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Post by Kriyaban on Mar 30, 2022 18:25:36 GMT
I'm an Astral-Physical Devata Prahlada Certain Vaikuntha Ye 🦜 ⚜️ 🦢 🕉️ are Going to ASTRO-Physical Paradise Certain Vaikuntha Ye 🦜 Prem Namaha Will 🇸🇭 Heal Song Soon Certan Vaikuntha Ye are Love by Thousands of Devotee for Adonai Ye 🦜 May Have Ananda Assisi Maybe in 2025 Maybe in 🇧🇧 🍌 Bansko People 🍀 Should Change Devotee of Divine Star 🌟 🇸🇴 Society May Start to 🇰🇲 Come in 2022-2023 Devotee are with You Certan Vaikuntha I Hear Astral Daiva Astral Sound 🇹🇲 Tune Certan Vaikuntha Krishna is Many and Manyfold on Lydian Vaikuntha and Earth 🌎 Certan Vaikuntha Aw Eee 🦢 Parvati 🦢 Saraswati Aw Eee Saraswati 🍀 Parvati Certan Vaikuntha Ye are Knight of the Universe We Know of All You Exploits Certan Vaikuntha Samadhi Saraswati Aw Parvati 🦢 Saraswati Aw Eee Eleni of Troy is not Very हुँ Humble Ay Ye 🦜 Patricious She is Capricious Yogananda is on हिरण्यलाल Hiranyagarbha in the High 🇭🇳 Company of Yukteswar Ye are Devotee Everywhere Certan Vaikuntha Bodhidharma is in Astral-Physical Paradise Osho is on Hiryana Vandana Vaiswarupa Certaan Vaikhunta 🦜 ⚜️ 🦢 🕉️ 🌺 Ye 🦜 Will be Healed Soon There 🦢 ll Be है Heaven Ll छ Be Heaven ll छ Be Heaven Sweet Elixir Slighte Subtle Astral Physical Astra Song 🦢 ⚜️ ❄️ 🦜 🕉️ Certan Vaikuntha
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Post by Pathfinder on Mar 30, 2022 18:40:20 GMT
Привет वंशका हुन् जब कि त्यही Vamsi छ Vadana Ай чета книга фор Caitanya Mahaprabhu Nityananda и Jiva Gosvami Философия на Acintyya भएँ Bhedhabhedha Where Knowledge Meets Devotion the Caitanya Vaisnava Vedanta the Nectar of देव गुरुङले Devotion
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Post by Kriyaban on Mar 30, 2022 19:00:09 GMT
Tat Brahman is Unique yet Diverse Aloof yet Involved Chang less yet Crystal Creative We would Arrive at 🎇 Inconceivability अचिन्त्य Acintya 🇪🇺 Shambhala for Padmasambhavi Sambhavi Samodiva Aastha 💖 🕉️ Show Me Tibet सेवक हुँ भन्ने Devkota 🕉️
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Post by Pathfinder on Mar 30, 2022 19:23:49 GMT
Krsna and 3rc Radha, who is the personification of the Lord’s
internal energy. Radha is non-different from Krsna’s very nature (svarEpa),
because she is his svarEpa-Uakti. Krsna cannot exist without Radha, for
Radha is the Lord’s very power of existence. And Krsna cannot act without
Radha, for as his energy of bliss, she provides the very impetus for activity.
Yet Radha and Krsna eternally separate themselves for the purpose of pastimes (lClA). She is the energy and he is the possessor of energy, and thus they
are different. At the beginning of Caitanya-caritAmrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja
eloquently describes the play of unity and difference between Radha and
Krsna:
34 O.B.L. Kapoor makes a similar observation in The Philosophy
Radha is the transformation of Krsna’s love and his energy of bliss.
Therefore, although Radha and Krsna are one person, they have
taken different bodies in the world from the beginning. Now, the
two have again united and appeared as Caitanya. I bow down to
that Caitanya who is Krsna himself, adorned with the sentiment
and luster of Radha.
35
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Post by Pathfinder on Mar 30, 2022 19:41:36 GMT
A quick survey of the Caitanya-caritAm{ta reveals
that around 90 percent of references to inconceivable energy (acintyaUakti or acintya-prabhAva) have to do with the Lord’s ability to perform
wonderful feats and display contradictory qualities. These qualities and activities defy the rules of logic and the limits of human comprehension. A good
illustration of this usage of acintya is in relation to the person of Caitanya,
who (as we noted above) is considered Krrsna himself, but in the mood of his
devotee, Radha. Krsnadasa Kaviraja makes note of the paradox:
Thus, the Lord himself accepts the sentiment of the cowherd maidens [gopCs] and addresses Krsna, “O lord of my life!” He is Krsna;
he is a gopC—this is a great contradiction. The inconceivable character of the Lord is very difficult to comprehend. One should not
apply logic or have doubts in this regard. It is the inconceivable
Uakti of Krsna—this is my verdict. The pastimes of Krsna Caitanya
are inconceivable and amazing. Wonderful is his mood! Wonderful
are his qualities! Wonderful is his behavior! That sinful person who
CAITANYA VAIonAVA HERMENEUTICS
53
does not accept this due to logic will cook in the Kumbhcpaka hell.
