Volume Three
Pada 3
Adhikaraëa 1
Ether Is Created
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
vyomädi-viñayaà gobhir
bibharti vijaghäna
yaù
sa täà mad-viñayäà bhäsvän
kåñëaù praëihaniñyati
May the brilliant sun of
Lord Kåñëa, who with rays of logic
destroys a host of misconceptions about ether and the other
elements, destroy the misconceptions in my heart.
In the Second Pada were
revealed the fallacies present in
the theories of they who say pradhäna is the the first cause and
they who claim something other than the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is the first cause. In the Third
Pada will be shown the truth that the various elements of the
material world are manifested from the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, that they merge into Him at the end, that the individual
spirit souls always existed, there not being a point in time when
they were created, that the individual spirit souls have
spiritual bodies full of knowledge, that the individual spirit
souls are atomic in size although by their consciousness they are
all-pervading within the material body, that the individual
spirit souls are part-and-parcel of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, that Matsya-avatära and the other avatäras are
directly
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that the variety of
situations into which the conditioned souls are placed is caused
by the previous karma. These will all be proved by refuting the
ideas of they who claim that these statements are not true.
The various aspects of the
material world are created in the
following sequence: 1. pradhäna, 2. mahat-tattva, 3. false-ego,
4. the tan-mätras, 5. the senses, and 6. the gross elements,
beginning with ether. This sequence is given in the
Subala-çruti
and other scriptures. The sequence found in the Taittiréya
Upaniñad and other scriptures will also be discussed in order
to
show that sequence does not contradict what has already been
said.
Chändogya
Upaniñad (6.2.1) explains:
sad eva saumyedyam agra äsét
"O gentle one, in the
beginning the Supreme
Personality of Godhead alone existed."
Chändogya
Upaniñad (6.2.3-4) continues:
tad aikñata bahu syäà prajäyeyeti tat tejo
'såjata. tat teja
aikñata bahu syäà prajäyeyeti tad äpo
'såjata . . . tä äpa
aikñanta bahvayaù syäma prajäyemahéti
tä annam asåjanta.
"The Supreme
Personality of Godhead thought: `I shall
become many. I shall father children.' Then He created fire. Then
fire thought: `I shall become many. I shall father children.'
Then fire created water. . . . Then water thought: `I shall
become many. I shall father children.' Then water created
grains."
In this way it is clearly
shown that fire, water, and grains
were created. In this, however, there is a doubt.
Saàçaya
(doubt): Was ether ever created or not?
Pürvapakña
(the opponent speaks): Because the Çruti-çästra
does not mention any creation of ether, therefore ether was never
created, but was always existing.
This idea is expressed in
the following sütra.
Sütra 1
na viyad
açruteù
na - not; viyat - ether;
açruteù - because of not being described
in the Çruti-çästra.
Not so for ether, because
that is not described in the
Çruti-çästra.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Ether is eternal and was
never created. Why is that? The
sütra explains: "Because that is not described in the
Çruti-çästra." The relevant passage of
Chändogya Upaniñad
mentions the creation of the other elements, but it does not
mention the creation of ether. In the previously quoted passage
of Chändogya Upaniñad the creation of fire, water, and
grains is
mentioned. However there is no mention of the creation of ether.
For this reason ether must not have been created. That is the
meaning.
This idea is refuted in
the following sütra:
Sütra 2
asti tu
asti - is; tu - indeed.
Indeed it is so.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word "tu"
(indeed) is used here to remove doubt.
The word "asti" (it is so) means, "It is so that
ether was created." Although the creation of ether is not
described in the Chändogya Upaniñad, it is described in
the
Taittiréya Upaniñad in the following words:
tasmäd vä etasmäd ätmana
äkäçaù sambhütaù
äkäçäd
väyur väyor agnir agner äpo äbhyo mahaté
påthivé
"From the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, ether was
manifested. From ether, air was manifested. From air, fire was
manifested. From fire, water was manifested. From water, earth was
manifested."
Another doubt is expressed
in the next sütra.
Sütra 3
gauëy asambhaväc
chabdäc ca
gauëé - figure
of speech; asambhavät - because of being
impossible; çabdät - because of scripture; ca - also.
Because of scripture, and
because it is impossible, it must
be a mere figure of speech.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
It is not possible that
ether was created. This is confirmed
by Kaëäda Muni and other great philosophers. The
Taittiréya
Upaniñad's description of the creation of ether is a mere figure
of speech, as when, in ordinary speech one says, "Please
make some space" or "Some space has been made". For
what
other reasons is it not possible that ether is created? Because it is
impossible to create ether. It is not possible to create ether
because ether is formless and all-pervading, because it is not
included in the chain of causes, and because scripture proclaims
that ether is not created. Båhad-äraëyaka
Upaniñad (2.3.2-3)
proclaims:
väyus cäntarékñaà caitad amåtam
"Air and ether are
both eternal."
This proves that ether was
never created.
However, if the passage
from the Taittiréya Upaniñad used
the word "sambhüta" (created) only once to refer to the
list of elements beginning with fire, how is it possible to claim
that this word is used literally for all the elements and
figuratively for ether alone?
The opponent of
Vedänta replies in the next sütra.
Sütra 4
syäc caikasya
brahma-çabda-vat
syät - may be; ca -
and; ekasya - of one;brahma - Brahma;
çabda - the word; vat - like.
It may be for one, as in
the word "Brahman".
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
In the Taittiréya
Upaniñad (3.2) it is said:
tapasä brahma vijijïäsasva tapo brahma
"By performing
austerities strive to understand
Brahman, for austerities are Brahman."
In this passage the word
Brahman is used in two ways. Used
to describe the object of knowledge attained by performing
austerities, Brahman is used in its literal sense. Then, equated
with austerities, it is used figuratively to mean, "the
way to know Brahman". In the same way the word
"sambhüta"
in the previously discussed passage can be use literally and
figuratively simultaneously. In this way the fact that the
passage of the Chändogya Upaniñad makes no mention of it
refutes
the description in other Upaniñads that ether was created.
The author of the
sütras refutes this idea in the following
words.
Sütra 5
pratijïähänir avyatirekäc cabdebhyaù
pratijïä -
statement of intent; ahäniù - non-
abandonment; avyatirekät - because of non-difference;
çabdebhyaù - from the statements of scripture.
It is affirmed because it
is not different and because of
the statements of scripture.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The Chändogya
Upaniñad (6.1.3) affirms:
yenäçrutaà çrutaà bhavati
"Now I will teach how
to hear what cannot be heard."
In these words the
intention to teach about Brahman is
expressed. If this intention is not broken, then all that follows
must be about Brahman and it must be affirmed that nothing is
different from Brahman. The idea that something is different
from Brahman is to be rejected. If everything is not-different
from Brahman, then Brahman is clearly the ingredient of which
everything is made. Thus, simply by knowing Brahman one knows
everything. Ifthis is accepted then it is also accepted that
ether was created.
The Chändogya
Upaniñad (6.2.1) again affirms:
sad eva saumyedam agra äséd ekam evädvitéyam
aitad-ätmyam
idaà sarvam
"O gentle one, in the
beginning the Supreme
Personality of Godhead alone existed. He was alone. There was no
one else. Everything has Him as its ingredient."
