Sri Brahma-samhita
Translation and Purports by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja
Foreword
The materialistic demeanor cannot possibly stretch to the transcendental autocrat who is ever inviting the fallen conditioned souls to associate with Him through devotion or eternal serving mood. The phenomenal attractions are often found to tempt sentient beings to enjoy the variegated position which is opposed to undifferenced monism. People are so much apt to indulge in transitory speculations even when they are to educate themselves on a situation beyond their empiric area or experiencing jurisdiction. The esoteric aspect often knocks them to trace out immanence in their outward inspection of transitory and transformable things. This impulse moves them to fix the position of the immanent to an indeterminate impersonal entity, no clue of which could be discerned by moving earth and heaven through their organic senses.
The lines of this booklet will surely help such puzzled souls in their march towards the personality of the immanent lying beyond their sensuous gaze of inspection. The very first stanza of this publication will revolutionize their reserved ideas when the nomenclature of the Absolute is put before them as "Krsna." The speculative mind would show a tendency of offering some other attributive name to designate the unknown object. They will prefer to brand Him by their experience as the "creator of this universe,""the entity beyond phenomena"--far off the reference of any object of nature and void of all transformation. So they will urge that the very fountainhead should have no conceivable designation except to show a direction of the invisible, and inaudible untouchable, nonfragrant and unperceivable object. But they will not desist from contemplating on the object with their poor fund of experience. The interested enquirer will be found to hanker after the records left by erudite savants to incompatible hallucinative views of savage demonstration. In comparing the different names offered by different thoughts of mankind, a particular judge would decide in favor of some nomenclature which will suit best his limited and specific whims. The slave mentality of an individual will no doubt offer invective assertions to the rest who will be appealing to him for a revelation of his decision. To remedy this evil, the hymns of the accepted progenitor of the phenomena would do great help in taking up the question of nomenclature which is possessed of adequate power to dispel all imaginations drawn out of their experiencing the phenomena by their tentative exploitations.
The first hymn will establish the supremacy of the Absolute Truth, if His substratum is not shot by the bullets of limited time, ignorance and uncomfortable feeling, as well as by recognizing the same as an effect instead of accepting Him as the prime cause. He will be satisfied to mark that the object of their determination is the par"excellent Supreme Lord Sri Krsna who has eternally embodied Himself in His ever-presence, all-blissful, all-pervasive perfected knowledge as the very fountainhead of all prime causes of unending nonbeginning time, the supplying fosterer of all entities, viz., mundane and transcendental.
The subsequent lines will go to determine the different aspects of the Absolute, who are but emanations of the supreme fountainhead Krsna, the attractive entity of all entities. Moreover, the derivative proclamation of the nomenclature will indicate the plane of uninterrupted, unending, transcendental felicity and the nomenclature Himself is the source of the two components which go by the names of efficient and material causes. The very transcendental name "Krsna" is known as the embodiment of all the transcendental eternal rasas as well as the origin of all eclipsed conceptions of interrupted rasas found in the mentality of animated beings which are successfully depicted by litterateurs and rhetoricians for our mundane speculation.
The verses of Brahma-samhita are a full elucidation of the origination of phenomenal and noumenic conceptions. The hymns of the incarnated prime potency has dealt fully with the monotheistic speculations of different schools which are busy to give an outer cover of an esoteric concoction without any reference to the true eternal aspect of transcendental nontransformable and imperishable manifestation of the immanent. The hymns have also dealt with different partial aspects of the personality of the Absolute who is quite isolated from the conception of the enjoyers of this phenomenal world.
A very close attention and a comparative study of all prevailing thoughts and conceptions will relieve and enlighten all--be he a materialist, a downright atheist, an agnostic, a sceptic, a naturalist, a pantheist or a panantheist--busy with their knowledge of three dimensions only by their speculative exertions.
This booklet is only the fifth chapter of the Hymns of Brahma which were recorded in a hundred chapters. The Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya picked up this chapter from the temple of Adi-kesava at Tiruvattar, a village lying under the government of Travancore, for the assurance of all God-loving, and especially Krsna-loving, people in this conditioned jurisdiction. This booklet can easily be compared with another book which passes by the name of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Though it has got a reference in the pantheon of Puranas, the Bhagavatam corroborates the same idea of this Pancaratra.
The devotees should consider that these two books tend to the identical Krsna who is the fountainhead of all transcendental and mundane entities and has a manifestive exhibition of the plenary variegatedness.
Aspersions of calumniation are restricted in the limited world, whereas transcendence cannot admit such angularities being an angle of 180 degrees or void of any angular discrepancies.
The publisher is carried away to the realm of gratitude when his stores of publication are scrutinized. Thakura Bhaktivinoda has given an elucidatory purport of the conception of the most sublime fountainhead of all entities in Bengali, and one of his devout followers has rendered that into English for propagatory purpose. The purports and the translations are traced to the backgrounds of the writings of Srila Jiva Gosvami, a contemporary follower of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya. The emotional aspirations will find fair play in perusing the texts of this brochure by one and all who have any interest in pure theistic achievements. The materialistic inspection often goes on to say that the provincial conception of theism has made the depicting of transcendental unity into diverse face quite opposed to the ethical consideration of the limited region. But we differ from such erroneous considerations when we get a prospective view of the manifested transcendentality eliminating all historicities and allegorical enterprises. All our enjoying mood should have a different direction when we take into account the transcendental entity who has obsessed all frailties and limitations of nature. So we solicit the happier mood of the scrutinizers to pay special attention to the importance of manifestive transcendence in Krsna.
It was found necessary to publish this small book for the use of English-knowing people who are interested in the acme of transcendental truths in their manifestive phases. The theme delineated in the texts of this book is quite different from the ordinary heaps of poetical mundane literature, as they are confined to our limited aspiration of senses. The book was found in the South some four centuries ago and it is again brought into light in the very same country after a long time, just like the worshiping of the Goddess Ganges by the offering of her own water.
Siddhanta Sarasvati
Shree Gaudiya Math,
Calcutta, the 1st August, 1932.
TEXT 1
isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam
SYNONYMS
isvarah--the controller; paramah--supreme; krsnah--Lord Krsna; sat--comprising eternal existence; cit--absolute knowledge; ananda--and absolute bliss; vigrahah--whose form; anadih--without beginning; adih--the origin; govindah--Lord Govinda; sarva-karana-karanam--the cause of all causes.
TRANSLATION
Krsna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.
PURPORT
Krsna is the exalted Supreme entity having His eternal name, eternal form, eternal attribution and eternal pastimes. The very name "Krsna" implies His love-attracting designation, expressing by His eternal nomenclature the acme of entity. His eternal beautiful heavenly blue-tinged body glowing with the intensity of ever-existing knowledge has a flute in both His hands. As His inconceivable spiritual energy is all-extending, still He maintains His all-charming medium size by His qualifying spiritual instrumentals. His all-accommodating supreme subjectivity is nicely manifested in His eternal form. The concentrated all-time presence, uncovered knowledge and inebriating felicity have their beauty in Him. The mundane manifestive portion of His own Self is known as all-pervading Paramatma, Isvara (Superior Lord) or Visnu (All-fostering). Hence it is evident that Krsna is sole Supreme Godhead. His unrivaled or unique spiritual body of superexcellent charm is eternally unveiled with innumerable spiritual instrumentals (senses) and unreckonable attributes keeping their signifying location properly, adjusting at the same time by His inconceivable conciliative powers. This beautiful spiritual figure is identical with Krsna and the spiritual entity of Krsna is identical with His own figure.
The very intensely blended entity of eternal presence of felicitous cognition is the charming targeted holding or transcendental icon. It follows that the conception of the indistinguishable formless magnitude (Brahman) which is an indolent, lax, presentment of cognitive bliss, is merely a penumbra of intensely blended glow of the three concomitants, viz., the blissful, the substantive and the cognitive. This transcendental manifestive icon Krsna in His original face is primordial background of magnitudinal infinite Brahman and of the all-pervasive oversoul. Krsna as truly visioned in His variegated pastimes, such as owner of transcendental cows, chief of cowherds, consort of milk-maids, ruler of the terrestrial abode Gokula and object of worship by transcendental residents of Goloka beauties, is Govinda. He is the root cause of all causes who are the predominating and predominated agents of the universe. The glance of His projected fractional portion in the sacred originating water viz., the personal oversoul or Paramatma, gives rise to a secondary potency--nature who creates this mundane universe. This oversoul's intermediate energy brings forth the individual souls analogously to the emanated rays of the sun.
This book is a treatise of Krsna; so the preamble is enacted by chanting His name in the beginning.
TEXT 2
sahasra-patra-kamalam
gokulakhyam mahat padam
tat-karnikaram tad-dhama
tad-anantamsa-sambhavam
SYNONYMS
sahasra-patra--possessing a thousand petals; kamalam--a lotus; gokula-akhyam--known as Gokula; mahat padam--the superexcellent station; tat--of that (lotus); karnikaram--the whorl; tat--of Him (Krsna); dhama--the abode; tat--that (Gokula); ananta--of His infinitary aspect, Balarama; amsa--from a part; sambhavam--produced.
TRANSLATION
[The spiritual place of transcendental pastimes of Krsna is portrayed in the second verse.] The superexcellent station of Krsna, which is known as Gokula, has thousands of petals and a corolla like that of a lotus sprouted from a part of His infinitary aspect, the whorl of the leaves being the actual abode of Krsna.
PURPORT
Gokula, like Goloka, is not a created mundane plane--unbounded character forms the display of His unlimited potency and His propagating manifestation. Baladeva is the mainstay of that energy. The transcendental entity of Baladeva has two aspects viz., infinite spiritual manifestation and infinite accommodating space for insentient gross things. The uniquadrantal delineation of material universe will be dealt with in the proper place. The triquadrantal extensions of the transcendental infinitary field of the almighty, unlamenting, nonperishing and nonapprehending unlimited situations of halo which are fully spiritual majestic foliation. This very majestical extension portrays the manifested lofty rich feature of the vaster unlimited region or greater atmosphere which has its resplendent location wholly beyond the realm of mundane nature, on the further shore of Viraja surrounded by the halo of Brahman or indistinguishable entity. This majestical power of unlimited spirit emanates on the upper portion of the luminous sphere into the most charming Gokula or eternally existing Goloka, exceedingly beautified by the assorted display of effulgence. Some designate this region as the abode of the Supreme Narayana, or the original fountainhead. Hence Gokula, which is identical with Goloka, is the supreme plane. The same sphere shines as Goloka and Gokula respectively by its upper or transcendental and lower or mundane situation.
Sri Sanatana Gosvami has told us as follows in his Brhad-bhagavatamrta which embodies the final essence of all the books of instructions: "He displays His pastimes here in this land as He is used to do in Goloka. The difference between the two planes lies only in their locations as high and low; that is, in other words, Krsna plays exactly the same part in Goloka as He exhibits on the mundane plane of Gokula. There is practically no difference between Gokula and Goloka save that this what exists in the shape of Goloka in the upper region is the same as Gokula on the mundane plane when Krsna showed His various activity there. Sri Jiva Gosvami has also inculcated the same in the Bhagavat-sandarbha of his 'Six Treatises.' " To ascertain the plane of Goloka--Vrndavana is the eternal abode of Krsna and Goloka and Vrndavana are identically one, and though both are identical, yet Krsna's inconceivable energy has made Goloka the acme of this spiritual kingdom and Gokula of Mathura province forming a part of the mundane plane which is also a manifestation of triquadrantal vibhuti (conducting majesty). Poor human understanding cannot possibly make out how the extensive triquadrantal, which is beyond human comprehension, can be accommodated in the limited nether material universe of a uniquadrantal disclosure. Gokula is a spiritual plane, hence his condescended position in the region of material space, time, etc., is in no way restricted but unlimitedly manifested with his full boundless propriety. But conditioned souls are apt to assert a material conception in regard to Gokula by their miserable senses so as to bring him below the level of their intellect. Though the eye of an observer is impeded by a cloud when gazing at the sun and though the tiny cloud can never really cover the sun, still the clouded vision apparently observes the sun as covered by the cloud. In just the same way the conditioned souls with their obscured intelligence, senses and decisions, accept Gokula as a piece of measurable land. We can see Gokula from Goloka which is eternal. This is also a mystery. The attainment of final beatitude is the success in attaining one's eternal self. The success in identifying the true self is finally achieved when the screen of gross and subtle coils of conditioned souls is removed by the sweet will of Krsna. However, the idea of Goloka is seen to differ from Gokula till the success in unalloyed devotion is achieved. The transcendental plane of infinite spiritual manifestation having thousands of petals and corolla like those of the lotus, is Gokula, the eternal abode of Krsna.
