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Krsna Das
25 January 2010, 03:56 AM
Dandavat Pranamas to all the Vaisnavas !


I am discussing the four mahavakyas in this thread, in the light of avicintya-bheda-bheda tattva:





|| sarvam khalvidam brahma ||


- “This all is Brahm.”


- Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1

This Maha-vakya says that - Everything (sarvam) is Brahma. Sarvam means what?, It means - the whole cosmos (Jada-prakriti and Divya-Prakriti), along with innumerable Jivas are all actually "Brahma".

Question: So does "sarvam" also means that Brahma himself has transformed into all these? (OR as the sidhhanta of Brahma-parinam-vada says)?

Answer: NO. "This all is Brahma" - is said because he alone is the origination-source of all these. But that doesen't mean that Brahm himself has transformed into all this cosmos, as well as Jivas - actually this cosmos has been created with three potencies or Saktis of this Brahma. In order to refute this sidhhanta of Brahma-parinam-vada, Shruti says:



|| na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate ||
|| na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate ||
|| parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate ||
|| svabhaviki ||
|| jnana-bala-kriya ca ||


- Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.8)


na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate - For him, there is nothing to be done, or achieved (he does not have any personal motive to be fulfilled by this creation)


na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate - There is nobody similar to him (tat-samas), what to speak of greater than him (abhyadhik).
parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate - He manifests cosmos filled with variegatedness (vividhaiva) through his potency (Saktir) which iscalled "para-sakti" (parasya saktir).
svabhaviki - This is also called his swabhaviki-sakti or swaroop-sakti.
jnana-bala-kriya ca - This Swabhaviki-Sakti is again of three types -



(1) Janana-Sakti or Cit-Sakti or Samvit-Sakti
(2) Bala-Sakti or Sat-Sakti or Sandhini-Sakti
(3) Kriya-Sakti or Ananda-Sakti or Ahladini-Sakti


Also the ap-sidhhanta that Para-Brahma is formless and without attributes, is refuted by Sruti. He is with 'spiritual' attributes or Saktis,as mentioned above. When Sruti says that he is devoid of attributes (Nirguna), it means to say that he is devoid of material (Jada) attributes.


Question: Even if we consider that this all is created by potencies, we are still non-different from HIM, so we are also Brahma.


Answer: Yes, there is similarity between him and Jivas, in the sense that both are Brahma-Vastu and not Jada-Vastu. But there are also differences, which needs to be taken into consideration. In order to refute the kevala-advaita-sidhhanta of "pure-oneness" between Individual soul and Para-Brahma, Sruti says - "na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate" - There is no one greater, than or even similar to him. Why? because only HE posesses the potencies for creating this Jada-Astadha-Prakriti as well as Jiva-Prakriti, not the insignificant Jivas.





|| prajnanam brahma ||


“The supreme knowledge is Brahma"


- Aitareya Upanisad 1.5.3


The word is "prajnanam" - In the literal sense, it means - to know, - or the knowledge of. However, detailed meaning of this word "prajnanam" is described in the Sruti , itself. Note that "prajnanam" appears again in this verse:



|| tam eva dhiro vijnaya prajnamam kurvita brahmanah ||


Meaning, a sober person (dhiro), who is steadfast or realized in knowledge (vijnaya) , does (kurvita), devotion (prajnamam), Brahma (brahmanah), to him, certainly (tam eva).


To summarize - "When a sober person attains knowledge of brahma, he worships Him alone, in mood of devotion"


Therefore, Sruti says that Supreme knowledge of Brahma is to actually attain the devotional-service to Brahma. Therefore sidhhanta that Brahma can be attained by mundane-pholosophical-speculation or by knowledge of self (atma-vidya) alone, is refuted by Sruti.




|| Tat Tvam Asi ||


[B]“ THAT THOU ART ! ”


- Chandogya Upanisad 6.8.7


This maha-vakya in literal sense means - "YOU are that Brahma", However, in Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (3.8.10), following verse claims that Brahma, and knower of Brahma are two different entities, not one:



|| ya etad aksaram gargi aviditvasmal lokat praiti sa krpanah ||


|| ya etad aksaram gargi viditvasmal lokat praiti sa brahmanah ||


- O Gargi, one who departs from this world without knowing that Eternal Supreme Being (aksaram) are krpanah (extremely miserly or degraded). Those who leave this material world in knowledge of that Eternal Supreme are actually brahmanas - knowers of that Brahma.



