Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: Adi-lila
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter 7

Adi7.125

TEXT 125

tathapi acintya-saktye haya avikari

prakrta cintamani tahe drstanta ye dhari

SYNONYMS

tathapi—yet; acintya-saktye—by inconceivable potency; haya—remains; avikari—without change; prakrta—material; cintamani—touchstone; tahe—in that respect; drstanta—example; ye—which; dhari—we accept.

TRANSLATION

"Using the example of a touchstone, which by its energy turns iron to gold and yet remains the same, we can understand that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead transforms His innumerable energies, He remains unchanged.

Adi7.126

TEXT 126

nana ratna-rasi haya cintamani haite

tathapiha mani rahe svarupe avikrte

SYNONYMS

nana—varieties; ratna-rasi—valuable jewels; haya—become possible; cintamani—the touchstone; haite—from; tathapiha—still, certainly; mani—the touchstone; rahe—remains; svarupe—in its original form; avikrte—without change.

TRANSLATION

"Although a touchstone produces many varieties of valuable jewels, it nevertheless remains the same. It does not change its original form.

Adi7.127

TEXT 127

prakrta-vastute yadi acintya-sakti haya

isvarera acintya-sakti,--ithe ki vismaya

SYNONYMS

prakrta-vastute—in material things; yadi—if; acintya—inconceivable; sakti—potency; haya—becomes possible; isvarera—of the Supreme Lord; acintya—inconceivable; sakti—potency; ithe—in this; ki—what; vismaya—wonderful.

TRANSLATION

"If there is such inconceivable potency in material objects, why should we not believe in the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

PURPORT

The argument of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu described in this verse can be very easily understood even by a common man if he simply thinks of the activities of the sun, which has been giving off unlimited amounts of heat and light since time immemorial and yet has not even slightly decreased in power. Modern science believes that it is by sunshine that the entire cosmic manifestation is maintained, and actually one can see how the actions and reactions of sunshine maintain order throughout the universe. The growth of vegetables and even the rotation of the planets take place due to the heat and light of the sun. Sometimes, therefore, modern scientists consider the sun to be the original cause of creation, not knowing that the sun is only a medium, for it is also created by the supreme energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Aside from the sun and the touchstone, there are many other material things that transform their energy in different ways and yet remain as they are. It is not necessary, therefore, for the original cause, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to change due to the changes or transformations of His different energies.

The falsity of Sripada Sankaracarya’s explanation of vivarta-vada and parinama-vada has been detected by the Vaisnava acaryas, especially Jiva Gosvami, whose opinion is that actually Sankara did not understand the Vedanta-sutra. In Sankara’s explanation of one sutra, ananda-mayo ’bhyasat, he has interpreted the affix mayat with such word jugglery that this very explanation proves that he had little knowledge of the Vedanta-sutra but simply wanted to support his impersonalism through the aphorisms of the Vedanta philosophy. Actually, however, he failed to do so because he could not put forward strong arguments. In this connection, Srila Jiva Gosvami cites the phrase brahma puccham pratistha (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.5), which gives Vedic evidence that Brahman is the origin of everything. In explaining this verse, Sripada Sankaracarya interpreted various Sanskrit words in such a way that he implied, according to Jiva Gosvami, that Vyasadeva had very little knowledge of higher logic. Such unscrupulous deviation from the real meaning of the Vedanta-sutra has created a class of men who by word jugglery try to derive various indirect meanings from the Vedic literatures, especially the Bhagavad-gita. One of them has even explained that the word kuruksetra refers to the body. Such interpretations imply, however, that neither Lord Krsna nor Vyasadeva had a proper sense of word usage or etymological adjustment. They lead one to assume that since Lord Krsna could not personally sense the meaning of what He was speaking and Vyasadeva did not know the meaning of what he was writing, Lord Krsna left His book to be explained later by the Mayavadis. Such interpretations merely prove, however, that their proponents have very little philosophical sense.

Instead of wasting one’s time falsely deriving such indirect meanings from the Vedanta-sutra and other Vedic scriptures, one should accept the words of these books as they are. In presenting the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, therefore, we have not changed the meaning of the original words. Similarly, if one studies the Vedanta-sutra as it is, without whimsical and capricious adulteration, one can understand the Vedanta-sutra very easily. Srila Vyasadeva therefore explains the Vedanta-sutra, beginning from the first sutra, janmady asya yatah, in his Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.1):

janmady asya yato ’nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah sva-rat

“I meditate upon Him [Lord Sri Krsna], the transcendent reality, who is the primeval cause of all causes, from whom all manifested universes arise, in whom they dwell, and by whom they are destroyed. I meditate upon that eternally effulgent Lord, who is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations and yet is fully independent.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead knows very well how to do everything perfectly. He is abhijna, always fully conscious. The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gita (7.26) that He knows everything, past, present and future, but that no one but a devotee knows Him as He is. Therefore, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is at least partially understood by devotees of the Lord, but the Mayavadi philosophers, who unnecessarily speculate to understand the Absolute Truth, simply waste their time.

Adi7.128

TEXT 128

’pranava’ se mahavakya--vedera nidana

isvara-svarupa pranava sarva-visva-dhama

SYNONYMS

pranava—the omkara; se—that; maha-vakya—transcendental sound vibration; vedera—of the Vedas; nidana—basic principle; isvara-svarupa—direct representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pranavaomkara; sarva-visva—of all universes; dhama—is the reservoir.

TRANSLATION

"The Vedic sound vibration omkara, the principal word in the Vedic scriptures, is the basis of all Vedic vibrations. Therefore one should accept omkara as the sound representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the reservoir of the cosmic manifestation.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita (8.13) the glories of omkara are described as follows:

om ity ekaksaram brahma
vyaharan mam anusmaran
yah prayati tyajan deham
sa yati paramam gatim

This verse indicates that omkara, or pranava, is a direct representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore if at the time of death one simply remembers omkara, he remembers the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is therefore immediately transferred to the spiritual world. Omkara is the basic principle of all Vedic mantras, for it is a representation of Lord Krsna, understanding of whom is the ultimate goal of the Vedas, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita (vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah). Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand these simple facts explained in the Bhagavad-gita, and yet they are very proud of being Vedantis. Sometimes, therefore, we refer to the Vedanti philosophers as Vidantis, those who have no teeth (vi means “without,” and danti means “possessing teeth”). The statements of the Sankara philosophy, which are the teeth of the Mayavadi philosopher, are always broken by the strong arguments of Vaisnava philosophers such as the great acaryas, especially Ramanujacarya. Sripada Ramanujacarya and Madhvacarya break the teeth of the Mayavadi philosophers, who can therefore be called Vidantis, “toothless.”

The transcendental vibration omkara is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter Eight, verse thirteen:

om ity ekaksaram brahma
vyaharan mam anusmaran
yah prayati tyajan deham
sa yati paramam gatim

“After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual planets.”

If one actually understands that omkara is the sound representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whether he chants omkara or the Hare Krsna mantra, the result is certainly the same.

The transcendental vibration of omkara is further explained in the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter Nine, verse seventeen:

pitaham asya jagato
mata dhata pitamahah
vedyam pavitram omkara
rk sama yajur eva ca

“I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support, and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable om. I am also the Rg, the Sama and the Yajur Vedas. .”

Similarly, the transcendental sound om is further explained in the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter Seventeen, verse twenty-three:

om tat sad iti nirdeso
brahmanas tri-vidhah smrtah
brahmanas tena vedas ca
yajnas ca vihitah pura

“From the beginning of creation, the three syllables om tat sat have been used to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth [Brahman]. They were uttered by brahmanas while chanting Vedic hymns and during sacrifices for the satisfaction of the Supreme.”

Throughout all the Vedic scriptures the glories of omkara are specifically mentioned. Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his thesis Bhagavat-sandarbha, says that in the Vedic literature omkara is considered to be the sound vibration of the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only this vibration of transcendental sound can deliver a conditioned soul from the clutches of maya. Sometimes omkara is also called the deliverer (tara). Srimad-Bhagavatam begins with the omkara vibration: om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Therefore omkara has been described by the great commentator Sridhara Svami as tarankura, the seed of deliverance from the material world. Since the Supreme Godhead is absolute, His holy name and His sound vibration omkara are as good as He Himself. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that the holy name, or omkara, the transcendental representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has all the potencies of the Personality of Godhead.

namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah

All potencies are invested in the holy vibration of the holy name of the Lord. There is no doubt that the holy name of the Lord, or omkara, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. In other words, anyone who chants omkara and the holy name of the Lord, Hare Krsna, immediately meets the Supreme Lord directly in His sound form. In the Narada-pancaratra it is clearly said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Narayana personally appears before the chanter who engages in chanting the astaksara, or eight-syllable mantra, om namo narayanaya. A similar statement in the Mandukya Upanisad declares that whatever one sees in the spiritual world is all an expansion of the spiritual potency of omkara.

On the basis of all the Upanisads, Srila Jiva Gosvami says that omkara is the Supreme Absolute Truth and is accepted as such by all the acaryas and authorities. Omkara is beginningless, changeless, supreme and free from deterioration and external contamination. Omkara is the origin, middle and end of everything, and any living entity who thus understands omkara attains the perfection of spiritual identity in omkara. Omkara, being situated in everyone’s heart, is isvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (18.61): isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati. Omkara is as good as Visnu because omkara is as all-pervasive as Visnu. One who knows omkara and Lord Visnu to be identical no longer has to lament or hanker. One who chants omkara no longer remains a sudra but immediately comes to the position of a brahmana. Simply by chanting omkara one can understand the whole creation to be one unit, or an expansion of the energy of the Supreme Lord: idam hi visvam bhagavan ivetaro yato jagat-sthana-nirodha-sambhavah. “The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is Himself this cosmos, and still He is aloof from it. From Him only this cosmic manifestation has emanated, in Him it rests, and unto Him it enters after annihilation.” (Bhag. 1.5.20) Although one who does not understand concludes otherwise, Srimad-Bhagavatam states that the entire cosmic manifestation is but an expansion of the energy of the Supreme Lord. Realization of this is possible simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, omkara.

One should not, however, foolishly conclude that because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is omnipotent, we have manufactured a combination of letters-a, u and m-to represent Him. Factually the transcendental sound omkara, although a combination of the three letters a, u and m, has transcendental potency, and one who chants omkara will very soon realize omkara and Lord Visnu to be nondifferent. Krsna declares, pranavah sarva-vedesu: “I am the syllable om in the Vedic mantras.” (Bg. 7.8) One should therefore conclude that among the many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, omkara is the sound incarnation. All the Vedas accept this thesis. One should always remember that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are always identical (abhinnatvan nama-naminoh). Since omkara is the basic principle of all Vedic knowledge, it is uttered before one begins to chant any Vedic hymn. Without omkara, no Vedic mantra is successful. The Gosvamis therefore declare that pranava (omkara) is the complete representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they have analyzed omkara in terms of its alphabetical constituents as follows:

a-karenocyate krsnah
sarva-lokaika-nayakah
u-karenocyate radha
ma-karo jiva-vacakah

Omkara is a combination of the letters a, u and m. A-karenocyate krsnah: the letter a (a-kara) refers to Krsna, who is sarva-lokaika-nayakah, the master of all living entities and planets, material and spiritual. Nayaka means “leader.” He is the supreme leader (nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam). The letter u (u-kara) indicates Srimati Radharani, the pleasure potency of Krsna, and m (ma-kara) indicates the living entities (jivas). Thus om is the complete combination of Krsna, His potency and His eternal servitors. In other words, omkara represents Krsna, His name, fame, pastimes, entourage, expansions, devotees, potencies and everything else pertaining to Him. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu states in the present verse of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, sarva-visva-dhama: omkara is the resting place of everything, just as Krsna is the resting place of everything (brahmano hi pratisthaham).

