SECTION 58
Kåñëa's Body is Not the Result of Any Activity.

          In this way after it is proven that the Lord's form is distinct from other objects, one should not make the improper inference that "the Lord's body is material because it is visible like a pot." This syllogistic statement has the defect of kälätyayopadiñöa.

          With this intention to demonstrate that the Lord's body is real and free from the six types of transformations, Lord Brahmä accepts His form as complete in itself (10.14.23):         

"You are the one Supreme Soul, the primeval Supreme Personality, the Absolute Truth--self-manifested, endless and beginningless. You are eternal and infallible, perfect and complete, without any rival, and free from all material designations. Your happiness can never be obstructed, nor have You any connection with material contamination. Indeed, You are the indestructible nectar of immortality." 

          You are the only ultimate shelter of everyone, who is characterized with such as a form with a complexion of a cloud,  which was acknowledged as worshipable in verses like nauméòya te (10.14.1). This was further substantiated in verse 'eko 'si prathamam' (10.14.18) "You were one in the beginning... " and 'Kåñëam enam avaehi' (10.14.55), You should know Kåñëa to be the original soul of all living entities." Because You are ätmä, You are truth, (satya). Only by taking support of Your reality, the Supreme shelter, all other objects have reality. The import is that, You are the ultimate limit of reality or truth. This was said by the demigods prayed (10.2.26):         

"O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect, because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone."         

            The Udyama Parva of the Mahäbhärata also states (70.12): 

"Lord Kåñëa is situated in truth, and truth is situated in Kåñëa. The truth of Govinda is beyond even Satya loka and thus He is called Satya by name."

There are no changes in him, like birth, to state this Brahmä said (S.B.10.14.33) He is ädyaù, the cause. This was clearly demonstrated in the verse eko'si prathamam (10.14.18) "You were one to begin with." Therefore there is no birth for the Lord, rather He becomes manifest as the Padma Puräëa describes, He becomes manifest as, "Birth in relation to the Lord, means He becomes visible. There is never any change in His body." So the Skanda Puräëa states, "Not knowing the Lord's form as blissful and imperishable, foolish people think the Lord's body to be inert, made of five elements, and undergoing birth."

The reason in being the cause is, "while existing in Your personal form puruñaù, You are new although primeval." The meaning is that the Lord existed even before this manifest creation. The Çruti also confirms this (Båhad. 1.4.1) "In the beginning there was only the self (ätmä) in the form of a person." Therefore the transformation of "existence" which follows birth is denied--Nityaù which means that Your form is eternal. And though medium-sized, You are complete and so as before, You are devoid of the next mutation, "increment". The phrase ajasrasukhaù which means that the Lord's body is always blissful, denies mutation or change. The use of the masculine gender in the word sukha follows the Vedic grammatical rule, just as in the mantra "vijïänamänandaà brahma" (Båhad A. 39.28) the word änanda is used in the neuter gender. The word "undwindling" (akñara) denies the mutation called "decay" and the word "immortal" (amåta) denies the mutation called "destruction".

The reason in His completeness is that He is "unlimited" (anantaù). The word advaya, or non-dual, means that His  form is not limited by time and place. His form cannot be limited by any object because everything is His potency and cannot exist without Him. In this verse the four types of results of activities are negated to establish His immortality. The result called "creation" is denied owing to His being the cause ädyaù. The remaining three results are negated by the three phrases "self effulgent" (svayaà jyotiù), "pure" (niraïjana), and "devoid of any limiting adjuncts" (upadhito mukta). Out of these three the result called präpti, or attainment, can be either by physical activity or through knowledge. Attainment by activity is negated by the use of the ätmanepada case, because He is all-pervading. Attainment by knowledge is denied by the phrase "He is self-luminous" (svayaà-jyotiù).

The  Lord similarly spoke to Brahmä (SB.2.9.21), "You have seen My abode as a result of my will". And Çrédhara Swämé comments: The  Lord is saying, "You attained this by My mercy alone, to say this He said manéñita which means will. I desired to give you this vision and consequently you saw it. (Brahmä asks) "What is that consequence? " The Lord replies, "Getting the vision of my abode." Here ends his comment.

Thus it is said, "Although the Lord is always un-manifest, He can be realized by His mercy".

An objection is raised: The Lord counted Himself among His opulence's while describing them to Uddhava (SB.11.16.29), "Among those entitled Bhagavän, I am Väsudeva," and then in the end He said (11.16.41), "These are all mutations of mind".

Answer: That is true, but the Lord is counted among the mutable objects because of the excessive number of such opulence's like in the example of "the men with umbrellas are going". In the same chapter it is said (11.16.37): 

"I am form, taste, aroma, touch and sound; false ego; the mahat-tattva; earth, water, fire, air and sky; the living entity; material nature; the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance; and the Brahman. All these items, along with knowledge of their individual symptoms and the steady convicition that results from this knowledge, represent Me."

 

In this verse by the word para Brahman is also included among the material items. In this way attainment is negated.

Just as by beating paddy the husk is removed, similarly by removing the limiting adjunct, transformation is occurs. Because the Lord is free from any material association, there is no possibility of Him being the result called transformation. Thus the verse states, "free from limiting adjuncts"(mukta upadhitah). This is also stated  in verses such as "Unto Him whose form is pure consciousness" (SB.10.27.11) and "His form, which is pure consciousness" (10.37.22). Therefore, statements like "My body pierced with sharp arrows" (1.9.34) are to be considered a description of illusory pastimes, because such descriptions are against the Reality by the principle stated by Çré Suka (SB.10.77.30): 

"Such is the account given by some sages, O wise King, but those who speak in this illogical way are contradicting themselves, having forgotten their own previous statements."         

Similarly, in the Skanda Puräëa: 

"Even though Lord Visnu's body is imperishable, impalpable, cannot be pierced or dried and free from the material modes,  to bewilder the demons He appears as if pierced, wounded and bound. He seems to be playing among the demigods. He appears as a common man with a medium-sized body to all but the liberated souls." 

Bhéñma's vision of the Lord was appropriate, because during the battle he was possessed by a demoniac temperment. But now that attitude appears like a miserable nightmare to him and thus he supplicates the Lord. Improvement (saàskära) can either result from embellishment or purification. Because the Lord is perfect (pürëa), improvement by embellishment is denied. The purification is denied by the word niraïjana which means that the Lord's form is pure consciousness.

 

PURPORT 

          In the previous Text Çréla JévaGosvämé showed that Lord Kåñëa's body is transcendental.  He also cited many verses which explaiend that Lord was visible to certain persons such as in the last Text Çré Çuka said that Kardama Muni saw Him.  Hearing this, an opponent may propose the following faulty inferential statements: 

     Proposition: Kåñëa's body is material.

     Reason: Because it is visible.

     Universal proposition: All visible objects are material, like the table.

     Application: Kåñëa's body was seen by Brahmä, Kardama, and others.

     Conclusion: Hence, Kåñëa's body is material.

          Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says this inference is fraught with the defect of kälätyayopadiñöa 'hetväbhäsa, or stultified reasoning.  Conclusions reached by stultified reasoning are negated by superior proof.  For example, one may say: "Fire is not hot because it is a substance.  Whatever is substance, like water, is not hot."  The conclusion of this syllogistic expression is negated by direct perception of fire, which reveals it is hot.  This reasoning is called hetväbhäsa, or improper, and is of the kälätyayopadiñta type.  Direct perception is superior to inference and thus overrules conclusions reached by inferior processes.  The neo-logicians call this bädhita hetväbhäsa.

          The conclusion in the present syllogistic expression is superseded by Çruti, or revealed scriptures, such as viñuddha vijïäna ghana (S.B. 10.37.22).  "The Lord's body is pure consciousness." In Tattva Sandarbha Text 9 and 10 it was shown that in the matter of transcendental matters çabda pramäëa is supreme.

          Next, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé shows that the Lord's body is free from the six transformations that material bodies undergo.  These are listed in the Niruktam Vedic dictionary (1.1.2), jäyate'sti varddhate vipariëamate apakñéyate naçyati ca, "The body takes birth, exists, grows, undergoes changes by aging, or gives rise to by-products, dwindles, and finally dies."

          To prove that the Lord is free from these transformations, JévaGosvämé cites a verse by Lord Brahmä (S.B. 10.14.23).  The material body is the result of past karma.  Furthermore, it is made up of limbs, which are composed of matter.  This means it is an effect, not a cause.  An effect, the body, comes into existence at a particular time as a result of some cause and this is called birth.  Brahmä says, however, that the Lord's body is ädya, a cause that has no beginning.  In the Brahma Samhita, he says that Kåñëa or Govinda is sarva käraëa käraëam, the cause of all other causes. Hence His body is not an effect from some prior cause like a material body.

          Because the Lord's body does not take birth, the transformation called astita, or existence after birth, is automatically eliminated.  Thus Brahmä calls Him nitya, or eternal.  Material objects exist within something, but the Lord's body is the support of everything and exists in His one energy.  The Çruti says: sa bhagava kasmin sthitah sva mahimini, "Where does the Lord exist?  In his own glory."  Everything exists in time and space, but the Lord's body is beyond these.  He maintains everything but is not maintained by anyone.  Asti means to exist in a time scale and within space vectors, the Supreme Lord's body is the cause for both of them.

          His body is pürëa, or complete, thus it does not increase.  Only incomplete things can increase.  Something that is complete, or perfect, will not grow.  The Lord is perfect because He is ananta, or unlimited, so how will He grow? There is nothing which exists beyond him which He can acquire. He is the limit of all limits but limitless Himself.

          His body is ajasrasukha, or eternally blissful, therefore His body does not produce by-products vipariëäma.  An ordinary person feels incomplete and therefore hankers for the association of the opposite sex.  To further expand their happiness, the couple unites and procreates.  But the Supreme Lord does not procreate in a like fashion, therefore, His body cannot be said to produce by-products like a material body. Or alternatively He does not have any changes such as by aging because He is Satya or Absolute. An object which does not transform in three times of past, present and future is called Satya.

          Brahmä also calls the Lord akñara.  Na kñarati iti akñara, that which does not diminish is called akñara, and thus His body does not undergo the fifth transformation called apaksahya, or diminution.  Kåñëa confirms this in Bhagavad-gita (15.18) wherein He says that He is beyond both kñara and Akñara.

          Finally, because Kåñëa is amåta, or immortal, He is free from destruction.  Since He is not born and His body does not dwindle, He does not die.  Govindan måtyu bibheti (Gopäla purva tapani Upaniñad 2.1), "Death fears Govinda."  In this way, because Kåñëa's body does not undergo any of the six transformations, it is concluded that His body is not material.

          Furthermore the Lord's body is not limited by time and space.  Time is the movement of His bodily limbs (S.B. 10.3.26):

          "O inaugurator of the material energy, this wonderful creation works under the control of powerful time, which is divided into seconds, minutes, hours, and years. This element of time extends for many millions of years and is another of Your forms. For Your pastimes, You act as the controller of time, but You are the reservoir of all good fortune. Let me offer my full surrender unto Your Lordship."

          Every material body exists within (time and space) and is limited by them.  But Brahmä calls the Lord advya, one who is without a second and thus the Supreme Lord is not limited by time, space or any other object.  It is possible that two objects exist in all places and at all times.  For example space and time exist together and they are unlimited.  They are independent  and thus they limit each other.  But the Lord is not limited by any object, because He is the shelter of everything and everybody.  Nothing can exist without Him.  This is the meaning of the word advya.

          To establish that the Lord is immortal, Brahmä says that His body is not one of the four types of results of action.  All work involves action and the result for which it is performed.  According to Sanskrit grammarians, there are four types of results: utpädya, created; vikärya, transformed; samskärya, improved; and präpya, attained.  When something does not exist and is created, it is called utpädya.  An example is a devotee making a garland for the Lord.

          When an existent object is transformed into something else, it is called vikärya, which is of two types.  One type is when the nature of the existent object changes, as when fire burns wood into ash.  The second type causes a change in the shape of the original object, as in making bangles out of gold.

          When the characteristics of existent objects are modified it is called saàskärya.  An example is adding fragrance to water.  And to reach a destination is called präpya.  Such as when a devotee goes to the temple.  This also includes comprehending a certain topic with the intelligence.  The grammarian Brharttåhari has summarized this in his Väkyapadéya yadasajjäyate yadvä janmanä yat prakäçate tannivartyaà vikäryyantu dvidhä karma vyavasthitam prakåtyuccheda-sambhütaà kiïcit käñöhädibhasmavat kiïcid guëäntarotpattyä suvarëädivikäravat kriyäkåtaviññäùäm siddhiryatra na gamyate darñanädanumänädvä tat präpyamiti kathyate 

          The word ädya, or cause, prevents the Lord's body from being classified as utpädya, or that which is created as a result of some action.  Kåñëa's body is the cause, not the effect.

          An object is attained (präpya) either by physical activity or by knowledge.  This means that one either acquires an object through external or internal senses.  The use of ätmä in the verse indicates the Lord cannot be attained through physical activity because He is all pervading.  atati sarvaà gacchati iti ätmä--"that which exists everywhere is called ätmä or the Supersoul."  In this verse the word ätmä refers to Kåñëa and not the individual living entity.  According to the neo-logicians of India, there are five types of physical activities (Karikävali 1.6):

          "Throwing upwards, downwards, contraction, expansion, and motion are the five actions."  Other activities such as flowing, dripping, and so on, are included in motion.

          The Lord's body cannot be attained by these types of action because it exists everywhere.  This was established in Text number forty-one.  The Lord's body cannot be attained by knowledge gathered through senses because it is not a material object.  For this reason Brahmä calls the Lord svyaà jyoti, or self luminous.  We need light to see material objects but no light is needed to see the sun.  We need our senses and mind to understand objects and cannot force the sun to appear before us whenever we like.  In the same way we cannot force the Lord to appear before us by performing some activity. The Lord is seen and understood only by His mercy and not by any other means.  This is stated in Mahabhärata (Sänti Parva 336.20):

          "O Båhaspati, He can neither be seen by you nor by us.  Only one who is blessed by Him deserves to see Him."  In this way präpya is negated.

          The third type of result, vikärya, is denied by the word mukta upädhitah, or being free from all superimpositions of a foreign nature.  Only material objects can undergo such a change.  Since the Lord's body does not contact anything material, He is free from changes resulting from effort or time.  Indra calls Him visuddha-véjïäna mürti, one whose form is pure consciousness (S.B. 10.27.11):

          "Unto Him who assumes transcendental bodies according to the desires of His devotees, unto Him whose form is itself pure consciousness, unto Him who is everything, who is the seed of everything and who is the soul of all creatures, I offer my obeisances."

          An objection may be raised here.  Lord Kåñëa described His vibhütis (opulences) in the sixteenth chapter of the eleventh canto of Çrémad Bhägavatam.  Therein He said that among those called Bhagavän, He is Väsudeva.  This means He counts Himself as one of His vibhütis.  Then later on He says that all these vibhütis are mutations of the mind (S.B. 11.16.41).  Does it mean that the Lord is also a mutation of the mind and not the Absolute Reality?  In response Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says that it is stated in this way because most of the vibhutis listed by Him are material.  This follows the maxim of chatriëo gacchanti, "the men with umbrellas are going."  There are many men walking with umbrellas but a few among them are not.  Still onlookers remark, "The people with umbrellas are going"though there are a few who do not have umbrellas.  Similarly because most of the vibhütis are material, the Lord says they are all mutations of the mind.  In case of vasudeva bhagavataù (S.B. 11.16.29) the statement (S.B.11.16.41) has to be taken in the secondary sense by use of jahat lakñaëä--or rejecting the primary sense when it cannot explain the intention of the speaker.

          A further objection is raised regarding the Lord's body not being vékärya.  When Bhéñma fought with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukñetra, his sharp arrows wounded Lord Kåñëa who was the charioteer of Arjuna.  Bhéñmadeva remembered this while lying on the bed of arrows.  One may conclude from this that the Lord's body is material.  Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says that this description is not real but is arranged by the Lord's Mäyä to appear real.  Just as when one sees a hero shot in a play, in reality nothing happens to him.  This is also the definite opinion of Çré Çukadeva, the prime speaker of Çrémad Bhägavatam. He says that those who think that Kåñëa can fall into illusion or His body is material forget that He is the Supreme Lord. Bhéñma was overwhelmed by demoniac chivalrous feelings and to satisfy this, the Lord appeared to be wounded.  To the demons also Lord Kåñëa's body appear wounded when they fight with Him.  Lord thus nurtures envious nature and ignorance of the demons because He says that He rewards people as they approach Him (B.g.4.11). Otherwise how is it possible to pierce His transcendental body?  The Lord says that even the spiritual living entity cannot be pierced with weapons (B.g. 2.23)--nainaà chindanti çaçträëi.  To further support this, the author cites two verses from Skanda Puräëa which describe that the Lord's body is abhedya, or impermeable.

          Someone may raise the question, "Since Bhéñma is a great devotee how can he desire to harm the Lord?"  Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarti Öhäkura writes that Bhéñma's chivalrous mood was very pleasing to the Lord.  He says that the Lord was relishing the relation of yuddha rasa with His devotee (the mellow of fighting).  Still one may insist, "How can arrows be considered pleasant?  Ckravartipäda gives an analogy to explain.  When a hero, who is strongly possessed by kandarpa rasa, or cupid mellow, has conjugal relation with a bold heroine, the heroine may wound him with her nails and teeth.  This increases the bliss of the hero and it demonstrates the love, heroine has for him.  This is accepted by the Vedic sexologists and rasa theologians.  In a similar mood Bhéñma wounded Kåñëa's body with sharp arrows and this was very pleasing to the Lord.  But now as Bhiñma is lying on his death bed, he is in däsya rasa, or mood of servitude and is thus supplicating the Lord.

          The final type of result is samskärya, or improvement, which can be done either by embellishing or cleansing.  The Lord is püåna, so this negates the possibility of embellishment.  People wear ornaments to enhance their beauty, but the Lord's body is most beautiful.  When He puts on ornaments, they become embellished.  This was described by Çré Uddhava to Bhakta Vidura (S.B. 3.2.12):

          "The Lord appeared in the mortal world by His internal potency, yoga-mäya. He came in His eternal form, which is just suitable for His pastimes. These pastimes were wonderful for everyone, even for those proud of their own opulence, including the Lord Himself in His form as the Lord of Vaikuntha. Thus His [Çré Kåñëa's] transcendental body is the ornament of all ornaments."

          Therefore, there is nothing which can embellish his body as He is completely pure.  He puts on ornaments for the pleasure of the ornaments, who are His devotees.  To indicate this, Brahmä says that the Lord is niraïjana, or immaculate.  Thus Brahmä indicates in this verse that the Lord's body is not an effect of any activity.  The Lord is the cause of all causes, the source of everything--janmädsya yatah.  He also addresses the Lord as puräëa which means that although the Lord is the oldest person, He is young and He has a human like form.  This indicates that His body does not mutate like that of a mortal being.

          In the following Text Çréla Jéva Gosvämé gives the conclusion on this topic, i.e. Lord's form is part of His essential nature.