Shastra Quiz 27

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says if we hypothetically grant that upādhis can divide Brahman into jīvas, then neither the jīvas nor Brahman Itself should be called eternal. But the Bhagavad Gītā, which the Advaitavādīs accept as authoritative, describes both the jīva and Brahman as eternal. In Gītā 13.20, Śrī Kṛṣṇa says that the jīva is anādi, beginningless. The same is stated in texts 20–24 of the Second Chapter.

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa states that even if the above point is overlooked, other inconsistencies abound in the Advaitavāda conception. One such discrepancy is as follows: The jīvas and Īśvara move from one place to another, but Brahman is all-pervading. Somehow portions of Brahman become limited by upādhis to manifest as the jīvas. When a given jīva moves from one place to another, either Brahman also moves along with it or It does not. But Brahman’s moving from place to place is impossible because when something moves, it leaves one location and then occupies another, where it was absent before. It is absurd to propose this situation for Brahman, since Brahman is always present everywhere.

On the other hand, if Brahman does not move with the jīvas, we must assume that when a jīva is moving from place to place, its upādhi constantly delimits new portions of Brahman, simultaneously releasing the previously delimited portions. This reduces Brahman, the Absolute Reality, to a toy in the hands of Its upādhis, a proposal that is also absurd.

If it is instead proposed that all of Brahman is grasped by Its upādhis, the problem of movement can be solved, but then there remains no Brahman free from upādhis, meaning that there is no chance for the jīvas’ liberation or for useful discussion of philosophy; all of existence would consist of deluded Brahman, and there would be no liberated domain to aspire for.

If it is countered that Brahman is not the basis for Its upādhis and thus jīvas can move independently of Brahman, this means that even at the liberated level these independent upādhis would continue to exist. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī concludes that the interpretation of pariccheda-vāda in terms of Brahman’s upādhis being empirically real is invalid.

An effect is always dependent upon its causes. This understanding is called satkārya-vāda by Śrī Īśvara Kṛṣṇa in his Sāṅkhya-kārikā. His explanation goes as follows:

The effect is present in the cause because:

1. That which is non-existent cannot produce anything.
2. A product is always dependent on its material cause.
3. A particular cause cannot produce effects that lie beyond its causal power. Rather, a particular cause gives rise only to a particular effect.
4. Only a capable cause produces an effect.
5. Cause transmutes into effect.

The internal energy of Bhagavān has three aspects: existence (sandhinī), awareness (saṁvit) and bliss (hlādinī)

The sandhinī potency is the intrinsic power of existence of the Self-existent Bhagavān, and it upholds the existence of the individual ātmās and nature.

The saṁvit potency is the power of knowledge of Bhagavān by which He is all-knowing and which enables all others to know.

The hlādinī potency is the power of bliss, which bestows bliss both to Bhagavān — who is inherently full of bliss — and to others.

These three aspects of the internal potency are the very nature of Bhagavān and thus exist eternally in Him. The saṁvit potency includes and supersedes the sandhinī potency, and the hlādinī potency includes and supersedes the other two. This threefold internal energy of Bhagavān constitutes His very nature and that of His abode and associates.

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī stresses that Bhagavān’s energies have two important features: they are trans-rational (acintyatva) and intrinsic to Him (svābhāvikatva). Since they are trans-rational, the energies of Reality are ultimately inscrutable and not fully within the grasp of human thought and reason (tarka-asaha).

“Trans-rational”also indicates that these energies can accomplish logically impossible feats. Another import of trans-rational” is that the relationship between these energies and their energetic source is not entirely within the grasp of logic. These energies are not distinct from the Energetic, but also not entirely identical to Him. It is by virtue of this understanding that the philosophy of Śrī Caitanya has become known as Acintya-bhedābheda-vāda (the school of trans-rational simultaneous oneness and distinction).

That Bhagavān’s energies are “intrinsic” indicates that they are natural to Him and constitute in their totality His very essence, although He remains transcendent to their totality, as their source. These energies are neither
borrowed nor superimposed on Him from any other source.

Although Bhagavān is endowed with infinite potencies, these potencies are categorized in three groups: internal (antaraṅga or svarūpa-śakti), intermediary (taṭastha or jīva-śakti) and external (bahiraṅga or māyā-śakti). The internal potency (constituting the true self of Bhagavān) is fully and directly displayed in Him. The other two potencies are displayed indirectly through Paramātmā.

By virtue of His inscrutable, inherent potency, the singular Ultimate Reality eternally manifests in four forms:

1. His own essential form (svarūpa)
2. His partial self-expansions (vaibhava)
3. Conscious entities with distinct individuality (jīva / ātmā), and
4. The potentiality inhering in the material elements (pradhāna)

Thus, Bhagavān is simultaneously endowed with conscious energy (cit-śakti) and inert matter (acit-śakti, also called māyā-śakti or bahiraṅga-śakti).

When the primary meaning, or abhidhā-vṛtti, fails to render the proper meaning of a word in a particular context, it is abandoned, and a secondary meaning is sought that is related to the primary meaning in some way. As is stated in Nyāya-siddhāntamuktāvali, “When the speaker’s intent is not understood through the primary meaning of the words, then the indicative meaning, lakṣaṇā, is taken.”

This will be related to the primary meaning. For example: In the statement, “The Jiva Institute is situated on Jiva Road,” certainly the intent of the speaker is not that the Institute is actually on the road, because such a thing is not possible. Therefore, rejecting the primary meaning of “on the road,” one is expected to understand “beside the road.”

Lakṣaṇā-vṛtti has three divisions, called ajahat-svārthā, jahat-svārthā and jahad-ajahat-svārthā. Ajahat-svārtha means without giving up the original meaning of the word, as in the statement kuntāḥ praviśanti, “the spears are entering.” Here kuntāḥ, or spears, refers to the people carrying spears, kunta-dhārī. In this instance, the meaning of the word kunta has not been dropped (ajahat) but extended to refer to those carrying them.

In jahat-svārtha, the original meaning of the word is dropped, as in gaṅgāyāṁ ghoṣaḥ, where the word gaṅgā drops its original meaning as the river Ganges and is translated as the bank of the river Ganges.

In jahad-ajahat-svārtha, part of the meaning is dropped and another part preserved. The phrase tat tvam asi, “You are That,” is a famous example of jahad-ajahat in Advaitavāda. Here tat refers to Brahman and tvam to an individual being. The two have been equated in the above statement. Yet they cannot be absolutely equal if the literal meaning of the pronouns tat and tvam is taken. The individual being is a conscious entity limited by a material body, whereas Brahman is unlimited consciousness. If the two pronouns that refer respectively to Brahman and the living being are dropped, then what remains is consciousness, and that is what is being equated in this sentence.

According to Jīva Gosvāmī, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam describes three basic subjects:

1. Our identity in relation to the Absolute (sambandha-jñāna)
2. The process to realize that identity (abhidheya-tattva)
3. The ultimate goal achieved by doing so (prayojana-tattva)

In the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas, Śrī Jīva elaborates on these three topics.

Ten simple illiterate villagers went to a city festival, and before returning, one decided to take a head count to make sure that no one was being left behind in that strange city. The villager counted nine and could not understand who was missing. He counted again, but reaching the same number asked another to count. Each one that took the task forgot to include himself. Thinking one of their party was missing, they went to make a report. The officer counted, and when he reached the chief villager, he said, “And you are the tenth.”

When they heard this, they realized no one was missing. Their ignorance had to be dispelled by someone outside their group. This is called daśamas-tvam-asi-nyāya, the principle of “You are the tenth.” In this example, the statement “You are the tenth” imparts direct knowledge of the tenth person.

When Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Śrī Caitanya to inquire about the spiritual path, his first question was, “What is my duty after liberation?” This question was revolutionary. Before this, almost no one would even have thought to inquire about a fifth puruṣārtha; liberation was considered the ultimate aim. But Śrī Caitanya explained to Sanātana that prema, love of God, is the fifth and alltranscending aim of life (pañcama-puruṣārtha): premān pum-artho mahān. That prema is described as the fifth puruṣārtha indicates that it belongs to an altogether distinct category of intrinsic value (artha), beyond the four traditional human aims.

Śrī Caitanya established this puruṣārtha with reference to the Vedas, and in the course of doing so, He relied especially on “the spotless Purāṇa,” Śrīmad Bhāgavata, propounding it as the ultimate scriptural authority.

Śrī Nārada to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira SB (7.15.22-25)

asaṅkalpāj jayet kāmaṁ
krodhaṁ kāma-vivarjanāt
arthānarthekṣayā lobhaṁ
bhayaṁ tattvāvamarśanāt
ānvīkṣikyā śoka-mohau
dambhaṁ mahad-upāsayā
yogāntarāyān maunena
hiṁsāṁ kāmādy-anīhayā
kṛpayā bhūtajaṁ duḥkhaṁ
daivaṁ jahyāt samādhinā
ātmajaṁ yoga-vīryeṇa
nidrāṁ sattva-niṣevayā
rajas tamaś ca sattvena
sattvaṁ copaśamena ca
etat sarvaṁ gurau bhaktyā
puruṣo hy añjasā jayet

"To give up lust one must give up one’s determination to enjoy. To give up anger one must give up lust and to give up greed one must see the evil of money. Fear can be given up by considering the truth. Lamentation and illusion can be given up by considering what is material and what is spiritual (rational thinking). Pride can be given up by serving a great soul and obstacles in yoga-practice (which serves the purpose of fixing the mind) can be overcome by perfecting a vow of silence. Violence is conquered by giving up endeavours for sense-gratification. Suffering caused by other living entities can be mitigated by developing the quality of compassion. Suffering caused by the elements can be mitigated by entering into samädhi (psycho-religious trance) and suffering caused by the own body and mind can be mitigated by practicing the eight-fold path of mystic yoga (añöäìga-yoga).When the mode of goodness increases, sleep is conquered along with the modes of passion and indolence, and by controlling the senses the mode of goodness is transcended. But all these vices and obstacles together can be conquered simply by being devoted to the guru."