Therefore when Sruti says : "tat tvam asi ! svetaketo !" - “O Svetaketu ! you are that !" - It means to say -
"O Swetaketo ! You are the knower of that Eternal Brahma".



Also, Jiva (Atma) and Brahma (Supreme being) are different entities, is specified by following verse:



|| dvä suparnä sayujä sakhäyä ||
|| samänaà vrksam parisasvajäte ||
|| tayor anyah pippalam svädv atty ||
|| anasnann anyo ’bhicäkasét ||


- SvetäSvetasvara Upanisad (4.6), Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.1), Rg Veda (1.164.21)



Supreme Lord and the atma are residing in this temporary body, like two friendly birds in a pippala tree. Of these two birds, one – the jéva – tastes the fruits of the tree according to his karma, while the other – Paramätmä – does not taste the fruits, but simply observes as a witness.



Here the words "anyah" and "anyo" designate that they are two different entities, not one.





|| Aham Brahmasmi ||


“I am brahm"


- Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 1.4.10


This verse signifies that the individual soul is not Jada-Vastu, it is Cetan-Vastu. It is not Anitya-Vastu, it is Nitya-Vastu.



Question: But Para-brahma is also Cetan-Vastu and Nitya-Vastu, and we are also same. So there must be oneness between individual soul and Para -Brahma.


Answer: There is eternal-oneness as well as eternal-difference between Jiva and Brahma. The above verse depics one-ness. However following verses of Sruti also clain eternal difference between Brahma and Jivas:



|| nityo nityänam cetanas cetanänäm ||
|| eko bahünän yo vidadhäti kämän ||


- Katha Upanisad (2.13) and SvetäSvatara Upanisad (6.10)



nityo nityänam - Of all the eternal souls who by their own nature are nitya (eternal), HE (Supreme Lord) is Supremely Eternal being (WHY? - for he is origination source of such eternal jivas)


cetanas cetanänäm - Of all the eternal souls who by their own nature are cetan (divya), HE (Supreme Lord) is Supreme Spiritual being (WHY? - for he is origination source of such cetan jivas)


eko bahünän yo vidadhäti kämän - He alone is fulfilling the desires of all.



So in this verse distinction is made between Jivas and Supreme Person, as well as oneness is represented in the verse "Aham Brahmasmi".


Also, I am not this material body, but nityam and divya vastu - this consciousness is called Brahma-Gyaan or Atma-Gyaan or knowledge.


However, this knowledge alone is not the last step to be attained. Even after knowing that soul is eternal, one has to know what para-brahma is and what is our relationship with him (Sambhanda-Tattva), what is the process to attain the knowledge of that Supreme living entity (Abhideya-Tattva) and what is the goal to be achieved by this (Prema-tattva or Prayojana-Tattva).


If one thinks the knowledge (Vidya) of Atma-gyaan or Brahma-gyaan to be Supreme-achievement, then such kind of knowledge is condemned in Sruti in the following words:


|| andham tamah pravisanti ye avidyäm upäsate ||


|| tato bhüya iva te tamo ya u vidyäyäm ratäh ||


- Sri Isopanisad (9)



andham tamah pravisanti - they enter darkness. who? - avidyäm upäsate - Who are situated in avidya (do not inquire information on topics of eternal soul) , tato bhüya iva te tamo - But these enter into even more darness than the ones mentioned above, WHO? - ya u vidyäyäm ratäh - Who think of this knowledge of self to be Supreme.



So why will they enter into even more darkness? - because they have dur-agraha with atma-gyaan and forget about their real goal (Bhakti).


Question: Is this Para-Brahma attribute-less?


Answer: In response to this , Sruti says:


|| raso vai sah ||
|| ko hy evänyät kah pränyät ||
|| yad esa äkäsa änando na syät ||
|| esa hy evänandayäti ||



- Taittiréya Upanisad (2.7.1)



raso vai sah - That Brahma is not attribute less, he is "rasäbdhim"- nectar of divine mellows.
ko hy evänyät kah pränyät - Which jiva can live without HIS association? (Therefore Jiva and Para-Brahma are seperate entities, not one)
yad esa äkäsa änando na syät - Without his association (or bhakti) no Jiva can attain ananda (änando na syät).
esa hy evänandayäti - He alone is the reservoir of ananda (and not other Jiva or Devta) .