For him there is no deliverance.37
Krsnadasa next quotes a verse from the Mahabharata that is used by both
Repa Gosvamc and Jcva to explain the concept of acintya: “Indeed, one
should not apply logic to those things that are inconceivable. The characteristic of the inconceivable is that it is beyond the material elements.”38 The
transcendental, non-material nature of inconceivability makes it an attribute
that can be properly applied only to Bhagavan.
Making the impossible possible
An example of acintya being used in relation to the impossible activities of
the Lord is found in Caitanya-caritA|{ta 2.13, which describes Caitanya’s
ecstatic dancing at the chariot festival in Purc. Caitanya divided his devotees
into seven groups of singers, musicians, and dancers to accompany the
parade. Then, in a similar vein to Krsna’s dancing in the rAsa dance, Caitanya
expanded himself to dance simultaneously in all seven groups. Devotees in
each of the groups thought that the Lord was favoring them alone, but the
intimate devotees could see the entire situation. They understood it as the
play of the Lord’s acintya-Uakti, which makes all things possible.
Indeed, Jcva Gosvamc defines inconceivability as the condition of accomplishing what is difficult or impossible to accomplish (durghaVa-ghaVatvam),
and Bhagavan’s Uakti as that which has the ability to do so.39 He quotes two
37 ataeva apane prabhu gopc-bhava dhari’
vrajendra-nandane kahe “prawa-natha” kari’
sei krsna, sei gopc, parama virodha
acintya caritra prabhura ati sudurbodha
ithe tarka kari’ keha na kara sauaya
k[1wera acintya-uakti ei mata haya
acintya, adbhuta k[1wa-caitanya-vihara
citra bhava, citra guwa, citra vyavahara
tarke iha nahi mane yei duracara
kumbhcpake pace, tara nahika nistara
(1.17.303–307)
38 acintyas khalu ye bhava na ta\s tarkewa yojayet
prak[tibhyas para\ yac ca tad acintyasya lak1awam
(MahAbhArata (Bhc1ma-parva) 6.5.22, quoted
in Bhakti-rasAm{ta-sindhu 2.5.93,
Tattva-sandarbha 11, Sarva-sa|vAdinC p. 53,
and Caitanya-caritAm{ta 1.17.308)
39 See Bhagavat-sandarbha 16 and 42. In the Sarva-sa|vAdinC (p. 57), Jcva defines Bhagavan’s
Uakti as asambhava-sambhAvayitrC dustarkA svabhAvikC—natural, difficult to grasp by logic,
and that which makes the impossible possible.
JhVA GOSVfMh’S SYSTEM OF VEDfNTA
54
aphorisms (sEtras) of the Brahma-sEtra to substantiate his point: “Urutes tu
Uabda-mElatvAt” (2.1.27) and “Atmani caiva| vicitrAU ca hi” (2.1.28). Both
aphorisms occur in the Brahma-sEtra’s second chapter, which raises and
puts to rest various possible objections to the Vedantic standpoint. According to all three major commentators, 3a]kara, Ramanuja, and Madhva,
the problem being addressed in the two sEtras is the fact that Brahman is
a simple whole without any parts (anavayava) and at the same time the
creator of the world.
If Brahman is wholly transformed into the world, it would exhaust
its being in the world of effects and there will be no Brahman left
outside the realm of effects [for us] to seek, contemplate and realize.
If it transforms only in part it would mean that Brahman is divisible into parts which would ruin its integrality.
(Sharma 1986: 394)
The quandary sounds very similar to others we have encountered before:
one of Brahman’s essential attributes is put into jeopardy by the transformation of the world. The solutions offered in the two aphorisms (sEtras)
also follow the trend of our previous discussion.
Both Ramanuja and Madhva agree on the sEtras’ basic interpretation.
