Vedānta-sūtra: Understanding the Govinda-bhāṣya of Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa

An extensive, but easy-to-understand explanation of the Govinda Bhāṣya of Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, the Vaiṣnava commentary on the Venta-sutra, based on the teachings of Srila Prabhupada.

The Brahma-sūtra, or Vedānta-sūtra, is a short treatise written by Srila Vyāsadeva to transmit the ultimate conclusions of the Vedas. As Srila Prabhupada explains, "The Vedānta-sūtra, which consists of aphorisms revealing the method of understanding Vedic knowledge, is the concise form of all Vedic knowledge."

It is called nyāya-prasthāna because it was written to allow one to understand the absolute truth through logic and argument, and this infallible logic becomes even more apparent in the commentary of Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa. Nowadays, more than ever, we often base our convictions on emotion rather than logic, and this can lead to many misconceptions that are very difficult to extirpate. The profound and delicate arguments presented in the Govinda Bhāṣya can help us rewire our brains in this direction, which can be invaluable in all spheres of life.

This book is an attempt to provide an extensive, but at the same time easy-to-understand explanation of the Govinda Bhāṣya commentary of Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, based on the explanations of Srila Prabhupada, as a humble offering to the devotees who are interested in studying this important masterpiece under the light of Srila Prabhupada's teachings.

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This is the first book in a series of four volumes covering the 16 padas (chapters) of the Govinda-bhāṣya of Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa.

Here are the parts of the book that have already been published. You will be seeing new updates as I work on it. Feel free to follow along. ⤵️

You can also donate using Buy Me a Coffee, PayPal, Wise, Revolut, or bank transfers. There is a separate page with all the links. This helps me enormously to have time to write instead of doing other things to make a living. Thanks!

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💬 Table of Contents

+ Preface

+ Srila Prabhupada explains the Vedānta-sūtra

+ Introduction: The evolution of spiritual understanding

• Lord Buddha - Śūnyavāda (nihilism)

• Śaṅkarācārya - Advaita-Vedanta (non-dualism)

• The Vaishnava schools

• Rāmānujācārya - Viśiṣṭādvaita-vāda
  (specific monism, non-dualism with distinctions, or purified monism)

• Madhvācārya - Śuddha-dvaita (purified dualism)

• Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu: Acintya-bhedābheda-tattva (inconceivable oneness and difference)

• Acintya-bhedābheda-tattva and the Govinda-Bhāṣya

+ The flow of arguments

+ The conclusions of the Vedanta-sutra

+ The First Pada

+ Topic 1: Brahma-jijñāsādhikaraṇam - Inquiry into Brahman

• Sutra 1.1.1 - athāto brahma-jijñāsā: It's time to enquire about the Absolute Truth

• Light in the darkness from the scriptures

• Fruitive activity is not the goal of the scriptures

• Positive factors in understanding the Vedas

• Limited and temporary results

• Further arguments

• Brahman means the soul?

• How does the original text of Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa look?

• Exercise

+ Topic 2: Janmādyādhikaranam - Definition of Brahman

• Sutra 1.1.2 - janmādy asya yataḥ: Brahman is He from whom everything emanates

• Counterarguments: Is Brahman the jīva?

• Rules for interpreting passages of the scriptures

• The doctrine of by-products

• The theory of illusion of Śaṅkarācārya

• The originality of the scriptures

• Exercise

+ Topic 3: Śāstra-yonitvādhikaraṇam - The scriptures are the source of knowledge

• Sutra 1.1.3 - śāstra-yonitvāt: The Lord is known through the sastras

• The process for understanding the Absolute Truth

• The limitations of material logic

• Further arguments

• Exercise

+ Topic 4: Samanvyādhikaraṇam - Harmonizing the conclusions of the Vedas

• Sutra 1.1.4 - tat tu samanvayāt: Lord Viṣṇu is the sole topic discussed in the Vedas

• Exercise

+ Topic 5: Īkṣater-adhikaranām - Brahman is knowable

• Sutra 1.1.5 - īkṣater nāśabdam: The Lord is not indescribable

• Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa counters Śaṅkarācārya

• Sutra 1.1.6 - gauṇaś cen nātma-śabdāt: The Supreme Self

• Sutra 1.1.7 - tan-niṣṭhasya mokṣopadeśāt: Descriptions of the transcendental Lord

• Sutra 1.1.8 - (na) heyatva-vacanāc ca: There is nothing higher

• Sutra 1.1.9 - (na) svāpyayāt: The source of all incarnations

• Sutra 1.1.10 - (na) gati-sāmānyāt: The One and transcendental Brahman

• Sutra 1.1.11 - śrutatvāc ca: Material qualities can’t touch the Lord

• Exercise

+ Topic 6: Ānandamayādhikaraṇam - The Lord is full of bliss

• Sutra 1.1.12 - ānanda-mayo’bhyāsāt: The Lord is full of bliss

• A central passage from the Taittirīya Upaniṣad

• The anna-maya, prāṇa-maya, mano-maya, and vijñāna-maya

• The ānanda-maya

• Questions are raised

• Sutra 1.1.13 - vikāra-śabdān neti cen na prācuryāt

• Sutra 1.1.14 - tad-hetu-vyapadeśāc ca

• Sutra 1.1.15 - māntra-varṇikam eva ca gīyate

• Sutra 1.1.16 - netaro ’nupapatteḥ

• Sutra 1.1.17 - bheda-vyapadeśāt

• Sutra 1.1.18 - kāmāc ca nānumānāpekṣā

• Sutra 1.1.19 - asminn asya ca tad-yogaṁ ca śāsti

• Exercise

+ Topic 7: Antar-adhikaraṇam - The person within the Sun

• Sūtra 1.1.20 - The person within the Sun

• Sūtra 1.1.21 - The Lord is present with the demigod, but they are different

• Exercise

+ Topic 8: Ākāsādhikaraṇam - The section discussing the ether

• Sutra 1.1.22 - Why the word ākāśa denotes the Lord

• Exercise

+ Topic 9: Prāṇādhikaraṇam - The section concerning Prāṇa

• Sutra 1.1.23 - The meaning of the word prāṇa

• Exercise

+ Topic 10: Jyotiścaraṇādhikaraṇam - The light that has feet

• Sūtra 1.1.24 - Jyotiś refers to the Supreme Brahman

• Sūtra 1.1.25 - The meaning of the gāyatrī mantra

• The passage about Gāyatrī and the five doors to heaven from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad

• Sūtra 1.1.26 - The key for understanding the passage

• Sūtra 1.1.27 - There is no contradiction

• Exercise

+ Topic 11: Pādānta-prāṇādhikaraṇam - A final discussion on prāna

• Sūtra 1.1.28 - Prāna does not mean the jīva

• Sūtra 1.1.29 - The speaker does not refer to himself

• Sūtra 1.1.30 - Indra’s declaration is in accordance with scripture

• Sūtra 1.1.31 - Prāṇa denotes Brahman alone

• The passage of Patardana and Indra from the Kauṣītaki Upanisad

• Exercise

+ All the sūtras of the first pāda in prose

+ The Second Pada

+ Topic 1: Sarvatra-prasiddhādhikaraṇam - The Lord is mentioned everywhere in the scriptures

• Sūtra 1.2.1-2 - The word manomaya refers to the Lord

• Sūtra 1.2.3 - The qualities mentioned can’t be attributed to the jīva

• Sūtra 1.2.4 - The meeting of the devotee and the Lord

• Sūtra 1.2.5 - The object of meditation is not the jīva

• Sūtra 1.2.6 - The reference from the Gītā

• Sūtra 1.2.7 - The Lord is greater than the sky, but fits inside the heart

• Sūtra 1.2.8 - The difference between the two souls in the heart

• Exercise

+ Topic 2: Attādhikaraṇam - The Eater mentioned in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad is the Lord

• Sūtra 1.2.9 - The Lord takes all moving and non-moving entities

• Sūtra 1.2.10 - Nachiketā meets Yamaraja

• Exercise

+ Topic 3: Guhādhikaraṇam - The person in the heart

• Sūtra 1.2.11 - The two selves inside the heart

• Other references

• Sūtra 1.2.12 - The scriptures describe the differences between them

• Exercise

+ Topic 4: Antarādhikaraṇam - The person in the eye

• Sūtra 1.2.13 - The person in the eye is the Lord

• Sūtra 1.2.14 - The statements in the scriptures

• Sūtra 1.2.15 - Transcendental bliss

• Sūtra 1.2.16 - Those who hear the Upaniṣads attain the Lord

• Sūtra 1.2.17 - The person in the eye can’t be anyone else

• Exercise

+ Topic 5: Antaryāmy-adhikaraṇam - The antaryāmī

• Sūtra 1.2.18 - His qualities are described

• Sūtra 1.2.19 - The ruler within is not pradhāna

• Sūtra 1.2.20 - No yogī has the mentioned qualities

• Exercise

+ Topic 6: Adṛśyādhikaraṇam - The unseen person

• Sūtra 1.2.21 - The word akṣara refers to the Lord

• Sūtra 1.2.22 - It is not pradhāna or the jīva

• Sūtra 1.2.23 - Other passages specifically describe the Lord

• Sūtra 1.2.24 - The context in the scriptures

• The passage from the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad describing akṣara

• Exercise

+ Topic 7: Vaiśvānarādhikaraṇam – The meaning of Vaiśvānara

• Sūtra 1.2.25 - The qualities are appropriate for the Lord only

• Sūtra 1.2.26 - The fire of digestion

• Sūtra 1.2.27 - Vaiśvānara is not ordinary fire

• Sūtra 1.2.28 - Vaiśvānara is not the demigod, nor the material element

• Sūtra 1.2.29 - Names of demigods can also indicate the Lord

• Sūtra 1.2.30 - The Lord manifests in a small form for His devotee

• Sūtra 1.2.31 - For the purpose of meditation

• Sūtra 1.2.32 - Transcendental and inconceivable power

• Sūtra 1.2.33 - Inconceivable potencies

• Exercise

+ All the sūtras of the second pāda in prose

+ The Third Pada

+ Topic 1: Dyu-bhv-ādy-adhikaraṇam - The abode of heaven, earth, and other things

• Sūtra 1.3.1 - Where everything that exists rests

• Sūtra 1.3.2 - Liberated souls attain the Lord

• Sūtra 1.3.3 - The material creation is dependent on the Lord

• Sūtra 1.3.4 - The jīva also can’t be the abode

• Sūtra 1.3.5 - The One who maintains many

• Sūtra 1.3.6 - The context of the passage

• Sūtra 1.3.7 - The analogy of the two birds

• Exercise

+ Topic 2: Bhūmādhikaraṇam - Bhūmā, the infinite

• Sūtra 1.3.8 - Bhūmā in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad refers to the Lord

• Sūtra 1.3.9 - Qualities that can be applied only to the Lord

• Exercise

+ Topic 3: Akṣarādhikaraṇam - Akṣara, the imperishable

• Sūtra 1.3.10 - Akṣara is the Lord

• Sūtra 1.3.11 - He controls everything

• Sūtra 1.3.12 - His attributes are described

• The timeless debate of Yājñavalkya and Gārgī

• Exercise

+ Topic 4: Īkṣati-karmādhikaraṇam - The person seen

• Sūtra 1.3.13 - Brahma-loka means the abode of the Lord

• The dialogue of Satyakāma and Pippalāda from the Praśna Upaniṣad

• Exercise

+ Topic 5: Daharādhikaraṇam - Dahara, the “small sky” inside the heart

• Sūtra 1.3.14 - The dahara is the abode of Paramātmā inside the heart

• The passage describing the dahara from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad

• Sūtra 1.3.15 - Additional support

• Sūtra 1.3.16 - The maintainer of the Universe

• Sūtra 1.3.17 - The common usage of the word

• Sūtra 1.3.18 - There is a great gap between the qualities of the jīva and the Lord

• Sūtra 1.3.19 - We can develop spiritual qualities only through sādhana

• Sūtra 1.3.20 - Attaining spiritual perfection

• Sūtra 1.3.21 - The Lord can be unlimitedly big, or inconceivably small

• Sūtra 1.3.22 - The jīva is never as great as the Lord, even in the liberated stage

• Sūtra 1.3.23 - Evidence from the Bhagavad-gītā

• Exercise

+ Topic 6: Pramitādhikaraṇam - The Person the Size of a Thumb is the Lord

• Sūtra 1.3.24 - Passages describing the Lord and the jīva within the heart

• Sūtra 1.3.25 - He becomes small to facilitate one’s meditation on Him

• Exercise

+ Topic 7: Devatādhikaraṇam - The devas also meditate on the Lord

• Sūtra 1.3.26 - The demigods also have material bodies

• Sūtra 1.3.27 - The demigods manifest in many forms to attend sacrifices

• Sūtra 1.3.28 - The temporality of the demigods does not contradict the eternality of the Vedas

• Sūtra 1.3.29 - The manifestation of the Vedas in human society

• Sūtra 1.3.30 - How the Vedas survive the universal cycles of creation and destruction

