 #div class="mw-parser-output"#
#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="Mantra_Fifteen"#Mantra Fifteen#/span##/h4#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#hiraṇmayena pātreṇa#/dd#
#dd#satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham#/dd#
#dd#tat tvaṁ pūṣann apāvṛṇu#/dd#
#dd#satya-dharmāya dṛṣṭaye#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="SYNONYMS"#SYNONYMS#/span##/h4#
#div class="synonyms"#
#p##i#hiraṇmayena#/i#—by a golden effulgence; #i#pātreṇa#/i#—by a dazzling covering; #i#satyasya#/i#—of the Supreme Truth; #i#apihitam#/i#—covered; #i#mukham#/i#—the face; #i#tat#/i#—that covering; #i#tvam#/i#—Yourself; #i#pūṣan#/i#—O sustainer; #i#apāvṛṇu#/i#—kindly remove; #i#satya#/i#—pure; #i#dharmāya#/i#—unto the devotee; #i#dṛṣṭaye#/i#—for exhibiting.
#/p#
#/div#
#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="TRANSLATION"#TRANSLATION#/span##/h4#
#div class="translation"#
#p#O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.
#/p#
#/div#
#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="PURPORT"#PURPORT#/span##/h4#
#div class="purport"#
#p#In the #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i# (14.27), the Lord explains His personal rays (#i#brahmajyoti#/i#), the dazzling effulgence of His personal form, in this way:
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham#/dd#
#dd#amṛtasyāvyayasya ca#/dd#
#dd#śāśvatasya ca dharmasya#/dd#
#dd#sukhasyaikāntikasya ca#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness." Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān are three aspects of the same Absolute Truth. Brahman is the aspect most easily perceived by the beginner; Paramātmā, the Supersoul, is realized by those who have further progressed; and Bhagavān realization is the ultimate realization of the Absolute Truth. This is confirmed in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i# (7.7), where Lord Kṛṣṇa says that He is the ultimate concept of the Absolute Truth: #i#mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat#/i#. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the source of the #i#brahmajyoti#/i# as well as the all-pervading Paramātmā. Later in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i# (10.42) Kṛṣṇa further explains:
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#atha vā bahunaitena#/dd#
#dd#kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna#/dd#
#dd#viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam#/dd#
#dd#ekāṁśena sthito jagat#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe." Thus by His one plenary expansion, the all-pervading Paramātmā, the Lord maintains the complete material cosmic creation. He also maintains all manifestations in the spiritual world. Therefore in this #i#śruti-mantra#/i# of #i#Śrī Īśopaniṣad#/i#, the Lord is addressed as #i#pūṣan#/i#, the ultimate maintainer.
#$p#The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is always filled with transcendental bliss (#i#ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt#/i#). When He was present at Vṛndāvana in India five thousand years ago, He always remained in transcendental bliss, even from the beginning of His childhood pastimes. The killings of various demons-such as Agha, Baka, Pūtanā and Pralamba-were but pleasure excursions for Him. In His village of Vṛndāvana He enjoyed Himself with His mother, brother and friends, and when He played the role of a naughty butter thief, all His associates enjoyed celestial bliss by His stealing. The Lord's fame as a butter thief is not reproachable, for by stealing butter the Lord gave pleasure to His pure devotees. Everything the Lord did in Vṛndāvana was for the pleasure of His associates there. The Lord created these pastimes to attract the dry speculators and the acrobats of the so-called #i#haṭha-yoga#/i# system who wish to find the Absolute Truth.
#$p#Of the childhood play between the Lord and His playmates, the cowherd boys, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says in #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# (10.12.11):
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā#/dd#
#dd#dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena#/dd#
#dd#māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa#/dd#
#dd#sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"The Personality of Godhead, who is perceived as the impersonal, blissful Brahman by the #i#jñānīs#/i#, who is worshiped as the Supreme Lord by devotees in the mood of servitorship, and who is considered an ordinary human being by mundane people, played with the cowherd boys, who had attained their position after accumulating many pious activities."
#$p#Thus the Lord is always engaged in transcendental loving activities with His spiritual associates in the various relationships of #i#śānta#/i# (neutrality), #i#dāsya#/i# (servitorship), #i#sakhya#/i# (friendship), #i#vātsalya#/i# (parental affection) and #i#mādhurya#/i# (conjugal love).
#$p#Since it is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa never leaves Vṛndāvana-dhāma, one may ask how He manages the affairs of the creation. This is answered in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i# (13.14-18): The Lord pervades the entire material creation by His plenary part known as the Paramātmā, or Supersoul. Although the Lord personally has nothing to do with material creation, maintenance and destruction, He causes all these things to be done by His plenary expansion, the Paramātmā. Every living entity is known as #i#ātmā#/i#, soul, and the principal #i#ātmā#/i# who controls them all is Paramātmā, the Supersoul.
#$p#This system of God realization is a great science. The materialistic #i#sāṅkhya-yogīs#/i# can only analyze and meditate on the twenty-four factors of the material creation, for they have very little information of the #i#puruṣa#/i#, the Lord. And the impersonal transcendentalists are simply bewildered by the glaring effulgence of the #i#brahmajyoti#/i#. If one wants to see the Absolute Truth in full, one has to penetrate beyond the twenty-four material elements and the glaring effulgence as well. #i#Śrī Īśopaniṣad#/i# points toward this direction, praying for the removal of the #i#hiraṇmaya-pātra#/i#, the dazzling covering of the Lord. Unless this covering is removed so one can perceive the real face of the Personality of Godhead, factual realization of the Absolute Truth can never be achieved.
#$p#The Paramātmā feature of the Personality of Godhead is one of three plenary expansions, or #i#viṣṇu-tattvas#/i#, collectively known as the #i#puruṣa-avatāras#/i#. One of these #i#viṣṇu-tattvas#/i# who is within the universe is known as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He is the Viṣṇu among the three principal deities-Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva-and He is the all-pervading Paramātmā in each and every individual living entity. The second #i#viṣṇu-tattva#/i# within the universe is Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the collective Supersoul of all living entities. Beyond these two is Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who lies in the Causal Ocean. He is the creator of all universes. The #i#yoga#/i# system teaches the serious student to meet the #i#viṣṇu-tattvas#/i# after going beyond the twenty-four material elements of the cosmic creation. The culture of empiric philosophy helps one realize the impersonal brahmajyoti#i#Italic text#/i#, which is the glaring effulgence of the transcendental body of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That the #i#brahmajyoti#/i# is Kṛṣṇa's effulgence is confirmed in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i# (14.27) as well as the #i#Brahma-saṁhitā#/i# (5.40):
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#yasya prabhā-prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-#/dd#
#dd#koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam#/dd#
#dd#tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ#/dd#
#dd#govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"In the millions and millions of universes there are innumerable planets, and each and every one of them is different from the others by its cosmic constitution. All of these planets are situated in a corner of the #i#brahmajyoti#/i#. This #i#brahmajyoti#/i# is but the personal rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, whom I worship." This #i#mantra#/i# from the #i#Brahma-saṁhitā#/i# is spoken from the platform of factual realization of the Absolute Truth, and the #i#śruti-mantra#/i# of #i#Śrī Īśopaniṣad#/i# under discussion confirms this mantra as a process of realization. The #i#Īśopaniṣad mantra#/i# is a simple prayer to the Lord to remove the #i#brahmajyoti#/i# so that one can see His real face. This #i#brahmajyoti#/i# effulgence is described in detail in several #i#mantras#/i# of the #i#Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad#/i# (2.2.10-12):
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#hiraṇmaye pare kośe#/dd#
#dd#virajaṁ brahma niṣkalam#/dd#
#dd#tac chubhraṁ jyotiṣāṁ jyotis#/dd#
#dd#tad yad ātma-vido viduḥ#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#na tatra sūryo bhāti na candra-tārakaṁ#/dd#
#dd#nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto 'yam agniḥ#/dd#
#dd#tam eva bhāntam anu bhāti sarvaṁ#/dd#
#dd#tasya bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#brahmaivedam amṛtaṁ purastād brahma#/dd#
#dd#paścād brahma dakṣiṇataś cottareṇa#/dd#
#dd#adhaś cordhvaṁ ca prasṛtaṁ brahmai-#/dd#
#dd#vedaṁ viśvam idaṁ variṣṭham#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"In the spiritual realm, beyond the material covering, is the unlimited Brahman effulgence, which is free from material contamination. That effulgent white light is understood by transcendentalists to be the light of all lights. In that realm there is no need of sunshine, moonshine, fire or electricity for illumination. Indeed, whatever illumination appears in the material world is only a reflection of that supreme illumination. That Brahman is in front and in back, in the north, south, east and west, and also overhead and below. In other words, that supreme Brahman effulgence spreads throughout both the material and spiritual skies."