The first, “Urutes tu Uabda-mElatvAt,” asserts that inference or logic has no
access to Brahman, who is knowable only through scripture. The second,
“Atmani caiva| vicitrAU ca hi,” reminds us that Brahman possesses wonderful powers that can accomplish all things. The thrust of both aphorisms
is that Brahman’s utterly transcendental nature—in both epistemological
and ontological terms—puts it beyond the reach of contradictions and
impossibilities. B.N.K. Sharma expounds the Madhva interpretation of the
sEtras in language that is quite amenable to the Caitanya theology of Uakti:A quick survey of the Caitanya-caritAm{ta reveals
that around 90 percent of references to inconceivable energy (acintyaUakti or acintya-prabhAva) have to do with the Lord’s ability to perform
wonderful feats and display contradictory qualities. These qualities and activities defy the rules of logic and the limits of human comprehension. A good
illustration of this usage of acintya is in relation to the person of Caitanya,
who (as we noted above) is considered K[1wa himself, but in the mood of his
devotee, Radha. K[1wadasa Kaviraja makes note of the paradox:
Thus, the Lord himself accepts the sentiment of the cowherd maidens [gopCs] and addresses K[1wa, “O lord of my life!” He is K[1wa;
he is a gopC—this is a great contradiction. The inconceivable character of the Lord is very difficult to comprehend. One should not
apply logic or have doubts in this regard. It is the inconceivable
Uakti of K[1wa—this is my verdict. The pastimes of K[1wa Caitanya
are inconceivable and amazing. Wonderful is his mood! Wonderful
are his qualities! Wonderful is his behavior! That sinful person who
CAITANYA VAIonAVA HERMENEUTICS
53
does not accept this due to logic will cook in the Kumbhcpaka hell.
For him there is no deliverance.37
K[1wadasa next quotes a verse from the Mahabharata that is used by both
Repa Gosvamc and Jcva to explain the concept of acintya: “Indeed, one
should not apply logic to those things that are inconceivable. The characteristic of the inconceivable is that it is beyond the material elements.”38 The
transcendental, non-material nature of inconceivability makes it an attribute
that can be properly applied only to Bhagavan.
Making the impossible possible
An example of acintya being used in relation to the impossible activities of
the Lord is found in Caitanya-caritA|{ta 2.13, which describes Caitanya’s
ecstatic dancing at the chariot festival in Purc. Caitanya divided his devotees
into seven groups of singers, musicians, and dancers to accompany the
parade. Then, in a similar vein to K[1wa’s dancing in the rAsa dance, Caitanya
expanded himself to dance simultaneously in all seven groups. Devotees in
each of the groups thought that the Lord was favoring them alone, but the
intimate devotees could see the entire situation. They understood it as the
play of the Lord’s acintya-Uakti, which makes all things possible.
Indeed, Jcva Gosvamc defines inconceivability as the condition of accomplishing what is difficult or impossible to accomplish (durghaVa-ghaVatvam),
and Bhagavan’s Uakti as that which has the ability to do so.39 He quotes two
37 ataeva apane prabhu gopc-bhava dhari’
vrajendra-nandane kahe “prawa-natha” kari’
sei k[1wa, sei gopc, parama virodha
acintya caritra prabhura ati sudurbodha
ithe tarka kari’ keha na kara sa\uaya
k[1wera acintya-uakti ei mata haya
acintya, adbhuta k[1wa-caitanya-vihara
citra bhava, citra guwa, citra vyavahara
tarke iha nahi mane yei duracara
kumbhcpake pace, tara nahika nistara
(1.17.303–307)
38 acintyas khalu ye bhava na ta\s tarkewa yojayet
prak[tibhyas para\ yac ca tad acintyasya lak1awam
(MahAbhArata (Bhc1ma-parva) 6.5.22, quoted
in Bhakti-rasAm{ta-sindhu 2.5.93,
Tattva-sandarbha 11, Sarva-sa|vAdinC p. 53,
and Caitanya-caritAm{ta 1.17.308)
39 See Bhagavat-sandarbha 16 and 42. In the Sarva-sa|vAdinC (p. 57), Jcva defines Bhagavan’s
Uakti as asambhava-sambhAvayitrC dustarkA svabhAvikC—natural, difficult to grasp by logic,
and that which makes the impossible possible.
JhVA GOSVfMh’S SYSTEM OF VEDfNTA
54
aphorisms (sEtras) of the Brahma-sEtra to substantiate his point: “Urutes tu
Uabda-mElatvAt” (2.1.27) and “Atmani caiva| vicitrAU ca hi” (2.1.28). Both
aphorisms occur in the Brahma-sEtra’s second chapter, which raises and
puts to rest various possible objections to the Vedantic standpoint. According to all three major commentators, 3a]kara, Ramanuja, and Madhva,
the problem being addressed in the two sEtras is the fact that Brahman is
a simple whole without any parts (anavayava) and at the same time the
creator of the world.
If Brahman is wholly transformed into the world, it would exhaust
its being in the world of effects and there will be no Brahman left
outside the realm of effects [for us] to seek, contemplate and realize.
If it transforms only in part it would mean that Brahman is divisible into parts which would ruin its integrality.
