Chapter Twelve
The Mohinī-mūrti Incarnation Bewilders Lord Śiva
TEXTS 1–2
śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvāca
vṛṣa-dhvajo niśamyedaṁ
yoṣid-rūpeṇa dānavān
mohayitvā sura-gaṇān
hariḥ somam apāyayat
vṛṣam āruhya giriśaḥ
sarva-bhūta-gaṇair vṛtaḥ
saha devyā yayau draṣṭuṁ
yatrāste madhusūdanaḥ
SYNONYMS
śrī-bādarāyaṇiḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; vṛṣa-dhvajaḥ—Lord Śiva, who is carried by a bull; niśamya—hearing; idam—this (news); yoṣit-rūpeṇa—by assuming the form of a woman; dānavān—the demons; mohayitvā—enchanting; sura-gaṇān—unto the demigods; hariḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; somam—nectar; apāyayat—caused to drink; vṛṣam—the bull; āruhya—mounting; giriśaḥ—Lord Śiva; sarva—all; bhūta-gaṇaiḥ—by the ghosts; vṛtaḥ—surrounded; saha devyā—with Umā; yayau—went; draṣṭum—to see; yatra—where; āste—stays; madhusūdanaḥ—Lord Viṣṇu.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, in the form of a woman, captivated the demons and enabled the demigods to drink the nectar. After hearing of these pastimes, Lord Śiva, who is carried by a bull, went to the place where Madhusūdana, the Lord, resides. Accompanied by his wife, Umā, and surrounded by his companions, the ghosts, Lord Śiva went there to see the Lord’s form as a woman.
TEXT 3
sabhājito bhagavatā
sādaraṁ somayā bhavaḥ
sūpaviṣṭa uvācedaṁ
pratipūjya smayan harim
SYNONYMS
sabhājitaḥ—well received; bhagavatā—by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu; sa-ādaram—with great respect (as befitting Lord Śiva); sa-umayā—with Umā; bhavaḥ—Lord Śambhu (Lord Śiva); su-upaviṣṭaḥ—being comfortably situated; uvāca—said; idam—this; pratipūjya—offering respect; smayan—smiling; harim—unto the Lord.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead welcomed Lord Śiva and Umā with great respect, and after being seated comfortably, Lord Śiva duly worshiped the Lord and smilingly spoke as follows.
TEXT 4
śrī-mahādeva uvāca
deva-deva jagad-vyāpiñ
jagad-īśa jagan-maya
sarveṣām api bhāvānāṁ
tvam ātmā hetur īśvaraḥ
SYNONYMS
śrī-mahādevaḥ uvāca—Lord Śiva (Mahādeva) said; deva-deva—O best demigod among the demigods; jagat-vyāpin—O all-pervading Lord; jagat-īśa—O master of the universe; jagat-maya—O my Lord, who are transformed by Your energy into this creation; sarveṣām api—all kinds of; bhāvānām—situations; tvam—You; ātmā—the moving force; hetuḥ—because of this; īśvaraḥ—the Supreme Lord, Parameśvara.