#$p#Perfect knowledge means knowing Kṛṣṇa as the root of this Brahman effulgence. This knowledge can be gained from such scriptures as #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i#, which perfectly elaborates the science of Kṛṣṇa. In #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i#, the author, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, has established that one will describe the Supreme Truth as Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān according to one's realization of Him. Śrīla Vyāsadeva never states that the Supreme Truth is a #i#jīva#/i#, an ordinary living entity. The living entity should never be considered the all-powerful Supreme Truth. If he were the Supreme, he would not need to pray to the Lord to remove His dazzling cover so that the living entity could see His real face.
#$p#The conclusion is that one who has no knowledge of the potencies of the Supreme Truth will realize the impersonal Brahman. Similarly, when one realizes the material potencies of the Lord but has little or no information of the spiritual potencies, he attains Paramātmā realization. Thus both Brahman and Paramātmā realization of the Absolute Truth are partial realizations. However, when one realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in full potency after the removal of the #i#hiraṇmaya-pātra#/i#, one realizes #i#vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti#/i#: (7.19) Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Vāsudeva, is everything-Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. He is Bhagavān, the root, and Brahman and Paramātmā are His branches.
#$p#In the #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i# (6.46-47) there is a comparative analysis of the three types of transcendentalists—the worshipers of the impersonal Brahman (#i#jñānīs#/i#), the worshipers of the Paramātmā feature (#i#yogīs#/i#) and the devotees of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa (#i#bhaktas#/i#). It is stated there that the #i#jñānīs#/i#, those who have cultivated Vedic knowledge, are better than ordinary fruitive workers, that the #i#yogīs#/i# are still greater than the #i#jñānīs#/i#, and that among all #i#yogīs#/i#, those who constantly serve the Lord with all their energies are the topmost. In summary, a philosopher is better than a laboring man, a mystic is superior to a philosopher, and of all the mystic #i#yogīs#/i#, he who follows #i#bhakti-yoga#/i#, constantly engaging in the service of the Lord, is the highest. #i#Śrī Īśopaniṣad#/i# directs us toward this perfection.
#/p#
#/div#
#/div# |
#div class="mw-parser-output"#
#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="Mantra_Fifteen"#Mantra Fifteen#/span##/h4#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#hiraṇmayena pātreṇa#/dd#
#dd#satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham#/dd#
#dd#tat tvaṁ pūṣann apāvṛṇu#/dd#
#dd#satya-dharmāya dṛṣṭaye#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="SYNONYMS"#SYNONYMS#/span##/h4#
#div class="synonyms"#
#p##i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=hiraṇmayena&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#hiraṇmayena#/i# — by a golden effulgence; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=pātreṇa&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#pātreṇa#/i# — by a dazzling covering; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=satyasya&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#satyasya#/i# — of the Supreme Truth; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=apihitam&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#apihitam#/i# — covered; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=mukham&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#mukham#/i# — the face; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=tat&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#tat#/i# — that covering; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=tvam&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#tvam#/i# — Yourself; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=pūṣan&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#pūṣan#/i# — O sustainer; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=apāvṛṇu&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#apāvṛṇu#/i# — kindly remove; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=satya&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#satya#/i# — pure; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=dharmāya&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#dharmāya#/i# — unto the devotee; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=dṛṣṭaye&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#dṛṣṭaye#/i# — for exhibiting.
#/p#
#/div#
#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="TRANSLATION"#TRANSLATION#/span##/h4#
#div class="translation"#
#p#O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.
#/p#
#/div#
#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="PURPORT"#PURPORT#/span##/h4#
#div class="purport"#
#p#In the #i#Bhagavad-gītā (14.27)#/i#, the Lord explains His personal rays (#i#brahmajyoti#/i#), the dazzling effulgence of His personal form, in this way:
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham#/dd#
#dd#amṛtasyāvyayasya ca#/dd#
#dd#śāśvatasya ca dharmasya#/dd#
#dd#sukhasyaikāntikasya ca#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness." Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān are three aspects of the same Absolute Truth. Brahman is the aspect most easily perceived by the beginner; Paramātmā, the Supersoul, is realized by those who have further progressed; and Bhagavān realization is the ultimate realization of the Absolute Truth. This is confirmed in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā (7.7)#/i#, where Lord Kṛṣṇa says that He is the ultimate concept of the Absolute Truth: #i#mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat#/i#. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the source of the brahmajyoti as well as the all-pervading Paramātmā. Later in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā (10.42)#/i# Kṛṣṇa further explains:
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#atha vā bahunaitena#/dd#
#dd#kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna#/dd#
#dd#viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam#/dd#
#dd#ekāṁśena sthito jagat#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe." Thus by His one plenary expansion, the all-pervading Paramātmā, the Lord maintains the complete material cosmic creation. He also maintains all manifestations in the spiritual world. Therefore in this #i#śruti-mantra#/i# of #i#Śrī Īśopaniṣad#/i#, the Lord is addressed as #i#pūṣan#/i#, the ultimate maintainer.
#$p#The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is always filled with transcendental bliss (#i#ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt#/i#). When He was present at Vṛndāvana in India five thousand years ago, He always remained in transcendental bliss, even from the beginning of His childhood pastimes. The killings of various demons—such as Agha, Baka, Pūtanā and Pralamba—were but pleasure excursions for Him. In His village of Vṛndāvana He enjoyed Himself with His mother, brother and friends, and when He played the role of a naughty butter thief, all His associates enjoyed celestial bliss by His stealing. The Lord's fame as a butter thief is not reproachable, for by stealing butter the Lord gave pleasure to His pure devotees. Everything the Lord did in Vṛndāvana was for the pleasure of His associates there. The Lord created these pastimes to attract the dry speculators and the acrobats of the so-called #i#haṭha-yoga#/i# system who wish to find the Absolute Truth.
#$p#Of the childhood play between the Lord and His playmates, the cowherd boys, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says in #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.12.11)#/i#:
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā#/dd#
#dd#dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena#/dd#
#dd#māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa#/dd#
#dd#sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"The Personality of Godhead, who is perceived as the impersonal, blissful Brahman by the #i#jñānīs#/i#, who is worshiped as the Supreme Lord by devotees in the mood of servitorship, and who is considered an ordinary human being by mundane people, played with the cowherd boys, who had attained their position after accumulating many pious activities."
#$p#Thus the Lord is always engaged in transcendental loving activities with His spiritual associates in the various relationships of #i#śānta#/i# (neutrality), #i#dāsya#/i# (servitorship), #i#sakhya#/i# (friendship), #i#vātsalya#/i# (parental affection) and #i#mādhurya#/i# (conjugal love).
#$p#Since it is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa never leaves Vṛndāvana-dhāma, one may ask how He manages the affairs of the creation. This is answered in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā (13.14-18)#/i#: The Lord pervades the entire material creation by His plenary part known as the Paramātmā, or Supersoul. Although the Lord personally has nothing to do with material creation, maintenance and destruction, He causes all these things to be done by His plenary expansion, the Paramātmā. Every living entity is known as #i#ātmā#/i#, soul, and the principal #i#ātmā#/i# who controls them all is Paramātmā, the Supersoul.
#$p#This system of God realization is a great science. The materialistic #i#sāṅkhya-yogīs#/i# can only analyze and meditate on the twenty-four factors of the material creation, for they have very little information of the #i#puruṣa#/i#, the Lord. And the impersonal transcendentalists are simply bewildered by the glaring effulgence of the #i#brahma-jyotir#/i#. If one wants to see the Absolute Truth in full, one has to penetrate beyond the twenty-four material elements and the glaring effulgence as well. #i#Śrī Īśopaniṣad#/i# points toward this direction, praying for the removal of the #i#hiraṇmaya-pātra#/i#, the dazzling covering of the Lord. Unless this covering is removed so one can perceive the real face of the Personality of Godhead, factual realization of the Absolute Truth can never be achieved.
#$p#The Paramātmā feature of the Personality of Godhead is one of three plenary expansions, or #i#viṣṇu-tattvas#/i#, collectively known as the puruṣa-avatāras. One of these #i#viṣṇu-tattvas#/i# who is within the universe is known as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He is the Viṣṇu among the three principal deities—Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva—and He is the all-pervading Paramātmā in each and every individual living entity. The second #i#viṣṇu-tattva#/i# within the universe is Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the collective Supersoul of all living entities. Beyond these two is Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who lies in the Causal Ocean. He is the creator of all universes. The #i#yoga#/i# system teaches the serious student to meet the #i#viṣṇu-tattvas#/i# after going beyond the twenty-four material elements of the cosmic creation. The culture of empiric philosophy helps one realize the impersonal #i#brahmajyoti#/i#, which is the glaring effulgence of the transcendental body of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That the #i#brahmajyoti#/i# is Kṛṣṇa's effulgence is confirmed in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā (14.27)#/i# as well as the #i#Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40)#/i#:
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#yasya prabhā-prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-#/dd#
#dd#koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam#/dd#
#dd#tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ#/dd#
#dd#govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"In the millions and millions of universes there are innumerable planets, and each and every one of them is different from the others by its cosmic constitution. All of these planets are situated in a corner of the #i#brahmajyoti#/i#. This #i#brahmajyoti#/i# is but the personal rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, whom I worship." This #i#mantra#/i# from the #i#Brahma-saṁhitā#/i# is spoken from the platform of factual realization of the Absolute Truth, and the #i#śruti-mantra#/i# of #i#Śrī Īśopaniṣad#/i# under discussion confirms this #i#mantra#/i# as a process of realization. The #i#Īśopaniṣad mantra#/i# is a simple prayer to the Lord to remove the #i#brahmajyoti#/i# so that one can see His real face. This #i#brahmajyoti#/i# effulgence is described in detail in several #i#mantras#/i# of the #i#Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (2.2.10-12)#/i#:
#/p#
#div class="verse"#
#dl##dd#hiraṇmaye pare kośe#/dd#
#dd#virajaṁ brahma niṣkalam#/dd#
#dd#tac chubhraṁ jyotiṣāṁ jyotis#/dd#
#dd#tad yad ātma-vido viduḥ#/dd##/dl#
#dl##dd#na tatra sūryo bhāti na candra-tārakaṁ#/dd#
#dd#nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto 'yam agniḥ#/dd#
#dd#tam eva bhāntam anu bhāti sarvaṁ#/dd#
#dd#tasya bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti#/dd##/dl#
#dl##dd#brahmaivedam amṛtaṁ purastād brahma#/dd#
#dd#paścād brahma dakṣiṇataś cottareṇa#/dd#
#dd#adhaś cordhvaṁ ca prasṛtaṁ brahmai-#/dd#
#dd#vedaṁ viśvam idaṁ variṣṭham#/dd##/dl#
#/div#
#p#"In the spiritual realm, beyond the material covering, is the unlimited Brahman effulgence, which is free from material contamination. That effulgent white light is understood by transcendentalists to be the light of all lights. In that realm there is no need of sunshine, moonshine, fire or electricity for illumination. Indeed, whatever illumination appears in the material world is only a reflection of that supreme illumination. That Brahman is in front and in back, in the north, south, east and west, and also overhead and below. In other words, that supreme Brahman effulgence spreads throughout both the material and spiritual skies."
#$p#Perfect knowledge means knowing Kṛṣṇa as the root of this Brahman effulgence. This knowledge can be gained from such scriptures as #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i#, which perfectly elaborates the science of Kṛṣṇa. In #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i#, the author, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, has established that one will describe the Supreme Truth as Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān according to one's realization of Him. Śrīla Vyāsadeva never states that the Supreme Truth is a #i#jīva#/i#, an ordinary living entity. The living entity should never be considered the all-powerful Supreme Truth. If he were the Supreme, he would not need to pray to the Lord to remove His dazzling cover so that the living entity could see His real face.
#$p#The conclusion is that one who has no knowledge of the potencies of the Supreme Truth will realize the impersonal Brahman. Similarly, when one realizes the material potencies of the Lord but has little or no information of the spiritual potencies, he attains Paramātmā realization. Thus both Brahman and Paramātmā realization of the Absolute Truth are partial realizations. However, when one realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in full potency after the removal of the #i#hiraṇmaya-pātra#/i#, one realizes #i#vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: (7.19)#/i# Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Vāsudeva, is everything—Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. He is Bhagavān, the root, and Brahman and Paramātmā are His branches.
#$p#In the #i#Bhagavad-gītā (6.46-47)#/i# there is a comparative analysis of the three types of transcendentalists—the worshipers of the impersonal Brahman (#i#jñānīs#/i#), the worshipers of the Paramātmā feature (#i#yogīs#/i#) and the devotees of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa (#i#bhaktas#/i#). It is stated there that the #i#jñānīs#/i#, those who have cultivated Vedic knowledge, are better than ordinary fruitive workers, that the #i#yogīs#/i# are still greater than the #i#jñānīs#/i#, and that among all #i#yogīs#/i#, those who constantly serve the Lord with all their energies are the topmost. In summary, a philosopher is better than a laboring man, a mystic is superior to a philosopher, and of all the mystic #i#yogīs#/i#, he who follows #i#bhakti-yoga#/i#, constantly engaging in the service of the Lord, is the highest. #i#Śrī Īśopaniṣad#/i# directs us toward this perfection.
#/p#
#/div#
#/div# |
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