(Sharma 1986: 394)
The quandary sounds very similar to others we have encountered before:
one of Brahman’s essential attributes is put into jeopardy by the transformation of the world. The solutions offered in the two aphorisms (sEtras)
also follow the trend of our previous discussion.
Both Ramanuja and Madhva agree on the sEtras’ basic interpretation.
The first, “Urutes tu Uabda-mElatvAt,” asserts that inference or logic has no
access to Brahman, who is knowable only through scripture. The second,
“Atmani caiva| vicitrAU ca hi,” reminds us that Brahman possesses wonderful powers that can accomplish all things. The thrust of both aphorisms
is that Brahman’s utterly transcendental nature—in both epistemological
and ontological terms—puts it beyond the reach of contradictions and
impossibilities. B.N.K. Sharma expounds the Madhva interpretation of the
sEtras in language that is quite amenable to the Caitanya theology of Uakti:
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Post by Pathfinder on Mar 30, 2022 19:50:53 GMT
Bhagavan possesses inconceivable, multifarious, and unlimited
energies that are of his own nature and he is the ocean of unlimited,
mutually contradictory qualities, such that in him both the attribute
and the possessor of attributes, the lack of differences and varieties
of difference, formlessness and form, pervasiveness and centrality—
all are true.
It is the very nature of the Supreme to bestow truth or reality on all that is
related to him. Since he is the single, ultimate resting place of everything,
and the varieties of existence are endless, we are sure to find endless, incompatible truths at rest in him. This will lead to the defeat of mental abilities
and the admission of inconceivability.
Thus we have come full circle in our discussion of divinity in Caitanya
Vai1wavism. In a way, the entire journey has been an exploration of the
contours of the single Bhagavata verse with which we began the section:
“vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jñanam advayam/brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti uabdyate.” We mapped the different names of Godhead found
in this verse, and traced their referents in accordance with Caitanyite theology. The name “Bhagavan” was especially rich in its connotation, as it
included myriad energies in its fold. The tension of unity and plurality, or
identity and difference, was raised by the words “tattvam advayam,” and we
pursued the problem until it gave way to relation beyond conception. True
to the paradoxical spirit of Caitanya Vai1wavism, inconceivability itself was
conceived in more than one way, finding ultimate resolution only in the
greatness of Bhagavan.
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Post by Pathfinder on Mar 31, 2022 10:21:30 GMT
brahmatvAt sarvatra sthite vAsudeve bhagavati yasmin,” “in whom, in Bhagavan
Vasudeva, situated everywhere, because of his being Brahman.” Jcva thus introduces the
concept of Bhagavan into the explanation, and singles him out by turning “brahman” into a
qualifier that indicates Bhagavan’s all-pervasiveness. We have seen that this sort of expansion and adjustment in accordance with Gaurcya theology is typical of Jcva’s relationship
with 3rcdhara.
JhVA GOSVfMh’S SYSTEM O
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Post by Pathfinder on Apr 1, 2022 0:39:58 GMT
Let us meditate upon the pure, spotless, sorrowless, immortal,
Supreme Truth, who out of compassion illuminated this unparalleled lamp of knowledge to Ka (Brahma) long ago. Through that
form (Brahma), he gave it to Narada, and through him to Krsnamuni
(Vyasa), and through him to Yogcndra (Suka), and through him to
Bhagavadrata (Pariksit).
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Post by Pathfinder on Apr 1, 2022 11:32:37 GMT
His
is the enterprise not only of a prophet but of a teacher “who transmits acquired,
not revealed knowledge, and this by virtue of a commission and not on his own
authority” (M. Weber 1964:52–53). He is his movement’s fi rst and foremost priest.
While not necessarily an accurate indication of his temperament, the category
of “priest” accommodates the sweeping reach of his accomplishments. In readying himself for his mission and in the later, similar training of his disciples, he
exhibits the preparation and education that has come to be associated with the
priesthood. This includes ascetic practices, meditation and prayer, instruction,
and study. Bhaktivedanta Swami is, in Wach’s terms, simultaneously his fl edgling
movement’s high priest, guardian of traditions, keeper of sacred knowledge, custodian of the holy law, chief justice, administrator, teacher, scholar, patron of the
arts, and theologian (1944:365)
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Post by Kriyaban on Apr 2, 2022 18:09:17 GMT
So Kr�i:ia has sent so many fathers to love me. In that way I am fortunate. At the last stage if I live
very peacefully, that is a great mercy of Kr�sna. By Kr�sna's mercy everything is
possible. So we shall stick to Kr�na's lotus feet and everything is possible.
[S.P. Room Conversation July 9, 1 976, New York/
In our childhood with my father I used to walk 10 miles to savv
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Post by Kriyaban on Apr 3, 2022 16:00:23 GMT
That which is unmanifest, unaging, inconceivable, unborn, imperishable, indescribable, formless, and without hands, feet, or other limbs;
which is almighty, present everywhere, eternal, the origin of living
entities, causeless, all-pervading, and impenetrable; and which is the
source of everything—that, indeed, is what the sages see. That is
Brahman, the highest resort. It is the object of meditation for those
desiring liberation, and it is subtle. It is described by the words
of Uruti. It is the supreme destination—Visnu.11
The interpretive key here is the word “Brahman” used as an epithet of
Bhagavan (Visnu). When Bhagavan is understood as formless and without
limbs, he is known as Brahman, which is the kevala-viUe2ya, or pure substance to which nothing has yet been attributed.12 One may describe Bhagavan
in a negative way, as long as one remembers (and the verse reminds us by
mentioning the word “Brahman”) that such an understanding is an incomplete apprehension of the nondual reality.13
11 yat tad avyaktam ajaram acintyam ajam ak1ayam
anirdeuyam arepa\ ca pawi-padady-asa\yutam
vibhu\ sarva-gata\ nitya\ bheta-yonim akarawam
vyapy-avyapta\ yatas sarva\ tad vai pauyanti serayas
tad brahma parama\ dhama tad dhyeya\ mok1a-ka]k1iwam
uruti-vakyodita\ sek1ma\ tad vi1wos parama\ padam
Note the echo of the mg Veda (1.22.20): “tad vai pauyanti serayas” and “tad vi1wos parama\
padam.” I have chosen to take the genitive case of Vi1wu (vi2WoS) in a weak sense of simply
naming or clarifying that which belongs to it (parama| padam). This allows the passage to
function (as intended by Jcva) as a description of Visnu Bhagavan, rather than simply his abode.
12 \ pawi-padady-asa\yutam itcda\ brahmakhya-kevala-viue1yavirbhava-ni1vham
(Bhagarat-sandarbha 3)
13 Jcva Gosvamc also offers another explanation of “formless, and without hands or feet”: these
descriptions remind us that the Lord has no material (prAk{ta) form or limbs. This is a
common Vai1wava interpretation of negative statements, and is the one offered by Caitanya
to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya:
apawi-pada-uruti varje ‘prak[ta’ pawi-carawa
punas kahe ucghra cale kare sarva grahawa
ataeva uruti kahe, brahma saviue1a
The Uruti text ‘apAWi-pAda’ precludes material hands and feet, but also says that he
moves quickly and grasps everything. Therefore Uruti says that Brahman possesses
attributes.
(Caitanya-caritAm{ta 2.6.150–152)
CAITANYA VAIonAVA HERMENEUTICS
39
This “pass the referent” approach is not uncommon in Vedanta, where it
is important to maintain both the integrity and unity of scriptural texts—
that is, to remain faithful to what is perceived to be the intended meaning of
the texts and at the same time to demonstrate the unity of their intention.
This can often be accomplished most easily by a “divide and unite” strategy,
wherein distinctions are introduced to serve as referents for differing
descriptions of Brahman, and then the resulting divisions are held together
using an overarching theological principle. This is indeed how Ramanuja
uses the body-soul analogy to interpret Upani1adic texts. Brahman and the
world consisting of living entities and matter comprise an “organic and
dynamic complex of being,” related to each other as the embodied soul is to
the body (Lott 1980: 49). The body, although distinct from and completely
controlled by the soul, can nevertheless serve as a referent for designations
that actually apply to the soul. This is quite legitimate, in so far as the body
is pervaded by and “included” in the soul. The two comprise an inseparable
and interdependent whole. Thus, when the Upani1ads speak of the individual
souls or the world as Brahman, they do so just as we refer to the body as
“myself” or “yourself.” When we say, “I adorned myself with fine jewelry,”
we mean “I adorned my body with fine jewelry.” This is indeed how “you”
(tvam) should be understood in the famous Upani1adic statement, “you are
that” (tat tvam asi). In order to make sense of how the finite soul could be
Brahman, we must “pass on” the referent of “tvam” to Brahman, who both
includes and transcends the world of souls. Van Buitenen summarizes it
well, “Just as the body terminates in the soul, so the soul terminates in the
inner Soul. Consequently all the words which describe the body ultimately
refer to the soul, and all the words which refer to the soul ultimately refer to
God” (VedArtha Sa|graha 64–65).14
Bhagavan’s Uakti
The doctrine of Bhagavan’s energy or power (Uakti) functions in much the
same way in Caitanya Vai1wavism. Whereas in Ramanuja’s system, the
operative model is the self-body relationship, here we find the analogy of
14 This technique of “passing on” the referent is grounded in a grammatical rule called correlative predication, or sAmAnAdhikaraWya, which Ramanuja uses to great effect in his theology.
