Section
4
Bhagavän is Näräyaëa
In the same way this is also explained by Çré Närada Muni to Çré Vasudeva by reciting a dialogue between King Nimi and Nava-Yogendras (S.B.11.3.34,35)
King Nimi said: Please explain the essential nature of the Supreme Lord, Näräyaëa,(Bhagavän), the Absolute Truth (Brahman) and the Supersoul (Paramätmä) of everyone. You can explain this to me, because you are all most expert in transcendental knowledge.
Pippaläyana said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of the creation, maintenance, and destruction of this universe, yet He has no prior cause (Bhagavän). He pervades the various states of wakefulness, dreaming, and deep sleep, and also exists beyond them (Brahman). As the Supersoul (Paramätmä), He enlivens the body, senses, life-airs, and mental activities. Thus all the subtle and gross organs of the body begin their functions. My dear King, know that Personality of Godhead to be the Supreme.
The purport of the question is as follows: The word Näräyaëa refers to Bhagavän because it appears with the other two words Brahman and Paramätmä--which are found with Bhagavän as in verse 1.2.11 the third member of the group. That Näräyaëa and Bhagavän mean the same is stated in the Çrémad Bhägavatam (11.4.3).
When the primeval Lord Näräyaëa created His universal body of the five elements produced from Himself and then entered within that universal body by His own plenary portion, He thus became known as the Puruña (Paramätmä).
This equality will also be depicted in the verse 10.14.14, which gives the derivative meaning of the word Näräyaëa and is explicitly mentioned in the following verse (S.B.11.15.16):
Näräyaëa who is called Turéya or the fourth and expressed by the word Bhagavän.
The word niñöhä (11.3.34) means the essential nature.
King Nimi first inquired about the Personality of Godhead Näräyaëa, then about His all-pervading aspect called Brahman, and finally about His localized aspect called Paramätmä. Sage Pippaläyana answered according to the order found in the question. The one Absolute Truth who is the cause of maintenance, annihilation, and creation, but Himself has no cause (Näräyaëa) ; who exists in the state of wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep as well as outside these (Brahman); who activates the body, life air, and heart so that everyone can perform their respective duties (Paramätmä), know that to be in the form of Näräyaëa and so on in the order of your question. This is how the answer has to be applied. In order to clarify the nature of Brahman Sage Pippaläyana explains these three aspects in a different order than the order found in 1.2.11. The essence of the answer is that different aspects of the one Absolute being established as with or without qualities and similarly being experienced by the respective worshipers, appear differently having different names.
In this regard this is to be said: Ahetu or causal means that although Lord is indifferent toward material nature, because of His sporting only in the internal potency, yet through in His feature as Supersoul, which is another name for His plenary manifestation called Puruña, He becomes the cause of universal creation, maintenance, and dissolution during the active state of the jéva and material nature know that to be Bhagavän. He is established as the Supreme Lord, owing to His possessing all the internal potencies in their fullness.
Or the meaning is: The Puruña who is the first incarnation is the whole, having jévas as parts, and thus has no cause or separate basis for Himself just as He is the shelter for others .Thus the form of Paramätmä is contained within Bhagavän. This is further described in the verse. That inspiring agent who enlivens through jiva who is His part activates the body, senses and so on who are indicative of all other elements beginning with Pradhäna and also causes everything and inspires everyone to perform their respective functions, know that to be Paramätmä.
A similar statement is found in Varuna's prayers to Lord Kåñëa (10.28.7) : I offer my obeisances unto You who is Bhagavän, Brahman and Paramätmä. Çrédhara Swämé comments that Paramätmä means the controller of all living beings.
A living entity has consciousness (ätmatva). In comparison to him, Lord is superior (Paramatvam) and thus the word Paramätmä implies that He is his companion. The Absolute is without these qualifications and is called Brahman and its existence is described in the verse with the phrase beginning with svapna. The manifestation that remains undifferentiated from the jéva in states of wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep, and which shines differently as pure consciousness such as in the state of trance is to be known as Brahman (S.B.11.13.27):
Waking, sleep, and deep sleep are the three functions of the intelligence and are caused by the modes of material nature. The living entity within the body is different from these three states and thus is a witness to them.
Although this verse explains only the pure nature of the jéva, yet its purpose is not limited only to that. The real purpose is to explain the complete consciousness Brahman, which encompasses the potency of the jéva. When it is not possible to depict an object fully, a portion of it is shown, just as only the par of the ocean in front of one's stretched finger is pointed out and called the entire ocean. Only the concept of non-difference allows Brahman to be approached, hence considering Brahman and the jéva as non-different in this verse is appropriate. Other instances of non-differences should be similarly understood.
