The dual concepts of Avatara and the Supreme
One God (Para Vasudeva) in Parama Vyoma or Parama Pada
Lord Krishna and his primary
importance
Lord
Krishna (Para vasudeva) is supposed to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
since He is the omnipresent, omniscient, and is the creator of this
Universe and all other Multiverse. He is the supreme cause of all causes,
hence it is aptly described in Sanskrit language as Sarva Karya Karanam
Krishna.
Lord
Krishna (para vasudeva) first taught the Bhagwad Gita the Divine song to Vivaswan
(one of the Sun Gods among the 12 Sun Gods) -> Svayambuva manus ->
Iksvakus and the Bhagwad Gita’s teachings ceased to exist for a prolonged
period of time. And later during the Dwapara Yuga, Lord Krishna, before the
commencement of the war, taught the same Bhagwad Gita to Arjuna for
enlightening him on the aspect of Karma yoga which has to be followed by each
and every individual irrespective of his Varnashrama dharma.
Krishna is a name of the original, unique Supreme
Person, the source of all that exists. God has many names, and each describes a
different aspect of His personality. Allah, Vishnu, Jehovah, and God refer to
His greatness and His role as creator, maintainer of the universe, and Lord of
all. The name Krishna—"the all-attractive one"—indicates the
unequaled charm and beauty of the Supreme Person, as He appears to His most
dear devotees.
Sanatana
Dharma encompasses and embraces all the world religions and hence it its
underlying unified principles are governed by the Universal Cosmic Law and
hence can be described as eternal religion which is impeccable in nature. It can be therefore said without a second
thought that The Supreme Soul is a mute spectator to all our material and
spiritual obligations. But He is the best impartial judge for all our actions
whether good or bad, so that our own self along with the Supreme soul gives way
for rational analysis of our thoughts words and actions and gives us the choice
of attaining either liberation or continue with the vicious cycle of birth and
deaths.
Krishna
appears as other forms of God—avatars—to create and maintain the universe, while He simultaneously enjoys
loving relationships with His countless associates in the spiritual
world. He visits this material
world from time to time to free His devotees from
material existence and to vanquish the wicked. He performs superhuman
pastimes—lifting mountains, swallowing forest fires, and killing numerous
extraordinarily powerful demons—as easily as a child playing with toys.
Lord
Krishna entices everyone with his enchanting flute display and exhorts each and
every one of us to follow the instructions laid down by the scriptures, (the
vedas) and thereby adhere to Nishkamya karma. The best exemplary character to
follow Nishkamya Karma was Seeradhwaja/Janaka Maharaja of Mithila.(Father of
Sita(consort of Lord Sri Rama)
Bhagwad
Gita is supposed to be the 5th Veda and also is considered as the essence of
all the upanishads and The Gita contains 18 chapters and the entire Gita
revolves around Jnana, Bhakthi , Karma
and Raja Yogas.
Definition of Nishkamya Karma
Nishkamya
karma means to do all sort of mundane activities in material world for the sake
of The Almighty alone without expecting any kind of reward and to accept all
unfavourable circumstances as favourable circumstances. In short, he
should be a stitha pragna, person with (spirited intelligence) and adopt a
sense of equipoise in all the dualities of life that may otherwise fetch pain
or pleasure to his/her physical body or the gross body.
Renouncing
the thoughts, words and actions which revolve around self-centric words as “I”
ness and “mine” ness and submitting all the three activities i.e. thoughts,
words and actions to the Supreme and thereby obeying all his supreme orders
unquestionably with unflinching faith will tantamount to liberation, although
the paths chosen may be different for different people i.e. Jnana, Karma, Bhakthi
and Raja yogas.
Lord
Krishna is considered as Jagat Guru, since he was the best teacher, friend,
philosopher and spiritual guide who instructed not only Arjuna at the time of
war, but the entire mankind regained a higher level of knowledge that helped
them to sail across the ocean of
samsara that would become otherwise
impossible. Kshtregna(Knower of the
field), Aksara (Imperishable) Adhi Yagna and Purushottama are all the few names
by which the Infinite God is ascribed to.
Jnana
Yoga-The path of knowledge
Jnana-yoga is the path of knowledge. It is only after rigorous and constant
practice of meditation and acquiring mastery over the mind and senses and a
profound desire for Self-knowledge, the acquisition
of power to discriminate between the real and the unreal and renunciation of
all the desires both at the material and spiritual realms, that the rational
thinking dawns in the mind whereby one can develop discrimination power between
the real and the unreal and finally succeed in attaining true knowledge about “The Self “, On
discovering “The Self” all the impurities of our mind gets burnt through
elimination process thereby enlightening our inner consciousness, since
darkness of ignorance can be dispelled
only by the light of knowledge. Knowledge, according to jnana-yoga, has two
aspects: fire and light. The fire of knowledge burns all the impurities of our
mind, and simultaneously, knowledge enlightens our inner consciousness.
The psychology of Jnana-yoga tells us that we cannot generate spirituality by
artificial means. The mind does not give up its attachment to worldly pleasures
unless it has tasted something greatest and highest. The Self is revealed in
the mirror of the mind that has become purified through self-control and
austerity. In this method of Jnana-yoga, the seeker identifies his/ her sole
identity with the Self. By hearing about the Self, reading about the Self,
thinking about the Self, and meditating on the Self, the mind gradually
realizes that the Self is the only reality in this universe and that everything
else is unreal. This statement is as per the Sankya philosophy and Advaita
philosophy too.
Bhakti
yoga- The path of Devotion
Bhakti yoga is the
outcome of internal sanctity. Universal and unconditional love is cosmocentric
and divine inspiration, which in its purest form is the inherent quality of
human emotion. But owing to the intervention of the false ego, love turns out
to be egocentric posing a great hindrance to the free flow of universal love
towards the Supreme God.
The negative
emotions like lust, anger, jealousy, and greed are created by the impure (false)
ego. By constantly praying to The God, all our thoughts, words and actions
becomes holy and spiritual and thus gets purified. In this way Bhakti-yoga
helps in our greater transformation wherein we shall be able to convert our
egoistic self-centric values into universal love. By doing so, we shall start
realizing that The Supreme God alone is the ultimate source of Universal Love
both at the material and spiritual realms for each and every one of us.