Correlative predication occurs when words that have different connotations denote the same
entity, as in the phrase, “big, blue, beautiful lotus” (Chari 237). Each qualifier has a different
meaning, yet all refer to the same lotus. Here is the key: this apparently simple grammatical
point has significant ontological consequences. Each qualifier has a different connotation
precisely because it has a different ground for occurrence—that is, there are real differences
within the object itself which give reason for the application of different qualifiers. Using this,
Ramanuja argues against the Advaitin doctrine of an undifferentiated Brahman, in favor of
a Lord who is qualified by different attributes, such as eternity, knowledge, and bliss.
JhVA GOSVfMh’S SYSTEM OF VEDfNTA
40
fire and its all-pervasive light: “Just as a fire is situated in one place, but its
light spreads, so the energy [Uakti] of the Supreme Brahman spreads throughout the universe.”15 The Uakti of Bhagavan is his most important attribute.
Indeed, all his other attributes can be subsumed within it, for everything
about the Lord—his form, abode, activities, excellences, associates, and his
creation—is a manifestation of his infinite energy. Or, to put it another way,
each one of his attributes can be characterized in terms of his Uakti. Thus,
his attribute of knowledge is his jñAna-Uakti, his attribute of maintenance is
his pAlana-Uakti, and so on.
The analogy of fire and its light is used repeatedly in Jcva Gosvamc’s
writings and in Caitanya Vai1wava texts in general.16 A survey of the occurrences of the above verse from the Vi2Wu PurAWa reveals that the verse is
cited for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the analogy is used to
argue for the innate (svAbhAvika) nature of Bhagavan’s Uakti. Just as fire
and its radiance are invariably coexistent, and radiance emanates from fire
without any extraneous endeavor on the fire’s part, so the Uakti of the Lord
is inseparable from the Lord, and proceeds from him as a result of his own
nature. In Jcva Gosvamc’s writings, we find a persistent emphasis on the
naturalness of the Lord’s Uakti, for his concern here—even more than in
the threefold Godhead doctrine—is to preserve the unity and simplicity of
the Supreme. The most important scriptural proof-text in this regard comes
from the 4vetAUvatara Upani2ad, which says, “It is known that [his] Uakti is
supreme, manifold, and part of his very nature.”17 Just as Ramanuja argued
that the body is included in the self, Jcva reminds us that any concept of
Bhagavan must include his Uakti.
Once Bhagavan and his Uakti have been so intimately associated, the
Vedantist is immediately faced with the problem of the world and its vagaries. Surely, this material world of change and suffering cannot be included
within the immutable and blissful Brahman. How can a pure and transcendent
15 This is a quotation from the Vi2Wu PurAWa (1.22.54):
eka-deua-sthitasyagner jyotsna vistariwc yatha
parasya brahmawas uaktis tathedam akhila\ jagat
16 The above verse is cited in Caitanya-caritAm{ta (2.20.110), Bhagavat-sandarbha (16), and
thrice in the ParamAtma-sandarbha (70, 71, and 106). The analogy of fire and its energy is
also found in the BhAgavata PurAWa (3.28.40–41), which compares Bhagavan to fire and the
the living entities to sparks. The two verses are commented upon by Jcva Gosvamc in anuccheda
68 of ParamAtma-sandarbha.
17 na tasya karya\ karawa\ ca vidyate na tatsamau cabhyadhikau ca d[1yate
parasya uaktir vividhaiva ureyate svabhavikc jñana-bala-kriya ca
(6.8)
CAITANYA VAIonAVA HERMENEUTICS
41
entity produce, or even be associated with, something that is so opposite its
nature? Of course, Vedantic thinkers in general reject the Sa]khya notion
that an effect must be of the same nature as its cause. Our analogy proves
useful here as well: the light of a fire does not possess many of the attributes
of fire, such as the power to burn or provide warmth.18 Still, the question
remains as to the locus of the phenomenal world, since too much proximity
with Brahman would undermine his perfection. And so, after the initial
unification of Bhagavan and his Uakti, they must be distanced again.
It is here that Caitanya Vai1wava writers introduce the doctrine of manifold Uakti. So far, we have been speaking of Bhagavan’s Uakti as a single power
that is held responsible for all that is related to him. Although the unity of
Uakti must still be upheld, distinctions need to be introduced depending on
the distance of powers from Bhagavan’s essential nature (svarupa). Again
using the Vi2Wu PurAWa as their source text, Gaurya theologians have divided
Uakti into three: internal (antara}gA), external (bahira}gA), and marginal
(taVasthA, “on the shore”).19 The internal energy, also called svarEpa-Uakti, is
the power through which Bhagavan acts in his personal affairs. This energy
is of the same transcendental nature as Bhagavan, and so is responsible for
manifesting everything directly related to him, such as his form and abode.
