Devanagari
दृतय इव श्वसन्त्यसुभृतो यदि तेऽनुविधा
महदहमादयोऽण्डमसृजन् यदनुग्रहत: ।
पुरुषविधोऽन्वयोऽत्र चरमोऽन्नमयादिषु य:
सदसत: परं त्वमथ यदेष्ववशेषमृतम् ॥ १७ ॥
Verse text
dṛtaya iva śvasanty asu-bhṛto yadi te ’nuvidhā
mahad-aham-ādayo ’ṇḍam asṛjan yad-anugrahataḥ
puruṣa-vidho ’nvayo ’tra caramo ’nna-mayādiṣu yaḥ
sad-asataḥ paraṁ tvam atha yad eṣv avaśeṣam ṛtam
Synonyms
dṛtayaḥ
—
bellows
;
iva
—
as if
;
śvasanti
—
they breathe
;
asu
—
bhṛtaḥ — alive
;
yadi
—
if
;
te
—
Your
;
anuvidhāḥ
—
faithful followers
;
mahat
—
the total material energy
;
aham
—
false ego
;
ādayaḥ
—
and the other elements of creation
;
aṇḍam
—
the universal egg
;
asṛjan
—
produced
;
yat
—
whose
;
anugrahataḥ
—
by the mercy
;
puruṣa
—
of the living entity
;
vidhaḥ
—
according to the particular forms
;
anvayaḥ
—
whose entrance
;
atra
—
among these
;
caramaḥ
—
the ultimate
;
anna
—
maya — ādiṣu — among the manifestations known as anna-maya and so on
;
yaḥ
—
who
;
sat
—
asataḥ — from gross and subtle matter
;
param
—
distinct
;
tvam
—
You
;
atha
—
and furthermore
;
yat
—
which
;
eṣu
—
among these
;
avaśeṣam
—
underlying
;
ṛtam
—
the reality .
Translation
Only if they become Your faithful followers are those who breathe actually alive, otherwise their breathing is like that of a bellows. It is by Your mercy alone that the elements, beginning with the mahat-tattva and false ego, created the egg of this universe. Among the manifestations known as anna-maya and so forth, You are the ultimate one, entering within the material coverings along with the living entity and assuming the same forms as those he takes. Distinct from the gross and subtle material manifestations, You are the reality underlying them all.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Only if they become Your faithful followers are those who breathe actually alive, otherwise their breathing is like that of a bellows. It is by Your mercy alone that the elements, beginning with the mahat-tattva and false ego, created the egg of this universe. Among the manifestations known as anna-maya and so forth, You are the ultimate one, entering within the material coverings along with the living entity and assuming the same forms as those he takes. Distinct from the gross and subtle material manifestations, You are the reality underlying them all.
KB 10.87.17
The personified Vedas continued: “Dear Lord, it is imperative that the living entities be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always rendering devotional service by such prescribed methods as hearing and chanting and executing Your orders. If a person is not engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service, it is useless for him to exhibit the symptoms of life. Generally if a person is breathing he is accepted to be alive. But a person without Kṛṣṇa consciousness may be compared to a bellows in a blacksmith’s shop. The big bellows is a bag of skin which exhales and inhales air, and a human being who simply lives within the bag of skin and bones without taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and loving devotional service is no better than the bellows. Similarly, a nondevotee’s long duration of life is compared to the long existence of a tree, his voracious eating capacity is compared to the eating of dogs and hogs, and his enjoyment in sex life is compared to that of hogs and goats.”
The cosmic manifestation has been made possible because of the entrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Mahā-Viṣṇu within this material world. The total material energy is agitated by the glance of Mahā-Viṣṇu, and only then does the interaction of the three material qualities begin. Therefore it should be concluded that whatever material facilities we are trying to enjoy are available only due to the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Within the body there are five different departments of existence, known as anna-maya, prāṇa-maya, mano-maya, vijṣāna-maya and, at last, ānanda-maya. In the beginning of life, every living entity is food conscious. A child or an animal is satisfied only by getting nice food. This stage of consciousness, in which the goal is to eat sumptuously, is called anna-maya. Anna means “food.” After this one lives in the consciousness of being alive. If one can continue his life without being attacked or destroyed, one thinks himself happy. This stage is called prāṇa-maya, or consciousness of one’s existence. After this stage, when one is situated on the mental platform, his consciousness is called mano-maya. The materialistic civilization is primarily situated in these three stages, anna-maya, prāṇa-maya and mano-maya. The first concern of civilized persons is economic development, the next concern is defense against being annihilated, and the next consciousness is mental speculation, the philosophical approach to the values of life.
If by the evolutionary process of philosophical life one happens to reach the platform of intellectual life and understands that he is not this material body but a spiritual soul, he is situated in the vijṣāna-maya stage. Then, by evolution in spiritual life, he comes to the understanding of the Supreme Lord, or the Supreme Soul. When one develops his relationship with Him and executes devotional service, that stage of life is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the ānanda-maya stage. Ānanda-maya is the blissful life of knowledge and eternity. As it is said in the Vedānta-sūtra, ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt. The Supreme Brahman and the subordinate Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities, are both joyful by nature. As long as the living entities are situated in the lower four stages of life— anna-maya, prāṇa-maya, mano-maya and vijṣāna-maya—they are considered to be in the material condition of life, but as soon as one reaches the stage of ānanda-maya, he is a liberated soul. This ānanda-maya stage is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā as the brahma-bhūta [SB 4.30.20] stage. There it is said that in the brahma-bhūta stage of life there is no anxiety and no hankering. This stage begins when one is equally disposed toward all living entities, and it then expands to the stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in which one always hankers to render service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This hankering for advancement in devotional service is not the same as hankering for sense gratification in material existence. In other words, hankering remains in spiritual life, but it becomes purified. Similarly, when our senses are purified, they are freed from all material stages, namely anna-maya, prāṇa-maya, mano-maya and vijṣāna-maya, and they become situated in the highest stage—ānanda-maya, or blissful life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Māyāvādī philosophers consider ānanda-maya to be the state of being merged in the Supreme. To them, ānanda-maya means that the Supersoul and the individual soul become one. But the real fact is that oneness does not mean merging into the Supreme and losing one’s own individual existence. Merging into the spiritual existence is the living entity’s realization of qualitative oneness with the Supreme Lord in His aspects of eternity and knowledge. But the actual ānanda-maya (blissful) stage is attained when one is engaged in devotional service. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām [Bg. 18.54]. Here Lord Kṛṣṇa states that the brahma-bhūta ānanda-maya stage is complete only when there is an exchange of love between the Supreme and the subordinate living entities. Unless one comes to this ānanda-maya stage, his breathing is like the breathing of a bellows in a blacksmith’s shop, his duration of life is like that of a tree, and he is no better than the lower animals like the camels, hogs and dogs.
