhya6.165

TEXT 165

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ

prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām

jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho

yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat

SYNONYMS

aparā—inferior; iyam—this; itaḥ—from this; tu—but; anyām—another; prakṛtim—nature; viddhi—know; me—My; parām—transcendental; jīva-bhūtām—existing as the living entities; mahā-bāho—O mighty-armed one; yayā—by which; idam—this; dhāryate—is sustained; jagat—material world.

TRANSLATION

" ’Besides these inferior energies, which are material, there is another energy, a spiritual energy, and this is the living being, O mighty-armed one. The entire material world is sustained by the living entities.’

PURPORT

Madhya6.166

TEXT 166

īśvarera śrī-vigraha sac-cid-ānandākāra

se-vigrahe kaha sattva-guṇera vikāra

SYNONYMS

īśvarera—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; śrī-vigraha—the form; sat-cit-ānanda-ākāra—complete in eternity, cognizance and bliss; se-vigrahe—about that form of the Lord; kaha—you say; sattva-guṇera—of the quality of material goodness; vikāra—transformation.

TRANSLATION

"The transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is complete in eternity, cognizance and bliss. However, you describe this transcendental form as a product of material goodness.

Madhya6.167

TEXT 167

śrī-vigraha ye nā māne, sei ta’ pāṣaṇḍī

adṛśya aspṛśya, sei haya yama-daṇḍī

SYNONYMS

śrī-vigraha—the form of the Lord; ye—anyone who; nā—not; māne—accepts; sei—he; ta’-indeed; pāṣaṇḍī—agnostic; adṛśya—not to be seen; aspṛśya—untouchable; sei—he; haya—is; yama-daṇḍī—subject to be punished by Yamarāja.

TRANSLATION

"One who does not accept the transcendental form of the Lord is certainly an agnostic. Such a person should be neither seen nor touched. Indeed, he is subject to be punished by Yamarāja.

PURPORT

According to the Vedic instructions, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has His eternal, transcendental form, which is always blissful and full of knowledge. Impersonalists think that “material” refers to the forms within our experience and that “spiritual” refers to an absence of form. However, one should know that beyond this material nature is another nature, which is spiritual. Just as there are material forms in this material world, there are spiritual forms in the spiritual world. This is confirmed by all Vedic literature. The spiritual forms in the transcendental world have nothing to do with the negative conception of formlessness. The conclusion is that a person is an agnostic when he does not agree to worship the transcendental form of the Lord.

Madhya6.168

TEXT 168

veda nā māniyā bauddha haya ta’ nāstika

vedāśraya nāstikya-vāda bauddhake adhika

SYNONYMS

veda—the Vedic literature; nā—not; māniyā—accepting; bauddha—the Buddhists; haya—are; ta’-indeed; nāstika—agnostics; veda-āśraya—taking shelter of Vedic civilization; nāstikya-vāda—agnosticism; bauddhake—even Buddhists; adhika—surpassing.

TRANSLATION

"The Buddhists do not recognize the authority of the Vedas; therefore they are considered agnostics. However, those who have taken shelter of the Vedic scriptures yet preach agnosticism in accordance with the Māyāvāda philosophy are certainly more dangerous than the Buddhists.

PURPORT

Although the Buddhists are directly opposed to Vaiṣṇava philosophy, it can easily be understood that the Śaṅkarites are more dangerous because they accept the authority of the Vedas yet act contrary to Vedic instruction. Vedāśraya nāstikya-vāda means “agnosticism under the shelter of Vedic culture” and refers to the monistic philosophy of the Māyāvādīs. Lord Buddha abandoned the authority of the Vedic literature and therefore rejected the ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices recommended in the Vedas. His nirvāṇa philosophy means stopping all material activities. Lord Buddha did not recognize the presence of transcendental forms and spiritual activities beyond the material world. He simply described voidism beyond this material existence. The Māyāvādī philosophers offer lip service to Vedic authority but try to escape the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. They concoct some idea of a transcendental position and call themselves Nārāyaṇa, or God. However, God’s position is completely different from their concoction. Such Māyāvādī philosophers consider themselves above the influence of karma-kāṇḍa (fruitive activities and their reactions). For them, the spiritual world is equated with the Buddhist voidism. There is very little difference between impersonalism and voidism. Voidism can be directly understood, but the impersonalism enunciated by Māyāvādī philosophers is not very easily understandable. Of course, Māyāvādī philosophers accept a spiritual existence, but they do not know about the spiritual world and spiritual beings. According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.32):

ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas
tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ
āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ
patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ

The intelligence of the Māyāvādīs is not purified; therefore even though they practice austerities for self-realization, they cannot remain within the impersonal brahmajyoti. Consequently, they fall down again into this material world.

