Section 25
The Lord' attributes constitute His essential nature.

           In the Çrémad Bhägavatam, Haàsa Avatära similarly told the four Kumäras (11.13.40):

          I am devoid of all qualities and have no need for them. But all qualities such as equanimity and detachment, which are transcendental, worship Me because I am every one's well-wisher, the most dear object of love and the SuperSoul.

           Çrédhara Svämé says, "What kind of qualities? Those that do not undergo transformation but are eternal aguëäù." This is his comment.

          Similarly the Jitanta-stotra of Närada-païcarätra states, "I bow down to the original creator who is transcendental to all the modes (guëas) yet is endowed with the six qualities."

          And the Brahma Tarka says, "The all-controlling person, Lord Hari, is called Guëé, because guëas, or qualities, constitute His essential nature. The quality of Lord Viñëu and the eternally liberated souls is not different from them. In the Kälikä Puräëa, Devi offers prayers to Viñëu, "How can I give account of a person whose forms are indescribable by austere sages as well as demigods like Brahma? How can I, a women, know the qualities of the transcendent Lord that are unknown even to demons and demigods including Lord Indra?"

 

PURPORT

            Çréla Jiva Gosvämé gives further references to show that the Lord is full of inherent transcendental qualities and because material qualities are absent in Him His attributes do not undergo any mutations.

          In Chapter Thirteen of the Eleventh Canto of Çrémad Bhägavatam, Kåñëa explains to Uddhava about the modes of nature and their influences.  The Lord explains that the four Kumäras once asked their father the following question (S.B. 11.13.7):

"The sages headed by Sanaka said:  O Lord, people's minds are naturally attracted to material sense objects, and similarly the sense objects in the form of desire enter within the mind.  Therefore, how can a person who desires liberation, who desires to cross over activities of sense gratification, destroy this mutual relationship between the sense objects and the mind?  Please explain this to us."

          Lord Brahmä was unable to answer the question because his intelligence was absorbed in the work of creation.  He prayed to Lord Kåñëa, who assumed the form of a swan and replied to the queries of the Kumäras.  The verse cited in this anuccheda is one of the verses spoken by Lord Haàsa.

          In this verse the Lord says that all attributes worship Him.  Since He is the Supreme Person, why should the attributes worship anyone else?  If they do, they should not rightly be called "attributes".  The Lord says that He is nirguëa--one who is free from material qualities, as described in the Padma Puräëa:

"When the scriptures describe the Supreme Lord as nirguëa (lit. without qualities) it means He is devoid of the lower modes of material nature such as goodness".

          The word guëa mean the modes of nature and thus nirguëa means one who is free from the modes of nature (i.e. transcendental).  Guëa also means attributes, thus nirguëa means the fountainhead of all qualities - nirgatäh guëäù sarve yasmät saù or nirgata guëebhyo guëä yasya-whose attributes are beyond modes of nature is called nirguëa. Therefore Suta Gosvämé calls him (S.B.1.10.19) nirguëasya guëätmanaù.

          Nirapekñakam means absolute or independent.  Because the Lord is complete in Himself, He does not depend on the material creation for anything.  He is His own support, sväçräraya.  For those who say that the Lord is dependent on His parents Çrémati Yasodä and Nanda Mahäräja, or upon those he stole butter from, this verse replies, suhådam priyam ätmänam.  "The Lord performs His pleasurable exploits with His intimate and dear devotees, who are like His very self (ätmänam)."  Thus He is not dependent on anyone else.  He has natural attributes as stated in the Svetäçvatara Upaniñad (6.8

"The Lord has multifarious transcendental potencies naturally existing in Him such as knowledge, will, and work."

          The Lord says that He has attributes like sämya, which means that He is indifferent to all material objects.  He is äsaëga, which means that He is attached to His devotees but detached with the material nature and her products.  His attributes are agunäù because they do not undergo transformations.

          The six qualities mentioned in the Jitanta Stotra are the six opulences such as knowledge, fame, wealth, renunciation, controlling power and inconceivable power.

          Çréla Madhväcarya cites many references from the Brahma Tarka, written by Vyäsadeva. Madhva had this book in his library but it is no longer available.  The significance of the statement made by Devé  "I am unable to describe Your form" is that the Lord is transcendental.  Devé is in charge of the material modes and thus she cannot approach the Lord who is beyond the modes.

          In the next Text Çréla Jéva Gosvämé lists some of these qualities of the Lord and their eternal nature spoken by the earth personified.