The internal energy has three aspects (sandhinC, sa|vit, and hlAdini), which
correspond to the Lord’s threefold nature as eternity, knowledge, and bliss
(sac-cid-Ananda).20
The external energy, on the other hand, manifests the temporary phenomenal world of matter. Because of the inferior nature of this Uakti, known also
18 Jcva Gosvamc makes a careful study of causality in the ParamAtma-sandarbha, arguing
in support of commonly held Vedantic views on the subject. See, for example, anuccheda 70,
where he makes use of the fire analogy: karya\ karawa-dharmasya sarva\uenaivanugata\
bhavatcti niyamo na vidyata ity arthas. dahanady-udbhave prabhadau dahakatvadidharmadaruanad iti bhavas. Jcva then quotes the “fire verse” from Vi2Wu PurAWa. 19 The Vi2Wu PurAWa, however, gives different names to the Uaktis:
vi1wu-uaktis para prokta k1etra-jñakhya tathapara
avidya-karma-sa\jñanya t[tcya uaktir i1yate
“Vi1wu’s (personal) energy is called parA (superior), the second energy is known as k2etra-jña
(knower of the field), and the third is named avidyA-karma (ignorance and activity)” (6.7.61).
The sandhi in “tathAparA” can be resolved as “tathA aparA” or “tathA parA.” The second
option would give us, “the energy called k2etrajña is also parA (superior).” This meaning is
consistent with the Gcta (7.5), where K[1wa calls the jCvas his parA prak{ti, and also with
Gaurcya theology, which regards the jCvas as essentially part of the internal energy. 20 This further tripartition is again found in the Vi2Wu PurAWa (1.12.68). Verse 6.8 of the
4vetAUvatara Upani2ad (quoted above) is also cited in support of the partition. There, the
Lord’s inherent Uakti is described as jñAna-bala-kriyA, “consisting of knowledge, strength,
and activity.” Knowledge corresponds to sa|vit, strength to sandhinC, and activity to hlAdini.
JhVA GOSVfMh’S SYSTEM OF VEDfNTA
42
as mAyA, Bhagavan sets it into motion but remains aloof from its activities.
Bhagavan is both the efficient and substantial cause of the universe, but
only indirectly, through the agency of the external energy. Jcva Gosvamc
thus identifies two parts to this Uakti—the qualitative or efficient energy
(cuWa- or nimitta-mAyA) and the substantial energy (upAdAna-mAyA).21 These
two perform the creative functions on Bhagavan’s behalf and are therefore
the immediate cause of the living entities’ bondage and delusion. Jcva Gosvamc
also accepts the Advaitin analysis of mAyA’s deluding power into two
aspects: AvaraWAtmikA, covering the living entity’s natural knowledge, and
vik2epAtmikA, attaching him to other kinds of knowledge.22 The living entity
himself is the marginal energy of Bhagavan, for he can move within either
the internal or external Lali, although he is essentially part of the superior
energy.
Now, the analogy of fire and its light ceases to be useful at this point,
since it does not provide much scope for introducing degrees of difference
between an object and its powers. Instead, Jcva Gosvamc shifts to the analogy of the sun and its splendor.23 Here, we can distinguish four levels of
distance from the sun: (1) the sun god or sun globe; (2) the fiery radiance
within the sun’s orb; (3) the rays that proceed outward from the sun; (4) and
the sun’s reflection (on water or a polished surface). The sun god is like
the Lord himself in his original form (svarupa), Bhagavan Krisna, the very
source of all Lallis. The powerful radiance most closely associated with him
is the internal energy, by which all the opulence of his realm, Vaikunthha, is
manifested. The living entities, on the other hand, are like the sun’s rays;
they possess the same nature as the brilliance within, but with less intensity,
21 Each part is further subdivided according to mAyA’s various functions. See ParamAtmasandarbha, anucchedas 53–55 for a detailed analysis with supporting evidence from the
BhAgavata PurAWa.
22 athavidyakhyasya bhagasya dve v[ttc avarawatmika vik1epatmika ca. tatra perva
jcva eva ti1vhantc tadcya\ svabhavika\ jñanam av[wvana. uttara ca ta\ tadanyatha-jñanena sañjayantc vartata iti.
(ParamAtma-sandarbha 54)
23 See Bhagavat-sandarbha, section 16:
ekam eva tat parama-tattva\ svabhavikacintya-uaktya sarvadaiva svarepa-tadrepa-vaibhava-jcva-pradhana-repewa caturdhavati1vhate. seryantarmawralasthateja iva mawrala-tad-bahirgata-raumi-tat-praticchavi-repewa. . . . uaktiu ca sa tridha
antara]ga bahira]ga tavastha ca. tatrantara]gaya svarepa-uaktyakhyaya perwenaiva
svarepewa vaikuwvhadi-svarepa-vaibhava-repewa ca tad avati1vhate. tavasthaya
raumi-sthancya-cid-ekatma-uuddha-jcva-repewa bahira]gaya mayakhyaya praticchavigata-varwa-uavalya-sthancya-tadcya-bahira]ga-vaibhava-jaratma-pradhanarepewa ceti caturdhatvam.
