The Attributes of the Absolute Truth – SB 1.1.1 | Bhagavatam Study | Bhakti Vaibhav

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Welcome to the study of the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam as a part of our Bhakti by Bhakots.
We’ll be going canto by canto. And when you study the Srimad Bhagavatam, we’ll focus on Sanskrit verses and we’ll try to understand the import and the purport of those verses using the commentaries given by Srila Prabhupada, Vishwanath Chakrit Thakur. Then, of course, the original commentary given by Sridhar Swami, that is Bhavartha Deepika.
And of course, whatever commentaries are given by Jiva Goswami and Bhakta Vinod Thakur, we’ll also refer to them. But our primary focus will not be on going into the esoterics of any particular Acharya’s understanding. Our focus will be on understanding the flow of the Bhagavatam itself.
And as we move forward, we’ll also look at significant points from the commentaries. And we will go verse by verse in the study of the Bhagavatam. Now, the initial verses are of foundational importance in the Bhagavatam.
And that’s why we may spend much more time on the, say, verse one, verse two, verse three of the Bhagavatam than we will spend on later verses. So, let’s begin with 1.1.1. Now, the Srimad Bhagavatam has 335 chapters, out of which the maximum 90 are in the 10th canto. Now, 19 chapters are in the first canto.
And the first chapter is called as questions by the sages. So, Om Namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya. Janmadya setah anvayaditarthas charateshv abhijnasvarat.
Tene brahmrudaya adhikavaye muhyanti yath suraya. Tejo vari mridam yatha vinimai yuktatithargo amrishah. Dhamna svena sadan dirashtakuhkam satyam param dhimahi.
So, here it is stated that Om Namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya. This is an invocation. Now, technically speaking, the invocation is often not a part of the book.
It’s like Prabhupada takes Om Purnam Adah Purnam. It is not exactly a part of the Isopanishad. But Prabhupada places it in the introduction of the Upanishad because it’s a very important part of the Upanishadic teachings.
So, Om Namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya. I offer my obeisances to that Supreme Lord who is Vasudevaya, who is the all-pervading Absolute Truth. And what are His characteristics? So, that Absolute Truth whom I’m invoking, those characteristics will be described in the first verse.
So, dhimahi. I meditate on that Absolute Truth. So, the Bhagavatam begins with the Upanishadic tone and theme.
Theme refers to subject matter. Tone refers to the method of speaking and presentation. So, what is the nature of the Upanishadic theme? Upanishadic themes focus more on referring to the Absolute Truth, not so much in specific terms, but in generic terms that bespeak of the Absolute Truth’s greatness and all-pervasiveness.
So, dhimahi. I meditate on that Absolute Truth. What is the nature of that Absolute Truth? Satyamparam.
This is the Supreme Truth. There are many truths in this world, but the Supreme Absolute Truth is one. Satyamparam.
The very nature of the word Supreme means that there can be only one Supreme. One Supreme means that actually the Absolute Truth is the greatest, the highest, and that’s why the Absolute Truth has no competition. Asamurdhva is having no one as equal to or superior.
Samaurdhva. Sama equal. Urdhva is above.
So, to that Absolute Truth, I meditate upon. Now, janmadi astyataha. This first phrase is extremely significant in the Vishwamit Bhagavatam because the traditional Bhagavatam commentators have used this to establish its Vedantic pedigree or for that matter to establish its Supra Vedantic pedigree.
Vedantic pedigree means that it is actually dealing with the same subject as the Vedanta Sutra and Supra Vedantic means that actually it gives the conclusion of the Vedanta. Pedigree, of course, refers to the calibre, to the level. So, now how does this one phrase refer to the Supra Vedantic pedigree of the Bhagavatam? Because this one verse points to the all-encompassing nature of the wisdom that is given in the Bhagavatam.
This one phrase is also found as the first declarative statement in the Vedanta Sutra. The first Sutra of the Vedanta Sutra is exhortative. Exhortative means this is what one should do.
Now, do spiritual enquiry. Enquire about Brahman. What is the nature of that Brahman? Now, try to find that out.
So, now the answer is that janmadi astyataha, that which is the source of the absolute or that what is that Brahman, that is the source of everything, janmadi astyataha. So, normally when we think of source, we think of source and source of things, okay. Say the parent is the source of the family or X is the source of Y and Z. You may say like this.
But now significantly janmadi astyataha refers to it being the source of the phases of material existence. The phases of the material existence can be either classified into three or six depending on whether we are referring to the conscious or unconscious things. We know insatiate matter goes to three changes.
There is creation, there is maintenance and there is destruction. You know, conscious matter, actually matter is never conscious, but conscious matter is just a shorthand way of referring to matter through which consciousness is manifested. That means embodied.
So, that means souls who are present in some bodies. So, that means now our living body, it just doesn’t go to these three changes, creation, maintenance, destruction. Yes, there is birth and after there are further changes also.
The changes are, then there is growth, then there is maintenance, then there is reproduction, then there is deterioration and then there is destruction. So, like that there are multiple changes, but these changes happen as phases of material existence and ultimately time which is the force which brings about these changes is also an aspect of material, is also a feature of Krishna, is actually emanating from Krishna. Everything comes from Krishna.
So, rather than talking about Bhumira, Poonalo, Vayu, Khamano, Budhirevacha, as Krishna does in the Bhagavad Gita in 7.4 and 5, these are the things which come from him. Here the Bhagavatam states that that’s what and it is echoing what the Vedanta Sutra says that birth and other things come from Krishna. So, what this means is from the absolute truth, of course, here the word Krishna is not used right now, it will be used later, but the point is either way whether we talk of things which pervade in the world around us or that which causes that or the phases of the life span, of the life cycle of those things, the point is that everything comes from the absolute truth.
So, in this world, basically, when we talk about matter, material existence, it has basically two features to it. There is space and there is time and space and time both are actually phases or we could say aspects of material existence and as being aspects of material existence, they are all-powerful. They are all-powerful, not in the sense of being omnipotent, they are in the sense that they are present everywhere, wherever the material existence is.
So, not in terms of potency, but in terms of pervasion, material existence matters there and along with that changes there. So, space and time comprise the fabric of material existence and both of these come ultimately from the absolute truth. So, Janmadi Asyataha is one aspect of the definition of the absolute truth.
Janmadi Asyataha, that is the source of everything. So, now, after describing this, the Vedanta Sutra doesn’t go immediately into a description of how everything is the source of what that Brahman is, that will be elaborated in subsequent chapters. But then it says, how one has to know from Shastra and when there is apparent contradiction in Shastra, then one has to do Samanvaya, one has to do reconciliation.
So, in this way, the Vedanta Sutra tries to establish the conclusive understanding. But either way, the important point is that we need to recognise the ultimate status of the absolute truth as the source of everything. So, Janmadi Asyataha and Anvayad Itarthas Charateshv Abhijna Svarad.
Now, there are various conceptions of the relationship of the absolute truth with material existence. So, in Greek philosophy, Aristotle had the whole idea of an unmoved mover. Mover is that which causes motion and unmoved is that which is itself not affected.
So, his idea is that God is a perfection, God is a conception who is eternally perfect and eternal perfection means that there is no change in it. So, in that sense, God it causes the sets the universe in motion. And after that, the universe just goes on in motion, motion on automatically.
And then there is God has nothing to do with that. So, now to understand this. Now, these are intricate philosophical concepts.
And there are often debates within philosophers about what Aristotle actually exactly taught or not. But what we are trying to understand is the broad contours of the conceptions of the relationships that the absolute truth can have with the world. So, so there is, we know atheism, which says that there’s no absolute truth at all in terms of no God.
And there is theism that God exists in general understanding of theism is that God is the creator and God is the controller. Now, in between atheism and theism, there’s another doctrine which is called as deism. Deism refers to the idea that God is the creator, but not the controller.
Just like there’s a clock manufacturer, the clock, the clock manufacturer, the clock could not have come by chance, the clock manufacturer surely made the clock. But now the clock manufacturer does not have any control over the clock. Similarly, the clock manufacturer, similarly, God, like the original clock manufacturer has created the world, but has no control over it is called as deism.
But actually, deism is not the conclusive, is not the absolute truth, because if deism were true, then the whole concept of God, of anyone worshipping God, praying to God, seeking salvation or liberation or purification by worship to God would become meaningless. Because what would happen is that if God is not the controller of the world, if God cannot intervene in the world, then there will not be much point in praying to him. It’s not that we want God to intervene for our self-centred purposes, but in principle itself, the deism rules that God does not have the power to intervene in the world.
And that is not correct. So here it is described. So Swaraat, he is supremely independent.
That means he can do whatever he wants. He has set the laws of nature as governing forces for the world, but he can cause those laws of nature to become suspended also. So he is the supreme being and he acts according to his supreme will.
So Swaraat, there is no one above him who controls him. He is the supreme controller. And abhijna means to have one who is the knower.
In the Bhagavad-gita 13th chapter, the word kshetrajna is used. Jna is one who is knower. Kshetrajna is one who is knower of the field.
So abhijna, this supreme lord is conscious, conscious of everything. He is directly and indirectly conscious of everything. That means the absolute truth is actually the supreme absolute truth.
