19870813 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.2.17

The following is a class given by HH Jayapataka Swami Mahārāja on August 13, 1987 in Bangkok, Thailand. The class begins with the reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Second Canto, Chapter two, Text 17 .

na yatra kālo ’nimiṣāṁ paraḥ prabhuḥ
kuto nu devā jagatāṁ ya īśire
na yatra sattvaṁ na rajas tamaś ca
na vai vikāro na mahān pradhānam

Translation: In that transcendental state of labdhopaśānti, there is no supremacy of devastating time, which controls even the celestial demigods who are empowered to rule over mundane creatures, and what to speak of the demigods themselves? Nor is there the mode of material goodness, nor passion, nor ignorance, nor even the false ego, nor the material Causal Ocean, nor the material nature.

Purport: Devastating time, which controls even the celestial demigods by its manifestations of past, present and future, does not act on the transcendental plane. The influence of time is exhibited by the symptoms of birth, death, old age and disease, and these four principles of material conditions are present everywhere in any part of the material cosmos up to the planet Brahmaloka, where the duration of life of the inhabitants appears to us to be fabulous. Insurmountable time even brings about the death of Brahmā, so what to speak of other demigods like Indra, Candra, Sūrya, Vāyu and Varuṇa? The astronomical influence directed by the different demigods over mundane creatures is also conspicuous by its absence. In material existence, the living entities are afraid of Satanic influence, but for a devotee on the transcendental plane there is no such fear at all. The living entities change their material bodies in different shapes and forms under the influence of the different modes of material nature, but in the transcendental state the devotee is guṇātīta, or above the material modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Thus the false ego of "I am the lord of all I survey" does not arise there. In the material world the false ego of the living being trying to lord it over the material nature is something like the moth's flying (falling) in a blazing fire. The moth is captivated by the glaring beauty of the fire, and when he comes to enjoy it, the blazing fire consumes him. In the transcendental state the living being is pure in his consciousness, and as such he has no false (ego to lord it over the material nature.)

Jayapatākā Swami: Prabhupāda explains here, difference between Vaikunta and Brahmajyoti.. In Vaikunta, it is saccidānanda, whereas in Brahma-jyoti it is, only sat, or sat-cit. In Bhagavad-gītā, there is Karma Yoga, Jñāna Yoga and Bhakti Yoga, mentioned. But only Bhakti Yoga can take one to Spiritual Vaikunta Planet. The other two yoga can take one to Brahmajyoti but they are not able to take you to Vaikuṇṭha-loka.

In this verse, it is explaining about a yogī who has realized the transcendental platform. It says here labdhopaśānti. In that transcendental state, they get the supreme peacefulness. There, time has no supremacy; the three modes don’t exist, nor false ego, nor the nirvāṇa – the material nirvāṇa. Totally on the transcendental platform. It’s a very technical verse. But this actually explains the difference between the realization of ordinary nirvāṇa and the higher state of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

In the nirvāṇa, one is still within the material energy, something like in the Causal Ocean. And eventually, one could fall down from that situation and come back again. But here, someone who has a transcendental realization, they are above the rule of time.

The description here: “How the devotee in the transcendental nature is above time, above material nature, above the three modes.” This is very important. It shows how the devotee is transcendental. It is important to know the difference between material ... destruction of one’s material situation and actual positive spiritual realization. There is a spiritual world. There is a Supreme Person. This is a good verse to refer to if somebody needs to know what is the difference between nirvāṇa and spiritual realization.

Many people don’t have a concept of anything beyond neutralization of our material situation. Bhāgavatam very clearly states in the material world everyone is under the control of time. We are certainly under the control of time. Even great demigods like Brahmā are under the control of time.

In the spiritual world, time does not pass. There it is eternally present. And in the material world... the holy dhāma in the material world is something like a resort area for Kṛṣṇa to come and visit to deliver the fallen souls of the universe.

The brahma-jyoti is also impersonal, that has a direct connection with Kṛṣṇa. The other form of connecting with Kṛṣṇa is through devotional service. We don’t actually know what is the present in this material world. Because we see what is nearest to the past...nearest to the present. Whenever we see something with our material eyes, we’re seeing the reflection of light. Actually, that thing is already in the past.

When we are actually in the spiritual realization, there’s separation of time and space. In this way... Here in the material world there’s past, present – so-called present – and the future. Everyone has got a built in finishing date. But in the spiritual world since everyone is eternal, there’s no limitations.

To be able to achieve this shelter of Kṛṣṇa and this highest realization is considered to be the greatest benediction. One can easily achieve that by regular practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Any questions?

Jayapatākā Swami: It’s temporary. A cloud is not an illusion, neither a permanent thing. A cloud may take a shape in the sky of an elephant or a tiger, and you see it and you say, “Oh, that’s nice.” But after some time, again the shape will change. So a cloud is temporary; it’s transient. It’s impermanent, but it’s not exactly illusion. It does have its existence.

Similarly, the material world exists. It mentions here: sattvaṁ rajas tamaś mahān pradhānam - the three modes, and it mentions the Causal Ocean and the material nature. It also mentions the false ego. So when the false ego is cut off, that is and one identifies... then it’s going to the material un-manifested energy or the pradhāna. It’s a very peaceful state. There’s no ... The three modes of material nature are not agitating the pradhān. In the universes, they are.

Those who enter the nirvāṇa, they enter into this un-manifested material nature. But when the universe is over, again they’re brought back into the body of Viṣnu. And when He creates again, again they come out. They never actually get out of the material world. They get out of the material universe; they don’t get out of the material world.

They go to the unmanifested energy of the material world because they identify themselves with the body. And then they lose their false ego, but they don’t gain their real ego. They don’t gain their ego of being a devotee or being a spirit. Then they think, “Now I don’t exist.” But eventually they do exist. That doesn’t destroy the soul. So eventually, either they fall from there and come back into the material universes, or they get some spiritual education, and they go up to the spiritual sky.

