Dwait, Adwait, Jeev and Ishwar explained by Shri Hari in accordance with the Shrutis of the Vedas.
Dwait, Adwait, Jeev and Ishwar explained by Shri Hari in accordance with the Shrutis of the Vedas.
Akhandanand’s question.
Akhandanand said:-
Lord, you alone are the apt knower and promoter of the love of Brahman; in this subject even the learned are confused. 1.
Therefore I wish to ask a question which is of interest even to these great sages. After hearing that one question, O Lord, tell (us) the answer. 2.
The Vedas (Sruti) maintain that Brahman is one without a second. It is also the teaching of Sruti (i.e. the Vedas) that all this (phenomenal world) is nothing but Brahman. 3.
Resorting to this view, some scholars hold that the individual soul, God and the world are delusive and false. 4.
Some other thinkers argue on the basis of Vedic statements like ‘Nityanam Nitya’ (i.e. permanent among the permanent) that God and the individual soul are everlasting. 5.
It will be appropriate for you, ‘O lord, to comment on these two views; whether both of these are true or whether of these two is true. 6.
Lord Narayan’s answer.
Suvrat said:-
On hearing this question from him, that teacher of the world, pleasing those sages sitting in the assembly and him (questioner), spoke thus with his sweet words: 7.
Narayan Muni said:-
O sages and Akhandanand, please listen. I shall bring out the purport of the Vedic statements which speak of dualism and non- dualism. 8.
Philosophy of Shuddhadvait.
The word Brahman is mainly used to denote Krishna; ‘O learned one, know this for certain that the word Bhagavan is used for Krishna. 9.
By nature and characteristics, he is beyond bounds and limits. Therefore, the Vedas maintain that Brahman is his appropriate name. 10.
The term Brahman can be understood (to be applicable) also elsewhere out of love for him, through meditation and service to him, through similarities with him and through being one with him. 11.
This form, this nature, this prowess and these qualities are everlasting in Krishna; elsewhere these are only superimposed. 12.
It is therefore that Srutis (Vedic statements) describe Him as truth, knowledge, the limitless, the omniscient, the all- knowing etc. 13.
Krishna, who in this way has the name Brahman, remains one and alone at the time of the deluge (Pralaya), after having dissolved the individual soul and the insentient Prakrti into the imperishable ultimate. 14.
‘O twice-born, the Vedas describe Him as the One without a second, as staying in the celestial city of Brahman, as without attributes and as the Lord of the lords. 15.
Only a yogi can realize him in Nirvikalpa samadhi; a yogi who has attained the (knowledge of His) ultimate nature by rendering service unto Him (realizes Him). 16.
That sovereign yogi is described by the Vedas as Brahman; the knower of Brahman, is said to be completely relieved from all bonds, in the word of the sages. Oh great Brahmin- 17.
Then the knower of Brahman who has attained peace realizes that all this (manifested world) is nothing but Brahman, pure and of the nature of bliss. 18.
Except Brahman, he does not see anything above and below and in the intervening space, nor does he see the world, nor the individual souls, nor God, nor anything else. 19.
To lead to this kind of state, the preceptor enlightens the wise disciple in whom a strong urge of renunciation prevails. 20.
O Varni (sannyasin), the Vedas declare that only One Brahman exists; it is the everlasting of all the everlasting (principles); that is what I am explaining to you all. 21.
Philosophy of Vishishtadvait.
Even in the ultimate dissolution of the world there is no destruction of the essence of the souls and of God. 22.
Oh great ascetic, in the dissolution of the world, only the two manifestations of God, known as Virat and Sutratman vanish. 23.
At that time, he (the yogi) remains in Prakrti, in its unmanifested form; but at that time the earthly body and the astral body of the individual stand destroyed. 24.
They all vanish into the Prakrti of the ultimate cause (Karan- Sharir); ‘O great ascetic, Prakrti is also called Pradhana; 25.
Along with the soul (Purusa), Prakrti also vanishes into the original cause. But there is no destruction of these in their essence. 26.
In the ultimate dissolution, Prakrti merges into Purusa (Soul principle), as night merges into the light of the Sun. 27.
At that time, that great soul, namely, Krishna abides with that great Maya of His, in the light of the immortal. 28.
The state of the emancipated.
And those who are emancipated by the force of meditation and whose material bodies have vanished, abide in the imperishable transcendental Brahman by means of the heavenly bodies of Krishna. 29.
In both (kinds of) dissolution, these are not really destroyed. O greatly wise one, the Veda describes them as permanent. 30.
At the time of creation all (the principles like) Purusa and Prakrti again manifest themselves as before by His will, ‘O Brahmin. 31.
And the emancipated ones, whose bodies are non-material (a Prkrta) manifest themselves at their will or when He (Krishna) reincarnates himself. 32.
These are said by the Vedas to be immortal, knowing and free. By the strength of their Krishna worship, they see everything as it is.33.
