The foundation of the Universe (Mundaka Upaniṣad #09)
Although the Lord has no material form, He is the source of the material manifestation. The entire Universe is thus a form of the Lord, maintained by His different energies.
Although the Lord has no material form, as declared in the previous verse, He is the source of the material manifestation. Having originated from the energy of the Lord, the material creation is in one sense a manifestation of the Lord, and thus yogis who are not capable of conceiving His personal form are advised to meditate on the universe as a form of the Lord, with the higher planets forming His head, the sun and moon His eyes, the Vedas as His speech, etc.
This understanding also helps us to realize how everything is connected with the Lord and how everything comes from Him. It is also a way to facilitate our meditation on Him, seeing the Lord everywhere we look. When we can perfectly understand the concept of the universal form, we can, literally, see the Lord anywhere we look.
At the same time, however, the universal form is more or less imaginary, since, as declared, the Lord has no material form.
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Text 2.1.2
divyo hy amūrtaḥ purusaḥ sabāhyābhyantaro hy ajaḥ
aprāṇo hy amanāḥ śubhro hy akṣarāt parataḥ paraḥ
The Supreme, radiant Lord is without a material form (amūrtaḥ), he is simultaneously inside and outside, permeating everything (bāhya-abhyantaraḥ). He is unborn (ajaḥ), without need for the vital airs or a material mind (aprāṇaḥ, amanāḥ). He is pure and spotless (śubhraḥ) and exists beyond the imperishable pradhāna (akṣarāt). He is the highest and transcends all.
Commentary: Mayavadis interpret this verse as meaning that the supreme Brahman has no forms and qualities, just as they interpret the previous as meaning that all souls come from Brahman, and when becoming free from material illusion they merge back. However, when we carefully examine the verse and interpret the contents in line with the conclusions given in other parts of the scriptures, the meaning becomes clear.
In the Bhagavad-gita (9.11), Krsna Himself refutes the Mayavadis when He says, avajānanti mām mūḍhā mānuṣīm tanum āśritam param bhāvam ajānanto mama bhūta-maheśvaram: "Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be."
The conclusion of the Mayavadis that the Supreme Brahman has no form leads them to conclude that when the Lord appears in this material world, He assumes a material form generated from the material mode of goodness, and performs activities under the same material mode. They at least have the cordiality to avoid saying that the Lord performs His pastimes under passion and ignorance, but still, their conclusion is that the form and activities of the Lord are material and exist only under material illusion. Just as we fall into Maya, they conclude, the Supreme Brahman also falls into illusion when He comes as an incarnation, although (as they rationalize) his Maya isn't as deep as ours. It's exactly because they believe the Lord assumes a material form that we call them "Mayavadis". Lord Caitanya referred to it as the most terrible philosophy.
The Lord, however, refutes this view in the Bhagavad-gita by calling them mūḍhās, foolish men. He argues that param bhāvam ajānanto, such foolish speculators don't understand His transcendental nature. In fact, we don't even need to bring the Bhagavad-gita. Already on the second verse of the Vedanta Sutra, the Mayavada philosophy is refuted by Vyasadeva Himself: janmādy asya yataḥ. "From Him, everything emanates."
From Him, the Supreme Brahman, everything emanates. If everything comes from Brahman, this means He has potencies and is able to manipulate such potencies to create the material manifestation. The fact He creates leads to the conclusion He has desires, and He is intelligent. The fact the Lord created the material manifestation, leads to the conclusion He is different in nature from it (just like an artist is different from the painting he makes), which leads to the conclusion The Lord has transcendental attributes, including qualities, desires, and form.
At the time of Sankaracarya, people were coming from Buddhism and were not prepared to hear the complete truth, therefore Sankaracarya emphasized the absence of material qualities while refraining from presenting the spiritual side. To explain the creation of the material world, he propounded his theory of illusion, Vivarta-vada, concluding that the material world does not exist, being just the fruit of illusion.
Later in life, however, Sankaracarya started speaking about devotion to the Lord, giving a glimpse into the path of devotional service that would be later fully revealed by other acaryas, culminating with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
According to traditional accounts, once Sankaracarya and his disciples encountered an elderly scholar who was absorbed in studying complex grammatical rules. Observing this, Sankaracarya became compassionate and composed a song to convey a vital truth: devotion to the Lord is the only path to liberation and mere intellectual pursuits without devotion are ultimately fruitless. This is the same song he sang at the time of death. Some of the verses included in his song are:
bhaja govindam bhaja govindam bhaja govindam mūḍha-mate
samprāpte sannihite kāle nahi nahi rakṣati du-kṛn-karaṇe
"Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, O fool! When the time of death comes, the rules of grammar will not save you!"
bhagavad-gītā kiñcid adhītā, gangā-jala-lava-kaṇikā pītā
sakṛd api yena murāri samarcā, kriyate tasya yamena na carcā
"If one has studied even a little of the Bhagavad Gītā, drunk a drop of Ganges water, and worshipped Lord Murari (Krsna) at least once, he will not meet with Yamaraja at the time of death [he will be purified of all sins]".
