Returning to our original position (Mundaka Upaniṣad #13)
Both conditioning and liberation are the result of free will. Love for Krsna is the eternal dharma of the soul. When we decide to go back home, Krsna helps us in every way.
The Lord is one, but He appears in many forms. He is present in His abode and inside everyone's heart. Possessing multiple, inconceivable potencies, He is the source and the maintainer of everything and He is the foundation of all sources of light. Because the Lord has potencies and qualities, it is undeniable that He is a person.
Conditioned life means ignorance, and this ignorance and darkness keep us away from the Lord. However, when illuminated by the light of transcendental knowledge, we can perceive the Lord's transcendental form. When this realization is obtained, all karma is destroyed, and we become free of all material contamination.
All material designations appear as the result of the false ego, and when this root cause is cut, we can again see ourselves as pure souls.
Both conditioning and liberation are the result of the proper or improper use of free will. Love for Krsna is the eternal dharma of the soul, and love is possible only due to the existence of free will. When we finally decide we want to take the way back home, Krsna helps us in every way.
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Text 2.2.7
yaḥ sarva-jñaḥ sarva-vid yasyaiṣa mahimā bhuvi
divye brahma-pure hy eṣa vyomany ātmā pratiṣṭitaḥ
manomayaḥ prāṇa-śarīra-netā
pratiṣṭhito ’nne hṛdayam sannidhāya
tad vijñānena paripaśyanti dhīrā
ānanda-rūpam amṛtam yad vibhati
The Lord is all-knowing and omniscient. His greatness is manifested all over the world in all creations. He is established in His abode in Vaikunta (brahma-pura), but at the same time, He resides in the cavity of the heart of all living beings. He is one, but at the same time many. He is the maintainer of both the mind and the vital airs. He is the source of consciousness and realization. The wise, possessor of deep spiritual knowledge, can perceive His transcendental blissful form by meditating on Him residing in the region of the heart.
Commentary: The words "brahmaloka" or "brahma-pura" are often used in relation to Satyaloka, the abode of Brahma, but in a higher sense, they describe the abode of the Lord. Brahmaloka means the "city of Brahman", meaning the Vaikunta planets (or the heart, as the abode of Paramatma), and brahma-pura has a similar meaning, describing the abode of the Lord. The term brahmaloka can also be used to describe the impersonal Brahman, but this is a secondary meaning, usually preferred by impersonalists, who fail to understand that behind the spiritual light of the impersonal brahmajyoti there are the spiritual planets, which are the abode of the Lord. The impersonal brahmajyoti is nothing more than the effulgence of Krsna's body, just one of His divine manifestations. As He personally confirms in the Bhagavad-gita: brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham (I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman).
As explained in the Vedanta-sutra (janmādy asya yataḥ), the Lord has multiple potencies, and He is the intelligent, conscious controller of them. When we separate the energy from the energetic, the energy may appear to be impersonal, but by observing the energy acting, we can understand there is a person behind it. To think electricity can work by itself, without the arrangement or control of a human being is foolish. Similarly, to think the brahmajyoti exists by itself, without being anchored on the Lord, or to think the material nature creates the cosmic manifestation without being touched by Him is imperfect knowledge.
Vyasadeva expands the contents of the sutra "janmādy asya yataḥ" in the first verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam, making the meaning even more clear: janmādy asya yato ’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ, "He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him."
Text 2.2.8
bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-samśayāḥ
kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi tasmin dṛṣṭe parāvare
When one finally attains spiritual realization, attaining the divine vision of the transcendental form of the Lord who is the chief of all beings, all the knots of ignorance inside the heart are cut, all doubts are destroyed, and all karma is exhausted.
Commentary: What is the result of the divine vision of the Lord described in the previous verse? One achieves transcendental realization and becomes completely free of material contamination.
The first part of the verse, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś describes how the knots in the heart are cut. Both the soul and the Lord are present inside the heart, but they are not the same. The Lord remains in His transcendental position of eternal existence, knowledge, and bliss, while the soul associates with the false ego and forgets his eternal spiritual identity, assuming instead different temporary identities in this material world.
Because none of the identities we assume in this material world are eternal we need to move from one temporary identity to the other, transmigrating from one body to another in a limitless cycle. Once assuming a material body, the soul forgets the previous, and thus we live in continuous ignorance, aware just of the current illusory situation we are in. All material bodies are ultimately miserable, because they block the eternal blissful quality of the soul, forcing us to look instead for bliss in illusory sense gratification. Although life in the material world is so difficult, still we become attached to whatever condition we are put in due to the results of our past karma, and we don't want to leave. Even Indra showed reluctance to leave when he was cursed to assume the body of a pig.
Although part of the spiritual energy of the Lord, the soul is very small, and thus when we come in contact with the material energy, we become overwhelmed by it and can't find our way out. The Lord however is the controller of the material energy, and He can very easily give release to the soul who desires so. That's His desire, but He can't free us until we decide for ourselves we want to leave. Why? Because the Lord respects our free will. Free will is an intrinsic and inseparable quality because it is the very thing that allows the soul to love Krsna. We read that love for Krsna is the eternal dharma, the eternal characteristic of the soul, and love is possible only due to the existence of free will. Love means I have the freedom to leave, but I choose to stay. If I'm held captive, this is not love, but slavery. Love must be the result of a conscious choice, and the possibility of making choices means we can make the wrong choices. Free will is thus the reason we come to this material world, but it is also the path to becoming free of it. When we finally decide we want to take the way back home, Krsna helps us in every way, so we can be ultimately successful. One of the main topics of the Srimad Bhagavatam is the protection of the Lord, and the ultimate protection is His protection of our devotional service, helping us to return to the path even if we temporarily forget, just as in the case of Ajamila.
When the knots in the heart are cut, we become free from the material designations that appear as the result of the false ego, and we can again see ourselves as the pure soul. When this happens, chidyante sarva-samśayāḥ kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi: all doubts are destroyed, and all karma is exhausted.
Karma is like a bank account that is connected with our material identity. It is centered around the subtle body. As long as we live in the material world, under the influence of false ego, karma never ends. It's impossible to live without performing activities, and thus the results simply multiply. However, when we return to our original identity as a soul, karma stops covering us, just like clouds covering the sun stay behind when we go high enough in the sky.
The Lord is referred to in the verse as Parāvara because all the powerful beings (parā) like Brahma and other demigods are inferior to Him (avara). Another reading is that the Lord is parā (the highest) and all others are avara (inferior to him). In both interpretations, the meaning is the same. All material coverings are removed when we come to see this Supreme Lord.
The verse describes the process of seeing the Lord by meditating on Paramatma inside the heart. This is similar to what is described in the teachings of Lord Kapila in the third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, where the Lord describes spiritual realization through the process of astanga-yoga. In his purports, however, Srila Prabhupada explains that all items in the process of astanga-yoga have a parallel activity in bhakti-yoga (SB 3.28.11 purport). For an astanga-yogi, the object of meditation is the form of the Lord inside the heart, but for a bhakti-yogi, the Lord appears personally in a visible form, as the deity. The process is thus similar, but in bhakti-yoga, it's much easier and more effective. A yogi has to practice for many years asana and prāṇāyāma before being able to even start the process of actual meditation. A devotee however can see the personal form of the Lord from the first day, although the degree to which one will factually perceive the Lord will vary according to his devotion.
Apart from receiving the darshan of the deity, a devotee can personally serve and worship the deity. Deity worship is essential because it counteracts the natural tendency of the conditioned soul to impersonalism. This false conception is deeply rooted in our consciousness, and the process of seeing the Lord in the form of the deity, deeply meditating in each detail of His form, developing a personal relationship with Him, serving Him, chanting His glories, remembering His pastimes, etc. is the best way of counteracting this. When we can finally see the Lord, the process described in this verse happens, and we finally become free from whatever vestiges of material contamination are still there.
Text 2.2.9-11
hiraṇmaye pare kośe
virajam brahma niṣkalam
tac chubhram jyotiṣām jyotis
tad yad ātma-vido viduḥ
na tatra sūryo bhāti na candra-tārakam
nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto ’yam agniḥ
tam eva bhāntam anu bhāti sarvam
tasya bhāsā sarvam idam vibhāti
brahmaivedam amṛtam purastād brahma
paścād brahma dakṣiṇataś cottareṇa
adhaś cordhvam ca prasṛtam brahmai-
vedam viśvam idam variṣṭham
“In the spiritual realm, beyond the material covering, is the unlimited Brahman effulgence, which is free from material contamination. That effulgent white light is understood by transcendentalists to be the light of all lights. In that realm there is no need of sunshine, moonshine, fire or electricity for illumination. Indeed, whatever illumination appears in the material world is only a reflection of that supreme illumination. That Brahman is in front and in back, in the north, south, east and west, and also overhead and below. In other words, that supreme Brahman effulgence spreads throughout both the material and spiritual skies.”
Commentary: Srila Prabhupada gives the translation for these three verses in his purport to Īśopanisad 15.
In the first verse of the three, the word hiraṇmaye describes the abode of the Lord, that covers him like a sheath (kosha). Srila Madhvacharya explains that this metaphor can be interpreted as the Lord residing in the Śiśumāra (the celestial dolphin, or the path of the Milky Way) or the Lord residing in the sun and being the source of its brilliance. Both are objects of meditation. Yogis meditate on the Śiśumāra, while Brahmanas meditate on the Lord in the sun while chanting the Gayatri mantra. This verse can be interpreted as referring to any of the two, or as both. Following this interpretation, the verse could also be translated as: "The knowers of the absolute truth see the Supreme Lord as the indivisible (niṣkalam), free from all contamination of the three material modes and completely pure. He is the source of light for the stars and all luminous objects. He resides in the sun globe and in the Śiśumāra, which covers Him like a sheath."
Just like we find the Lord residing together with the soul in a human body, similarly the Lord resides in the sun together with Vivasvan, the demigod. Superficially, it may appear that the sun shines because of the potency of the demigod, but in reality, all the potency comes from the Lord, who empowers both the demigod and the sun globe. One who is advanced in knowledge therefore sees the Lord residing in the sun. The same applies to the stars and all other luminous objects we see in the sky.
In his translation, however, Srila Prabhupada gives yet another meaning, mentioning "hiraṇmaye pare kośe" referring to the spiritual realm, beyond the material covering. All the spiritual planets are surrounded by the supreme light of the impersonal brahmajyoti, which in turn is nothing more than the personal effulgence of the Lord. Whatever light we see in this material world is just a tiny reflection of this supreme light.
Often, different acaryas give different interpretations of the same verses, but their commentaries should not be seen as contradictory. Instead, we should see them as complementary. In the material world, we live under duality, seeing everything as black and white, right and wrong, etc. In spiritual matters, however, this duality ceases to exist. In the spiritual plane, everything is absolute, and all apparently contradictory qualities are reconciled. Krsna simultaneously resides inside the sun, the Śiśumāra, and in the spiritual planets, since everything is composed of His energy. There is thus no contradiction, one just has to choose his object of meditation.
The word niṣkalam indicates that the Lord is indivisible. This refutes the impersonal idea that Brahman was divided into individual souls who now strive to reunite with the whole. As explained by Srila Ramanujacarya, the Lord and His energies are one, but at the same time, there is individuality. The souls are in one sense part of the Lord, being part of his energy, but at the same time eternally individuals. There is no separation or merging, as the verse clearly states. Even Sankaracarya accepts this meaning in his commentary, mentioning that Brahman is indivisible, being devoid of parts.
Srila Prabhupada also touches on this point in the same purport:
"Perfect knowledge means knowing Kṛṣṇa as the root of this Brahman effulgence. This knowledge can be gained from such scriptures as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which perfectly elaborates the science of Kṛṣṇa. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the author, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, has established that one will describe the Supreme Truth as Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān according to one’s realization of Him. Śrīla Vyāsadeva never states that the Supreme Truth is a jīva, an ordinary living entity. The living entity should never be considered the all-powerful Supreme Truth. If he were the Supreme, he would not need to pray to the Lord to remove His dazzling cover so that the living entity could see His real face. The conclusion is that one who has no knowledge of the potencies of the Supreme Truth will realize the impersonal Brahman. Similarly, when one realizes the material potencies of the Lord but has little or no information of the spiritual potencies, he attains Paramātmā realization. Thus both Brahman and Paramātmā realization of the Absolute Truth are partial realizations. However, when one realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in full potency after the removal of the hiraṇmaya-pātra, one realizes vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Vāsudeva, is everything – Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. He is Bhagavān, the root, and Brahman and Paramātmā are His branches."
The second verse mentions: na tatra sūryo bhāti na candra-tārakam, nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto ’yam agniḥ, tam eva bhāntam anubhāti sarvam, tasya bhāsā sarva idam vibhāti. Without the presence of the Supreme Lord, the sun does not shine, nor does the moon, the stars, or fire. Rather, is the light of the Supreme that is reflected in all these sources of light.
How is that? If we put a light bulb in front of the sun, it will look dark, because the light of the lamp is much less intense than the light of the sun. The lamp may look brilliant in a dark room, but in the presence of the sun, its luminescence is insignificant. Similarly, all luminous objects we have in this material world, starting with the sun, appear to be brilliant only due to the dark nature of this material world. Compared to the transcendental effulgence of the Lord, they are insignificant. In fact, all luminous objects emit light by reflecting a tiny percentage of the light of the brahmajyoti manifesting it inside this universe. The brahmajyoti in turn is nothing more than the effulgence of Krsna's body and the spiritual planets that are part of His spiritual potency.
Not only the sun but all attractive objects we may find in this world are just a reflection of a tiny part of Krsna's opulence, as He explains in the Bhagavad-gita (10.41): "Know that all opulent, beautiful, and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor."