The basic principle of bliss (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.7)
The ultimate goal of life is that one may gradually come to understand his original spiritual position. By understanding how everything depends on the Supreme Lord, we can easily surrender to Him.
Section 7: The basic principle of bliss
“A living entity becomes established in spiritual, blissful life when he fully understands that his happiness depends on spiritual self-realization, which is the basic principle of ānanda (bliss), and when he is eternally situated in the service of the Lord, who has no other lord above Him.” The ultimate goal of life is that one may gradually come to understand his original spiritual position. By understanding how everything depends on the Supreme Lord, we can easily surrender to Him. When we do that, we become blissful. However, when we remain under the concept of I and my, there is great fear, which comes from ignorance of our true self.
Text 2.7.1
asad vā idam agra āsīt, tato vai sad ajāyata
tad ātmānam svayam akuruta, tasmāt tat-sukṛtam ucyata iti
yad vai tat sukṛtam raso vai saḥ
rasam hy evāyam labdhvā ’nandī bhavati
ko hy evānyāt kaḥ prāṇyāt, yad eṣa ākāśa ānando na syāt
eṣa hy evānandayāti
yadā hy evaiṣa etasminn adṛśye’nātmye’nirukte’nilayane’bhayam pratiṣṭhām vindate, atha so’bhayam gato bhavati
yadā hyevaiṣa etasminn udaram antaram kurute
atha tasya bhayam bhavati, tat tv eva bhayam viduṣo’manvānasya
tad apy eṣa śloko bhavati
In the beginning, the creation was non-existent. It was not yet defined by forms and names. From this unmanifest was born whatever exists. The Lord created it, therefore He is called Atman. When one understands the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure, Kṛṣṇa, he truly becomes transcendentally blissful. A living entity becomes established in spiritual, blissful life when he fully understands that his happiness depends on spiritual self-realization, which is the basic principle of ānanda (bliss), and when he is eternally situated in the service of the Lord, who has no other lord above Him.
By understanding the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure, Kṛṣṇa, one becomes truly transcendentally blissful. For one who deviates from it, however, taking shelter in the false ego, there is great fear. This fear exists only for the one who thinks himself wise, and not for the true sage.
Commentary: In his purport to Bg 14.27, Srila Prabhupada gives the translation of “raso vai saḥ, rasam hy evāyam labdhvānandī bhavati” as “When one understands the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure, Kṛṣṇa, he actually becomes transcendentally blissful.”
In SB 5.19.20 he gives the translation of “eṣa hy evānandayati. yadā hy evaiṣa etasmin na dṛśye 'nātmye anirukte 'nilayane 'bhayam pratiṣṭhām vindate 'tha so 'bhayam gato bhavati” as “A living entity becomes established in spiritual, blissful life when he fully understands that his happiness depends on spiritual self-realization, which is the basic principle of ānanda (bliss), and when he is eternally situated in the service of the Lord, who has no other lord above Him.”
It's described that, desiring to create the material manifestation, Lord Mahā-Vishnu looks in the direction of the material energy, and in this way inseminates pradhana with the time energy and the jivas who want to take part in the material creation. With this, the energy is activated, and the material creation starts. First, the three material modes become apparent, and from the combination of pradhana with time and each of the three modes, all the material elements are created. The material creation doesn't imply a transformation of the material energy, but instead in a permutation, or reorganization of it. The material energy is permuted into the material creation and later returned to its original, disassembled state.
The Lord creates the material world and also destroys it in due time. The material manifestation exists under the limits of time, and while it is active the living entities can perform material activities, impelled by the three modes. The goal however is that one may gradually come to understand his original spiritual position. This is the main message of the scriptures, which Srila Prabhupada emphasizes in his teachings.
"In the beginning, the creation was non-existent" refers to the unmanifested state, when everything merges into the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu. The universe remains unmanifested for 311.04 trillion years (the same period as a life of Brahma) with the souls sleeping in the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu. When this period is complete, the Lord desires to again create the material manifestation to give a new chance for the souls to regain their original spiritual nature.
In the 10th chapter of the 2nd canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, the universe is explained as a huge set of interdependent components, which are successively created by the Lord as different parts of the primary creation. Later, when Brahma is generated from the lotus flower sprouting from the navel of Lord Garbodakasayi Viṣṇu, He creates the universe following this project, giving physical forms to everything. The Lord is independent, and by his desire, He generates many sets of interdependent things.
For example, it’s described that from ether, sense energy, mental force, and bodily strength are generated. These three dictate the movements of all living entities, allowing them to act in the world according to their desires. One is propelled to act because of the pull of the senses, and action is coordinated by the workings of the mind. Desires, however, can be converted into physical activity only because of the strength of the body. These form, thus, a set of interdependent things that are created by the Lord. We can move because the material energy itself is moving, and it is set into motion by the Lord. When this movement is stopped, at the end of creation, we also stop moving and go to sleep inside the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu.
It’s also described that the Lord generated the sensations of hunger and thirst, and this led to the creation of the mouth and tongue, as well as all the tastes and Varuna, the demigod who controls it. Apart from tasting, the mouth is also used to speak. The property of speech, as well as the controlling demigod, were generated next. Just like these components were generated at this stage in the Virat-Purusha, they develop in the body of each living entity when inside the womb, following the project created by the Lord.
The Lord creates the adhibhautic (the senses that compose the different bodies) and the adhidaivic (the demigods that control them). It's only because of these two that the adhyātmic (the living entities) can enjoy these sensations. If not for the Lord, we would not have tongues, hands, or stomachs, and would thus not be able to enjoy the world. Thus, all these different senses should be used for the Lord.
Different living entities receive different sets of bodies and senses according to their consciousness and activities. In this way, the different demigods act according to the will of the Lord. If one's karma is to not see, for example, the eyes may be present in his body, but he will not be able to see, because the corresponding demigod will withdraw his potency from the eye. The adhibhautic (the eye) may be present, and there may be many things to see, but without the cooperation of the adhidaivic (the demigod), the adhyātmic (the person) will not see.
All the other senses, objects of the senses, and the corresponding demigods are generated at this stage. The scriptures describe the most prominent stages of creation, as well as the most prominent features of the universe. It's not just because something is not directly mentioned that we should presume it does not exist. The main purpose of this description is to emphasize the point that everything is connected with the Supreme Lord. No one is independent from Him. This whole explanation is thus connected with the topic of asraya, which is the principal among the ten subjects of the Srimad Bhagavatam. By understanding how everything depends on the Supreme Lord, we can easily surrender to Him. As explained in this verse of the Taittiriya Upanisad, when one does that, he becomes blissful. However, when we remain under the concept of I and My, there is great fear, which comes from ignorance of our true self.
Kṛṣṇa is always fully independent; when He becomes subordinate to His devotees, this is a display of ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, the humor of transcendental qualities that increases His transcendental pleasure. Everyone worships Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He sometimes desires to be controlled by someone else. Such a controller can be no one else but a pure devotee. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.9.19)