Srimad Bhagavatam – 11.12.20 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | 20 June 2021
jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-vihārī
gopījana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī
yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana
yamunā-tīra-vana-cārī
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 11 Chapter 12 Verse 20.
SB 11.12.20
ayaṁ hi jīvas tri-vṛd abja-yonir
avyakta eko vayasā sa ādyaḥ
viśliṣṭa-śaktir bahudheva bhāti
bījāni yoniṁ pratipadya yadvat
Synonyms
ayam — this; hi — certainly; jīvaḥ — the supreme living entity who gives life to others; tri–vṛt — containing the three modes of material nature; abja — of the universal lotus flower; yoniḥ — the source; avyaktaḥ — unmanifest (materially); ekaḥ — alone; vayasā — in course of time; saḥ — He; ādyaḥ — eternal; viśliṣṭa — divided; śaktiḥ — potencies; bahudhā — in many divisions; iva — like; bhāti — He appears; bījāni — seeds; yonim — in an agricultural field; pratipadya — falling; yat–vat — just like.
Translation
When many seeds are placed in an agricultural field, innumerable manifestations of trees, bushes, vegetables and so on will arise from a single source, the soil. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who gives life to all and is eternal, originally exists beyond the scope of the cosmic manifestation. In the course of time, however, the Lord, who is the resting place of the three modes of nature and the source of the universal lotus flower, in which the cosmic manifestation takes place, divides His material potencies and thus appears to be manifest in innumerable forms, although He is one.
Purport
Śrīla Vīrarāghavācārya comments that one may question as to whom the cosmic manifestation, consisting of demigods, men, animals, plants, planets, space, etc., actually belongs. Lord Kṛṣṇa now eradicates any doubt about the source of the cosmic manifestation. The word tri-vṛt indicates that the three modes of nature are not independent but are under superior control. The suffix vṛt means the vartanam, or “existence,” of the three modes of material nature within the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Analyzing the term abja-yoni, ap indicates “water,” and ja indicates “birth.” Thus abja means the complex material universe, which sprouts from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who lies in the Garbhodaka Ocean. Yoni, or “source,” indicates the Personality of Godhead, and thus abja-yoni means that the Lord is the source of all cosmic manifestations; indeed, all creation takes place within the Lord. Since the three modes of material nature are under the superior control of the Lord, material objects helplessly undergo creation and annihilation within the universal shell by the will of the Lord. The term avyakta indicates the Lord’s subtle spiritual form, which exists alone before the material creation. The Lord’s original form, being spiritual, does not undergo birth, transformation or death. It is eternal. In the course of time, the Lord’s material potencies are divided and manifest as bodies, bodily paraphernalia, sense objects, bodily expansions, false ego and false proprietorship. Thus the Lord expands His conscious living potency called jīva-śakti, which is manifest in innumerable material forms such as those of men, demigods, animals, and so on. From the example of the seeds sown in an agricultural field, we can understand that innumerable manifestations may arise from a single source. Similarly, although the Lord is one, He becomes manifest in innumerable forms through the expansion of His different potencies.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So, as the last verse discusses matter, this verse continues that discussion. So the material world is under discussion because it is actually a covering on the jiva and it produces an obstacle. But it is not independent of the Lord. So both the jiva and material energy are dependent on the Lord. In that sense, the Lord is the source of everything. At the same time, when we think of the cause or the source, then we think that the jivas and matter are created, but they are not. So one of the fundamental principles of our philosophy is that the jiva is real, prakriti is real, but they are both eternal. And they are both dependent on the great Lord.
So though we talk about the origin, matter has an origin, the Lord or jiva has an origin, etc. This does not negate the fact that they are never created. However, the matter and the jiva are dependent on the Lord. So in that sense, He is their cause. So the material energy versus both the inferior [Not clear]. It is acit, unconscious. And it cannot act on its own. It does not have awareness. Nevertheless, it is also related to the Supreme Lord.
As explained in the purport, everything is in the Lord. Everything comes from the Lord. All the actions of Prakriti are operated by the Supreme. The material energy belongs to the Supreme. So in this way, the Supreme Lord is the controller of matter. It is only by the Lord’s will that matter begins to manifest as different material elements. So in the previous verse, we had a list of some of those elements. And though they are manifested from Prakriti, without the will of the Supreme Lord, Prakriti would not be able to manifest those elements.
Once the Lord wills the elements to manifest, then it appears as if everything happens by itself, independent of the Lord. The elements combine into universes. And then within the universes, Brahma creates planets and bodies for the living entities. Yet even here, the Supreme Lord is also present. The Lord is outside of everything as Mahavishnu. He is inside the universe as Garbhodakshayi Vishnu. And He is inside the bodies of all living entities as Kshirodakshayi Vishnu. And without the presence of the Lord, that universe with all of its planets and bodies will not manifest properly.
So in the 2nd and 3rd cantos, there are many descriptions of the universal form. So the universal form has eyes and tongue and voice and ears, etc. But that form, the universal form, cannot see, cannot touch, cannot hear, cannot do anything. When the Lord enters, like the soul entering the body, then the universal form can see and hear. So therefore, material energy is dependent on the Supreme Lord. Apart from the matter with all of its varieties, then we have the jiva. Like Prakriti, jiva is also involved. So when we use the word Shakti, the Shakti is related to a person who manifests the Shakti. In other words, we have a certain power, like the power of heat or light. But it is related to some object. Heat and light are related to the sun. And it has its Shakti in terms of heat and light. And those Shaktis do not operate independently. So Prakriti and jiva are Shaktis of the Supreme Lord. So the Lord is called the Shaktiman or the possessor of the Shakti. And these Shaktis are dependent on Him.
So just as Prakriti or the Bahiranga Shakti is dependent on the Lord, so the jiva also is dependent on Him. However, unlike Prakriti, jiva is conscious. And he has a separate consciousness from the Supreme Lord. In other words, the jiva has its own experiences. And each jiva has its individual experience. And these are separate from the Lord’s experience. But though the jiva is separate in this way from the Lord with a separate identity and experience, still, the jiva is dependent on the Lord, he is the Shakti. Just as matter cannot operate on its own without the Supreme Lord, so the jiva cannot operate without the Supreme Lord. Jiva can express its consciousness in different ways because of the Lord’s consciousness. The jiva can experience because the Lord is the chief experiencer. And without the permission of the Lord, the jiva can do nothing. So in that way, the jiva is dependent on the Lord.
Of course, the Supreme Lord gives a permanent permission for the jiva to be conscious and to experience. But that is part of jiva’s very nature or his swarupa. So in that sense, the jiva is dependent on the Lord, but because he can experience on his own, he has an independence. It is this independence that gives the jiva an opportunity to reject the Lord and to be covered by Him. And once the jiva is ignorant, then he gets covered up by matter.
So in the previous verse, the subtle matter of intelligence, mind, false ego, etc. And then the gross matter covering is there in terms of the body. Not only do they cover the jiva physically, but the jiva’s consciousness becomes distorted. So the jiva is no longer aware that he is a servant of the Lord, that he is a spiritual Atma. Instead, he says, I am independent. I am a material body. And this, of course, gives rise to birth after birth in the material world. But the jiva is still under the control of the Lord. So we can ask why the Lord allows the jiva to do this. And the answer is, the jiva has some independence. The Lord does not control the jiva completely. At the same time, though the jiva falls in ignorance, the Lord still exerts a little influence. Therefore, the Lord makes arrangements in this material world so that the jiva can get out of it. So all the arrangements in the material world are ultimately so that the jiva can get out of the material world.
So we think of the Gunas as bondage. But through the Gunas, we come to Sattva Guna. When we get to Sattva Guna, then we can get out of bondage. We are covered with a material body and a subtle body, a human being. Then we can use the subtle body and the gross body to get out of the body permanently. In this way, the Lord makes arrangements so that the jivas in ignorance can get out of that ignorance. But it all depends on the choice of the jiva. And the Lord never takes that away from the jiva. He always allows it. We can say this is not very good of the Lord. He is cruel to allow jiva to have a choice.
However the choice of serving the lord itself is the glorious aspect. If the jiva chooses the Lord, we will never criticise that. So we can say, why does the Lord allow the jiva to choose ignorance? The answer is that it is part of the free will that the Lord gives the jiva. Therefore, the Lord is not indifferent to the jiva. But it may take time for the jivas to take advantage of the facility that the Lord gives. To speed up the process, sometimes the Lord comes personally. Throughout the day of Brahma, the Lord comes thousands of times. And when the lord is not present then there are the devotees of the lord. So this is an arrangement of the Supreme Lord to deliver the jiva.
Hare Krishna.
Q & A:
1.) That life comes from life or life comes from the Lord. Only when the Lord enters the jiva become active. In that sense, Maharaj, we know that Prana, the life air, is actually what it refers to. Where exactly is the Prana situated in the body?
The Prana is material. It is a transformation of the vayu element. So, like the mind and the senses, etc., the Prana helps to maintain the material body. So they function throughout the material body. On the other hand, if the jiva is not in the body, then there is no life. So the Pranas maybe called life force or whatever but actually they are not life, they are material.
Devotee: Thank you, Maharaj.
2.) Maharaj, is the wisdom about the soul explained today part of Sankhya philosophy?
Well, it is part of the Sankhya, the atheistic Sankhya and also part of the nyaya, they have a similar concept of elements, the senses, subtle body, etc.. and it is also important with the Sankhya of the Bhagavatam explained by [Not clear] Kapila, so also is the same, of course, in the Bhagavad Gita also. However, in the atheistic Sankhya philosophy of Kapila, after the material elements, there is the soul. Beyond the soul, there is nothing. No God. In Gautama’s Jnaya philosophy, the same elements, gross and subtle, there is Atma, and there is also the Supreme Lord. But the Supreme Lord is impersonal and not very functional.
Devotee: Thank you, Maharaj.
3.) Does a beginner in Krishna Consciousness need to have this knowledge to advance in devotion?
We may not need the details, but at least we have to know that the material body, gross and subtle, is different from the jiva. We have to know that the material body and gross and subtle are both dependent on the Supreme Lord.
Devotee: Thank you, Maharaj.
4.) Those who are under Yoga Maya forget about these concepts and philosophies.
In the spiritual world, there is no material body or subtle body, etc. No need for any of that. And for devotees who have reached perfection in the material world, they are completely detached from the material body. So they have no interest in the affairs of the material world. However, people who are not devotees or who are beginning devotional service, then they need some explanation for the nature of matter. So if you go to school very early, maybe in the 4th grade or 5th grade, then they start telling you about material elements and oxygen and iron and nickel, etc. Of course, it is imperfect knowledge. But at least we get some knowledge of the world that way. So a more complete system is where we have the Bagavada Sankhya, where we have material elements enumerated, gross and subtle, plus we have the Atma, plus we have the Supreme Lord. So, at least we should distinguish the Atma from the material elements and the Supreme Lord from both.
Devotee: Thank you, Maharaj.
5.) Hare Krishna Maharaj, a process is considered effective when many people accept and follow it. But we see that the many processes and arrangements made by the Lord are not accepted by people in general and not followed by the majority of the Jivas in the material world. And apparently, it seems like the process given by the Lord to get out of the material world seems to be ineffective and beyond the reach of common people. So how do we understand this?
The Lord cannot force the Jiva to take the spiritual path. He can only be educated if he is willing. You cannot educate a child unless they want to learn. Therefore, spiritual knowledge requires qualification. And only those who are qualified should be taught.
So that is why we say don’t preach to the faithless people. Nevertheless, we like to be compassionate, and we like to save everybody. Even though the students in the school are not interested in learning, the teacher has methods to make them enthusiastic and encourages them to learn. So that is the duty of a devotee. He has to take all the people who have no interest and get them to have a little interest.
Devotee: Thank you, Maharaj.
6.) Can one get pure bhakti only by chanting and hearing the Krishna Katha?
