20211107 Three Processes for Understanding Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on November 07th, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled as:

Three Processes for Understanding Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān

Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.144

sambandha-jñānera saṅge-saṅge bhava-bandhana-mocana —

vedādi sakala śāstre kṛṣṇa—mukhya sambandha
tāṅra jñāne ānuṣaṅge yāya māyā-bandha

Translation: “In all revealed scriptures, beginning with the Vedas, the central point of attraction is Kṛṣṇa. When complete knowledge of Him is realized, the bondage of māyā, the illusory energy, is automatically broken.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, knowing Kṛṣṇa is the goal of life. We should try to understand, there is a statement that, Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, māyā is like darkness, wherever there is Kṛṣṇa there is no māyā.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.145

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.4.142)— dhṛta padma-purāṇe vaiśākha-māhātmye yama-brāhmaṇa-saṁvāde

vyāmohāya carācarasya jagatas te te purāṇāgamās
tāṁ tām eva hi devatāṁ paramikāṁ jalpantu kalpāvadhi
siddhānte punar eka eva bhagavān viṣṇuḥ samastāgama-
vyāpāreṣu vivecana-vyatikaraṁ nīteṣu niścīyate

Translation: “‘There are many types of Vedic literatures and supplementary Purāṇas. In each of them there are particular demigods who are spoken of as the chief demigods. This is just to create an illusion for moving and nonmoving living entities. Let them perpetually engage in such imaginations. However, when one analytically studies all these Vedic literatures collectively, he comes to the conclusion that Lord Viṣṇu is the one and only Supreme Personality of Godhead.’

Purport: This is a verse from the Padma Purāṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in each of the Vedas, there may be some reference of some different devatās, demigods but ultimately Kṛṣṇa is the focus, Viṣṇu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and He is above all the demigods.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.146

anvaya o vyatireka-bhāve samagra-vede- kṛṣṇai vedya o pratipādya —

mukhya-gauṇa-vṛtti, kiṁvā anvaya-vyatireke
vedera pratijñā kevala kahaye kṛṣṇake

Translation: “When one accepts the Vedic literature by interpretation or even by dictionary meaning, directly or indirectly the ultimate declaration of Vedic knowledge points to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: People may use different methods for understanding Vedas, by word by word understanding, by dictionary understanding, by interpretation but ultimately all conclusions lead to the same end that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and He is the all-attractive personality.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.147-148

kiṁ vidhatte kim ācaṣṭe
kim anūdya vikalpayet
ity asyā hṛdayaṁ loke
nānyo mad veda kaścana

māṁ vidhatte ’bhidhatte māṁ
vikalpyāpohyate hy aham
etāvān sarva-vedārthaḥ
śabda āsthāya māṁ bhidām
māyā-mātram anūdyānte
pratiṣidhya prasīdati

Translation: “[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] ‘What is the purpose of all Vedic literatures? On whom do they focus? Who is the object of all speculation? Outside of Me no one knows these things. Now you should know that all these activities are aimed at ordaining and setting forth Me. The purpose of the Vedic literatures is to know Me by different speculations, either by indirect understanding or by dictionary understanding. Everyone is speculating about Me. The essence of all Vedic literatures is to distinguish Me from māyā. By considering the illusory energy, one comes to the platform of understanding Me. In this way when one becomes free from speculation about the Vedas and comes to Me as the conclusion, one is satisfied.’

Purport: These two verses are quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.21.42-43). When Uddhava asked Kṛṣṇa about the purpose of Vedic speculation, the Lord informed him of the process of understanding the Vedic literature. The Vedas are composed of karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. One who analytically studies the purpose of the Vedas understands that by karma-kāṇḍa, sacrificial activity, one comes to the conclusion of jñāna-kāṇḍa, speculative knowledge, and that after speculation one comes to the conclusion that worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate. When one comes to this conclusion, he becomes fully satisfied.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, ultimately worshipping the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa or His Viṣṇu forms is the ultimate goal of the Vedas, and thus people can be fully satisfied by serving Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.149

ananta-svarūpa kṛṣṇera ananta śakti-vaibhava —

kṛṣṇera svarūpa—ananta, vaibhava—apāra
cic-chakti, māyā-śakti, jīva-śakti āra

Translation: “The transcendental form of Lord Kṛṣṇa is unlimited and also has unlimited opulence. He possesses the internal potency, external potency and marginal potency.

Jayapatākā Swami: The living entities are His marginal potency and material nature is His material external energy and His internal potency is like Lakṣmī, Rādhārānī, the gopīs His queens of Dvārakā are His spiritual potency.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.150

cit o acijjagat—tacchaktipariṇata evaṁ kṛṣṇāśrita —

vaikuṇṭha, brahmāṇḍa-gaṇa—śakti-kārya haya
svarūpa-śakti śakti-kāryera—kṛṣṇa samāśraya

Translation: “The material and the spiritual world are transformations of Kṛṣṇa’s external and internal potencies respectively. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the original source of both the material and the spiritual manifestations.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.151

bhāvārtha-dīpikāya (SB 10.1.1)—

daśame daśamaṁ lakṣyam
āśritāśraya-vigraham
śrī-kṛṣṇākhyaṁ paraṁ dhāma
jagad-dhāma namāmi tat

Translation: “‘The Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam reveals the tenth object, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the shelter of all surrendered souls. He is known as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and He is the ultimate source of all the universes. Let me offer my obeisances unto Him.’

