SB 10.87.15 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB 10.87.15

Devanagari

बृहदुपलब्धमेतदवयन्त्यवशेषतया यत उदयास्तमयौ विकृतेर्मृदि वाविकृतात् । अत ऋषयो दधुस्त्वयि मनोवचनाचरितं कथमयथा भवन्ति भुवि दत्तपदानि नृणाम् ॥ १५ ॥

Verse text

bṛhad upalabdham etad avayanty avaśeṣatayā yata udayāstam-ayau vikṛter mṛdi vāvikṛtāt ata ṛṣayo dadhus tvayi mano-vacanācaritaṁ katham ayathā bhavanti bhuvi datta-padāni nṛṇām

Synonyms

bṛhat — as the Supreme ; upalabdham — perceived ; etat — this (world) ; avayanti — they consider ; avaśeṣatayā — in terms of its being the all-pervading foundation of existence ; yataḥ — since ; udaya — the generation ; astam — ayau — and dissolution ; vikṛteḥ — of a transformation ; mṛdi — of clay ; vā — as if ; avikṛtāt — (the Supreme itself) not being subject to transformation ; ataḥ — therefore ; ṛṣayaḥ — the sages (who compiled the Vedic mantras ) ; dadhuḥ — placed ; tvayi — in You ; manaḥ — their minds ; vacana — words ; ācaritam — and actions ; katham — how ; ayathā — not as they are ; bhavanti — become ; bhuvi — upon the ground ; datta — placed ; padāni — the steps ; nṛṇām — of men .