So anvayad means the absolute truth is conscious by direct means, itarthas, by indirect means. So now what does this direct and indirect refer to? It can have multiple meanings, but primarily the underlying focus is abhijna. The absolute is conscious, is aware of everything.
Now suppose a fly starts moving on my arm. Then when the fly is moving on my arm, then at that time what I do observe is that I feel a sensation of the fly moving about. And how do I know it? At one level, through the internal nervous system of the body itself, I can sense that there is something buzzing over here.
And then I guess something restlessly moving and then there must be some object which is moving on my skin. Now indirectly, so that is directly, that is implicitly. We don’t need any external mechanism, just internally sense it.
Another way could be that I look at it and then there is some, suppose my skin were not very sensitive or the fly was or for the whatever fly or the insect or whatever it is, extremely lightweight and free-footed, then I would not feel its motion. When I did not feel its motion, what would happen is that it would just move around and maybe only if I look down and saw it, then I would say, oh, there’s something over here. So now, of course, in one sense, we are saying both of these are our own sensory perceptions, but here it’s more in terms of direct and indirect.
The fly is not becoming first an object of my sight. The fly moving on my skin would be the object of tactile perception, of perception through touch, through the skin. And if that’s the way I perceive, then that is the direct perception.
But if that way, I don’t perceive, then another way is through some other way of perception. For example, eyes are perceived. So the absolute truth is conscious directly and indirectly.
That means the absolute truth is conscious because of being immanent in the universe and being present at the super soul everywhere. So implicitly, the capacity for consciousness is there. And indirectly also because the Lord has represented us everywhere, who act as his eyes and ears and who inform him.
sarvatah panipadam sarvato akshishiromukham sarvatah srutimalloke sarvamahavruttatishthati. So sarvatah srutimalloke, everywhere are his ears, everywhere are his hands and legs. The Bhagavad Gita 13.14 talks about this, how the absolute truth is present everywhere at the super soul.
So now this also Prabhupada explains, can secondarily refer to the various devatas who are present as his agencies. So either way, anvayad itarthas charateshv abhijnasvarad. Now further, what is the Bhagavatam saying? tene brahma rudhaya adhikavaye.
So as that absolute truth is being described, it is said, tene, by that absolute truth, brahma rudhaya adhikavaye. So here the word Brahma doesn’t refer to Brahmaji. The word Brahma is used so many times in the Vedic scriptures that we have to look at the context to understand what it means.
The word Brahma can, of course, one meaning is Brahmaji, another meaning of Brahma can refer to Brahma in the supreme absolute truth. Another meaning of word Brahma can also be spiritual knowledge. So now the Bhagavatam itself has many different meanings of the word Brahma, but the important point is brahma rudhaya adhikavaye.
So here adhikavaye, the original philosopher. Kavi refers to a philosopher. The word Kavi literally, kavita refers to poetry.
So Kavi refers to poet. But in general, poets are supposed to be deep thinkers with capacity for very penetrating and moving cognition. They can think deeply and think in moving ways.
So that’s why the word Kavi is often used for deep thinkers or philosophers. Now adhikavaye, the original philosopher, this refers to Brahmaji because in this world, Brahmaji was the first person who in the universe is the first created being of the absolute truth and it was he who received spiritual knowledge from the absolute. So tene brahma rudhaya adhikavaye.
And then muhiyanti yath surayaha. Muhiyanti means bewildered, deluded. Yath surayaha.
By him are deluded the yath surayaha. By him are deluded even the devatas. So now this is talked about two ways.
It may seem a little contradictory. First it is said that the same absolute truth gave knowledge to Brahmaji and then it is said that that same absolute truth deluded the suras. Now is Brahmaji also not a part of the suras? Then why is it said that that absolute truth gives knowledge to Brahma and then absolute truth deludes the devatas also.
So now here we have to understand two different points over here. That the purpose of the supreme lord is not to delude or confuse. The purpose of the supreme lord is to illuminate but the position of the supreme lord is such that it can confuse and delude.
So muhiyanti yath surayaha. So by whom even the devatas are deluded. What does it mean? It doesn’t mean that he has the express purpose of deluding the devatas but his position is such that it’s so exalted, it is so magnificent, it is so incomprehensible that even the devatas become confused by it.