Constant prayer implies ceremonial worship, chanting of holy words, keeping the
company of noble and ideal souls, studying Holy Scriptures, etc.
With the onset of the holy thoughts, all the
impurities of the mind are eventually washed out and the followers of
Bhakti-yoga establishes a loving bond with the Supreme finally leading to God
realisation, which aids to contemplating on His omniscience and omnipotence
always. Although man has various relationships in his lifespan; for instance
his parents, son, friend lover, master; he begins to project his unconditional
love on all of them, keeping the God in the center of his heart. Once he gains
wisdom that God is prevalent in all the established or unestablished
relationships, he regards all of them with greater equanimity without any
discrimination which ultimately paves the way for communion with the Supreme
God or the Absolute Truth. (That relationship is eternal which supersedes over
all other existing relationships on this plane as well as on other planes too).
Karma
Yoga - The Path of Selfless Action.
As per Krishna’s words and instructions, all
the people are expected to work selflessly with an unbiased attitude towards
the attainment of any reward in return. According to Krishna consciousness,
people involve themselves in day today activities as an offering to the Lord
himself and hence the question of self-centeredness does not arise at all.
Raja
yoga the path of austerity and self-control
The aim of Raja
yoga is to realise the Divine by acquiring the knowledge about the Self within.
It is only after the Self-realization that his world which was otherwise filled
with ignorance binding the human soul with dreams and unfulfilled desires, would
be dispelled and later he can feel united with the Supreme Being thereby
relishing the taste of the nectar in being in consonance with The Supreme or
Transcendental Bliss.
In order to attain
Self-knowledge, raja-yoga preaches its followers to inculcate strong
determination which is made possible only with the constant practice of
meditation and concentration on the Self, with proper breath control, yoga asana,
posture control and strict adherence to self-control and austerities.
As per the terms
and conditions of raja-yoga, to fight against one’s ego is a long process that
involves greatest sacrifice, demands for the power of toleration at its peak,
which most of the followers lack. The impurities of the mind are so deep that,
it cannot be kept at bay by means of reason. But on the other hand, by giving
greatest importance to the devotion of the Supreme, the mind and his senses
becomes crystal clear and with one-pointedness, he can subdue all his senses
and automatically he can develop a distaste for all the pleasures of life and
is indifferent to all the dualities of life, wherein he attains the state of
desirelessness. Once, his mind is free from
all unwanted desires, he is never afraid of death. As such he can definitely be
the best devotee of God, as his thoughts are always noble, contemplating on the
Absolute truth alone which gives him transcendental bliss.
For all the above four
followers in spiritual path, work without expectation of any kind of reward
with focused mind on God alone would bring about ultimate solace to every
soul’s journey after getting freed from all the shackles of bondage. It is only
after undergoing a major transformation at the root level that Absolute
irreversible devotion would become possible and thereby the prime goal for
attaining salvation, liberation or Moksha can be far-reached with greatest
ease.
Three Forms of One God
Swayam rupa: - Swayam means
“original.” He is the ultimate reality who is infinite and hence he is the
original creator of all the living entities both in the spiritual and material
worlds. Originally God is one; no one is
greater than or equal to Him. Krishna has no origin. He is the source of
everything and the sum of everything. He
is the source of all expansions of God. He is the shelter of everything and
master of everyone. He is the supreme controller, and His spiritual body is
eternal, full of bliss and knowledge.
Tad Ekatma Rupa:-This
category consists of avatharas or incarnations of the Lord which are
innumerous.
Avesha rupa: - Also known as
shaktyavesha-avatara, this category has three divisions: bhagavad-avesha
(divine absorption), shaktyavesha (directly empowered), and vibhuti (indirectly
empowered).
Lila-avataras
Guna-avataras
Guna
means “material qualities,” of which there are three categories: passion, which
generates the creation of the material manifestation; goodness, which maintains
the material manifestation; and ignorance, which destroys the creation. Brahma
(right) is in charge of creation, Vishnu maintenance, and Siva destruction.
Lord
Vishnu is a direct expansion of Krishna and is therefore in the vishnu-tattva
category. Brahma is a post for managing the secondary material creation. The
post ismost often filled by a highly qualified devotee of Krishna (jiva-
tattva), but if no one is available, then Vishnu will perform Brahma’s duties.
Siva is also a devotee of Lord Krishna. He possesses more of Krishna’s
qualities than ordinary souls, but less than Krishna or His expansions and
incarnations. Siva is in a category of his own, called shiva-tattva.
Manvantara-avataras
Manvantara means “the life span of Manu.” Manus are rulers in the higher planetary systems, and they give direction to human society through scriptures. They live for seventy-one divya-yugas. A divya- yuga is the four yugas taken together. These manvantara incarnations appear simultaneously with the
Manus
and change as the Manus change. In Srimad- Bhagavatam (2.7.20), Srila
Prabhupada explains, “The manvantara incarnation chastises all the miscreant
rulers of different planets with as much power as that of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who punishes the miscreants with His wheel weapon. The
manvantara incarnations disseminate the transcendental glories of the Lord.”
The current manvantara-avatara is Lord Vamana (below). (Laghu-bhagavatamrita
4.16).
Yuga-avataras
The
yuga-avatara gives the yuga-dharma, or the religion for the specific age. (See
the sidebar “The Incarnations for this Age.”)
The
Incarnations for this Age
Although Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the yuga- avatara, or the incarnation for this age, He is in fact neither an incarnation nor an expansion of Krishna. Rather, He is identical with svayam-rupa Krishna.
Giving
special mercy to the people of this age, Krishna Himself has come in two forms:
as Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and as His holy name, as in the maha-mantra—Hare
Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama
Rama, Hare Hare.
Lord
Chaitanya is known as the most magnanimous incarnation because He freely
delivers love of Krishna, the highest goal of life. To understand Krishna is
difficult, but it has been made easy by the mercy of Lord Chaitanya. He is also
known as magnanimous because His mercy surpasses the bounds of mundane
distinction of sex, race, caste, and so on. He made equally available to
everyone the sublime process of attaining Krishna.