These words affirm that in
the beginning everything was
manifested from Him, and after the creation was manifested
everything had Him as its ingredient. This should be accepted.
Here someone may object:
There is no clear statement in that
Upaniñad that ether was created. How can you talk like that?
In the following words the
author of the sütras replies to
this objection.
Sütra 6
yävad
vikäraà tu vibhägo loka-vat
yävat - to what
extent; vikäram - creation; tu - indeed;
vibhägaù - creator; loka - the world; vat - like.
Indeed, if there is a
creation there must be a creator, as
we see in the world.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word "tu"
(indeed) is used here to remove doubt.
The Chändogya Upaniñad explains:
aitad-ätmyam idaà sarvam
"Everything has Him
as its ingredient."
This statement shows that
there is both a creator and a
creation. When the Subala Upaniñad and other scriptures explain
that the pradhäna, mahat-tattva, and other things are created,
they imply that everything that exists was created. That is the
meaning.
The following example from
the material world may be given.
A person may say, "All these are the sons of Caitra." In
this way he affirms that they were all born from a man named
Caitra. In the same way, when the Upaniñad affirms that,
Everything has the Supreme Personality of Godhead as its
ingredient," it is clear that pradhäna, mahat-tattva, and
everything else has come from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Thus when the Upaniñad states that fire, water, and grains come
from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it means to say that
everything comesfrom Him. In this way it is understand that
ether also was created.
The word "vibhägaù"
in this sütra means
creation". Sütra 3 affirmed that it is not possible for
ether
to have been created. However, the Çruti-çästra
affirms that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead has inconceivable powers. Even
though it may be inconceivable, He can do anything without
restriction. In some passages it is said that ether is immortal,
which means that it is neither created nor destroyed. These
statements may be taken as figures of speech because we can find
other passages describing the creation and destruction of ether.
Because ether is counted
among the elements it must be
created and also destroyed. Because ether has temporary material
qualities, as fire and the other elements do, it must also be
temporary, as the other elements are.
Whatever is not matter is
spirit. Ether is not like spirit.
It is different. In this way the idea that ether was not created
is disproved. Modern philosophers that state the contrary are
wrong. It must be accepted that ether was created.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 2
Air Is Created
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
To show that the same
arguments may also show the creation
of air, the author of the sütras gives the following
explanation.
Sütra 7
etena
mätariçvä vyäkhyätaù
etena - by this;
mätariçvä - air; vyäkhyätaù - is explained.
This also refers to air.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
This proof that ether was
created clearly shows that air,
which exists within ether, must also have been created. That is
the meaning. This is so because the limbs of something must have
the same qualities as the whole of which they are parts.
Our opponent may object:
Because it was never described in
the Chändogya Upaniñad, it is clear that air was never
created.
To this I reply: The
Taittiréya Upaniñad explains that air
was created from ether.
Then our opponent may say:
That description of the creation
of air must have been a figure of speech, because the Çruti-
çästra explains that air is eternal.
To this I reply: The
Chändogya Upaniñad affirms in a
pratijïä statement (aitad-ätmyam idaà sarvam)
that
everything was created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In
this way the creation of air is proved. When it is said that air
is eternal the intention is that it is so only relative to some
other things. Air was discussed in a separate sütra and not
discussed together with ether. This was done to facilitate the
argument of Sütra 9.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 3
The Eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead Is Not Created
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The Chändogya
Upaniñad (6.2.1) affirms:
sad eva saumyedam
"O gentle one, in the
beginning the Supreme
Personality of Godhead alone existed."
A doubt may arise about
this statement. Was the eternal
Supreme Personality of Godhead created or not? Pradhäna, mahat-
tattva, and many other things that are causes or creators of
other things were created, so perhaps the Supreme Personality of
Godhead was also created at some point. This may be so because the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is not really different from these
other causes.
In the following words the
author of the sütras addresses
this doubt.
Sütra 8
asambhavas tu sato
'nupapatteù
asambhavaù - the
state of not being created; tu - indeed;sataù - of
the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead; anupapatteù -
because
of impossibility
Indeed, the eternal
Supreme Personality of Godhead was never
created, for such a creation is impossible.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word "tu"
(indeed) is used here either to remove
doubt or affirm the truth of this statement. The eternal Supreme
Personality of Godhead was never created. Why not? The sütra
explains: "anupapatteù" (because that is impossible).
There is no creator of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
because it is illogical and inappropriate to assume the existence
of such a creator. That is the meaning here.
Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad (6.9) explains:
sa käraëaà käraëädhipädhipo
na cäsya
kaçcij janitä na cädhipaù
"the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the cause of
all causes. He is the king of all other causes. No one is His
creator. No one is His king."
It is not possible to say
that because all other causes are
created by something else therefore the Supreme Personality of
Godhead must have been created by someone else, for such a
statement contradicts these words of the
Çruti-çästra. A root
cause of everything must be accepted, for if it is not then there
is an unending chain of causes. By definition the root cause of
everything does not have another cause, a root from which it has
sprung. This is described in the Saìkhya-sütra (1.67) in
these
words:
müle müläbhävät
"This is so because
the root cause of everything is
not caused by another root cause."
In this way the doubt that
perhaps the Supreme Personality
of Godhead is created by someone else is clearly refuted. Because
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the first cause of all
causes, by definition He is not caused by someone else. However,
the secondary causes, such as the avyakta and the mahat-tattva
are all created by another cause. The sütras explaining that
ether and the other material elements were all created were given
as examples of this general truth.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 4
Fire Is Manifested From Air
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva Vidyäbhüñaëa
After concluding this
discussion, we will consider what
seems to be a contradiction in the Çruti-çästra's
description of
fire. Chändogya Upaniñad (6.2.3) explains:
tat tejo 'såjata
"Then the Supreme
Personality of Godhead created
fire."
In this way it is
explained that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead created fire.
However, the
Taittiréya Upaniñad (2.1.3) explains:
väyor agniù
"From air, fire is
manifested."
These words explain that
air created fire. Someone may say
that in this second quote the word "väyoù" is in
the
ablative case (meaning "after fire"), and in this way
there is no contradiction because both elements were created by
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and fire was created after
air was created.
Considering that someone
may say this, the author of the
sütras speaks the following words.
Sütra 9
tejo 'tas tathä hy
äha
tejaù - fire;
ataù - from that; tathä - so;hy - indeed; äha - said.
Fire comes from it.
Indeed, it said that.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
From air comes fire. This
is confirmed in the Çruti-çästra,
which explains:
väyor agniù
"From air comes
fire."
The word
"sambhüta" is used here. The use of that word shows that
themeaning is that from air fire is created.
Also, the primary meaning of the ablative-case is "from".
If the primary meaning of a word makes sense, then the primary
meaning should be accepted. In that circumstance the secondary
meaning should not be accepted. As will be explained later, this
statement does not contradict the statement that everything is
created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 5
Water Is Manifested From Fire
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Now the author describes
the origin of water. In some places
the scriptures affirm that water is manifested from fire, and in
other places the scriptures do not agree with this idea. In this
way a doubt arises. To remove this doubt, the author of the
sütras gives the following explanation.