CAITANYA VAIonAVA HERMENEUTICS
43
and they stand somewhere between the sun and the world of reflection.24
The sun’s reflection, with its multi-colors and shapes, is the external energy,
the world of matter. The reflection is produced by the sun and depends
on the sun for its existence, yet its uncertainties and fluctuations cannot
disturb the sun.
Once again, we have ended up with a ladder of identification within Brahman. Whereas the Brahman—Paramatma—Bhagavan scheme allowed us to
reconcile scriptural passages about the nature of Godhead, the ladder of
Uaktis allows us to make sense of texts describing the relationship between
God and the world. Once again, the “pass on the referent” technique works
wonders. Take, for example, the famous Upani1adic saying, “sarva| khalv
ida| brahma” (“all this, indeed, is Brahman”). Here, some account needs
to be given of how the temporary, changing world can be the same as the
perfect Brahman. If we understand the world as the external energy of
Brahman (who is himself understood as Bhagavan using the first ladder), we
can legitimately identify the energy with the possesser of energy, just as we
can point to the sun’s reflection and say, “that’s the sun.” This is because,
as we have seen, the Lord’s Lali is natural to him (svAbhAvikC) and fully
dependent upon him. Thus, the Upani1ad is not saying that the suffering
and change which constitute the world are Brahman. Rather, the world,
even though it is external to Brahman, still has the quality of being Brahman, in so far as it is his energy:
It is indicated here that because everything is born from Brahman,
it has the quality of being Brahman. But being unchanged in the
process, Brahman is existence [sat]. Thus, that portion [of Bhagavan]
24 Jcva Gosvamc uses the jCva-ray analogy in a more restricted way in the Tattva-sandarbha:
yatha janma-prabh[ti kaucid g[ha-guhavaruddhas serya\ vividi1us katha\cid
gavak1a-patita\ serya\uu-kawa\ daruayitva kenacid upadiuyate e1a sa iti etat
tad-a\uatva\ ca tad-acintya-uakti-viue1a-siddhatvenaiva paramatma-sandarbhe
sthapayi1yamas.
Suppose someone who has been shut in a dark room of the house since birth
desires to know the sun. Someone shows him a tiny ray of sunlight that has
somehow come in through a hole and says, “This is the sun.” In the ParamAtmasandarbha, we will show that the jCva is similarly a portion of Brahman, for his
existence is due to a particular aspect of Brahman’s inconceivable Lali.
(52)
This parable describes the pedagogical method used by the Upani1ads to reveal the nature of
Brahman. They point to the jCva and say, “This is Brahman.” Phrases such as “tat tvam asi”
should not be taken as statements of absolute identity, but only as indications of similar
natures. Their purpose is to give an idea of Brahman’s nature to those born in the darkness
of ignorance, with only themselves as reference points.
JhVA GOSVfMh’S SYSTEM OF VEDfNTA
44
which is the supreme refuge—that is the pure Brahman which is
taught here.25
(Bhagavat-sandarbha 97)
Thus, the referent of “Brahman” in the passage “sarva| khalv ida| brahma”
has been “passed on” from the world back to Brahman, so that a comfortable distance between the Lord and the world can still be maintained.26
As we saw earlier, the referent can also be passed in the other direction—
that is, “passed down” from Brahman to the world. This process is just
as important as the first, since explaining the creation of the world from
Brahman is one of the most important and difficult tasks for Vedanta. The
Brahma-sEtra begins with the aphorism, “[Brahman is that] from which there
is the birth, etc., of this [world],” and generally endorses the view that the
world is a transformation (pariWAma) of Brahman. How a changeless Brahman can change himself into a constantly changing world is of course the
vexing issue for Vedantins, and the attempt in general is to create a distance
between Brahman and the process of transformation. 3a]kara does this by
relegating transformation to the realm of mere appearances (vivarta), while
Ramanuja restricts the transformation to the body of the Lord. Caitanya
Vai1wavas deal with the problem by positing the transformation of the Lord’s
energies (Uakti-pariWAma-vAda), specifically the external energy (bahira}gA Uakti).
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Post by Pathfinder on Oct 17, 2022 16:20:11 GMT
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Om namah shivay
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Har Har Mahadev 🙏
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Post by Pathfinder on Jan 7, 2023 7:28:45 GMT
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