TRANSLATION
Lord Mahādeva said: O chief demigod among the demigods, O all-pervading Lord, master of the universe, by Your energy You are transformed into the creation. You are the root and efficient cause of everything. You are not material. Indeed, You are the Supersoul or supreme living force of everything. Therefore, You are Parameśvara, the supreme controller of all controllers.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, resides within the material world as the sattva-guṇa-avatāra. Lord Śiva is the tamo-guṇa-avatāra, and Lord Brahmā is the rajo-guṇa-avatāra, but although Lord Viṣṇu is among them, He is not in the same category. Lord Viṣṇu is deva-deva, the chief of all the demigods. Since Lord Śiva is in this material world, the energy of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, includes Lord Śiva. Lord Viṣṇu is therefore called jagad-vyāpī, “the all-pervading Lord.” Lord Śiva is sometimes called Maheśvara, and so people think that Lord Śiva is everything. But here Lord Śiva addresses Lord Viṣṇu as Jagad-īśa, “the master of the universe.” Lord Śiva is sometimes called Viśveśvara, but here he addresses Lord Viṣṇu as Jagan-maya, indicating that even Viśveśvara is under Lord Viṣṇu’s control. Lord Viṣṇu is the master of the spiritual world, yet He controls the material world also, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sacarācaram [Bg. 9.10]). Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are also sometimes called īśvara, but the supreme īśvara is Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Kṛṣṇa. As stated in Brahma-saṁhitā, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ: [Bs. 5.1] the Supreme Lord is Kṛṣṇa, Lord Viṣṇu. Everything in existence works in proper order because of Lord Viṣṇu. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. Even paramāṇu, the small atoms, work because of Lord Viṣṇu’s presence within them.
TEXT 5
ādy-antāv asya yan madhyam
idam anyad ahaṁ bahiḥ
yato ’vyayasya naitāni
tat satyaṁ brahma cid bhavān
SYNONYMS
ādi—the beginning; antau—and the end; asya—of this manifested cosmos or of anything material or visible; yat—that which; madhyam—between the beginning and the end, the sustenance; idam—this cosmic manifestation; anyat—anything other than You; aham—the wrong mental conception; bahiḥ—outside of You; yataḥ—because of; avyayasya—the inexhaustible; na—not; etāni—all these differences; tat—that; satyam—the Absolute Truth; brahma—the Supreme; cit—spiritual; bhavān—Your Lordship.
TRANSLATION
The manifest, the unmanifest, false ego and the beginning, maintenance and annihilation of this cosmic manifestation all come from You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But because You are the Absolute Truth, the supreme absolute spirit soul, the Supreme Brahman, such changes as birth, death and sustenance do not exist in You.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic mantras, yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante: everything is an emanation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (7.4):
bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—all together these eight comprise My separated material energies.” In other words, the ingredients of the cosmic manifestation also consist of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This does not mean, however, that because the ingredients come from Him, He is no longer complete. pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate: “Because He is the complete whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.” Thus the Lord is called avyaya, inexhaustible. Unless we accept the Absolute Truth as acintya-bhedābheda, simultaneously one and different, we cannot have a clear conception of the Absolute Truth. The Lord is the root of everything. Aham ādir hi devānām: He is the original cause of all the devas, or demigods. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: everything emanates from Him. In all cases—nominative, objective, positive, negative and so on—whatever we may conceive of in this entire cosmic manifestation is in fact the Supreme Lord. For Him there are no such distinctions as “this is mine, and this belongs to someone else,” because He is everything. He is therefore called avyaya—changeless and inexhaustible. Because the Supreme Lord is avyaya, He is the Absolute Truth, the fully spiritual Supreme Brahman.
TEXT 6
tavaiva caraṇāmbhojaṁ
śreyas-kāmā nirāśiṣaḥ
visṛjyobhayataḥ saṅgaṁ
munayaḥ samupāsate
SYNONYMS
tava—Your; eva—indeed; caraṇa-ambhojam—lotus feet; śreyaḥ-kāmāḥ—persons desiring the ultimate auspiciousness, the ultimate goal of life; nirāśiṣaḥ—without material desire; visṛjya—giving up; ubhayataḥ—in this life and the next; saṅgam—attachment; munayaḥ—great sages; samupāsate—worship.
TRANSLATION
Pure devotees or great saintly persons who desire to achieve the highest goal in life and who are completely free from all material desires for sense gratification engage constantly in the transcendental service of Your lotus feet.
