Section 47 A

Kåñëa's Name, Form, Activities, and Attributes are Transcendental. 

          Therefore, Gajendra after negating His forms, names, and so on are material, establishes their transcendental nature. (S.B.8.3.8):

          The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no birth, activities, name, form,  qualities, or faults. To fulfill the purpose for which this material world is created or destroyed, He accepts these time and again by His internal potency. 

          This is the meaning: A change in status is called transformation (vikara). In body, the first change is called birth (janma).  The effort to fulfill what is lacking in an imperfect person is called action (karma).  The verbal symbol used to deal in objects perceived by the mind is called a name (näma).  The quality perceived by the eyes is called form (rüpa). The specific characteristic that grants eminence to any object and which spring from the material modes like sattva is called a qualitiy (guëa). These definitions are seen in the world born of material nature.

          One who, is always situated in His own nature, is complete, is imperceptible even by the mind, is self-luminous and is beyond the material nature, does not have these i.e. birth, name, and so on;  yet He accepts them åcchati. This verse is to be combined with the following verse (S.B.8.3.9) "my obeisances are unto Him."

          Therefore, although they are denied in the Vedic statements such as,"He is undivided, inert, and peaceful" (Çveta. Upaniñad 6.19), and "He is imperishable. He cannot be perceived by the eyes, ears, or sense of touch" (Kathopaniñad 1.3.15), they are accepted in mantras such as, "He performs all acts, possesses all desires, and has all fragrance and taste" (Chändogya Upaniñad 3.14.2)  The word guëa-doña (S.B.8.3.8) means that material qualities (guëa), are considered defects (doña) in the transcendental Lord. This implies that conventional defects certainly do not exist in Him.

This is confirmed by the following verse of the Kürma Puräëa:

          Because the Lord is endowed with His supreme magnificence, He is called viruddhärtha, one who has contradictory qualities. But although all opposing qualities exist in Him, one should never assume Him to have defects. 

          The Vedas also state, "He is free from all sins" (Chändogya Upaniñad 8.15), and also "This One is said to be the goal of all attractive things (saàyatdhama), because all attractive objects proceed towards Him. He is certainly most attractive. This One is the bestower of the fruits of all good acts. This One again is indeed called the bestower of all lustre. This One shines in all the Vedas" (Chändogya Upaniñad 4.15.2-4). Therefore the words like gandha "smell" in the phrase sarva-gandha (Chändogya Upaniñad 3.14.2), "all smells," means only good fragrance and so on.

          when the verb rcchati "acquires" (S.B. 8.3.8) is linked with the Lord as its subject then the word "qualities" (guëa) cannot refer to defects, because that would contradict the Vedic statements, and because it will be established that they are transcendental.

          Suspecting that simultaneous existence and non-existence of the qualities such as birth will be contradictory, Gajendra gives the reason for their congruency in the phrase "by His internal potency" (sva-mäyayä). The only cause for this is His internal potency, which surpasses all logic and can be understood only by means of presumption.

          The import is that because His activities of birth and so on spring from His essential nature and are thus different from their material counterparts one cannot say that these things do not exist in Him.

          In his commentary on Brahmä Sütra (1.4.16), Because of its relevance (samakarñät) Çaìkaräcärya wrote, because in common parlance sat (existing) is used  to indicate objects that have names and forms.  Brahman, which certainly existed before creation, is said to be asat (non-existent) in the çruti, due to not having manifest names and forms." The sense of his statement should be understood as explained above. Therefore in the Viñëu Puräëa (6.5.83), after stating, "O sage, He is beyond qualities and defects," is said (6.5.84), "He is the embodiment of all auspicious qualities".  And again (V.P.6.5.79), "The word bhagavän means knowledge, sensory power, bodily strength, controlling power, inconceivable power, and effulgence or beauty devoid of any repellant qualities."

          The Padma Puräëa, Uttara Khaëòa (227.41), states,  "In the scriptures when the Lord of the universe is said to be devoid of qualities (nirguëa), it means that He has no detestable material qualities."

          The meaning of the phrase "His Mäyä" (sva-Mäyayä in Bhag.8.3.8) should not be taken otherwise. The ternal Lord Viñëu is called mäyämaya or the possessor of Mäyä because He is united with His eternal energy called Mäyä as part of His essential nature. And the Mahä Saàhitä states, "ätma-mäyä is His will." The Çabda Maho-dadhi defines, "Those who know the essential meaning of words say that Mäyä means the material nature, the three modes, knowledge and the energy of Lord Viñëu."

          According to the Nighaëöu Vedic Dictionary "Mäyä means faculty of perception and knowledge." And the Trikäëòa-çeña dictionary says Mäyä is illusion and knowledge.

          Çré Närada Muni said (S.B.10.37.22):

          Let us approach You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for shelter. You are full of perfectly pure spiritual awareness and are always situated in Your original identity. Since Your will is never thwarted, You have already achieved all possible desireable things, and by the power of Your spiritual energy, You remain eternally aloof from the flow of the qualities of illusion. 