That
process, the religion of this age, is chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.As
the yuga-avatara, Lord Chaitanya appeared in this world five hundred years ago
to teach us how to develop love of Krishna by chanting His names.
God as the temple deity
Though
the archa-murtis seem to be made of material elements such as clay, wood,
metal, or stone, they are identical with the forms of the Lord in the spiritual
world. These forms are in the vaibhava-vilasa category.
In
Sri Chaitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 20.217) Srila Prabhupada comments: “The deity
in the temple, however, is visible to the material eyes of the devotee. It is
not possible for one in material, conditioned life to see the spiritual form of
the Lord. To bestow causeless mercy upon us, the Lord appears as the arca-
murti so that we can see Him…. No one should consider the deity in the temple
to be made of stone or wood…. Nor should anyone consider the Hare Krishna
maha-mantra to be a material vibration. All these expansions of Krishna in the
material world are simply demonstrations of the Lord’s mercy and willingness to
give facility to His devotees who are engaged in His devotional service within
the material world.”
The Identity of Narayana
Although
Lord Narayana does not appear in the chart, He’s there. The name Narayana is to
refer to any four-handed Vishnu form, but it can also be used to refer to a
specific expansion of Krishna, with His own spiritual planet. Narayan
is the Lord of Vaikuntha. Narayana is at
the center of the catur-vyuha (They surround Him). It also explains that
Narayana expands from Sankarshana of the catur-vyuha. Finally, it is explained that
the purusha-avataras (the three Vishnus involved in the creation) as
theNarayana purusha-avataras. So the name Narayana can refer to many forms of
the Lord.
The first four expansions in the vilasa category (prabhava-vilasa) originate from Lord Balarama (vaibhava-prakasha). Prabhava manifestations are fully potent; vaibhava manifestations are partially potent. The four expansions Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha are known as the catur- vyuha.Catur means “four,” and vyuha means “guard” or “arms.” These forms have four arms, and they guard the four directions of the material world. They reside in the spiritual world. We can refer to them as the aides-de-camp of Lord Krishna.
1. Vasudeva, the first
expansion, is the presiding deity of consciousness and the cause of the
brahmajyoti effulgence.
2. Sankarshana comes from
Vasudeva and is the presiding deity of false ego. He is the source of
Karanodakashayi Vishnu. Sankarshana is known as the integrating and
disintegrating power of God. In other words, He maintains the law of gravity
and oversees the destruction of the universe.
3. Pradyumna comes from
Sankarshana and is the presiding deity of intelligence. He is responsible for
universal growth and maintenance. From Pradyumna comes Garbhodakashayi Vishnu.
4. Aniruddha, who comes
from Pradyumna, is the presiding deity of the mind and the source of
Kshirodakashayi Vishnu.
“The Lord in His different features (Vasudeva,
Aniruddha, Pradyumna, and Sankarshana) maintains both the gross and subtle
material elements of this world. As mentioned in Bhagavad-gita, the gross
material elements are earth, water, fire, air, and ether, and the subtle
material elements are mind, intelligence, and ego. All of them are controlled
by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and
Aniruddha…. Lord Krishna, by His quadruple expansion (Vasudeva, Sankarshana,
Pradyumna and Aniruddha), is the Lord of psychic action—namely thinking,
feeling, willing, and acting.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.35-36, Purport)
From
these first four expansions come other catur- vyuhas, known as vaibhava-vilasa.
The months of the year and the markings of tilaka are named for these vaibhava-vilasa
manifestations.
Since everything
in our experience has form and qualities, it makes sense that the source of all
sources should also, to an infinite degree. As drops of ocean water have the
ocean's qualities in minute degree, our forms and personalities are
infinitesimal samples of the infinite Supreme Person.
Vedic writings
describe in detail the innumerable names, activities, opulence’s, and
associates of the Supreme Person Krishna who is all-attractive and the way his
staunch devotees give great importance to his supreme transcendental
personality than to His greatness, opulences and pastimes.
When we say that
God is infinite, we mean that he is not restricted by space time, cause and
effect. He exists beyond our universe and beyond the limitations of our three
dimensions which are height, width, and depth. He is not constrained by the
past, the present, or the future. His capacity is without end. His
understanding has no limits. His presence is everywhere. The qualities and
attributes he possesses are maximized in their perfection.
Plenary Expansions of Lord
Krishna
Para Manifestation
The Para form is sometimes described as the first immanent manifestation of the Supreme Being.
Vyuha Manifestation
Vasudeva, characterized by the six gunas, is sometimes called the first Vyuha. From Vasudeva emanates Sankarshana (Lord Baladeva) in whom jnana and bala alone get manifested. From Sankarshana comes Pradyumna (Son of Lord Krishna) to whom belong aishvarya and virya. From Pradyumna emanates Aniruddha to whom shakti and tejas appertain. As we have seen, the Pancharatra thinkers were very much particular in safeguarding and preserving the purity and unchanged nature of the transcendent Supreme Being. From that point of view, the chief merit, and hence its primary significance, is that it is such a process of emanation in which the Supreme Being remains unaffected and unchanged in all the five-fold manifestations.
Vibhava Avatara Manifestation
Closely
connected with the doctrine of vyuhas, is the next manifestation of God, named
as vibhava (manifestation) or avatar (descent). The only Supreme
Being the Pancharatra philosophers knew about was the Transcendent One, who was
not in any way directly related to the world. Therefore, the Samhitas
explicitly describe the avataras as either all springing from Aniruddha, or
some from Vasudeva and the rest from the other three vyuhas. One should not be
mistaken here in assuming that the Supreme Being himself takes avatara. This is
a puranic conception. The Pancharatra Samhitas nowhere maintain that the
Supreme Being, laying aside its transcendent, unmoving nature assumes these
finite forms. This is impermissible by the premises of the system. The Supreme
Being is merely a spectator with an attitude of passivity and indifference. It
cherishes no attachment to the mundane world, and it is beyond its nature to do
so.