PURPORT
One is in the material world when he thinks, “I am this body, and everything with reference to my body is mine.” Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho ’yam ahaṁ mameti [SB 5.5.8]. This is the symptom of material life. In the materialistic conception of life, one thinks, “This is my house, this is my land, this is my family, this is my state,” and so on. But those who are munayaḥ, saintly persons following in the footsteps of Nārada Muni, simply engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord without any personal desire for sense gratification. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.” Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.111.1.11]. Either in this life or in the next, the only concern of such saintly devotees is to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus they are also absolute because they have no other desires. Being freed from the dualities of material desire, they are called śreyas-kāmāḥ. In other words, they are not concerned with dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), or kāma (sense gratification). The only concern of such devotees is mokṣa, liberation. This mokṣa does not refer to becoming one with the Supreme like the Māyāvādī philosophers. Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained that real mokṣa means taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead. The Lord clearly explained this fact while instructing Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya wanted to correct the word mukti-pade in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed him that there is no need to correct any word in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He explained that mukti-pade refers to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who offers mukti and is therefore called Mukunda. A pure devotee is not concerned with material things. He is not concerned with religiosity, economic development or sense gratification. He is interested only in serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
TEXT 7
tvaṁ brahma pūrṇam amṛtaṁ viguṇaṁ viśokam
ānanda-mātram avikāram ananyad anyat
viśvasya hetur udaya-sthiti-saṁyamānām
ātmeśvaraś ca tad-apekṣatayānapekṣaḥ
SYNONYMS
tvam—Your Lordship; brahma—the all-pervading Absolute Truth; pūrṇam—fully complete; amṛtam—never to be vanquished; viguṇam—spiritually situated, free from the material modes of nature; viśokam—without lamentation; ānanda-mātram—always in transcendental bliss; avikāram—changeless; ananyat—separated from everything; anyat—yet You are everything; viśvasya—of the cosmic manifestation; hetuḥ—the cause; udaya—of the beginning; sthiti—maintenance; saṁyamānām—and of all the directors controlling the various departments of the cosmic manifestation; ātma-īśvaraḥ—the Supersoul giving direction to everyone; ca—also; tat-apekṣatayā—everyone depends upon You; anapekṣaḥ—always fully independent.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, You are the Supreme Brahman, complete in everything. Being completely spiritual, You are eternal, free from the material modes of nature, and full of transcendental bliss. Indeed, for You there is no question of lamentation. Since You are the supreme cause, the cause of all causes, nothing can exist without You. Yet we are different from You in a relationship of cause and effect, for in one sense the cause and effect are different. You are the original cause of creation, manifestation and annihilation, and You bestow benedictions upon all living entities. Everyone depends upon You for the results of his activities, but You are always independent.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4):
mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ
“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” This explains the philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference, known as acintya-bhedābheda. Everything is the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, yet the Supreme Person is differently situated from everything. Indeed, because the Lord is differently situated from everything material, He is the Supreme Brahman, the supreme cause, the supreme controller. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1]. The Lord is the supreme cause, and His form has nothing to do with the material modes of nature. The devotee prays: “As Your devotee is completely free from all desires, Your Lordship is also completely free from desires. You are fully independent. Although all living entities engage in Your service, You do not depend on the service of anyone. Although this material world is created complete by You, everything depends on Your sanction. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: [Bg. 15.15] remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness come from You. Nothing can be done independently, yet You act independently of the service rendered by Your servants. The living entities depend on Your mercy for liberation, but when You want to give them liberation, You do not depend on anyone else. Indeed, by Your causeless mercy, You can give liberation to anyone. Those who receive Your mercy are called kṛpā-siddha. To reach the platform of perfection takes many, many lives (bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]). Nonetheless, even without undergoing severe austerities, one can attain perfection by Your mercy. Devotional service should be unmotivated and free from impediments (ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati). This is the position of nirāśiṣaḥ, or freedom from expectations for results. A pure devotee continuously offers transcendental loving service to You, but You may nonetheless offer mercy to anyone, without depending on his service.”
TEXT 8
ekas tvam eva sad asad dvayam advayaṁ ca
svarṇaṁ kṛtākṛtam iveha na vastu-bhedaḥ
ajñānatas tvayi janair vihito vikalpo
yasmād guṇa-vyatikaro nirupādhikasya
SYNONYMS
ekaḥ—the only one; tvam—Your Lordship; eva—indeed; sat—which is existing, as the effect; asat—which is nonexistent, as the cause; dvayam—both of them; advayam—without duality; ca—and; svarṇam—gold; kṛta—manufactured into different forms; ākṛtam—the original source of gold (the gold mine); iva—like; iha—in this world; na—not; vastu-bhedaḥ—difference in the substance; ajñānataḥ—only because of ignorance; tvayi—unto You; janaiḥ—by the general mass of people; vihitaḥ—it should be done; vikalpaḥ—differentiation; yasmāt—because of; guṇa-vyatikaraḥ—free from the differences created by the material modes of nature; nirupādhikasya—without any material designation.
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, Your Lordship alone is the cause and the effect. Therefore, although You appear to be two, You are the absolute one. As there is no difference between the gold of a golden ornament and the gold in a mine, there is no difference between cause and effect; both of them are the same. Only because of ignorance do people concoct differences and dualities. You are free from material contamination, and since the entire cosmos is caused by You and cannot exist without You, it is an effect of Your transcendental qualities. Thus the conception that Brahman is true and the world false cannot be maintained.
PURPORT
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that the living entities are representations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s marginal potency whereas the various bodies accepted by the living entities are products of the material energy. Thus the body is considered material, and the soul is considered spiritual. The origin of them both, however, is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the Lord explains in Bhagavad-gītā (7.4–5):
bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—all together these eight comprise My separated material energies. But besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which consists of all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.” Thus both matter and the living entities are manifestations of energy of the Supreme Lord. Since the energy and the energetic are not different and since the material and marginal energies are both energies of the supreme energetic, the Supreme Lord, ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead is everything. In this regard, the example may be given of gold that has not been molded and gold that has been molded into various ornaments. A gold earring and the gold in a mine are different only as cause and effect; otherwise they are the same. The Vedānta-sūtra describes that Brahman is the cause of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. Everything is born of the Supreme Brahman, from which everything emanates as different energies. None of these energies, therefore, should be considered false. The Māyāvādīs’ differentiation between Brahman and māyā is only due to ignorance.
Śrīmad Vīrarāghava Ācārya, in his Bhāgavata-candra-candrikā, describes the Vaiṣṇava philosophy as follows. The cosmic manifestation is described as sat and asat, as cit and acit. Matter is acit, and the living force is cit, but their origin is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in whom there is no difference between matter and spirit. According to this conception, the cosmic manifestation, consisting of both matter and spirit, is not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ: “This cosmic manifestation is also the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although it appears different from Him.” In Bhagavad-gītā (9.4) the Lord says:
mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ
“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” Thus although someone may say that the Supreme Person is different from the cosmic manifestation, actually He is not. The Lord says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam: “In My impersonal feature I am spread throughout the world.” Therefore, this world is not different from Him. The difference is a difference in names. For example, whether we speak of gold earrings, gold bangles or gold necklaces, ultimately they are all gold. In a similar way, all the different manifestations of matter and spirit are ultimately one in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. ekam evādvitīyaṁ brahma. This is the Vedic version (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1). There is oneness because everything emanates from the Supreme Brahman. The example already given is that there is no difference between a golden earring and the gold mine as it is. The Vaiśeṣika philosophers, however, because of their Māyāvāda conception, create differences. They say, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: “The Absolute Truth is real, and the cosmic manifestation is false.” But why should the jagat be considered mithyā? The jagat is an emanation from Brahman. Therefore the jagat is also truth.
Vaiṣṇavas, therefore, do not consider the jagat to be mithyā; rather, they regard everything as reality in connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
anāsaktasya viṣayān
yathārham upayuñjataḥ
nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe
yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate
prāpañcikatayā buddhyā
hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ
mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo
vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate
“Things should be accepted for the Lord’s service and not for one’s personal sense gratification. If one accepts something without attachment and accepts it because it is related to Kṛṣṇa, one’s renunciation is called yuktaṁ vairāgyam. Whatever is favorable for the rendering of service to the Lord should be accepted and should not be rejected as a material thing.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255–256) The jagat should not be rejected as mithyā. It is truth, and the truth is realized when everything is engaged in the service of the Lord. A flower accepted for one’s sense gratification is material, but when the same flower is offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead by a devotee, it is spiritual. Food taken and cooked for oneself is material, but food cooked for the Supreme Lord is spiritual prasāda. This is a question of realization. Actually, everything is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore everything is spiritual, but those who are not advanced in proper knowledge make distinctions because of the interactions of the three modes of material nature. In this regard, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that although the sun is the only light, the sunshine, which is exhibited in seven colors, and darkness, which is the absence of sunshine, are not different from the sun, for without the existence of the sun such differentiations cannot exist. There may be varied nomenclature because of different conditions, but they are all the sun. The purāṇas therefore say:
eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner
jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā
parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis
tathedam akhilaṁ jagat
“Just as the illumination of a fire, which is situated in one place, is spread all over, the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, are spread all over this universe.” (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.22.53) Materially, we can directly perceive the sunshine spreading itself according to different names and activities, but ultimately the sun is one. Similarly, sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma: everything is an expansion of the Supreme Brahman. Therefore, the Supreme Lord is everything, and He is one without differentiation. There is no existence separate from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 9
tvāṁ brahma kecid avayanty uta dharmam eke
eke paraṁ sad-asatoḥ puruṣaṁ pareśam
anye ’vayanti nava-śakti-yutaṁ paraṁ tvāṁ
kecin mahā-puruṣam avyayam ātma-tantram
SYNONYMS
tvām—You; brahma—the supreme truth, the Absolute Truth, Brahman; kecit—some people, namely the group of Māyāvādīs known as the Vedāntists; avayanti—consider; uta—certainly; dharmam—religion; eke—some others; eke—some others; param—transcendental; sat-asatoḥ—to both cause and effect; puruṣam—the Supreme person; pareśam—the supreme controller; anye—others; avayanti—describe; nava-śakti-yutam—endowed with nine potencies; param—transcendental; tvām—unto You; kecit—some; mahā-puruṣam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; avyayam—without loss of energy; ātma-tantram—supremely independent.
TRANSLATION
Those who are known as the impersonalist Vedāntists regard You as the impersonal Brahman. Others, known as the Mīmāṁsaka philosophers, regard You as religion. The Sāṅkhya philosophers regard You as the transcendental person who is beyond prakṛti and puruṣa and who is the controller of even the demigods. The followers of the codes of devotional service known as the Pañcarātras regard You as being endowed with nine different potencies. And the Patañjala philosophers, the followers of Patañjali Muni, regard You as the supreme independent Personality of Godhead, who has no equal or superior.
TEXT 10
nāhaṁ parāyur ṛṣayo na marīci-mukhyā
jānanti yad-viracitaṁ khalu sattva-sargāḥ
yan-māyayā muṣita-cetasa īśa daitya-
martyādayaḥ kim uta śaśvad-abhadra-vṛttāḥ
SYNONYMS
na—neither; aham—I; para-āyuḥ—that personality who lives for millions and millions of years (Lord Brahmā); ṛṣayaḥ—the seven ṛṣis of the seven planets; na—nor; marīci-mukhyāḥ—headed by Marīci Ṛṣi; jānanti—know; yat—by whom (the Supreme Lord); viracitam—this universe, which has been created; khalu—indeed; sattva-sargāḥ—although born in the mode of material goodness; yat-māyayā—by the influence of whose energy; muṣita-cetasaḥ—their hearts are bewildered; īśa—O my Lord; daitya—the demons; martya-ādayaḥ—the human beings and others; kim uta—what to speak of; śaśvat—always; abhadra-vṛttāḥ—influenced by the base qualities of material nature.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, I, who am considered to be the best of the demigods, and Lord Brahmā and the great ṛṣis, headed by Marīci, are born of the mode of goodness. Nonetheless, we are bewildered by Your illusory energy and cannot understand what this creation is. Aside from us, what is to be said of others, like the demons and human beings, who are in the base modes of material nature [rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa]? How will they know You?
PURPORT
Factually speaking, even those who are situated in the material mode of goodness cannot understand the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What then is to be said of those who are situated in rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, the base qualities of material nature? How can we even imagine the Supreme Personality of Godhead? There are so many philosophers trying to understand the Absolute Truth, but since they are situated in the base qualities of material nature and are addicted to so many bad habits, like drinking, meat-eating, illicit sex and gambling, how can they conceive of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? For them it is impossible. For the present day, the pāñcarātrikī-vidhi as enunciated by Nārada Muni is the only hope. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, therefore, has quoted the following verse from the Brahma-yāmala:
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir
utpātāyaiva kalpate
[BRS
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir
utpātāyaiva kalpate
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas and Nārada-pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.” Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.1011.2.101]
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, purāṇas and Nārada-pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101) Those who are very advanced in knowledge and are situated in the mode of goodness follow the Vedic instructions of the śruti and smṛti and other religious scriptures, including the pāñcarātrikī-vidhi. Without understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead in this way, one only creates a disturbance. In this age of Kali, so many gurus have sprung up, and because they do not refer to the śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañcarātrika-vidhi [BRS
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir
utpātāyaiva kalpate
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas and Nārada-pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.” Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.1011.2.101], they are creating a great disturbance in the world in regard to understanding the Absolute Truth. However, those who follow the pāñcarātrikī-vidhi under the guidance of a proper spiritual master can understand the Absolute Truth. It is said, pañcarātrasya kṛtsnasya vaktā tu bhagavān svayam: the pañcarātra system is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just like Bhagavad-gītā. Vāsudeva-śaraṇā vidur añjasaiva: the truth can be understood only by one who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Vāsudeva.
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ
“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Bg. 7.19) Only those who have surrendered to the lotus feet of Vāsudeva can understand the Absolute Truth.
vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
“By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.” (Bhāg. 1.2.7) Therefore, Vāsudeva, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, personally teaches in Bhagavad-gītā:
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.” (Bg. 18.66)
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service.” (Bg. 18.55) The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not properly understood even by Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā, what to speak of others, but He can be understood by the process of bhakti-yoga.
mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
(Bg. 7.1)
If one practices bhakti-yoga by taking shelter of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, simply by hearing Vāsudeva speak about Himself, one can understand everything about Him. Indeed, one can understand Him completely (samagram).
TEXT 11
sa tvaṁ samīhitam adaḥ sthiti-janma-nāśaṁ
bhūtehitaṁ ca jagato bhava-bandha-mokṣau
vāyur yathā viśati khaṁ ca carācarākhyaṁ
sarvaṁ tad-ātmakatayāvagamo ’varuntse
SYNONYMS
saḥ—Your Lordship; tvam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; samīhitam—which has been created (by You); adaḥ—of this material cosmic manifestation; sthiti-janma-nāśam—creation, maintenance and annihilation; bhūta—of the living entities; īhitam ca—and the different activities or endeavors; jagataḥ—of the whole world; bhava-bandha-mokṣau—in being implicated and being liberated from material complications; vāyuḥ—the air; yathā—as; viśati—enters; kham—in the vast sky; ca—and; cara-acara-ākhyam—and everything, moving and nonmoving; sarvam—everything; tat—that; ātmakatayā—because of Your presence; avagamaḥ—everything is known to You; avaruntse—You are all-pervading and therefore know everything.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, You are the supreme knowledge personified. You know everything about this creation and its beginning, maintenance and annihilation, and You know all the endeavors made by the living entities, by which they are either implicated in this material world or liberated from it. As the air enters the vast sky and also enters the bodies of all moving and nonmoving entities, You are present everywhere, and therefore You are the knower of all.
PURPORT
As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā:
eko ’py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ
yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ
aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“I worship the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who by one of His plenary portions enters the existence of every universe and every atomic particle and thus manifests His infinite energy unlimitedly throughout the material creation.” (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.35)
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who resides in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who embodies the ecstatic potency [hlādinī]. Their companions are Her confidantes, who embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are imbued and permeated with ever-blissful spiritual rasa.” (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.37)
Although Govinda is always present in His abode (goloka eva nivasati), He is simultaneously present everywhere. Nothing is unknown to Him, and nothing can be hidden from Him. The example given here compares the Lord to the air, which is within the vast sky and within every body but still is different from everything.
TEXT 12
avatārā mayā dṛṣṭā
ramamāṇasya te guṇaiḥ
so ’haṁ tad draṣṭum icchāmi
yat te yoṣid-vapur dhṛtam
SYNONYMS
avatārāḥ—incarnations; mayā—by me; dṛṣṭāḥ—have been seen; ramamāṇasya—while You demonstrate Your various pastimes; te—of You; guṇaiḥ—by the manifestations of transcendental qualities; saḥ—Lord Śiva; aham—I; tat—that incarnation; draṣṭum icchāmi—wish to see; yat—which; te—of You; yoṣit-vapuḥ—the body of a woman; dhṛtam—was accepted.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, I have seen all kinds of incarnations You have exhibited by Your transcendental qualities, and now that You have appeared as a beautiful young woman, I wish to see that form of Your Lordship.
PURPORT
When Lord Śiva approached Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu inquired about the purpose for Lord Śiva’s coming there. Now Lord Śiva discloses his desire. He wanted to see the recent incarnation of Mohinī-mūrti, which Lord Viṣṇu had assumed to distribute the nectar generated from the churning of the ocean of milk.
TEXT 13
yena sammohitā daityāḥ
pāyitāś cāmṛtaṁ surāḥ
tad didṛkṣava āyātāḥ
paraṁ kautūhalaṁ hi naḥ
SYNONYMS
yena—by such an incarnation; sammohitāḥ—were captivated; daityāḥ—the demons; pāyitāḥ—were fed; ca—also; amṛtam—nectar; surāḥ—the demigods; tat—that form; didṛkṣavaḥ—desiring to see; āyātāḥ—we have come here; param—very much; kautūhalam—great eagerness; hi—indeed; naḥ—of ourselves.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, we have come here desiring to see that form of Your Lordship which You showed to the demons to captivate them completely and in this way enable the demigods to drink nectar. I am very eager to see that form.
TEXT 14
śrī-śuka uvāca
evam abhyarthito viṣṇur
bhagavān śūla-pāṇinā
prahasya bhāva-gambhīraṁ
giriśaṁ pratyabhāṣata
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; evam—in this way; abhyarthitaḥ—being requested; viṣṇuḥ bhagavān—Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; śūla-pāṇinā—by Lord Śiva, who carries a trident in his hand; prahasya—laughing; bhāva-gambhīram—with serious gravity; giriśam—unto Lord Śiva; pratyabhāṣata—replied.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When Lord Viṣṇu was thus requested by Lord Śiva, who carries a trident in his hand, He smiled with gravity and replied to Lord Śiva as follows.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, is known as Yogeśvara. Yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. Mystic yogīs want to acquire some power by practicing the yoga system, but Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is known as the Supreme Lord of all mystic power. Lord Śiva wanted to see the Mohinī-mūrti, which was captivating the entire world, and Lord Viṣṇu was gravely thinking of how to captivate Lord Śiva also. Therefore the word bhāva-gambhīram is used here. The illusory, material energy is represented by Durgādevī, who is the wife of Girīśa, or Lord Śiva. Durgādevī could not captivate Lord Śiva’s mind, but now that Lord Śiva wanted to see Lord Viṣṇu’s feminine form, Lord Viṣṇu, by His mystic power, would assume a form that would captivate even Lord Śiva. Therefore Lord Viṣṇu was grave and at the same time was smiling.
TEXT 15
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
kautūhalāya daityānāṁ
yoṣid-veṣo mayā dhṛtaḥ
paśyatā sura-kāryāṇi
gate pīyūṣa-bhājane
SYNONYMS
śrī-bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; kautūhalāya—for the bewildering; daityānām—of the demons; yoṣit-veṣaḥ—the form of a beautiful woman; mayā—by Me; dhṛtaḥ—assumed; paśyatā—seeing that it is necessary for Me; sura-kāryāṇi—for executing the interests of the demigods; gate—having been taken away; pīyūṣa-bhājane—the jug of nectar.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: When the demons took away the jug of nectar, I assumed the form of a beautiful woman to bewilder them by directly cheating them and thus to act in the interest of the demigods.
PURPORT
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead assumed the form of the beautiful woman Mohinī-mūrti, the demons were certainly captivated, but the demigods present were not. In other words, those who maintain a demoniac mentality are bewildered by the beauty of a woman, but those who are advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or even those on the platform of goodness, are not bewildered. The Supreme Personality of Godhead knew that because Lord Śiva is not an ordinary person, he cannot be bewildered even by the most beautiful woman. Cupid himself tried to invoke Lord Śiva’s lusty desires in the presence of Pārvatī, but Lord Śiva was never agitated. Rather, the blazing fire from Lord Śiva’s eyes turned Cupid to ashes. Therefore, Lord Viṣṇu had to think twice about what kind of beautiful form would bewilder even Lord Śiva. Consequently He was smiling gravely, as stated in the previous verse (prahasya bhāva-gambhīram). A beautiful woman generally cannot induce Lord Śiva to be lusty, but Lord Viṣṇu was considering whether there was any form of woman who could enchant him.
TEXT 16
tat te ’haṁ darśayiṣyāmi
didṛkṣoḥ sura-sattama
kāmināṁ bahu mantavyaṁ
saṅkalpa-prabhavodayam
SYNONYMS
tat—that; te—unto you; aham—I; darśayiṣyāmi—shall show; didṛkṣoḥ—desirous of seeing; sura-sattama—O best of the demigods; kāminām—of persons who are very lusty; bahu—very much; mantavyam—an object of adoration; saṅkalpa—lusty desires; prabhava-udayam—causing to be strongly aroused.
TRANSLATION
O best of the demigods, I shall now show you My form that is very much appreciated by those who are lusty. Since you want to see that form, I shall reveal it in your presence.
PURPORT
Lord Śiva’s desiring to see Lord Viṣṇu reveal the most attractive and beautiful form of a woman was certainly a joking affair. Lord Śiva knew that he could not be agitated by any so-called beautiful woman. “The Daityas may have been bewildered,” he thought, “but since even the demigods could not be agitated, what to speak of me, who am the best of all the demigods?” However, because Lord Śiva wanted to see Lord Viṣṇu’s form as a woman, Lord Viṣṇu decided to impersonate a woman and show him a form that would immediately put him in an ocean of lusty desires. In effect, therefore, Lord Viṣṇu told Lord Śiva, “I will show you My form as a woman, and if you become agitated by lusty desires, do not blame Me.” The attractive features of a woman are appreciated by those who are affected by lusty desires, but those who are above such desires, who are on the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, are very difficult to bewilder. Nonetheless, by the supreme desire of the Personality of Godhead, everything can be done. This was to be a test of whether Lord Śiva could remain unagitated.
Comments