TEXT 3
karnikaram mahad yantram
sat-konam vajra-kilakam
sad-anga-sat-padi-sthanam
prakrtya purusena ca
premananda-mahananda-
rasenavasthitam hi yat
jyoti-rupena manuna
kama-bijena sangatam
SYNONYMS
karnikaram--the whorl; mahat--great; yantram--figure; sat-konam--a hexagon; vajra--like a diamond; kilakam--the central support; sat-anga-sat-padi--of the eighteen-syllable mantra with sixfold divisions; sthanam--the place of manifestation; prakrtya--along with the predominated aspect of the Absolute; purusena--along with the predominating aspect of the Absolute; ca--also; prema-ananda--of the bliss of love of God; maha-ananda--of the great transcendental jubilations; rasena--with the rasa (mellow); avasthitam--situated; hi--certainly; yat--which; jyotih-rupena--transcendental; manuna--with the mantra; kama-bijena--with the kama-bija (klim); sangatam--joined.
TRANSLATION
The whorl of that transcendental lotus is the realm wherein dwells Krsna. It is a hexagonal figure, the abode of the indwelling predominated and predominating aspect of the Absolute. Like a diamond the central supporting figure of self-luminous Krsna stands as the transcendental source of all potencies. The holy name consisting of eighteen transcendental letters is manifested in a hexagonal figure with sixfold divisions.
PURPORT
The transcendental pastimes of Krsna are twofold, viz., manifested and nonmanifested. The pastimes in Vrndavana visible to mortal eyes are the manifestive lila of Sri Krsna, and that which is not so visible, is nonmanifestive lila of Krsna. The nonmanifestive lila is always visible in Goloka and the same is visible to human eyes in Gokula, if Krsna so desires. In his Krsna-sandarbha Sri Jiva Gosvami Prabhu says, "Nonmanifestive pastimes are expressed in manifestive krsna-lila. and goloka-lila is the nonmanifestive pastimes of Krsna visualized from the mundane plane." This is also corroborated by Sri Rupa in his Bhagavatamrta. The progressive transcendental manifestation of Gokula is Goloka. So Goloka is the selfsame majestic manifestation of Gokula. The eternal pastimes of Sri Krsna, although not visible in Gokula, are eternally manifested in Goloka. Goloka is the transcendental majestic manifestation of Gokula. The manifestations of the nonmanifestive pastimes of Krsna with regard to the conditioned souls, are twofold, viz., (1) worship through the channel of the mantras (inaudibly recited, liberating, self-dedicatory. transcendental sounds), (2) spontaneous outflow of heart's spiritual love for Krsna. Sri Jiva Gosvami has said that worship through the mantra is possible permanently in the proper place, when confined to one pastime. This meditative manifestation of Goloka is the pastime attended with the worship of Krsna through the mantra. Again, the pastimes that are performed in different planes and in different moods, are autocratic in diverse ways; hence sva-rasiki, i.e., spontaneous, outflow of heart's spiritual love for Krsna. This sloka conveys a twofold meaning. One meaning is that in the pastime attended with worship through the mantra consisting of eighteen transcendental letters, transcendental words contained in the said mantra being differently placed make a manifestation of only one lila of Sri Krsna. As for example klim krsnaya govindaya gopijana-vallabhaya svaha--this is a hexagonal mantra consisting of six transcendental words, viz., (1) krsnaya, (2) govindaya, (3) gopijana, (4) vallabhaya, (5) sva, (6) ha. These six transcendental words, when placed juxtapositionally. indicate the mantra.
The hexagonal great transcendental machinery is in this wise. The principal seed, i.e. klim, is situated in the instrument as the central pivot. Anybody with an impression of such an instrument in his mind and concentrating his thought on such spiritual entities, can attain, like Candradhvaja, to the knowledge of the cognitive principle. The word sva indicates ksetrajna i.e., one who is conversant with one's inner self, and the word ha indicates the transcendental nature. This meaning of the mantra has also been corroborated by Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa. The general meaning is this that one who is desirous of entering into the esoteric pastimes of Krsna will have to practice His transcendental service along with the culture of the devotional knowledge relative to Him. (1) krsna-svarupa--the proper Self of Krsna; (2) krsnasya cin-maya-vraja-lila-vilasa-svarupa--the true nature of Krsna's transcendental pastimes in Vraja; (3) tat-parikara-gopijana-svarupa--the true nature of His spiritual associates in Vraja, viz., the spiritual milkmen and the milkmaids; (4) tad-vallabha--the true nature of self-surrender to Krsna in the footsteps of the spiritual milkmaids of Vraja; (5) suddha-jivasya cid-(jnana)-svarupa--the true nature of the spiritual knowledge of the unalloyed individual soul; (6) cit-prakrtir arthat krsna-seva-svabhava--the true nature of transcendental service to Krsna is this that the esoteric relation is established on the awakening of one's pure cognition. The meaning is that rasa is only the transcendental service of the central refuge Sri Krsna, as predominating aspect of the Absolute, by one's ego as the spiritual maid of the predominated moiety of the absolute integer, attended with pure devotion in the shape of one's entire self-surrender. The pastime in Goloka or in Gokula during the stage of devotional progress, is the meditative worship through the mantra, and during the stage of perfection the pastimes manifest themselves as the unrestrained transcendental jubilations. This is the real aspect of Goloka or Gokula, which will be made more explicit in due course. The meaning of the words jyoti-rupena manuna is that the transcendental meaning is expressed in the mantra by means of which, on transcendental desire of love for Krsna and the service of Krsna being added, one is established in the eternal love of Krsna. Such eternal pastimes are eternally manifested in Goloka.
TEXT 4
tat-kinjalkam tad-amsanam
tat-patrani sriyam api
SYNONYMS
tat--of that (lotus); kinjalkam--the petals; tat-amsanam--of His (Krsna's) fragmental portions; tat--of that (lotus); patrani--the leaves; sriyam--of the gopis (headed by Srimati Radharani); api--also.
TRANSLATION
The whorl of that eternal realm Gokula is the hexagonal abode of Krsna. Its petals are the abodes of gopis who are part and parcel of Krsna to whom they are most lovingly devoted and are similar in essence. The petals shine beautifully like so many walls. The extended leaves of that lotus are the gardenlike dhama, i.e. spiritual abode of Sri Radhika, the most beloved of Krsna.
PURPORT
The transcendental Gokula is shaped like the lotus. The eternal world is like a hexagonal figure; in that the entities Sri Radha-Krsna, appearing in the form of a mantra consisting of eighteen transcendental letters, are centered. The propagating manifestations emanating from the cit potency are present there with the said entities as the center. Sri Radha-Krsna is the primary cause or the seed Himself. Gopala-tapani says, "Omkara" signifies the All-Powerful Gopala and His potency; and "klim" is the same as omkara. Hence kama-bija or the primary cause of all-love, is connotative of the entities Sri Radha-Krsna.
TEXT 5
catur-asram tat-paritah
svetadvipakhyam adbhutam
catur-asram catur-murtes
catur-dhama catus-krtam
caturbhih purusarthais ca
caturbhir hetubhir vrtam
sulair dasabhir anaddham
urdhvadho dig-vidiksv api
astabhir nidhibhir justam
astabhih siddhibhis tatha
manu-rupais ca dasabhir
dik-palaih parito vrtam
syamair gaurais ca raktais ca
suklais ca parsadarsabhaih
sobhitam saktibhis tabhir
adbhutabhih samantatah
SYNONYMS
catuh-asram---quadrangular place; tat--that (Gokula); paritah--surrounding; sveta-dvipa--Svetadvipa (the white island); akhyam--named; adbhutam--mysterious; catuh-asram--quadrangular; catuh-murteh--of the four primary expansions (Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha); catuh-dhama--consisting of four abodes; catuh-krtam--divided into four parts; caturbhih--by the four; purusa-arthaih--human requirements; ca--and; caturbhih--by the four; hetubhih--causes, or bases of achievement; vrtam--enveloped; sulaih--with tridents; dasabhih--ten; anaddham--fixed; urdhva-adhah--upwards and downwards (the zenith and nadir); dik--(in) the directions (north, south, east, and west); vidiksu--and in the intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest); api--also; astabhih--with the eight; nidhibhih--jewels; justam--endowed; astabhih--with the eight; siddhibhih--mystic perfections (anima, laghima, prapti, prakamya, mahima, isitva, vasitva, and kamavasayita); tatha--also; manu-rupaih--in the form of mantras; ca--and; dasabhih--by ten; dik-palaih--protectors of the directions; paritah--all around; vrtam--surrounded; syamaih--blue; gauraih--yellow; ca--and; raktaih--red; ca--and; suklaih--white; ca--also; parsada-rsabhaih--with the topmost associates; sobhitam--shining; saktibhih--with potencies; tabhih--those; adbhutabhih--extraordinary; samantatah--on all sides.
TRANSLATION
[The surrounding external plane of Gokula is described in this verse.] There is a mysterious quadrangular place named Svetadvipa surrounding the outskirts of Gokula. Svetadvipa is divided into four parts on all sides. The abode of Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are separately located in each of these four parts. These four divided abodes are enveloped by the fourfold human requirements such as piety, wealth, passion and liberation, as also by the four Vedas, viz., Rg, Sama, Yajur and Atharva, which deal with the mantra and which are the bases of achievements of the fourfold mundane requirements. Ten tridents are fixed in the ten directions, including the zenith and nadir. The eight directions are decorated with the eight jewels of Mahapadma, Padma, Sankha, Makara, Kacchapa, Mukunda, Kunda, and Nila. There are ten protectors [dik-palas] of the ten directions in the form of mantra. The associates of the hues of blue, yellow, red and white and the extraordinary potencies bearing the names of Vimala, etc., shine on all sides.
PURPORT
Primarily Gokula is the seat of transcendental love and devotion. Hence Yamuna, Sri Govardhana, Sri Radha-kunda, etc., of the terrestrial Vraja-mandala lie within Gokula. Again, all the majesties of Vaikuntha are manifested there extending in all directions. The pastimes of the four propagating manifestations are all there in their proper places. The paravyoma Vaikuntha has got its extension from the display of the four propagating manifestations. Salvation as of Vaikuntha, and piety. wealth and passion pertaining to worldly people, are in the proper places in Gokula as their original seed, i.e., primary cause. The Vedas also are engaged in singing the song of the Lord of Gokula. There are ten tridents in ten directions to prevent and disappoint those who are aspirants for having an entrance into Goloka through meditations without the grace of Krsna. Self-conceited people who try to reach this region through the paths of yoga (meditation) and jnana (empiric knowledge) are baffled in their attempts, being pierced by the ten tridents. Self-annihilation has its excellence in Brahma-dhama which represents the outside covering of Goloka in the shape of tridents. Sula means a trident; the mundane threefold attributes and the threefold divisions of time represent the trident. Astanga-yogis i.e. ascetics who practice the eightfold yoga, are the nondifferentiative liberationists who, trying to approach in the direction of Goloka, fall headlong into the pits of disappointment by being pierced and cut asunder by these tridents placed in ten directions. Those who proceed towards the direction of Goloka through the channel of devotion alloyed with majestic ideas, are fascinated with the charms of Vaikuntha which is the outer covering plane of Sri Goloka, at the sight of the eight perfections, viz., anima, etc., and majesties like mahapadma, etc. Those who are less forward in their intelligence relapse to the sevenfold world falling under the control of the ten protectors (of the ten directions) in the guise of mantras. In this wise, Goloka has become unknowable and inaccessible. It is only the divine selves of Godhead, the propounders of the divine dispensations for the different ages, who are always forward there to favor the approaching devotees who seek entry into the realm of Goloka through the channel of pure devotional love. These divine forms of Godhead are surrounded there with attendants of their respective natures. Svetadvipa in Goloka is their place of abode. Hence Srila Thakura Vrndavana the manifest Vyasa of caitanya-lila, has described the village of Navadvipa as bearing the name of Svetadvipa. In this Svetadvipa the concluding portions of the pastimes of Gokula exist eternally as the pastimes of Navadvipa. Hence the region of Navadvipa, Vraja and the realm of Goloka are one and the same indivisible entity; the difference only lies in the manifestations of the infinite variety of sentiments, corresponding to the diverse nature of their devotional love. There is in this a most hidden principle which only the greatest souls who are possessed of the highest transcendental love, are enabled to realize by the direct grace of Krsna. The truth is as follows: In this mundane world there are fourteen spheres disposed in the graded order of high and low. Persons living with wives and children hankering for the pleasure-giving effect of their fruitive actions, move up and down within the limits of the three worlds of Bhuh, Bhuvah and Svah. Brahmacaris of great austerities, ascetics and persons addicted to hypothetical truth, persons of a neutral disposition adopting nonfruitive works by an aptitude which seeks to be free from all mundane desires, move up and down within the limits of the worlds of Mahah, Janah, Tapah and Satya. Above these worlds lies the abode of four-headed Brahma, above which lies the unlimited realm of Vaikuntha of Visnu, Ksirodakasayi, lying in the ocean of milk. paramahamsa-sannyasis and the demons killed by Sri Hari, by crossing the Viraja, i.e., by passing beyond the fourteen worlds, enter into the luminous realm of Brahman and attain to nirvana in the form of temporary abeyance of the temporal ego. But the devotee actuated by knowledge (jnana-bhakta), the devotee actuated by the pure devotional aptitude (suddha-bhakta), the devotee imbued with loving devotion (prema-bhakta), the devotee actuated by pure love (premapara-bhakta), and the devotee impelled by overwhelming love (prematura-bhakta), who serve the majesty of Godhead, have their locations in Vaikuntha, i.e., the transcendental realm of Sri Narayana.
The devotees who are imbued with all-love and who walk in the footsteps of the spiritual maids of Vraja, alone attain to the realm of Goloka. The different locations of the devotees in Goloka according to the respective differences in the nature of their rasa, i.e., mellow quality. are settled by the inconceivable power of Krsna. The pure devotees following the devotees of Vraja and those following the pure devotees of Navadvipa are located in the realm of Krsna and Gaura respectively. The identical devotees of Vraja and Navadvipa simultaneously attain to the pleasures of service in the realm of Krsna and Gaura. Sri Jiva Gosvami writes in his work Gopala-campu that "the supreme transcendental realm is called Goloka being the abode of go, transcendental cows, and gopa, transcendental cowherds. This is the seat of the rasa pastimes of the absolute Sri Krsna. Again the realm is called Svetadvipa owing to the realization of some of the rasas which are the inconceivable manifestation derived from the untouched purity of that supreme realm. The twofold entities of the supreme Goloka and the supreme Svetadvipa are indivisibly the realm of Goloka." The gist of the whole matter is this--Goloka as Svetadvipa is eternally manifest because the pleasures of enjoyment of the rasa could not be had in its entirety in the pastimes of Krsna in Vraja. He accepts the emotion and effulgence of His predominated moiety. Sri Radhika, and makes an eternal pastime for the enjoyment of krsna-rasa there. Sri Krsnacandra coveting to taste the following pleasures, viz., to realize (1) the nature of the greatness of love of Sri Radha; (2) the nature of the wonderful sweetness of His love of which Sri Radhika has got the taste; (3) the nature of the exquisite joy that accrues to Sri Radha by Her realization of the sweetness of His love, took His birth, like the moon, in the ocean of the womb of Sri Saci-devi. The esoteric desire of Sri Jiva Gosvami Prabhu is herein made manifest. In the Veda it is also said, "Let me tell you the mystery. In Navadvipa, the identical realm of Goloka, on the bank of the Ganges, Gauracandra who is Govinda, the entity of pure cognition, who has two hands, who is the soul of all souls, who has the supreme great personality as the great meditative sannyasin and who is beyond the threefold mundane attributes, makes the process of pure unalloyed devotion manifest in this mundane world. He is sole Godhead. He is the source of all forms, the Supreme Soul and is Godhead manifesting Himself in yellow, red, blue and white colors. He is the direct entity of pure cognition full of the spiritual (cit) potency. He is the figure of the devotee. He is the bestower of devotion and cognizable by devotion alone. The selfsame Gauracandra, who is no other than Krsna Himself, in order to taste the rasa of the pastimes of Radha-Krsna in Goloka, is manifest in the eternal realm of Navadvipa identical with Goloka." This is also clear from the Vedic declarations, viz., asan varnas trayah, krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam, yatha pasyah pasyati rukma-varnam, mahan prabhur vai and various other statements of the theistic scriptures. Just as Sri Krsna had His birth in the mundane Gokula through the agency of Yogamaya who is the primal energy of the Supreme Lord, so with her help He manifests the lila of His birth in the womb of Saci-devi in Navadvipa on this mundane plane. These are the absolute truths of spiritual science and not the outcome of imaginary speculation under the thraldom of the deluding energy of Godhead.
TEXT 6
evam jyotir-mayo devah
sad-anandah parat parah
atmaramasya tasyasti
prakrtya na samagamah
SYNONYMS
evam--thus; jyotih-mayah--transcendental; devah--the Lord; sat-anandah--the own Self of eternal ecstasies; parat parah--the superior of all superiors; atma-aramasya--engaged in the enjoyments of the transcendental realm; tasya--of Him; asti--there is; prakrtya--with the mundane potency; na--not; samagamah--association.
TRANSLATION
The Lord of Gokula is the transcendental Supreme Godhead, the own Self of eternal ecstasies. He is the superior of all superiors and is busily engaged in the enjoyments of the transcendental realm and has no association with His mundane potency.
PURPORT
The sole potency of Krsna which is spiritual, functioning as Krsna's own proper power, has manifested His pastimes of Goloka or Gokula. By her grace individual souls who are constituents of the marginal potency can have admission into even those pastimes. The deluding energy who is of the nature of the perverted reflection of the spiritual (cit) potency. has got her location on the other side of the river Viraja, which surrounds the Brahma-dhama forming the boundary of Maha-Vaikuntha as the outer envelope of Goloka. The position of Goloka being absolutely unalloyed with the mundane, deluding energy. far from having any association with Krsna, feels ashamed to appear before His view.
TEXT 7
mayayaramamanasya
na viyogas taya saha
atmana ramaya reme
tyakta-kalam sisrksaya
SYNONYMS
mayaya--with the illusory energy; aramamanasya--of Him, who never consorts; na--not; viyogah--complete separation; taya--her; saha--from; atmana--with His own; ramaya--spiritual potency, Rama; reme--consorts; tyakta-kalam--by casting His glance in the shape of sending His time energy; sisrksaya--with the desire to create.
TRANSLATION
Krsna never consorts with His illusory energy. Still her connection is not entirely cut off from the Absolute Truth. When He intends to create the material world the amorous pastime, in which He engages by consorting with His own spiritual [cit] potency Rama by casting His glance at the deluding energy in the shape of sending His time energy, is an auxiliary activity.
PURPORT
The illusory energy has no direct contact with Krsna, but has got indirect contact. Visnu the prime cause, lying in the Causal Ocean, the plenary portion of Maha-Sankarsana who has His scat in Maha-Vaikuntha the sphere of Krsna's own extended transcendental pastimes, casts His glance towards the deluding energy. Even in casting His glance He has no contact with the deluding energy because the spiritual (cit) potency Rama then carries the function of His glance as His unpolluted ever-submissive potency. The deluding energy as the maidservant of the spiritual (cit) potency Rama, serves the manifested plenary portion of Godhead consorted with Rama, the time energy representing the force of activity and instrumentality of Rama; hence there is found the process of masculinity or the creative force.
TEXT 8
niyatih sa rama devi
tat-priya tad-vasam tada
tal-lingam bhagavan sambhur
jyoti-rupah sanatanah
ya yonih sapara saktih
kamo bijam mahad dhareh
SYNONYMS
niyatih--the regulator; sa--she; rama--the spiritual potency; devi--the goddess; tat--of Him; priya--beloved; tat--of Him; vasam--under the control; tada--then (at the time of creation); tat--of Him; lingam--the masculine symbol, or manifested emblem; bhagavan--possessing opulences; sambhuh--Sambhu; jyotih-rupah--halo; sanatanah--eternal; ya--which; yonih--the symbol of mundane feminine productivity; sa--that; apara--nonabsolute; saktih--potency; kamah--the desire; bijam--the seed; mahat--the faculty of perverted cognition; hareh--of the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION
[The secondary process of association with Maya is described.] Ramadevi, the spiritual [cit] potency, beloved consort of the Supreme Lord, is the regulatrix of all entities. The divine plenary portion of Krsna creates the mundane world. At creation there appears a divine halo of the nature of His own subjective portion [svamsa]. This halo is divine Sambhu, the masculine symbol or manifested emblem of the Supreme Lord. This halo is the dim twilight reflection of the supreme eternal effulgence. This masculine symbol is the subjective portion of divinity who functions as progenitor of the mundane world, subject to the supreme regulatrix [niyati]. The conceiving potency in regard to mundane creation makes her appearance out of the supreme regulatrix. She is Maya, the limited, nonabsolute [apara] potency, the symbol of mundane feminine productivity. The intercourse of these two brings forth the faculty of perverted cognition, the reflection of the seed of the procreative desire of the Supreme Lord.
PURPORT
Sankarsana possessed of creative desire is the subjective portion of Krsna taking the initiative in bringing about the birth of the mundane world. Lying in the causal water as the primal purusa-avatara He casts His glance towards Maya (the limited potency). Such glance is the efficient cause of the mundane creation. Sambhu the symbol of masculine mundane procreation is the dim halo of this reflected effulgence. It is this symbol which is applied to the organ of generation of Maya, the shadow of Rama or the divine potency. The first phase of the appearance of the mundane desire created by Maha-Visnu is called the seminal principle of mahat or the perverted cognitive faculty. It is this which is identical with the mental principle ripe for procreative activity. The conception underlying it is that it is the will of the purusa who creates by using the efficient and material principles. Efficiency is Maya or the productive feminine organ. The material principle is Sambhu or the procreative masculine organ. Maha-Visnu is purusa or the dominating divine person wielding the will. Pradhana or the substantive principle in the shape of mundane entities, is the material principle. Nature embodying the accommodating principle (adhara), is Maya. The principle of embodied will bringing about the intercourse of the two, is the dominating divine person (purusa), subjective portion of Krsna, the manifestor of the mundane world. All of these three are creators. The seed of amorous creative desire in Goloka, is the embodiment of pure cognition. The seed of sex desire to be found in this mundane world, is that of Kali, etc., who are the shadows of the divine potency. The former, although it is the prototype of the latter, is located very far from it. The seed of the mundane sex desire is the perverted reflection in this mundane world of the seed of the original creative desire. The process of the appearance of Sambhu is recorded in the tenth and fifteenth slokas.
TEXT 9
linga-yony-atmika jata
ima mahesvari-prajah
SYNONYMS
linga--of the mundane masculine generative organs; yoni--and of the mundane feminine generative organs; atmikah--as the embodiment; jatah--born; imah--these; mahesvari--of the consort of the great lord of this mundane world; prajah--the offspring.
TRANSLATION
All offspring of the consort of the great lord [Mahesvara] of this mundane world are of the nature of the embodiment of the mundane masculine and feminine generative organs.
PURPORT
The full quadrantal extension of the Supreme Lord, is His majesty. Of this the triquadrantal extensions of unlamenting, nonperishing and nonapprehending situations constitute the majesties of the realms of Vaikuntha and Goloka, etc. In this temporal realm of Maya devas and men, etc.--all these together with all mundane worlds--are the great majesties of the limited potency. All these entities are embodiments of the masculine and feminine organs of generation by the distinction of efficient and material causal principles; or, in other words, they are produced by the process of sexual intercourse between the male and female organs of generation. All the information that has been accumulated by the agency of the sciences of this world, possesses this nature of sexual co-union. Trees, plants and even all insentient entities are embodiments of the co-union of male and female. The feature that is of special significance is that although such expressions as "the generative organs of male and female" are indecorous yet in scientific literature these words, expressing the above-mentioned principles, are exceedingly wholesome and productive of abiding value. Indecorum is merely an entity pertaining to the external custom of society. But science, and specially the highest science, cannot destroy the true entity by deference to social custom. Wherefore, in order to demonstrate the seed of mundane sex desire, the basic principle of this phenomenal world, the use of those identical words is indispensable. By the use of all these words only the masculine energy or the predominating active potency. and female energy or the predominated active potency. are to be understood.