Antaryamin Manifestation
The
fourth manifestation is the Antaryamin avatara, which is
Aniruddha as the ‘Inner Ruler’ of all souls. It is a mysterious power seated in
the ‘lotus of the heart’. Here again it should be noted that this is not a
manifestation of the Supreme Being, but only of Aniruddha,(Grandson of Lord
Krishna) one of the vyuhas.
Archa Manifestation
The
Pancharatra Samhitas, unlike Narayaniya, finally recognize
the archa manifestation of God. An inanimate object (i.e. image of Vishnu), if
duly consecrated according to the Pancharatra rites, acquires a miraculous
power, and the Shakti of Vishnu descends into it. It is meant for the purpose
of daily worship. This archa worship is different from the pratima worship. In
the latter the symbol is the locus, on which the devotee concentrates his
thought. But no sooner the thought is centralized, than the locus soon gets out
of his vision and no necessity thereof is felt. But in the archa worship, on
the other hand, the devotee feels the very presence of God in it. And as such
the inanimate image soon acquires a new meaning, becomes the object of love, of
heart’s hankering and of the eye’s rest. This we find in the religion of the alvars as well, who are the
Tamil Vaishnava saints.
Quotes from
Bhagvad Gita (Chapter 4, verses 7 and 8)
Avyatram
vyaktimApannam manyante mAm abuddhayah;
Param bhAvam
ajAnanto mamAvyayamanuttamam- (7.24)
‘Foolish people
consider Me, the unmanifested, as a mere manifested individual without knowing
My Supreme form as the most glorious imperishable one.’
MahAmAnastu mAm
PArtha daivIm prakrtimAsritah;
Bhajantyananya
manaso jNAtvA bhUtAdimavyayam-
‘The Mahatmas,
great ones, on the other hand, O Partha, endowed with divine qualities, worship
Me with one-pointed devotion, knowing Me as the imperishable source of all
beings.
Yada yada hi
dharmasya glanirbhavathi bharatha
Abhyutthanamadharmasya
tadatmanam srijamyaham||
Whenever, there is
a decline in righteousness and an upsurge in unrighteousness, O Arjuna, I then
manifest myself.
ParitrAnaya
sAdhunAm VinAshAyacha duskrtAm
DharmasamsthApanAya
sambhavAmi yugae yugae||
For the protection
of the good as for the destruction of the wicked as for the establishment of
righteousness, I manifest myself from age to age.
Infinity in
relationship to 3 primary attributes, omnipresence, omnipotence and
omniscience:-
Virat
, Hiranyagarbha, and Avyaakruta
Generally, his
infinitude is understood in relationship to three primary attributes;
omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience.The body multiplied by infinity is Viraat. The mind
multiplied by infinity is Hiranyagarbha. Life multiplied by infinity is
Avyaakruta.
"The
Maha-Vishnu, into whom all the innumerable universes enter and from whom they
come forth again simply by His breathing process, is a plenary expansion of
Krishna. Therefore I worship Govinda, Krishna, and the cause of all
causes."
Brahma-samhita
In
the Purusha Sukta1.3-4 from Rig Veda 10.90 it states that the material creation
of the Lord is only one quarter of the total creation while the remaining three
quarters is the spiritual sky.
etavanasya mahima-ato jyayash-ca purushah
pado-asya vishva bhutani tri-pad-asya-amrtam divi
pado-asya vishva bhutani tri-pad-asya-amrtam divi
tri-pad-urdhva udait-purussah pado-asye’ha-abhavat-punah
tato vishvang vya’kramat-sashana-anashane abhi
tato vishvang vya’kramat-sashana-anashane abhi
“Such is His
greatness, but the Purusha is greater than this. All beings make up only
one-quarter of Him. Three-quarters of Him which are immortal are in Heaven.
Three-quarters of the Purusha ascended high; one-quarter was here, again and
again. And, diversified in form, it moved to the animate and inanimate world.”
This reference to the
creation of the Lord being one part material and three parts spiritual is found
in many places in the Vedic literature. We do not propose to catalog all such
references, as that is not the point of this short essay.
Though not stated
directly in the verse but from the context it is also to be understood that
both the material world and spiritual world are infinite in measure. Here are
some references indicating the infinite nature of the material and spiritual
sky:
“Every universe is
covered by seven layers -- earth, water, fire, air, sky, the total energy and
false ego -- each ten times greater than the previous one. There are
innumerable universes besides this one, and although they are unlimitedly
large, they move about like atoms in you. Therefore you are called unlimited
[ananta].” Srimad Bhagavatam 6.16.37
If the material
creation is unlimitedly large what then of the spiritual sky? The following
verse indicates that the spiritual sky is one of the Lord’s unlimited
immeasurable opulences.
“Let me offer my
respectful obeisances unto Him who is the associate of the members of the Yadu
dynasty and who is always a problem for the non-devotees. He is the supreme
enjoyer of both the material and spiritual worlds, yet He enjoys His own abode
in the spiritual sky. There is no one equal to Him because His transcendental
opulence is immeasurable.” Srimad Bhagavatam 2.4.14
And, this verse
indicates the same.
“Above Brahmaloka
is the planet of the cows, which is protected by the Sadhyas. O Krsna, that
great planet is infinitely expansive, pervading the unlimited spiritual sky.”
Brhad Bhagavatamrta 3.7.81
The question now arises and which has puzzled many
persons is how could it be possible that if both the spiritual and material
world are infinite how then can the
spiritual world be three times bigger than the material world? How can one
infinity be three times bigger than another infinity? The concept of infinity
itself boggles the mind what to speak of different sizes of infinity. -
“But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the
revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness; they fall down. For the
doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.”
Bhagavad-gita 4.40
What
Is This World?
पूर्णमदः पूर्णमादाय
पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवाशिष्यते
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवाशिष्यते
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ।
pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamādāya pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāśiṣyate
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ |
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāśiṣyate
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ |
‘The invisible
(Brahman) is the Full; the visible (the world) too is the Full. From the Full
(Brahman), the Full (the visible) universe has come. The Full (Brahman) remains
the same, even after the Full (the visible universe) has come out of the Full
(Brahman).’