Madhya6.169

TEXT 169

jīvera nistāra lāgi’ sūtra kaila vyāsa

māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa

SYNONYMS

jīvera—of the living entities; nistāra—deliverance; lāgi’-for the matter of; sūtra—the Vedānta-sūtra; kaila—made; vyāsa—Śrīla Vyāsadeva; māyāvādi—of the impersonalists; bhāṣya—commentary; śunile—if hearing; haya—becomes; sarva-nāśa—all destruction.

TRANSLATION

"Śrīla Vyāsadeva presented Vedānta philosophy for the deliverance of conditioned souls, but if one hears the commentary of Śaṅkarācārya, everything is spoiled.

PURPORT

Factually, the devotional service of the Lord is described in the Vedānta-sūtra, but the Māyāvādī philosophers, the Śaṅkarites, prepared a commentary known as Śārīraka-bhāṣya, in which the transcendental form of the Lord is denied. The Māyāvādī philosophers think that the living entity is identical with the Supreme Soul, Brahman. Their commentaries on the Vedānta-sūtra are completely opposed to the principle of devotional service. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore warns us to avoid these commentaries. If one indulges in hearing the Śaṅkarite Śārīraka-bhāṣya, he will certainly be bereft of all real knowledge.

The ambitious Māyāvādī philosophers desire to merge into the existence of the Lord, and this may be accepted as sāyujya-mukti. However, this form of mukti means denying one’s individual existence. In other words, it is a kind of spiritual suicide. This is absolutely opposed to the philosophy of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga offers immortality to the individual conditioned soul. If one follows the Māyāvādī philosophy, he misses his opportunity to become immortal after giving up the material body. The immortality of the individual person is the highest perfectional stage a living entity can attain.

Madhya6.170

TEXT 170

’pariṇāma-vāda’--vyāsa-sūtrera sammata

acintya-śakti īśvara jagad-rūpe pariṇata

SYNONYMS

pariṇāma-vāda—the theory of transformation; vyāsa-sūtrera—of the Vedānta-sūtra; sammata—purpose; acintya-śakti—inconceivable power; īśvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; jagat-rūpe—in the form of the cosmic manifestation; pariṇata—transformed.

TRANSLATION

"The Vedānta-sūtra aims at establishing that the cosmic manifestation has come into being by the transformation of the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

For a further explanation of pariṇāma-vāda, refer to Ādi-līlā, Seventh Chapter, verses 121-133.

Madhya6.171

TEXT 171

maṇi yaiche avikṛte prasabe hema-bhāra

jagad-rūpa haya īśvara, tabu avikāra

SYNONYMS

maṇi—the touchstone; yaiche—just as; avikṛte—without being transformed; prasabe—produces; hema-bhāra—volumes of gold; jagat-rūpa—the cosmic manifestation; haya—becomes; īśvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tabu—still; avikāra—unchanged.

TRANSLATION

"The touchstone, after touching iron, produces volumes of gold without being changed. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests Himself as the cosmic manifestation by His inconceivable potency, yet He remains unchanged in His eternal, transcendental form.

PURPORT

According to the commentary of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, the purpose of the janmādy asya verse in the Vedānta-sūtra is to establish that the cosmic manifestation is the result of the transformation of the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is the master of innumerable eternal energies, which are unlimited. Sometimes these energies are manifested, and sometimes they are not. In any case, all energies are under His control; therefore He is the original energetic, the abode of all energies. A common brain in the conditioned state cannot conceive of how these inconceivable energies abide in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, how He exists in His innumerable forms as the master of both spiritual and material energies, how He is the master of both manifest and potential powers, and how contradictory potencies can abide in Him. As long as the living entity is within this material world, in the condition of illusion, he cannot understand the activities of the inconceivable energies of the Lord. Thus the Lord’s energies, though factual, are simply beyond the power of the common brain to understand.

When the atheistic philosophers or the Māyāvādīs, being unable to understand the inconceivable energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, imagine an impersonal void, their imagination is only the counterpart of materialistic thinking. Within the material world, there is nothing inconceivable. High-thinking philosophers and scientists can tackle the material energy, but not being able to understand the spiritual energy, they can simply imagine an inactive state, such as the impersonal Brahman. This is simply the negative side of material life. By such imperfect knowledge, the Māyāvādī philosophers conclude that the cosmic manifestation is a transformation of the Supreme. Thus they must necessarily also accept the theory of the illusion of the Supreme (vivarta-vāda). However, if we accept the inconceivable potencies of the Lord, we can understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead can appear within this material world without being touched or contaminated by the three modes of material nature.

Madhya6.172

TEXT 172

vyāsa--bhrānta bali’ sei sūtre doṣa diyā

’vivarta-vāda’ sthāpiyāche kalpanā kariyā

SYNONYMS

vyāsa—Śrīla Vyāsadeva; bhrānta—mistaken; bali’-saying; sei—that; sūtre—in the Vedānta-sūtra; doṣa—fault; diyā—accusing; vivarta-vāda—the theory of illusion; sthāpiyāche—has established; kalpanā—imagination; kariyā—doing.

TRANSLATION

"Śaṅkarācārya’s theory states that the Absolute Truth is transformed. By accepting this theory, the Māyāvādī philosophers denigrate Śrīla Vyāsadeva by accusing him of error. They thus find fault in the Vedānta-sūtra and interpret it to try to establish the theory of illusion.

PURPORT

Madhya6.173

TEXT 173

jīvera dehe ātma-buddhi--sei mithyā haya

jagat ye mithyā nahe, naśvara-mātra haya

SYNONYMS

jīvera—of the living entities; dehe—in the body; ātma-buddhi—considering as the self; sei—that; mithyā—untruth; haya—is; jagat—the cosmic manifestation; ye—that; mithyā—untruth; nahe—not; naśvara-mātra—only temporary; haya—is.

TRANSLATION

"The theory of illusion can be applied only when the living entity identifies himself with the body. As far as the cosmic manifestation is concerned, it cannot be called false, although it is certainly temporary.

PURPORT

Madhya6.174

TEXT 174

’praṇava’ ye mahā-vākya--īśvarera mūrti

praṇava haite sarva-veda, jagat-utpatti

SYNONYMS

praṇava—oṁkāra; ye—that which; mahā-vākya—transcendental vibration; īśvarera—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mūrti—the form; praṇava—oṁkāra; haite—from; sarva-veda—all Vedic literature; jagat—of the material world; utpatti—production.

TRANSLATION

"The transcendental vibration oṁkāra is the sound form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All Vedic knowledge and this cosmic manifestation are produced from this sound representation of the Supreme Lord.

PURPORT

Oṁkāra is the representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in sound. This form of His holy name is accepted as the transcendental vibration (mahā-vākya), by virtue of which the temporary material manifestation has come into being. If one takes shelter of the sound representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (oṁkāra), he can realize his constitutional identity and engage in devotional service even though in conditional life.

Madhya6.175

TEXT 175

’tat tvam asi’--jīva-hetu prādeśika vākya

praṇava nā māni’ tāre kahe mahā-vākya

SYNONYMS

tat tvam asi—you are the same; jīva-hetu—for the enlightenment of the conditioned soul; prādeśika—subsidiary; vākya—vibration; praṇava—the oṁkāra incarnation; nā—not; māni’-accepting; tāre—that; kahe—says; mahā-vākya—transcendental vibration.

TRANSLATION

“The subsidiary vibration tat tvam asi [”you are the same“] is meant for the understanding of the living entity, but the principal vibration is oṁkāra. Not caring for oṁkāra, Śaṅkarācārya has stressed the vibration tat tvam asi.”

PURPORT

Tat tvam asi is accepted as the primary vibration by one who does not accept praṇava, the transcendental sound incarnation of the holy name of the Lord, as the chief principle in Vedic literature. By word jugglery, Śaṅkarācārya tried to create an illusory presentation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His relationship with the living entities and the cosmic manifestation. Tat tvam asi is a warning to the living entity not to mistake the body for the self. Therefore tat tvam asi is especially meant for the conditioned soul. The chanting of oṁkāra or the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is meant for the liberated soul. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has said, ayi mukta-kulair upāsyamānam (Nāmāṣṭaka 1). Thus the holy name of the Lord is chanted by the liberated souls. Similarly, Parīkṣit Mahārāja says, nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt (Bhāg. 10.1.4). The holy name of the Lord can be chanted by those who have fully satisfied their material desires or who are fully situated on the transcendental platform and devoid of material desire. The name of the Lord can be chanted by one who is completely freed from material contamination (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam). Śaṅkarācārya has indirectly minimized the value of the principal Vedic mantra (oṁkāra) by accepting a subordinate vibration (tat tvam asi) as the most important Vedic mantra.

Madhya6.176

TEXT 176

ei-mate kalpita bhāṣye śata doṣa dila

bhaṭṭācārya pūrva-pakṣa apāra karila

SYNONYMS

ei-mate—in this way; kalpita—imagined; bhāṣye—in the commentary; śata—hundreds; doṣa—of faults; dila—gave; bhaṭṭācārya—Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; pūrva-pakṣa—opposing elements; apāra—unlimitedly; karila—manifested.

TRANSLATION

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu criticized Śaṅkarācārya’s Śārīraka-bhāṣya as imaginary, and He pointed out hundreds of faults in it. To defend Śaṅkarācārya, however, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya presented unlimited opposition.

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