April 13, 2017 archive

Lord Brahma explained the Universal form of the Lord as detailed in the Puruśa sūktam to Maharishi Nārada. Lord Brahma continued,

Sarva-kāma-varasyāpi hareś caraṇa āspadam –O Nārada! The feet of Lord Srihari, the Universal form of the Supreme Lord, fulfills all desires!

From His genitals, different liquids, reproductive energies, energy of creation, clouds and Prajāpati were born. His genitals are the cause of sensual joy. The anus is the location of Mitra and Yama (the Lord of death). Calamities, evil, envy, violence, hell, misfortune and death emerge from His anus.

Defeat, unrighteousness (adharma) and spiritual ignorance (ajnana) were born from His back. Rivers that flow towards the east as well as those that flow towards the west emerge from the network of His nādis (subtle nerves). The great mountains were born from His network of bones. This is what Vedas declare. It is also stated by eminent Maharishis.

The subtle cause for all matter (mūlaprakriti) transformed into the essence called food. Oceans emerged from His abdomen. For the subtle bodies of all living beings, His heart is the point of origin.

Dharma, you, me, Sanaka, Sananda and others, Rudra, pure intelligence (vijnana), life-force (prāna) and the inner mind (antah karana) take shelter in the consciousness (chitta) of that Universal Lord.

Right from me, you, Shankara, your elder brothers Maharishi Sanaka and other saints, Devatas, demons, humans, serpents, birds, different types of reptiles, gentle animals, crocodiles and all other forms of wild animals, Gandharvas, Apsaras, demi-gods, ghosts and spirits of all kinds, snakes, fore-fathers, accomplished siddhas, celestials known as Vidyadharas and Cāraṇas, trees, insects, worms, animals living in air and space, planets, stars, galaxies, constellations, thunder, lightning etc., are nothing but the Universal form of that Lord.

In this world, everything that pertains to the past, present and future periods of time, is pervaded by that Supreme Lord. Such a vast world occupies only a space of about 10 inches in that Universal form.

The Sun together with his rays illumines even that which is outside of him. Likewise, Srihari, who is the Universal form of the Self-illuminating Lord, illumines everything that is contained within and outside of Him.

O Maharishi Nārada! Srihari is of eternal existence and can never be destroyed. He is the one who grants the ultimate liberation. He, who is the form of liberation, is beyond fruitive actions and their results. Therefore His greatness is unsurpassed.

All the various universes put together constitute just one feet of the Universal form! All the various forms of living beings exist only within the different universes, which are parts of His universal body.

The planetary system called Mahar-loka exists above the planetary systems known as Bhu, Bhuvar and Suvah lokas. Above this Mahar-loka are situated the Jana-loka, Tapo-loka and Satya-loka. These supreme planetary systems contain that happiness which is devoid of fear, death and also beyond the fear of disease and old-age.

Those who have strictly adhered to the vow of celibacy and diligently walked on the path of Brahma (Brahmacharya), those who have strictly abided by the rules of Vanaprastha and the great ascetics (Yatis) are free from the shackles of re-birth. Such great people, who will never be re-born, travel to these higher planetary systems called Jana-loka, Tapo-loka and Satya-loka.

The house-holder’s stage of life (grahasta ashrama) has the least number of rules and regulations as compared to the other three stages of life. As such, the house-holders’ attain only the 3 material worlds (tri-loka).

Our Shastras preach about fruitive karma (actions) and upāsana (worship/ contemplation). A human being shows dedication towards both these tools. Therefore he travels either on the southern path that leads towards other planes wherein he can enjoy the results of his fruitive actions (actions done with expectation of reward) or he travels on the northern path that leads towards progressive liberation (karma-mukti). Both these paths are under the control of the Supreme Lord who bestows upon the being the resultant fruits for his actions.

The Universal form of that Lord as well as all these universes emerged purely from the Supreme Lord. Just as the Sun illumines everything that is contained within it and outside of it, the Supreme Lord illumines all these universes together with their presiding deity i.e. the Universal form (Virat Puruśa). While doing so, He remains over and above them and pervades them all. The supremacy of this Virāt Purusa is unsurpassed.

I was born from the abdomen of Srihari, the supreme inner ruler. At that time, for the purposes of conducting a Yagna, I could not procure materials excepting the limbs of that Supreme Lord.

O Nārada listen! For the purpose of performing a Yagna, a person needs animals, firewood, the sacrificial altar, bunch of grass, required land and the spring season or other auspicious time periods for Yagna. In addition, the required vessels, food-grains, ghee and other related ingredients, honey and other sweet liquids, gold and other metals, pots, the required mud, water, and the priests for conducting the Yagna are needed. Swāha and other mantras, cows and other forms of dakshina offered to priests, the specified order in the recitation of the divine names, Yagna-sankalpa and the procedure for performing the yagna, the rituals undertaken in the sacrificial hall, chanting and other forms of worship, procedure for atonement of mistakes (prayaschitta) as well as the procedure for offering the results of that Yagna to the Supreme Lord are all essential for conducting a Yagna.

I was able to procure solely from the limbs of that Universal Lord, all the ingredients required for the purpose of my Yagna. In that manner, having procured all the ingredients from His limbs, I worshipped Him through the process of Yagna.

Narayana! Hari Narayana!

Fire undergoes transformation and converts into water. Taste (rasa) is the quality of water. As space, air and fire are the causative factors of water, their corresponding qualities of sound, touch and form also exist in water.

Water undergoes transformation and Earth is formed. Smell (gandha) is the quality of earth. As space, air, fire and water are the causative factors of earth, their corresponding qualities of sound, touch, form and taste also exist in earth, along with its own quality of smell.

From Sattvik ahamkāra (egoism born out of traits of goodness), the following deities manifested: Moon who is the presiding deity of mind, the Guardian-deities of speech (Vag-devatas) who are the presiding deity for the ears, Wind who is the presiding deity for skin, Sun who is the presiding deity for eyes, Lord Varuna (Lord of water) who is the presiding deity for tongue, Ashwini Devatas who are the presiding deities for life-force (prana), Fire-god who is the presiding deity for speech, Lord Indra who is the presiding deity for hands, Lord Vishnu who is the presiding deity for feet, Mitra who is the presiding deity for the anus and Prajāpati who is the presiding deity for the reproductive organs.

Intelligence (buddhi) i.e. the capacity to understand, and life-force (prāna) i.e. the capacity to do work, are born out of Rājasa ahamkara (egoism born out of passion/ activity). For this reason, the Rājasa ahamkara undergoes transformation and from it the five organs of perception (jnānendriya) i.e. ears, eyes, skin, nose and tongue as well as the five organs of action (karmendriya) i.e. speech, hands, feet, genitals and anus are created.

O Brahma-jnani! As long as the five basic elements, which were born from Nature (Prakriti) composed of the trigunas (the 3 modes), the senses (indriyas) and the mind (manas) did not combine with each other, bodies (shareera) could not be formed. At that point the Supreme Lord, using His energy, caused a trigger in them all, due to which they all combined with each other.

Among the five basic elements, one element being in greater proportion as compared to the other elements led to the formation of the Kārya-kāraṇa bhāva (cause-effect relationship). They then created the Universal body (virat-deha) of the Supreme Lord as well as the body of the individual being.

The universe (Brahmanda) which was thus created was lifelessly lying in water for a thousand years. Thereafter, the Supreme Lord brought forth time (kāla), destiny of beings (karma) and individual nature (swabhava) and enlivened the Universe. This Supreme Lord then took a form that consists of innumerable heads, hands, feet, thighs, mouths, and came out of the cosmic egg with the intent of breaking it. This was His universal form.

In this Universal form of the Lord, the seven lower planetary systems of existence (lokas) are the lower limbs i.e. limbs from below the waist up to the feet. Starting from His abdomen all the upper limbs constitute the seven higher planetary systems. This is how learned scholars meditate upon Him.

Learned scholars also state that, to this Lord who is a form of completeness, Brahmins are His face, Kshatriyas (warrior caste) are the arms, Vysyas (traders, herders) are the thighs and the Shudras (labourers) are His feet.

In this Universal form of the Lord, earth (bhu-loka) is located in the space of His navel, and heaven (swarga) is located in His heart. Mahar-loka is located in His chest. In His throat is located the Jana-loka, in His two breasts is the Tapo-loka and in His head is located the Satya-loka. This is how learned scholars meditate.

Satya-loka, which is of eternal existence, is the residence of Hiranyagarbha, the creator. Amongst the seven lower planetary systems, Atala-loka is situated in His waist, Vitala-loka in His thighs, the pure Sutala-loka is located in His knees, Talatala-loka is in His shanks, Mahatala is located at the ankles, Rasātala is the upper portion of His feet and Pātāla is the soles of His feet. This is how He should be mediated upon.

In this way the Supreme Lord wears all the different planes of existence (loka) as different parts of His body.

His feet are the Bhu-loka; abdomen is the Bhuvar-loka and head is the Heavenly planets. In this manner also He can be contemplated and meditated upon.

With this the fifth chapter of the Second Canto of Srimad Bhagawatam comes to an end.

Second Canto Chapter Six

In this chapter, the Universal form of the Supreme Lord has been explained similar to the description given in Puruśa sūktam of Vedas.

In the previous chapter, based on Maharishi Nārada’s question, Lord Brahma explained to Him about the creation of the universe and also about the Universal form of the Lord. This same subject is explained in greater detail in this chapter.

Lord Brahma continued, “From the face of this Universal Lord (Virat-puruśa), the organ of speech (vāgendriya) and Fire, its presiding deity,  manifested. From His skin and other 6 basic tissues (dhatus) Gayatri and other Vedas originated. Foodstuffs and the 3 forms of nectarous tastes i.e. offerings made to Devatas, offerings made to fore-fathers, the food consumed by humans emerged from His tongue. In addition the various tastes also emerged from His tongue.

Wind (vayu) along with the five-life-forces viz., Prāna, Apāna, Udāna, Samāna, and Vyāna emerged from His nostrils. The Ashwini Devatas, all forms of medicinal herbs and fragrance, which brings joy to everyone, were born from His nose (organ of smell).

All forms (rūpa) and radiance (tejas) emerged from His eyes. From His eyeballs Sun and the dwi-lokas emerged. From His ears, the directions and teerthas emerged. From His śrotendriya (sense of hearing) space and sound were born.

From this it is clear that the Universal body is the fundamental cause behind the beauty of all objects. From the skin of this Universal body, sensation of touch, wind as well as all Yagnas (sacrificial rituals) were born. In order to facilitate the performance of Yagnas, trees were born from His body hair.

From His hair clouds emerged. From His mustache and beard lightning was created. from His finger nails rocks emerged while from his toe nails metals emerged.

The Guardian-deities who are primarily entrusted with ensruring the well-being of the worlds emerged from His shoulders. From His footsteps the three planes known as Bhu-loka, Bhuvar-loka and the Suvar-loka emerged. Those footsteps protect the wealth of the devotees and protect them from all fears.

sarva-kāma-varasyāpi hareś caraṇa āspadam- O Nārada, the lotus feet of this Universal Lord fulfil all the desires.

From His organ of reproduction liquids, reproductive energies, energy of creation, clouds and Prajāpatis were born.

Hari Om Tat sat.

Hearing these questions put forth by Maharishi Narada, Lord Brahma said as follows,

“My Son, as you are unaware that there is an energy which is superior to me, you have praised me profusely. Even then I should say that there is no untruth in your words. This is because it is true that the powers and capacities that were extolled by you, really exist within me.

Just as the Sun, Moon, Fire, Planets, Stars shine brightly, I too illumine the entire creation. But even before me, this world has been illumined by the Self-illuminating Supreme Lord. Please understand this.

Tasmai namo bhagavate vāsudevāya dhīmahi

Yan-māyayā durjayayā māṁ vadanti jagad-gurum

 I offer obeisance to Vāsudeva who illumines the entire creation. We meditate upon Him. It is His illusionary energy, which is exceedingly difficult to conquer, that causes living entities to address me as the Guru for the creation (Jagadguru).

the illusionary energy feels ashamed to even stand in the presence of this Supreme Lord. The living entities who are bewildered by her and enveloped by spiritual ignorance take pride in feelings of ‘I and mine”.

O Maharishi Nārada! Material object, action, time and nature of the individual living beings are all integral parts of the Supreme Lord. There is nothing apart from Him. this is the undeniable Absolute Truth!

Nārāyaṇa-parā vedā devā nārāyaṇāṅgajāḥ

Nārāyaṇa-parā lokā nārāyaṇa-parā makhāḥ

All the Vedas speak only about Nārāyaṇa! All Devatas have emerged from Nārāyaṇa alone! All the various planes of existence (lokas) are under the control of Nārāyaṇa himself. All the Yagnas (sacrificial rituals) are aimed at pleasing Nārāyaṇa alone.

Nārāyaṇa-paro yogo nārāyaṇa-paraṁ tapaḥ

Nārāyaṇa-paraṁ jñānaṁ nārāyaṇa-parā gatiḥ

The ultimate end point (goal) of Yoga is Nārāyaṇa. The main purpose of undertaking austerities (tapas) is solely to earn the grace of Nārāyaṇa. That which explains the essence of this Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa is known as Supreme Knowledge. All paths lead to Him alone.

I, who have been created by Srihari, the universal soul, have been inspired by His divine intention to undertake this creation. I create only that which is related to Him and that which is worthy of creation.

This Lord Srihari resides within all living beings as their ruler (kshetrajna). He is the Lord of the universe (jagannatha). He is devoid of any transformation (nirvikara). He is without attributes (nirguna). The omnipotent Lord, for the purposes of creation, sustenance and annihilation of this world, accepted the three attributes (trigunas) i.e. traits of goodness/ purity (sattva), traits of action/ passion (rajas) and traits of inertia/ ignorance (tamas). All this happened due to His illusory power (māya).

These three attributes of nature (trigunas) bind the individual soul who, although inherently being free and being a form of consciousness, is now in the grip of illusion (māya). They bind him to matter (dravya), to the knowledge pertaining to matter (dravya-jnana) as well as to the ‘feelings of doership’ in activities pertaining to matter. Further, with the help of the body and senses which support them and due to the egoism that arises in the form of feelings such as, ‘I am doing’, they bind the being.

O great saint! Srihari is the Lord not only for the individual beings, but also for me. He makes himself visible only to those who have conquered their senses. Those who are bound due to these trigunas (three modes of nature) can never know His complete form.

Keeping His illusory power (māya shakti) under His control, the Lord with its help, wanted to manifest in various different forms. With this desire, He brought out from within Him, the eternal time (kāla), the collective destiny of all living entities based on their earlier actions (karma) as well as their individual natures (swabhāva), which had so far been merged into Him.

From this eternal time (kāla), which manifested due to the His illumination and which is free from the limitations of time and place, the three modes of nature (trigunas) got polluted. Due to the influence of māya (illusory power), changes began to manifest. Due to the collective destiny of all beings, Mahat tattva (fundamental principle of the total material creation) was born.

The traits of goodness (sattva guṇa) and the traits of action (rajo guṇa) cause the Mahat tattva to expand and undergo transformation. From this Mahat tattva all matter (dravya), the knowledge about matter (dravya-jnana) and more importantly, due to the prominence of the traits of ignorance (tamo guna), the activities (kriya) related to this matter emerge.

O Maharishi Nārada! In ahamkara (materialistic ego, sense of I-ness) 3 divisions exist which are equipped with the energy to manifest in varied different forms. They are Sāttvik, Rājasic and Tāmasic ahamkārās. Among them Sāttvik-ahamkāra transforms into the form of the inner mind (antahkarana), Rājasa-ahamkāra transforms into the organs of action (karmendriya) and Tāmasa-ahamkāra as the five basic elements of creation such as earth, water etc.

This tāmasa ahamkāra (egoism born out of ignorance) undergoes transformation and evolves as space. Sound is the quality (guṇa) of space. When some words are uttered, sound becomes the cause for understanding not only about the object being seen by that person, but also about the person himself. In other words, through the medium of sound, the person who is speaking is recognized.

This space undergoes change and air (vāyu), which is prominently of sattva guṇa, is generated. Touch (sparsha) is the quality of air. As space, which is also the causative factor for creation of air, enters into it, the quality of sound is also embedded in air element. Due to air, the sense perception (indriya shakti), inner mind (antah karana), power (sāmarthya) and bodily strength, which are principles essential for life, are generated.

Due to course of time (kāla) and destiny (karma), air undergoes transformation and fire is born. This fire that is born has in it the qualities of sound, touch and form. As space and air are the causative factors of fire, their corresponding qualities of sound and touch also inherently exist in it along with its quality of form.

Narayana! Hari! Narayana Hari!