The invisible is
the Infinite, the visible too is the infinite. From the Infinite, the visible
universe of infinite extension has come out. The Infinite remains the same,
even though the infinite universe has come out of it. Om ! Peace! Peace! Peace!
There cannot be
two infinites, for they would limit each other and would become finite. Also
each individual soul is a part and parcel of that Universal Soul, which is
infinite. Therefore in injuring his neighbor, the individual actually injures
himself. This is the basic metaphysical
truth underlying all ethical codes.
(Swami Vivekananda)
वेदाहं समतीतानि
वर्तमानानि चार्जुन ।
भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन ॥
भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन ॥
vedāhaṃ samatītāni vartamānāni cārjuna |
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni māṃ tu veda na kaścana ||
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni māṃ tu veda na kaścana ||
‘I, O Arjuna, know
the beings that are of the past, that are of the present, and that are to come
in future; but Me no one knows.’
That fullness of
the true Me, says Krshna, is beyond all these limited categories, such as space
and time, cause and effect, and substance and attribute.
यतो वा इमानि भूतानि
जायन्ते येन जातानि जीवन्ति
यत्प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति तद्विजिज्ञासस्व तत् ब्रह्मेति ।
यत्प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति तद्विजिज्ञासस्व तत् ब्रह्मेति ।
yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante yena jātāni jīvanti
yatprayantyabhisaṃviśanti tadvijijñāsasva tat brahmeti |
yatprayantyabhisaṃviśanti tadvijijñāsasva tat brahmeti |
‘That from which all these entities and beings are born,
That in which, being born, they live,
That unto which, in the end, they enter,
Know That, That is Brahman.’
That in which, being born, they live,
That unto which, in the end, they enter,
Know That, That is Brahman.’
यश्च मूढतमो लोके यश्च
बुद्धेः परं गतः ।
तावुभौ सुखमेधते क्लिश्यत्यन्तरितो जनः ॥
तावुभौ सुखमेधते क्लिश्यत्यन्तरितो जनः ॥
yaśca mūḍhatamo loke yaśca buddheḥ paraṃ gataḥ |
tāvubhau sukhamedhate kliśyatyantarito janaḥ ||
tāvubhau sukhamedhate kliśyatyantarito janaḥ ||
‘Only two kinds of
people are happy and free from tension, the utter fool and the one who has
surpassed himself, gone beyond his mind (and attained the state of a
paramahamsa). All people in between are in varying stages of tension and
sorrow.’
Vishnu
sahasranamam quotes:
suvarnavarno hemango varangas chandhanangadhi
viraha vishamaha sunyo grithasirachalaschalaha
viraha vishamaha sunyo grithasirachalaschalaha
The Sanskrit word “sunya” means “zero”, “nullity”,
“cipher”, emptiness”.
It would strike
anyone as extremely odd that the Sahasranamam should choose to call Lord Vishnu
as Zero! You can understand God being called “ekaha”, the One Supreme Being.
The essence of all monistic theism lies in the belief that God is One (the
Upanishad says, “sayaschayam purushe; yaschasavadhithye; sa ekaha”).
You can understand
too God being addressed as “ananthaha” the Infinite, as in the Sahasranamam
stanza 70:
kamadhevaha kamapalaha kami kanthaha krithagamaha
anirdhesya vapurvishnuhu viro ‘nantho dhananjayaha
anirdhesya vapurvishnuhu viro ‘nantho dhananjayaha
Since God is
Immeasurable it seems plainly alright to name Him “ananthaha” the Infinite. But
how is one to explain hailing the Almighty as “shunyah” the Cipher?
By the same logic,
you might say the Sanskrit “ananthaha” and “shunyah” might seem antonymous but
in reality they mean the same thing. Hailing God Almighty as “Lord Infinity” is
hence no different from hailing Him “Lord Zero”.
Incredible logic
notwithstanding, we know for a fact however that the “Infinite” and the
“Cipher” are never really the same thing. None of us would be willing to
exchange one for the other if it came to a real choice between the two. If I go
up, for instance, to a venerable “acharya” or “guru” and prostrate at his feet,
I would expect him to shower his benediction upon me saying, “May you be
blessed in life, my son, with Gods infinite Grace!” If instead the man were to
say, “May Gods zero grace be thine in life!, the blessing would stand
transformed into a vicious curse, wouldnt it?
So then, why is
God, who is Infinite Being, being called “sunya”, a Zero – the very opposite of
infinity? The traditional commentators of the Vishnu-Sahasranamam offer us some
explanation in their respective “bhashyas”.
As per Adhi
Sankara’s “Sahasranama bhashya” first.
The Sankara School
of metaphysics describes The Supreme Brahman as nirguna Brahman, since he is
“guna sunyan”.
According to this explanation, God transcends
all attributes. His qualities like omnipotence, omniscience etc. only serve to
help us in ascertaining His reality but they do not “per se” define Him. The
truth of Gods existence cannot be grasped by us with reference to His qualities
or “guna” alone, says Sankara. Brahman is to be apprehended as an Absolute
Being who stands far apart from and quite beyond any of His infinitely
(“ananthaha”) great qualities – i.e. He is “nirguna brahman”, a Being without
qualities, a Being with “zero” qualities. Hence it is fit to call Him “shunyah”
In other words, that Supreme Being’s whose divine qualities can never be explicated
by mere human analytical and cognitive ablilties, which has got human
limitations to expansively describe the Infinite.
Bhaskaracharya was
the first mathematician to reveal to the world the intimate relationship
between “sunya” and “ananthaha”, between Zero and Infinity. Any quantity
divided by “sunya” is equal to Infinity, he said. Take a value like 16 and
divide it (“haraha”) with progressively decreasing divisors. What happens? The
quotient progressively enlarges. For e.g. 16 divided by 4 = 4; and 16 divided
by 2 = 8; and eventually when 16 is divided by 0 it equals “Infinity!” Every
quantity, every value in the world, when divided by “sunya”, results in the
same quotient or result viz. Infinity, “ananthaha”
Such is the mighty
power of Zero that it can raise and relate all values on earth to the exalted
state of Infinity – which very same state in which God Almighty, the Vishnu of
the sacred “Sahasranama”, is said to eternally reside and rule!
The Nirguna Brahmam is also known by Sanskrit syllable
“OM”
The word as written in Sanskrit consists of 3 letters A,
U, M. These are called the 3 quarters and the fourth quarter denoted by the
prolonged undifferentiated sound M, which comes at the end, as the word is
pronounced. This is the symbol of Nirguna Brahman or Pure Consciousness. That
which is partless, incomprehensible, non-dual all bliss, and which brings about
the cessation of the phenomenal world, is Om, and verily the same as Atman. He
who knows this merges his self, in the Self. The first 3 quarters, or letters,
of Om apply to the relative universe. A is the first quarter which functions in
the waking state; U is the second quarter which functions in the dream state,
and M is the third quarter which functions in the state of dreamless sleep- The
fourth quarter which in reality indescribable in terms of relations, but is
called fourth only with reference to the other three is Turiya, or Pure
Consciousness which permeates all the states and is also transcendent.
All our relative experiences are included in the waking
state, the dream state and the state of deep sleep. In the waking state, we
experience through the gross body and the sense organs, the gross world. In
dreams we experience subtle objects through mind, or the subtle body. The
causal world we experience, in dreamless sleep, when the mind and the sense
organs do not function. One uses the gross the body to experience the gross
world, the subtle to experience the subtle world and the causal body to
experience the causal world. Corresponding to the three worlds-the gross, the
subtle and the causal-there are three states namely, waking state, dreaming and
deep sleep and also three bodies the gross, subtle and the causal. But it must
not be forgotten that Consciousness is Atman, which is always present in the
three states and forms their substratum. When Atman uses the gross body for the
experience of the gross world, it is given the technical name of Viswa. When it uses the subtle body for the
experience of the subtle world, it is called Tijasa. When the same Atman uses
the causal body for the experience of the causal world, it is called Prajna.
Atman is one and without a second. When
associated with these three, upAdhis, it is given three different names. Free from any upAdhi, it is Brahman the
Absolute.
The above is a description of the microcosm or individual
soul. The same is true of the macrocosm, or totality of souls. As in the
indidivual soul, so in the universe, Brahman functions in three states, in
association with three upAdhis and is known by three technical names. With
reference to the gross upAdhi, Brahman is called Virat, with reference to the
subtle, Hiranyagarbha or Prajapathi and with reference to the causal upadhi,
sutrAtma or Prana.
Brahman uses gross upAdhi as its instrument to function
in the gross world, the subtle upAdhi to function in the subtle world and the
casual upAdhi to function in the causal world.
It has been stated before that the Lord, when associated with the upAdhi
of casual bodies is called sutrAtma, the word means literally, the ‘Thread
Soul’- that is to say the thread-like
subtle substance that joins together all the different individuals-men, gods,
animals and inorganic beings. It is like the proto-plasmic substance which by
its minute threats passing through the cell walls unites the cells in a living
organism. It is ‘He who pervades all’.
When a man feels dispassion for experience through all
forms of life, from the blade of grass to Brahma, is he qualified to be seeker
of liberation, from the standpoint of the Absolute, all manifestations are
impermanent and transitory. Brahman alone is the immutable witness of the
births and deaths in the creation. And that Brahman dwells in each man’s heart
as his inmost soul.
Sa va esa mahAn
aja Atma, ajaro, amaro, amrto, abhayo
Brahma; abhayam hi vai brahma bhavati; ya evam veda-
(Brhdranyaka Upanishad)
That great birthless Self is undecaying, immortal,
undying, fearless, and Brahman(Infinite) Brahman is indeed fearless. He/she whoever
is fearless becomes one with the fearless Brahman.’
He draws your love towards Himself. He is of the nature
of Infinite love, a mother’s love. That
is emphasized in our concept of God as the Divine Mother. Here Saguna Brahman
is conceived as Para Sakthi, the Supreme Power, the Divine Mother. Hence in the
words of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, Brahman is the nirguna aspect and Sakthi
is the saguna aspect. So this idea of Sakthi is that personal God, whose
manifestation is this universe. And wherever there is Sakthi, Brahman is there.
But Brahman is the static aspect, and Sakthi is the dynamic aspect. So this
dynamic aspect is what we find in the Cosmos, and we are all within the
jurisdiction of that Sakthi in our day-to-day life and work and even spiritual
practices.
Atha para yaya tadaksaram adhigamyate-
This according to Mundaka Upanishad; is about Para (Vidya)
or higher science by which the Imperishable Reality is realized. All other sciences
are apara –vidya, ordinary science, because they seek the truths of the
perishable world.
Naiva sthree na pumanesha na chaivAyam napumsaka ha
Yaddyacchariramadatte tena tena sa yujyate (Shevatashvatara
Upanishad)
Also the infinite God is neither man
nor woman nor neuter it. Whatever body he assumes, he becomes identified with
that.
Kshtregna(Knower
of the field of both the seer and the seen), Aksara (Imperishable) Adhi Yagna
and Purushottama are all the few names by which the Infinite God is ascribed
to.
Kshetrakshetrajnayaorevamantaram jnanachakshusha|
Bhuthaprakruthim
moksham cha ye viduryanti te param||
These include ‘beginningless’, the biggest,
that which is neither categorized as is & not-is. All-pervasive, far yet
very near, unattached, subtle, indivisible and self-effulgent.
In the final section of 13th Chapter of
Bhagwad Gita,
Lord
says that it is only the superimposition of the qualities of one over the other
that is at the root of all seeking & limitation. The moment Prakriti &
Purusha is known as it is, then the problem is rooted out. It is this subtle
operation alone which makes a person spiritually healthy once again. He who
sees one divinity as one’s own Self, and also sees it as the very substratum of
all alone is a man of knowledge.
No
particular definition about the Infinite God/Ultimate Reality/Pure
Bliss/Absolute God
There is no particular
definition about the Ultimate or the Absolute God, since nobody has had till
date the experience to perceive the Pure Bliss in the spiritual realm, and even
if he had any perception, he will never be in a position to share his
experiences with any of us, as The Absolute God will not allow anybody to do so,
since the enlightened person by the time he shares his spiritual experiences,
he will be liberated from this ephemeral world. Partly it must be a fact that every
individual should realize God by his own self-effort, and even if the
god-realized or self-realized souls try to enlighten, it would not make any
sense at all. Secondly, the Absolute God cannot be understood merely by
theoretical knowledge.
Division
of Material and Spiritual Worlds
The
entire creation of the Lord is divided into two parts - Material world and the
spiritual world. Material world constitutes of the one-fourth of Lord's
creation and the rest is the spiritual world. The spiritual realm is divided
into the following parts:
1. Brahmajyoti - After crossing the causual ocean or the viraja river one sees the brahmajyoti of the Supreme Lord. This is the outer covering of the spiritual world. This brahmajyoti is nothing but as the emanation of the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Lord.
2. Kailasha - After brahmajyoti, the abode of Lord Shiva is situated which is Kailasha.
3. Vaikuntha Planets - This realm consists of innumerable planets. On each planet one form of the Lord predominates. For example Narasimha stays on His planet, Lord Varaha stays on His planet. Along with the Lord, His devotees also dwell on the planets as per their desire or attachment to the particular form of the Lord. This realm is also called as Vaikuntha-loka.
4. Ayodhya Dhama - After Vaikuntha Loka one reaches Ayodhya Dhama - the abode of Lord Rama.
5. Dwaraka Dhama - After Ayodhya Dhama one reaches Dwaraka Dhama where Lord Krishna is present in all His opulence as the King of Dwaraka enacting various pastimes with His queens.
6. Mathura Dhama - After Dwaraka Dhama one reaches Mathura Puri
7. Goloka Vrindavana - After crossing Mathura Puri one reaches Goloka Vrindavana. Goloka Vrindavana is the topmost pinnacle of devotional service. It is the ultimate resting place of the creeper of devotional service. Further Goloka Vrindavana is divided into Vraja Mandala and Navadvipa Mandala.
Devotees are transferred to these Dhamas as per their degree of advancement and desire.
1. Brahmajyoti - After crossing the causual ocean or the viraja river one sees the brahmajyoti of the Supreme Lord. This is the outer covering of the spiritual world. This brahmajyoti is nothing but as the emanation of the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Lord.
2. Kailasha - After brahmajyoti, the abode of Lord Shiva is situated which is Kailasha.
3. Vaikuntha Planets - This realm consists of innumerable planets. On each planet one form of the Lord predominates. For example Narasimha stays on His planet, Lord Varaha stays on His planet. Along with the Lord, His devotees also dwell on the planets as per their desire or attachment to the particular form of the Lord. This realm is also called as Vaikuntha-loka.
4. Ayodhya Dhama - After Vaikuntha Loka one reaches Ayodhya Dhama - the abode of Lord Rama.
5. Dwaraka Dhama - After Ayodhya Dhama one reaches Dwaraka Dhama where Lord Krishna is present in all His opulence as the King of Dwaraka enacting various pastimes with His queens.
6. Mathura Dhama - After Dwaraka Dhama one reaches Mathura Puri
7. Goloka Vrindavana - After crossing Mathura Puri one reaches Goloka Vrindavana. Goloka Vrindavana is the topmost pinnacle of devotional service. It is the ultimate resting place of the creeper of devotional service. Further Goloka Vrindavana is divided into Vraja Mandala and Navadvipa Mandala.
Devotees are transferred to these Dhamas as per their degree of advancement and desire.
Internal Potency: Nature of the Spiritual World
Krishna's
internal potency manifests the spiritual world. It is divided into the
- potency
for existence
- potency
for knowledge
- potency
for pleasure
The
potency for eternal existence manifests the spiritual planets and the bodies of
all the inhabitants. It gives shape to the unlimited variegatedness of the
land, villages, forests, hills, and pastime places in the spiritual world.
The
potency for knowledge manifests all the hopes, imagination, intelligence and
judgments devotees use to serve the Lord and exchange in never-ending,
relishable relationships with Him. The arrangements for all the loving pastimes
enacted by the Lord and His devotees are regulated by this potency.
The
potency for pleasure completely captivates Krishna Himself. This energy is
represented by Radha, Krishna’s female counterpart. Radha is the embodiment of
highest love for Krishna. Love captivates Krishna's heart completely and gives
everyone in the spiritual world the highest pleasure.
In ordinary
parlance, God also can be summoned by a name, provided that the name chosen,
with which you summon, indicates the might and the majesty, and the affection
God has for you. The mantra that people chant in japa sadhana,
for instance, is supposed to be an indicator of the name of God. The mantra
that you chant, into which you are supposed to be initiated, is the modus
operandi adopted to create in one's own mind a suggestion of the nature of
the God whom one worships and adores. In the Vishnu Sahasranama recited just
now, the thousand names are a thousand different characteristics of the Supreme
Being, and they are not just anything and everything.
There are infinite
ways of calling God, inasmuch as there are infinite qualities that we can
associate with God. You can call Him by any name, provided it is in consonance
with His nature. What are His qualities? They are immense capacity, and
indomitable power; Almighty He is called. He is the greatest power you can
think of, before which nothing can stand; this is one quality of God. And He is
the greatest beauty, enchanting, stunning, filling you with joy, making you
feel as if you are drinking nectar; it is utter beauty, incomparable, the kind
of which you cannot see in the world.
Every aspect of
this Cosmic Being is a deity, a god by himself, or itself. But no god is
complete; every deity is incomplete. No single aspect of the Purusha can be
regarded as complete, inasmuch as every deity thus conceived is a limb of the
Cosmic Being. All that is manifest objectively, also, is really another form of
the Supreme Being. It does not mean that creation is something different from
the cause thereof, either in quality or internal structure. The concept of the
Supreme Unity cannot be arrived at by the analysis of any part. Every part is
only an indication of there being something above it, or transcending it. The
parts are finite forms, even as deities; they can only be pointers to higher
forms, but in themselves not complete forms. So, there is a difference between
the satisfaction that comes by contemplation on the Universal Reality and that
derived from any type of finite contemplation.
The Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad gita is
a very important one in its own way. It commences with a description of the
universe, comparing it to a vastly spread-out tree sprouting forth from the
root, which is Brahman. Curiously enough, the analogy of the tree is brought
out in a way which is novel, unique and highly instructive. To give us an idea
of the transcendence of the Supreme Creative Principle, ranging beyond all
perceptible phenomena, the Gita compares this root to something that is beyond
and above, from which emanates the tree of the universe spreading its branches
downwards in the form of the varieties of objects perceived by the senses and recognized
by the mind, and the experiences everyone undergoes in life. Even as the whole
tree is contained in the seed, the entire universe is in the Absolute in an
undifferentiated manner, originally. The roots of the universe are above and
the branches are below. In this respect this tree is different in its manifestation
from the trees that we see here on earth, who have their roots below and the
branches shooting forth above towards the sun and the sky.
The universe is a multitudinous variety
scattered into particulars appearing to be different from one another in every
way, and yet connected and related together by the organic grasp of the Supreme
Presence of the seed of this tree. As in the seeds that we see in this world we
cannot locate the pervasive character of the seed through the branches, etc.,
notwithstanding the fact that we have to infer this essence in every part of
the tree, we see only the tree and not the seed; likewise, we see only the
universe and not the root of it. Yet, this original seed is omnipresently
pervading every bit of this tree, and the manifestations or the varieties are
the ramifications of the essence of this root, this seed, Brahman, the
Absolute.
The universe, ultimately, is not made up of
substances, but of desires. The warp and woof of this universe are the desires
of the individuals that constitute it. In a way we may say that the universe
does not stand outside the individuals, even as the cloth does not stand
outside the threads of which it is constituted or formed.
Knowledge is the same as the knowledge of God.
Knowledge is being, as such. It is the
entry of our true nature into the being of all things. There is the union of
the seer and the seen in such a manner that the being of the seer is the same
as the being of the seen, and vice versa.
God enters us, and we enter God, as the rivers enter the ocean, and the ocean
embraces rivers, so that one cannot know which the river is and which the ocean
is. Such is the destination of the soul when it reaches the Purushottama, the
Supreme Person above all personalities and forms. Knowing this, one is
liberated forever. There is no chance, or trace, of bondage any more.
This is the ultimate reality which Vedanta
philosophy calls Brahman. In English we may simply say pure consciousness,
existence. Sometimes it is called Purusha or the Ultimate Person. Sometimes it
is called Purushottama, to distinguish it from ordinary persons. When we
consider God as a Supreme Person, we are likely to imagine God as a sort of
large human being. To obviate this misconception, to free our mind from
associating any kind of human characteristics to God, we call God as
Purushottama, Supreme Person, and not simply a purusha
or an ordinary person.
The Upanishads (उपनिषद्) are Hindu scriptures
that constitute the core teachings of Vedanta.They are latter part of the four
Vedas and are also known as Jnana Kanda (The Knowledge Part). Shankaracharya
defines Upanishads as "knowledge of the Self or Brahman (ब्रह्मविद्या / आत्मविद्या) which
removes ignorance about the Self". Other dictionary meanings include
"esoteric doctrine" and "secret doctrine".
In Sanskrit there are words such as sat and chit. Sat is pure being; chit is
consciousness. We are sat, chit and ananda.
Ananda is bliss, the bliss of
sleep, surpassing every other joy of the world. We rub our eyes when we get up
from sleep, and want to go back to sleep again if possible. But the worries of
life pull us back to waking, so somehow or other we get up, unwillingly, and
run about. We were sat-chit-ananda in the state
of deep sleep, which means to say, existence, consciousness, bliss – that is
all.
Anoraniyan mahato mahiyan atma guhayam nihitosya jantoh (Maha narayana
Upanishad)
The Infinite Self, more minute than the minute
and greater than the great, is set in the heart of all the beings.
Yo devo agnau yopsu yo vishvam
bhuvanamavisesha |
Yo oshadhishu yo vanaspatishu tasmai devaya
namo namah||
Salutations to the Divinity who is in the
fire, who is in the water, who is in the plants, who is in the trees, who has
pervaded the whole universe. (Shvetasvatara Upanishad).
Sahasraseersha purushah sahasrakshah
sahasrapat|
Sa Bhumim vishvato vritva
atyatishthaddashangulam||
That Infinite Being has a thousand heads a
thousand eyes a thousand feet enveloping the whole universe on all sides. He
exists beyond ten fingers.
(Shvetasvatara
Upanishad)
Tapaso brahma vijijnasasva tapo brahmeti
Know Brahman
by means of Tapas, that is, by means of penance, austerity, meditation and
control of the senses Tapas is Brahman.
(Taittiriya Upanishad)
Yo vai bhuma tatsukham nalpe sukhamasti
bhumaiva sukham bhuma tveva
vijijnasitvya
(Chandogya Upanishad)
That which indeed is the Infinite that is joy,
there is no joy in the finite. The Infinite alone is joy. But the Infinite
indeed has to be sought after.
Beings born in manifold states of
existence-celestial, human and infernal are earned for the soul through the
actions of a Sattvika, Rajasika and
Tamasika, character respectively, performed by themselves; for all forms of
existence can be attained by all according to the quality of their actions and
final beatitude also can be achieved by them by discharging in a disinterested
spirit, the duties perescribed for each varna or grade of society-final beatitude,
which consists in an incessant flow of motiveless devotion to Lord Vasudeva,
the Supreme Spirit, the Inner Controller of all living beings, who is free from
partiality and prejudice etc, full of compassion, is beyond the range of speech
and has nothing to rest on. It appears only when the rare privilege of close or
loving association with the servants of Lord Vishnu (the Supreme Person) is
had, which again is possible only when the knot of ignorance, the occasion of
the various states of mundane existence is cut asunder.
Hari Om Tat Sat
Hare Krsna, Can I please request for a high resolution / clear file of the chart with expansion details?
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