TEXT 26
The Padma Purāṇa (quoted in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.8)) states that one should give up niyamāgraha and follow the essence of all injunctions:
smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur
vismartavyo na jātucit
sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur
etayor eva kiṅkarāḥOne should always remember Viṣṇu and never forget Him. All other rules and prohibitions are subservient to these two principles.
yāhe kṛṣṇa-smṛti haya, tāi vidhi jāni
kṛṣṇa-vismāraka kārya niṣedha bali’ māni
BHAJANA-RAHASYA-VṚTTI
All of the various rules and prohibitions of śāstra are established on the basis of the above-stated main rule and prohibition. The main injunction is that throughout one’s whole life one should always remember Bhagavān Viṣṇu. Varṇāśrama and other arrange-ments that are made to maintain one’s life are subordinate to this rule. The main prohibition is that one should never forget Bhagavān. To abandon sinful activities, to give up indifference to Bhagavān and to atone for sins are subordinate to this principal injunction and this principal prohibition.
Hence all the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the scriptures are perpetual servants of the rule to always remember Bhagavān and of the prohibition to never forget Him. From this, one can understand that among all the rules regarding varṇāśrama and so forth, that rule which calls for remembering Bhagavān is eternal.
TEXT 27
Do not endeavour to perform activities such as atoning for sins through karma and jñāna. The Padma Purāṇa says:
harer apy aparādhān yaḥ
kuryād dvi-pada-pāṁśalaḥ
nāmāśrayaḥ kadācit syāt
taraty eva sa nāmataḥ
nāmno ’pi sarva-suhṛdo
hy aparādhāt pataty adhaḥ
nāmāparādha-yuktānāṁ
nāmāny eva haranty-agham
aviśrānta-prayuktāni
tāny evārtha-karāṇi ca
That wretched person who commits seva-aparādha at the lotus feet of Śrī Hari can become freed from his offence if he takes shelter of the holy name. Every kind of aparādha is nullified by service to the holy name. All perfection is attained by chanting the holy name without anarthas and with a sense of one’s relationship with the Lord, continuously and uninterruptedly, like an unbroken stream of oil.
kṛṣṇera śrī-mūrti prati aparādha kari’
nāmāśraye sei aparādhe yaya tari’
nāma aparādha yata nāme haya kṣaya
aviśrānta nāma laile sarva-siddhi haya
TEXT 28
Everyone should endeavour to attain knowledge of Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-svarūpa) and oneself (ātma-svarūpa). One first attains knowledge of Kṛṣṇa’s form and qualities, and then of His pastimes. Catuḥ-ślokī Bhāgavata (2.9.33) states:
aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo ’vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham[Bhagavān said to Brahmā:] Before the creation of this world, only I existed. The gross and the subtle, up to the indefinable Brahman – in other words the cause (sat) and the effect (asat) – did not exist. Nothing other than I existed. What is manifested in the form of creation is also I, after creation it is also I, and after annihilation only I will remain.
cid-ghana-svarūpa kṛṣṇa nitya sanātana
kṛṣṇa-śakti pariṇati anya saṅghaṭana
sakalera avaśeṣe kṛṣṇa cid-bhāskara
avicintya-bhedābheda tattva kṛṣṇetara
BHAJANA-RAHASYA-VṚTTI
In this Text the words aham eva, meaning “certainly I”, are used three times. This is because Bhagavān is eternally present since time immemorial in His form possessed of all opulence. Bhagavān has used these words “certainly I” three times to refute the doctrine of persons who consider Parabrahma to be without form. The implied meaning is, “Now I am present before you as a great ocean of supremely captivating beauty, qualities and sweetness. I was also present before this creation, in other words at the time of the mahā-pralaya (annihilation of the universe at the end of Brahmā’s life).” At that time, except for creating the world consisting of the five elements, Bhagavān was performing all His activities. Bhagavān’s eternal, confidential pastimes were also present with Him, as were His associates, who are assistants in His pastimes. At the time of the mahā-pralaya the material universes are destroyed, but Bhagavān’s transcendental pastimes and His various forms, abodes and intimate associates are all eternally existent.
Bhagavān is present both before and after the creation. The entire material world is the manifestation of Bhagavān’s bahiraṅga-śakti and the living entity is His taṭastha-śakti. Therefore this material world is not separate from Bhagavān. Bhagavān is situated in unlimited Vaikuṇṭha planets in His form complete with six opulences. In the material world He is present as the Supersoul (antaryāmī), and He appears as Matsya and other incarnations when needed.
According to the impersonalists (nirviśeṣavādīs), only the impersonal Brahman existed at first. To defeat this doctrine, Śrī Bhagavān says to Brahmā, “Beyond the cause (sat) and the effect (asat) is the supreme entity, Brahman. That Brahman is nothing other than Me. Few can realise My personal form replete with transcendental pastimes; they can only realise the impersonal form (nirviśeṣa-svarūpa). You, however, can realise My form full of transcendental beauty and all qualities, by My blessings and mercy.”
TEXT 29
Knowledge of the intrinsic natures of jīva-śakti and māyā-śakti is found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.34):
ṛte ’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta
na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ
The Supreme Absolute Truth (parama-tattva, or svarūpa-tattva) is the only real truth. One should understand that which is seen to be separate from this truth, or not existing within it, to be the product of the Supreme Absolute Truth’s illusory energy (māyā). The following example demonstrates this. Parama-tattva can be compared to the sun, which is an object consisting of light. The sun is experienced in two other forms, namely its reflection and darkness. Similarly, in regards to the Absolute Truth, reflection pertains to the living entities (jīva-śakti) and darkness to the material world (māyā-śakti).
kṛṣṇa-śakti māyā, kṛṣṇa haite bhedābheda
cic-chakti svarūpāśritā cij-jyoti-sambheda
jaḍākāre māyā-śakti chāyā tamo-dharma
prapañca pratīti yāhe vinaśvara-karma
BHAJANA-RAHASYA-VṚTTI
Although the jīva and māyā are both dependent on Bhagavān, a person does not experience them while he is directly experiencing Bhagavān. And while having experience of the jīva and māyā, one will not have experience of Bhagavān.
The intrinsic nature of the Supreme Absolute Truth was ascertained in the previous Text. The jīva and māyā are separate from parama-tattva. When a jīva can realise parama-tattva it is known as realised knowledge, vijñāna. This Text 29 elaborates upon māyā-tattva. Parama-tattva is the only real truth, and that which is experienced outside parama-tattva and not within it, is the product of the illusory energy of the Absolute Truth.
An example of this is seen in the sun, its reflection and darkness. A semblance of the sun is the reflection of the sun on water or on other things at dawn. This semblance does not exist without the sun. Similarly, māyā is only perceived when the creative energy of Bhagavān is manifest, and its existence is destroyed at the time of annihilation (mahā-pralaya). Without Bhagavān, māyā is not manifest. Where there is light there can be no darkness, but darkness is also perceived through the eyes. In the same way, māyā cannot be perceived on its own without the help of Bhagavān. The transcendental world (cid-jagat) is herein compared with the rays of the sun, Bhagavān. Using the same analogy, the jīvas are compared to the reflection of Bhagavān and the material world (māyā-jagat) is compared with darkness. The material realm is very far from Bhagavān, the transcendental truth (cit-tattva).
There are two kinds of relationship between parama-tattva and māyā-tattva. That which is experienced as separate from the Absolute Truth is māyā, and that which is very far from the Absolute Truth and in ignorance of it is also māyā. In this way, by carefully explaining the inherent nature of Himself, the jīva and māyā, Śrī Bhagavān explained sambandha-tattva to Brahmā.
TEXT 30
The relationship between Kṛṣṇa on one side, and the living entity and the material world on the other, is one of inconceivable difference and non-difference, acintya-bhedābheda. Nevertheless, Kṛṣṇa is separately situated in His eternal svarūpa. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.35) states:
yathā mahānti bhūtāni
bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu
praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni
tathā teṣu na teṣv ahamThe five great elements of material creation enter into the bodies of all living entities, high and low, from the demigods to the sub-human species. But at the same time, these elements exist independently. Similarly, I have entered into all living entities as the Supersoul, but at the same time I am situated independently in My own svarūpa, and I appear to My surrendered devotees both internally and externally.
mahābhūta uccāvaca-bhūte avasthita
haiyā o pūrṇa-rūpe mahābhūte sthita
sei rūpa cid-aṁśa jīve kṛṣṇāṁśa vyāpita
haiyā o pūrṇa kṛṣṇa svarūpāvasthita
BHAJANA-RAHASYA-VṚTTI
After describing His own svarūpa, Śrī Bhagavān says, “I am situated inside and outside every living entity.” Bhagavān dwells in every living entity as the Supersoul, but not all living entities are able to perceive Him. Only His devotees can realise Him. Not only that, Bhagavān is present everywhere, in all places, and the devotees can also realise this. According to the gradation of their bhakti, devotees relish the existence of Bhagavān and the nectar of His sweetness and beauty. The affection of the devotees for Śrī Bhagavān is called prema, and this is prayojana-tattva, the ultimate objective. The premi-bhakta sees Śrī Kṛṣṇa everywhere, both within his heart and outside. This is the intrinsic characteristic (svarūpa-lakṣaṇa) of prema, as described by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself:
bhakta āmā preme bāndhiyāche hṛdaya-bhitare
yāhāṅ netra paḍe tāhāṅ dekhaye āmāre
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 25.127)
The devotees keep Me bound in their hearts with the ropes of prema. And outside their hearts, they see only Me wherever they look.
Bhagavān resides affectionately in the hearts of the devotees, considering them His own; and He resides in the hearts of the other jīvas in a detached way. Bhagavān is supremely independent, yet His quality of being controlled is that He resides in the hearts of devotees and has possessiveness (mamatā) towards them. Bhagavān is made a prisoner by the loving devotion of His premi-bhaktas. The essence of spiritual knowledge is prema-bhakti, and the wonderful, confidential secret of prema-bhakti is that Bhagavān becomes controlled by His loving devotees.
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