Srimad Bhagavatam #16: Lord Brahma sees the Lord
Srimad Bhagavatam #16: Lord Brahma sees the Lord
"How did Nārada Muni, whose hearers are as fortunate as those instructed by Lord Brahmā, explain the transcendental qualities of the Lord, who is without material qualities?"
In this part:
Questions by King Parīkṣit (chapter 2.8)
Sukadeva Goswami answers by citing the Lord’s instructions (chapter 2.9)
Lord Brahma sees the spiritual world
Brahma meets the Lord
Lord Brahma’s enquires
The Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam
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Questions by King Parīkṣit (chapter 2.8)
In the previous chapters, Brahma described the process of creation, described the glories of the Lord, and revealed that devotional service unto Him is the ultimate goal of life. In the end, he asked Narada Muni to expand this description and teach it to others. This is a very ancient conversation that happened at the beginning of the day of Brahma, more than two billion years ago. Since then, Narada Muni has been traveling and speaking about devotional service.
Hearing this description, Maharaja Parikit inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī:
“How did Nārada Muni, whose hearers are as fortunate as those instructed by Lord Brahmā, explain the transcendental qualities of the Lord, who is without material qualities, and before whom did he speak?” (SB 2.8.1)
He urged Sukadeva Goswami to continue narrating the Srimad Bhagavatam so that he could fix his thoughts on the Lord and thus relinquish his body in full Krsna Consciousness.
“Persons who hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and are always taking the matter very seriously will have the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifested in their hearts within a short time.
The sound incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul [i.e., Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam], enters into the heart of a self-realized devotee, sits on the lotus flower of his loving relationship, and thus cleanses the dust of material association, such as lust, anger and hankering. Thus it acts like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water.
A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey.” (SB 2.8.4-6)
After thus glorifying the Srimad Bhagavatam, Maharaja Pariksit starts a long series of inquiries from verses 7 to 23. All these questions will be answered in a summary form in chapters 9 and 10, the last two chapters of the second canto, but factually, the answers to these questions will continue to be expanded to the end of the Srimad Bhagavatam. This chapter thus serves as a summary of the topics we will study throughout the whole book.
What are the questions asked by Pariksit Maharaja?
1- Understanding that the soul is different from the material body, how does the transcendental soul acquire a material body? Is it by accident, or by some cause?
2- Being a person, the Lord also possesses a body. As Maha-Vishnu, the Lord has an absolutely gigantic body, so big that universes can pass through His pores. In this way, the creation of all the material universes is done without difficulty. Inside each universe the Lord again assumes a gigantic form, as Lord Garbodakasayi Vishnu, and from His navel sprouts the lotus flower from which Lord Brahma is born. Similarly, he can also assume a very small form to enter into the hearts of all devotees and yogis, allowing them to meditate on him inside of themselves.
In this way, it appears that there is no difference in terms of accepting a body in terms of necessities. A living entity assumes the body of an elephant or an ant according to the activities he is intended to execute, and the Lord also assumes big or small forms according to His activities. Considering this, what is the specific difference between the body of the Lord and those of common living entities?
3- Brahma is not born of a material father and mother. On the opposite, he is born directly from the body of Garbodakasayi Vishnu, from the lotus flower sprouting from his navel. Does Brahma receive a body of the same quality as the body of the Lord? And if they are different, how can Brahma be born from him?
4- As Paramatma, the Lord enters into everything. Not only is He present in the bodies of all living beings, but He is present even inside the atoms. How then can be said that the Lord is untouched by material energy?
5- It was previously explained that all the planets of the universe are situated in different parts of the gigantic body of the universal form, the virāṭ-puruṣa. However, what is exactly their position? How exactly are the different planetary systems that compose the universe organized?
6- The whole material creation exists inside the limits of material time. What is the nature of this material time, composed of past, present, and future? What is the duration of time between the creation and the final annihilation of the universe, and what is the duration of time between the other subsidiary creations?
7- What is the duration and measurement of life in the different planets of the universe? Do demigods, human beings, and others live all for the same amount of time? If not, what are their respective durations of life?
8- Does material time have a beginning? What are the different measurements of time, starting from the very small (like the ones that affect atomic particles) up to the largest (like the lifetime of Brahma)? How is this material time related to material activities?