punarapi jananam punarapi maraṇam, punarapi jananī jaṭhare sayanam
iha samsāre bahudustāre, kṛpayā'pāre pāhi murāre
"Again and again being born, again and again dying, and again and again staying in the mother’s womb. Save me from this ocean of death, O Murari, through Your infinite compassion!"
yogarato vā bhogarato vā, sangarato vā sanga vihīnaḥ
yasya brahmaṇi ramate cittam, nandati nandati nandaty eva
"One may be immersed in yoga or in sensory pleasures, attached to worldly duties or detached from them; but he whose mind delights in Brahman (the Supreme Lord, Krsna), he indeed rejoices, repeatedly rejoices, and only rejoices [he is saved from material suffering, attaining the Supreme]."
This song brings many conclusions that are explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam, such as the idea that devotional service to the Lord can easily purify one of all sins (as indicated in the history of Ajamila, in the 6th canto), that other processes are ineffective without at least a touch of Bhakti and that this is the true process to become free from birth and death.
Some of his disciples were able to capture these teachings and eventually became Vaishnavas. Others, however, missed the point and instead concluded that it is not to Krsna one is supposed to surrender, but to the unborn inside of Krsna.
Text 2.1.3
etasmāj jāyate prāṇo manaḥ sarvendriyāṇi ca
kham vāyur jyotir āpaḥ pṛthivī viśvasya dhāriṇī
From the Lord arises the life force (prāṇa), the mind (manas), and the senses (indriyas), as well as the five elements, ether, air, fire, water, and earth, which support the entire creation.
Commentary: After explaining that Brahman is not material, Angirasa will describe how the material universe is connected with Him, by describing the Virat-rupa, the universal form of the Lord, similar to the descriptions offered in the second canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
The process of creation of the material elements is partially repeated here because it happens before the manifestation of the universal form inside each of the universes. The creation of the material elements (including the mind and the senses) precedes the creation of the material universes and the manifestation of the universal form inside each of them, as explained by Lord Kapila in the third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. Lord Maha-Vishnu impregnates pradhāna, which leads to the appearance of the material elements and the formation of the material universes. The Lord then enters into each of them as Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, manifests the universal form, and enters it as Paramatma. Only after that does Lord Brahma appear and start the physical creation of the universe. Everything exists first in a subtle form as part of the universal form, therefore it is said that the universal form is the source of everything inside the universe.
Text 2.1.4
agnir mūrddhā cakṣuṣī candra-sūryo
diśaḥ śrotre vāg vivṛtāś ca vedāḥ
vāyuḥ prāṇo hṛdayam viśvam asya
padbhyām pṛthivī hy eṣa sarva-bhūtāntarātmā
The higher planets form His head. The sun and moon are His two eyes. The directions are His ears. The Vedas are His function of speech. The vital airs His energy. The universe is His heart. The earth is his two feet. He is the soul of all beings.
Commentary: This verse starts the description of the universal form of the Lord. Although the Lord has no material form, different parts and potencies of the universe are described as part of His universal form to help us understand how they are connected with the Lord and how everything comes from Him. It is also a way to facilitate our meditation on Him, seeing the Lord everywhere we look. When we can perfectly understand the concept of the universal form, we can, literally, see the Lord anywhere we look.
The universal form is described in both the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam, but the descriptions vary according to the different aspects emphasized. Here again, the description is different, although the purpose is similar.
In one sense, the universe is a form of the Lord, because it is created from His energy, but in another sense, the universal form is imaginary because the Lord has no material form. As in other points of our philosophy, both sides are simultaneously valid.
This verse is interpreted in relation to another similar verse from the Upanisads:
dyām mūrdhānam yasya viprā vadanti
kham vai nābhiś candra-sūryau ca netre
diśaḥ śrotre viddhi pādau kṣitam
so ’cintyātmā sarva-bhūta-praṇetā
The meaning of this verse is similar, but there are a few differences that help to understand the meaning of the first verse. Here the word "dyu" (or dyām in the accusative) describes heaven or sky, in the sense of the planetary systems higher than the earth, which are luminous. Because of this, the word "agnir" in the main verse is interpreted as meaning the higher planets, and not just fire.
Srila Madhvācārya explains that just as the names of the demigods originally are names of Vishnu, and only secondarily address the devas, words like dyu, diśaḥ, etc. originally describe limbs of the transcendental form of the Lord, and are only secondarily used to refer to material objects produced from His energy.
In this way, primarily the Lord has a transcendental form, which is transcendental and omnipotent, and secondarily he manifests as the Virat-rupa, the universal form, manifesting different parts of the universe as parts of His body.
In this way, the higher planets represent the head of the Virat-purusa, the universal form, and the sun and moon represent his eyes. Normally, we can't hear the Lord speaking because of our material ears, but we can hear Him through the Vedas, therefore the Vedas represent His speech. The breath of the Lord is the vital air that sustains all living beings, etc.