TEXT 10
saktiman purusah so 'yam
linga-rupi mahesvarah
tasminn avirabhul linge
maha-visnur jagat-patih
SYNONYMS
saktiman- joined to his female consort; purusah--person; sah--he; ayam--this; linga-rupi--in the form of the male generating organ; maha-isvarah--Sambhu, the lord of this mundane world; tasmin--in that; avirabhut--manifested; linge--in the manifested emblem; maha-visnuh--Maha-Visnu; jagat-patih--the Lord of the world.
TRANSLATION
The person embodying the material causal principle, viz., the great lord of this mundane world [Mahesvara] Samhhu, in the form of the male generating organ, is joined to his female consort the limited energy [Maya] as the efficient causal principle. The Lord of the world Maha-Visnu is manifest in him by His subjective portion in the form of His glance.
PURPORT
In the transcendental atmosphere (para-vyoma), where spiritual majesty preponderates, there is present Sri Narayana who is not different from Krsna. Maha-Sankarsana, subjective plenary facsimile of the extended personality of Sri Narayana, is also the divine plenary portion of the propagatory embodiment of Sri Krsna. By the power of His spiritual energy a plenary subjective portion of Him, eternally reposing in the neutral stream of Viraja forming the boundary between the spiritual and mundane realms, casts His glance, at creation, unto the limited shadow potency. Maya, who is located far away from Himself. Thereupon Sambhu, lord of pradhana embodying the substantive principle of all material entities, who is the same as Rudra, the dim reflection of the Supreme Lord's own divine glance, consummates his intercourse with Maya, the efficient mundane causal principle. But he can do nothing independently of the energy of Maha-Visnu representing the direct spiritual power of Krsna. Therefore, the principle of mahat, or the perverted cognitive faculty. is produced only when the subjective plenary portion of Krsna, viz., the prime divine avatara Maha-Visnu who is the subjective portion of Sankarsana, Himself the subjective portion of Krsna, is propitious towards the active mutual endeavors of Maya, Siva's consort (sakti), and pradhana or the principle of substantive mundane causality. Agreeably to the initiative of Maha-Visnu the consort of Siva creates successively the mundane ego (ahankara), the five mundane elements (bhutas) viz., space etc., their attributes (tan-matras) and the limited senses of the conditioned soul (jiva). The constituent particles, in the form of pencils of effulgence of Maha-Visnu, are manifest as the individual souls (jivas). This will be elaborated in the sequel.
TEXT 11
sahasra-sirsa purusah
sahasraksah sahasra-pat
sahasra-bahur visvatma
sahasramsah sahasra-suh
SYNONYMS
sahasra-sirsa--possessing thousands of heads; purusah--Lord Maha-Visnu, the first purusa-avatara; sahasra-aksah--possessing thousands of eyes; sahasra-pat--possessing thousands of legs; sahasra-bahuh--possessing thousands of arms; visva-atma--the Supersoul of the universe; sahasra-amsah--the source of thousands of avataras; sahasra-suh--the creator of thousands of individual souls.
TRANSLATION
The Lord of the mundane world, Maha-Visnu, possesses thousands of thousands of heads, eyes, hands. He is the source of thousands of thousands of avataras in His thousands of thousands of subjective portions. He is the creator of thousands of thousands of individual souls.
PURPORT
Maha-Visnu, the object of worship of the hymns of all the Vedas, is possessed of an infinity of senses and potencies, and He is the prime avatara-purusa, the source of all the avataras.
TEXT 12
narayanah sa bhagavan
apas tasmat sanatanat
avirasit karanarno
nidhih sankarsanatmakah
yoga-nidram gatas tasmin
sahasramsah svayam mahan
SYNONYMS
narayanah--named Narayana; sah--that; bhagavan--Supreme Personality of Godhead, Maha-Visnu; apah--water; tasmat--from that; sanatanat--eternal person; avirasit--has sprung; karana-arnah--the Causal Ocean; nidhih--expanse of water; sankarsana-atmakah--the subjective portion of Sankarsana; yoga-nidram gatah--in the state of deep sleep; tasmin--in that (water); sahasra-amsah--with thousands of portions; svayam--Himself; mahan--the Supreme Person.
TRANSLATION
The same Maha-Visnu is spoken of by the name of "Narayana" in this mundane world. From that eternal person has sprung the vast expanse of water of the spiritual Causal Ocean. The subjective portion of Sankarsana who abides in paravyoma, the above supreme purusa with thousands of subjective portions, reposes in the state of divine sleep [yoga-nidra] in the waters of the spiritual Causal Ocean.
PURPORT
Yoga-nidra (divine sleep) is spoken of as ecstatic trance which is of the nature of the bliss of the true subjective personality. The above-mentioned Ramadevi is yoga-nidra in the form of Yogamaya.
TEXT 13
tad-roma-bila jalesu
bijam sankarsanasya ca
haimany andani jatani
maha-bhutavrtani tu
SYNONYMS
tat--of Him (Maha-Visnu); roma-bila-jalesu--in the pores of the skin; bijam--the seeds; sankarsanasya--of Sankarsana; ca--and; haimani--golden; andani--eggs or sperms; jata-ni--born; maha-bhuta--by the five great elements; avrtani--covered; tu--certainly.
TRANSLATION
The spiritual seeds of Sankarsana existing in the pores of skin of Maha-Visnu, are born as so many golden sperms. These sperms are covered with five great elements.
PURPORT
The prime divine avatara lying in the spiritual Causal Ocean is such a great affair that in the pores of His divine form spring up myriads of seeds of the universes. Those series of universes are the perverted reflections of the infinite transcendental region. As long as they remain embedded in His divine form they embody the principle of spiritual reflection having the form of golden eggs. Nevertheless by the creative desire of Maha-Visnu the minute particles of the great elements, which are constituents of the mundane efficient and material causal principles, envelop them. When those golden sperms, coming out with the exhalation of Maha-Visnu, enter into the unlimited accommodating chamber of the limited potency (Maya) they become enlarged by the nonconglomerate great elements.
TEXT 14
praty-andam evam ekamsad
ekamsad visati svayam
sahasra-murdha visvatma
maha-visnuh sanatanah
SYNONYMS
prati--each; andam--egglike universe; evam--thus; eka-amsat eka-amsat--as His own separate subjective portions; visati--enters; svayam--personally; sahasra-murdha--possessing thousands of heads; visva-atma--the Supersoul of the universe; maha-visnuh--Maha-Visnu; sanatanah--eternal.
TRANSLATION
The same Maha-Visnu entered into each universe as His own separate subjective portions. The divine portions, that entered into each universe are possessed of His majestic extension, i.e., they are the eternal universal soul Maha-Visnu, possessing thousands of thousands of heads.
PURPORT
Maha-Visnu lying in the spiritual Causal Ocean is the subjective portion of Maha-Sankarsana. He entered, as His own subjective portions, into those universes. These individual portions all represent the second divine purusa lying in the ocean of conception and is identical with Maha-Visnu in every respect. He is also spoken of as the divine guide, from within, of all souls.
TEXT 15
vamangad asrjad visnum
daksinangat prajapatim
jyotir-linga-mayam sambhum
kurca-desad avasrjat
SYNONYMS
vama-angat--from His left limb; asrjat--He created; visnum--Lord Visnu; daksina-angat--from His right limb; prajapatim--Hiranyagarbha Brahma; jyotih-linga--the divine masculine manifested halo; mayam-"comprising; sambhum--Sambhu; kurca-desat--from the space between His two eyebrows; avasrjat--He created.
TRANSLATION
The same Maha-Visnu created Visnu from His left limb, Brahma, the first progenitor of beings, from His right limb and, from the space between His two eyebrows, Sambhu, the divine masculine manifested halo.
PURPORT
The divine purusa, lying in the ocean of milk, the same who is the regulator of all individual souls, is Sri Visnu; and Hiranyagarbha, the seminal principle, the portion of the Supreme Lord, is the prime progenitor who is different from the four-faced Brahma. This same Hiranyagarbha is the principle of seminal creating energy of every Brahma belonging to each of the infinity of universes. The divine masculine manifested halo, Sambhu, is the plenary manifestation of his prototype Sambhu, the same as the primary divine masculine generative symbol Sambhu whose nature has already been described. Visnu is the integral subjective portion of Maha-Visnu. Hence He is the great Lord of all the other lords. The progenitor (Brahma) and Sambhu are the dislocated portions of Maha-Visnu. Hence they are gods with delegated functions. His own potency being on the left side of Godhead, Visnu appears in the left limb of Maha-Visnu from the unalloyed essence of His spiritual (cit) potency. Visnu, who is Godhead Himself, is the inner guiding oversoul of every individual soul. He is the Personality of Godhead described in the Vedas as being of the measure of a thumb. He is the nourisher. The karmis (elevationists) worship Him as Narayana, the Lord of sacrifices, and the yogis desire to merge their identities in Him as Paramatma, by the process of their meditative trance.
TEXT 16
ahankaratmakam visvam
tasmad etad vyajayata
SYNONYMS
ahankara--the mundane egotistic principle; atmakam--enshrining; visvam--universe; tasmat--from that (Sambhu); etat--this; vyajayata--has originated.
TRANSLATION
The function of Sambhu in relation to jivas is that this universe enshrining the mundane egotistic principle has originated from Sambhu.
PURPORT
The basic principle is the Supreme Lord Himself who is the embodiment of the principle of existence of all entities devoid of separating egotisms. In this mundane world the appearance of individual entities as separated egotistic symbols, is the limited perverted reflection of the unalloyed spiritual (cit) potency; and, as representing the primal masculine divine generative function Sambhu, it is united to the accommodating principle, viz., the mundane female organ which is the perverted reflection of the spiritual (cit) potency, Ramadevi. At this function Sambhu is nothing but the mere material causal principle embodying the extension in the shape of ingredient as matter. Again when in course of the progressive evolution of mundane creation each universe is manifested, then in the principle of Sambhu, born of the space between the two eyebrows of Visnu, there appears the manifestation of the personality of Rudra; yet under all circumstances Sambhu fully enshrines the mundane egotistic principle. The innumerable jivas as spiritual particles emanating from the oversoul in the form of pencils of rays of effulgence, have no relation with the mundane world when they come to know themselves to be the eternal servants of the Supreme Lord. They are then incorporated into the realm of Vaikuntha. But when they desire to lord it over Maya, forgetting their real identity. the egotistic principle Sambhu entering into their entities makes them identify themselves as separated enjoyers of mundane entities. Hence Sambhu is the primary principle of the egotistic mundane universe and of perverted egotism in jivas that identifies itself with their limited material bodies.
TEXT 17
atha tais tri-vidhair vesair
lilam udvahatah kila
yoga-nidra bhagavati
tasya srir iva sangata
SYNONYMS
atha--thereupon; taih--with those; tri-vidhaih--threefold; vesaih--forms; lilam--pastimes; udvahatah--carrying on; kila--indeed; yoga-nidra--Yoganidra; bhagavati--full of the ecstatic trance of eternal bliss; tasya--of Him; srih--the goddess of fortune; iva--like; sangata--consorted with.
TRANSLATION
Thereupon the same great personal Godhead, assuming the threefold forms of Visnu, Prajapati and Sambhu, entering into the mundane universe, plays the pastimes of preservation, creation and destruction of this world. This pastime is contained in the mundane world. Hence, it being perverted, the Supreme Lord, identical with Maha-Visnu, prefers to consort with the goddess Yoganidra, the constituent of His own spiritual [cit] potency full of the ecstatic trance of eternal bliss appertaining to His own divine personality.
PURPORT
The dislocated portions of the Divinity. viz., Prajapati and Sambhu, both identifying themselves as entities who are separate from the divine essence, sport with their respective nonspiritual (acit) consorts, viz., Savitri-devi and Uma-devi, the perverted reflections of the spiritual (cit) potency. The Supreme Lord Visnu is the only Lord of the spiritual (cit) potency. Rama or Laksmi.