Sütra 10
äpaù
äpaù - water.
Water.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
To this sütra should
be added the previous sütra's phrase
"atas tathä hy äha" (Water comes from it. Indeed
it said
that.) This means that water is manifested from fire. This is so
because the Çruti-çästra declares it.
Chändogya Upaniñad (6.2.3)
explains:
tad äpo 'såjata
"Fire created
water."
Taittiréya
Upaniñad (2.1) also explains:
agner äpaù
"From fire water was
manifested."
These two quotes are clear
and need no elaborate
explanation. Why water comes from fire is explained in the
following words of Chändogya Upaniñad:
tasmäd yatra kva ca çocati svedate vä puruñas
tejasa eva tad
adhy äpo jäyante
"Heat makes a person
produce water. This is so when
a person perspires or weeps."
.pa
Adhikaraëa 6
Earth Is Manifested From Water, and the Word "Anna" in
the Chändogya Upaniñad Means "Earth"
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
In the Chändogya
Upaniñad it is said:
tä äpa aikñanta bahvayaù syäma
prajäyemahéti tä annam
asåjanta
"Water thought: `I
shall become many. I shall father
many children.' Then water created anna."
What is the meaning of the
word "anna" here? Does it
mean "barley and other food", or does it mean
earth"?
In the Chändogya
Upaniñad it is said:
tasmäd yatra kvacana varñati tad eva
bhüyiñöham annaà bhavaty
adbhya eva tad adhy annädyaà jäyate
"Therefore, whenever
it rains there is abundant
anna. In this way anna is produced by water."
This passage seems,
therefore, to support the idea that the
word "anna" here means barely and other food". To explain
the proper meaning here, the author of the sütras speaks the
following words.
Sütra 11
påthivy-adhikära-rüpa-çabdäntarebhyaù
påthivi - earth;
adhikära - context; rüpa - color;çabda - quotes
from the Çruti-çästra; antarebhyaù - because
of other.
"Because its color,
its context, and other quotes from the
Çruti-çästra, all confirm that earth is the proper
meaning.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Here the meaning
"earth" should be accepted. Why?
Because of the context and other reasons. It should be accepted
because the context (adhikära) of the passage is a description of
the creation of the five material elements. It is also so,
because the "anna" here is described as being black in
color (rüpa), in the words:
yat kåñëaà tad annasya
"That anna is black
in color."
It is also so because in
other scriptures (çästräntarebhyaù)
it is said (in the Taittiréya Upaniñad):
adbhyaù påthivé
"From water, earth is
manifested."
The passage: "Therefore, whenever it rains there is
abundant anna. In this way anna is produced by water," clearly
uses the word "anna" to mean "food". However,
because this passage is in the context of a description of the
five material elements being manifested one from the other, the
"food" here is a metaphor for "earth". Thus the
two meanings "food" and "earth" combine in the
word "anna" in this passage.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 7
The Elements Are Manifested From the Supreme Personality of
Godhead
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The description here, that
the material elements are
manifested in a particular sequence, beginning with ether, is
given to remove controversy in regard to the sequence in which
the elements are manifested. The fact that the pradhäna, mahat-
tattva, and all the elements are created by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead has already been proved in sütra 1.1.2
(janmädy asya yataù). Now the author of the sütras
begins a more
detailed description of that creation. In the Subala Upaniñad
it
is said:
tad ähuù kià tad äsét tasmai sa
hoväca na san nasan na sad
asad iti tasmät tamaù saïjäyate tamaso
bhütädir bhütäder
äkäçam äkäçäd väyur
väyor agnir agner äpo 'dbhyaù
påthivé tad aëòam abhavat
"They said: What was
in the beginning? He replied:
In the beginning was neither existence nor non-existence. Nothing
existed and nothing did not exist. In the beginning there was
darkness. From the darkness the origin of the material elements
was born. From the origin of the material elements, ether was
born. From ether, air was born. From air, fire was born. From
fire, water was born. From water, earth was born. In this way the
egg of the material universe was created."
Here it should be
understood that akñara, avyakta, mahat-tattva,
tan-mätras, and material senses should also be placed, in this
sequence, between darkness and ether. This should be done to
complement the following statement of Agnimalaya:
sandagdhvä sarväëi bhütäni påthivy apsu
praléyate. äpas
tejasi praléyante. tejo väyau praléyate. väyur
äkäçe
praléyate. äkäçam indriyeñv
indriyäëi tan-mätreñu tan-
mäträëi bhütädau viléyante.
bhütädir mahati viléyate.
mahän avyakte viléyate. avyaktam akñare
viléyate. akñaraà
tamasi viléyate. tama eké-bhavati parasmin.
parasmän na san
nasan na sad asat.
"When the all the
elements are burned up, earth
merges into water, water merges into fire, fire merges into air,
air merges into ether, ether merges into the senses, the senses
merge into the tan-mätras, the tan-mätras merge into the
origin
of the material elements, the origin of the material elements
merges into the mahat-tattva, the mahat-tattva merges into the
avyakta, the avyakta merges into the akñara, and the akñara
merges into the great darkness. Then the great darkness becomes one
with theSupreme. In the Supreme is neither existence nor
non-existence. Nothing exists and nothing does not exist."
The word "origin of
the material elements" here
means "the false-ego". False-ego is of three kinds. From
false-ego in the mode of goodness, the mind and the demigods are
manifested. From false-ego in the mode of passion, the material
senses are manifested. From false-ego in the mode of ignorance
are manifested the tan-mätras, from which are manifested the
ether and the other elements. In this way these different
explanations all corroborate each other.
In the
Gopäla-täpané Upaniñad it is said:
pürvam hy ekam evädvitéyaà
brahmäsét. tasmäd avkyataà
vyaktam eväkñaraà tasmäd akñarän
mahän mahato vä
ahaìkäras tasmäd ahaìkärät
païca-tan-mäträëi tebhyo
bhütäni tair ävåtam akñaraà
bhavati.
"Before the material
world was manifest, only the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second,
existed. From Him came the avyakta. From the avyakta came the
akñara. From the akñara came the mahat-tattva. From the
mahat-
tattva came false-ego. From false-ego came the five tan-mätras.
From them came the material elements. The akñara is filled with
all these."
Saàçaya
(doubt): Do the pradhäna and other parts of this
sequence arise one from the other or do they all arise directly
from the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Pürvapakña:
They arise from each other, for that is the
statement of the texts.
Siddhänta (the
conclusion): The author of the sütras gives
His conclusion in the following words.
Sütra 12
tad abhidhyänäd eva tu tal liìgät saù
tat - that;
abhidhyänät - because of meditation;eva - indeed;
tu - indeed; tat - that; liìgät - because of the
body;saù - He.
Because of meditation and
because of the body, it is indeed
He.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word "tu"
(indeed) is used to dispel doubt. The
Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of all potencies,
including the potency of great darkness, the potency that begins
the material creation. He is the direct cause, and the pradhäna,
earth, and other features of the material creation are effects
created by Him. Why is that? The sütra explains: "Because
of meditation and because of the body." The Çruti-çästra explains:
so 'kämayata bahu syäà prajäyeya
"The Supreme
Personality of Godhead desired: Let Me
become many. Let me create the material world."