The Mayavadi philosophers consider many Vedic mantras to be the maha-vakya, or principal Vedic mantra, such as tat tvam asi (Chandogya Upanisad 6.8.7), idam sarvam yad ayam atma and brahmedam sarvam (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 2.5.1), atmaivedam sarvam (Chandogya Upanisad 7.25.2) and neha nanasti kincana (Katha Upanisad 2.1.11). That is a great mistake. Only omkara is the maha-vakya. All these other mantras that the Mayavadis accept as the maha-vakya are only incidental. They cannot be taken as the maha-vakya, or maha-mantra. The mantra tat tvam asi indicates only a partial understanding of the Vedas, unlike omkara, which represents the full understanding of the Vedas. Therefore the transcendental sound that includes all Vedic knowledge is omkara (pranava).

Aside from omkara, none of the words uttered by the followers of Sankaracarya can be considered the maha-vakya. They are merely passing remarks. Sankaracarya, however, has never stressed chanting of the maha-vakya omkara; he has accepted only tat tvam asi as the maha-vakya. Imagining the living entity to be God, he has misrepresented all the mantras of the Vedanta-sutra with the motive of proving that there is no separate existence of the living entities and the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is similar to the politician’s attempt to prove nonviolence from the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna is violent to demons, and to attempt to prove that Krsna is not violent is ultimately to deny Krsna. As such explanations of the Bhagavad-gita are absurd, so also is Sankaracarya’s explanation of the Vedanta-sutra, and no sane and reasonable man will accept it. At present, however, the Vedanta-sutra is misrepresented not only by the so-called Vedantis but also by other unscrupulous persons who are so degraded that they even recommend that sannyasis eat meat, fish and eggs. In this way Sankara’s so-called followers, the impersonalist Mayavadis, are sinking lower and lower. How can these degraded men explain the Vedanta-sutra, which is the essence of all Vedic literature?

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has declared, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa: “Anyone who hears commentary on the Vedanta-sutra from the Mayavada school is completely doomed.” As explained in the Bhagavad-gita (15.15), vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: all Vedic literature aims to understand Krsna. Mayavada philosophy, however, has deviated everyone from Krsna. Therefore there is a great need for the Krsna consciousness movement all over the world to save the world from degradation. Every intelligent and sane man must abandon the philosophical explanation of the Mayavadis and accept the explanation of Vaisnava acaryas. One should read Bhagavad-gita As It Is to try to understand the real purpose of the Vedas.

Adi7.129

TEXT 129

sarvasraya isvarera pranava uddesa

’tat tvam asi’--vakya haya vedera ekadesa

SYNONYMS

sarva-asraya—the reservoir of everything; isvarera—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pranavaomkara; uddesa—purpose; tat tvam asi—the Vedic mantra tat tvam asi (“you are the same”); vakya—statement; haya—becomes; vedera—of the Vedic literature; eka-desa—partial understanding.

TRANSLATION

"It is the purpose of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to present pranava [omkara] as the reservoir of all Vedic knowledge. The words tat tvam asi are only a partial explanation of the Vedic knowledge.

PURPORT

Tat tvam asi means “you are the same spiritual identity.”

Adi7.130

TEXT 130

’pranava, maha-vakya--taha kari’ acchadana

mahavakye kari ’tat tvam asi’ra sthapana

SYNONYMS

pranavaomkara; maha-vakya—principal mantra; taha—that; kari’-making; acchadana—covered; maha-vakye—in place of the principal mantra; kari—I do; ’tat tvam asi’ra sthapana—establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.

TRANSLATION

"Pranava [omkara] is the maha-vakya [maha-mantra] in the Vedas. Sankaracarya’s followers cover this to stress without authority the mantra tat tvam asi.