TEXT 18
sisrksayam tato nabhes
tasya padmam viniryayau
tan-nalam hema-nalinam
brahmano lokam adbhutam
SYNONYMS
sisrksayam--when there was the will to create; tatah--then; nabheh--from the navel; tasya--of Him; padmam--a lotus; viniryayau--came out; tat-nalam--its stem; hema-nalinam--like a golden lotus; brahmanah--of Brahma; lokam--the abode; adbhutam--wonderful.
TRANSLATION
When Visnu lying in the ocean of milk wills to create this universe, a golden lotus springs from His navel-pit. The golden lotus with its stem is the abode of Brahma representing Brahmaloka or Satyaloka.
PURPORT
"Gold" here means the dim reflection of pure cognition.
TEXT 19
tattvani purva-rudhani
karanani parasparam
samavayaprayogac ca
vibhinnani prthak prthak
cic-chaktya sajjamano 'tha
bhagavan adi-purusah
yojayan mayaya devo
yoga-nidram akalpayat
SYNONYMS
tattvani--elements; purva-rudhani--previously created; karanani--causes; parasparam--mutually; samavaya--of the process of conglomeration; aprayogat--from the nonapplication; ca--and; vibhinnani--separate; prthak prthak--one from another; cit-saktya--with His spiritual potency; sajjamanah--associating; atha--then; bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; adi-purusah--the primal Godhead; yojayan--causing to join; mayaya--with Maya; devah--the Lord; yoga-nidram--Yoganidra; akalpayat--He consorted with.
TRANSLATION
Before their conglomeration the primary elements in their nascent state remained originally separate entities. Nonapplication of the conglomerating process is the cause of their separate existence. Divine Maha-Visnu, primal Godhead, through association with His own spiritual [cit] potency, moved Maya and by the application of the conglomerating principle created those different entities in their state of cooperation. And alter that He Himself consorted with Yoganidra by way of His eternal dalliance with His spiritual [cit] potency.
PURPORT
Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: "The mundane energy prakrti gives birth to this universe of animate and inanimate beings by My direction." The purport of this sloka of the Gita is that Maya, the perverted reflection of spiritual (cit) potency. was at first inactive and her extension of matter constituting the material cause was also in the separately dislocated state. In accordance with the will of Krsna this world is manifested as the resultant of the union of the efficient and the material causal principles of Maya. In spite of that, the Supreme Lord Himself remains united with His cit potency. Yoganidra. The word yoganidra or yogamaya indicates as follows: The nature of cit potency is manifestive of the Absolute Truth, while the nature of her perverted reflection, Maya, is envelopment in the gloom of ignorance. When Krsna desires to manifest something in the mundane ignorance-wrapt affairs, He does this by the conjunction of His spiritual potency with His inactive nonspiritual potency. This is known as Yogamaya. It carries a twofold notion, namely. transcendental notion and mundane inert notion. Krsna Himself, His subjective portions and those jivas who are His unalloyed separated particles, realize the transcendental notion in that conjunction, while conditioned souls feel the mundane inert notion. The external coating of transcendental knowledge in the conscious activities of conditioned souls, bears the name of Yoganidra. This is also an influence of the cit potency of the Divinity. This principle will be more elaborately considered hereafter.
TEXT 20
yojayitva tu tany eva
pravivesa svayam guham
guham praviste tasmims tu
jivatma pratibudhyate
SYNONYMS
yojayitva--after conglomerating; tu--then; tani--them; eva--certainly; pravivesa--He entered; svayam--Himself; guham--the hidden cavity; guham--the hidden cavity; praviste--after He entered; tasmin--within that; tu--then; jiva-atma--the jivas; pratibudhyate--were awakened.
TRANSLATION
By conglomerating all those separate entities He manifested the innumerable mundane universes and Himself entered into the inmost recess of every extended conglomerate [virad-vigraha]. At that time those jivas who had lain dormant during the cataclysm were awakened.
PURPORT
The word guha (hidden cavity) bears various interpretations in the sastras. In some portions the nonmanifestive pastimes of the Lord is called guha and elsewhere the resting place of the indwelling spirit of all individual souls, is named guha. In many places the inmost recesses of the heart of each individual is termed guha. The main point is that the place which is hidden from the view of men in general, is designated guha. Those jivas that were merged in Hari at the end of the life of Brahma in the great cataclysm during the preceding great age of the universe, reappeared in this world in accordance with their former fruitive desires.
TEXT 21
sa nityo nitya-sambandhah
prakrtis ca paraiva sa
SYNONYMS
sah--that (jiva); nityah--eternal; nitya-sambandhah--possessing an eternal relationship; prakrtih--potency; ca--and; para--spiritual; eva--certainly; sa--that.
TRANSLATION
The same jiva is eternal and is for eternity and without a beginning joined to the Supreme Lord by the tie of an eternal kinship. He is transcendental spiritual potency.
PURPORT
Just as the sun is eternally associated with his rays so the transcendental Supreme Lord is eternally joined with the jivas. The jivas are the infinitesimal particles of His spiritual effulgence and are, therefore, not perishable like mundane things. Jivas, being particles of Godhead's effulgent rays, exhibit on a minute scale the qualities of the Divinity. Hence jivas are identical with the principles of knowledge, knower, egoism, enjoyer, meditator and doer. Krsna is the all-pervading, all-extending Supreme Lord; while jivas have a different nature from His, being His atomic particles. That eternal relationship consists in this that the Supreme Lord is the eternal master and jivas are His eternal servants. Jivas have also sufficient eligibility in respect of the mellow quality of the Divinity. Apareyam itas tv anyam prakrtim viddhi me param. By this verse of the Gita it is made known that jivas are His transcendental potency. All the qualities of the unalloyed soul are above the eightfold qualities such as egotism, etc., pertaining to His acit potency. Hence the jiva potency. though very small in magnitude, is still superior to acit potency or Maya. This potency has another name, viz., tatastha or marginal potency. being located on the line demarcating the spheres of the spiritual and mundane potencies. He is susceptible to the influence of the material energy owing to his small magnitude. But so long as he remains submissive to Krsna, the Lord of Maya, he is not liable to the influence of Maya. The worldly afflictions, births and rebirths are the concomitants of the fettered condition of souls fallen into the clutches of the deluding potency from a time that has no beginning.
TEXT 22
evam sarvatma-sambandham
nabhyam padmam harer abhut
tatra brahmabhavad bhuyas
catur-vedi catur-mukhah
SYNONYMS
evam--thus; sarva-atma--with all souls; sambandham--related; nabhyam--from the navel; padmam--a lotus; hareh--of Visnu; abhut--sprung up; tatra--there; brahma--Brahma; abhavat--was born; bhuyah--again; catuh-vedi--versed in the four Vedas; catuh-mukhah--four-faced.
TRANSLATION
The divine lotus which springs from the navel-pit of Visnu is in every way related by the spiritual tie with all souls and is the origin of four-faced Brahma versed in the four Vedas.
PURPORT
The same divine lotus originating from the divine person entered into the hidden recess, is the superior plane of aggregation of all individual souls. The four-faced Brahma, the image of self-enjoyment, derives his origin from the prototype Brahma or Hiranyagarbha, the mundane seminal principle, who regards the aggregate of all mundane entities as his own proper body. The delegated godship of Brahma as well as his being the dislocated portion of Krsna, are also established.
TEXT 23
sanjato bhagavac-chaktya
tat-kalam kila coditah
sisrksayam matim cakre
purva-samskara-samskrtah
dadarsa kevalam dhvantam
nanyat kim api sarvatah
SYNONYMS
sanjatah--on being born; bhagavat-saktya--by the divine potency; tat-kalam--at that time; kila--indeed; coditah--being guided; sisrksayam--to the act of creation; matim--his mind; cakre--turned; purva-samskara-samskrtah--under the impulse of previous impressions; dadarsa--he saw; kevalam--only; dhvantam--darkness; na--not; anyat--else; kim api--anything; sarvatah--in every direction.
TRANSLATION
On coming out of the lotus, Brahma, being guided by the divine potency tuned his mind to the act of creation under the impulse of previous impressions. But he could see nothing but darkness in every direction.
PURPORT
Brahma's impulse for creation arises solely from his previous impressions. All jivas get their nature conformably to their impressions of previous births and accordingly their activity can have a beginning. It is called "the unseen" or the result of one's previous deeds. His natural impulse is formed according to the nature of the deeds done by him in the previous kalpa. Some of the eligible jivas also attain to the office of Brahma in this way.
TEXT 24
uvaca puratas tasmai
tasya divya sarasvati
kama-krsnaya govinda
he gopi-jana ity api
vallabhaya priya vahner
mantram te dasyati priyam
SYNONYMS
uvaca--said; puratah--in front; tasmai--to him; tasya--of Him (the Supreme Lord); divya--divine; sarasvati--the goddess of learning; kama--the kama-bija (klim); krsnaya--to Krsna; govinda--govindaya, to Govinda; he--O; gopi-jana--of the gopis; iti--thus; api--also; vallabhaya--to the dear one; priya vahneh--the wife of Agni, Svaha (the word svaha is uttered while offering oblations); mantram--mantra; te--to you; dasyati--will give; priyam--the heart's desire.
TRANSLATION
Then the goddess of learning Sarasvati, the divine consort of the Supreme Lord, said thus to Brahma who saw nothing but gloom in all directions, "O Brahma, this mantra, viz., klim krsnaya govindaya gopi-jana-vallabhaya svaha, will assuredly fulfill your heart's desire."
PURPORT
The mantra, consisting of the eighteen divine letters prefixed by the kama-bija, is alone superexcellent. It has a twofold aspect. One aspect is that it tends to make the pure soul run after all-attractive Sri Krsna, the Lord of Gokula and the divine milkmaids. This is the acme of the spiritual tendency of jivas. When the devotee is free from all sorts of mundane desires and willing to serve the Lord he attains the fruition of his heart's desire, viz., the love of Krsna. But in the case of the devotee who is not of unmixed aptitude this superexcellent mantra fulfills his heart's desire also. The transcendental kama-bija is inherent in the divine logos located in Goloka; and the kama-bija pervertedly reflected in the worldly affairs satisfies all sorts of desires of this mundane world.
TEXT 25
tapas tvam tapa etena
tava siddhir bhavisyati
SYNONYMS
tapah--spiritual austerity; tvam--you; tapa--practice; etena--by this; tava--your; siddhih--fulfillment; bhavisyati--will be.
TRANSLATION
"O Brahma, do thou practice spiritual association by means of this mantra; then all your desires will be fulfilled."
PURPORT
Its purport is clear.
TEXT 26
atha tepe sa suciram
prinan govindam avyayam
svetadvipa-patim krsnam
goloka-stham parat param
prakrtya guna-rupinya
rupinya paryupasitam
sahasra-dala-sampanne
koti-kinjalka-brmhite
bhumis cintamanis tatra
karnikare mahasane
samasinam cid-anandam
jyoti-rupam sanatanam
sabda-brahma-mayam venum
vadayantam mukhambuje
vilasini-gana-vrtam
svaih svair amsair abhistutam
SYNONYMS
atha--then; tepe--practiced austerity; sah--he (Brahma); suciram--for a long time; prinan--satisfying; govindam--Govinda; avyayam--imperishable; svetadvipa-patim--the Lord of Svetadvipa; krsnam--Krsna; goloka-stham--situated in Goloka; parat param--the greatest of all; prakrtya--by the external energy; guna-rupinya--embodying all mundane qualities; rupinya--possessing form; paryupasitam--worshiped from outside; sahasra-dala-sampanne--on a lotus of a thousand petals; koti-kinjalka--by millions of filaments; brmhite--augmented; bhumih--the land; cintamanih--magical touchstone; tatra--there; karnikare--on the whorl; maha-asane--on a great throne; samasinam--seated; cit-anandam--the form of transcendental bliss; jyotih-rupam--the form of effulgence; sanatanam--eternal; sabda-brahma--divine sound; mayam--comprising; venum--the flute; vadayantam--playing; mukha-ambuje--at His lotus mouth; vilasini-gana--by the gopis; vrtam--surrounded; svaih svaih--own respective; amsaih--by subjective portions; abhistutam--worshiped.
TRANSLATION
Brahma, being desirous of satisfying Govinda, practiced the cultural acts for Krsna in Goloka, Lord of Svetadvipa, for a long time. His meditation ran thus, "There exists a divine lotus of a thousand petals, augmented by millions of filaments, in the transcendental land of Goloka. On its whorl, there exists a great divine throne on which is seated Sri Krsna, the form of eternal effulgence of transcendental bliss, playing on His divine flute resonant with the divine sound, with His lotus mouth. He is worshiped by His amorous milkmaids with their respective subjective portions and extensions and also by His external energy [who stays outside] embodying all mundane qualities."
PURPORT
Although the object of meditation is fully transcendental, yet owing to her nature which is permeated with the quality of active mundane hankering, Maya, the nonspiritual potency of Krsna, embodying the principles of mixed sattva, rajas, and tamas, in the forms of Durga, and other nonspiritual powers, meditated on the Supreme Lord Krsna as the object of their worship. So long as there is any trace of mundane desire in one's heart, it is the object of worship of Mayadevi (Durga) who has to be worshiped by such a person; nevertheless the fulfillment of one's heart's desire results from the worship of the object of worship of Mayadevi, and not from the worship of Mayadevi herself. This is in accordance with the sloka, akamah sarva-kamo va moksa-kama udara-dhih. tivrena bhakti-yogena yajeta purusam param. The meaning of this sloka of the Bhagavatam is that though other gods, as distinct manifestations of the Supreme Lord, are bestowers of sundry specific boons, yet a sensible person should worship the all powerful Supreme Lord, giver of all good, with unalloyed devotion, without worshiping those mundane gift-giving deities. Accordingly. Brahma meditated upon Krsna in Goloka, the object of the worship, from a distance, of Mayadevi. True devotion is unalloyed devotional activity free from all mundane desire. The devotion of Brahma, etc., is not unmixed devotion. But there is a stage of unmixed predilection even in devotion for the attainment of one's selfish desire. This has been fully described in the concluding five slokas of this work. That is the easiest method of divine service, prior to the attainment of self-realization, by fallen souls.
TEXT 27
atha venu-ninadasya
trayi-murti-mayi gatih
sphuranti pravivesasu
mukhabjani svayambhuvah
gayatrim gayatas tasmad
adhigatya sarojajah
samskrtas cadi-gununa
dvijatam agamat tatah
SYNONYMS
atha--then; venu-ninadasya--of the sound of the flute; trayi-murti-mayi--the mother of the three Vedas; gatih--the means (the Gayatri mantra); sphuranti--being made manifest; pravivesa--entered; asu--quickly; mukha-abjani--the lotus faces; svayambhuvah--of Brahma; gayatrim--the Gayatri; gayatah--sounding; tasmat--from Him (Sri Krsna); adhigatya--having received; saroja-jah--the lotus-born (Brahma); samskrtah--initiated; ca--and; adi-guruna--by the primal preceptor; dvijatam--the status of the twice-born; agamat--attained; tatah--thereafter.
TRANSLATION
Then Gayatri, mother of the Vedas, being made manifest, i.e. imparted, by the divine sound of the flute of Sri Krsna, entered into the lotus mouth of Brahma, born from himself, through his eight ear-holes. The lotus-born Brahma having received the Gayatri, sprung from the flute-song of Sri Krsna, attained the status of the twice-born, having been initiated by the supreme primal preceptor, Godhead Himself.
PURPORT
The sound of Krsna's flute is the transcendental blissful sound; hence the archetype of all Veda, is present in it. The Gayatri is Vedic rhythm. It contains a brief meditation and prayer. Kama-gayatri is the highest of all the Gayatris, because the meditation and prayer contained in it are full of the perfect transcendental sportive activities which are not to be found in any other Gayatri. The Gayatri that is attained as the sequel of the eighteen-lettered mantra is kama-gayatri which runs thus: klim kama-devaya vidmahe puspa-banaya dhimahi tan no 'nangah pracodayat. In this Gayatri, the realization of the transcendental pastimes of Sri Gopijana-vallabha after perfect meditation and the prayer for the attainment of the transcendental god of love are indicated. In the spiritual world there is no better mode of endeavor for securing the superexcellent rasa-bedewed love. As soon as that Gayatri entered into the ear-holes of Brahma, he became the twice-born and began to chant the Gayatri. Whoever has received the same Gayatri in reality. has attained his spiritual rebirth. The status of a twice-born that is obtained in accordance with one's worldly nature and lineage, by the fettered souls in this mundane world, is far inferior to that of the twice-born who obtains admission into the transcendental world; because the initiation or acquisition of transcendental birth as a result of spiritual initiation is the highest of glories in as much as the jiva is thereby enabled to attain to the transcendental realm.
TEXT 28
trayya prabuddho 'tha vidhir
vijnata-tattva-sagarah
tustava veda-sarena
stotrenanena kesavam
SYNONYMS
trayya--by the embodiment of the three Vedas; prabuddhah--enlightened; atha--then; vidhih--Brahma; vijnata--acquainted with; tattva-sagarah--the ocean of truth; tustava--worshiped; veda-sarena--which is the essence of all Vedas; stotrena--by the hymn; anena--this; kesavam--Sri Krsna.
TRANSLATION
Enlightened by the recollection of that Gayatri, embodying the three Vedas, Brahma became acquainted with the expanse of the ocean of truth. Then he worshiped Sri Krsna, the essence of all Vedas, with this hymn.
PURPORT
Brahma thought thus within himself, "By the recollection of kama-gayatri it seems to me that I am the eternal maidservant of Krsna." Though the other mysteries in regard to the condition of the maidservant of Krsna were not revealed to him, Brahma, by dint of his searching self-consciousness, became well acquainted with the ocean of truth. All the truths of the Vedas were revealed to him and with the help of those essences of the Vedas he offered this hymn to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. Sriman Mahaprabhu has taught this hymn to His favorite disciples in as much as it fully contains all the transcendental truths regarding the Vaisnava philosophy. Readers are requested to study and try to enter into the spirit of his hymn with great care and attention, as a regular daily function.
TEXT 29
cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
SYNONYMS
cintamani--touchstone; prakara--groups made of; sadmasu--in abodes; kalpa-vrksa--of desire trees; laksa--by millions; avrtesu--surrounded; surabhih--surabhi cows; abhipalayantam--tending; laksmi--of goddesses of fortune; sahasra--of thousands; sata--by hundreds; sambhrama--with great respect; sevyamanam--being served; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original person; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.
TRANSLATION
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of laksmis or gopis.
PURPORT
By the word cintamani is meant "transcendental gem." Just as Maya builds this mundane universe with the five material elements, so the spiritual (cit) potency has built the spiritual world of transcendental gems. The cintamani which serves as material in the building of the abode of the Supreme Lord of Goloka, is a far rarer and more agreeable entity than the philosopher's stone. The purpose tree yields only the fruits of piety. wealth, fulfillment of desire and liberation; but the purpose trees in the abode of Krsna bestow innumerable fruits in the shape of checkered divine love. Kama-dhenus (cows yielding the fulfillment of desire) give milk when they are milked; but the kama-dhenus of Goloka pour forth oceans of milk in the shape of the fountain of love showering transcendental bliss that does away with the hunger and thirst of all pure devotees. The words laksa and sahasra-sata signify endless numbers. The word sambhrama or sadara indicates "being saturated with love." Here laksmi denotes gopi. Adi-purusa means, "He who is the primeval Lord."
TEXT 30
venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam-
barhavatamsam asitambuda-sundarangam
kandarpa-koti-kamaniya-visesa-sobham
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
SYNONYMS
venum--the flute; kvanantam--playing; aravinda-dala--(like) lotus petals; ayata--blooming; aksam--whose eyes; barha--a peacock's feather; avatamsam--whose ornament on the head; asita-ambuda--(tinged with the hue of) blue clouds; sundara--beautiful; angam--whose figure; kandarpa--of Cupids; koti--millions; kamaniya--charming; visesa--unique; sobham--whose loveliness; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original person; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.
TRANSLATION
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.
PURPORT
The matchless beauty of Krsna, the Supreme Lord of Goloka, is being described. Krsna, the all-pervading cognition, has a spiritual form of His own. The form of Krsna is not a fanciful creation of imagination formed after visualizing the beautiful things of the world. What Brahma saw in his ecstatic trance of pure devotion, is being described. Krsna is engaged in playing upon His flute. That flute by his enchanting musical sound attracts the hearts of all living beings. Just as a lotus petal produces a pleasant sight, so the two beautiful eyes of Krsna who causes the manifestation of our spiritual vision, display the unlimited splendor and beauty of His moonlike face. The loveliness that adorns His head with peacock feather figures, the corresponding feature of the spiritual beauty of Krsna. Just as a mass of blue clouds offers a specifically soothing, pleasant view, the complexion of Krsna is analogously tinged with a spiritual dark-blue color. The beauty and loveliness of Krsna is far more enchanting that that of Cupid multiplied a millionfold.
TEXT 31
alola-candraka-lasad-vanamalya-vamsi-
ratnangadam pranaya-keli-kala-vilasam
syamam tri-bhanga-lalitam niyata-prakasam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
SYNONYMS
alola--swinging; candraka--with a moon-locket; lasat--beautified; vana-malya--a garland of flowers; vamsi--flute; ratna-angadam--adorned with jeweled ornaments; pranaya--of love; keli-kala--in pastimes; vilasam--who always revels; syamam--Syamasundara; tri-bhanga--bending in three places; lalitam--graceful; niyata--eternally; prakasam--manifest; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original person; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.
TRANSLATION
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the moon-locket, whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, who always revels in pastimes of love, whose graceful threefold-bending form of Syamasundara is eternally manifest.
PURPORT
In the sloka beginning with cintamani-prakara the transcendental region and the spiritual names of Govinda, in the sloka beginning with venum kvanantam, the eternal beautiful form of Govinda and in this sloka the amorous pastimes of Govinda, the embodiment of His sixty-four excellences, have been described. All the spiritual affairs that come within the scope of description in the narration of the ecstatic mellow quality (rasa) are included in the spiritual amorous sports of Govinda.
TEXT 32
angani yasya sakalendriya-vrtti-manti
pasyanti panti kalayanti ciram jaganti
ananda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
SYNONYMS
angani--the limbs; yasya--of whom; sakala-indriya--of all the organs; vrtti-manti--possessing the functions; pasyanti--see; panti--maintain; kalayanti--manifest; ciram--eternally,; jaganti--the universes; ananda--bliss; cit--truth; maya--full of; sat--substantiality; ujjvala--full of dazzling splendor; vigrahasya--whose form; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original person; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.
TRANSLATION
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.
PURPORT
For want of a taste of things spiritual, a grave doubt arises in the minds of those who are enchained by worldly knowledge. On hearing a narration of the pastimes of Krsna they think that the truth (tattva) regarding Krsna is the mental concoction of certain learned scholars, created by their imaginative brains out of material drawn from the mundane principles. With the object of removing this harmful doubt, Brahma in this and the three following slokas, after distinguishing between the two things, viz., spirit and matter, in a rational manner, has tried to make one understand the pure lila of Krsna, obtained by his unmixed ecstatic trance. Brahma wants to say that the form of Krsna is all "existence, all-knowledge and all-bliss, whereas all mundane experiences are full of palpable ignorance. Although there is specific difference between the two, the fundamental truth is that spiritual affairs constitute the absolute source. Specification and variegatedness are ever present in it. By them are established the transcendental abode, form, name, quality and sports of Krsna. It is only by a person, possessed of pure spiritual knowledge and freedom from any relationship with Maya, that those amorous pastimes of Krsna can at all be appreciated. The spiritual abode, the seat of pastimes, emanated from the cit potency and formed of cintamani (transcendental philosopher's stone), and the figure of Krsna, are all spiritual. Just as Maya is the perverted reflection of the spiritual potency. the variegatedness created by Maya (ignorance) is also a perverted reflection of spiritual variegatedness. So a mere semblance of the spiritual variegatedness is only noticed in this mundane world. Notwithstanding such semblance the two are wholly different from one another. The unwholesomeness of matter is its defect; but in the spirit there is variegatedness which is free from any fault or contamination. The soul and the body of Krsna are identical, whereas the body and soul of fallen creatures are not so. In the spiritual sphere there is no such difference as that between the body and soul, between the limbs and their proprietor, between the attributes and the object possessing them, of this world. But such difference really exists in the case of conditioned souls. Limbed though Krsna is, His every limb is the whole entity. He performs all varieties of divine spiritual functions with every one of His limbs. Hence He is an indivisible whole and a perfect transcendental entity. Both jiva-soul and Krsna are transcendental. So they belong to the same category. But they differ in this that the transcendental attributes exist in the jiva-soul in infinitesimally small degrees, whereas in Krsna they are found in their fullest perfection. Those attributes manifest themselves in their proper infinitesimality only when the jiva-soul attains his unadulterated spiritual status. The jiva-soul attains the nearest approach to the absolute identity only when the spiritual force of ecstatic energy appears in him by the grace of Krsna. Still Krsna remains the object of universal homage by reason of His possession of certain unique attributes. These fourfold unrivaled attributes do not manifest themselves in Narayana, the Lord of Vaikuntha or in primeval purusa-avataras, or in the highest deities such as Siva, not to speak of jivas.
TEXT 33
advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam
adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca
vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
SYNONYMS
advaitam--without a second; acyutam--without decay; anadim--without a beginning; ananta-rupam--whose form is endless, or who possesses unlimited forms; adyam--the beginning; purana-purusam--the most ancient person; nava-yauvanam--a blooming youth; ca--also; vedesu--through the Vedas; durlabham--inaccessible; adurlabham--not difficult to obtain; atma-bhaktau--through pure devotion of the soul; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original person; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.
TRANSLATION
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal purusa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.
PURPORT
Advaita means "indivisible truth who is knowledge absolute." Brahman, the infinite, emanates from Him as His effulgence and God-immanent (Paramatma) as His constituent; but nevertheless He remains one and indivisible. Acyuta means that though myriads of avataras emanate from Him as subjective portions and millions of jivas as separated spiritual particles, still He remains intact as the undivided whole of fullest perfection. Though He indulges in exhibiting the pastimes of births, etc., still He is without a beginning. Though He disappears after the pastimes of His appearance, still He is eternal. Though without origin, yet He is with an origin in His pastime of appearance; and although eternal in essence, He is still a person in the full bloom of youth. The sum and substance of it is that though He possesses diverse and apparently mutually contradictory qualities, still they are in universal harmonious concordance by dint of His unthinkable potency. This is what is meant by cid-dharma (transcendental nature) as distinguished from the material. His graceful threefold-bending form with flute in hand, possesses eternal blooming youth and is above all unwholesomeness that is to be found in limited time and space. In the transcendental realm there is no past and future but only the unalloyed and immutable present time. In the transcendental sphere there is no distinction between the object and its qualities and no such identity as is found in the limited mundane region. Hence those qualities that seem to be apparently contradictory in the light of mundane conception limited by time and space, exist in agreeable and dainty concordance in the spiritual realm. How can the jiva realize such unprecedented existence? The limited intellectual function of the jiva is always contaminated by the influence of time and space and is, therefore, not in a position to shake off this limitedness. If the potency of cognitive function does not extend to the realization of the transcendental, what else can? In reply. Brahma says that the transcendental Absolute is beyond the reach of the Vedas. The Vedas originate in sound and sound originates in the mundane ether. So the Vedas cannot present before us a direct view of the transcendental world (Goloka). It is only when the Vedas are imbued with the cit potency that they are enabled to deal with the transcendental. But Goloka reveals itself to every jiva-soul when he is under the influence of the spiritual cognitive potency joined to the essence of ecstatic energy. The ecstatic function of devotion is boundless and is surcharged with unalloyed transcendental knowledge. That knowledge reveals goloka-tattva (the principle of the highest transcendental) in unison with devotion, without asserting itself separately but as a subsidiary to unalloyed devotion.
TEXT 34
panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vayor athapi manaso muni-pungavanam
so 'py asti yat-prapada-simny avicintya-tattve
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
SYNONYMS
panthah--the path; tu--but; koti-sata--thousands of millions; vatsara--of years; sampragamyah--extending over; vayoh--of wind; atha api--or; manasah--of the mind; muni-pungavanam--of the foremost jnanis; sah--that (path); api--only; asti--is; yat--of whom; prapada--of the toe; simni--to the tip; avicintya-tattve--beyond material conception; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original person; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.
TRANSLATION
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, only the tip of the toe of whose lotus feet is approached by the yogis who aspire alter the transcendental and betake themselves to pranayama by drilling the respiration; or by the jnanis who try to find out the nondifferentiated Brahman by the process of elimination of the mundane, extending over thousands of millions of years.
PURPORT
The attainment of the lotus feet of Govinda consists in the realization of unalloyed devotion. The kaivalya (realized nonalternative state) which is attained by the astanga-yogis by practicing trance for thousands of millions of years and the state of merging into the nondifferentiated impersonality of Godhead beyond the range of limitation attained by nondualists after a similar period passed in distinguishing between the spiritual and nonspiritual and eliminating things of the limited sphere one after another by the formula "not this, not that," are simply the outskirts of the lotus feet of Krsna and not the lotus feet themselves. The long and short of the matter is this, kaivalya or merging into the Brahman constitutes the line of demarcation between the world of limitation and the transcendental world. For, unless we step beyond them, we can have no taste of the variegatedness of the transcendental sphere. These conditions are the simple absence of misery arising from mundane affinity but are not real happiness or felicity. If the absence of misery be called a bit of pleasure then also that bit is very small and of no consequence. It is not sufficient to destroy the condition of materiality; but the real gain to the jiva is his eternal existence in his self-realized state. This can be attained only by the grace of unalloyed devotion which is essentially cit or transcendental in character. For this end abstract and uninteresting mental speculation is of no avail.
TEXT 35
eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim
yac-chaktir asti jagad-anda-caya yad-antah
andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham-
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
SYNONYMS
ekah--one; api--although; asau--He; racayitum--to create; jagat-anda--of universes; kotim--millions; yat--whose; saktih--potency; asti--there is; jagat-anda-cayah--all the universes; yat-antah--within whom; anda-antara-stha--which are scattered throughout the universe; parama-anu-caya--the atoms; antara-stham--situated within; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original person; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.
TRANSLATION
He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work ot creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore.
PURPORT
Krsna is the highest of all entities. In Him is an entity which is termed cit (spiritual) which is distinct from the principle of limitation. By His inconceivable power, He can at will create numberless universes. All the mundane universes owe their origin to the transformation of His external potency. Again His abode is beyond human conception; since all worlds, limited and spiritual (cit) exist in Him and He resides simultaneously in His fullness and entirety in all the atoms in all the worlds. All-pervasiveness is only a localized aspect of the majesty of Krsna, the Lord of all. Though He is all-pervasive yet in His existence everywhere in a medium shape consists His spiritual Lordship beyond human conception. This argument favors the doctrine of simultaneous inconceivable distinction and nondistinction, and knocks down the contaminating Mayavada and other allied doctrines.
TEXT 36
yad-bhava-bhavita-dhiyo manujas tathaiva
samprapya rupa-mahimasana-yana-bhusah
suktair yam eva nigama-prathitaih stuvanti
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
SYNONYMS
yat--for whom; bhava--with devotion; bhavita--are imbued; dhiyah--whose hearts; manujah--men; tatha eva--similarly; samprapya--having gained; rupa--beauty; mahima--greatness; asana--thrones; yana--conveyances; bhusah--and ornaments; suktaih--by Vedic hymns; yam--whom; eva--certainly; nigama--by the Vedas; prathitaih--told; stuvanti--offer praise; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original person; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.
TRANSLATION
I adore the same Govinda, the primeval Lord, in whose praise men, who are imbued with devotion, sing the mantra-suktas told by the Vedas, by gaining their appropriate beauty, greatness, thrones, conveyances and ornaments.
PURPORT
In discussing rasa we meet with five kinds of devotion or service. Santa or unattached, dasya or pertaining to reverential willing service, sakhya or friendship, vatsalya or parental love and srngara or juvenile love.
The devotees surcharged with the ideas of their respective service, serve Krsna eternally and ultimately reach the goal of their respective ideals. They attain the real nature of their self befitting their respective rasas, their glories, conveyances, seats befitting their sacred service, and transcendental qualities of ornaments enhancing the beauty of their real nature. Those who are advocates of santa-rasa attain the region of Brahma-Paramatma, the seat of eternal peace; those of dasya-rasa get to Vaikuntha, the spiritual majestic abode of Sri Narayana; those of sakhya, vatsalya and madhura-rasa (juvenile love) attain Goloka-dhama, Krsna's abode, above Vaikuntha. They worship Krsna by the suktas depicted in the Vedas with the ingredients and objects befitting their respective rasas, in those regions. The Vedas, under the influence of the spiritual potency in certain passages speak of the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. The liberated souls chant the name, qualities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, under the guidance of the same spiritual potency.
TEXT 37
ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
SYNONYMS
ananda--bliss; cit--and knowledge; maya--consisting of; rasa--mellows; prati--every second; bhavitabhih--who are engrossed with; tabhih--with those; yah--who; eva--certainly; nija-rupataya--with His own form; kalabhih--who are parts of portions of His pleasure potency; goloke--in Goloka Vrndavana; eva--certainly; nivasati--resides; akhila-atma--as the soul of all; bhutah--who exists; govindam--Govinda; adi-purusam--the original personality; tam--Him; aham--I; bhajami--worship.
TRANSLATION
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhis], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.
PURPORT
Although the Lord Absolute and His potency are one and the self-same existence, still They exist eternally as separate entities, as Radha and Krsna. In both the ecstatic energy and the transcendental Lord Krsna, there exists srngara-rasa (amorous love) whose quality is inconceivable. The vibhava (extension) of that rasa (mellow quality) is twofold, viz., alambana (prop) and uddipana (stimulation). Of these alambana is twofold, viz., asraya (supported) and visaya (supporter). Asraya signifies Radhika Herself and the extensions of Her own form and visaya means Krsna Himself. Krsna is Govinda, Lord of Goloka. The gopis are the facsimile asraya of that rasa. With them Krsna indulges in eternal pastimes in Goloka. Nija-rupataya means "with the attributes manifested from the ecstatic energy." The sixty-four activities in fine arts and crafts are the following: (1) gita--art of singing. (2) vadya--art of playing on musical instruments. (3) nrtya--art of dancing. (4) natya--art of theatricals. (5) alekhya--art of painting. (6) visesakacchedya--art of painting the face and body with colored unguents and cosmetics. (7) tandula-kusuma-bali-vikara--art of preparing offerings from rice and flowers. (8) puspastarana--art of making a covering of flowers for a bed. (9) dasana-vasananga-raga--art of applying preparations for cleansing the teeth, cloths and painting the body. (10) mani-bhumika-karma--art of making the groundwork of jewels. (11) sayya-racana--art of covering the bed. (12) udaka-vadya--art of playing on music in water. (13) udaka-ghata--art of splashing with water. (14) citra-yoga--art of practically applying an admixture of colors. (15) malya-grathana-vikalpa--art of designing a preparation of wreaths. (16) sekharapida-yojana--art of practically setting the coronet on the head. (17) nepathya-yoga--art of practically dressing in the tiring room. (18) karnapatra-bhanga--art of decorating the tragus of the ear. (19) sugandha-yukti--art of practical application of aromatics. (20) bhusana-yojana--art of applying or setting ornaments. (21) aindra-jala--art of jugglery. (22) kaucumara--a kind of art. (23) hasta-laghava--art of sleight of hand. (24) citra-sakapupa-bhaksya-vikara-kriya--art of preparing varieties of salad, bread, cake and delicious food. (25) panaka-rasa-ragasava-yojana--art of practically preparing palatable drinks and tinging draughts with red color. (26) suci-vaya-karma--art of needleworks and weaving. (27) sutra-krida--art of playing with thread. (28) vina-damuraka-vadya--art of playing on lute and small x-shaped drum. (29) prahelika--art of making and solving riddles. (29-a) pratimala--art of caping or reciting verse for verse as a trial for memory or skill. (30) durvacaka-yoga--art of practicing language difficult to be answered by others. (31) pustaka-vacana--art of reciting books. (32) natikakhyayika-darsana--art of enacting short plays and anecdotes. (33) kavya-samasya-purana--art of solving enigmatic verses. (34) pattika-vetra-bana-vikalpa--art of designing preparation of shield, cane and arrows. (35) tarku-karma--art of spinning by spindle. (36) taksana--art of carpentry. (37) vastu-vidya--art of engineering. (38) raupya-ratna-pariksa--art of testing silver and jewels. (39) dhatu-vada--art of metallurgy. (40) mani-raga jnana--art of tinging jewels. (41) akara jnana--art of mineralogy. (42) vrksayur-veda-yoga--art of practicing medicine or medical treatment, by herbs. (43) mesa-kukkuta-lavaka-yuddha-vidhi--art of knowing the mode of fighting of lambs, cocks and birds. (44) suka-sarika-prapalana (pralapana)?--art of maintaining or knowing conversation between male and female cockatoos. (45) utsadana--art of healing or cleaning a person with perfumes. (46) kesa-marjana-kausala--art of combing hair. (47) aksara-mustika-kathana--art of talking with letters and fingers. (48) mlecchita-kutarka-vikalpa--art of fabricating barbarous or foreign sophistry. (49) desa-bhasa-jnana--art of knowing provincial dialects. (50) puspa-sakatika-nirmiti-jnana--art of knowing prediction by heavenly voice or knowing preparation of toy carts by flowers. (51) yantra-matrka--art of mechanics. (52) dharana-matrka--art of the use of amulets. (53) samvacya--art of conversation. (54) manasi kavya-kriya--art of composing verse mentally. (55) kriya-vikalpa--art of designing a literary work or a medical remedy. (56) chalitaka-yoga--art of practicing as a builder of shrines called after him. (57) abhidhana-kosa-cchando-jnana--art of the use of lexicography and meters. (58) vastra-gopana--art of concealment of cloths. (59) dyuta-visesa--art of knowing specific gambling. (60) akarsa-krida--art of playing with dice or magnet. (61) balaka-kridanaka--art of using children's toys. (62) vainayiki vidya--art of enforcing discipline. (63) vaijayiki vidya--art of gaining victory. (64) vaitaliki vidya--art of awakening master with music at dawn.
All these arts manifesting their own eternal forms are ever visible in the region of Goloka as the ingredients of rasa; and, in the mundane sphere, they have been unstintedly exhibited in the pastimes of Vraja by the spiritual (cit) potency. Yogamaya. So Sri Rupa says, sadanantaih... santi tah, i.e., Krsna is ever manifest in His beauty with His infinite pastimes in Goloka. Sometimes the variant manifestation of those pastimes becomes visible on the mundane plane. Sri Hari, the Supreme Lord, also manifests His pastimes of birth, etc., accompanied by all His paraphernalia. The divine sportive potency fills the hearts of His paraphernalia with appropriate spiritual sentiments in conformity with the will of Krsna. Those pastimes that manifest themselves on the mundane plane, are His visible pastimes. All those very pastimes exist in their nonvisible form in Goloka beyond the ken of mundane knowledge. In His visible pastimes Krsna sojourns in Gokula, Mathura and Dvaraka. Those pastimes that are nonvisible in those three places, are visible in their spiritual sites of Vrndavana.
From the conclusions just stated it is clear that there is no distinction between the visible and nonvisible pastimes. The apostle Jiva Gosvami in his commentary on this sloka as well as in the gloss of Ujjvala-nilamani and in Krsna-sandarbha remarks that "the visible pastimes of Krsna are the creation of His cit (spiritual) potency. Being in conjunction with the reference to mundane function they exhibit certain features which seem to be true by the influence of the limiting potency (Maya); but these cannot exist in the transcendental reality. The destruction of demons, illicit paramourship, birth, etc., are examples of this peculiarity. The gopis are the extensions of the ecstatic energy of Krsna, and so are exceptionally His own. How can there be illicit connection in their case? The illicit mistress-ship of the gopis found in His visible pastime, is but the mundane reflection of the transcendental reality." The hidden meaning underlying the words of Sri Jiva Gosvami, when it is made explicit, will leave no doubt in the minds of the readers. Sri Jiva Gosvami is our preacher of transcendental truth. So he is always under the influence of Sri Rupa and Sanatana. Moreover in the pastimes of Krsna Sri Jiva is one of the manjaris. So he is conversant with all transcendental realities.
There are some who, being unable to understand the drift of his statements, give meanings of their own invention and indulge in useless controversies. Sri Rupa and Sanatana say that there is no real and essential distinction between the lilas visible and nonvisible, the only distinction lies in this that one is manifest in the mundane sphere whereas the other is not so. In the supermundane manifestation there is absolute purity in the seer and the seen. A particularly fortunate person when he is favored by Krsna, can shake off worldly shackles and connections, enter the transcendental region after attaining the realized taste of the varieties of rasa that is available during the period of novitiate. Only such a person can have a view and taste of the perfect and absolutely pure lila of Goloka. Such receptive natures are rarely to be found. He, who exists in the mundane sphere, can also realize the taste of cid-rasa by the grace of Krsna by being enabled to attain the realized state of service. Such a person can have a view of the pastimes of Goloka manifested in the mundane lila of Gokula. There is certainly a difference between these two classes of eligible seekers of the truth. Until one attains the perfectly transcendental stage he must be hampered by his lingering limitations, in his vision of the pastimes of Goloka. Again, the vision of the transcendental reality varies according to the degree of self-realization. The vision of Goloka must also vary accordingly.
It is only those fettered souls who are excessively addicted to worldliness that are devoid of the devotional eye. Of them some are enmeshed by the variegatedness of the deluding energy while others aspire after self-annihilation under the influence of centrifugal knowledge. Though they might have a view of the mundanely manifested pastimes of the Supreme Lord, they can have only a material conception of those visible pastimes, this conception being devoid of transcendental reality. Hence the realization of Goloka appears in proportion to eligibility due to the degree of one's self-realization. The underlying principle is this, that, though Gokula is as holy and free from dross as Goloka, still it is manifested on the mundane plane by the influence of the cit potency. Yogamaya. In visible and nonvisible matters of transcendental regions there is no impurity. contamination and imperfection inherent in the world of limitation; only there is some difference in the matter of realization in proportion to the self-realization of the seekers after the Absolute. Impurity. unwholesomeness, foreign elements, illusion, nescience, unholiness, utter inadequacy. insignificance, grossness--these appertain to the eye, intellect, mind and ego stultified by the material nature of conditioned souls; they have nothing to do with the essential nature of transcendence. The more one is free from these blots the more is one capable of realizing the unqualified Absolute. The truth who has been revealed by the scriptures, is free from dross. But the realizations of the seekers of the knowledge of these realities, are with or without flaw in accordance with the degree of their individual realization.
Those sixty-four arts that have been enumerated above, do in reality exist unstintedly only in Goloka. Unwholesomeness, insignificance, grossness are found in those arts in accordance with the degree of self-realization on the part of aspirants after the knowledge of the Absolute. According to Srila Rupa and Srila Sanatana all those pastimes, that have been visible in Gokula, exist in all purity and free from all tinge of limitation in Goloka. So transcendental autocratic paramourship also exists in Goloka in inconceivable purity, judged by the same standard and reasoning. All manifestation by the cit potency. Yogamaya, are pure. So, as the above paramourship is the creation of Yogamaya, it is necessarily free from all contamination, and appertains to the absolute reality.
Let us pause to consider what the absolute reality is in Himself. Sri Rupa Gosvami says, purvokta-... saratah. In regard to these slokas Sripada Jiva Gosvami after mature deliberation has established the transcendental paramourship as vibhrama-vilasa, something seemingly different from what it appears to be; such are the pastimes of birth, etc., accomplished by Yogamaya.
By the explanation tathapi... vraja-vanitanam, Srila Jiva Gosvami has expressed his profound implication. Joyous pastimes by the medium of seeming error, vibhrama-vilasa, as the contrivance of Yogamaya, has also been admitted in the concluding statements of Rupa and Sanatana. Still, since Sripada Jiva Gosvami has established the identity of Goloka with Gokula, it must be admitted that there is transcendental reality underlying all the pastimes of Gokula. A husband is one who binds oneself in wedlock with a girl, while a paramour is one who, in order to win another's wife's love by means of love, crosses the conventions of morality. by the impulse of the sentiment that regards her love as the be-all and end-all of existence. In Goloka there is no such function at all as that of the nuptial relationship. Hence there is no husbandhood characterized by such connection. On the other hand since the gopis, who are self-supported real entities are not tied to anybody else in wedlock, they cannot also have the state of concubinage. There can also be no separate entities in the forms of svakiya (conjugal) and parakiya (adulterous) states. In the visible pastimes on the mundane plane the function in the form of the nuptial relationship is found to exist. Krsna is beyond the scope of that function. Hence the said function of the circle of all-love is contrived by Yogamaya. Krsna tastes the transcendental rasa akin to paramourship by overstepping that function. This pastime of going beyond the pale of the apparent moral function manifested by Yogamaya, is, however, also observable only on the mundane plane by the eye that is enwrapped by the mundane covering; but there is really no such levity in the pastimes of Krsna. The rasa of paramourship is certainly the extracted essence of all the rasas. If it be said that it does not exist in Goloka, it would be highly deprecatory to Goloka. It is not the fact that there is no supremely wholesome tasting of rasa in the supremely excellent realm of Goloka. Krsna, the fountainhead of all avataras. tastes the same in a distinct form in Goloka and in another distinct form in Gokula. Therefore, in spite of the seeming appearance, to the mundane eye, of outstepping the bounds of the legitimate function by the form of paramourship, there must be present the truth of it in some form even in Goloka. Atmaramo 'py ariramat, atmany avaruddha-sauratah, reme vraja-sundaribhir yatharbhakah pratibimba-vibhramah and other texts of the scriptures go to show that self-delightedness is the essential distinctive quality of Krsna Himself. Krsna in His majestic cit realm causes the manifestation of His own cit potency as Laksmi and enjoys her as His own wedded consort. As this feeling of wedded consorthood preponderates there, rasa expands in a wholesome form only up to the state of servanthood (dasya-rasa). But in Goloka He divides up His cit potency into thousands of gopis and eternally engages in amorous pastimes with them by forgetting the sentiments of ownership. By the sentiments of ownership there cannot be the extreme inaccessibility of the rasa. So the gopis have naturally. from eternity. the innate sentiment of being others' wedded wives. Krsna too in response to that sentiment, by assuming the reciprocal sentiment of paramourship, performs the rasa and the other amorous pastimes with the aid of the flute, His favorite cher ami. Goloka is the transcendental seat of eternally self-realized rasa, beyond limited conception. Hence in Goloka there is realization of the sentimental assumption of the rasa of paramourship.
Again such is the nature of the principle of the majesty that in the realm of Vaikuntha there is no rasa of parental affection towards the source of all avataras. But in Goloka, the seat of all superexcellent deliciousness, there is no more than the original sentimental egoistic assumption of the same rasa. There Nanda and Yasoda are visibly present, but there is no occurrence of birth. For want of the occurrence of birth the assumed egoistic sentiment of parental affection of Nanda and Yasoda has no foundation in the actual existence of such entities as father and mother, but it is of the nature of sentimental assumption on their parts, cf. jayati jana-nivaso devaki-janma-vadah, etc. For the purpose of the realization of the rasa the assumed egoistic sentiment is, however, eternal. In the rasa of amorous love if the corresponding egoistic sentiments of concubinage and paramourship be mere eternal assumptions there is nothing to blame in them and it also does not go against the scriptures. When those transcendental entities of Goloka becomes manifest in Vraja then those two egoistic sentiments become somewhat more palpable to the mundane view in the phenomenal world and there comes to be this much difference only. In the rasa of parental affection the sentiments of Nanda and Yasoda that they are parents becomes manifest in the more tangible form in the pastimes of birth etc., and in the amorous rasa the corresponding sentiments of concubinage in the respective gopis become manifest in the forms of their marriages with Abhimanyu, Govardhana, etc. In reality there is no such separate entity as husbandhood of the gopis either in Goloka or in Gokula. Hence the sastras declare that there is no sexual union of the gopis with their husbands. It is also for the same reason that the authorized teacher of the principle of rasa, Sri Rupa, writes that in the transcendental amorous rasa the hero is of two different types, viz., the wedded husband and the paramour--patis copapatis ceti prabhedav iha visrutav iti. Sri Jiva, in his commentary by his words patih pura-vanitanam dvitiyo vraja-vanitanam, acknowledges