Question: So if this Brahma is accompanied with his divine attributes, how does this Brahma looks like?


Answer: Sruti says that this Brahma is not attribute-less , but he manifests in a divine-form of a cowherd boy -



|| apasyam gopäm anipadyamä namä ||
|| ca parä ca pathibhis carantam ||
|| sa-sadhricih ||
|| sa visucir vasäna ||
|| ävarivartti-bhuvanesv antah ||



- Rg Veda (1.12.164.31)



Ah ! I saw him, that cowherd boy ! (apasyam gopäm). He is infallible and is never annihilated (anipadyamä namä). He wanders on various paths, sometimes near and sometimes very far (ca parä ca pathibhis carantam) [ The Vrndavan pasttimes are described here ]. He is friend of all (sa-sadhricih) or sometimes He is beautifully adorned with varieties of garments, and sometimes He wears cloth of only one color [yellow] (sa visucir vasäna). In this way, He repeatedly exhibits His manifest and unmanifest pastimes (avtaras) in this mortal world (ävarivartti-bhuvanesv antah).



Question: So how does one know that this cowherd boy is Supreme amongst all the devas gloriofied in vedas?


Answer: Sruti says:


|| kṛṣṇo vai paramaṁ daivatam ||


- Gopal-Tapini Upanishad 1.3 (Atharva-veda)


"Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead amongst all devatas"

Krsna Das
25 January 2010, 09:43 AM
Question: But why should we accept that impersonal feature of Lord (Brahma) is just the effulgance of Supreme Person?

Answer: In reposnse to this question, Sruti says:


|| pūṣann ekarṣe yama sūrya prājāpatya ||
|| vyūha raśmīn samūha ||
|| tejo yat te rūpaḿ kalyāṇa-tamaḿ ||
|| tat te paśyāmi yo'sāv asau puruṣaḥ so'ham asmi ||


- Isopanisad, Verse 16


O the one who maintains Jivas with food or anna (pūṣann), O the geatest philosopher (ekarṣe), O regulative principle (yama), O the destination of the sūris (great devotees), progenitors of mankind (prājāpatya), kindly remove (vyūha) these rays (raśmīn samūha) and the effulgance that hides (tejo yat te) your divine body (rūpaḿ), which is source of all auspeciousness (kalyāṇa-tamaḿ), so that I can see Your divine form of bliss (tat te paśyāmi yo'sāv asau puruṣaḥ), just like I see myself (so 'ham asmi)

Therefore the Mantra-drasta rishi of this verse request the Lord to withdraw the covering of rays that hides his Divine Spiritual form which is full of bliss (rūpaḿ kalyāṇa-tamaḿ), so that we can see his form, just like we see ourselves.

Krsna Das
27 January 2010, 07:09 AM
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CONCLUSION:
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1. Sruti claims there is similarity between Jiva and Brahma, in the sense that Jiva represents his anu-sakti (which is also para-sakti and not apara-sakti).
2. Sruti claims there is difference between Jiva and Brahma (There is no pure-oneness between Jiva and Brahma, in the sense that both are eternally different spiritual entities, which Jiva being 'Anu' and Para-Brahma being 'Vibhu')
3. Cosmos is Brahma, in the sense that it has eminated from him. Brahma has himself NOT transformed into everything
4. Cosmos (Jada and Divya) is manifested by three saktis of Brahma (Jnana-Sakti, Bala-Sakti and Kriya-Sakti) as stated by Sakti-Parinam-Vada-Sidhhanta.
5. The impersonal aspect of Brahma is the effulgance of Supreme Lord's divine spiritual body.
6. Para-Brahma is not formless, he is having divine attribites/saktis and he is also resrvoir of ananda or rasa.
7. This Para-Brahma manifests himself in the form of a cowherd body.
8. This cowherd boy is Supreme amongst all the devas glorified in vedas.






Hare Krsna !

grames
27 January 2010, 08:04 AM
Hare Krshna,

Nice post

Krsna Das
27 January 2010, 08:18 AM
Dandavat Pranamas !

I have changed the words used in the conclusion part. Let me know if any other correction. Thanks for this.

Hari Bol !