Purport: This is a quotation from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā, Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.1.1). In the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is a description of the āśraya-tattva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. There are two tattvas — āśraya-tattva and āśrita-tattva. Āśraya-tattva is the objective, and āśrita-tattva is the subjective. Since the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa are the shelter of all devotees, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called Paraṁ-dhāma.

In the Bhagavad-gītā (10.12) it is stated, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. Everything is resting under the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.58) it is stated:

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ

Under the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the entire mahat-tattva is existing. Since everything is under Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s protection, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called āśraya-tattva. Everything else is called āśrita-tattva. The material creation is also called āśrita-tattva. Liberation from material bondage and the attainment of the spiritual platform are also āśrita-tattva. Kṛṣṇa is the only āśraya-tattva. In the beginning of the creation there are Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. They are also āśraya-tattva. Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes (sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam). To understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly, one has to make an analytical study of āśraya-tattva and āśrita-tattva.

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa and His unlimited direct expansions, they are called the āśraya-tattva, all the energies, internal, external and marginal are His āśrita-tattva or sheltered truths. Kṛṣṇa is the shelter and everything else is sheltered

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.152

kṛṣṇera svarūpa-vicāra; tini—advaya-jñāna, vibhu-saccidānanda, sarvāvatārī, kiśora o vrajendranandana —

kṛṣṇera svarūpa-vicāra śuna, sanātana
advaya-jñāna-tattva, vraje vrajendra-nandana

Translation: “O Sanātana, please hear about the eternal form of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is the Absolute Truth, devoid of duality but present in Vṛndāvana as the son of Nanda Mahārāja.

Jayapatākā Swami: Although Kṛṣṇa is the source of everything, He lives in Vṛndāvana as the son of Nanda Mahārāja.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.153

sarva-ādi, sarva-aṁśī, kiśora-śekhara
cid-ānanda-deha, sarvāśraya, sarveśvara

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa is the original source of everything and the sum total of everything. He appears as the supreme youth, and His whole body is composed of spiritual bliss. He is the shelter of everything and master of everyone.

Purport: Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all viṣṇu-tattvas, including Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He is the ultimate goal of Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Everything emanates from Him. His body is completely spiritual and is the source of all spiritual being. Although He is the source of everything, He Himself has no source. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam/ ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Although He is the supreme source of everyone, He is still always a fresh youth.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes they picture God as an old man but here it states although Kṛṣṇa is the original, He is the source of everything, He always remain young, fresh youth.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.154

Brahmā-saṁhitāya (5.1)—

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

Translation: “‘Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes.’

Purport: This is the first verse of the fifth chapter of the Brahma-saṁhitā.

Jayapatākā Swami: This book Brahma-saṁhitā, 5th chapter, was located by Lord Caitanya when He was travelling in south India, He copied this book and it is a treasure for the Vaiṣṇava community.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.155

kṛṣṇai govinda evaṁ goloka-dhāme virājamāna —

svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa, ‘govinda’ para nāma
sarvaiśvarya-pūrṇa yāṅra goloka—nitya-dhāma

Translation: “The original Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa. His original name is Govinda. He is full of all opulences, and His eternal abode is known as Goloka Vṛndāvana.

Jayapatākā Swami: So this verse gives Kṛṣṇa’s name address and everything.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.156

Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (1.3.28)—

ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ
kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ
mṛḍayanti yuge yuge

Translation: “‘All these incarnations of Godhead are either plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions of the puruṣa-avatāras. But Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. In every age He protects the world through His different features when the world is disturbed by the enemies of Indra.’

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.28). See also Ādi-līlā, chapter two, verse 67.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, He gives all the living entities who are desirous of being independent of Him a chance in the material world So, He gives all the living entities who are desirous of being independent of Him a chance in the material world to reform themselves and go back to home back to godhead. But some are inimical to Him, to Indradeva, the king of devas, demigods, so it is necessary, He keeps the order of the material world.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.157

trividha abhidheye sambandha-tattva advaya-jñāna kṛṣṇera trividha pratīti —

jñāna, yoga, bhakti,—tina sādhanera vase
brahma, ātmā, bhagavān—trividha prakāśe

Translation: “There are three kinds of spiritual processes for understanding the Absolute Truth — the processes of speculative knowledge, mystic yoga and bhakti-yoga. According to these three processes, the Absolute Truth is manifested as Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.

Jayapatākā Swami: By the process of speculative knowledge one realizes the impersonal Brahman and through the process of eight fold mystic yoga, one realizes the Paramātma and through the process of bhakti-yoga or devotional service, one can realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is Bhagavān.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.158

śāstra-pramāṇa — Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (1.2.11)—

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate

Translation: “ Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.’

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.11).

Those who are interested in the impersonal Brahman effulgence, which is not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can attain that goal by speculative knowledge. Those who are interested in practicing mystic yoga can attain the localized aspect of Paramātmā. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.61), īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated within the heart as Paramātmā. He witnesses the activities of the living entities and gives them permission to act.

For a further explanation, see Ādi-līlā, chapter two, verse 11.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this purport explains the process of realization of the Impersonal Brahman and the all pervasive Supersoul, but all these three forms are non-different aspects of the Absolute Truth, but the complete form in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.159

(1) nirviśeṣa- brahma— kṛṣṇāṅga-prabhā —

brahma—aṅga-kānti tāṅra, nirviśeṣa prakāśe
sūrya yena carma-cakṣe jyotirmaya bhāse

Translation: “The manifestation of the impersonal Brahman effulgence, which is without variety, is the rays of Kṛṣṇa’s bodily effulgence. It is exactly like the sun. When the sun is seen by our ordinary eyes, it appears to consist simply of effulgence.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the description of the Impersonal Brahman.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.160

śāstra-pramāṇa – Brahmā-saṁhitāya (5.40)

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam
tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Translation: “‘I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with great power. The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman, which is absolute, complete and unlimited and which displays the varieties of countless planets, with their different opulences, in millions and millions of universes.’

Purport: This verse is quoted from the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40). For an explanation, refer to Ādi-līlā, chapter two, verse 14.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.161

(2) paramātmā—kṛṣṇāṁśa-vaibhava —

paramātmā yeṅho, teṅho kṛṣṇera eka aṁśa
ātmāra ‘ātmā’ haya kṛṣṇa sarva-avataṁsa

Translation: “The Paramātmā, the Supersoul feature, is a plenary portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the original soul of all living entities. Kṛṣṇa is the source of the Paramātmā.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this verse explains about the position of Paramātmā, the Supersoul as a plenary potion, expansion of Kṛṣṇa situated in every atom and everyone’s heart.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.162

kṛṣṇai paramātmā:—Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (10.14.55)—

kṛṣṇam enam avehi tvam
ātmānam akhilātmanām
jagad-dhitāya so ’py atra
dehīvābhāti māyayā

Translation: “‘You should know Kṛṣṇa to be the original soul of all ātmās [living entities]. For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done this by the strength of His own internal potency.’

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.55). Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī why Kṛṣṇa was so beloved by the residents of Vṛndāvana, who loved Him even more than their own offspring or life itself. At that time Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied that everyone’s ātmā, or soul, is very, very dear, especially to all living entities who have accepted material bodies. But that ātmā, the spirit soul, is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. For this reason, Kṛṣṇa is very dear to every living entity. Everyone’s body is very dear to oneself, and one wants to protect the body by all means because within the body the soul is living. Due to the intimate relationship between the soul and the body, the body is important and dear to everyone. Similarly, the soul, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is very, very dear to all living entities. Unfortunately, the soul forgets his constitutional position and thinks he is only the body (deha-ātma-buddhi). Thus the soul is subjected to the rules and regulations of material nature. When a living entity, by his intelligence, reawakens his attraction for Kṛṣṇa, he can understand that he is not the body but part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Thus filled with knowledge, he no longer labors under attachment to the body and everything related to the body. Janasya moho ’yam ahaṁ mameti. Material existence, wherein one thinks, “I am the body, and this belongs to me,” is also illusory. One must redirect his attraction to Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.7) states:

vāsudeve bhagavata
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam

“By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the reason why Kṛṣṇa was so dear to vrajavāsīs is explained that He is the Soul of souls and as they realized, that He became very very dear to them dearer than anything else. Similarly, if we render pure devotional service, then Kṛṣṇa will become more dear to us and naturally we get knowledge and detachment.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.163

Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītāya (10.42)—

atha vā bahunaitena
kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
ekāṁśena sthito jagat

Translation: “‘But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.’

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there are unlimited millions of universes and each universe it maintained and created by a small portion of Kṛṣṇa, as a single fragment. So, we cannot begin to understand Kṛṣṇa’s great opulence but He is very kind that He accepts our devotional service.

Purport: This is a quotation from the Bhagavad-gītā (10.42).

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.164

(3) bhakti-yogei kṛṣṇera pūrṇa bhagavat-pratīti —

‘bhaktye’ bhagavānera anubhava—pūrṇa-rūpa
eka-i vigrahe tāṅra ananta svarūpa

Translation: “Only by devotional activity can one understand the transcendental form of the Lord, which is perfect in all respects. Although His form is one, He can expand His form into unlimited numbers by His supreme will.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, as we read in the previous verses, Krsna has ananta-rupam, He has unlimited forms. That means He has unlimited names, but He is very kind that if we render devotional service He gives us His shelter, and we can be in His eternal shelter, in His association.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Three Processes for Understanding Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān 
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth