jyotiś caraṇābhidhānāt: The light that has feet
Vyāsadeva concludes that jyoti in this passage also means Brahman, arguing that jyoti is described as having feet, proving that jyoti is a transcendental person.
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Sutra 1.1.24 - jyotiś caraṇābhidhānāt
jyotiś caraṇābhidhānāt
jyotiḥ: light, effulgence; caraṇa: of the feet; abhidhānāt: because of the mention.
Because the light (jyoti) is described as having feet, it must refer to the Supreme Brahman.
Commentary: The central word in the sutra is jyoti, light. This sutra brings the conclusion of another discussion from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. Vyāsadeva concludes that jyoti in this passage also means Brahman, arguing that jyoti is described as having feet, proving that jyoti is a transcendental person.
The context of the passage in question is the teachings about Gāyatrī (chapter 3.12 of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad) and the guardians of heaven (chapter 3.13). Ranga Rāmānuja explains that the Gāyatrī metric is divided into four parts (catuṣpāda), each with six syllables (ṣaḍ-vidha), like in the mantra "indraḥ śacipatiḥ, balena pīḍitaḥ, duścyavano vṛṣā, samitsu sā sahih", which has exactly 24 syllables, divided into four parts. Similarly, Brahman has four parts: all beings, the Earth, the body, and the heart. When represented in the living being, Brahman has the qualities of speech (in the sense of śabda, or Vedic knowledge) and deliverance. Brahman on the Earth has the qualities of sustaining all living beings and keeping them inside the universe, while Brahman as the body and heart has the quality of sustaining the vital air and keeping it inside the body.
Just like in the previous passages, the Chāndogya Upaniṣad uses the word Gāyatrī to mean Brahman, describing Gāyatrī as all beings that exist, transcendental sound, and so on, and from there, associating certain characteristics of the Gāyatrī metric with qualities of the Lord. Brahman manifests in the form of sound, or speech, imparting the perfect Vedic knowledge that delivers all beings, prescribing what is beneficial and forbidding what is dangerous. Similarly, Brahman is described as the Earth, because Brahman is the source of the power of maintenance that supports all beings. One can say that the planet Earth supports everyone, but in reality, the planet is just a mass of matter that doesn't have the power to support anything. The power to sustain comes from the Supreme Lord, and thus, Brahman is the Earth. Similarly, Brahman is the body, because the body supports and contains the vital airs as well as the senses. The capacity of the body to sustain life thus comes from Brahman. Finally, Brahman is the heart, the center of all energies of the body, and the seat for the soul, which is in turn, also one of the energies of the Lord, His marginal energy. In this way, everything that exists is part of the Lord, and nothing is separated from Him.
Finally, the passage describes that all these descriptions are not the complete greatness of the Lord. The greatness of the Lord far surpasses all that is described. The Lord has four parts, or feet (pāda). Of these, one foot forms the whole material creation, with all the living beings who live in the numerous material universes, while the other three feet form the spiritual sky, with all the spiritual planets and all the perfect beings who live there.
The Chāndogya Upaniṣad then describes the five doors to heaven and their five guardians. These five doors are described as present in the heart, emphasizing that the way to reach higher realms is by purifying one's consciousness, and not by some mechanical means of transportation. "Heaven" in this case can mean both the celestial planets or the spiritual world, according to the mentality of the worshiper. The same process of worship can bring one to one or the other, according to one's desire.
Each door is connected with one of the five vital airs (prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna, samāna), one of the senses, and a particular deity. One who sees these deities as demigods can reach the celestial planets, but one with a higher understanding, who sees them as manifestations of the Lord, can reach the spiritual world, which is the final purpose of the passage.
The eastern door is connected with prāna, the eye, and the Sun (Surya). The southern door is connected with vyāna, the ear, and the Moon (Candra). The left ear is used to hear about transcendental knowledge, which gives it a very central role in self-realization. The western door is connected with apāna, the voice, and the fire (Agni). These are the tools for performing Vedic sacrifices that can elevate us. The northern door is connected with samāna, the mind, and rain (Parjanya, or Indra). The mind should be engaged in meditating on the Lord. The upward door is connected with udāna, the air and ākāśa (Brahman), the source and maintainer of everything, and the giver of liberation. The text offers different material blessings for meditating in these four aspects, but the deeper purpose is to become Krsna conscious and attain the abode of the Lord.
After this, comes the mantra 3.13.7 of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, which is the center of the discussion of this sutra:
atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate viśvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣu sarvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣv, anuttameṣūttameṣu lokeṣu
idaṁ vāva tad yad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe jyotiḥ
"That light (jyoti) which shines above heaven, higher than everything in the highest worlds, beyond which there are no other worlds. That light that forms the background on which all universes and all planets—from the highest to the lowest—rest, is the same light which is within the heart of all living beings."
What is this light, or jyoti, mentioned here? Would it be the light generated by the Sun, fire, and other sources? One could be tempted to conclude that it is ordinary light because the verse doesn't directly mention anything else connected with it.
However, the verse in the previous section of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (3.12.6) mentions that the light has feet:
tāvān asya mahimā tato jyāyāṁś ca pūruṣaḥ
pādo ’sya sarvā bhūtāni tri-pād asyāmṛtaṁ divīti
"Such is His greatness, but the Lord (Puruṣa) is greater still. He is greater than everything that has been described. All material universes and all living beings are just His one foot. The other three feet form the immortal and eternal spiritual world."
This verse comes immediately after the description of the glories of Gāyatrī. It's thus clear that this verse also speaks about Gāyatrī, who is described as a person (Puruṣa). This same personality is later described using the term jyoti, and thus both the words gāyatrī and jyoti refer to the same being, who is, in turn, described as a person, and not as some impersonal sound or light.
However, even if we dismiss the usage of the word "pūruṣa", the personality of the Lord is still clear from the context. Ordinary light has no feet, therefore, the verses must be speaking about something else. Therefore, the correct answer is that the light referred to is the Supreme Brahman. This conclusion is reinforced by the other attributes described in the verse, like being beyond heaven and being present inside the hearts of all living beings. These are well-known qualities of the Supreme Lord. It would be awkward, to say the least, to try to apply these characteristics to ordinary light.
By proving that the mention of ākāśa, prāna, gāyatrī, jyoti, and other terms used in the different Upaniṣads applies to the Supreme Lord, the Govinda-bhāṣya proves that indeed the Lord is the main topic and goal of the scriptures, making it very difficult to sustain any impersonal or atheistic interpretation of the texts.
Back to the passage, jyoti is described as having four feet (pāda), which is a word frequently used to describe parts. The Supreme Brahman has four feet, or parts, just like each of the chapters of the Vedanta-sutra has four pādas. The first foot is the material world, which represents one-quarter of the creation, and the other three feet are the spiritual world, which represents the other three-quarters.
On his purport to SB 2.9.10, Srila Prabhupada mentions that: "The kingdom of God, or the atmosphere of the Vaikuṇṭha nature, which is called the tripād-vibhūti, is three times bigger than the material universes and is described here, as also in the Bhagavad-gītā, in a nutshell. This universe, containing billions of stars and planets, is one of the billions of such universes clustered together within the compass of the mahat-tattva. And all these millions and billions of universes combined constitute only one-fourth of the magnitude of the whole creation of the Lord. There is the spiritual sky also; beyond this sky are the spiritual planets under the names of Vaikuṇṭha, and all of them constitute three-fourths of the entire creation of the Lord. God's creations are always innumerable."
Krsna is not different from His energy; therefore, it is not incorrect to describe the energy as a part of Krsna. Krsna has three main energies: the internal potency, the external potency, and the marginal potency. The spiritual potency forms the spiritual sky, which corresponds to three-quarters of the total creation (the three feet), while the material energy corresponds to one-quarter (the one foot). The marginal potency is composed of the souls who can choose between being situated on one or another. The light mentioned in the sutra refers to the effulgence of Krsna, the Brahmajyoti. The energy is not different from the energetic; therefore, when the sutra speaks about the light, it is ultimately speaking about Krsna, the Supreme Person.
One could argue that atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir (3.13.7) doesn't immediately appear after tāvān asya mahimā tato jyāyāṁś ca pūruṣaḥ (3.12.6). These two texts are separated by a few verses and appear in separate sections of the Upaniṣad. However, Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa argues that they are brought together by the joint mention of the spiritual world, as well as by the use of the relative and co-relative pronouns yat and tat. This indicates that both texts describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
We can also observe that verses between 3.12.6 and 3.13.7 describe ākāśa, which was already established as being the Supreme Brahman, as well as describing the four feet or parts of the Supreme Lord (mentioned on 3.12.6) and the five doors to heaven. Text 3.13.7 then describes what is beyond the celestial planets, the paro divo jyotir (which can be interpreted as "the light over the spiritual sky" or "the light beyond the celestial planets"), which is now also proved to indicate the Supreme Lord.
Therefore, the argument of Vyāsadeva that jyoti is the Lord, because the light is described as having feet, holds true.
Sutra 1.1.25 - chando’bhidānān neti cen na tathā ceto’rpaṇa-nigadāt tathā hi darśanam
chando’bhidānān neti cen na tathā ceto’rpaṇa-nigadāt tathā hi darśanam
chandah: of a meter; abhidhānāt: being mentioned; na: not; tathā: in that way; cetah: the mind; arpaṇa: placing; nigādāt: because of the instruction; tathā hi: furthermore; darśanam: logical.
If someone claims that the feet refer to the gāyatrī meter [mentioned in the previous passage], I say no. The meter is taught to help one meditate on Brahman. Therefore, jyoti refers to Brahman. This is the correct understanding of the scripture.
Commentary: At the beginning of the passage of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad previously discussed, there is a mention to the gāyatrī mantra:
gāyatrī vā idaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ yad idaṁ kiñca vāg vai gāyatrī
vāg vā idaṁsarvaṁ bhūtaṁ gāyati ca trāyate ca
"Gāyatrī is indeed all beings and everything that exists. Gāyatrī is speech, the sound behind everything. Gāyatrī vibrates and delivers." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.12.1)
The greatness of Gāyatrī is confirmed in the following verses:
caiṣā catuṣpādā ṣaḍ-vidhā gāyatrī tad etad ṛācābhiyuktam
"The gāyatrī meter, of which there are four parts and six functions, is described is the mantras of the Vedas." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.12.5)
etavan asya mahima
"So great is His glory." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.12.6)
Being gāyatrī such an important mantra in Vedic culture, one could argue that the light (jyoti) discussed in the passage doesn't refer to Brahman, but to the gāyatrī meter. In this case, all the characteristics mentioned in these and other verses of Vedic literature, such as being the source of everything, containing all living entities in one of his feet, etc., would not apply to the Supreme Brahman, but to the gāyatrī meter, which is just a set of rules. In this case, the jyoti of the passage “tāvān asya mahimā tato jyāyāṁś ca pūruṣaḥ” we studied previous sutra, would also apply to the gāyatrī (since it is described as having four parts, just as the gāyatrī mantra).
One could then use this to sustain the idea that Brahman is ultimately impersonal, and that different passages of the scriptures that appear to describe the qualities of Brahman simply refer to different material creations.
To this, Vyāsadeva answers: chando’bhidānān neti cen, na, tathā ceto’rpaṇa-nigadāt tathā hi darśanam. If someone claims that the feet refer to the gāyatrī meter mentioned in the previous passage, I say no. The meter is taught to help one meditate on Brahman. Therefore, jyoti refers to Brahman, this is the correct understanding of the scripture.