There are many methods mentioned also in Nectar of Devotion for Angas of Bhakti. But the main one, of course, is chanting the Holy Name. So, different devotees reach perfection by different methods of bhakti. However, in general, in Kali Yuga, the main process is Nama Sankirtan. And we don’t reject other processes of bhakti, but we emphasize this the most.
7.) Dandavat Pranams Maharaj. In the Purport, it is mentioned that the Jiva Shakti manifests into innumerable material forms. Does this mean that, like the Antaranga Shakti, is operated by Radharani and the Bahiranga Shakti is operated by Durga Devi, respectively? If the Jiva Shakti also operates under the guidance of a personality. Who is that personality?
So the Jiva Shakti has two varieties—those in the material world and those in the spiritual world. So in the spiritual world, of course, they are under a spiritual entity like Balarama. But even in the material world, they are a little bit different from matter. Therefore, they are also under the protection of Vishnu. And Mahavishnu is an expansion of Balarama. So the Jivas emanate from Mahavishnu and enter into different bodies in the material world.
8.) Even if the Jiva understands its folly of enjoying matter instead of serving Krishna, the Jiva is not able to reinstate itself in its original conscious position. One more time Prabhu. So the question is, if the Jiva is not serving Krishna and trying to enjoy itself, its senses, it is not able to gain the original position.
It is just like knowledge in the material world. You can know something, but that depends on your depth of knowledge. So a student in class 5 can say, I know biology. But a PhD in the university also says, I know biology. But that knowledge is much different. And because of the knowledge of the person with a PhD, he can get a good job. So knowing something in the material world, we know the philosophy, good, the first step, but we have to realise it also. So recognising, yes, Krishna is God, good, good knowledge. But higher stages, realising.
Devotee: Thank you, Maharaj.
9.) Maharaj, you mentioned that in Kali Yuga, the Yuga Dharma is chanting of the holy name. And Bhagavatam also states this, Kalau tad Hari Kirtanad. And it also states that in Dwapara Yuga, the deity worship is prominent, so on and so forth. So Maharaj, the question is related to the sound aspect, as we were discussing for the last two days. Maharaj, the question is, even if it is deity worship is the main process, it is always accompanied by chanting of the holy name or chanting the Lord’s name. Similarly, the performance of yoga is also accompanied by the chanting of the Lord’s name. Maharaj, in that sense, can we say that the chanting of the holy name is anyways underling the yugadharma of all the yugas and it transcends all the yugas.
So in other ages, the main process was different, so in Sathya Yuga, it was meditation. So they use that as the main element of everything. In Dwapara Yuga, it is deity worship. So only in Kali Yuga does Nama Sankirtan become the main element. Of course, we do the other Angas like deity worship, but if we don’t chant the holy name, then that also becomes useless. So we can say in Sathya Yuga, without meditation, everything is useless.
Devotee: Maharaj, just to follow up on that, in this Kali Yuga, Mahaprabhu himself inaugurated this chanting of the holy name. However, we also understand that Mahaprabhu does not appear in all the Kali Yugas, in the sense that he appears only in the 20th cycle. So Maharaj, do we understand that in the other times, in other eras of Kali Yuga, some representative of Mahaprabhu comes and he inaugurates this chanting of the holy name.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: So there is a Yuga avatar, the Kali Yuga avatar that appears 999 times. He is black in colour. He is a Shaktyavesh avatar. So he is quite different from Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Just as the usual avatar in Dwapara Yuga is not Krishna. Krishna also comes once in the day of Brahma. So that other form again is a form of the Lord who is blackish in colour, but it is not Swayam Bhagavan.
10.) Maharaj, I have a couple of more questions. This one is from Srinivasa Nitai Prabhu. When Krishna bestowed this divine vision on Arjuna, what did it mean? Is it the potency of the Lord bestowed on Arjuna to see the four-handed form and Vishwarupa?
Actually, Vishwarupam is a material form. And Arjuna has spiritual eyes. Because he can see Krishna directly. Therefore, seeing the universal form is a lesser vision. So Krishna gave him Divya chakshu, heavenly eyes, so he could see the form of the material manifestation of the vision. So he could see the universal form of the Vishwarupam.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura premanande Hari Haribol!!!