Section 55
All Part Expansions of Lord Kåñëa are Transcendental

          Therefore even the part expansions of Lord Kåñëa are of the same nature. Çré Çuka says (S.B. 10.13.54): 

          "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 wh have the Upaniñadsic vision" 

          Çrédhara Swämé comments, "Although they all have individual forms, they have a common constitution, described in the verse beginning with satya-jïäna (10.13.54). They are Absolute (satya), unlimited, blissful in nature, and consitute knowledge. Furthermore, they consist of only thi smuch, which means that they are devoid of any difference caused by a foreign object. Over and above this, their form remains same always (sadaikarasa).

          Another explanation is that His forms constitute Brahman, which is uniformly unlimited, blissful, immutable, full of truth and knowledge and nothing else. He cannot be known, therefore, by those whose only eye is the knowledge of the self (Upaniñaddåñäm). The indeclinable hi means certainity. Aspåñöabhurimähätmyä means that Their glory cannot be perceived by those on the path of knowledge. Brahma saw all these forms with such qualities." This is the end of his comment.

          In this verse the term mätra "just that much" indicates that their color and other attributes are part of their essential nature. According to Çré Çukadeva and Çrédhara Svami, the word mürti form, used in this verse cannot mean "the formless self "or have some other meaning. Because secondary meaning will be a cumbersome imagination; the four terms "untouched" (aspåñöa ), "wonderful glory" (bhuri-mähätmya), "even" (api), "with the eye of knowledge" (Upaniñad dåga) whether used in a compound or seperately will spoil the theme of description; it will be contrary to the context; this meaning is in accordance with the experience of the Kumäras which will be exemplified later (S.B. 3.15.18) "As a result of their trance, they saw Him with their eyes."; and it would also contradict the experience of Çré Suka as described in verses such as S.B. 12.12.69. 

          Therefore the phrases such as" personification of pure consciousness" (viçuddha vijïänaghana S.B. 10.37.22), "unto Him who is pure knowledge personified" (viçuddha jïänamurttaye S.B. 10.27.11), and "in You whose body is full of bliss and knowledge eternally" (tvayeva nitya-sukhabodhatanu S.B. 10.14.22), should not be misinterpreted by applying a secondary meaning such as Brahman.

          Similarly in the phrases such as (S.B. 10.41.22) "embracing the form full of bliss" and the statements (S.B. 10.48.7) "simply by smelling the fragrance of Kåñëa's lotus feet, Trivakra cleansed away the burning lust Cupid had aroused in her breasts and eyes. With her two arms she embraced her lover Çré Kåñëa, the personification of bliss, between her breasts, and thus gave up her long-standing distress." The vision and embrace cannot be interpreted to have any other meaning. Mahavaräha Puräëa also states

"All the forms of the Supreme Lord are eternal, unchanging, devoid of any rejectable or acceptable attribute because they are never the product of material nature. They are packed with (concentrated) supreme bliss, and purely conscious in nature. The distinction between the body and the embodied does not exist in the Lord."

 

 PURPORT 

          After explaining that Lord Kåñëa's form is eternal and transcendental, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé next establishes that all the plenary portions of Lord Kåñëa are of the same nature.  The verse cited (S.B. 10.13.54) describes Lord Brahmä's experience seeing the various expansions of Lord Kåñëa after he stole the cowherd boys along with their calves.  Lord Kåñëa expanded Himself and took the exact forms and moods of the stolen calves and cowherd boys.  When Brahmä returned a year later to witness Kåñëa's plight, he was astounded to see that His pastimes were going on as if nothing had happened.  While he was thus marveling at Kåñëa's mystic power he saw all the cowherd boys and calves turn into forehanded Viñëu forms.  Çré Çuka explains the nature, beauty, and glory of these forms for a few verses.

          In the event someone might think that these forms were magical creations only meant to befuddle Brahmä's intelligence, the verse says satya, or real.  Furthermore, the forms were full of knowledge and bliss.  The mätraca suffix, which appears in änanda mätra, signifies that the viñëu-mürtis were not tinged by matter--they were fully conscious and unlimited.  The word ekarasa means that they were beyond the influence of time.  Brahmä saw unlimited Viñëu forms and each form was also unlimited.  They were not liberated jévas, because Brahmä saw the mark of Çrévatsa on their chests (S.B. 10.13.48), which is one of the distinctive features of Lord Viñëu.  Though there were unlimited forms, they were all one with Kåñëa, the advya-tattva who lacks duality.  These forms were not different from each other as a table is different from another table. 

          Kåñëa gave a practical demonstration of acintya bhedäbheda philosophy in this Brahma-Mohana lélä.  The Lord is one, yet by His acintya çakti, He manifests as many.  Thus the verse states that the glory of these forms was beyond the reach of Upaniñadic scholars.

          The Upaniñads describe the Absolute as satyaà jïänam anantam brahma (Taittaréya Upaniñad 2.1.1), änanda brahàaëo vidrän (Taittréya Upaniñad 2.4.1) and so on.  From statements such as these nondevotee scholars assume that the Absolute has no form.  This verse says, however, that the Lord's forms (murttayaù) were satya jïäna ananta änanda mätra.  This is beyond the conception of nondevotee scholars, because Kåñëa can be understood only through loving devotion.  He cannot be attained by mere scholarship, as the Çruti declares (Kaöhopaniñad 1.2.23):

          "The Supreme Lord cannot be attained by mere study of the Vedas, nor through the intellect, nor by hearing.  Only one who is blessed by the Lord can attain Him and only to such a person does the Lord reveal His form."

          The word mürti (S.B. 10.13.54) should not be misconstrued to mean ätmä or Brahman, because Lord Brahmä saw these forms with his own eyes.  Brahman has no attributes and thus cannot be seen.  According to Amarakosa (3.3.66) mürti means "body" and "hard"--mürttiù käöhinya-käyayoù.  Impersonalists propose that these forms were bodies of Brahman, or "solidified Brahman" appearing in Viñëu forms.  Such a meaning does not suit the context and is also contrary to logic. Brahman has no manifest qualities and thus can neither accept form or become solidified.  According to impersonalists, Brahman cannot even bear It's name as this gives rise to duality as the name, its meaning, and the object referred to amount to three.  Sati prasidde'rthe'prasiddharth-kalapanam anyäyam--according to th is rule it is highly improper to imagine an unpopular meaning whent hepopular meaning fits appropriately.  Accordingly, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says lakñaëäyäh kañtakalpanä mayatvät--to give a secondary meaning is difficult imagination.

          Moreover, such an explanation is neither supported by Çrédhara Swämé nor Çukadeva Gosvämé.  And it certainly does not agree with Brahmä's experience.

          Çréla Jéva Gosvämé refers to the experience of the Kumäras, but the details of their experience will be discussed in section seventy-nine.  He also cites the example of Çukadeva Gosvämé, who was self-realized and became a devotee simply by hearing some select verses from Çrémad Bhägavatam describing Lord's Kåñëa's activities, beauty, and qualities.  If Kåñëa's body were material, or inferior to Brahman, Çukadeva Gosvämé would not have been attracted to His devotional service.  The general psychology is that a person does not give up something superior for something inferior. But an intelligent person gladly abandons his attachments for a superior object. Çréla Jéva Gosvämé offers various references from Çrémad Bhägavatam which describe Lord Kåñëa's form as purely transcendental.  And Brahmä realized this when he saw the expansions of Lord Kåñëa (S.B. 10.13.55):

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

          In the next Text Çréla Jéva Gosvämé explains that Lord Kåñëa's body is the Supreme object of achievement because it is the Absolute Reality.