9- Different living beings, including humans, are made to act by the material modes and the results of these actions accumulate in the form of karma. How does this karma act on them? How does it promote or degrade them to different species of life and different planets of the universe, from demigods to insects and plants?
10- How does the creation of the universe take place? How are the different planets and stars, as well as the sky, and different features like mountains, rivers, and islands created? How are all these planets and stars populated with different living beings?
11- The universe is like a ball floating in the causal ocean, with an inner hollow part surrounded by different coverings. What are the specific divisions of the inner part of the universe, and how are the coverings described?
12- What are the characteristics of the different classifications of the castes and orders of social life in the Varnasrama system?
13- What are the different ages in the history of the universe, and what are the durations of such ages? What are the activities of the different incarnations of the Lord in these different ages?
14- What is the common religion for all human society, and what are the specific occupational duties for different classes and social orders? What are the religious principles for one in distress?
15- What is the nature of the different material elements? How many are these elements? What is their cause and how do they develop?
16- What are the rules and regulations for the process of devotional service, as well as for the process of mystic yoga?
17- What are the opulences of the great mystics (the eight yoga-siddhis), and what is their ultimate goal? How does a perfect mystic become detached from his subtle body, achieving liberation? What is their ultimate destination?
18- What is the meaning of the Vedas, including the itihasas (history books, such as the Mahabharata) and the Purāṇas?
19- How are living beings generated, maintained, and finally annihilated?
20- What are the factors and conditions that are favorable in the process of devotional service to the Lord, and what factors are unfavorable?
21- What are the Vedic rituals and injunctions of the Vedas on the topic of pious activities on the path of religion, economic development, and sense satisfaction?
22- How do the souls who are merged into the body of Maha-Vishnu after the annihilation of the universe come back into activity? How do impious living beings (demons, atheists, etc.) appear in this world? How do the unconditioned, liberated souls live?
23- How does the independent Personality of Godhead enjoy His pastimes in this world by His internal potency and how does He give them up at the time of annihilation? How does He remain unaffected by such annihilation?
Pariksit Maharaja also asks to hear about the character and activities of the great souls, which is of course one of the main topics of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
After again glorifying Sukadeva Goswami, Maharaja Pariksit reveals that because he was drinking the nectar of the message of the infallible Lord, he was not feeling any sort of exhaustion due to his fasting. That’s yet another proof of the transcendental nature of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
As Srila Prabhupada explains:
“One can indulge in hearing the mental speculators, but such hearing cannot endure for any length of time. One will be exhausted very soon from hearing such hackneyed ways of thinking, and no one in the world can be satisfied simply by hearing such useless speculations. The message of the Lord, especially from a personality like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, can never be tiring, even though one may be exhausted from other causes.”
Being pleased with the enquires of Maharaja Pariksit, Sukadeva Goswami prepares to start answering his questions by reciting another ancient dialog between Brahma and the Lord. Chapter nine is called “Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version” because Sukadeva Goswami answers based on the direct instructions of the Lord.
Sukadeva Goswami answers by citing the Lord’s instructions (chapter nine)
The first question asked by Maharaja Pariksit was about the relationship between the soul and the material body. How does the transcendental soul acquire a material body? Is it by accident, or by some cause?
Sukadeva Goswami answers this question in a very emphatic way in verses one to three:
“Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, unless one is influenced by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no meaning to the relationship of the pure soul in pure consciousness with the material body. That relationship is just like a dreamer’s seeing his own body working.
The illusioned living entity appears in so many forms offered by the external energy of the Lord. While enjoying in the modes of material nature, the encaged living entity misconceives, thinking in terms of “I” and “mine.”
As soon as the living entity becomes situated in his constitutional glory and begins to enjoy the transcendence beyond time and material energy, he at once gives up the two misconceptions of life [I and mine] and thus becomes fully manifested as the pure self.” (SB 2.9.1-3)
The soul and the body are two different entities and there is no factual relationship between them. It’s only because of the influence of the illusory energy that the soul can identify with the body and share the pain and pleasures enjoyed by it. Still, because there is no factual relationship between the soul and the body, we have to move on after some time. Until we are ready to return to our original position as servants of Krsna, we have to go from one temporary body to the other.
One example that could be given is a game on the phone. One may identify with the knight inside the game and be happy when it kills an orc, and unhappy when it dies, but there is no factual relationship between the human being and the character in the game. As long as one identifies with it one may continue playing, but as soon as this identification is broken, one puts the phone down and returns to his life.
