[Respected Harikatha Readers,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Guru and Sri
Gauranga. On the request of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
Maharaja, we are in the process of producing a book composed of his
lectures regarding the origin of the living entity (jiva-tattva).
Because he also regularly discusses these same points during his world
tours, we are sending you each lecture as it becomes ready. The
following lecture was given on June 14, 2005 in Badger, California. We
hope you enjoy it, and we always appreciate your feedback.
Your aspiring servants, the Harikatha team]
I am explaining to you the commentary of the first verse of
Srimad-Bhagavatam, as Sri Svarupa Damodara explained it to Srila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura. That verse is as follows:
janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat
tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah
tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa
dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi
["O my Lord, Sri Krsna, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of
Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon
Lord Sri Krsna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause
of all causes of the creation, sustenance, and destruction of the
manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all
manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause
beyond Him.
“It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of
Brahmaji, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and
demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory
representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only
because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the
reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they
are unreal.
“I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Sri Krsna, who is eternally
existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the
illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him,
for He is the Absolute Truth."]
This subject is very deep. Still, you should know something of it.
How did this world come to be? The answer is given in this first verse,
beginning "janmady asya." There are many meanings to this verse, and
Sri Svarupa Damodara is giving the general meaning here.
One Without a Second
In this world, there are unlimited living entities in 8,400,000 species
of life. You are not able to count the living entities, nor can you
imagine the extent of the varieties of their natures, qualities, and so
on. In the transcendental world, Sri Krsna has so many associates. His
parents, Nanda Baba and Mother Yasoda, are present there. His cowherd
friends, Dama, Sridama, Subala, Madhumangala, and so many others are
there, and billions of gopis are there. Still, it is stated in
Srimad-Bhagavatam that the Absolute Truth is one without a second. Why
has this been told here?
The reason is that nothing, and no one, has any separate or independent
existence from that Absolute Truth, Sri Krsna. Everything and everyone
depends upon Him. In the transcendental world He expands and manifests
as His own power (svarupa-sakti), also known as cit-sakti, (His
transcendental power) and antaranga-sakti (His internal power.) The
living entities come from His jiva-sakti, the marginal energy, situated
just between the transcendental and material worlds. Finally, in this
material world, maya manifests the so many varieties of inert matter
that we see. None of these powers or potencies has any independent
existence, and therefore the Absolute Truth is called advaya-jnana, one
without a second.
In his book Sri Bhagavata-arka-marici-mala, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
offers his obeisances: “I pray to Sri Svarupa Damodara, the associate
of Lord Gauranga, who has inspired me to write about this topic, and in
that regard to make a garland of verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam.” Srila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura stated that Sri Svarupa Damodara personally
explained to him the first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam. He explained how
Sri Krsna is one without a second, and how His power is also
one-without-a-second. Although one, His power is known by various
terms, such as antaranga-sakti (the internal potency), hladini-sakti
(the pleasure potency) and cit-sakti (the transcendental potency).
There are different names for that potency, but there is ultimately
only one potency.
Tatastha-sakti (the living entities situated on the marginal line,
between the material and spiritual and material worlds) and maya-sakti
(this inert world) are not different from the spiritual cit-sakti, in
the sense that they have no independent existence from it. When the
internal spiritual potency manifests the millions of infinitesimal
jivas, then, according to its function, it is called tatastha-sakti.
When the shadow of that same internal potency manifests this material
world and its varieties of inert matter, then, according to its
function, it is called bahiranga-sakti (the external energy) or
maya-sakti (the deluding material energy), or maya. The marginal energy
(the living entities) comes in contact with the maya-sakti, the
external energy, and manifests as the world of the living entities.
Maya-sakti has manifested this inert world, with its varieties of
bodies, minds, natures and so many other things.
In this world we are in maya and there is a prominence of maya, so we
consider that maya-sakti is here. Ultimately maya is svarupa-sakti or
antaranga-sakti (whose embodiment is Srimati Radhika), because maya is
a power, or sakti. However, if we say that maya-sakti refers to Srimati
Radhika, there will be some misunderstanding.
Does this mean there are many saktis or energies? No, there is only one
energy, but it has many names. This energy is named differently,
according to its different functions. Moerover, there is no duality in
sakti (the power) and saktiman (the powerful, or the possessor of the
power). In other words, Lord Sri Krsna and His power are non-different.
They are non-dual. They are one.
The word ‘anvayad’ in this first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam means
‘direct’, and it indicates that these potencies manifest directly from
Sri Krsna. The word ‘itaratas’, meaning ‘indirect’, indicates the
existence of a very strange thing – a fact of wonder: The jiva is part
and parcel of Krsna. He is spiritual, or conscious. How is it possible
that he can be bound by maya, which is inert? Consciousness is superior
to dull matter. Although it is not possible for him to be bound by the
inferior material energy, it never-the-less takes place. This is a fact
of wonder.
By the influence of Sri Krsna’s deluding potency, even great demigods
like Brahma and Sankara can become bewildered. No one can measure the
depth of power of Sri Krsna's energy. Maya has covered the soul with
its gross and subtle body. Though we are not this body, now we think,
"I am this body." This situation is a fact of wonder, and it is due to
the influence of Krsna’s potency.
How has this occurred? When Sri Krsna created the jivas, He gave them a
very valuable thing called independence. He told them, "If you properly
use this independence, you will come to Me, and serve Me, and be happy.
If you misuse it, however, I will give you punishment.” We should try
not to misuse our independence. We did so, and now we are in the prison
of this world.
There are twenty-eight principles in the manifestation of this world
(such as the false ego, the intelligence, the mind, material nature,
the five gross elements, the five perceptive sense organs, the five
working sense organs, and the five sense objects) and none of them have
any separate existence from the Lord. The jiva does not know how this
world was created and how he was covered by maya. Krsna knows
everything, however. He knows everything that even Brahma, Sankara and
others like them do not know.
Krsna is served by His svarupa-sakti, Srimati Radhika, and therefore He
is complete. It is stated in Sri Isopanisad: "The Personality of
Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect,
all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly
equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced from the Complete
Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole,
even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the
complete balance."
He is always complete, infinite, and quite independent. No one can
control Him. As stated in this first verse, He has mercifully inspired
the original Vedic scholar (adi-kavi), Lord Brahma.
It may also be said that the word adi-kavi refers to Sri Sukadeva
Gosvami or Srila Rupa Gosvami, but here it refers to Brahma. In his
form as Lord Narayana, Sri Krsna instructed Brahma in the four
‘nutshell’ verses (Catur-sloki) of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Thus, by the
Lord’s mercy, Brahma realized the glories of the Lord and then
manifested the Vedas with its unlimited knowledge. Even very learned
persons become bewildered in regard to this Vedic knowledge. They
cannot understand it.
Three Worlds
The word tri-sarga in this verse
means that there are three kinds of creation: cit-sarga (the
transcendental realm), jiva-sarga (the realm of the living entities)
and jada-sarga (the material realm, the realm of inert matter).
Cit-sarga is the transcendental world, beginning from Vaikuntha and
going up to Goloka Vrndavana. There in Vrndavana, Nanda Baba, Mother
Yasoda, the cowherd boys, the gopis, the trees, creepers, rivers,
mountains, and everything else are transcendental. They are full with
eternity, unending bliss, and unfathomable knowledge.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gives an analogy to help us understand the
transcendental world. In this world there is no example of that realm
of transcendence. Still, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is giving a hint by
the following analogy.
Have you seen fire? I have not seen fire. By striking a match, flames
and some dark smoke are seen. Is the smoke fire, or is the wood fire,
or are the flames fire? What is fire? Fire is a sakti, power. You
cannot see it. By striking matches or rubbing two stones or two pieces
of wood together, fire will manifest. It is generally not seen, but
sometimes, when there is a cause for it to be seen, it is seen. When
there is an appropriate or special cause or reason, it manifests.
Similarly, the Lord's spiritual potency is transcendental. His
spiritual abode, Goloka Vrndavana, is always present in the
transcendental realm. As in this world there is sometimes a
manifestation of fire, so Lord Krsna, Lord Ramacandra, and Lord
Nrsmhadeva come here from time to time. Krsna especially comes to show
favor to His devotees. He comes and performs many activities to please
His devotees. The example of fire is given to show that although we
generally cannot see the transcendental world or transcendental
personalities, at certain times and for certain reasons, they manifest
here.
Regarding jiva-sarga, the world of the living entities, the example of
water is given in this verse. The living entities are compared to
water. If an environment is too cold, the water will freeze and become
hard ice. If you throw that ice, it may injure someone or fracture
someone's bones. Otherwise, if you are very thirsty, you can suck it
and find it very sweet. When it is hard, its nature is covered; but
when it is in its own nature, it is liquid.
Similarly, the jiva is the eternal servant of Krsna. By nature or
constitution, he is always serving Krsna and is happy in that service.
However, when he misuses the independence given to him by Krsna, maya
throws him very far away from Krsna and gives him two bodies – gross
and subtle. Then he thinks, "I am this body, and the happiness and
suffering of this body is mine." Actually, when we will advance
somewhat in spiritual life, we will see that there is no bondage and no
liberation from that bondage. We are always liberated, but we think
that we are bound. Without the mercy of Krsna – and first the mercy of
Guru – we cannot come out of this bodily conception of bondage.
Regarding the three types of creation, first the analogy of fire was
given, then the analogy of water, and now the analogy of earth will be
given. Jada-sarga means the creation of this material world, and the
analogy of earth is given to understand it.
In this material world there is earth, and if you make a pot from that
earth, you can carry water in it. However, if that pot has not been
first placed in fire (baked in a kiln), it will melt and break and the
water will gush out. The pot is raw until the potter bakes it in the
kiln, at which time it becomes reddish and it can hold water. Actually
that pot is nothing but earth. So many things in this world manifest
from earth. Although there are also fire and water and all the other
elements in this world, they are less. Earth is prominent. Almost
everything is made of earth.
You can make a variety of products with a variety of functions, but
these products are still earth. Gold, copper, coal, and diamonds are
all actually manifestations of the element earth. This analogy is given
as an expression of maya-sakti, the maya creation. Although all those
products of earth are perishable, by the influence of Sri Krsna’s
acintya-sakti (His inconceivable power) they appear to be permanent
truth.
His Own Existence
By His power, Sri Krsna is manifesting everything in the transcendental
world, in the world of jivas, and also here in this world – but He
maintains His own separate or independent existence. He is very lovely
and very sweet. He has an beautiful form in Goloka Vrndavana. Satyam
param dimahi – That Supreme Absolute Truth Sri Krsna, along with His
svarupa-sakti (embodied in Srimati Radhika) and kaya-vyuha of that
sakti (Radhika's bodily expansions, the gopis), is eternally present;
and sometimes He manifests in this world. Srila Vyasadeva, the author
of this Srimad-Bhagavatam verse, is offering obeisances to that
Absolute Truth.
Though this subject is very deep, you should try to hear. When you take
a bath, most of the water disappears from the body and goes down the
drain. However, something stays on the body, and that will be enough
for you.
Sunday, November 11, 1973