          Any other explanation of the word "Mäyä" will repudiate the above statements and will contradict the experience of the speaker of Çrémad Bhägavatam, as stated (12.12.69) "who was immersed in his own bliss."  So, sva-Mäyayä always means by His cit or conscious potency. Therefore Çrédhara Svämé has also explained the word Yogamäyä as cit, or conscious potency.

          A doubt is raised: "He attains" implies that the qualities are temporary. In answer the verse says, anukälam, "He attains them eternally, meaning He never abandons them". It should be known that there is a  relationship of cause and effect between the internal activities manifested by energy and their eternal nature.

      PURPORT

Kåñëa's Name, Form, Activities, and Attributes are Transcendental. 

          Even though Lord's name can be vibrated on the tongue, His form can be seen by His devotees, and He engages in activities like protecting His devotees the Supreme Lord's name, form, and activities, are not material .  To establish this Çréla Jéva Gosvämé refers again to the prayers of Gajendra from the eighth canto.  In this verse Gajendra says that the Lord does not have, name, form, good qualities, or defects, nor does He take birth or engage in activity though He accepts all these again and again by His mäyä.  This seems contradictory and thus needs explanation. Gajendra's statement means that the Lord does not possess these qualities in the ordinary sense. The mortal body undergoes six types of vikära or transformations jäyate'sti varddhate vipariëamate apakñéyate naçyatica,  "The body

takes birth, exists for some time, grows, ages, dwindles, and finally dies"(Niruktam 1.1.2). Transformation means change of state or an irreversible change. The birth is considered as the first transformation. Body is composed of different material elements. They come together, owing to the destiny of a particular soul, to make his material body. The definion of birth may vary indifferent species of life. But in this Text the reference is to human birth.

          According to the Sage Vatsyäyana, the prime commentator on the Nyäya sütras, the appearance of the body, senses, and conscious knowledge in one unit is called birth--çärérendréya-buddhénäà nikäya-viçiñöa prädurbhävaù (Vätsyäyana bhäñya 1.1.2).  That means the first moment when the  living entity comes out along with body senses and intelligence is called birth. In the case of conditioned souls, the body is more temporary than the senses, mind, or subtle body.  The body is destroyed at the time of death, but the mind and senses are carried over to the next body.  This is confirmed by Lord Kåñëa (B.g. 15.8):

          "When the controller (the soul) leaves his body, he carries the senses and the mind to the next body just as the air carries aroma."

          The eyes, ears, nose and so on of a dead body are not the actual senses, but only their respective seats.  The senses are subtle, reside inside the gross body and are beyond sense perception. As the  Lord never leaves His body, there is no possibility for Him to take birth in the ordinary sense.

          Karma is differently by different schools of knowledge. In Harinämämåta-Vyäkaraëam (4.1) Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says that kriyä yat-sädhikä tat karma--that for which an action is performed is called karma. But here he says that action itself is the karma and not the object to be achieved. Karma here refers to endeavor performed to fulfill one's desires.  The Lord is free from such karma, because He never has any material desire to fulfill. If He did, He could not be justly called "Lord".  Therefore, He is free from karma.  According to the Mémämsakas, whose classification are relevant inthis context, karma is of three types--nitya, naimittika, and kämya.  Nitya karma refers to those prescribed duties which must be performed, otherwise one is implicated in sin.  An example is the chanting of Gäyatré mantra by the dvijas morning and evening.  Those prescribed duties that should be performed on special occasions such as solar eclipses, are called naimittika, or causal.  Such occasions are irregular hence naimittika karma is also irregular.  Activities performed to fulfill a specific desire are called kämya.

          The Supreme Lord makes the rules, yet He does not have to follow them.  He has no mundane desires to fulfill and thus no karma to perform.  Lord Kåñëa explains this to Arjuna (B.g. 3.22):

          "O son or Påthä, there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three planetary systems.  Nor am I in want of anything, nor have I a need to obtain anything--and yet I am engaged in prescribed duties."

          In the material world every object or phenomenon has a name which acts as a symbol for them.  This serves two purposes:  First it allows us to differentiate one object from another; and second it provides us with a means to refer to and deal with that particular object or phenomenon.  Those objects or phenomena which have a name are perceived either directly or indirectly with mind  and senses.  The Lord, however, is beyond the scope of the senses and mind, therefore Gajendra says that He has no material names.

          The quality perceived by the eyes is called form, rüpam. In this sense form means color. This definition is applicable only to gross forms. Otherwise atoms also have forms. Our eyes cannot see the air, which is formless.  The Lord is not visible to us but that does not mean that He is formless like the air. The Lord cannot be seen with material eyes because He has transcendental form.

          The excellence of an object is manifest by the modes of material nature, but since the Lord is transcendental to the modes He has no material attributes. 

