Section
54
Devaké's
Prayer to Lord Kåñëa
Similarly, Çrématé Devaké also says in the verse beginning rüpam yattat (SB.10.3.24), "You are directly Lord Viñëu, the transcendental lamp." There is some object which Vedas speak of. What is that object? Devaké answers, "unmanifest" (avyaktam), and so on. Whatever is that product like object with such qualities as described in the verse, that is directly perceived by my eyes, and that is Visnu.
Çréla Veda Vyäsa makes a similar statement to the Lord in the Nirväëakhaëòa of the Padma Puräëa:
"O Lord Madhusüdana! I wish to see You with my eyes. The Upanisads describe You as Satya, Param Brahma, the source of the universe, the Lord of the universe. O Lord, let that form become visible to my eyes."
The reason is that the Lord is a transcendental lamp (adhyätma-dépa). The meaning is that He exists as the illuminator of the embodied soul, the entirety of all bodies and senses. The import of Devaké's statement is that because He is such, He has nothing to fear. The import shown by Çrédhara Swämé which is suitable to the context is also based on the form of the Lord. There can be no possibility of fear otherwise.
PURPORT
After respecting the opinion of Bhéñmadeva, one of the twelve mahäjana's, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé cites one of the prayers of Devaké after after Kåñëa was born as Her son. Lord Kåñëa took birth in Kaàsa's prison house and His parents feared that as soon as Kaàsa heard this, he would murder the child. When mother Devaké noticed however, that the child displayed the symptoms found on the Supreme Lord, she abandoned her fear and prayed to the Lord. In this verse she established that her son is none other than Viñëu, who has a completely transcendental body (S.B. 10.3.24):
"My dear Lord there are different Vedas, some of which describe You as imperceptible through words and the mind. Yet You are the origin of the entire cosmic manifestation. You are Brahman, the greatest of everything. full of effulgence like the sun. You have no material cause. You are free from change and deviation, and You have no material desires. Thus the Vedas say that You are the substance. Therefore, my Lord, You are directly the origin of all Vedic statements and by understanding You, one gradually understands everything. You are different from the light of Brahman and Paramätmä, yet You are not different from Them. Everything emanates from You. Indeed, You are the cause of all causes, Lord Viñëu, the light of all transcendental knowledge."
Çrédhara Swämé gives a nice explanation of this verse in his Bhävärtha Dépikä. Devaké says that the form of Viñëu before her is the same reality that is described in the Vedas. How do the Vedas describe His form? As un-manifest (avyaktam ), and as the original cause (ädyam). Logicians conclude that atoms are un-manifest and yet the cause of the universe, so does this mean the Lord's form is atomic? She says no--it is very great (brahma). Then maybe it is pradhäna, which is un-manifest, very great, and according to Säëkhyaites, the cause of the universe. Lord Kåñëa also calls pradhäna, brahma (B.g. 14.3):
"The total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of all living beings, O son of Bharata."
Devaké responds by saying that His form is jyoti, or luminous, and since pradhäna is inert, this is not a reference to it. Then maybe His form is the éçvara of the vaiçeñikas who consider that the ätmä is conscious due to contact with knowledge which is in material modes. She responds to this by saying nirguëa, His form is free from the modes. Then could His form be like the ätmä described by the mimäàsakäs who consider it a transformation of jïäna? Devaké negates this possibility by saying nirvikara, His form undergoes no change. Then is His form the ätmä of the followers of Puñakaräkña, who consider it empowered by the vikñepaçakti of Mäyä? No, because His form is sattämätram, pure existence and does not depend on anything else. Thus His form always remains the same. Maybe it is sämänya, meaning that the Lord's form has divisions of near and far as described by the naiyayikas. To this she replies, nirviçesam, His form is without divisions.
If the Lord's form is the cause of everything, then it must undergo some change while producing effects. Mother Devaké says it is niréham, motionless. The Lord is just like the magnet that moves a piece of iron but remains still. Finally she says, "You are säkñäd, directly perceivable." It is not that the Lord is inferred by seeing an effect as one may infer fire upon seeing smoke in the distance. Moreover, the Lord is adhyätmadépa, a transcendental lamp. This means that everything is illumined after He shines--yasya bhäsä sarvaà idaà vibhäti (Muëdaka 2.2.10). The import is that He is the controller of everyone's senses, mind, and body. Thus there is no cause to fear Kaàsa.
This verse explains that the Lord's form is completely transcendental and beyond the conceptions of philosophers such as Naiyäyikas, Säëkhyaites, and Mimäàsakas. The verse exclusively describes the body of the Lord and not the various impersonal "absolute realities" imagined by the different philosophical systems. Çrédhara Swämé has also explained that this verse describes the form of the Lord. And this naturally agrees with the context. This chapter describes birth of Lord Kåñëa. There is no question of birth without having a form. Çréla Jéva Gosvämé quotes a verse from the Padma Puräëa spoken by Çréla Vyaça, who was undergoing severe penances to please the Lord. After a long time, Kåñëa came within his mind and offered Vyäsa a boon. Vyäsa desired to see the form of the Lord with his eyes. He refers to this form as the satyam param brahma described in the Upaniñads. This is consistent with the verse by Devaké who also says the Lord's form is described in the Vedas as avyaktam, nirviçeñam, sattämätran and so on. These attributes of Brahman are commonly referred to in the Upaniñads, however they apply to the forms experienced by mother Devaké and Çréla Vyäsa. Therefore, it is proven without a doubt that Lord Kåñëa's body is self-luminous and transcendental to the modes of nature. It is the Absolute Reality and reconciles all the Vedic statements that seem contradictory.
In the following Text Çréla Jéva Gosvämé shows that the expansions of Lord Kåñëa have the same qualities as Him. For this he alludes to Brahmä's experience from Brahma-Mohana-lélä.