Thus, it is by the desire
of the all-powerful Supreme
Personality of Godhead that the pradhäna and other features of
the material world are created. That is how He is the cause of
the material world. Also, the material world is the body of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of
Godhead enters the great darkness of the material world and
transforms it into pradhäna and the others aspects of matter. In
this sense the material world is His body. This is confirmed by
the Antaryämi-brähmaëa of the
Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad, and also
by the Subala Upaniñad, which explains:
yasya påthivé çaréram
"The world is the
body of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead."
.pa
Adhikaraëa 8
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Is the Cause of Matter's
Transformations
Sütra 13
viparyayeëa tu kramo 'ta upapadyate ca
viparyayeëa - by the
reverse; tu - indeed; kramaù - sequence;
ataù - from this; upapadyate - is manifested; ca - and.
Indeed, this sequence is
also reversed.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word "tu"
(indeed) is used here for emphasis. In
the Muëòaka Upaniñad (2.1.3) it is said:
etasmäj jäyate präëo manaù
sarvendriyäëi ca. khaà väyur jyotir
äpaù påthivé viçvasya
dhäriëé
"From Him are born
life, mind, all the senses,
ether, air, fire, water, and earth, the support of the world."
In the Subala
Upaniñad, the sequence is reversed, with
pradhäna and mahat-tattva coming first. Everything actually comes
from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is present within
everything, beginning with the life-air and ending with earth,
and when one feature of creation comes from another, the second
feature actually comes from the all-powerful Supreme Personality
of Godhead present within the first feature. If this were not so,
then these two different versions would contradict each other.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin of all and the
creator of all. By knowing Him everything becomes known. The
pradhäna and other features of matter, being inert and
unconscious, cannot by themselves create changes in the material
world. That is why the word "ca" (also) is used here.
Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in every case the
real cause of these transformations in the material world.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 9
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Is the Creator of Mind and
Intelligence
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Now the author of the
sütras removes a specific doubt.
Sütra 14
antarä vijïäna-manasé-krameëa
tal-liìgäd iti cen
näviçeñät
antaräù - in
the middle; vijïäna - knowledge; manasé - and
mind; krameëa - with the sequence; tat - of
that;liìgät - because
of the sign; iti - thus; cet - if; na -
not;aviçeñät - because of not
being different.
If it is said that the
sequence of mind and intelligence
appears in this way, then I reply: No. Because they are not
different.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word
"vijïäna" here means "the
material senses of the conditioned soul".
Here someone may object:
It is not proper to assume that
this quotation from Muëòaka Upaniñad (text 2.1.3
quoted in the
previous purport) supports the idea that all the features of the
material world are directly created by the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Himself. The list given in that verse merely gives the
sequence in which those material features were manifested. It
says that first come the material senses and then comes the mind.
This does not mean that everything comes directly from the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
If this objection is
raised, then I reply: No. It is not so.
Why not? The sütra explains: "na
viçeñät" (because
they are not different). This means that the material senses and
the mind are not different from the life-force, the element
earth, or any of the other material features. They have all come
directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this passage
the life-force and all the other material features all come from
the Supreme Personality of Godhead (etasmät=from Him). That is
the meaning. The following scripture quotes also declare that the
elements are all created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead:
so 'kämayata bahu syäà prajäyeya
"The Supreme
Personality of Godhead desired: Let Me
become many. Let me create the material world."
etasmäj jäyate präëaù
"The life-force and
everything else was manifested
from the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
In the
Bhagavad-gétä (10.8) the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Himself declares:
ahaà sarvasya prabhavo
mattaù
sarvaà pravartate
"I am the source of
all spiritual and material
worlds. Everything emanates from me."*
In the Vämana
Puräëa it is said:
tatra tatra sthito viñëus
tat tac chaktià
prabodhayet
eka eva mahä-çaktiù
kurute sarvam
aïjasä
"The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Viñëu,
enters everywhere and awakens the power dormant in everything. He
is the supremely powerful one. He does everything perfectly."
In this way it is shown
that pradhäna and all other
material features all come directly from the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. That fact is not at all contradicted by the sequence
of events presented in the Subala Upaniñad and the other
scriptures. This is so because the Supreme Personality of Godhead
is the creator of the original material darkness, the pradhäna
and the other features of the material world. Thus when the
scripture says tat tejo 'såjata (The Supreme
Personality of Godhead created fire), it is understood that He
also created darkness, a host of other potencies, pradhäna, air,
and other aspects of matter. When the scriptures say
tasmäd vai (From the Supreme Personality of Godhead
everything has come), it is understood that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the master of material darkness and a
host of other potencies, the pradhäna and other features of
matter were born from Him, and the material element ether was
also manifested from Him.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 10
All Words Are Names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Here someone may object:
Is it not so that if Lord Hari is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all, and the
all-pervading Supersoul, then the names of all that is
moving and inert would also be names of Him? However, this is not
so, for words are primarily the names of the various moving and
inert things.
Thinking that someone may
accept this idea that words are
primarily names of various things and only secondarily names of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the author of the sütras
gives the following explanation.
Sütra 15
caräcara-vyapäçrayas tu syät
tad-vyapadeço 'bhäktas tad-
bhäva-bhävitvät
cara - moving; acara - and
unmoving; vyapäçrayaù - theabode;
tu - indeed; syät - may be; tat - of
that;vyapadeçaù - name;
abhäktaù - not figurative; tat - of Him; bhäva - the
nature;
bhävitvät - because of being in the future.
Indeed, He resides in all
that move and does not move.
Therefore it will be learned that every word is one of His names.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word "tu"
(indeed) is used here to dispel doubt.
The word "caräcara-vyapäçrayaù"
means that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead resides in all moving and unmoving
beings. The word "tad-vyapadeçaù" means
"the
names of the moving and unmoving beings". The word
abhäktaù" means "these names are primarily names
of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead". Why is that? The sütra
explains: "bhäva-bhävitvät" (the real meaning
of names
will be learned in the future). This means that by studying the
scriptures one will come to understand that all words are names
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The
Çruti-çästras explain:
so 'kämayata bahu syäm
"The Supreme
Personality of Godhead desired: Let Me
become many. Let me create the material world."
sa väsudevo na yato 'nyad asti
"He is the
all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nothing isdifferent from
Him."
In the Viñëu
Puräëa (3.7.16) it is said:
kaöaka-mukuöa-karëikädi-bhedaiù
kanakam abhedam
apéñyate yathaikam
sura-paçu-manujädi-kalpanäbhir
harir akhiläbhir
udéryate tathaikaù
"As golden bracelets,
crowns, earrings, and other
golden ornaments are all one because they are all made of gold,
so all demigods, men, and animals are one with Lord because they
are all made of Lord Hari's potencies."