This example was given like this. Sometimes you have a movie projector. You have a light and a film. The light goes into a lens - glass lens. It goes, and then the picture is normally upside-down. And it goes through the lens, and there’s a little dot of light. Then the picture turns over, and when it comes on the screen, it’s right side up.

That the spiritual world is the basis. But compared to the material world, it’s the opposite. Actually we’re upside-down, and they’re right side up! But from our vision, that means that they’re upside-down. So from the spiritual, it comes to the point, and then it goes around. So that “point” is the ... Just like either side of the point, the light becomes like a little white light. This side it’s manifested; the other side it’s manifested. But at the focal point, then it’s just light.

So on one side is the spiritual light; and the other side is the material light. Then from there comes the material universe, other side is the spiritual world. So, one side is the impersonalists’ material nirvāṇa, the other side is the brahma-nirvāṇa.

They don’t believe there’s a soul. They believe that the soul becomes dismantled. They don’t believe in an eternal soul. They’re nihilistic - the ones that want this self-destruction. They take apart their false ego and then remain in that material, un-manifested energy.

If they knew there was a soul, they’d go the other side. That’s why we want to educate that there is a soul. They say there is a soul – ātma, but they think that the soul is also material. When the soul dismantles, then you’re finished. They’re nihilistic.

Of course, I don’t know all of the groups, but what I normally read here in Thailand is nihilism – self-destruction is the goal. But that is considered as spiritual suicide. They want to commit permanent suicide, to end all suffering. This is a very negative idea. One will not want to do that unless he is totally frustrated.

The way to get total frustration is to go for total enjoyment. Total enjoyment brings total frustration because there’s no satisfaction in the material world. And the material world, if we try to enjoy unlimitedly, we get entangled in such a way we suffer every day. It’s the nature of the mode of passion.

Passion looks enjoyable in the beginning, and it brings suffering in the end. Goodness, there’s a little suffering in the beginning, but it is happiness in the end. So more frustration comes from passion. Actually the solution is people should know that there’s a spiritual soul, there’s a spiritual world. That there’s a spiritual happiness, you don’t have to commit spiritual suicide, and stop to exist. Actually no-one stops to exist, but their false ego can be destroyed, can be dismantled in the pradhāna.

They fall from there. Then they start all over. But then they come as a Lord Brahmā. Some very... Because when they come from there, they’ll be very pure. There will be no sin. They worked off their sin; they went into that pradhāna. But they didn’t go to the brahma-jyoti. Or they may remain in some levels, but I don’t know. There’s not so much discussion about it in the Bhāgavatam - about the level before the brahma-jyoti. The level is mentioned, but there hasn’t been a lot of discussion on this. Maybe in other Purāṇas, it’s described more, or maybe Buddha has described more.

Brahma-jyoti. He goes there. It’s also like a type of suicide. Although he has a soul, but he feels that his soul is merging with the total spiritual energy. Or he thinks he’s become that energy. There’s a very subtle difference between the brahma-jyoti and the non-brahma-jyoti, the nirvāṇa-jyoti - the nirvāṇa energy. Both describe it as light; seeing the light.

By nature we’re active. Because by nature we’re active, we can remain inactive for a certain time. Eventually, we’ll again want to act. We’ll fall down, or we’ll know how to do spiritual action, we can go up to the spiritual planet.

Someone may say that ... Impersonalists, they say that Kṛṣṇa is action, therefore it’s material; He has a form, therefore it’s material. Form, action is material. Here it explains, that in the material world the form and action is all under the time factor.

Therefore, everything has a past,present, and a future. So everything has a beginning and an end. But the time factor doesn’t exist in the spiritual world. There everything is perpetually existing, eternally. To create the material world, Kṛṣṇa has created an energy known as Time.

Time does not exist as we know it in the spiritual world. Things go on there. It’s not that this is the beginning. Everything always existed. But to create a material world from that eternal time, He takes out an area. And He says, “Now you’re beginning and it goes for some time, and then it ends... it goes back. But from the eternal time, the world comes out temporarily and again comes back in. In this world, the time factor is all-pervasive.

Everyone is under the control of time. The time is actually what limits us. Other things also limit us: the three modes, the false ego, but over everything is the time. In the spiritual world there is no time. There is eternal time, but not this temporary time. Because in the material world, people see through the body. They have material senses.

But in the spiritual world, there’s no material body. The soul has its own form. That form is in a type of flux, where there is no separation of time and space, although they are individual forms. It’s not totally conceivable to us how this is possible. We can conceptualize it.

We cannot actually realize it with this mind cause this mind is material. We can only conceptualize what it would be like, or we cannot exactly understand that how such a thing can exist. We can’t understand. That where there is no separation between time and space; there’s immediate connection between everything.

The soul is directly perceiving, but it has a form in order to be able to act. But there - there’s no suffering, there’s no birth, there’s no death. But in the material world, that soul-form becomes dormant and put back into a “spark” form - seed. And then that, it’s in the body, there’s a small seed. So when that ... Like a little star. A little light. So in the body... The body is going through these changes. It’s feeling, it’s going to be destroyed. So one feels the pain of death, the pain of old age, disease, again re-birth. But this pain cannot exist in the spiritual world.

So we want to get rid of the body, but as Prabhupāda says here in the purport: “ ... The impersonalist because of his neglecting the association of the Lord, does not develop a spiritual body for spiritual activity, ... In other words, the soul doesn’t develop into a form. The soul stays as a formless spark. .. but remains a spiritual spark only, merged in the effulgent spiritual rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” That’s for the jnañi, yogīs.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!