Section 44
Lord
Kåñëa is the Supersoul
And Çré Bhéñmadeva spoke similarly (S.B.1.9.42):
Just as one sun appears as many when seen by different people, in the same way, the one unborn Lord Kåñëa is situated as many in the hearts of the various embodied beings, who are created by Him. Now, being free from the delusion of duality, I have understood Kåñëa, who is present here, as one.
Bhéñma is saying: This Lord Kåñëa, who is sitting just in front (of me) is in the heart of every embodied being by His portion as individual Supersoul as is stated (S.B.2.2.8): "Some people meditate on the Lord residing within the sky of their own hearts as the size of one prädeça, the span of the thumb and forefinger." But now I have understood Him to be one, having one form although He exists in seperate form as Supersoul in every one's heart. This supremely blissful form (of Kåñëa) itself is all-pervading.
"You manifest in everyone's heart in Your special form as Supersoul, which is contained within You. I have realized this, because now I am free from the delusion of duality (vidhüta-bheda-moha). By the mercy of this very form my delusion of duality, thinking that it is impossible for one form of the Lord to be pervasive and thus considering His forms to be many, has been dispelled."
The reason for His pervading these embodied beings is ätma-kalpitänäm--the various embodied beings are manifest within Him, the supreme shelter. This is the example: Påtidåçamiva--One sun appears in many different ways to people in different places. They see the sun as above a tree or beyond a wall and moreover as complete or partial depending on whether their vision is unobstructed or not. This example is to be taken only in the sense that one sun appears everywhere. In reality, by His inconceivable potency one form of the Lord manifests everywhere. Because the sun is distant and extensive in nature it appears as if different. That is the difference.
Or an alternative explanation is: I have realized that the form I earlier described although in front of me, is also in the heart of every living being. Although the appearance of the Supersoul is different from this form (of Kåñëa), yet at present I am seeing only this form in the hearts of living beings. The import is that because of the supreme influence of this form no other form can be perceived in its presence. This illustration is given to show that the Lord's form is one although in different places and not to show the completeness and incompleteness of forms.
By studying the opening verse of the description of Bhéñmadeva's meditation (SB.1.9.30), 'eyes fixed on Him...', and the concluding verse (1.9.43), 'By the activities of His mind, speech and body, he (Bhéñma) attained Lord Kåñëa...' it is clear that the subject is the personal form of the Lord. Therefore this verse (S.B.1.9.42) should not be explained with reference to impersonal Brahman. In this way, since the Lord's form is simultaneously limited and unlimited the verse of the Bhagavad-gétä (13.16) 'He is movable and immovable...' is most befitting in the present context. Thus although the Lord is all-pervading His pastimes are real.
PURPORT
The personal experience of Bhéñma, one of the twelve authorities on Vedic philosophy, also provides an instance of how the Lord is one but appears in many places. While fighting the battle of Kurukñetra, on tenth day Bhéñmadeva stopped fighting seeing çikhandhi infront of him. Çikhandi was born as a girl but turned into a boy later by the blessings of a Gandharva. Bhéñma did not accept him as a male and stopped fighting when he confronted him. As a kñatriya he did not like to fight with a woman. Arjuna took this opportunity and pierced the complete body of Bhéñma with sharp arrows. Since Bhéñma had a boon that he could die at will, he remained alive while lying on a bed of arrows for fifty-two days. After the battle Kåñëa, along with the Päëòavas, went to visit Bhéñma. The above verse (S.B. 1.9.42) is from the prayers Bhéñmadeva offered to Kåñëa at that time.
Bhéñma identifies the Supersoul in the heart of every living entity with Kåñëa, who is sitting before him. He says that now he is free from the illusion of plurality, wherein one thinks the Supersoul different from Kåñëa, or that each Supersoul is different. As stated in Kathopaniñad (2.1.12): Supersoul is situated in everyone's heart--aìguñöamätra puruña madhye ätmani tiñöhati. "The Lord, who is the size of the thumb, sits within each heart." This Supersoul is non-different from Kåñëa which Lord confirms to Arjuna. (Bg. 15.15)
The impersonalists can not imagine that the Lord's personal form can be all-pervading. This is their mäyä or illusion. By the mercy of the Lord, however, one is freed from this illusion and can realize that the Lord exists everywhere. Such a person is called bhägavata. As stated in the Çrémad Bhagavatam (11.2.45):
"Çré Havir said: The most advanced devotee sees within everything the soul of all souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Çré Kåñëa. Consequently he sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord and understands everything that exists is eternally situated within the Lord."