• Sūtra 1.3.31 - An argument from Jaimini

• Sūtra 1.3.32 - Another misconception

• Sūtra 1.3.33 - Vyasadeva gives the conclusion

• Exercise

+ Topic 8: Apaśūdrādhikaraṇam - The śūdra’s lack of qualification

• Sūtra 1.3.34 - A universal process

• Sūtra 1.3.35 - Jānaśruti was a kṣatriya

• The meeting of Jānaśruti and Raikva from the Chāndogya Upanisad

• Sūtra 1.3.36 - There are no saṃskāras prescribed to śūdras

• Sūtra 1.3.37 - The qualification of the student

• Sūtra 1.3.38 - A higher grade of knowledge

• Exercise

+ Topic 9: Kampanādhikaraṇam - The cause of trembling

• Sūtra 1.3.39-40 - Mysterious passages that indicate the Lord

• Exercise

+ Topic 10: Arthāntarādhikaraṇam - Ākāśa refers to the Lord, who is different from the jīva

• Sūtra 1.3.41 - Dismissing incorrect interpretations

• Sūtra 1.3.42 - How the soul is embraced by the Lord

• Sūtra 1.3.43 - The subordinate position of the jīva

• Exercise

+ All the sūtras of the third pāda in prose

+ The Fourth Pāda

+ The six philosophical systems
+ The atheistic Sānkhya

+ Topic 1: Anumānādhikaraṇam - The limits of inference in obtaining knowledge

• Sūtra 1.4.1 - Avyakta refers to the subtle body, and not to Pradhāna

• The conversation of Yamaraja and Nāciketa from the Kaṭha Upaniṣad

• Sūtra 1.4.2 - The appropriate definition

• Sūtra 1.4.3 - Material nature is dependent on the Lord

• Sūtra 1.4.4 - Pradhāna is not indicated in the text

• Sūtra 1.4.5 - Sānkhya loses its foundation

• Sūtra 1.4.6 - Three questions and answers

• Sūtra 1.4.7 - Mahat means the soul

• Exercise

+ Topic 2: Camasādhikaraṇam - The cup

• Sūtra 1.4.8 - The metaphor of the inverted cup

• The Lord is the cause

• Sūtra 1.4.9 - The divine potency of the Lord

• Sūtra 1.4.10 - Created by the Lord, but still unborn

• Tamas, the subtle potency

• One and separated

• Exercise

+ Topic 3: Sankhyopasangrahādhikaraṇam - The five pañca-janās

• Sūtra 1.4.11 - Counting the material elements

• Sūtra 1.4.12 - Five pañca-janās doesn’t mean five groups of five 651

• Sūtra 1.4.13 - The two recensions of the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 653

• Exercise 654

+ Topic 4: Kāraṇatvādhikaraṇam - The cause of everything

• Sūtra 1.4.14 - The Lord is the cause of the elements, not material nature

• Sūtra 1.4.15 - The Lord is also non-existent and unmanifest

• Exercise

+ Topic 5: Jagad-vācitvādhikaraṇam - The creator of the world

• Sūtra 1.4.16 - The word karma means the universe, composed of matter and souls

• Sūtra 1.4.17 - Prāna is also not the supreme cause

• Sūtra 1.4.18 - The jīva merges into prāna and again emerges from there

• The instructions of King Ajātaśatru to Bālākī from the Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad

• Exercise

+ Topic 6: Vākyānyādhikaraṇam - By context, the Lord is understood

• Sūtra 1.4.19 - Paramātmā is the Self

• Sūtra 1.4.20 - By knowledge of the Self, everything becomes known

• Sūtra 1.4.21 - The pure soul develops the qualities of the Lord

• Sūtra 1.4.22 - The Lord in the heart is great and full of knowledge

• Yājñavalkya teaches Maitreyī: The passage from the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad

• Exercise

+ Topic 7: Prakṛty-adhikaraṇam - Arguments against prakṛti as the material cause

• Sūtra 1.4.23 - Material nature is not separated from the Lord

• The cause and effect of the material manifestation

• Sūtra 1.4.24 - The Lord creates out of desire

• Sūtra 1.4.25 - Brahman created from Himself, standing upon Himself

• Sūtra 1.4.26 - Permutation of energy

• Sūtra 1.4.27 - The womb of the material creation

• Internal, external, and marginal energies

• Exercise

+ Topic 8: Sarva-vyākyātādhikaraṇam - All names are names of the Lord

• Sūtra 1.4.28 - All names belong to the Supreme Lord

• Exercise

+ All the sūtras of the fourth pāda in prose

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