One could understand the gāyatrī mantra in two ways. One is just as a meter, or a set of rules that has some power in itself, without connection with the Supreme Brahman. This interpretation is, however, clearly dismissed in the text of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, which describes gāyatrī as all beings and everything that exists. How can a simple meter include all beings? If understood in this light, it would not be acceptable to say that gāyatrī would be the origin of everything, that the living entities would form one of his feet, etc. One could insist, creating some imaginary and inconsistent interpretation of the whole passage, with some nihilistic conclusion of a set of rules of mathematical perfection being the source of everything that exists, but this would be simple speculation without any support in the scriptures.
The correct meaning is that the verses from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad teach about meditation on Brahman, which appears in the form of Gāyatrī.
This leads us to the second (and correct) interpretation of the mantra gāyatrī: the gāyatrī mantra is not just a meter or set of rules, but the sound representation of the Supreme Lord. Gāyatrī is thus the Supreme Lord, in the form of transcendental sound, and at the same time a metric used to compose verses that help us to focus our meditation on the Lord.
Once we accept Gāyatrī as the sound incarnation of the Supreme, the whole passage becomes clear. Being the sound representation of Brahman means the gāyatrī mantra shares the same qualities as the Supreme Brahman. In this way, the description of the living entities and other material manifestations being one of His feet (as well as other similar passages in the Vedas) makes sense.
When we understand that both gāyatrī and jyoti refer to the Supreme Lord, the whole passage of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad then sounds like this:
gāyatrī vā idaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ yad idaṁ kiñca vāg vai gāyatrī
vāg vā idaṁsarvaṁ bhūtaṁ gāyati ca trāyate ca
"Gāyatrī is indeed all beings and everything that exists. Gāyatrī is vak, the transcendental sound behind everything. Gāyatrī vibrates and delivers the living beings." (3.12.1)
yā vai sā gāyatrīyaṁ vāva sā yeyaṁ prṭhivy āsyāṁ hīdaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ pratiṣṭhitam etām eva nātiśīyate
"That Brahman, or Gāyatrī, which is all beings, is also the Universe. All beings are supported by the Earth, and they can't go beyond the Earth (they can't leave the universe)." (3.12.2)
yā vai sā pṛthivīyaṁ vāva sā yad idam asmin puruṣe śarīram asmin hīme prāṇāḥ pratiṣṭhitā etad eva nātiśīyante
"That Earth is also the body of the jīva. Just as the jīva is restricted to the Earth, prāṇa, the vital air, is established in the body and does not go beyond the body." (3.12.3)
yad vai tat puruṣe śarīram idaṁ vāva yad tad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe hṛdayam asmin hīme prāṇāḥ pratiṣṭhitā etad eva nātiśīyante
"That Supreme Lord, who is Gāyatrī, the Earth and the body, is also the heart. In the heart, all the prānas and the senses are established, and they don't go beyond it." (3.12.4)
saiṣā catuṣ-padā ṣaḍ-vidhā gāyatrī tad etad ṛcābhyanūktam.
"The gāyatrī meter, of which there are four parts and six functions, is described in the mantras of the Vedas." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.12.5)
tāvān asya mahimā tato jyāyāṁś ca pūruṣaḥ
pādo ’sya sarvā bhūtāni tri-pād asyāmṛtaṁ divīti
"Such is His greatness, but the Lord (Puruṣa) is greater still. He is greater than everything that has been described. All material universes and all living beings are just His one foot. The other three feet form the immortal and eternal spiritual world." (3.12.6)
yad vai tad brahmetīdaṁ vāva tad yo ’yaṁ bahirdhā puruṣād
ākāśo yo vai sa bahirdhā puruṣād ākāśaḥ
"Indeed, the Supreme Brahman is the ākāśa (ether) that exists all around. This ākāśa is the Lord." (3.12.7)
ayaṁ vāva sa yo ’yam antaḥ puruṣe ākāśo yo vai so ’ntaḥ puruṣa ākāśaḥ
"This same unlimited ākāśa exists also inside the person. This very ākāśa is the Lord." (3.12.8)
ayaṁ vāva sa yo ’yam antar hṛdaya ākāśas tad etat pūrṇam apravarti pūrṇam apravartinīṁ śriyaṁ labhate ya evaṁ veda
"This indeed is Brahman. He is the ākāśa within the heart. This ākāśa is perfect and unchanging. He who knows this attains eternal wealth and prosperity (he returns back home, back to Godhead)." (3.12.9)
tasya ha vā etasya hṛdayasya pañca deva-suṣayaḥ
sa yo ’sya prāṇ suṣiḥ sa prāṇas tac cakṣuḥ sa ādityaḥ
tad etat tejo ’nnādyam ity upāsīta
tejasvy annādo bhavati ya evaṁ veda
"The heart is the fourth aspect of Brahman [the other three are all beings, the Earth, and the body, described in the previous mantras]. It has five doors, each connected with one of the five vital airs, one of the senses, and a presiding deity. The eastern door is connected with prāṇa, the eye, and the Sun (Surya). To realize this aspect, one should meditate on the Sun's brilliance and on its potency as the source of nourishment. One who realizes this aspect becomes brilliant as the Sun and is nourished with enough food." (3.13.1)
atha yo ’sya dakṣiṇaḥ suṣiḥ sa vyānas tac chrotraṁ sa candramās tad etac chrīś ca yaśaś cety upāsīta
śrīmān yaśasvī bhavati ya evaṁ veda
"The southern door is connected with vyāna, the ear, and the Moon (Chandra). To realize this aspect, one should meditate on the Moon as wealth and fame. One who realizes this becomes wealthy and famous." (3.13.2)
atha yo ’sya pratyaṅ suṣiḥ so ’pānaḥ sā vāk so ’gnis tad etad brahma-varcasam annādyam ity upāsīta
brahma-varcasy annādo bhavati ya evaṁ veda
"The western door is connected with apāna, the voice, and fire (Agni). To realize this aspect, one should meditate on fire as spiritual radiance and as the source of nourishment. By realizing this, one becomes endowed with spiritual knowledge and nourishment." (3.13.3)
atha yo’syodaṅ suṣiḥ sa samānas tan manaḥ sa parjanyas tad etad kīrtiś ca vyuṣṭiś cety upāsīta
kīrti-mān vyuṣṭi-mān bhavati ya evaṁ veda
"The northern door is connected with samāna, the mind, and rain (Parjanya, or Indra). One should meditate on him as fame and physical beauty. He who realizes this becomes famous and beautiful." (3.13.4)
atha yo’syordhvaḥ suṣiḥ sa udānaḥ sa vāyuḥ sa ākāśas tad etad ojaś ca mahaś cety upāsīta
ojasvī mahasvān bhavati ya evaṁ veda
"The upward channel of the heart is connected with udāna, the cosmic air, and ether (Ākāśa). One should meditate on ākāśa as spiritual strength and greatness. He who realizes this becomes spiritually strong and great." (3.13.5)
te vā ete pañca brahma-puruṣāḥ svargasya lokasya dvāra-pāḥ
sa ya etān evaṁ pañca brahma-puruṣān svargasya lokasya dvāra-pān
vedāsya kule vīro jāyate
pratipadyate svargaṁ lokaṁ ya etan evaṁ pañca brahma-puruṣan svargasya lokasya dvārapān veda
"These five are indeed the doorkeepers of heaven. One who realizes these five aspects and their role as the gatekeepers of the abode of the Lord obtains spiritually powerful sons and ultimately returns back home, back to Godhead." (3.13.6)
atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate viśvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣu sarvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣv
anuttameṣūttameṣu lokeṣu
idaṁ vāva tad yad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe jyotiḥ
"That light (jyoti) which shines above heaven, higher than everything in the highest worlds, beyond which there are no other worlds. That light that forms the background on which all universes and all planets—from the highest to the lowest—rest, is the same light which is within the heart of all living beings." (3.13.7)
In this way, Brahman is both jyoti and Gāyatrī. This is the natural interpretation of the passage, as indicated by Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa and by Vyāsadeva himself.
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