Translation

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This perceivable world is identified with the Supreme because the Supreme Brahman is the ultimate foundation of all existence, remaining unchanged as all created things are generated from it and at last dissolved into it, just as clay remains unchanged by the products made from it and again merged with it. Thus it is toward You alone that the Vedic sages direct all their thoughts, words and acts. After all, how can the footsteps of men fail to touch the earth on which they live? KB 10.87.15 The statements of the personified Vedas give clear evidence that the Vedic literature is presented only for understanding Kṛṣṇa. The Bhagavad-gītā confirms that through all the Vedas it is Kṛṣṇa alone who has to be understood. Kṛṣṇa is always enjoying, either in the material world or in the spiritual world; because He is the supreme enjoyer, for Him there is no distinction between the material and spiritual worlds. The material world is an impediment for the ordinary living entities because they are under its control, but Kṛṣṇa, being the controller of the material world, has nothing to do with the impediments it offers. Therefore, in different parts of the Upaniṣads, the Vedas declare, “The Supreme Brahman is eternal, full of all knowledge and all bliss. That one Supreme Personality of Godhead exists in the heart of every living entity.” Because of His all-pervasiveness, He is able to enter not only into the hearts of the living entities, but even into the atoms also. As the Supersoul, He is the controller of all activities of the living entities. He lives within all of them and witnesses their actions, allowing them to act according to their desires and also giving them the results of their different activities. He is the living force of all things, but He is transcendental to the material qualities. He is omnipotent; He is expert in manufacturing everything, and on account of His superior, natural knowledge, He can bring everyone under His control. As such, He is everyone’s master. He is sometimes manifest on the surface of the globe, but He is simultaneously within all matter. Desiring to expand Himself in multiforms, He glanced over the material energy, and thus innumerable living entities became manifest. Everything is created by His superior energy, and everything in His creation appears to be perfectly done, without deficiency. Those who aspire for liberation from this material world must therefore worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate cause of all causes. He is just like the total mass of earth, from which varieties of earthly pots are manufactured: the pots are made of earthly clay, they rest on earth, and after being destroyed, their elements ultimately merge back into earth,the original cause of all varieties of manifestation. Employing this analogy of Brahman with earth, the impersonalists especially stress the Vedic statement sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma: “Everything is Brahman.” The impersonalists do not take into account the varieties of manifestation emanating from the supreme cause, Brahman. They simply consider that everything emanates from Brahman and after destruction merges into Brahman and that the intermediate stage of manifestation is also Brahman. But although the Māyāvādīs believe that prior to its manifestation the cosmos was in Brahman, after creation it remains in Brahman, and after destruction it merges into Brahman, they do not know what Brahman is. The Brahma-saṁhitā, however, clearly describes Brahman: “The living entities, space, time and the material elements like fire, earth, sky, water and mind constitute the total cosmic manifestation, known as Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ, which is manifested by Govinda. It flourishes on the strength of Govinda and after annihilation enters into and is conserved in Govinda.” Lord Brahma therefore says, “I worship Lord Govinda, the original personality, the cause of all causes.” The word “Brahman” indicates the greatest of all and the maintainer of everything. The impersonalists are attracted by the greatness of the sky, but because of their poor fund of knowledge they are not attracted by the greatness of Kṛṣṇa. In our practical life, however, we are attracted by the greatness of a person and not by the greatness of a big mountain. Thus the term “Brahman” actually applies to Kṛṣṇa only; therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna concluded that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Para-brahman, or the supreme resting place of everything. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahman because of His unlimited knowledge, unlimited potencies, unlimited strength, unlimited influence, unlimited beauty and unlimited renunciation. Ultimately, therefore, the word “Brahman” can be applied to Kṛṣṇa only. Arjuna affirms that because the impersonal Brahman is the effulgence emanating as rays of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body, Kṛṣṇa is the Para-brahman. Everything rests on Brahman, but Brahman itself rests on Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate Brahman, or Para-brahman. The material elements are accepted as the inferior energy of Kṛṣṇa. By their interaction the cosmic manifestation takes place, rests on Kṛṣṇa, and after dissolution again enters into the body of Kṛṣṇa as His subtle energy. Kṛṣṇa is therefore the cause of both manifestation and dissolution. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma means that everything is Lord Kṛṣṇa in the sense that everything is His energy. That is the vision of the mahā-bhāgavatas. They see everything in relation to Kṛṣṇa. The impersonalists argue that Kṛṣṇa Himself has been transformed into many and that therefore everything is Kṛṣṇa and worship of anything is worship of Him. This false argument is answered by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā: although everything is a transformation of the energy of Kṛṣṇa, He is not present everywhere. He is simultaneously present and not present. By His energy He is present everywhere, but as the energetic He is not present everywhere. This simultaneous presence and nonpresence is inconceivable to our present senses. But a clear explanation is given in the beginning of the Īśopaniṣad, in which it is stated that the Supreme Lord is so complete that although unlimited energies and their transformations emanate from Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa’s personality is not in the least bit transformed. Therefore, since Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes, intelligent persons should take shelter of His lotus feet. Kṛṣṇa advises everyone just to surrender unto Him alone, and that is the way of Vedic instruction. Since Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes, He is worshiped by all kinds of sages and saints through observance of the regulative principles. As far as meditation is concerned, great personalities meditate on the transcendental form of Kṛṣṇa within the heart. In this way the minds of great personalities are always engaged in Kṛṣṇa. With their minds engaged in Kṛṣṇa, naturally the captivated devotees simply talk of Kṛṣṇa. Talking of Kṛṣṇa or singing of Kṛṣṇa is called kīrtana. Lord Caitanya recommends, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc. Ādi 17.31], which means always thinking and talking of Kṛṣṇa and nothing else. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so sublime that anyone who takes to this process is elevated to the highest perfection of life—far, far beyond the concept of liberation. In the Bhagavad-gītā, therefore, Kṛṣṇa advises everyone always to think of Him, render devotional service to Him, worship Him and offer obeisances to Him. In this way a devotee becomes fully Kṛṣṇa-ized and, being always situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, ultimately goes back to Kṛṣṇa. Although the Vedas have recommended worship of different demigods as different parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa, it is to be understood that such instructions are meant for less intelligent men who are still attracted by material sense enjoyment. But the person who actually wants perfect fulfillment of the mission of human life should simply worship Lord Kṛṣṇa, and that will simplify the matter and completely guarantee the success of his human life. Although the sky, the water and the land are all part of the material world, when one stands on the solid land his position is more secure than when he stands in the sky or the water. An intelligent person, therefore, does not stand under the protection of different demigods, although they are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Rather, he stands on the solid ground of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That makes his position sound and secure. Impersonalists sometimes give the example that if one stands on a stone or a piece of wood one certainly stands on the surface of the land, because the stone and wood both rest on the surface of the earth. But it may be replied that if one stands directly on the surface of the earth he is more secure than if he stands on wood or a stone that rests on the earth. In other words, taking shelter of Paramātmā or taking shelter of impersonal Brahman is not as secure a course as taking direct shelter of Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The position of the jṣānīs and yogīs is therefore not as secure as the position of the devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa has therefore advised in the Bhagavad-gītā that only a person who has lost his sense takes to the worship of demigods. And regarding persons attached to the impersonal Brahman, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says, “My dear Lord, those who think of themselves as liberated by mental speculation are not yet purified of the contamination of material nature because of their inability to find the shelter of Your lotus feet. Although they rise to the transcendental situation of existence in impersonal Brahman, they certainly fall from that exalted position because they deride Your lotus feet.” Lord Kṛṣṇa therefore advises that the worshipers of the demigods are not very intelligent persons because they derive only temporary, exhaustible results. Their endeavors are those of less intelligent men. On the other hand, the Lord assures that His devotee has no fear of falling.

Purport

There may be some doubt as to whether the Vedic mantras are unanimous when identifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After all, some mantras state, indro yāto ’vasitasya rājā: “Indra is the King of all moving and nonmoving beings” ( Ṛg Veda 1.32.15), while others say, agnir mūrdhā divaḥ: “Agni is the chief of the heavens,” and yet other mantras point to different deities as the Absolute. It would seem, then, that the Vedas present a polytheistic world view. Answering this doubt, the Vedas themselves explain in this verse that there can be only one source of universal creation, called Brahman or Bṛhat, “the greatest,” which is the singular truth underlying and pervading all existence. No finite deity like Indra or Agni can fulfill this unique role, nor would the śrutis be so ignorant as to propose such an idea. As indicated here by the word tvayi, Lord Viṣṇu alone is the Absolute Truth. Indra and other demigods may be glorified in various ways, but they possess only those powers Lord Śrī Viṣṇu has granted them. The Vedic sages understand that this entire world — including Indra, Agni, and everything else perceivable by the eyes, ears and other senses — is identical with the one Supreme Truth, the Personality of Godhead, who is called Bṛhat, “the greatest,” because He is avaśeṣa, “the ultimate substance that remains.” From the Lord everything expands at creation, and into Him everything dissolves at annihilation. He exists before and after the material manifestation as the constant basis, known to philosophers as the “ingredient cause,” upādāna. Despite the fact that countless manifestations emanate from Him, the Supreme Lord exists eternally unchanged — an idea the śrutis specifically emphasize here with the word avikṛtāt. The words mṛdi vā (“as in the case of clay”) allude to a famous analogy spoken by Udālaka to his son Śvetaketu in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (6.4.1): vācārambhanaṁ vikāro nāmadheyaṁ mṛttikety eva satyam. “The objects of the material world exist merely as names, transformations defined by language, whereas the ingredient cause, like the clay from which pots are made, is the actual reality.” A mass of clay is the ingredient cause of various pots, statues and so on, but the clay itself remains in its essence unchanged. Eventually, the pots and other objects will be destroyed and return to the clay from which they came. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the total ingredient cause, yet He remains eternally untouched by transformation. This is the purport of the statement sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma: “Everything is Brahman.” ( Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14.1) Wondering at this mystery, the great devotee Gajendra prayed, namo namas te ’khila-kāraṇāya niṣkāraṇāyādbhuta-kāraṇāya “Obeisances again and again to You, the source of all creation. You are the inconceivable cause of all causes, and of You there is no other cause.” ( Bhāg. 8.3.15 ) Prakṛti, material nature, is often considered the ingredient cause of creation, in Western science as well as in the Vedas. This does not contradict the higher fact of the Supreme Lord’s being the final cause, since prakṛti is His energy, and is herself subject to change. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.24.19) , Lord Kṛṣṇa says: prakṛtir yasyopādānam ādhāraḥ puruṣaḥ paraḥ sato ’bhivyaṣjakaḥ kālo brahma tat tritayaṁ tv aham “The material universe is real, having prakṛti as its original ingredient and final state. Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu is the resting place of nature, which becomes manifest by the power of time. Thus nature, the almighty Viṣṇu and time are not different from Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth.” Prakṛti, however, undergoes transformation, while her Lord, the supreme puruṣa, does not. Prakṛti is the Personality of Godhead’s external energy, but He has another energy — His internal energy — which is svarūpa-bhūtā, nondifferent from His very essence. The Lord’s internal energy, like Himself, is never subject to material change. Therefore the mantras of the Vedas, along with the ṛṣis who have received these mantras in meditation and transmitted them for the benefit of mankind, direct their attention primarily toward the Personality of Godhead. The Vedic sages direct the activities of their mind and words — that is to say, the inner as well as the literal meaning ( abhidhā-vṛtti ) of their utterances — first of all toward Him, and only secondarily toward separated transformations of prakṛti, such as Indra and other demigods. Just as a man’s footsteps, whether placed on mud, stone or bricks, cannot fail to touch the surface of the earth, so whatever the Vedas discuss within the realm of material generation, they relate to the Absolute Truth. Mundane literature describes limited phenomena, disregarding the relation of its subjects to the total reality, but the Vedas always focus their perfect vision on the Supreme. As the Chāndogya Upaniṣad affirms in its statements mṛttikety eva satyam and sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma, reality is understood properly when everything is seen to be dependent on Brahman, the Absolute, for its existence. Brahman alone is real, not because nothing we see in this world is real, but because Brahman is the absolute, final cause of everything. Thus the word satyam, as used in the phrase mṛttikety eva satyam, has been defined in another context as “ingredient cause” by no less an authority than Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself: yad upādāya pūrvas tu bhāvo vikurute param ādir anto yadā yasya tat satyam abhidhīyate “A material object, itself composed of an essential ingredient, creates another material object through transformation. In this way one created object becomes the cause and basis of another created object. A particular thing may be called real in that it possesses the basic nature of another object that constitutes its cause and original state.” ( Bhāg. 11.24.18 ) Explaining the word Brahman, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “The word Brahman indicates the greatest of all and the maintainer of everything. The impersonalists are attracted by the greatness of the sky, but because of their poor fund of knowledge they are not attracted by the greatness of Kṛṣṇa. In our practical life, however, we are attracted by the greatness of a person and not by the greatness of a big mountain. Actually the term Brahman actually applies to Kṛṣṇa only; therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna admitted that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Parabrahman, or the supreme rest of everything. “Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahman because of His unlimited knowledge unlimited potencies, unlimited strength, unlimited influence, unlimited beauty and unlimited renunciation. Therefore the word Brahman can be applied to Kṛṣṇa only. Arjuna affirms that because the impersonal Brahman is the effulgence emanating as rays of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body, Kṛṣṇa is the Parabrahman. Everything is resting on Brahman, but Brahman itself is resting on Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate Brahman, or Parabrahman. The material elements are accepted as inferior energy of Kṛṣṇa because by their interaction the cosmic manifestation takes place, rests on Kṛṣṇa, and after dissolution again enters into the body of Kṛṣṇa as His subtle energy. Kṛṣṇa is therefore the cause of both manifestation and dissolution.” In summary, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī prays: druhiṇa-vahni-ravīndra-mukhāmarā jagad idaṁ na bhavet pṛthag utthitam bahu-mukhair api mantra-gaṇair ajas tvam uru-mūrtir ato vinigadyase “The demigods, headed by Śiva, Agni, Sūrya and Indra, and indeed all beings in the universe, do not come into existence independently of You. The mantras of the Vedas, though they speak from various viewpoints, all speak about You, the unborn Lord appearing in numerous forms.”

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

"But you, the srutis, do not only speak of me as being supreme with verses like the following: Indro yato’vasitasya raja Indra is the king of all moving and non moving entities. Rig veda 1.32.15 Agni murdha divah Agni is supreme. Rig veda 3.2.14 "Because the definition of Supreme Lord is reserved for the ultimate cause of the universe, and we do not see that the devatas are the ultimate cause, you alone, the cause of the universe, are the Supreme Lord. Indra and others have their limited powers bestowed by you." With this intention the srutis speak this verse. "The srutis know everything perceived by the senses such as ears and eyes, including Indra (etat upalabdham), as the Brahman (brhat). Why is this? Because you always remain (avasesataya). There is an example (va). Just as in earth there are appearance and disappearance of its transformations such as pots, so in you, as its ingredient cause, there is appearance and disappearance of the universe, caused by you." "That would mean that I transform?" "No, because you are devoid of transformation (avikrtat)." "This is certainly astonishing: you are not transformed even though you are the ingredient cause of the universe. Gajendra says, ‘All obeisances to you who are the cause of everything, not the cause of everything, the astonishing cause of everything.’ SB 8.3.15 This will be explained by Sridhara Swami. By being the ingredient cause, there is no transformation as with clay. The devatas say (6.9.34) that you create, maintain and destroy this universe without being transformed. We also say the same thing. "Or, it can be said that you are the real ingredient cause of the universe since prakrti as the ingredient cause is just your energy. You also say, ‘The material universe is real, having prakrti as its original ingredient and final state. Lord Maha-Visnu is the resting place of nature, which becomes manifest by the power of time. Thus nature, the almighty Visnu and time are not different from Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth.’ SB 11.24.19 However, since she is not your svarupa sakti, prakrti does transform, and you do not transform. That your svarupa is beyond maya is well known in the scriptures. "For this reason (atah), the sages place their service of meditation and kirtana in you (manovacanacaritam), not in the separate transformations like Indra." Then there is an example to illustrate the case in the last line of the verse. Whenever men living on this earth place their feet, how can they avoid placing their feet on the earth? As the feet placed on bricks, earth or any substance cannot avoid the earth, the Vedas, though speaking of any transformation of yourself in the form of objects in existence, unavoidably always must point out you, the Supreme Lord, the cause of all. Thus the srutis say "sarvam khalv idam brahma" : Everything is Brahman. Chandoga Upanisad 3.14.1 vacarambhanam vikaro namadheyam mrttikety eva satyam Earth, which transforms and is given the name "pot", is the cause (satyam). Chandogya Upanisad 6.4.1 The word "satya" means "cause," as is stated in the bhagavatam. A material object, itself composed of an essential ingredient, creates another material object through transformation. Thus one created object becomes the cause and basis of another created object. A particular thing may thus be called real in that it possesses the basic nature of another object that constitutes its cause and original state. (SB 11.24.18) That is the meaning in the sruti also.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

While some śrutis offer praise devoid of favoritism to other famous śrutis, by pointing out the Lord’s spiritual qualities while rejecting material qualities in him, other śrutis though supporting the famous śrutis, as if embarrassed in the presence of their superiors, praise the Lord by making a verse filled with lakṣaṇā (indirect meaning). They thus define the Lord without proper discrimination. You are this world, which is the form of the great Brahman. The example is only representative. Anything beyond you would be a destruction of your greatness. “But the great Brahman and the world are different. The statement would make the world into the highest truth.” It remains after pralaya, and thus there is nothing beyond it. An example is given. It is like the transformation of clay into a pot. “We can see the production of a pot from clay but we cannot see the world produced from Brahman.” Particular śrutis testify that from the great Brahman (yataḥ) the appearance and disappear of the world takes place. “How can this be? There can be no transformation of the Brahman, like transformation of clay into a pot.” It is because Brahman is without change (avikārāt). Śrutes tu śabda-mūlatvāt: knowledge of Brahman comes from śruti. As in the example of the cintāmaṇi, by the acintya-śakti this can take place, according to the śrutis. They then state their intention. Because of this, the Vedas (ṛṣayaḥ), some of our followers, who, like us, praise the world to some extent, define you, in terms of (material) minds, words and actions, as the great Brahman called the universe, as if being unaware of your pure spiritual form and qualities. The meaning is that since the effect ultimately lies in the cause, this description of your effects is ultimately a description of you. But their definition lacks to the extreme since it omits you as the final cause. The meaning is made clear by illustration. Indicating you in terms of material objects (padāni) like pots, it appears to be ignorance (ayathā) to us. It is not knowledge. The chief śrutis say sarvaṁ khalv idam brahma: this world is Brahman. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad) Supporting śrutis give examples like indro yato visitasya raja: the Lord is the King of the moving and immobile beings. (Ṛgveda) Among them some give an example: vācārambhaṇaṁ vikāro nāmadheyaṁ mṛttikety eva satyam: earth’s transformations are merely verbal creations of the process of naming; the substance earth itself is alone real.” (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.1) All of these statements are also considered, not only the statement about clay, though it is considered the chief statement. By speaking, through material senses, pots etc. become the subject of discussion. These objects are all transformations of earth since they arise from it. This is the truth. It is not like the philosophy of Gautama. It is different. Tad ananyatvam ārambhaṇa-śabdādibhyaḥ: the world is not different from Brahman because of statements of śruti. (Brahma-sūtra 2.1.14)

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

We sages or śrutis say that Brahman is the world or elements like earth (mṛdi) in which (yataḥ) there is appearance and disappearance (udayāsta-mayau) of transformations (vikṛteḥ) like a pot. The sages express this directly or indirectly (manovacana-caritam) by themselves or using śruti. Or “The Vedas describe the qualities of the Lord by glorifying the senses etc.” They praise you as the material elements (bṛhat) since they belong to you. They know the great object (brḥat) which they realize as your servant (upalabdham) because it remains and is without destruction (avaśeṣatayā), without change. Noting its greatness, they specify its glories. Because it is your servant (yataḥ), because it worships you, appearance and disappearance of the world (vikṛteḥ) manifest. This means that Brahmā and Śiva manifest for creation and destruction of the Lord by worshipping you just as a pot (vikṛteḥ) manifests appearance and disappearance from clay (mṛdi). Brahmā and Śiva are mere instruments. The main cause is ability caused by worship. Or from worship (yataḥ) there are appearance and disappearance of ecstatic symptoms (vikṛteḥ) like sañcāri and sāttvika bhāvas just as in earth there are appearance and disappearance of plants from new or old seeds. Because of the astonishing glory of your worship, the sages offer to you their minds, words and actions (mano-vacana-caritam). There is never any lack of results for this. How can objects given by jīvas to you at any suitable place on earth be useless (ayathā)? Thus they offer their mind, actions and words.