PURPORT

The Mayavadi philosophers stress the statements tat tvam asi, so ’ham, etc., but they do not stress the real maha-mantra, pranava (omkara). Therefore, because they misrepresent Vedic knowledge, they are the greatest offenders to the lotus feet of the Lord. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says clearly, mayavadi krsne aparadhi: “Mayavadi philosophers are the greatest offenders to Lord Krsna.” Lord Krsna declares:

tan aham dvisatah kruran
samsaresu naradhaman
ksipamy ajasram asubhan
asurisv eva yonisu

“Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among mankind, I perpetually cast into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.” (Bg. 16.19) Life in demoniac species awaits the Mayavadi philosophers after death because they are envious of Krsna. When Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita (9.34), man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru (“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me”), one demoniac scholar says that it is not Krsna to whom one must surrender. This scholar is already suffering in this life, and he will have to suffer again in the next if in this life he does not complete his prescribed suffering. One should be very careful not to be envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the next verse, therefore, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu clearly states the purpose of the Vedas.

Adi7.131

TEXT 131

sarva-veda-sutre kare krsnera abhidhana

mukhya-vrtti chadi’ kaila laksana-vyakhyana

SYNONYMS

sarva-veda-sutre—in all the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra; kare—establishes; krsnera—of Lord Krsna; abhidhana—explanation; mukhya-vrtti—direct interpretation; chadi’-giving up; kaila—made; laksana—indirect; vyakhyana—explanation.

TRANSLATION

"In all the Vedic sutras and scriptures, it is Lord Krsna who is to be understood, but the followers of Sankaracarya have covered the real meaning of the Vedas with indirect explanations.

PURPORT

It is said:

vede ramayane caiva
purane bharate tatha
adav ante ca madhye ca
harih sarvatra giyate

In the Vedic literature, including the Ramayana, Puranas and Mahabharata, from the very beginning (adau) to the end (ante ca), as well as within the middle (madhye ca), only Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is explained.

Adi7.132

TEXT 132

svatah-pramana veda--pramana-siromani

laksana karile svatah-pramanata-hani

SYNONYMS

svatah-pramana—self-evident; veda—the Vedic literature; pramana—evidence; siromani—topmost; laksana—interpretation; karile—doing; svatah-pramanata—self-evidence; hani—lost.

TRANSLATION

"The self-evident Vedic scriptures are the highest evidence of all, but if these scriptures are interpreted, their self-evident nature is lost.

PURPORT

We quote Vedic evidence to support our statements, but if we interpret it according to our own judgment, the authority of the Vedic literature is rendered imperfect or useless. In other words, by interpreting the Vedic version one minimizes the value of Vedic evidence. When one quotes from Vedic literature, it is understood that the quotations are authoritative. How can one bring the authority under his own control? That is a case of principiis obsta.

Adi7.133

TEXT 133

ei mata pratisutre sahajartha chadiya

gaunartha vyakhya kare kalpana kariya

SYNONYMS

ei mata—like this; prati-sutre—in every sutra, or aphorism, of the Vedanta-sutra; sahaja-artha—the clear, simple meaning; chadiya—giving up; gauna-artha—indirect meaning; vyakhya—explanation; kare—he makes; kalpana kariya—by imagination.

TRANSLATION

“To prove their philosophy, the members of the Mayavada school have given up the real, easily understood meaning of the Vedic literature and introduced indirect meanings based on their imaginative powers.”

PURPORT

Unfortunately, the Sankarite interpretation has covered almost the entire world. Therefore there is a great need to present the original, easily understood natural import of the Vedic literature. We have therefore begun by presenting Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and we propose to present all the Vedic literature in terms of the direct meaning of its words.

Adi7.134

TEXT 134

ei mate pratisutre karena dusana

suni’ camatkara haila sannyasira gana

SYNONYMS

ei mate—in this way; prati-sutre—in each and every aphorism; karena—shows; dusana—defects; suniya—hearing; camatkara—struck with wonder; haila—they became; sannyasira—of all the Mayavadis; gana—the group.

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu thus showed for each and every sutra the defects in Sankaracarya’s explanations, all the assembled Mayavadi sannyasis were struck with wonder.

Adi7.135

TEXT 135

sakala sannyasi kahe,--’sunaha sripada

tumi ye khandile artha, e nahe vivada

SYNONYMS

sakala—all; sannyasi—the Mayavadi sannyasis; kahe—say; sunaha—please hear; sripada—Your Holiness; tumi—You; ye—that; khandile—refuted; artha—meaning; e—this; nahe—not; vivada—quarrel.

TRANSLATION

All the Mayavadi sannyasis said, "Your Holiness, kindly know from us that we actually have no quarrel with Your refutation of these meanings, for You have given a clear understanding of the sutras.

Adi7.136

TEXT 136

acarya-kalpita artha,--iha sabhe jani

sampradaya-anurodhe tabu taha mani

SYNONYMS

acarya—Sankaracarya; kalpita—imaginative; artha—meaning; iha—this; sabhe—all of us; jani—know; sampradaya-anurodhe—but for the sake of our party; tabu—still; taha—that; mani—we accept.

TRANSLATION

"We know that all this word jugglery springs from the imagination of Sankarararya, and yet because we belong to his sect, we accept it although it does not satisfy us.

Adi7.137

TEXT 137

mukhyartha vyakhya kara, dekhi tomara bala’

mukhyarthe lagala prabhu sutra-sakala

SYNONYMS

mukhya-artha—direct meaning; vyakhya—explanation; kara—You do; dekhi—let us see; tomara—Your; bala—strength; mukhya-arthe—direct meaning; lagala—began; prabhu—the Lord; sutra-sakala—all the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra.

TRANSLATION

“Now let us see,” the Mayavadi sannyasis continued, “how well You can describe the sutras in terms of their direct meaning.” Hearing this, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His direct explanation of the Vedanta-sutra.

Adi7.138

TEXT 138

brhad-vastu ’brahma’ kahi--’sri-bhagavan’

sad-vidhaisvarya-purna, para-tattva-dhama

SYNONYMS

brhat-vastu—the substance, which is greater than the greatest; brahma—called by the name Brahman; kahi—we call; sri-bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sat—six; vidha—varieties; aisvarya—opulences; purna—full; para-tattva—Absolute Truth; dhama—reservoir.

TRANSLATION

"Brahman, who is greater than the greatest, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is full of six opulences, and therefore He is the reservoir of ultimate truth and absolute knowledge.

PURPORT

In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that the Absolute Truth is understood in three phases of realization: the impersonal Brahman, the localized Paramatma and ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma are expansions of the potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is complete in six opulences, namely, wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Since He possesses His six opulences, the Personality of Godhead is the ultimate truth in absolute knowledge.

Adi7.139

TEXT 139

svarupa-aisvarye tanra nahi maya-gandha

sakala vedera haya bhagavan se ’sambandha’

SYNONYMS

svarupa—in His original form; aisvarye—opulence; tanra—His; nahi—there is none; maya-gandha—contamination of the material world; sakala—in all; vederaVedas; haya—it is so; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; se—that; sambandha—relationship.

TRANSLATION

"In His original form the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of transcendental opulences, which are free from the contamination of the material world. It is to be understood that in all Vedic literature the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal.

Adi7.140

TEXT 140

tanre ’nirvisesa’ kahi, cic-chakti na mani

ardha-svarupa na manile purnata haya hani

SYNONYMS

tanre—unto Him; nirvisesa—impersonal; kahi—we say; cit-sakti—spiritual energy; na—do not; mani—accept; ardha—half; svarupa—form; na—not; manile—accepting; purnata—fullness; haya—becomes; hani—defective.

TRANSLATION

"When we speak of the Supreme as impersonal, we deny His spiritual potencies. Logically, if you accept half of the truth, you cannot understand the whole.

PURPORT

In the Upanisads it is said:

om purnam adah purnam idam
purnat purnam udacyate
purnasya purnam adaya
purnam evavasisyate

This verse, which is mentioned in the Isopanisad, Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad and many other Upanisads, indicates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full in six opulences. His position is unique, for He possesses all riches, strength, influence, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Brahman means the greatest, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is greater than the greatest, just as the sun globe is greater than the sunshine, which is all-pervading in the universe. Although the sunshine that spreads all over the universes appears very great to the less knowledgeable, greater than the sunshine is the sun itself, and greater than the sun is the sun-god. Similarly, impersonal Brahman is not the greatest, although it appears to be so. Impersonal Brahman is only the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the transcendental form of the Lord is greater than both the impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma. Therefore whenever the word Brahman is used in the Vedic literature, it is understood to refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord is also addressed as Parabrahman. Mayavadis and others sometimes misunderstand Brahman because every living entity is also Brahman. Therefore Krsna is referred to as Parabrahman (the Supreme Brahman). In the Vedic literature, whenever the words Brahman or Parabrahman are used, they are to be understood to refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. This is their real meaning. Since the entire Vedic literature deals with the subject of Brahman, Krsna is therefore the ultimate goal of Vedic understanding. The impersonal brahmajyoti rests on the personal form of the Lord. Therefore although the impersonal effulgence, the brahmajyoti, is the first realization, one must enter into it, as mentioned in the Isopanisad, to find the Supreme Person, and then one’s knowledge is perfect. The Bhagavad-gita (7.19) also confirms this: bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate. One’s search for the Absolute Truth by dint of speculative knowledge is complete when one comes to the point of understanding Krsna and surrenders unto Him. That is the real point of perfectional knowledge.

Partial realization of the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman denies the complete opulences of the Lord. This is a hazardous understanding of the Absolute Truth. Unless one accepts all the features of the Absolute Truth-namely, impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma and ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead-his knowledge is imperfect. Sripada Ramanujacarya, in his Vedartha-sangraha, says: jnanena dharmena svarupam api nirupitam, na tu jnana-matram brahmeti katham idam avagamyate. He thus indicates that the real absolute identity must be understood in terms of both His knowledge and His characteristics. Simply to understand the Absolute Truth to be full of knowledge is not sufficient. In the Vedic literature (Mundaka Upanisad 1.1.9) we find the statement yah sarva-jnah sarva-vit, which means that the Absolute Truth knows everything perfectly, but we also learn from the Vedic description parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate that not only does He know everything, but He also acts accordingly by utilizing His different energies. Thus to understand that Brahman, the Supreme, is conscious is not sufficient. One must know how He consciously acts through His different energies. Mayavada philosophy simply informs us of the consciousness of the Absolute Truth but does not give us information of how He acts with His consciousness. That is the defect of that philosophy.

Adi7.141

TEXT 141

bhagavan-prapti-hetu ye kari upaya

sravanadi bhakti--krsna-praptira sahaya

SYNONYMS

bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prapti-hetu—the means by which He can be approached; ye—what; kari—I do; upaya—means; sravana-adi—devotional service, beginning with hearing; bhakti—devotional service; krsna—the Supreme Lord; praptira—to approach Him; sahaya—means.

TRANSLATION

"It is only by devotional service, beginning with hearing, that one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the only means to approach Him.

PURPORT

Mayavadi philosophers are satisfied simply to understand Brahman to be the sum total of knowledge, but Vaisnava philosophers not only know in detail about the Supreme Personality of Godhead but also know how to approach Him directly. The method for this is described by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as nine kinds of devotional service, beginning with hearing:

sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam

(Bhag. 7.5.23)

>One can directly approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by executing the nine kinds of devotional service, of which hearing about the Lord is the most important (sravanadi). Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has very favorably stressed the importance of this process of hearing. According to His method, if people are simply given a chance to hear about Krsna, certainly they will gradually develop their dormant awareness or love of Godhead. Sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya (Cc. Madhya 22.107). Love of God is dormant in everyone, but if one is given a chance to hear about the Lord, certainly that love develops. Our Krsna consciousness movement acts on this principle. We simply give people the chance to hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and give them prasada to eat, and the actual result is that all over the world people are responding to this process and becoming pure devotees of Lord Krsna. We open hundreds of centers all over the world just to give people in general a chance to hear about Krsna and accept Krsna’s prasada. These two processes can be accepted by anyone, even a child. It doesn’t matter whether one is poor or rich, learned or foolish, black or white, old or still a child-anyone who simply hears about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and takes prasada is certainly elevated to the transcendental position of devotional service.

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