If difference is intended then the explanation should be as follows: Brahman is non-different from the jéva in the three states of dream, deep sleep, and wakefulness. It is also outside these states in the pure energy called jéva. The word ca (and) implies that It is also beyond the pure jéva, situated free of everything. In this way that which manifests in three ways (Brahman, Paramätmä, and Bhagavän) is the non-dual consciousness called the Absolute Reality (Param tattvam). This should be understood clearly.
COMMENTARY
In the previous two Texts Çréla Jéva Gosvämé defined the word Brahman, Paramätmä, and Bhagavän. In this section he substantiates these definitions by citing references from Çrémad Bhägavatam. In the Eleventh Canto, Second Chapter, is a dialogue between Närada and Vasudeva, the father of Kåñëa, when the former visited Dvärkä. Vasudeva inquired about bhägavata-dharma, or the principles of bhakti. In reply Çré Närada related the discussion between King Nimi and the nava-yogendras when they appeared in his sacrificial arena. In 11.3.34 King Nimi inquires about the nature of Näräyaëa, Brahman, and Paramätmä. In the preceding verse Prabuddha had said that a devotee of Näräyaëa can easily transcend the material nature which is very formidable. This inspired King Nimi to ask about Näräyaëa and His relation with Brahman and Paramätmä. Çréla Jéva Gosvämé while commenting on this question says that Näräyaëa is the name of Bhagavän, because it has been used with the other two words, Brahman and Parmätmä. These two appear in Çrémad Bhägavatam 1.2.11 along with Bhagavän.
To further support his claim he refers to three additional verses from the Çrémad Bhägavatam. These all imply that Näräyaëa is Bhagavän. Verse 11.4.3 refers to Lord Näräyaëa as Ädideva, or the original personality of Godhead. Ädideva is a synonym for Bhagavän as Lord Kåñëa says (Bg.10.2) aham ädirhi devänäm. This verse also shows that Bhagavän or Näräyaëa expands as Paramätmä. This conforms to the definition of Paramätmä given in the previous Text.
Lord Brahmä spoke the verse 10.14.14 in his prayers to Kåñëa. Brahmä stole the calves and cowherd boys to test Lord Kåñëa, but later on he realized the super excellent position of Lord Kåñëa and offered prayers to appease Him. In this verse he establishes that Lord Kåñëa is also Näräyaëa, which means that Bhagavän is Näräyaëa, because Kåñëa is bhagavän Kåñëaastu bhagavän svayam (S.B. 1.3.28). He also give the derivative meaning of Näräyaëa, which explains that Bhagavän expands as Paramätmä and enters into the universe.
Kåñëa spoke the verse 11.15.16 to Uddhava and He clearly states that Näräyaëa is called Bhagavän. In this way Çréla Jéva Gosvämé establishes that the Näräyaëa mentioned in 11.13.35 is Bhagavän. This verse is a reflection of the verse 1.2.11, which states that one Absolute Truth is called Brahman, Paramätmä and Bhagavän.
Pippaläyana answers King Nimi's question about the nature of Näräyaëa, Brahman, and Paramätmä in this particular order. In this verse he explains the functions of all three features of the Absolute by giving their tatastha lakñaëa, their marginal characteristics. Bhagavän is the cause of creation, maintenance, and destruction, but Himself has no cause. The Puruña incarnations expand from the Personality of Godhead, Bhagavän, and perform the act of creation, maintenance and destruction. Mother Devaké, while praying to Kåñëa, indicated this in (Please quote this verse, I do not have the tenth canto "yasyäàçä SB.10.85.31):
This Bhagavän is called turéya (lit. fourth) because He is free from any limiting adjuncts, which are of three types, as given in the verse quoted in the Bhävartha-Dépikä (11.15.16):
Virät, Hiraëyagarbha and käraëa are the three upädhis of the Lord. When He is free from these three He is called Turéya.
Virät is the gross upädhi, Hiraëyagarbha the subtle upädhi, and käraëa is Mäyä. These only apply to the puruña incarnations which are known as Kñérodakaçäyé, Garobhodakaçäyé and Karaëodakaçäyi Viñëus. But Bhagavän, replete with six opulences, is beyond these three upädhis. Or the meaning of the word turéya is that the Lord is in the fourth dimension, beyond the state of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. While commenting on Bhagavatam verses 2.3.9 and 10 Çrédhar Swämé writes that the Puruña or Paramätmä has prakåti as a limiting adjunct, but the Purna Puruña, Bhagavän, is nirupädhi, without any limiting adjunct. The limiting adjunct, however, does not make the Puruña conditioned like the living entities in the material world. The Puruña does not manifest all the features of Bhagavän.
The Puruña, who is the same as the Paramätmä feature, is the controller of the Mäyä and the living entities. He energizes the material nature which is inert. Through jéva who is his part, the Lord enlivens the body and senses. Thus He is called the Hetukartä or the inspiring agent. When an agent makes another agent do the work then the former is called the inspiring agent and the latter inspired agent. This definition is given by Çréla Jéva Gosvämé in his Harinämämåta-Vyäkaraëam (4.13) karttä svatantra ityukto hetukartä prayojakaù prayojakädhéna-kartta prayojya iti satridhä. The energy in the living entity, his senses, body and so on is infused by the Paramätmä. Thus Paramätmä is called aàçé, or the whole, and the living entities are His aàça, or parts, because of being part of His energy. Therefore Çrédhar Swämé translates Paramätmä as the controller of all the living entities, sarva-jéva-niyantre. Param means superior and ätmä means the soul. Paramätmä therefore is superior to ätmä and He assists ätmä by supplying him the requisite energy and inspiration to work. Thus in the Vedic scriptures Paramätmä is described as the friend or well wisher of the living entity. (Bg. 5.29):
"A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries."
Because Brahman is the unqualified feature of the Absolute Truth, it is very difficult to understand it. In section 52 of Tattva Sandarbha, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé established that knowledge of the self is essential to understand Brahman. Now, to further clarify Brahman, he first quotes a verse (11.13.27) that describes the self. Kåñëa spoke this verse to Uddhava. The jéva experiences three states--wakefulness, dreaming, and deep sleep--but these states are manifestations of the intelligence combined with the three modes of material nature. Wakefulness is the result of intelligence mixed with the mode of goodness; dreaming, the mode of passion; and deep sleep, the mode of ignorance. The living entity, however, is different from these three states, because he is the witness of them. In the material world a witness must be different from that being witnessed. This was explained in detail in Tattva Sandarbha Text 53 and 54. This is succintly put in the following verse of Dåg-dåçya Viveka (1)
"The form is perceived and the eye is its perceiver. Eye is the perceived and mind is its perceiver. The various mental states are the perceived and self is the perceiver. But the self is not perceived by anything."
He remains unchanged in all the three states. Indeed if he undergoes any change he would not be able to perceive it. Lord Kåñëa confirms this (SB.11.25.20):
"It should be understood that alert wakefulness comes from the mode of goodness, sleep with dreaming from the mode of passion, and deep, dreamless sleep from the mode of ignorance. The fourth state of consciousness pervades these three and is transcendental."
Here the word santatam means unchanging, which is a reference to the soul.
An objection may be raised that in deep sleep there is no witness, because no one witnesses anything. But that is not true. In deep sleep the self is aware of itself and that's why on awakening one remembers the pleasurable experience of deep sleep. As is stated in the Çruti—etävantaà kälaà sukhamahmasväpsaà na kiïcidavediñam,"I slept so long and happily and did not know anything." Not knowing anything means other than his own self. Because even in deep sleep no one experiences "I do not exist". There cannot be any recollection without first having experience, but because in deep sleep the mind becomes disassociated from the soul, the experience is not very specific.
Çréla Jéva Gosvämé further develops this point and says that by this experience of the self as the witness we should try to understand Brahman, which is always existent in the three different states of existence and also in the state of trance. This is called mukta prayrahaù nyäya or the principle of relieving all constraints to get the fullest meaning. Brahman cannot be realized without the feeling of oneness with the individual soul. But that does not mean that one becomes Brahman in its original sense. That is the reason for the statements of oneness in the scriptures such as tattvam asi, "You are That (Brahman)." On account of its vastness we cannot see the complete ocean at once by our vision, so only a portion is pointed out and designated as the whole ocean. This is called ekadeça-nirdeça nyäya--designating the part as a whole. Similarly, a jéva cannot realize the complete Brahman, which is all pervading and unlimited. So to convey knowledge of Brahman, the individual soul, which is a fraction of Brahman, is designated as Brahman. In Text 6 more details are given about the process of Brahman realization.
In the next section Çréla Jéva Gosvämé cites three verses spoken by Lord Kåñëa to show the three features of the Absolute.