          In this way it can be understood that the Lord does not have birth, names, forms, activities and qualities in the ordinary sense. This means that His birth and activities are not material, nor are His name, form, and qualities.  He is always in His svarüpa, therefore He has no birth.  He is complete in Himself so there is no need to perform karma.  He cannot be perceived by the mind and thus He has no name.  The Lord is self-luminous and therefore does not require that material eyes perceive Him.

          This is the purport of the first half of the verse spoken by Gajendra.  The second half states that the Lord accepts these for the purpose of creation and destruction.  This is a reference to His guëävatäras, Lord Brahmä and Lord Çiva respectively.  Gajendra does not say however, that the Lord accepts birth, name etc. for the purpose of maintenance in His manifestation as Viñëu.  This is because Viñëu is not limited by mäyä even though He executes the function of being in charge of the mode of goodness and thus maintaining her.  Hence the Supreme Personality of Godhead's His birth as the son of Devaké and Vasudeva, His act of lifting Govardhan Hill, His name of Kåñëa, His form as a cowherd boy, His quality of beauty, His defects of breaking the yogurt pot are all transcendental.

          Apyaya and sambhava can also refer to destroying the demons and protecting the devotees.  Although the Lord is free from birth, karma, and so on, by His internal potency He accepts them for this purpose. This is confirmed in (B.g. 4.6, 8):

          "Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form."

          "To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I myself appear, millennium after millennium."

          The Vedas declare that the Lord has no name, form or activity, but they also state that He performs all activities, and has all names and desires.  The Vedas are apauruñeya, infallible, and therefore cannot be wrong.  The Lord has been shown to be transcendental to material nature so these negative statements must be interpreted to mean that He has no material name, form, and so on.  If an Italian visits Vrndavana (takes diacritics) and upon returning to Italy reports that there were no pizzas, no macaroni, or pasta in Vrndavan, one who is unaware of other types food may wrongly conclude that people in Vrndavana are starving. Or if a ship in the middle of ocean runs out of drinking water and the captain declares there is no water it means drinking water otherwise there is water all around.

          In the Vedic scriptures, material and spiritual birth, name, form, etc., are referred to by the same terms and this can mislead a less intelligent man.  If these statements are studied in the proper light, however, one will understand there is no contradiction. Moreover Lord has the special ability to possess contradictory qualities.

          The word guëadoña (S.B. 8.3.8) implies that the Lord has no material attributes as from the spiritual standpoint such good qualities are defects.  Such being the case, the Lord certainly does not have material defects.  This is confirmed by the verse quoted from Kürma Puräna and the mantra from Chändogya Upaniñad (8.15).  The complete mantra states:

          "The Lord has no sin, no old age, no death, no sorrow, no hunger, and no thirst; but He has unfailing desires and unfailing will."

           Thus when it is said that He has all odors, sarvagandha (Chändogya 3.14.2), it means He has all fragrances and not foul odors. And same is to be understood about the other qualities such as taste and touch.

          An objection is raised here.  In the first half of the verse Gajendra said that the Lord has no attributes or defects, guëa-doña.  In the second half, however, he said, anukälamåcchati, that the Lord "perpetually accepts them", meaning that He also accepts defects.  In response Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says that the Lord is transcendental to the material modes and thus there is no possibility of Him accepting any material qualities good or bad.  In His pastimes, however, the Lord behaves like a human being and appears to display defects from material viewpoint.  This is the import of the word svamäyayä, or by His internal potency.  This word should not be interpreted to mean illusory energy, because mäyä cannot influence Him.  By dint of His internal potency He performs human-like pastimes although He is not like an ordinary human being.  Närada confirms this in his prayers (S.B. 10.37.23):

kréòärtham adyätta-manuçya-vigrahaà--Now you have accepted a human form for Your pastimes.

           If His pastimes and attributes were mere manifestations of mäyä, a self realized person like Çukadeva would not have been attracted to them.  He was an ätmärama, a self-satisfied sage, and yet he gave up his attachment to Brahman upon hearing the Lord's pastimes. He would only do so because the Lord's name, form, qualities, and activities had no tinge of the mundane in them.

          Although it is said that Lord accepts birth and so on which would imply that they are temporary. But the verse says he accepts them perpetually. The present tense implies eternality according to sanskrit grammar rules. The Supreme Lord is eternal and His pastimes are also eternal, because they are a manifestations of His svarupa çakti, or essential nature, which is inseperable from Him.  This is the significance of the phrase anukälamåcchati. According to modern physics, energy means the capacity to do work.  There is pleasure in possessing energy, but the pleasure increases considerably when the energy is put to work.  An energetic person does not feel happy if restricted from directing his energy.  The Lord has natural energy that eternally resides in Him.  There is nothing that can restrict His will and therefore He eternally performs pastimes.  And so all His activities are eternal and transcendental in nature.