Section 36
Kåñëa's Body is Advaya Brahman

          Lord Brahmä inquires rhetorically, "can the appearance of Your form being limited by this material world occur without the help of Your factual covering potency?

          "No, it s not possible," That is the meaning.

          I had a similar experience (S.B.10.14.18):

          Have You not shown me today that everything within this creation except You, is a manifestation of Your inconceivable potency? First You appeared alone, and then You manifested Yourself as all of Våndävana's calves and cowherd boys, Your friends. Next You appeared as an equal number of four-handed Viñëu forms, who were worshipped by all living beings, including me. You also appeared as an equal number of complete universes. Finally, You have now returned to Your unlimited form as the Supreme Absolute Truth, one without a second. 

          (Brahmä is saying) "Did You not show me today that everything in the universe, excluding Yourself, is of the nature of Mäyä meaning that it is perceived only by the potency of Mäyä? Of course You did. The meaning is that due to mäyä to the bewildered people, the universe appears to exist only outside of You. The answer is, beginning with You were one eko'si. The various forms of cowherd friends and calves appeared from this one form and again disappeared into that form. You remain in Your human form which means that You are advaya-brahma, non-dual Absolute reality. The appearance, existence, and disappearance of all material and spiritual substances occurs in this form, and this form has the characteristic of non-dual Brahman. The import is that because Your form has the characteristics of Brahman, it is proven that it is all pervading.

 

PURPORT

          After explaining that the universe is a manifestation of Mäyä, and that it does not limit the Lord, Brahmä recalls the incident he had experienced a few minutes before.  After Brahmä stole the cows, calves, and cowherd boys, Kåñëa was alone.  He then expanded Himself into as many cowherd boys and calves as Brahmä had stolen.  In fact, His expansions included their respective dresses, sticks, turbans, ornaments, and even lunch boxes.  When Brahmä returned a year later he expected to see Kåñëa all dejected and miserable without His cow, calves, and friends. Instead he was surprised to see the same scene he had witnessed before,---Kåñëa with his cowherd boyfriends grazing their  calves. Brahmä carefully observed both sets of boys and calves and could find no difference between them.  In fact he was unable to determine the original set.  In his confusion he witnessed all the boys and calves turn into four-handed Viñëu forms (S.B. 10.13.46,47):

          "Then, while Lord Brahmä looked on, all the calves and the boys tending them immediately appeared to have complexions the color of bluish rain clouds and to be dressed in yellow silken garments."

          "Each of them had four arms, holding conch shell, disc, mace, and lotus in Their hands.  They wore helmets, earrings, and garlands of forest flowers.  On the upper portion of the right side of Their chests was the emblem of the goddess of fortune."

          Brahmä also saw these viñëu-mürtis being worshiped by many Brahmä's, by the twenty-four material elements personified, by the mystic perfections, time and so on.  The scene became so intense that Brahmä closed his eyes.  The Lord then dismissed His Yogamäyä and Brahmä again saw everything as normal.  He saw Kåñëa in Vraja holding yogurt rice in His hand, searching for the calves and cowherd boys, just as he did the year before.  Brahmä jumped down from his swan carrier and fell at Kåñëa's lotus feet repeatedly and in ecstasy he cried like a baby.  He recalls this incident in his prayers called Brahmä-stuti .

          The word tvadåte (without you) in Bhägavatam 10.14.18 is important as it means that everything except for the Lord is mäyä.  Tvat (you), however, includes all the cows, cowherd boys, and Vraja which imply His internal energy.  This was Brahmä's experience.  Another significant phrase is säkaà mayä (along with me).  When Brahmä saw the viñëu-mürtis being worshipped, he saw himself among the worshipers.  This means the brahmäëòa in which Brahmä exists is also within the Lord.  This implies that everything is pervaded by Lord Kåñëa's body and that nothing exists outside of Him.  Therefore, those who consider this creation outside of Him are in illusion.

          This was a very profound experience for Brahmä.  In the very beginning of Section One, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé cited the famous vadanti tat tattva vidas verse and began his analysis of the Absolute Truth.  This is one of the key verses of the Çrémad Bhägavatam as it gives the essence of the Bhägavata philosophy.  In Section Six he said that he would discuss this verse up to the third Sandarbha.  It is evident that the prayers of Brahmä comment on this verse.  The verse under discussion clearly mentions that Lord Kåñëa is the non-dual reality, advya Brahman, which is referred to as advyan jïäna in the vadanti verse.

          The Brahman described in the Upaniñad verses such as ekam evä dvitéyaà Brahmä (Chandogya 6.2.1)and satyaà jïänaà anantaà Brahmä (Taittréya 2.1.1), has been identified as Kåñëa.  There is no other Brahman besides Him.   There is no object equal to Him nor can any object exist without Him.  Therefore, He is advyaya, or non-dual.  He can become many and remain one at the same time, thus He is advya Brahman. 

           Brahmä is the highest authority on the Vedas and Vedänta, and thus he is called Vedagarbha. He personally witnessed all the attributes of Brahman in the body of Kåñëa.  While relating Brahmä's experience of Kåñëa as Brahman, Sukadeva Gosvami says (S.B. 10.13.54,55):

          "The viñëu-mürtis all had eternal, unlimited forms, full of knowledge and bliss and existing beyond the influence of time.  Their great glory was not even to be touched by the jïänis engaged in studying the Upaniñads."

          "Thus Lord Brahmä saw the Supreme Brahman, by whose energy this entire universe, with its moving and non-moving living beings, is manifested.  He also saw at the same time all the calves and boys as the Lord's expansions."

          Marveling at the great fortune of the residents of Vraja, Brahmä exclaimed (S.B. 10.14.32): 

          "How greatly fortunate are Nanda Mahäräja, the cowherd men and all the other inhabitants of Vrajabhümi!  There is no limit to their good fortune, because the Absolute Truth, the source of transcendental bliss, the eternal Supreme Brahman, has become their friend."

          Because Kåñëa is Brahman, and Brahman is all-pervading, Kåñëa pervades everything in His personal form.  This is confirmed by Vedänta Sütra (3.2.11), sthänato'pi--parasyobhaya léëgaà sarvatra hi. "The form of the Lord, although separated by space does not undergo change, because He simultaneously exists everywhere."

          This pastime of Kåñëa also proves that He is the source and cause of everything, spiritual as well as material.  He demonstrates this by expanding into cowherd boys, calves, Näräyaëa forms, and the unlimited universes.  Therefore Kåñëa asserts in Bhagavad-gétä that He is the source of everything ahaà sarvasya prabhavaù.