Section
11
The Characteristics of Godhood are
inherent in Him
Here a new section begins to specifically re-establish that the characteristics of Godhead are naturally inherent in His personality and not imposed or acquired from elsewhere. The second verse of the Çrémad Bhägavatam states, vedyam västavamatra vastu, "The absolute Reality is to be known here (in the S.B.)." That this reality has potency is stated by its two adjectives çivadam täpatrayonmülanam. Çivam means the supreme bliss; it signifies that He is blissful and grants bliss to others by His internal potency. Täpa-trayam means miseries manifest due to the external energy, and unmülanam means that He uproots these miseries by His internal energy.
PURPORT
After explaining the qualifications for Bhagavän realization and having given a lucid example, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé turns his attention to the personality of Bhagavän. He says that Bhagavan's attributes and potencies are part of His essential nature--they are not aropita superimposed. Äropa and adhyäsa are technical terms used mainly by Çaìkaräcärya and his followers to indicate the imposition of the properties of one object onto another. Çré Sadänanda Yogéndra, sixteenth century follower of Çankaräcärya defines this in his Vendänta-Sära (6):
"To wrongly attribute the properties of an illusory object (avastu) onto something real (vastu) is called 'superimposition'. Examples are mistaking a rope for a snake, or considering Brahman as the material world."
According to impersonalists, the underlying principle of superimposition is to mistake a real object, vastu, for an illusory one, avastu, out of ignorance. Vastu means a real object - vasati eva tiñöhati eva yat tad vastu - "That which remains at all times is called vastu". On the other hand, avastu is that which seems to exist in the empirical (prätibhäsika) or illusory (vyavahärika) state, but does not exist in the absolute (pärmärtheka) sense. When, out of ignorance, a person mistakes a real object for one that is seemingly there, this is called äropa, adhyäsa, or adhyäropa. When someone in semi-darkness mistakes a rope for a snake, he superimposes an illusory snake onto the rope, which is empirically real. The pre-requisite for adhyäsa or äropa is knowledge of the super imposed object based on past experience, improper perceiving conditions, sensory defects of the perceiver, some similarity between the two objects.
Similarly, the impersonalists cite the Sruti, sarvaà khalu idaà brahman, "All this indeed is Brahman." By this they accept Brahman as the only ultimate reality. Due to ignorance, they say, we mistake Brahman for the empirical world, which is non-real, avastu. When our ignorance is dispelled, however, only Brahman will remain.
This is tantamount to saying that the Lord's form, attributes, and abode are not real in the ultimate sense. They are superimposed (äropita) onto Brahman. To refute this deep-rooted misconception of the Mäyävädés, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé proposes that the God's lordship is not superimposed, sä bhagavattä ca na äropitä.
In support he quotes from Çrémad Bhägavatam, the topmost pramäëa--vedyam västavamatra vastu (S.B.1.1.2). The västava (substantial) vastu (real object ) is to be known in this book (atra). This means that Çrémad Bhägavatam will explain reality that is distinct from illusion, (avastu). And one can directly experience (vedyam) this vastu. As discussed in Section 51, Tattva Sandarbha, västava vastu is advaya jïäna or non-dual consciousness (S.B.1.2.11).
Here the impersonalists may say the ultimate reality is Brahman, devoid of quality or energy, and hence their philosophy of monism or advaitaväda is the ultimate reality. But Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says this is not completely true. Although the reality is non-dual consciousness, it is not devoid of energy. Çrémad Bhägavatam (1.1.2) says, çivadam täpa trayonmülanam, "It grants supreme bliss and dispels the cumbersome influence of the threefold miseries created by the external energy, Mäyä." This is possible only if that reality has potency intrinsic to its own nature. Unmülaman means to uproot. It implies that no trace of illusion or ignorance is left. If the energy of that västava vastu was superimposed, then it would not be possible to completely uproot the illusion. As the saying goes, svayam asiddham katham param sädhayati. "If one is imperfect, how can he make others perfect?." So it has to be accepted that the Absolute Reality is potent and He is called Bhagavän, as has been discussed in earlier sections.
Impersonalists accept only quality-less Brahman devoid as the vastu or reality. Everything else has no factual existence. But Vaiñëavas accept that the material world is also real, vastu, although not västava vastu. Çréla Viçvanäth Cakravarti Öhäkura gives a lucid explanation of the word vastu in his särarthadarçéné commentary on the verse 6.16.51. he says: "Vastu is of two types västava and avästava. Brahman, Parmätmä and Bhagavän along with His abode and associates are the only Västava vastu. Avastu is also of two types--kärya and akärya. The objects seen in dreams, in hallucination and so on are kärya. The objects which never exist such as the horns of a rabbit are called akärya. The subject of the Çrémad Bhägavatam is västava vastu and since this subject is Bhagavän the quality of Bhagavän cannot be imaginary or superimposed.
Çivadam and täpa-trayonmülanam are two basic concomitant effects of sädhanä bhakti. Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé describes this kleçaghné çubhadä (BRS 1.1.7). While commenting upon this verse Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarti Öhäkura writes: tatra sädhana-bhaktiù kleça-ghané-rüpä çubhadä-rüpä ca. "Sädhanä bhakti uproots all types of miseries and grants auspiciousness to the devotee". The three types of the miseries are 1.) ädhyatmika--miseries arising from one's own body and mind such as disease, lust , anger, greed and so on; 2.) ädhibhautika--miseries inflicted by other living entities such as snakes, mosquitoes or evil persons; 3.) ädhidaivika--miseries arising because of the environment which is under the control of the demigods such as heat, cold, storms or ozone depletion.
When the word Bhagavän is used for great persons like Indra or Närada, the secondary meaning must be taken and not the one explained in Section Three, as the possessor of the six opulences.
Next Çréla Jéva Gosvämé explains that some of the Lord's energies have conflicting nature.