Muhiyanti yath surayaha and this we will see in the later parts of the Srimad Bhagavatam when we see how with respect to Krishna there is a Brahma Vimohanlila. The same Brahma who is given knowledge by the supreme lord, he also becomes bewildered. So how does Krishna give that knowledge? That is an elaborate story that will be described, an elaborate narrative that will be described in the second canto, second and third canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
But after Brahmaji was created, briefly here, it was he heard, he tried to make, he tried to, it was charities. I tried to do explore, it actually first tried to explore going up and going down looking all around in the terrible darkness, couldn’t figure out anything. So thereafter he decided to just focus on knowing, focus on one thing, that one thing was focus on trying to offer himself to whoever is the absolute truth and as he tried to offer himself like that, here the word that was the beginning of the process of illumination that began from there and eventually it led to the, it led to the understanding of the absolute truth as Krishna.
So he did, he was already for a long time following the instruction for Tapa Tapa which he had got and eventually he got the understanding that who is the absolute truth, that is Krishna, who is the absolute truth eventually. So he got darshan that described how he offered prayers, the 9th chapter, 3rd canto describes and prayers for creative energy of Brahma and eventually he become illumined that way. So on one side he is illumined but same the Brahmaji can also become deluded.
So it is not Krishna’s intention to delude but it is his position which causes delusion. And then, tejo vāri mṛdaṁ ithā vinimayitṛti sargo amṛśa. So now it is described, now this is a little intricate that tejo vāri mṛdaṁ ithā vinimayo.
So here what is described is that this world is actually temporary and in one sense if an adult person watches a movie, at that time the adult knows that actually this is a show or this is just something which is artificial, which is imaginary, which is just being depicted for the sake of entertainment. Now to the extent the movie is directed by an expert director, to that extent the viewers forget that this is a movie and to that extent they get deeply absorbed in it. It’s the same way that the more we become absorbed in something that is a indication of the exaltedness of that particular thing, of that particular movie or that particular entertainment project whatever it is.
So similarly this world is such that although it’s temporary and in one sense a detached person, a thoughtful person should be able to see okay this is just an illusion but people are not able to see it. So this can be related the previous statement of yath surayah that muhyanti yath surayah. So the devatas are bewildered not only about the supreme lord, they can get bewildered even about material existence.
Now we see even the devata sometimes Indira, he is surayah, he is suraraj actually in one sense, he is the king of the suras but even he gets bewildered about what? He gets bewildered about the nature of the absolute truth. Not just to the nature of the absolute truth, he also becomes bewildered about the things of this world. That’s how he becomes attracted to some apsara and then he forgets everything about dharma.
Not only gets attracted to apsara, he may get attracted to some rishi’s wife also and that way he becomes deluded. So how does that happen? That is the expertise the supreme lord. So that supreme lord, that supreme reality makes the unreality seem a reality.
So why does he do that? Because that’s what we want. To the extent we are attracted to the to the false displays of this world, to that extent we cannot avoid, to that extent we cannot avoid the temptations of this world and to that extent the temptations will delude us. So the reality, the potency of the supreme reality is seen not in just the supreme, in the supreme’s glory, in terms of beauty, transcendental beauty, but also in terms of that reality’s potency to make the unreality seem reality.
So the absolute truth reciprocates with our desires. If you want to be liberated, the absolute truth offers liberation. If you want to be entangled, the absolute truth will make the material world appear so attractive that we will become entangled in it.
So means that here basically how now is fire, is water, is earth. Now these three are distinct elements, but because of an illusion sometimes it does, sometimes it appears as if there is a wind, there is a mirage where there appears to be water on land. Although there is no water on land, but there appears to be water on land.
So similarly water and fire are opposite, but sometimes because of illusion fire may seem to be in water. So these are examples which are given to illustrate the point that that which is unreal may appear real. So that’s the potency of the absolute truth.
And then Trisarga, Trisarga Amritsa. So this material world is filled with the three changes, how it appears actual, how it appears real. Now that is the masterful potency of the absolute truth.
And now beyond all the changes that are happening in the absolute truth, that absolute truth is resisting majestically, eternally, free from illusion. So that supreme lord is a reality who is unaffected by illusion, but that supreme reality can also create in this world an appearance of reality. So now why the absolute truth does that, how the absolute truth does that, that will be discussed later on in the discussions of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
But the important point is this is the glory of the absolute truth. So let’s summarise what are the defining attributes that are talked about of the absolute truth that we are going to meditate on, dhimahi. So janmadyasyata is the source of everything, and then that absolute truth is anvedartas cartesv abhijna, is conscious and independent, svarat, and then after that is the giver of illumination, and is also the cause of delusion.
And after that, because of that absolute truth, the unreal seems real, trisargo amritsa. And after that, that absolute truth exists as a reality beyond the material world, and that is the supreme truth. This is the absolute truth that the Bhagavatam will talk about in its subsequent thousands of verses, and that we will discuss in our subsequent classes.
Thank you. Hare Krishna. Exploring for some way to tangibly contribute