Let it be understood that they are yogis endowed with devotion, knowledge and renunciation and that they have attained Sarvikalpa Samadhi. 34.
Examples explaining the truth of both philosophies.
As men standing on top of mount Meru see from there, all the lower mountains and trees and the surface of the earth, their support, So the emancipated knower, in the state of Savikalpa samadhi in which he see God, Maya, individual souls and Brahman as separate (entities). 35-36.
‘O Brahmin, just as men standing on the Lokaloka mountain see only one expanse of the earth and not mountains and trees, those greats emancipated in the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi see the one Brahman alone and not God or individual souls etc., separately. 37-38.
Three varieties of Nirvikalpa samadhi.
On the basis of the differences in the intensity of Krishna worship, there is said to be these three varieties of Nirvikalpa Samadhi in the world. 39.
As in this world, there is the bliss and quiescence of the individual in sleep on account of the cessation of the (work of) intellect, the senses and the mind, o great ascetic. 40.
So when there is similar bliss and quiescence of the individual in the walking condition on account of the dissolution of his intellect, senses and mind in Krishna Himself, it is the first (variety of Nirvikalpa samadhi). 41.
variety of savikalpa samadhi.
There is the bliss and quiescence of God in (His) sleep called the dissolution on account of the disappearance of the three worlds. When there is similar bliss and quiescence of the individual in the waking condition on account of the dissolution of his intellect, senses and mind in Krishna Himself, it is the middle (variety of Savikalpa samadhi). 42 - 43.
Variety of Nirvikalpa samadhi.
There is the bliss and quiescence of Purusa (the Soul) in Prakrti (the matter), in the dissolution of Prakrti on account of the disappearance of Virat along with its causes. When there is similar bliss and quiescence of the individual in the waking condition on account of the dissolution of the intellect, senses and mind in Krishna Himself, it is the last (variety of Nirvikalpa samadhi). 44 - 45.
The bliss, which is Krishna related, far exceeds all other kinds of bliss. Whatever is said (above) about the sleeping-condition etc., is only by way of analogy. 46.
O Brahmin, the emancipated greats are thus of three kinds; each succeeding kind of these states, is said to be superior by those who understand these (exalted) states. 47.
Oneness and difference of Brahman, Jiva and Jagat.
On account of the strength of Nirvikalpa condition, they are in Unmani condition with (only) Brahman in their gaze and they declare that individual souls and God’s are illusory. Know this for certain. 48.
‘O best among the ascetics, know in this way what is oneness and what is separateness. Know this on the authority of the Veda, that really there are these two views. 49.
Those who have not attained this state after having realized the oneness of Brahman through all the scriptures and behave as they like go astray (from their spiritual path). 50.
Those like them, committing sins, along with the sins of their disciples, suffer wailing piteously in hell. 51.
O Brahmin, where the word Brahman is used in two ways, it should be known first as the great, imperishable abode of God. 52.
And know that the second is Krishna Himself, the cause of all causes, described as above the Akshara (imperishable) and having a celestial body. 53.
Indeed the difference of Krishna (Hari) from the soul, God and Brahman is real. It has been expounded by Vedic statements, like the permanent of the permanents (Nityanam nitya) etc., 54.
O wise one, the statement of the Veda that ‘the knower of Brahman attains the highest’ is clear. It states that the knower of Brahman should resort to Para-Brahman. 55.
He, whose body is the soul; He, whom the soul does not understand; and in the same way, (by being inward), He, who controls the soul; is indeed the immortal Lord. 56.
He whose body is imperishable, He whom the imperishable does not understand, He (being inward) who controls the imperishable, is indeed the immortal Lord. 57.
A good number of statements in the Vedas having this kind of an interpretation clearly maintain Brahman to be the body of Krishna and explain its separateness from Him. 58.
If the imperishable Brahman is not one with Krishna, then how can God and how indeed can the individual soul be one with Him? 59.
There, one who is desirous of spiritual emancipation (Moksa), should rid himself of doubt and by all means devote himself to Krishna. He will be emancipated; all others will relapse to mundane existence. 60.
Shrimad Ramanuja Acharya has expounded all this meaning in detail in his great treatise. I have stated the same in brief. 61.
Suvrat Said:-
In this way, on hearing the philosophy of the Veda expounded by Lord Krishna, that ascetic and all those holy men, with their doubts dispelled, offered obeisance to him. 62.
Then the Lord directed all those people to retire to their places and he himself, the treasure-house of compassion, also reached his own abode. 63.
Thus Lord Krishna lived there with hosts of his devotees, fulfilling the desire of Hemantasinh and pleasing his devotees with splendid orations every day. 64.
Thus ends the twenty first chapter entitled ‘Description of the Nature of Supreme Brahman’ in the fourth Prakaran of Satsangijivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 21
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