Why is the soul here in the material world?
The next question is why the Lord put the soul in this condition. The answer is that it is due to the independence that is inherent to the soul. To accept that the soul has a minute independence is very important to be able to understand the teachings of Prabhupada. Krsna is supremely independent, and being part and parcel of Krsna the soul is also independent. The soul is thus free to go from the spiritual energy to the material energy and back, and that’s why the soul is called the marginal potency of Krsna. The word “marginal” does not indicate a geographical position, but the fact that the soul is free to choose between one or the other. Krsna does not want the soul to fall under the grip of the illusory potency, but He respects the free will of the soul. When this happens, however, he follows the soul as Paramatma, hoping that one day he will turn back to Him.
When the soul chooses to be under the shelter of the spiritual potency, he serves Krsna in some capacity in one of the spiritual planets, and when the soul takes shelter in the external potency, he is influenced by the illusory potency, which makes him identify with a body and enjoy this material world. The identification of the body is necessary because without a body no one can enjoy anything in this material world. There is however an intrinsical difference between the body and the soul: the soul is eternal, while the body is temporary. Because of this, the relationship between the body and the soul is temporary, and if one becomes attached to it, one suffers when it’s time to leave.
Prabhupada explains these points in detail in his purport to the first verse:
“The answer is that the Lord clearly wishes that every living entity be in his pure consciousness as a part and parcel of the Lord and thus be engaged in the loving service of the Lord as he is constitutionally made; but because the living entity is partially independent also, he may not be willing to serve the Lord, but may try to become as independent as the Lord is. All the nondevotee living entities are desirous of becoming equally as powerful as the Lord, although they are not fit to become so. The living entities are illusioned by the will of the Lord because they wanted to become like Him. Like a person who thinks of becoming a king without possessing the necessary qualification, when the living entity desires to become the Lord Himself, he is put in a condition of dreaming that he is a king.”
He then continues:
“Therefore the first sinful will of the living entity is to become the Lord, and the consequent will of the Lord is that the living entity forget his factual life and thus dream of the land of utopia where he may become one like the Lord. The child cries to have the moon from the mother, and the mother gives the child a mirror to satisfy the crying and disturbing child with the reflection of the moon. Similarly, the crying child of the Lord is given over to the reflection, the material world, to lord it over as karmī and to give this up in frustration to become one with the Lord. Both these stages are dreaming illusions only.”
When did this identification with the body begin?
“There is no necessity of tracing out the history of when the living entity desired this. But the fact is that as soon as he desired it, he was put under the control of ātma-māyā by the direction of the Lord. Therefore the living entity in his material condition is dreaming falsely that this is “mine” and this is “I.” The dream is that the conditioned soul thinks of his material body as “I” or falsely thinks that he is the Lord and that everything in connection with that material body is “mine.” Thus only in dream does the misconception of “I” and “mine” persist life after life. This continues life after life, as long as the living entity is not purely conscious of his identity as the subordinate part and parcel of the Lord.
In his pure consciousness, however, there is no such misconceived dream, and in that pure conscious state the living entity does not forget that he is never the Lord, but that he is eternally the servitor of the Lord in transcendental love.”
It’s not possible to answer when the soul comes in contact with material energy because this happens outside of the influence of material time. Therefore, it can’t be estimated in years or any other unit of time. From the material perspective, it appears that the soul has been always here, although in truth the soul comes from the outside. Only when one becomes liberated and escapes the influence of material time can one fully understand how this happens, therefore, as Prabhupada points out, there is no need to try to trace out the history of the conditioning of the soul from here.
Prabhupada also explains this point from another perspective. Just like mentioned by Srila Sukadeva Goswami, Prabhupada makes the point that there is no real relationship between the soul and the material world. It’s only due to the influence of the illusory potency that we think we are here. He gives the example of a dream. A man may dream that he is being chased by a tiger and thus cry in anxiety, while in reality he never left his bed.
“So the answer is, when somebody asks you that “When one has become in contact with this material nature?” He has not become in contact. He is thinking by the influence of the external energy. Just like the same example: A man is dreaming; there is no contact with tiger. Actually he has no contact with that. Similarly, actually we are not fallen. We cannot be fallen. But we have created a situation that we are, become… Try to understand understand. It is very important point. We have simply created a situation. We have not created a situation, Kṛṣṇa has given us a situation. Because we wanted to imitate Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa has given an opportunity: “All right. Imitate.” (Lecture, Tokyo April 20, 1972)
Lord Brahma sees the spiritual world
The second question asked by Maharaja Pariksit was about the difference between the jiva and the Lord. The Lord assumes different forms to perform His pastimes, just like we assume different forms, so what is the difference?
To explain this point, Sukadeva Goswami will go back further in time, and describe an episode from the very beginning of creation, that happened even before the conversation between Brahma and Narada Muni described in the previous chapters. This is the episode when the Lord showed the spiritual world to Lord Brahma, in response to His prayers and penances.
“Lord Brahmā, the first spiritual master, supreme in the universe, could not trace out the source of his lotus seat, and while thinking of creating the material world, he could not understand the proper direction for such creative work, nor could he find out the process for such creation.
While thus engaged in thinking, in the water, Brahmājī heard twice from nearby two syllables joined together. One of the syllables was taken from the sixteenth and the other from the twenty-first of the sparśa alphabets, and both joined to become the wealth of the renounced order of life.
When he heard the sound, he tried to find the speaker, searching on all sides. But when he was unable to find anyone besides himself, he thought it wise to sit down on his lotus seat firmly and give his attention to the execution of penance, as he was instructed. (SB 2.9.5-7)
At the beginning of His day, after awakening from his sleep of 4.32 billion years, Brahma could not remember who he was or what he was supposed to do. He woke up on top of the lotus and could not understand from where it was coming. Although Garbodakasyi Vishnu was directly under Him, he could not see Him, nor could he reach him by trying to get down on the steam of the Lotus. The Lord then spoke the word “tapa” (austerity), telling Brahma to perform penances. By doing that, Brahma could gradually remember everything.
“Lord Brahmā underwent penances for one thousand years by the calculations of the demigods. He heard this transcendental vibration from the sky, and he accepted it as divine. Thus he controlled his mind and senses, and the penances he executed were a great lesson for the living entities. Thus he is known as the greatest of all ascetics.
The Personality of Godhead, being thus very much satisfied with the penance of Lord Brahmā, was pleased to manifest His personal abode, Vaikuṇṭha, the supreme planet above all others. This transcendental abode of the Lord is adored by all self-realized persons freed from all kinds of miseries and fear of illusory existence.” (SB 2.9.8-9)
One year for us is 24 hours for the demigods. Therefore, 1,000 years of the demigods equals 360,000 years. It’s common for yogis in Satya-Yoga to meditate for 30, or even 60 thousand years, but Brahma meditated for an even longer period. As a result, the Lord revealed the spiritual world to Brahma. Just as Arjuna could see the whole material creation from the seat of his chariot, Brahma could see the whole spiritual world from the top of the Lotus.
The vision of Lord Brahma is described in verses 10 to 18. Here are the main points:
1- There is no influence of the three modes or material time in the spiritual planets. Ignorance and passion are very far away, and even the material mode of goodness (which is still not completely pure, being mixed with the lower modes) can’t exert its influence. There is just eternity and the influence of suddha-sattva, pure goodness.
2- In the spiritual world all inhabitants worship the Lord as devotees. Both devotees who go back to Godhead and demons who attain the spirtual planets after being killed by the Lord serve the Lord with affection.
3- In the Vaikunta planets, all the males have forms similar to Lord Vishnu. They are described as having a glowing sky-bluish complexion. All the ladies have forms similar to Laksmi Devi.
“Their eyes resemble lotus flowers, their dress is of yellowish color, and their bodily features very attractive. They are just the age of growing youths, they all have four hands, they are all nicely decorated with pearl necklaces with ornamental medallions, and they all appear to be effulgent. Some of them are effulgent like coral and diamonds in complexion and have garlands on their heads, blooming like lotus flowers, and some wear earrings.”
4- The spiritual planets are surrounded by many shining airplanes belonging to great devotees of the Lord. These airplanes can travel anywhere in both the spirtual and material worlds.
5- Just like the men, the women are incredibly beautiful. “The ladies are as beautiful as lightning because of their celestial complexions and all these combined together appear just like the sky decorated with both clouds and lightning.”
6- However, although there are couples in the spirtual world and everyone is incredibly attractive, the environment is free from lust. Because everyone is absorbed in the bliss of serving Krsna, sexual pleasure appears as something disgusting to them.
7- “The goddess of fortune in her transcendental form is engaged in the loving service of the Lord’s lotus feet, and being moved by the black bees, followers of spring, she is not only engaged in variegated pleasure — service to the Lord, along with her constant companions — but is also engaged in singing the glories of the Lord’s activities.”
8- The Lord is served by intimate assotiates like Nanda, Sunanda, Prabala and Arhaṇa. “The Personality of Godhead, seen leaning favorably towards His loving servitors, His very sight intoxicating and attractive, appeared to be very much satisfied. He had a smiling face decorated with an enchanting reddish hue. He was dressed in yellow robes and wore earrings and a helmet on his head. He had four hands, and His chest was marked with the lines of the goddess of fortune.”
9- Seated on His throne, the Lord is surrounded by His different energies, ready to serve Him. These are personifications of the spiritual potencies of the Lord, and should not be confused with the material elements and energies we find in the material world:
a) The six opulences (being the most rich, powerful, famous, beautiful, knowledgeable, and renounced).
b) The four material potencies (prakṛti, puruṣa, mahat-tattva, and ego)
c) The sixteen material elements (earth, water, air, fire, and sky, the five sense organs —eye, ear, nose, tongue, and skin— the five working senses —hand, the leg, stomach, evacuation outlet, and genitals— plus and the mind).
d) The five sense objects (form, taste, smell, sound, and touch).
e) The eight mystic perfections (aṣṭa-siddhis), which are described as insignificant.
Seeing the Lord in His fullness, Brahma became overwhelmed with joy. In full transcendental love and ecstasy, his eyes filled with tears, he bowed down before the Lord. Srila Prabhupada mentions that this process of approaching the Lord by service and by submissively hearing the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-Gita, instead of trying to understand Him by mental speculation, is the path of the paramahaṁsas, the pure devotees of the Lord. By following this path, any person can attain the same goal as Lord Brahma.
Brahma meets the Lord
Although Brahma was situated on the Lotus flower, he was able to meet the Lord personally. This shows how there are no barriers when we speak about spiritual matters. Just like Krsna was able to bring all the Brahmas of all the different universes together in the pastime of Brahma stealing the calves, He brought Brahma to the Vaikuntalokas.
“And seeing Brahmā present before Him, the Lord accepted him as worthy to create living beings, to be controlled as He desired, and thus being much satisfied with him, the Lord shook hands with Brahmā and, slightly smiling, addressed him thus.
The beautiful Personality of Godhead addressed Lord Brahmā: O Brahmā, impregnated with the Vedas, I am very much pleased with your long-accumulated penance with the desire for creation. Hardly am I pleased with the pseudo mystics.
I wish you good luck. O Brahmā, you may ask from Me, the giver of all benediction, all that you may desire. You may know that the ultimate benediction, as the result of all penances, is to see Me by realization.” (SB 2.9.19-21)
The post of Lord Brahma is occupied by a soul who shows a very particular combination of qualities. Brahma has to be extremely pious and advanced in austerities and has to be a great devotee of the Lord, but at the same time has a very great desire to create in the material sphere. This combination of qualities is so rare that sometimes there is not a single qualified soul to occupy the post in a particular universe. When this happens, the Lord Himself takes the post of Brahma, just like He took the post of Indra during the reign of Swayambhuva Manu as Yajna.
The Lord became extremely pleased with the austerities of Brahma and blessed him so he could perform the work of creation. The Lord is not satisfied with mystics who practice austerities with material purposes, but the case of Brahma is different. Brahma performed his austerities to be empowered to perform his service of creating the universe.
As previously mentioned, the creation of the universe has the purpose of offering the souls a chance to reestablish their eternal relationship with the Lord, and Lord Brahma not only contributes by creating the universe but also by disseminating Vedic knowledge. His service is thus extremely pleasing to the Lord.
Brahma has a fraternal relationship with the Lord, and thus the Lord shook hands with him. As Prabhupada mentions in his purport to 2.9.30:
“Brahmājī, although eternally related with the Lord in the transcendental humor of friendship, and although entrusted with the most exalted post of creating different grades of living entities, is still conscious of his position, that he is neither the Supreme Lord nor supremely powerful.”
The Lord then revealed that the highest perfection is to be able to see Him and His abode. In this way, the greatest benediction of the Lord was not to empower Brahma to create the universe but to meet him in person. This became possible by Brahma’s submissive attitude in following His order of practicing penances. It was the Lord Himself who ordered Brahma to perform penances when he was confused about what to do, just as He may guide us from inside the heart when we face a similar situation.
Lord Brahma’s enquires
After being blessed by the Lord, Brahma used the opportunity to inquire about transcendental knowledge, asking about the relationship of the Lord with His energies. From verses 25 to 30, Brahma poses the following questions:
1- The Lord is present in the heart of everyone as Paramatma, and in this way aware of everything, without any kind of impediment. This form is certainly transcendental, just like all other forms of the Lord. However, at the same time, the Lord becomes the Virat-Purusha, accepting the universal form, which is material. How can the Lord assume such a mundane form, although he has no material form at all? In other words, how can the universe be created from the energy of the Lord, and how can the Lord be present in it, if the Lord has no material form?
2- How does the Lord, by His own Self, manifest the different energies responsible for the generation, maintenance, and annihilation of the universe? How do these different energies are permutated and combined, and what are the effects?
3- How does the Lord play with his different energies with the purpose of creating and destroying the material world, just like a spider produces the web, maintains it and in the end absorbs it back?
4- How can he (Brahma) act as an instrument of the Lord in creating the material universe and generating living entities, without becoming conditioned by these activities?
The Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam
In response to the questions of Brahma, the Lord reveals the Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam, the four original verses of the Srimad Bhagavatam that contain the whole text in a seed form. These four verses were transmitted from the Lord to Brahma at the beginning of the creation and then transmitted to Narada, who in turn transmitted them to Vyasadeva, who expanded it, resulting in the verses of the Srimad Bhagavatam which he taught to Sukadeva Goswami. Both Sukadeva Goswami and Suta Goswami further expanded the text, resulting in the Srimad Bhagavatam we have today.
In verse 31, the Lord offers a short introduction to the important knowledge He is about to reveal to Brahma:
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
jñānaṁ parama-guhyaṁ me
yad vijñāna-samanvitam
sarahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca
gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā
“The Personality of Godhead said: Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully.”
Srila Jiva Goswami hints at four important words in this verse, which reveal its deep meaning. Each of these four topics is explained in one of the four verses:
Jñāna (knowledge): The knowledge mentioned here is knowledge about the personal form of the Lord, which is much higher and more confidential than knowledge about the impersonal aspect. This is explained in the first of the four verses, which describes the transcendental nature of the Lord.
Vijñāna (realization): The Lord’s form, qualities, and activities are spiritual, and thus outside the realm of experimentation. Everything that exists exists in the Lord. Maya means everything that appears to be separated from Him. The living entities are also parts and parcels of the Lord, but we are now under the control of the material energy, encased in material bodies. The second verse explains thus the eternal relationship of the soul and the Lord.
Sarahasyaṁ (devotional service): The word rahasyam means “mystery” or “secret”. The most secret and mysterious goal is pure devotional service, which should be our primary concern. This great secret is explained in the third verse.
Tad-aṅgaṁ (necessary paraphernalia): What is necessary to attain this ultimate goal? This is explained in the fourth verse. The paraphernalia to attain pure devotional service is the process of sadhana-bhakti, which can be practiced with our current senses, allowing us to gradually progress in the direction of the transcendental platform. As Prabhupada explains in the purport, the main components of the process of sadhana-bhakti are hearing and chanting.
From this, we can understand how these four verses summarize all the knowledge from the Srimad Bhagavatam.
The first verse describes the Lord in His personal form, the second describes the relationship of the Lord with His energies, including the souls, the third describes the process of pure devotional service, while the fourth describes the process of sadhana-bhakti, which allows us to gradually reach this ultimate goal.
These four verses have unlimited meaning, and this is hinted at in the deep philosophical purports Prabhupada gives to all four of them. Here I’m trying to just give a summary of the central ideas.
Verse 1 (2.9.33)
aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo ’vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham
“Brahmā, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.”
Prabhupada emphasizes that Krsna refers to Himself as “I” (aham) three times in the verse, not leaving any doubts that He is indeed a person, although being the original source of everything. Krsna is a person, He is eternal and He is the source of everything, both material and spiritual.
Krsna is the ultimate cause of the creation. He existed before the material creation and will continue to exist after the final dissolution of the universe. However, the fact He exists doesn’t mean he exists alone. When someone says “The king is coming”, it’s understood that the king is coming accompanied by his entire retinue of servants, ministers, soldiers, etc.
Similarly, when the Lord says “aham”, I, it includes all His energies, namely all the spiritual planets, His different expansions, His eternal associates, His names, paraphernalia and pastimes, all the spirit souls, both liberated and conditioned, etc. All of these energies are spiritual and thus eternal, and they all existed before the creation of the material world. Therefore, when Krsna says “I existed before creation”, it means the whole spiritual world, all His expansions, all the infinitesimal souls, all His unlimited potencies, and so on.
In other words, before the material creation, all His eternal pastimes were happening in the spiritual world. As He explains in Bg 2.16, everything spiritual is eternal; the concept of creation exists only in the material world. Actually, even the material energy (His external potency) is eternal. It’s just that the external potency when combined with the time energy is permutated or rearranged into the cosmic manifestation. There is no transformation, however, and at the end of the creation the potency returns to its original state, just to give birth to another material manifestation later on.
Verse 2 (2.9.34)
ṛte ’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta
na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ
“O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.”
Krsna is called “the absolute truth” because there is nothing separate from Him. Anything that exists, at any stage, be it at the creation, maintenance, or destruction of the cosmos, exists in relation to the Lord. Krsna has two energies, yoga-māyā and mahā-māyā. When we see things in the proper perspective, as being connected to the Lord, we act under yoga-māyā, the energy of union. On the other hand, when trying to separate things from the Lord we act under mahā-māyā, material illusion.
Both yoga-māyā and mahā-māyā are energies of the Lord. The difference is that yoga-māyā assists the souls who are connected with the Lord in loving service, while mahā-māyā controls the souls who want to forget Him. Both light and darkness are effects of the sun. Light is the direct effect of the sun, and darkness appears when the light of the sun is blocked. Darkness is thus relative to the sun, just like light. Everything is part of the Lord. Things appear to be separated or independent from the Lord only under the influence of mahā-māyā, the Lord’s illusory energy.
One may see the light of the sun reflected on a mirror inside a dark room and think that it is separated from the sun, but this is just an illusion. The reflection can’t exist separately from the sun, and it appears to be valuable only as long as one is unaware of the sun shining outside. Similarly, the light of the Brahmajoti, the effulgence of Krsna’s body is reflected in this world as the light of the sun, fire, electricity, and ultimately as everything attractive. Nothing of it is false, but to see it as separated from Krsna is an illusion.
Maya can’t cover the Lord, but it can cover the individual soul who desires to forget the Lord. The souls who are thus covered can’t see the Lord, or think that the Lord is also covered by Maya, but the ones who are liberated, free from the grip of Maya, can see that He is beyond the material covering. Maya is thus a cover that can cover the sun only for the people under it.
To think there is no God is Maya, to think we are independent from Him is also Maya. To think we are God is Maya, and to think we are not eternally connected with the Lord is Maya. These are all false concepts that are the fruit of a lack of knowledge.
The soul is eternally part and parcel of Krsna, and can’t be factually separated from Him. However, under the influence of illusion, we think we are separated from Him, or that we are independent from Him, or that we were never connected with Him. Similarly, we see this material world as separated from Him, a place that exists for our enjoyment. To see things in the proper perspective, that I am an eternal servant of Krsna, and that everything should be used in His service means to gradually reconnect with yoga-māyā, His internal potency, gradually uncovering our eternal nature.
Verse 3 (2.9.35)
yathā mahānti bhūtāni
bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu
praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni
tathā teṣu na teṣv aham
“O Brahmā, please know that the universal elements enter into the cosmos and at the same time do not enter into the cosmos; similarly, I Myself also exist within everything created, and at the same time I am outside of everything.”
Pure devotional service is the main topic of the Vedas. One will however have difficulty in finding passages that directly mention it. It is described everywhere, but indirectly. The reason for that is that pure devotional service is rahasyam, a great secret. Only the ones who know how to look may find it in the Vedas. In the same way, this third sloka appears to speak about something else, but it describes pure devotional service.
The Lord is inside of everything, but at the same time He is outside, situated in His own abode in Vaikunta. How Krsna can be all-pervading, and at the same time localized is inconceivable to the impersonalists. For them, form implies limitation, and thus they conclude that the all-pervading absolute truth must be impersonal. What they don’t understand is that there is a great mystery in transcendental knowledge and this missing part is love of Godhead. Thus, “one who is surcharged with such transcendental love of Godhead can without difficulty see the Personality of Godhead in every atom and every movable or immovable object. And at the same time he can see the Personality of Godhead in His own abode, Goloka, enjoying eternal pastimes with His eternal associates, who are also expansions of His transcendental existence.” (2.9.35p)
As the Lord explained in verse 31: “Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service.”
This point is supported by Brahma Sanhita 5.38: “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇa Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.”
Although Krsna is everywhere and in the heart of everyone, not many can see Him. The secret to seeing Him is not to have good material vision, or even great intelligence and erudition, but to know the secret, to have love for Him. From the point this is understood, we can see that the verse has unlimited meaning.
In His Bhagavata-sandarbha, starting from section 95, Srila Jiva Goswami quotes many other verses that help us to understand the meaning of devotional service, Including Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.2, 1.2.6-12 and 1.2.6.13, 6.14.5, 10.14.4, and so on. When this meaning is understood, one can see Krsna being described everywhere in the Vedas.
Jiva Goswami also gives an interesting explanation of how Krsna is present everywhere. Each material element is created from the previous. Earth is created from water, water is created from fire, and so on. Each element is thus situated in its effect. Ether is present in air, air in fire, and so on. In this way, being the ultimate source of everything, Krsna is present in everything.
One can only understand the sastras when he accepts the conclusions of pure devotees since they are the only ones who can properly understand the scriptures. As Srila Prabhupada explains, ” If one is fortunate enough to have received the knowledge in the transcendental disciplic succession, surely he will have the chance to understand the mystery of the Lord and that of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the sound incarnation of the Lord.”
We have a great debt to Srila Prabhupada for revealing all these deeper meanings of the scriptures, which are not understood even by great scholars. To the extent we value this knowledge and sincerely try to understand it, we can understand the real meaning of the scriptures. One who tries to understand the scriptures by mere scholarship will reach all kinds of incorrect conclusions.
Krsna is ready to reciprocate with everyone. Materialists want a world without God, and thus Krsna allows them to perceive the world as such. Impersonalists want to believe that Brahman is everything, and thus Krsna allows them to see it in this way. Yogis want to see Paramatma in their hearts, and Krsna also allows that. However, the ones who love Him can see Him as He is.
Verse 4 (2.9.36)
etāvad eva jijñāsyaṁ
tattva-jijñāsunātmanaḥ
anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṁ
yat syāt sarvatra sarvadā
“A person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, must certainly search for it up to this, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly.”
After revealing the secret of love of Godhead in the previous verse, the Lord explains the process for attaining it. One should hear about Krsna’s qualities and activities, chant His holy names, glorify Him, and remember Him. And when and where should it be done? “In all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly.”
This is a principle that is discussed in the Srimad Bhagavatam from the beginning. Suta Goswami made this point in the first canto, and Sukadeva Goswami concluded his instructions to Maharaja Pariksit at the beginning of the second canto on the same note. Now the Lord Himself is speaking it to Brahma.
Due to the influence of the illusory energy, the whole world moves around sense gratification, which is in turn centered around sex life. This illusory happiness is like the reflection of the sun in a dark room, it appears to be dazzling just because one has no knowledge of the sun outside, and it appears to be separated from the sun only due to illusion. The real goal of life is to enquire about self-realization, and one should thus be very determined in this regard.
As we can see from the example of these four verses, it’s not possible to understand the deeper meaning of the scriptures directly. We need to receive the proper conclusions through the parampara system, otherwise we will inevitably come to the wrong conclusions. Perfect knowledge can’t be manufactured in this world. It always has to come from the spirtual world, through the Lord Himself or his bonafide representatives.
As Prabhupada mentions in his purport: “The mystery of all such inquiries regarding self-realization must be put before such a spiritual master, who is directly the representative of the Lord, acknowledged in that disciplic succession. Such a bona fide spiritual master is able to clear up the whole thing by evidence from the revealed scriptures, both direct and indirect. Although everyone is free to consult the revealed scriptures in this connection, one still requires the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, and that is the direction in this verse.”