The meaning is this: Names
of potencies are primarily the
names of the master of these potencies. This is so because the
master is the very self of His potencies.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 11
The Individual Spirit Souls Are Eternal and Without Beginning
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Because He is the origin
of everything, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead has no other origin from which He was
created. This has already been described. Now we will determine
the nature of the individual spirit soul. First the idea that the
individual soul has an origin will be refuted.
In the Taittiréya
Araëyaka, Mahä-Näräyaëa Upaniñad (1.4) it
is said:
yataù prasütä jagataù prasüté
toyena jévän
vyasasarja bhümyäm
"From the Supreme
Personality of Godhead the
universe was born. With water He created the living entities on
the earth."
In the Chändogya
Upaniñad it is said:
san-müläù saumyemäù sarväù
prajäù
"O gentle one, all
living entities have their roots
in the Supreme."
Saàçaya
(doubt): Do the individual spirit souls have an
origin or not?
Pürvapakña
(the opponent speaks): Because He is the creator
of the material universe, which contains both sentient living
entities and insentient matter, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead must be the creator of the individual spirit souls. Any
other idea would be illogical.
Siddhänta
(conclusion): The author of the sütras gives the
following conclusion.
Sütra 16
nätmä çruter nityatväc ca täbhyaù
na - not; ätmä -
the individual spirit soul; çruteù - from the
Çruti-çästra; nityatvät - because of being
eternal; ca - and;
täbhyaù - from them.
Because the individual
spirit soul is eternal, and because
of the statements of Çruti-çästra and other
scriptures, this idea
about the individual spirit soul is not true.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The individual spirit soul
was never created. Why not? The
sütra explains: "çruteù" (because of the
statements of
Çruti-çästra). In Kaöha Upaniñad
(1.2.18) it is said:
na jäyate mriyate vä vipaçcin
näyaà
kutaçcin na babhüva kaçcit
ajo nityaù çäçvato 'yaà
puräëo
na hanyate hanyamäne
çarére
"O wise one, for the
soul there is neither birth nor
death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come
into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal,
ever-existing, and primeval. He is not slain when the body is
slain."*
That the individual spirit
soul was never born is also
declared in the Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad (1.9):
jïäjïau dväv ajäv
éçänéçau
"Neither the Supreme
Personality of Godhead nor the
individual spirit souls were ever born."
The word
"täbhyaù" in the sütra means "the
eternality of the individual spirit soul is described in the
Çruti and Småti -çästras". The word
"ca" (and) in the
sütra means that the individual spirit soul is also conscious and
full of knowledge.
In the Kaöha
Upaniñad (2.5.13) it is said:
nityo nityänäà cetanaç cetanänäm
"Of all eternal
living souls there is one who is the
leader. Of all eternal souls there is one who is the leader."
In the
Bhagavad-gétä the Supreme Lord explains:
ajo nityaù çäçvato 'yaà
puräëaù
"The soul is unborn,
eternal, ever-existing, and
primeval."
Therefore, when it is
said, "Yajïadatta is born and
again he dies," such words refer only to the external material
body. The jäta-karma ceremony and other ceremonies like it also
refer to the external material body. The individual spirit soul
is different from the external material body and resides in it
like a passenger. In the Båhad-äraëyaka
Upaniñad (4.3.8) it is
said:
sa vä ayaà puruño jäyamänaù
çaréram abhisampadyamänaù sa utkraman
mriyamäëaù
"At the moment of
birth the spirit soul enters a
material body and at the moment of death the soul leaves the
body."
In the Chändogya
Upaniñad (6.11.3) it is said:
jévopetam väva kiledaà mriyate na jévo
mriyate
"The soul resides in
the material body. When the
body dies the soul does not die."
Here someone may object:
How can this be? If this is so,
then this fact disagrees with the scriptural description of the
individual souls' creation.
To this objection I reply:
The individual spirit souls are
said to be created because they are effects of the Supreme. The
Supreme Personality of Godhead has two potencies, and these are
said to be His effects. Here is what makes these two potencies
different. One potency is the pradhäna and other inert,
unconscious, not alive potencies that are meant to be objects of
enjoyment and various experiences. The other potency is the
individual spirit souls, who are not inert, dull matter, but are
conscious, alive beings, and who are able to enjoy and perceive
various experiences. These two potencies share one common
feature: that they are both the effects of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. In this way the scriptural description of
the souls' creation is not contradicted. In this way the
scriptures are correct, and in this way, also, the individual
spirit souls are never born.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 12
The Individual Spirit Souls Are Both Knowledge and Knowers
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Now the author of the
sütras considers the nature of the
individual spirit soul. In the Båhad-äraëyaka
Upaniñad (3.7.22)
it is said:
yo vijïäne tiñöhan
"The individual
spirit soul is situated in
knowledge."
In another passage it is said:
sukham aham asvapsaà na kiïcid avediñi
"I slept happily. I
did not know anything."
Saàçaya
(doubt): Is the individual spirit soul unalloyed
knowledge only, or is the soul the knower that experiences
knowledge?
Pürvapakña
(the opponent speaks): The individual spirit soul
consists of knowledge only. This is confirmed by the statement of
Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad (3.7.22): "The
individual spirit
soul is situated in knowledge." The soul is not the knower or the
perceiver of knowledge. The intelligence is the knower.
Therefore statement, "I slept happily. I did not
know anything." is spoken by the intelligence, not by the soul.
Siddhänta
(conclusion): The author of the sütras gives the
following conclusion.
Sütra 17
jïo 'ta eva
jïaù - knower;
ataù eva - therefore.
Therefore he is the
knower.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The individual spirit soul
is both knowledge and knower. In
the Praçna Upaniñad (4.9) it is said:
eña hi drañöä sprañöä
çrotä rasayitä ghrätä mantä boddhä
kartä
vijïänätmä puruñaù
"The individual
spirit soul is the seer, the
toucher, the hearer, the taster, the smeller, the thinker, the
determiner, the doer, and the knower."
This truth is accepted
because it is declared by scripture,
not because it is understood by logic. Our acceptance of the
truth of scripture is described in sütra 2.1.27:
çrutes tu çabda-mülatvät
"The statements of
Çruti-çästra are the root of real
knowledge."
In the
Småti-çästra it is said:
jïätä jïäna-svarüpo 'yam
"The individual
spirit soul is both knower and
knowledge."
Therefore the individual
spirit soul is not knowledge alone
without being anything else, and this is not at all proved by
the statement, "I slept happily. I did not know
anything," for such an idea would contradict these scripture
statements that affirm the soul to be the knower. Therefore it is
concluded that the individual spirit soul is both knowledge and
knower.
.pa
Adhikaraëa 13
The Individual Spirit Souls Are Atomic
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Now the author of the
sütras considers the size of the
individual spirit souls. In the Muëòaka Upaniñad
(3.1.9) it is
said:
eño 'ëur ätmä cetasä veditavyo yasmin
präëaù païcadhä
samviveña
"When the life-breath
withdraws the five activities,
the mind can understand the atomic soul."
Saàçaya
(doubt): Is the individual spirit soul atomic or
all-pervading?
Pürvapakña
(the opponent speaks): The individual spirit soul
is all-pervading. Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad
(4.4.14) declares that
the soul is "mahän" (great). The statement that the soul
is atomic is merely a poetic metaphor.
Siddhänta
(conclusion): The author of the sütras gives the
conclusion in the following words.
Sütra 18
utkränti-gaty-ägaténäm
utkränti - departure;
gati - travel; ägaténäm - and of return
Because of departure,
travel, and return.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
In this sütra the
word "aëuù" (the atomic soul)
should be understood from the previous sütra. In this sütra
the
genitive case is used in the sense of the ablative. The
individual spirit soul is atomic and not all-pervading. Why is
that? The sütra explains: "Because of departure, travel,
and return."
In the
Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad (4.4.2) it is said:
tasya haitasya hådayasyägraà pradyotate. tena
pradyotenaiña
ätmä niñkrämati cakñuño vä
mürdhno vänyebhyo vä
çaréra-deçebhyaù
"The soul shines in
the heart. At the moment of
death the effulgent soul leaves through the opening of the eyes,
the opening at the top of the the head, or another opening in the
body."
In the
Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad (4.4.11) it is said:
anandä näma te lokä
andhena
tamasävåtäù
täàs te pretyäbhigacchanti
avidväàso
'budhä janäù
"Sinful fools enter
into planets known as the worlds
of torment, full of darkness and ignorance."
In the
Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad (4.4.6) it is said:
präpyäntaà karmaëas tasya
yat kiïcedam karoty
ayam
tasmät lokät punar etya
yasmai lokäya
karmaëe
"At the time of death
the soul reaps the results of
his works. He goes to the world where he deserves to go. When
the results of his past deeds are exhausted, again he returns to
the middle planets, the world of karma."
In this way the
Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad describes the soul's
travel from one place to another. If he were all-pervading,
the soul would not be able to travel from one place to another,
for he would already be everywhere.
In
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.87.30) it is said:
aparimitä dhruväs tanu-bhåto yadi sarva-gatäs
tarhi na
çäsyateti niyamo dhruva netarathä
"O Lord, although the
living entities who have
accepted material bodies are spiritual and unlimited in number,
if they were all-pervading there would be no question of their
being under Your control."*
However, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, although all-
pervading, can travel from place to place. This is possible
because He possesses inconceivable powers.
Here someone may object:
The individual spirit soul can be
all-pervading and unmoving, and still, because he mistakenly
identifies with the external material body, imagine that he goes
and comes. He is like the ruler of a village who never really
leaves his realm.
To this the reply is
given: Because it is said that he both
departs and returns it is not possible that the soul is actually
stationary and unmoving. The author of the sütras confirms this
in the following words.
Sütra 19
svätmanaç cottarayoù
sva - own;
ätmanaù - of the soul; ca - and; uttarayoù - ofthe
latter two.
Also because the last two
refer to the soul.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word "ca"
(also) is used here for emphasis. Here
the word "uttarayoù" (the last two) means "of
the
coming and going". The coming and going here definitely occurs to
the individual spirit soul. This is so because the coming and
going in the pervious sütra clearly refer to an agent, to the
performer of the action. The coming and going here are understood
to be coming and going from a material body. This is clearly seen
in the first Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad (4.4.2)
passage quoted in
the previous purport. It is also seen in the following words of
Bhagavad-gétä (15.4):
çaréraà yad aväpnoti
yac cäpy
utkrämatéçvaraù
gåhétvaitani samyäti
väyur gandhän
iväçayät
"The living entity in
the material world carries his
different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air
carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it
to take another."*
If someone says that the
soul actually never goes anywhere,
although it seems to go places because of the misidentification of
the external material body as the self, then I say this is a
foolish idea. In the following words the Kauçitaké
Upaniñad
refutes this idea:
sa yadäsmät çarérät samutkrämati
sahaivaitaiù sarvair
utkrämati
"At the time of death
the soul, accompanied by all
his powers, leaves the material body."
The word "saha"
(accompanied by) is used when the
more important is accompanied by another of lesser importance. An
example is the sentence: "Accompanied by (saha) his son,
the father took his meal." Another example is in
Bhagavad-gétä
(15.4), which declares that the soul carries his different
conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries
aromas. In this way the foolish example pushed forward by the
impersonalists, the example of the air in the jar and in the sky,
is clearly refuted.
Sütra 20
näëur atac chruter iti cen netarädhikärät
na - not; aëuù
- atom; atat - not that; çruteù - fromthe
scriptures; iti - thus; cet - is; na - not;itara - other;
adhikärät - because of being appropriate.
If it is claimed that the
Çruti-çästra denies the idea that
the soul is atomic, then I reply that it is not so, because those
descriptions apply to someone else.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Here someone may object:
Is it not so that that the
individual spirit soul is not atomic? After all, the Båhad-
äraëyaka Upaniñad (4.4.22) affirms:
sa vä eña mahä-jana ätmä
"The soul is very
great."
After all, to be great in
size is the very opposite of being atomic.
If someone claims this,
then the sütra replies: "No.
It is not so." Why not? The sütra explains:
"itara"
(because these descriptions apply to someone else). These
words are descriptions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
all-pervading Supersoul. In the Båhad-äraëyaka
Upaniñad (4.3.7)
it is said:
yo 'yam vijïänamayaù präëeñu
"He is full of
knowledge. He stays among the life-
airs."
Although this passage
begins by describing the individual
spirit soul, it proceeds with a description of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, as is seen in a following passage
(Båhad-
äraëyaka Upaniñad 4.3.13):
yasyänuvittaù pratibuddha ätmä
"He is the self who
knows everything."
These words clearly
describe the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and not the individual spirit soul.
Sütra 21
sva-çabdonmänäbhyäà ca
sva - own; çabda -
word; unmänäbhyäm - with measure;ca - and.
Because of its word and
measurement.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word
"sva-çabda" (the word describing it) here means that the
wordatomic is used to describe the individual
spirit soul. An example of this is in Muëòaka
Upaniñad (2.1.9):
eño 'ëur ätmä
"The soul is atomic
in size."
The word
"unmäna" here means "Its measurement is
atomic in size". The precise measurement of the individual
spirit soul is given in the Çvetäçvatara
Upaniñad (4.9):
bälägra-çata-bhägasya
çatadhä
kalpitasya ca
bhägo jévaù sa vijïeyaù
sa cäntantyäya kalpate
"When the upper point
of a hair is divided into one
hundred parts and again each of these parts is further divided
into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the
dimension of the spirit soul."*
In these two ways the
atomic size of the soul is proved. the
word änantya" here means "liberation".
"Anta"
means "death", and "an" means "without".
Therefore the word "änantya" means "the condition
of being free from death".
Here someone may object:
Is it not so that if it is atomic
in size and situated in a specific place in the material body,
the soul could not perceive sensations in all other parts of the
body, where the soul is not actually present?
If this is said, then the
author of the sütras replies in
the following words.
Sütra 22
avirodhaç candana-vat
avirodhaù - not
contradicting; candana - sandal; vat - like
It does not contradict. It
is like sandal paste.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
As a drop of sandal paste
placed on one part of the body
brings a pleasant sensation to the body as a whole, so the soul,
although situated in one place, perceives what happens in the
entire body. Therefore, there is no contradiction. In the
Brahmäëòa Puräëa it is said:
aëu-mätro 'py ayaà jévaù
sva-dehaà
vyäpya tiñöhati
yathä vyäpya çaréräëi
haricandana-vipruñaù
"As the sensation
created by a drop of sandal paste
pervades the entire body, so the individual spirit soul,
although atomic in size, is conscious of what happens in the
entire body."
Sütra 23
avasthiti-vaiçeñyäd iti cen näbhyupagamäd
dhådi hi
avasthiti - abode;
vaiçeñyät - because of being specific;
iti - thus; cet - if; na - not; abhyupagamät - because
ofacceptance;
hådi - in the heart; hi - certainly.
If it is denied because it
has no specific abode, then I say
no, because it resides in the heart.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Here someone may object:
Is it not so that the drop of
sandal paste has a single, clearly visible, place where it resides
on the body but the soul has no such single residence in the
body? There is no reason to make guesses about the location of
the soul in the body. The soul is clearly present everywhere in
the body, just as the element ether is present everywhere.
Therefore the sandal-paste example is clumsy and wrong.
If this objection is
raised, then the author of the sütras
replies: "No. It is not so." Why not? The sütra
explains:
"Because it resides in the heart." This means that the
soul really does reside in a single place in the material body.
The soul resides in the heart. This is confirmed in the following
words of Praçna Upaniñad (3.6):
hådi hy eña ätmä
"The soul resides in
the heart."
In the final conclusion
the spirit soul, although atomic in
size is, in one sense, all-pervading throughout the entire
material body. This is explained in the following sütra.
Sütra 24
guëäd välokavat
guëät - by
quality; vä - or; äloka - light; vat - like.
By quality or like light.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Although the soul is
atomic in size, it pervades the body by
the quality of consciousness. Like light it pervades the entire
body. As the sun, although situated in one place, fills the
universe with light, so the soul fills the body with
consciousness. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself declares
this inBhagavad-gétä (13.34):
yathä prakäçayaty ekaù
kåtsnaà lokam
imaà raviù
kñetraà kñetré tathä
kåtsnaà
prakäçayati
bhärata
"O son of Bharata, as
the sun alone illuminates all
this universe, so does the living entity, one within the body,
illuminate the entire body by consciousness."*
When the sun emanates
sunlight it does not lose any atoms
from its mass, nor does it become diminished in any way. Rubies
and other jewels also emanate light without losing atoms from
their mass or becoming diminished in any way. It is not possible
to say that when light is emanated from them these things become
diminished in size. The light they emanate is their quality, not
their mass.
The quality can function
in a plane apart from the substance
that possesses it. The author of the sütras explains this in the
following example.
Sütra 25
vyatireko gandhavat tathä hi darçayati
vyatirekaù -
difference; gandha - fragrance; vat - like;tathä - so;
hi - indeed; darçayati - shows.
As a fragrance is in a
different place, so it is also in a
different place. This the scripture shows.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
As the fragrance of
flowers or other objects may travel to a
place far from its source, so the consciousness that emanates
from the soul may travel from the heart and enter the head, feet,
or other parts of the body. The Kauçitaki Upaniñad (3.6)
explains:
prajïayä çaréraà samäruhya
"By consciousness the
soul is all-pervading in the
material body."
Even though the
fragrance may travel very far it is
never
actually separated from its source, just as the light of a jewel
is also not separated from its source. In the
Småti-çästra it is
said:
upalabhyäpsu ced gandhaà
kecid brüyur
anaipuëäù
påthivyäm eva tam vidyäd
apo väyuà ca
saàçritam
"They who do not
understand may sometimes say that fragrance is presentin water. Earth is the
natural home of
fragrance, although it may sometimes take shelter of water or
air."
In the Praçna
Upaniñad (4.9) it is said:
eña hi dåñöä
"The soul is the
person who sees."
Saàçaya
(doubt): Is the consciousness that the soul possesses
eternal or not?
Pürvapakña
(the opponent speaks): The soul is by nature
unconscious. It is like a stone. Consciousness only arises when
the soul comes in contact with the mind. This is seen in the
scriptures' statement: "I slept happily. I was not
conscious of anything." This statement shows that consciousness
is not an inherent quality of the soul but rather is attained by
contact with something else. It is like iron and fire. When
placed in fire, an iron rod gradually assumes the qualities of
fire. If it were an inherent quality of the soul, then
consciousness would not be lost in deep sleep.
Siddhänta
(conclusion): In the following words the author of
the sütras gives the conclusion.
Sütra 26
påthag-upadeçät
påthak - separate;
upadeçät - because of the teaching.
Because there is a
specific teaching.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The soul is conscious
eternally. How is that known? The
sütra explains: "Because there is a specific teaching."
Some examples of that teaching follow.
In the Praçna
Upaniñad (4.9) it is said:
eña hi dåñöä
"The soul sees
eternally."
In the
Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad (4.5.14) it is said:
avinäçé vä are ayam
ätmänucitti-dharmä
"The soul's
consciousness is never destroyed."
The soul does not become
conscious merely by contact with
the mind, for soul and mind are both indivisible and cannot interact.
Turningaway from the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the soul obscures its natural spiritual knowledge. Turning
towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the soul revives its
natural spiritual consciousness. This is described in the Småti-
çästra:
yathä na kriyate jyotsnä
mala-prakñälanän maëeù
doña-prahäëän na jïänam
ätmanah kriyate
tathä
"As by washing away
the dirt that covered a jewel,
the jewel's splendor is not created but merely uncovered, so by
removing the dirt of materialism that covered the soul, the
soul's splendor is not created, but merely uncovered.
yathodapäna-khananät
kriyate na jaläntaram
sad eva niyate vyaktim
asataù
sambhavaù kutaù
"As by digging a
well, water is brought forth but
not created, so by spiritual activities the nature of the soul is
brought forth but not created. How would it be possible to create
the the soul's qualities from nothing?
tathä heya-guëa-dhvaàsäd
avarodhädayo
guëäù
prakäçyante na jänyante
nitya evätmano hi te
"When material faults
are destroyed, the soul's
qualities become revealed. The soul's qualities are eternal. they
are never created."
Here someone may object:
These quotes from scripture merely
show that the soul is synonymous with consciousness. They do not prove
that the soul itself is conscious.
To this objection the
author of the sütras replies in the
following words.
Sütra 27
tad-guëa-säratvät tad vyapadeçaù
präjïa-vat
tat - of that; guëa -
quality; säratvät - because of being the
essence; tat - that; vyapadeçaù - designation;präjïa
- intelligent;
vat - like.
It is called that because
that is its essential nature, just
as He who is intelligent.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Because the soul is
consciousness itself, therefore it
is conscious. Why is that? The sütra explains: "It is
called that because that is its essential nature."
In this sütra the
word "guëa" (quality) refers to
the soul's quality of consciousness. The word "sära"
means "the essential nature of the thing, the absence of
which makes the thing non-existent." The word
"präjïa-
vat" means "Like Lord Viñëu, who is known
as
präjïa" (all-knowing) because He is all knowledge.
Because He is all-knowledge personified, Lord Viñëu is
said to
know everything. In the same way, because the soul is
consciousness personified, therefore the soul is conscious. That
the statements "the soul is consciousness personified"
and "the soul is conscious" mean the same thing is also
confirmed in the next sütra.
Sütra 28
yävad ätma-bhävitväc ca na doñas
tad-darçanät
yävat - as long as;
ätma - of the soul; bhävitvät - because of
existence; ca - and; na - not; doñaù - fault; tat -
ofthat;
darçanät - because of the sight.
It exists as long as the
soul exists. There is no fault in
this, because it is clearly seen.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
There is no fault in
saying that the two sentences
the soul is consciousness" and "the soul is
conscious" mean the same thing. That is the meaning here. Why is
that? The sütra explains: "It exists as long as the soul
exists. There is no fault in this, because it is clearly seen."
The soul's consciousness exists for as long as the soul exists.
As long as the soul exists, the soul's consciousness will not be
destroyed. The soul exists eternally, without a beginning or end
in time, and the soul's consciousness also exists eternally. The
sun may be given here as an example. The sun is both light and
the bringer of light. As long as the sun exists it will have
these two features, which are actually not different. In the same
way the soul is both consciousness and conscious.
Here someone may object:
Is it not true that consciousness is
born from the modes of material nature? Is it not true that,
because it does not exist in the state of dreamless sleep,
consciousness is not eternal? Is it not true that even when the
living entity is fully awake his consciousness is in fact created
by a barrage of various sense-objects?
If these objections are
raised, the author of the sütras
replies in the following words.
Sütra 29
puàstvädi-vat tv asya sato 'bhivyakti-yogät
puàstva - virility;
ädi - beginning with; vat - like;tu - but;
asya - of him; sataù - of the existing; abhivyakti-yogät -
because of
manifestation.
But like virility and
other things it exists and then is
manifest.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
The word "tu"
(but) is used here to dispel doubt.
The word "na" (It is not like that) is understood in this
sütra. It is not true than consciousness is non-existent in
dreamless sleep and only exists in the waking state. Why is that?
the sütra explains: "But like virility and other things
it exists and then is manifest." In the state of dreamless sleep
the soul's consciousness exists in a dormant state, and in the
state of wakefulness that dormant consciousness becomes fully
manifested. Here the sütra gives the example of virility. In
childhood virility and other qualities associated with it exist
in a dormant state. Then, at the beginning of adulthood, they
become manifested. In the same way consciousness is dormant in
dreamless sleep and fully manifested in the waking state. This is
described in the following words of Båhad-äraëyaka
Upaniñad
(4.3.30):
yad vai tan na vijänäti vijänan vaitad vijïeyam na
vijänäti na hi
vijnätur vijïänät viparilopo vidyate
avinäçitvän na tu tad
dvitéyam asti tato 'nyad vibhaktaà yad
vijänéyät
"In the state of dreamless sleep the soul is both
conscious and unconscious. The soul is always conscious, and
consciousness can never be separated from it, because the soul
and its consciousness can never be destroyed. Still, in the state
of dreamless sleep no object is presented before the soul for it
to be conscious of."
When there is no object
for consciousness to perceive, then
consciousness is dormant. Therefore in dreamless sleep
consciousness is dormant. When the senses contact the sense-
objects, then consciousness becomes manifested. Had it
not existed in a dormant state during dreamless sleep,
consciousness could not have manifested itself in the waking
state, just as a person born a eunuch cannot manifest virility at
the beginning of adulthood. In this way it is proved that the
individual spirit soul is atomic, is consciousness, and is
conscious eternally.
Now the author of the
sütras refutes the theory of the
saìkhya philosophers.
Saàçaya
(doubt): Is the individual spirit soul consciousness
and nothing else? Is the individual spirit soul all-pervading?
Pürvapakña
(the opponent speaks): The individual spirit soul
is all-pervading. This is so because the results of its actions
are seen everywhere. Had it been atomic, the soul would be unable
to perceive the pains and pleasures present in different parts of
the body. Had it been of a medium size, the soul would not be
eternal. Therefore the individual spirit soul must be all-
pervading.
Siddhänta
(conclusion): In the following words the author of
the sütras gives the proper conclusion.
Sütra 30
nityopalabdhy-anupalabdhi-prasaìgo 'nyatara-niyamo
vänyathä
nitya - eternal; upalabdhi
- perceptionl; anupalabdhi - non-
perception; prasaìgaù - result; anyatara - otherwise;
niyamaù - restriction; vä - or; anyathä - otherwise.
Otherwise there would be
eternal consciousness, eternal
unconsciousness, or the limited existence of one or the other.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
If the soul were only
consciousness and nothing else, and if
it were all-pervading, then the soul would be either always
conscious or always unconscious. Either that or there would be a
limited existence of one or the other. This is the meaning: It is
clear to the entire world that consciousness and unconsciousness
both exist. If the cause of this were a soul that is
consciousness only and also all-pervading, then consciousness and
unconsciousness would both be perceived simultaneously at every
moment by the entire world. If this all-pervading soul were the
cause of consciousness only and not unconsciousness, then no one
would ever be unconscious, and if this all-pervading soul were
the cause of unconsciousness only and not consciousness, then no
one would ever be conscious.
It cannot be said that
consciousness is created by contact
with the senses and unconsciousness is created when there is no
contact with the senses, because if the soul is all-pervading
then it would be always in contact with the senses. Furthermore,
if the individual spirit soul were all-pervading then everyone
would simultaneously experience the pains and pleasures of
everyone else. If this were so there would be no meaning to
individual experience, individual desire, or individual destiny.
This effectively refutes the theory that the individual spirit
soul is all-pervading.
However, our theory, which
affirms that the spirit soul is
atomic in size and different in each material body, is not
refuted by these considerations. Although atomic in size, the
individual spirit soul can act in any place, although it cannot
act in every place simultaneously. By its quality of
consciousness the individual spirit soul can pervade its material
body and perceive the happiness and other sensations present in
the various parts of the material body..pa
Adhikaraëa 14
The Individual Spirit Soul Performs Actions
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa
Now the author of the
sütras will consider another point. In
the Taittiréya Upaniñad (2.5.1) it is said:
vijïänaà yajïaà tanute. karmäëi
tanute 'pi ca.
"Consciousness
performs yajïas.
Consciousness performs actions."
Saàçaya
(doubt): Does the individual soul, indicated in this
passage by the word "consciousness", perform actions or
not?
Pürvapakña
(the opponent speaks): In the Kaöha Upaniñad
(2.18) it is said:
hantä cen manyate hantuà
hataç cen manyate
hatam
ubhau tau na vijänétau
näyaà hanti na
hanyate
"Neither he who
thinks the living entity the slayer
nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays
not nor is slain."*
These words clearly
declare that the individual spirit soul
never performs actions. In the Bhagavad-gétä (3.27) it is
said:
prakåteù kriyamäëäni
guëaiù
karmäëi sarvaçaù
ahaìkära-vimüòhätmä
kartäham iti manyate
"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."*
In the
Bhagavad-gétä (13.21) it is also said: