Section
33
Lord's body cannot be limited by water
or other elements
Lord Brahmä relates his own experience to prove the Lord's body cannot be limited by water or other elements (S.B. 10.14.15):
My dear Lord, if Your transcendental body, which shelters the entire universe, is actually lying on the water, then why didn't I see You when I searched for You? And why, when I engaged in austerities did You suddenly reveal Yourself within my heart? And then why immediately after that I was again unable to see You?
(Brahmä is saying) If this is true that Your form of Näräyaëa, the support of the universe, is situated exclusively on the water, then my Lord, possessor of inconceivable potencies, why was I unable to see it when I searched for it for full hundred years by entering in through the path of the lotus stem? If one proposes that Your Näräyaëa form is a manifestation of Mäyä or delusion, shown as a mere act of illusory energy, as Trikäëòa-çeña dictionary says--Mäyä means delusion and knowledge, then how is it, that after my search, while in pure transcendental consciousness due to pure trance, I was able to see Your beautiful saccidänanda form? If that form was material, then why was I not able to see it instantly after my trance ended? Therefore, my conclusion is that Your Näräyaëa form is neither illusory nor limited by space."
PURPORT
In the previous Text, Lord Brahmä's prayers established that Lord Kåñëa, though appearing in the form of a small boy, is all-pervading and the source of everything, including Näräyaëa. In the next verse (10.14.5) he recalls his own experience of how the Lord's body is all-pervading though it appears limited. In the beginning of creation, Brahmä was born on the lotus flower that sprouted from the navel of Garbhodakaçäyi Viñëu. Brahmä could see nothing but the lotus which was his source. He entered the lotus stem in search of its source but could not find the root. Unsuccessful, Brahmä returned to the flower top and heard the divine instruction to perform austerities. Very obediently he followed the order which pleased the Lord and thus He appeared to him. Brahmä then offered prayers to the Lord and received His blessings.Soon after this the Lord again disappeared. He is recalling his experience in this verse (10.14.15)
Brahmä concludes from this that the Lord's form is not like that of an ordinary person who is limited to a particular place. Had the Lord existed solely on the water, Brahmä would have seen Him when he was searching. But He was unable to see the Lord's form though he searched for many years. He then heard the Lord's instruction to engage in penance and saw Him face to face But Lord disappeared again. This shows that the Lord's form cannot be achieved by one's own endeavor. It is only by the Lord's mercy that one can see His form. This principle is also explained in the Mahäbhärata by Bhiñma to king Yudhiñöhira while telling the history of King Uparicara, who performed a sacrifice for the pleasure of the Lord. The Lord appeared to accept the oblations, but only the king could see Him. Båhaspati, who was the chief priest, became enraged at this and threw the ladle into the air in frustration. He shouted, "Why can't I see Him?". The assembed devotees pacified him saying (M.B. Çänti Parva 336.19):
"O Båhaspati, neither you nor we can see the Lord at our will. Only those who are favored by Him can see Him."
Because Lord is not visible to our mundane eyes it does not mean that He is non existent. And when one is able to see Him by His Grace it does not mean that He is limited as He appears to be. Thus Lord Brahmä implies that the Lord's form is transcendental. This is the significance of Brahmä's having seen the Lord in perfect trance. If the Lord's body was material, Brahmä would have seen it during his search. Seeing Him in perfect trance means that He is beyond the material modes The Pätaïjali Yoga Sütra states (Kaivalyapäda 33), tataù kåtärthänäà pariëämakramam samaptir-guëänäm.
"In the perfect stage of trance, called dharma-megha samädhi, the yogi is free from the modes and their transformations."
In verse (S.B. 10.14.15) sajjagadvapuù means that the form of the Lord that Brahmä saw contained universes and yet was within the universe. This should not be considered magical or an illusion because this very form blessed and instructed Brahmä in the matter of creation. But the Supreme Lord is completely free from the five types of ignorance--avidyä, asmita, räga, dveña, and abhiniveña--thus Brahmäji says, sudåñöam "I saw you properly--meaning that he was not illusion or dream state. In the third canto Brahmä prays (S.B. 3.9.20):
"My Lord, You accept the pleasure of sleeping in the water of devastation, where there are violent waves, and You enjoy pleasure on the bed of snakes, showing the happiness of Your sleep to intelligent persons. At that time, all the universal planets are stationed within Your abdomen."
Arjuna had a similar experience when he saw the viçva-rupa. The Lord said (B.g. 11.7):
"O Arjuna, whatever you wish to see, behold at once in this body of Mine! This universal form can show you whatever you now desire to see and whatever you may want to see in the future. Everything-moving and non-moving is here completely, in one place."
This means that the Lord's form is not limited either by time or space.
In Vaiñëva Tosaëé, Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé comments on the words sudåñöam and vyadarçi. He explains that after the Lord disappeared from Brahmä's vision, Brahmä felt intense separation from Him. He again engaged in penances but failed to achieve the vision of the Lord. Later the Lord appeared again by His sweet will.
In the following Text Brahmä gives further reasons about the Lord's form being all pervading