Śaunaka approaches Angirasa
Giving the example of a perfect disciple, Śaunaka approached Angirasa holding firewood meant for sacrifice in his hands. Śaunaka was a great sage, who was looking for the conclusion of all scriptures.
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Śaunaka approaches Angirasa
Before hearing the Srimad Bhagavatam from Sukadeva Goswami, the sages in Naimiṣāraṇya, led by Śaunaka Ṛṣi heard many other important scriptures from other speakers, including the Muṇḍaka Upanisad, heard from Angirasa.
Giving the example of a perfect disciple, Śaunaka approached Angirasa with all due respect, holding firewood meant for sacrifice in his hands, and so on. Śaunaka was a great sage, who was looking for the ultimate conclusion of all scriptures. Not only should we look for a qualified spiritual master to receive transcendental knowledge and approach him with the right attitude, but we should understand what we are looking for. Self-realized souls can transmit to us the most valuable knowledge that can free us from birth and death, and therefore it is foolish to approach them to ask about material subjects. Spiritual knowledge describes the Supreme Lord, and since the Lord includes everything, when one masters this knowledge, everything else becomes known.
Text 1.1.3
śaunako ha vai mahāśālo ’ngirasam vidhivad upasannaḥ papraccha
kasmin nu bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idam vijñātam bhavatīti
Śaunaka, the respected householder, approached Angirasa following proper etiquette and inquired: "Oh great sage who knows everything! Knowing what does all become known?"
Commentary: Śaunaka was the son of Śunaka. He is described as "mahāśāla" a respected householder, who approached the sage Angirasa according to the proper etiquette (vidhivat) to inquire about spiritual knowledge. He was holding firewood in his hands, had a respectful attitude, and so on, according to the Vedic practice of approaching a guru with respect and the appropriate mentality for receiving spiritual knowledge.
The necessity of accepting a qualified spiritual master is described by Srila Prabhupada in his purport to ŚB 5.14.41:
"Even if one wanders for many millions of years, from the time of creation until the time of annihilation, one cannot get free from the path of material existence unless one receives shelter at the lotus feet of a pure devotee. As a monkey takes shelter of the branch of a banyan tree and thinks he is enjoying, the conditioned soul, not knowing the real interest of his life, takes shelter of the path of karma-kāṇḍa, fruitive activities. Sometimes he is elevated to the heavenly planets by such activities, and sometimes he again descends to earth. This is described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as brahmāṇḍa bhramite. However, if by Kṛṣṇa’s grace one is fortunate enough to come under the shelter of the guru, by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa he receives lessons on how to execute devotional service to the Supreme Lord. In this way he receives a clue of how to get out of his continuous struggle up and down within the material world. Therefore the Vedic injunction is that one should approach a spiritual master. The Vedas declare: tad-vijñānārtham sa gurum evābhigacchet (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12). Similarly in Bhagavad-gītā (4.34) the Supreme Personality of Godhead advises:
tad viddhi praṇipātena, paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānam, jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21) gives similar advice:
tasmād gurum prapadyeta, jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātam, brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
“Any person who seriously desires to achieve real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of his spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters.” Similarly, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, a great Vaiṣṇava, also advises, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: “By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.” This is the same advice given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu (guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja). This is essential. One must come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore one must take shelter of a pure devotee. Thus one can become free from the clutches of matter."
The Kaṭha Upaniṣad (2.9) confirms: naiṣā tarkeṇa matir āpaneyā proktānyenaiva su-jñānāya preṣṭha, “This realization, my dear boy, cannot be acquired by logic. It must be spoken by an exceptionally qualified spiritual master to a knowledgeable disciple.”
Even in Vedic times, there were many rsis and munis, and they would not be capable of understanding the absolute truth using their intellect. This proves that mental power alone is not sufficient to understand the scriptures and realize the Lord. After receiving some preliminary knowledge, one may acquire some faith, which can lead him to approach a qualified spiritual master, and then, under his guidance, he may deepen his understanding. This is part of a natural sequence explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, as part of His teachings to Sanātana Goswami:
ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-sango ’tha bhajana-kriyā
tato ’nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ
athāsaktis tato bhāvas tataḥ premābhyudañcati
sādhakānām ayam premṇaḥ prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ
"In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is initiated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sādhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually emotions intensify, and finally there is an awakening of love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." (CC Madhya 23.14-15)
The spiritual master not only teaches but also empowers the disciple to understand spiritual knowledge, acting as the representative of Krsna who connects the disciple to the parampara and makes him a member of the Acyuta-gotra, the family of Krsna. One can't join a family just by his sole desire, one has to be born there or be adopted to become part of it. Even when we consider just the aspect of the transmission of knowledge, the acceptance of a spiritual master is essential because to understand the scriptures one must have the correct conclusions of the text, which need to be received from the spiritual master, be him the diksa or siksa guru. Once acquired, the knowledge still has to be realized, which is a longer process than most of us may realize. During this process, the spiritual master has to check the disciple and correct him when necessary, making sure he continues on the right path. Without this process, it is improbable one will be able to reach the ultimate goal.
Apart from approaching a qualified spiritual master with the proper attitude, one should understand what he is looking for. One may approach a spiritual master to ask for material blessings, inquire about solutions to material problems or even inquire about knowledge on material subjects included in the Vedas (such as Vastu or Jyotish, for example). However, one who is intelligent will directly ask about spiritual knowledge, the knowledge by which everything can become known, and that can solve the real problems of life. That was the attitude of Śaunaka, and we will see the results of this inquiry in the pages of the Muṇḍaka Upanisad.
After approaching his spiritual master, Śaunaka asked: "kasmin nu bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idam vijñātam bhavatīti". There are several details hidden in this sentence:
The word "kasmin" indicates a specific inquiry about the absolute truth, which acts as both the efficient cause (nimitta) and the material cause (upādāna). In other words, the Lord is both the cause and the effect of everything, because everything comes from the Lord and is composed of His energy.
The expression "efficient cause" is part of the Vedanta terminology, the way it is translated into English by Srila Prabhupada. You can note he uses this term in many passages. "Efficient cause" means the active agent that initiates creation (in other words, God in His personal aspect, acting according to His desire through His potencies), while "material cause" indicates the material energy (the external potency of the Lord) from which all material manifestations are created.
When we say that the Lord is both the efficient cause (nimitta) and the material cause (upādāna) of everything, we indicate that He is everything, both the energy and the manipulator of the energy, or in other words, both the energy and the energetic. There is nothing apart from the Lord. Everything is the Lord, but at the same time, there is differentiation among His different energies. This is the essence of the achintya bheda-abheda tattva philosophy of Mahaprabhu. We are one with God, being part of His energy, but at the same time separate individuals.
The word "bhagavo" used by Śaunaka to address his spiritual master, Angirasa, comes from Bhagavān. The special meaning of this word is given in the Vishnu Purana: utpattim pralayam caiva bhūtānām āgatim gatim vetti vidyām avidyām ca sa vācyo bhagavan iti, "One who knows creation and dissolution, the appearance and disappearance of all beings, as well as knowledge and ignorance, is called Bhagavān." In other words, Bhagavan is a person who fully understands the absolute truth and has thus complete knowledge.
An analogy used in many passages of the Upanisads is that just as by understanding the properties of clay one can understand the properties of all objects made from clay, by understanding the foundation of all knowledge, the Supreme Brahman, one can fully understand everything else that exists. There is nothing separate from Krsna, therefore, Krsna is the sarva-vidyā-pratiṣṭhā, the basis of all knowledge. One who understands Krsna knows everything.
In this way, when Śaunaka declares that Angirasa knows everything, he implies that he has perfect knowledge about the Lord, including His potencies, qualities, activities, and so on. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu encapsulates this teaching in his instruction: kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya. "Whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī or a śūdra—regardless of what he is—he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa."
The qualification for a spiritual master is not being part of a certain social class, caste, or gender. Instead of looking for such external features, one should look for someone who knows the science of Krsna. One who knows Krsna knows everything and can deliver us from the ocean of birth and death. This is more valuable than any other qualification.
Apart from his participation in the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavatam, as the leader of the sages in Naimiṣāraṇya, Śaunaka is also credited with the writing of the Śaunaka Sūtras, which are part of the Atharva Veda. The Muṇḍaka Upanisad, the result of his inquiries to the sage Angirasa, is also originally part of the Atharva Veda, therefore we can note the relationship of Śaunaka with the scripture.
Srila Prabhupada quotes this verse in a large number of his purports to emphasize the idea that spiritual knowledge, received through the system of Parampara by the mercy of the Lord, is so perfect that it allows the devotee to understand all the different manifestations of the Lord, including this material world. As he explains in his purport to SB 5.12.8:
"If one studies the earth, he naturally understands the by-products of the earth. The Vedas therefore enjoin, yasmin vijñāte sarvam evam vijñātam bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3): if one simply understands the original cause, Kṛṣṇa, the cause of all causes, then naturally everything else is understood, although it may be presented in different varieties. By understanding the original cause of different varieties, one can understand everything. If we understand Kṛṣṇa, the original cause of everything, we do not need to separately study the subsidiary varieties. Therefore from the very beginning it is said: satyam param dhīmahi. One has to concentrate one’s understanding on the Supreme Truth, Kṛṣṇa or Vāsudeva. The word Vāsudeva indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the cause of all causes. Mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāham teṣv avasthitaḥ. This is a summary of phenomenal and noumenal philosophy. The phenomenal world depends on the noumenal existence; similarly, everything exists by virtue of the potency of the Supreme Lord, although due to our ignorance the Supreme Lord is not perceived in everything."