Undoubtedly the eternal living entity cannot be annihilated at any point. But the lower species of life exist in a miserable condition, whereas one who is engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord is situated in the pleasurable, or ānanda-maya, status of life. The different stages described above are all in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although in all circumstances there exist both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities, the difference is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead always exists in the ānanda-maya stage, whereas the subordinate living entities, because of their minute position as fragmental portions of the Supreme Lord, are prone to fall to the other stages of life. Although in all the stages both the Supreme Lord and the living entities exist, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always transcendental to our concept of life, whether we are in bondage or in liberation. The whole cosmic manifestation becomes possible by the grace of the Supreme Lord, it exists by the grace of the Supreme Lord, and when annihilated it merges into the existence of the Supreme Lord. As such, the Supreme Lord is the supreme existence, the cause of all causes. Therefore the conclusion is that without development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness one’s life is simply a waste of time.
Purport
Life is without purpose for one who remains ignorant of his most well-wishing benefactor and thus fails to worship Him. Such a person’s breathing is no better than the breathing of a blacksmith’s bellows. The gift of human life is a fortunate opportunity for the conditioned soul, but by turning away from his Lord, the living being commits spiritual suicide.
In the words of
Śrī Īśopaniṣad
(3)
:
asuryā nāma te lokā
andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ
tāṁs te pretyābhigacchanti
ye ke cātma-hano janāḥ
“The killer of the soul, whoever he may be, must enter into the planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance.”
Asuryāḥ
means “to be obtained by demons,” and demons are persons who have no devotion for the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu. This definition is stated in the
Agni Purāṇa
:
dvau bhūta-sargau loke ’smin
daiva āsura eva ca
viṣṇu-bhakti-paro daiva
āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ
“There are two kinds of created beings in this world, godly and demoniac. Those dedicated to the devotional service of Lord Viṣṇu are godly, and those opposed to such service are demoniac.”
Similarly, the
Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad
(4.4.15) states,
na ced avedīn mahatī vinaṣṭiḥ … ye tad vidur amṛtās te bhavanty athetare duḥkham evopayanti:
“If one does not come to know the Supreme, he must suffer utter destruction.… Those who realize the Supreme become immortal, but others inevitably suffer.” A person must revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness to be relieved of the suffering caused by ignorance, but the process by which this is done need not be difficult, as Lord Kṛṣṇa assures us in
Bhagavad-gītā
(9.34)
:
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ
“Engage your mind in always thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.” Despite disqualifications and weaknesses, one need only willingly become
anuvidha,
the Supreme Lord’s trusting and trustworthy servant. The
Kaṭha Upaniṣad
(2.2.13) proclaims:
nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām
eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān
taṁ pīṭha-gaṁ ye ’nupaśyanti dhīrās
teṣāṁ śāntiḥ śāśvatī netareṣām
“Among all the eternal, conscious beings, there is one who supplies the needs of everyone else. The wise souls who worship Him in His abode attain everlasting peace. Others cannot.”
What is alive, and what is dead? The bodies and minds of materialistic nondevotees seem to display the symptoms of life, but this appearance is deceptive. Actually, the conditioned soul has little control over his own bodily existence. Against his will, he has to excrete waste, get sick from time to time, and eventually age and die. And in his mind he unwillingly suffers anger, hankering and lamentation. Lord Kṛṣṇa describes this situation as
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
(
Bg. 18.61
), riding helplessly as a passenger in a mechanical vehicle. The soul undoubtedly is alive, and irrevocably so, but in his ignorance that inner life is covered and forgotten. In its place, the automation of the external mind and body carries out the dictates of the modes of nature, which force one to act in a way altogether irrelevant to the dormant needs of the soul. Calling out to the forgetful prisoners of illusion, the
Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad
(2.5) urges:
śṛṇvantu viśve amṛtasya putrā
ā ye dhāmāni divyāni tasthuḥ
“All you sons of immortality, hear, you who once resided in the divine kingdom!”
So, on the one hand, what is normally viewed as living — the material body — is in actuality a dead machine being manipulated by the modes of nature. And on the other hand, what the materialist condescendingly views as inert matter meant for exploitation is in its unknown essence connected with a living intelligence vastly more potent than his own. The Vedic civilization recognizes the intelligence behind nature as belonging to demigods who preside over the various elements, and ultimately to the Supreme Lord Himself. Matter, after all, cannot act coherently without the impulse and guidance of a living force. As Kṛṣṇa states in
Bhagavad-gītā
(9.10)
:
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
“This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.”
In the beginning of creation, Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu glanced at the dormant material nature,
prakṛti.
Thus awakened, the subtle
prakṛti
began to evolve into more concrete forms: first the
mahat;
then false ego in conjunction with each of
prakṛti’s
three modes; and gradually the various material elements, including intelligence, mind, the senses and the five physical elements with their presiding demigods. Even after becoming separately manifested, however, the deities responsible for the various elements could not work together to produce the perceptible world until Lord Viṣṇu, by His special mercy, once more intervened. This is described in the Third Canto of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(3.5.38-39):
ete devāḥ kalā viṣṇoḥ
kāla-māyāṁśa-liṅginaḥ
nānātvāt sva-kriyānīśāḥ
procuḥ prāṣjalayo vibhum
devā ūcuḥ
nanāma te deva padāravindaṁ
prapanna-tāpopaśamātapatram
yan-mūla-ketā yatayo ’ṣjasoru-
saṁsāra-duḥkhaṁ bahir utkṣipanti
“The controlling deities of these physical elements are empowered expansions of Lord Viṣṇu. They are embodied by eternal time under the external energy, and they are His parts and parcels. Because they were entrusted with different functions of universal duties and were unable to perform them, they offered fascinating prayers to the Lord. The demigods said, ‘O Lord, Your lotus feet are like an umbrella for the surrendered souls, protecting them from all the miseries of material existence. All the sages under that shelter throw off all material miseries. We therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto Your lotus feet.’”
Hearing the prayers of the assembled demigods of the elements, the Supreme Lord then showed His favor (
Bhāg.
3.6.1-3):
iti tāsāṁ sva-śaktīnāṁ
satīnām asametya saḥ
prasupta-loka-tantrāṇāṁ
niśāmya gatim īśvaraḥ
kāla-saṁjṣāṁ tadā devīṁ
bibhrac chaktim urukramaḥ
trayoviṁśati tattvānāṁ
gaṇaṁ yugapad āviśat
so ’nupraviṣṭo bhagavāṁś
ceṣṭā-rūpeṇa taṁ gaṇam
bhinnaṁ saṁyojayām āsa
suptaṁ karma prabodhayan
“The Lord thus heard about the suspension of the progressive creative functions of the universe due to the noncombination of His potencies, such as the
mahat-tattva.
The Supreme Powerful Lord then simultaneously entered into the twenty-three elements with the goddess Kālī, His external energy, who alone amalgamates all the different elements. Thus when the Personality of Godhead entered into the elements by His energy, all the living entities were enlivened into different activities, just as one is engaged in his work after awakening from sleep.”
In
Kṛṣṇa,
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the five levels of ego covering the self: “Within the body there are five different departments of existence, known as
anna-maya, prāṇa-maya,
mano-maya,
vijṣāna-maya,
and at last
ānanda-maya.
[These are enumerated in the
Brahmānanda-vallī
of the
Taittirīya Upaniṣad.
] In the beginning of life, every living entity is food conscious. A child or an animal is satisfied only by getting nice food. This stage of consciousness, in which the goal is to eat sumptuously, is called
anna-maya.
Anna
means ‘food.’ After this one lives in the consciousness of being alive. If one can continue his life without being attacked or destroyed, one thinks himself happy. This stage is called
prāṇa-maya,
or consciousness of one’s existence. After this stage, when one is situated on the mental platform, that consciousness is called
mano-maya.
The material civilization is primarily situated in these three stages —
annamaya,
prāṇa-maya
and
mano-maya.
The first concern of civilized persons is economic development, the next concern is defense against being annihilated, and the next consciousness is mental speculation, the philosophical approach to the values of life.
“If by the evolutionary process of philosophical life one happens to reach the platform of intellectual life and understands that he is not this material body but is a spirit soul, he is situated in the
vijṣāna-maya
stage. Then, by evolution of spiritual life, he comes to understand the Supreme Lord, or the Supreme Soul. When one develops his relationship with Him and executes devotional service, that stage of life is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the
ānanda-maya
stage.
Ānanda-maya
is the blissful life of knowledge and eternity. As it is said in the
Vedānta-sūtra,
ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt.
The Supreme Brahman and the subordinate Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities, are both joyful by nature. As long as the living entities are situated in the lower four stages of life —
anna-maya,
prāṇa-maya,
mano-maya
and
vijṣāna-maya
— they are considered to be in the material condition of life, but as soon as one reaches the stage of
ānanda-maya,
he becomes a liberated soul. This
ānanda-maya
stage is explained in the
Bhagavad-gītā
as the
brahma-bhūta
stage. There it is said that in the
brahma-bhūta
stage of life there is no anxiety and no hankering. This stage begins when one becomes equally disposed toward all living entities, and it then expands to the stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in which one hankers to render service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This hankering for advancement in devotional service is not the same as hankering for sense gratification in material existence. In other words, hankering remains in spiritual life, but it becomes purified. When our senses are purified, they become freed from all material stages, namely
anna-maya,
prāṇa-maya,
mano-maya
and
vijṣāna-maya,
and they become situated in the highest stage —
ānanda-maya,
or blissful life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
“The Māyāvādī philosophers consider
ānanda-maya
to be the state of being merged in the Supreme. To them,
ānanda-maya
means that the Supersoul and the individual soul become one. But the real fact is that oneness does not mean merging into the Supreme and losing one’s own individual existence. Merging into the spiritual existence is the living entity’s realization of qualitative oneness with the Supreme Lord in His aspects of eternity and knowledge. But the actual
ānanda-maya
(blissful) stage is attained when one is engaged in devotional service. That is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gītā:
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām.
The
brahma-bhūta ānanda-maya
stage is complete only when there is the exchange of love between the Supreme and the subordinate living entities. Unless one comes to this
ānanda-maya
stage of life, his breathing is like the breathing of a bellows in a blacksmith’s shop, his duration of life is like that of a tree, and he is no better than the lower animals like the camels, hogs and dogs.”
In accompanying the
jīva
within the coverings of Māyā, the Paramātmā is not bound by karmic entanglement as the
jīva
is. Rather, the Supreme Soul’s connection with these coverings is like the apparent connection between the moon and some tree branches it is seen through. The Supersoul is
sad-asataḥ param,
always transcendental to the subtle and gross manifestations of
anna-maya
and so on, although He enters among them as the sanctioning witness of all activities. As their final cause, the Supersoul is in one sense identical with the manifest products of creation, but in His original identity (
svarūpa
) He remains distinct. In this second sense He is the
ānanda-maya
alone, the last of the five
kośas.
Therefore the
śrutis
address Him here as
avaśeṣam,
the residual essence. This is also expressed in the text of the
Taittirīya Upaniṣad
(2.7):
raso vai saḥ.
Within His personal essence, the Supreme Lord enjoys
rasa,
the reciprocation of the mellows of devotional service, and integral to the play of
rasas
is the participation of realized
jīvas.
Raso vai saḥ
rasam hy evāyaṁ labdhvānandī bhavati:
“He is the embodiment of
rasa,
and the
jīva
who realizes this
rasa
becomes fully ecstatic.” Or in the words of the personified
Vedas
praying in this verse, the Supersoul is
ṛtam,
which Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī interprets as here meaning “realized by great sages.”
In the opinion of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, the last word of all authoritative scripture (
sarvāntima-śruti
) is contained in the aphorism
raso vai saḥ,
which is demonstrably a reference to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the infinitely expanding embodiment of divine pleasure (
sarva-bṛhattamānanda
). The
Gopāla-tāpanī śruti
(
Uttara
96) states,
yo ’sau jāgrat-svapna-suṣuptim atītya turyātīto gopālaḥ:
“Lord Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd, transcends not only the material consciousness of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep, but also the fourth realm of pure, spiritual awareness.” The
ānanda-maya
Supersoul is simply an aspect of the primeval Lord Govinda, as declared by Him,
viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat:
“With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.” (
Bg. 10.42
)
The
śrutis
thus tactfully assert that even among the various personal forms of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa is supreme. Understanding this, Nārada Muni will later offer obeisances to Lord Kṛṣṇa in the words
namas tasmai bhagavate kṛṣṇāyāmala-kīrtaye
(text 46), even though He is standing in front of Lord Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī concludes his comments on this verse by praying,
nara-vapuḥ pratipādya yadi tvayi
śravaṇa-varṇana-saṁsmaraṇādibhiḥ
nara-hare na bhajanti nṛṇām idaṁ
dṛti-vad ucchvasitaṁ viphalaṁ tataḥ
“O Lord Narahari, persons who have attained this human form live uselessly, merely breathing like bellows, if they fail to worship You by hearing about You, chanting Your glories, remembering You and performing the other devotional practices.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
What happens to people who do not follow the worship mentioned in the previous verse? This verse answers.
"Having no life, similar to a dead body, these persons breath like bellows because of no devotion to you. But if they become favorable to you (anuvidha), if they become obedient devotees, they can be called living."
"But the subtle and gross bodies of those who do not worship you seem to be living, not dead."
"Through mercy gained by worshipping the Lord, the mahat tattva (consciousness), ahankara, intelligence, mind and all the senses, which produce the gross and subtle bodies,
create this universal body in totality and individuality (vyasti samasti). The devatas of the elements, such as consciousness and ahankara, are seen to worship the Lord as in theirs prayers sb 3. 5.39 ‘O Lord, Your lotus feet are like an umbrella for the surrendered souls, protecting them from all the miseries of material existence.’ The bodies of those whose consciousness, ahankara and senses do not worship the Lord, do not posses consciousness, ahankara and senses, and are therefore like dead bodies."
"Then what form of mine should they worship?"
"The form of a man (purusa vidha): that person is bhagavan. You are also the paramatma of all beings and the great form of bliss called Brahman. But in relation to the annamaya gross body, prana maya life air, manomaya mind, vijnana maya jiva and ananda maya paramatma and their respective vasti puccha purusa, prthivi pucccha purusa, atharvanira puccha purusa, mahah puccha purusa, and brahma puccha purusa mentioned in the srutis, you are the final purusa (carama), anandamaya brahma puccha."
"Why am I not all the other purusas such as annamaya purusa as well?"
They answer. "You have also entered (anvaya) all of these. Because you are the cause, and the annamaya and other purusas are effects, you are all of them, but not in your svarupa. Your svarupa is the ananda maya purusa, the cause of all causes, paramatma.
Moreover among all these, you are the final end (avasesam). You who are described in the srutis as rasa itself, "Raso vai sah" (Taitiriya upanisad 2.7.1) and in Bhagavatam as Cupid incarnate, "strinam smaro murtiman," (SB 10.43.7) are superior to all the gross and subtle coverings (sad asat param) such as the annamaya purusa."
Or another meaning of "sad asad param" is: "You are superior even to the ananda maya purusa (sat) as well as the lower vijnana, mana, prana and anna maya purusas (asat)."
This is illustrated in the following statements.
"yo ‘sau jagrat svapna susuptim atitya turyatito gopalah
He who is beyond waking, sleeping, deep sleep, and the spiritual state is Gopala.
Gopala Tapani Upanisad Purva 96
Brahmano hi pratisthaham
I am the basis of Brahman.
Bhagavad Gita 14.27
The Gita makes it clear that the form of Krsna is the most attractive of all.
"This is the truth (rtam)."
Or "rtam" can mean this: "We, having attained our forms as srutis by austerity, have realized this." (This is because r can mean go or goal, for the purpose of obtaining or knowing. Rtam therefore means that which is obtained.)
Asurya nama te loka andhena tamasavtah
Tams te pretyabhigacchnti yeke cantma hano janah
The killer of the soul, whoever he may be, must enter into the planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance
Isopanisad 3
This shows the fault that occurs without bhakti. The word "asura" according to the Agni Purana and Visnu Dharmottara Purana means a person devoid of visnu bhakti.
dvau bhuta sargau loke’smin daiva asura eva ca
visnu bhakti paro daiva asuras tas viparyayah
In this world there are two types of created beings, the deva and the asura. The deva is a devotee of Visnu and the sura is the opposite.
nityo nityanam cetans cetananam eko bahunam you vidadhati kanam
tam pithagam ye tu yajanti dhiras tesam santih sasvati netaresam
He is the chief eternal, and the chief consciousness, one among many, who fulfills the desires of all. Those learned persons who worship him in his abode attain eternal perfection, and not others.
Gopal Tapani Upanisad Purva 22
Such sruti verses as this show that by possessing devotion, good qualities develop.
sa vai puruso’nna rasa mayas tasyedam eva sirah
ayam dasksinah paksah ayam uttarah paksah
ayam atma idam puccham pratistha
The Lord has become the form of a man. This is his head. That is his right side. That is his left side. That is his torso. This is his lower porton or feet, the shelter.
Taittiriya Upanisad 2.1.2
This verse described the annamaya, prana maya, manomaya and vijnana mayapurusas.
Then the Taittiriya describes the fifth purusa.
Tasmat va etasmad vijnana mayad anyo‘ntara atma ananda mayas
Superior to the vijana maya purusa (soul) is the other, the soul within (paramatma), which is full of bliss.
Tasya priyam eva siro moda daksinah paksah pramoda uttara paksa ananda atma brahma puccham pratistha
The head (anna maya) pleasurable, the right side (pranamaya) is joyful, the left side (manamaya) is more joyful, the middle portion (jiva) is blissful, Brahman (paramatma) is the end, the basis.
Taittirya upanisad 2.5.1
The above statements of the Taittiriya upanisad establish the position of jiva, paramatma and Brahman.
Yo vijnane tisthan vijnanad antaro yasya vijnanam sariram
He is situated in the vijnana, but different from the vijnana. He creates the vijnana.
Brhad Aranyaka Upanisad 3.7.22
This sruti statement explains the soul and the paramatma within. He who is situated in the vijnana means he who is situated in the soul. Thus, vijnana maya refers to the jivatma and the other persons, the ananda maya purusa, refers to the paramatma who pervades all and worshipable by all. This is the vaisnava conclusion.
The words "priya moda pramoda ananda" above should not be explained in terms of the happiness generated from seeing a son. Rather, in order to describe a progressive excellence of bliss generated from paramatma, the form of complete bliss, the different names are given. Because of the greater quantity of bliss in the Brahman mentioned in this verse (paramatma), he is called the basis or shelter of bliss (brahma puccham prastisham). Pratistha means shelter or to established within that, as in "brahmano hi pratistham."
After the Taittiriya upanisad makes the final upanisadic statement "rasoh vai sah," establishing that rasa is the highest, the Gopal Tapani Upanisad establishes that Krsna the highest form of bliss, being higher than the fourth form, paramatma (turyad atitah gopalah), with a body of prema rasa, is the highest of all.
From the statement of the Gita "all of this world is manifested by one of my parts" (BG 10.42), it is understood that the paramatma is just one of Krsna’s parts. That the thoughtful upanisads thus took up the worship of Krsna is described in the Brhad Vamana Purana. That they attained worship of Krsna as gopis is also shown by verse 23 of this chapter recited by the srutis "striya urugendra bhoga bhujadanda."
And understanding that the srutis had concluded that Krsna is the most attractive among all the forms of the Lord, Narada right in front of Narayana will later say in verse 46 in a loud voice "Let me offer m respects to Krsna, of spotless glory" and offers his respects to Krsna.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
In a general way the import of all śrutis has been shown to conclude with pure bhakti. The details of bhakti were then shown. Some śrutis following the śrutis which explained pure bhakti nourished that statement by positive and negative expressions. By that they glorify the Lord in Janaloka. And now some other obedient śrutis praise Kṛṣṇa by showing him as the ultimate conclusion. If the jīvas (asubhro) become your devotees (anuvidhāḥ) they live. Otherwise they are like bellows, breathing mechanically. By ignoring you, who gives mercy to mahat-tattva and other elements for the jīvas in the universe, and thus being ignored by all, they are like dead bodies. Not only do you give mercy at the time of creation but during maintenance also. The next phrase is explained in Taittirīya Upaniṣad.
sa vā eṣa puruṣo ‘nna-rasa-mayas tasyedam eva śiraḥ ayaṁ dakṣiṇaḥ pakṣa ayam uttaraḥ pakṣaḥ ayam ātmā idaṁ pucchaṁ pratiṣṭhā tad apy eṣa śloko bhavati annād vai prajāḥ prajāyante
This body has a human form, made of earth, water and other elements. This is his head. This is his left arm, his right arm, and this is his torso. The lower body is the basis. This is a verse in this regard. All people are born from the elements.