Vidhütabheda moha means to be free from the illusion that the Lord's forms are plural, which means one develops the ability to see oneness in all the Lord's forms. This does not mean, however, that one sees oneness between the Lord and the living entities. In Bhéñmadeva's verse (S.B. 1.9.42) tam (to Him) is singular, and refers to Kåñëa. Hådi hådi (within each heart) implies various living entities. Bhéñma is not explaining oneness between Kåñëa and the jévas, but between Kåñëa and the Supersoul within each heart.
Bhéñmadeva illustrates his point with the example of the Sun. The Sun is one but it appears different to different people at different times and in different places. In the morning the Sun appears big and red to one viewer, but to another viewer located further east and who is experiencing noon, the same sun appears small and white. Someone still further east is experiencing dusk. To all three the sun appears differently, even though viewing it at the same time. Even in the same vicinity sun maybe visible partially or fully depending whether one's vision is obstructed by some other object or clera. A man of knowledge however, understands that the Sun is one and unchanging, but appears different to different people according to their points of view.
Similarly the Supreme Lord is one but appears as many. The example of the Sun is given to illustrate oneness of the Lord's forms and should not be misunderstood to indicate that the Lord is situated only in one place like the Sun. The Lord exists everywhere in His personal form, yet He is one. This is due to His inconceivable potency. He is not different from His other forms. A material object at particular place is different from a similar object in another place. Or more precisely, a material object cannot exist in two locations simultaneously. But this is not applicable to the Lord, because space and time can not limit His body. He is not surbodinate to space and time, rather, Lord Kåñëa controls space and time. If He could not control them, He would not be the Supreme Person.
Çréla Jéva Gosvämé explains Bhéñma's vision in two ways and he favors the second explanation because the general rule is that latter explanations are superior to the previous ones purväparayoù para vidhi balavän nyäya. First, that Bhéñma understood the Supersoul and Lord Kåñëa as one. Second, that Bhéñma actually saw Lord Kåñëa, and not the Supersoul, in the heart of every being. This is indeed amazing how Kåñëa who was grown up man could be in the heart. Bhéñma did not see Him couching. Due to the powerful influence of Lord Kåñëa's personal feature, Bhéñmadeva did not see the Supersoul. He was completely absorbed in seeing Kåñëa's personal form. Thus he saw one Kåñëa everywhere.
This verse should not be taken as referring to the impersonal Brahman. Why? Because Bhéñma's consciousness was fixed on the personal Brahman not the impersonal Brahman. This is evident from the two verses Suta Gosvami spoke, which appear at the beginning and end of Bhéñmadeva's prayers (S.B.1.9.30,43):
"Thereupon that man who spoke on different subjects with thousands of meanings and who fought on thousands of battlefields and protected thousands of men, stopped speaking and, being completely freed from all bondage, withdrew his mind from everything else and fixed his wide-open eyes upon the original Personality of Godhead, Çré Kåñëa, who stood before him, four-handed, dressed in yellow garments that glittered and shined."
Süta Gosvämé said: "In this way Bhéñmadeva, uniting Himself with Lord Kåñëa, the object of love, through the activities of his mind, speech, and vision, gave up his life airs."
Both verses clearly explain that Bhéñma's mind, speech, and eyes were completely fixed on Kåñëa's personal features. The opening and closing statements of an essay indicate the intention of the author. Therefore, his realization cannot be impersonal.
Because the Lord's body is all-pervading and yet one, it is possible for Him to engage in His sweet pastimes. The followers of Saëkaräcarya, owing to a poor fund of knowledge, consider Kåñëa's pastimes as empirical reality and not as Absolute. They do not understand that Kåñëa's personal form is simultaneously all-pervading. Unless one gets rid of this misconception, he will not free himself of impersonal contamination and his devotional service will be blocked.