tasmād vā etasmād anna-rasamayād anyo ‘ntara ātmā prāṇamayas tenaiṣa pūrṇaḥ
sa vā eṣa puruṣa-vidhas tasya puruṣa-vidhatām anvayaṁ puruṣa-vidhas tasya prāṇam eva śiraḥ
Vyāno dakṣiṇaḥ pakṣaḥ apāṇa uttaraḥ pakṣaḥ ākāśa ātmā pṛthivī pucchaṁ pratiṣṭhā
Tad apy eṣa śloko bhavti Prāṇaṁ devā anuprāṇanti
Different from the body made of elements is another body made of prāṇa, filled with prāṇa, with the antaryāmī within. This body has a human form. It takes a human form just as the previous one. Prāṇa is the head. Vyāna is the left arm. Apāṇa is the right arm. Ether is the torso. The deity of the earth is the lower body, the foundation. There is a verse in this regard. The devatās depend on prāṇa.
tasyaiṣa śārīra ātmā yaḥ pūrvasya tasmād vā etasmāt prāṇamayād anyo ntara ātmā manomayas tenaiṣa purṇaḥ Sa vā eṣa puruṣa-vidha eva
tasya yajur eva śiraḥ ṛgvdakṣiṇaḥ pakṣah sāmaottaraḥ pakṣaḥ ādeśa ātmā atharvāṅgirasaḥ pucchaṁ pratiṣṭhā tad apiy eṣa śloko bhavati
yato vāco nivartante aprāpya manasā saha ānandaṁ brahmaṇo vidvān na vibheti kadācana
The ātmā of the previous body is the ātmā of this body. Superior to the body made of prāṇa is another body, made mind, filled with mind, with the antaryāmī within. This body has a human form. Yajur mantras are its head. Ṛg mantras are its left arm. Sāma mantras are its right arm. Brāhmaṇas are the torso. Atharvāṅirasā mantras are the lower body, the foundation. There is a verse in this regard. One who knows the bliss of Brahman from which words turns back with the mind does not fear at any time.
tasmād vā etasmād manomayād anyo ntara ātmā vijñānamayas tenaisā puṛṇaḥ sa vā eṣa puruṣa-vidha eva
tasya śraddhaiva śiraḥ ṛtaṁ dakṣiṇaḥ pakṣaḥ tasyam uttraḥ pakṣaḥ yoga ātmā mahaḥ pucchaṁ pratiṣṭhā tad api eṣa śloko bhavti vijñānaṁ yajñaṁ tanute
Superior to the body made of mind is another made of knowledge, full of knowledge, with the antaryāmī within. This also has a human form. Faith is the head, intelligence is the left arm, attempts at finding the real meaning is the right arm, finding the meaning is the torso. The pure jīva is the lower body, the foundation. There is a verse in this regard. Knowledge performs sacrifice.
tasāmd vā etasmād vijñānamayād anyo ntara ātmā ānandamayas tenaisā pūrṇaḥ sa vā eṣāh puruṣa-vidhaḥ eva
tasya priyam eva śiraḥ modo dakṣiṇaḥ pakṣaḥ pramoda uttraḥ pakṣaḥ ānanda ātmā brahma pucchaṁ pratiṣṭhā tad apy eṣa śloko bhavati asann eva sa bhavati asad brahmeti veda cet …. tasyaisa eva śārīra ātmā yaḥ pūrvasya
Superior to the body of knowledge is another body made of bliss, full of bliss, with the antaryāmī within. That body also has a human form. Its head is pleasure, its left arm is delight, its right arm is ecstasy and its torso is bliss. Brahman is the lower body, the foundation. There is a verse in this regard. He who thinks Brahman does not exist does not exist. He who knows that Brahman exists is known as existing because of Brahman. The antaryāmī of the previous body is the antaryāmī of this body.
The Śrī-vaiṣṇava explanation is as follows. Vai means famous or certain. The anna-rasa-mayaḥ puruṣaḥ is made of earth, water and other elements. Anna-rasa means the transformation of anna and rasa such as skin. Everything is transformation of that. Since śleṣma and other bodily constitutents are made of water and other elements the word maya indicates “thoroughly consisting of.” The suffix maya is used in relation to transformation and limbs, and with words like “encompassing.” But in practical terms it means “consisting of.” Transformation does not mean prakṛti (though vikāra has that meaning sometimes). Śiraḥ means head. The various limbs mentioned afterwords form the whole shape. Pakṣa means arm and uttara means left. The middle is the body or torso, called ātmā. Śrūti says that the body is the ātmā among the limbs. The tail (puccham) is the body below the navel (legs etc.), resembling a tail. That is the shelter, which stands prominently (pratiṣṭhā).
The image is used to reveal something else, like showing the branch to understand the moon. From understanding the well known body, one can then understand the ātmā mentioned in scripture. From the gross level the example progresses to the prāṇa. In order to grasp the mind, its container prāṇa is first understood. Thus prāṇa is mentioned after the gross body. Then the gross body dies, that body full of the elements, is taken by the air. That also has a body of a human (puruṣa-vidhaḥ), like the previous body. In order to understand it, it is described metaphorically in terms of head, arms and body. This form is filled with prāṇa, situated in the heart. The head is first described, being the first to be understood. Then the other limbs are described in order. Uḍana, vyāna and apāṇa are varieties of prāṇa. Ākāśa in this statement refers to a special function of vāyu. This general vāyu is situated in the middle since it controls the functions of vāyu. It is the controller or ātmā. The earth deity (pṛthivī) is the supporter of bodily prāṇa for it is said saiṣa puruṣasyāpāṇam avaṣṭabhyantara: the deity of the earth attracts the apāṇa. (Praśna Upaniṣad 3.8)
Previously it was said in the same Upaniṣad tasmād vā etasmād ātmāna ākāśaḥ sambhūtaḥ: from the Lord (ātmanā) came ākāśa. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad) Thus the phrase tasyaiṣa śārīra ātmā refers to the antaryāmī of the body. That which was the antaryāmī of the annamaya body becomes the antaryāmī of the prāṇa body etc. It is finally said that is antaryāmī of the bliss body. By figurative language this means the Lord is ātmā of everything. Vijñānamayād anyo ‘antara ātmā: compared to the vijñānamaya body there is an interior ātmā. After this nothing else is mentioned. That of the previous body (yaḥ pūrvaysa) is the antaryāmī of the next body. The ātmā of the prāṇamaya body is that of the ānandamaya body.
By controlling prāṇa one controls the mind. The mind is to be controlled by niṣkāma-karma. This this intention the mind is described. Mind refers to the antaḥkaraṇa which makes decisions. It is superior to prāṇa which is insentient, because of being related to knowledge. Yajus refers to mantras with particular syllables. That is the head, being first. By mantras of the Yajur Veda oblations are offered. Ṛg and Sāma mantras have special applications. Ādeśa refers to the Brāhmaṇas since they give specific orders for sacrifice. Atharvāṅgirasā mantras and the Brāhmaṇas are called the shelter or tail because of their prominence of preliminary rituals such as śānti-karma. These are described as limbs of the mind since they manifest in the mental functions. Thus mind is dominant. By transformation they could become material. Since the topic is spiritual, material rituals are not included in the example. Controlling prāṇa was previously rejected. Since the human form has qualification, the human body is praised. That should be understood in the later images also.
Then the vijñanamaya body is described. This is considered superior because being more refined (karaṇa). Because of this, faith and correct understanding of the scriptures dealing the ātmā are important. Ṛtam means intelligence which determines the meaning of the scriptures. Satyam is the attempt to realize the meaning. Yoga means attaining the truth. That is the torso. Mahaḥ refers to the pure jīva since it is filled with vijñāna. But it is said yo vijñāne tiṣthān vijñānād antaro ‘yam yasya vijñāna śārīram: the ātmā is situated in vijñāna and is interior to vijñāna. Its body is vijñāṇa. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad) This refers to the antaryāmī according to the text. This ātmā is the shelter of the other items.
Having described up to the pure jīva, having attained those opportunities, the final item, the chief item after the previous introduction, the anandamaya body is describes as the topmost. This is the innermost body, since it is the antaryāmī of all beings. It is attained by following the spiritual prescriptions of previous scriptures, not by material methods. This is not the bliss produced from seeing dear sons. It is described by the words priya, moda, and pramoda. These words indicate progressive degrees of excellence of the Lord (Brahman) endowed with the highest bliss. Four names are used. Without using the words priya, moda and pramoda there will seem to fluctuation in the pervasion of ānanda. Since these qualities of Brahman are not universally given in worship, one would not finally realize the head as priya etc. These are not qualities however but gradual stages of elevation, which started with the annamaya body. With the words priya, moda and pramoda the intention is to show the supreme position of the anandamaya Brahman.
According to the previous succession (from gross to subtle), bliss is located within the ātmā. Brahman, being mentioned last of all, is the tail. Brahman means “the greatest of all.”
In not stating degrees of happiness in the previous images, the intention is to emphasize the word ānanda. It is thus shown to be the ultimate. The words priya, moda and pramoda indicate successively great purity in self-revealed bliss. These take shelter of the tail, Supreme Brahman, which is the foundation. So ’kāmayata bahu syām: he desired, ‘May I become many.” (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.2.4) The word antara (inner) indicates the anandamaya ātmā (the Lord, unique because he is the shelter of unlimited śaktis, since he is the greatest (brahma). The repetition or confirmation (abhyasa) of who is the greatest takes place in the following.
so kāmayata bahu syāṁ prajāyeyeti
sa tapo tapyata sa tapas taptvā idaṁ sarvam asṛjata
raso vai saḥ
The Lord desired “May I become many.” He made this determination, and then created everything. He is rasa. Taittirīya Upaniṣad
The words ātmā and puccha indicate the depth of the bliss. The supreme Brahman is unbroken and continuous, because he is a substance non-different from his self manifesting śaktis, but at the same time reveals additional forms through those manifestations of śakti. Brahmavid āpnoti param: one who knows Brahman attains the supreme. (Taittirīya Āraṇyaka) Closeness to Brahman gives realization that the Lord pervades everything. This was shown in the statement tasmād vā etasmād ātmāna ākāśaḥ sambhūtaḥ: from the Lord (ātmā) came ākāśa. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad) That ātmā culminates in the ānandamaya form since nothing else is stated after that. Thus this section of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad indicates by repetition the supremacy of the Lord (Brahman). The jīva is not Brahman. Ānandamay ‘bhyāsāt: the Lord alone is designated as ānandamaya by repetition. (Brahma-sūtra 1.1.13) Later it is said netaro ‘nupapatteḥ: the jīva is not referred to, because of impossibility. (Brahma-sūtra 1.1.17) These sūtras are explained according to Śrī Rāmānujācārya in the Bhagavat Sandarbha commentary.
The Lord and jīva are defined in the śrutis. And the Lord himself, personification of Brahman, says yasmāt kṣaram atīto ’ham akṣarād api cottamaḥ: I am superior to fallible and the infallible jīvas. (BG 15.18)
In the GītāUpaniṣad the Lord himself shows tha he is the ultimate pratiṣṭhā since he is full of forms, śakti, qualities, and pastimes in his perfect svarūpa.
māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham amṛtasyāvyayasya ca
śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca
He who serves me in pure devotional service surpasses the guṇas, and is qualified for Brahman.
I am the basis of impersonal Brahman, the basis of indestructible liberation, the basis of the eternal method of bhakti and the basis of the prema of the unalloyed devotee. BG 14.26.-27
This is the meaning. Hi means “the reason is this” according to traditional usage. Another meaning should not be given as it would force a meaning out of context and would be unsuitable by weakening the statement. “How does one attain a condition without qualities (gunān samatītya) by bhakti? Bhakti appears by experiencing his wonderful qualities.” This is because (hi) Brahman is known in the śrutis as the highest position and is called ānandamaya. But I, Bhagavān, the parabrahman, am the basis of that Brahman. I am the basis of liberation (amṛtasya) which rejects addiction to Svarga (avyayasya).
kālena nāṣṭā vāṇīyām pralaye deva saṁjñitā
mayā dau brahmaṇe proktā dharmo yasyāṁ mad ātmakaḥ
By the influence of time, the Vedic knowledge was lost at the time of annihilation. Therefore, when the subsequent creation took place, I spoke to Brahmā the Vedic knowledge in which bhakti is the essence. SB 11.14.3
I am the basis for the highest sādhana, the root of all human goals, called bhagavad-dharma (śāśvatasya dharmasya).
nātyantikaṁ vigaṇayanty api te prasādaṁ
kimv anyad arpita-bhayaṁ bhruva unnayais te
Persons who have realized you do not regard attainment of impersonal liberation as your mercy, what to speak of attaining a material position like Indra which is subject to fear caused by the Lord raising his eyebrow. SB 3.15.48
I am also the basis of the highest result of sādhana, the rasa of prema (ekāntikasya sukhasya). Raso vai saḥ rasṁ hy eva labdhvānandī bhavati: the Lord is rasa and on attaining him, one becomes blissful. (Taittitrīya Upaniṣad) Just as the Upaniṣad placed the ānandamaya Lord as the highest item, so the Gītā verse also places this aspect of the Lord as the highest. He is most pleasurable since he responds in five ways to the devotees as illustrated in the verse when Kṛṣṇa came into Kaṁsa’s arena. (SB 10.43.17)
Since everything is dependent on me, by worshipping me with a desire for merging, one merges into Brahman and attains the qualities of Brahman.
yadā paśyaḥ paśyate rukma-varṇaṁ
kartāram iśaṁ puruṣa brahma-yonim
tadā vidvān puṇya-pāpe vidhūya
nirañjanaḥ paramaṁ samyam upaiti
When the seer of brahman sees the Lord, the controller of all, the creator, the cause of the unmanifest prakṛti, with golden color, he becomes free from the reactions to past pious and sinful deeds, and becomes liberated, attaining similarlity to the supreme. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.3
Furthermore it is said śubhāśrayaḥ sa-cittasya sarva-gasya tathātmanah: the Lord is the auspicious shelter of Brahman, consciousness pervading everywhere. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa) This is the explanation of Śrīdhara Svāmī. This confirms the statement brahmano hi pratiṣṭhāham. Viṣṇu-dharmottara says:
ākāśādiṣu śabdādau śrotrādau mahadādiṣu
prakṛtau puruṣe caiva brahmaṇy api ca sa prabhuḥ
yathaika eva sarvātmā vāsudevo vyapasthitaḥ
tena satyena me pāpaṁ narkārtipradaṁ kṣayam
prayātu sukṛtasyāstu mamānudivasam jayaḥ
Viṣṇu is the master of all elements such as ether, sound, ear and mahattattva, prakṛti, the jīva and Brahman. Vāsudeva is situated as the one soul of everything. By this truth may all my sins which give hellish pain be destroyed. May this truth give me every day the glory of auspiciousness?
The word sarvātmā cannot be interpreted to mean impersonal Brahman. The statement rejects all other meanings.
yathā ‘cyutas tvaṁ parataḥ parasmāt
sa brahma bhūtāt parataḥ parātmā
tathācyuta tvaṁ uru vāñchitaṁ tan
mamāpadaṁ cāpaharāprameya
Since as Acyuta, Paramātmā, you are superior to all others, and are superior to Brahman, please grant my desire! O limitless Lord, please remove this danger! Viṣṇu-dharma 26.13
yan-mayaṁ paramaṁ brahma tad-avyaktaṁ ca yan-mayam |
yan-mayaṁ vyaktam apy etad bhaviṣyāmi hi tan-mayaḥ ||
The Supreme Lord is present in the impersonal Brahman. He is present in the unmanifested pradhāna. He is present in the manifested material cosmos. I shall become his devotee. Viṣṇu-dharma 94.58
Śrutis regarding this such as yasya pṛthivī śarīram (he has earth as his body) were already quoted. Now puruṣa-vidha in verse 17 will be explained. The Lord enters (anvayaḥ) into the bodies (made of transformation of mahat-tattva and other elements) of the jīvas individually and as an aggregate to give mercy to them. What are these bodies? They are made of food etc. The final purusa-vidha (human type), like the previous ones, is described as human but filled with bliss. The activities or the prāṇas and senses arise because of your bliss. Thus you are merciful. Ko hy evānyāt kaḥ prāṇyād yad eṣa ākāśa ānando na syāt: who could breathe if the sky were not bliss? (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7.1) “Let the Brahman be ānandamaya. But I am not like that, since that form is imaginary and I have a direct form.” Among the things described as the pratiṣṭha or basis--that which remains (aśeṣa), which is final--is the person who has rasa (raso vai saḥ). This is the person who is the shelter of five types of rasa. Gītā says that you are the basis of Brahman and that you are superior to the fallible and infallible jīvas. You are superior to the rasas such as priya (dāsya) (sataḥ) and to the other forms such as annamaya (asataḥ) since you are the shelter of all of them (ṛtam). You are their existence. The word ṛ means “to go.” Thus ṛtam means “going to me.” The meaning coincides with statements in śruti and the Gītā.
asann eva sa bhavati asad brahmeti veda cet asti brahmeti ced veda santam enaṁ tato viduḥ
If one thinks that Brahman does not exist, he does not exist. If he thinks that Brahman exists, the wise know him as saintly. Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.6.1
sa hānis tan mahac chidraṁ sa mohaḥ sa ca vibhramaḥ
yan-muhūrtaṁ kṣaṇaṁ vāpi vāsudevaṁ na cintayet
If even for a moment remembrance of Vāsudeva is missed, that is the greatest loss, that is the greatest illusion, and that is the greatest anomaly. Viṣṇu Purāṇa
yadā hy evaiṣa etasmin adiśye ‘nātmye ‘nirukte ‘nilayane ‘bhaye pratiṣṭhāṁ vindate atah so ‘bhayaṅ gato bhavati yadāhy evaiṣa etasmin udaram antraṁ kurute atha tasya bhayaṁ bhavati
When he becomes fixed in the Lord beyond material body and definition, unattached, fearless, he becomes fearless. When he interrupts this meditation even a little, he becomes fearful. Taittirīya Upaniṣad
eko vaśī sarva-bhūtāntarātmā
ekaṁ rūpaṁ bahudhā yaḥ karoti |
tam ātma-sthaṁ ye’nupaśyanti dhīrāḥ
teṣāṁ sukhaṁ śāśvataṁ netareṣām ||
He is the sole controller the soul within all beings, who makes his one form take many forms. Those devotees who see him within have eternal happiness. Others do not. Kaṭha Upaniṣad
nityo’nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānāṁ
eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān |
tam ātmasthaṁ ye’nupaśyanti dhīrāḥ
teṣāṁ śāntiḥ śāśvatī netareṣām ||
Among all the eternal, conscious beings, there is one who supplies the needs of everyone else. The wise souls who worship him in his abode attain everlasting peace. Others cannot. Kaṭha Upaniṣad
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Dhṛtayaḥ means bellows. Those who do not serve you merely breathe like bellows. By your mercy mahat-tattva, ahaṅkāra, the senses, sense objects and their devatās create the world. You are the truth, brahma-tattva (avaśeṣam) among the coverings like annamaya-koṣa (eṣu).
Or the verse may be explained according to pure Vaiṣṇava sampradaya. The śrutis show the glory of bhakti while criticizing the non-devotees. Those jīvas (aśu-bhṛtaḥ) who are like bellows with a shadow of breathing, if they worship your devotees (anuvidhāḥ) then they actual live (śvasanti). They are said to be actually alive and not others. Such persons are like the elements like mahat-tattva which make up the body of the jīvas are a shadow of life, if you, their origin, ignore them.
Not only are you to be worshipped as the giver of mercy to the elements of the universe but as the greatest benefactor at all times. You are worshipped as the person with unequalled powers.
The final person among the five (annamaya, prāṇamaya, manomaya, vijñānamaya and ānandamaya) is the ānandamaya puruṣa. That is you. The first three are said to be ātmā in the sense of being coverings on the ātmā. The connecting element (anvayaḥ) in order to help the jīvas is you. The activities of prāṇa etc. arise from you, the highest bliss. Your assistance is well known in the śrutis.
The ātmā of the annamaya puruṣa is the body. The prāṇamaya ātmā with five prāṇas is interior to the annamaya puruṣa. When the prāṇas leave the body, the body dies. The manomaya ātmā is interior to the unconscious prāṇamaya ātmā because of its ability for gaining knowledge by connection with consciousness. The vijñānamaya ātmā or the jīva is interior to the manomaya puruṣa since it is the cause. As the doer it is the best of all.
Among the various forms, you are the ultimate and the basis, and have the form of a human with head, arms, torso and lower body. Or you, as creator of the four types of puruṣa (puruṣa-vidhaḥ), are the fifth, ānandamaya ātmā. This is the conclusion mentioned in ānandamaya abhyasāt: the ānandamaya purusa is the Lord because of repetition. (Brahma-sūtra 1.1.12) According to Rāmānuja and others knowledgeable of Vedānta, the Lord is without material tinge, beyond division, and full of the highest bliss. There is no worry about contradiction since it is confirmed by the sutra.
Ānandamaya means the Lord is filled with bliss as the sun is filled with light. Because no contradictory elements can enter, there is no destruction of the Lord’s svarūpa of bliss. Or the Lord is full of bliss because of his various manifestations of bliss such as brahman, moda, pramoda etc.
Or he is filled with bliss in another way. There are five types of worshippers: servants, elders, friends and lovers with brahma, moda, pramoda, priya and ānanda on the lower portion, the right and lelf sides, head and ātmā. The first four are described only in order to point out the fifth person, the Lord. With vision of excellence, the passage can be explained with this meaning of graduations of bliss as follows.
There are two types of jīvanmuktas: the ātmārāma fixed in his svarūpa (ātmā) without bhakti and the śāntabhaktas who have the happiness of the ātmārāma and are not much respected. They have the mercy of the Llord to attain śānta-rati. In these two types, there is revelation of Brahman with nondifference from the self. In the first type, Brahman manifests as mere consciousness, without distinguishing one’s svarūpa. In the second type, there is a manifestation of a form of condensed knowledge without distinguishing the intense qualities of Parabrahman. They are classed together because of the sense of oneness in consciousness. Because of no particular taste, such realization is classed as the lower limb or base (puccha). It is the basis (pratiṣṭhā) of moda and other realizations. Though the ānand maya puruṣa is the actual basis of all the koṣas, Brahman is called the basis in order to convey the oneness of impersonal and personal realizations.
There are three types of relationships with the Lord: being his inferior, superior and equal. Those who worship the Lord, realizing themselves as inferior and the Lord as superior, because of excellent qualities, realize excellent prema of prīti-rati (dāsya), which is sweet and produces increasing taste, revealing the Lord as the supreme entity, accompanied by humility, fear and respect. This manifestation of the Lord is called moda because the form produces bliss which creates astonishment. Superior to the tail, it is situated on the right side.
Those elders like Yaśodā worship the Lord, seeing themselves as superior, being his protector and nourisher, and seeing the Lord as inferior, being the object of compassion and care. They experience intense prema for the Lord because of vātsalya-rati, which reveals the Lord as the object of compassion, taking the Lord as their son. This excellent realization of the Lord is called pramoda since it has such intense bliss. The word pra is used to indicate that is superior to the previous type of prema.
Friends like Śrīdāma regard themselves and the Lord as an equal while sleeping, sitting and playing together, in victory or defeat. They experience prema as sakhya-rati which manifests fullness of friendship, with great affection, devoid of respect, fear or feeling compassion. This special manifestion of the Lord is called priya because the Lord is object of great prema with friendship. Because it is superior it is placed on the head.
Four types have been enumerated. The fifth person is now described. The gopīs such as Rādhā worship the Lord as the greatest lover, full of all beauty, who treasures his devotee as the dearest.
They continually experience anurāga, full of unparalleled sweetness. This special manifestation of the Lord is called ānanda, because of the greatest love resulting from mahābhāva. Being superior the other types it is called ātmā.
The Lord as Brahman is first mentioned. Among the five manifestations, you are above sat and asat. Sat refers to the first three manifestations which are gross. Asat refers to the subtle vijñāna maya form or the jīva. Superior to the sat and asat, you are Brahman (param). Among the five, the ānandamaya puruṣa is designated as Brahman. The remaining four—moda, pramoda, priya and brahman (yad avaśeṣam) are also you. The impersonal Brahman, without form, is like the ray of the sun. The supreme Brahman, with a form of condensed bliss, is like the sun. Moda, pramoda, priya and ānanda thus have forms. Though the Lord is one for the five primary rasas śānta, prīta, vatsala and priya, the Lord takes five aspects according to the desire of the worshipper.
The Lord is rasa, because of experiencing him as a form of imcomparable condensed bliss. Śruti expresses this. Raso vai saḥ rasam; hy evāyaṁ labdhvānandī bhavati: the Lord is rasa; attaining him one becomes blissful. (Taittirīya Upanisād 2.7.1)
Repeating the specific meaning, everything is summarized. It is correct (ṛtam) that this ānandamaya form is the highest. It is the one form of the formless manifestation and those with form. In the teachings of scriptures like Bhagavad Gītā, in the highest teachings, it is stated to be the basis of everything, being situated above everything. Sa guṇān samatītyentān brahma bhūyāya kalpate: surpassing the guṇas one is qualified for Brahman. (BG 14.26)
brahmano hi pratiṣṭhāma amṛatsyāvyayasya ca
śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca
I am the basis of impersonal Brahman, the basis of indestructible liberation, the basis of the eternal method of bhakti and the basis of the prema of the unalloyed devotee. BG 14.27
The meaning is this. I, with a dark, shining form of compelte bliss, am the basis of all pervading Brahman, described as the lower portion of the ānandamaya puruṣa in the śrutis and worshipped as condensed Brahman by śanta-bhaktas and as one’s svarūpa by knowers of Brahman.
asya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam |
tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi ||
I worship the Supreme Lord Govinda, whose powerful form radiates an effulgence known as the undifferentiated, unlimited, all-encompassing Brahman, which is completely distinct from its powers displayed in unlimited planets throughout billions of universes. Brahma-saṁhitā
I am the basis of prīti bhakti or moda (śāśvatasya dharmasya), taking the Lord as most worthy of worship for those serving in that mode. I am the basis of pramoda, for the elders having vatsalya, which is always sweet (amṛtasyāvayasya). Since I am full of all inconceivable powers, I become the object of mercy and am thus the basis, being the form of pramoda, receiving mercy from the devotees. These devotees are listed after the śānta-bhaktas in the Gītā, though they should be listed after the servants, since the servants and parents are considered equal because of being worshippable (compared to the śānta-bhakta).
I am the basis of the highest manifestation called priya and ānanda (sakhya and madhurya) in the śrutis, which are the form of the highest happiness (sukhasyaikantikasya) experienced by the great friends and the gopis. I am the basis since I am the most excellent for the friends and gopis. Because the fifth type is most confidential, and should be taught to Arjuna, the two are mentioned together.
Some say that the ānanda maya puruṣa is the lord of Vaikuṇṭha. Priya, moda, pramoda and ānanda are the caturvyūha and Brahman is the entity with no form.