From this universal form, all bodies are generated, and in this way, we are also part of this gigantic Virat-purusha. Since our bodies are also part of the Lord, they should be used in His service, just like everything else we may possess. This is emphasized by the description that the Earth is situated at His lotus feet. Being situated at His feet, we are in the right place to worship Him.
The Lord is the soul of all beings because He is present everywhere as Paramatma, not only inside the heart of everyone but even inside the atom. It's only because of the presence of the Supersoul that all these different bodies can move and be used by different souls for their activities.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam (3rd canto, chapter 26), Lord Kapila describes how during the process of creation the primeval demigods (the different potencies of the Lord who later empower the different demigods) tried to awaken the universal form, but they could not. Only when the Lord Himself entered the universe as Paramatma could the universe start functioning. As described:
"However, when the inner controller, the deity presiding over consciousness, entered the heart with reason, at that very moment the Cosmic Being arose from the causal waters. When a man is sleeping, all his material assets — namely the vital energy, the senses for recording knowledge, the senses for working, the mind and the intelligence — cannot arouse him. He can be aroused only when the Supersoul helps him. Therefore, through devotion, detachment and advancement in spiritual knowledge acquired through concentrated devotional service, one should contemplate that Supersoul as present in this very body although simultaneously apart from it." (SB 3.26.70-72)
Text 2.1.5
tasmād agniḥ samidho yasya sūryaḥ
somāt parjanya oṣadhayaḥ pṛthivyām
pumān retaḥ siñcati yositāyām
bahvīḥ prajāḥ puruṣāt samprasūtāḥ
From the Lord arose the heavens, which are kindled by the energy of the Sun. From the heavens arose the moon. From the moon arose plants on earth, which sustain all beings. The man impregnates the woman producing offspring. In this way, from the Supreme Lord, many offspring are born.
Commentary: This verse describes the creation of all living beings from the universal form of the Lord. Ranga Ramanuja explains that this verse should be interpreted according to the teachings of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (6.2). When we interpret the verse according to these teachings, it describes the pañcāgni-vidyā, knowledge of five sacrificial fires. This teaches us how everything in the universe is interconnected as a great cycle of sacrifices, of which we are also part.
The planets in the higher planetary systems, inhabited by demigods and great sages are the first sacrificial fire, and they are maintained by the sun, manifested from the energy of the Lord. The sun is thus considered its firewood, and the day its flame. In that fire, the demigods offer their devotion (śraddhā), and from this offering, Soma appears. Soma is connected with both the soma-rasa elixir, enjoyed by the demigods, and the moon.
The second sacrificial fire in the teachings is Parjanyaḥ, or Indra, the demigod who controls the rain. The firewood is the year and the flame is lightning. The demigods offer soma-rasa into this fire as an oblation, and from this, rain is produced.
The third sacrificial fire is our physical world, of which the planet Earth is the firewood. All life on Earth is manifested from the planet, but being the combination of matter and spirit, living beings are different from the planet itself, just like fire is different from wood, even though it burns from wood. The night is indicated as the flame of this fire (indicating the darkness of our plane, compared with the light of higher realms), and the stars we can see at night are the sparks. The demigods offer rain as an oblation to this fire, and from these oblations, plants that produce grains and other types of food appear.
The fourth sacrificial fire is the man (puruṣa). This fire is maintained through the mouth and speech is its flame. The demigods offer food into this fire, and from these oblations, semen and the capacity of generation appear.
The fifth sacrificial fire is the woman. The flame of this sacrificial fire is the womb, and the sparks are the material happiness of family life, which is centered around the wife. Into this sacrificial fire, semen is offered as an oblation, and from this sacrificial act, children are born, who grow into Brahmans, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas, Sudras, etc. maintaining human society. All these different members of society are meant to live and practice sacrifices, culminating with devotional service. In the end, their bodies are offered into the funeral fire. The soul then goes upwards in the direction of the higher planets, or the spiritual world, concluding the cycle of sacrifice.
One who fails to participate in this cycle of sacrifice, however, goes down in the direction of the lower planets, animal species, or hell. Human life offers thus a great opportunity for finally becoming free from the cycle of human life, but is, at the same time, a great risk. We should thus understand this cycle of sacrifice and our part in it to be able to live a progressive life.
In this way, this pañcāgni-vidyā, or teaching of the five sacrificial fires describes how everything in the universe comes from the Lord and is interconnected in a cosmic cycle of sacrifices that culminates in devotional service to the Lord. The process of sacrifice in itself is incomplete, elevating one only up to Brahmaloka, at the maximum (as Prabhupada explains in his purport to Bg. 8.16) but if by practicing it one is elevated to the platform of devotional service, one can go back to Godhead.
Prabhupada explains this Vedic process of ascension on his purport to Bg 8.28:
"After the student studies the Vedas under the master for some time – at least from age five to twenty – he becomes a man of perfect character. Study of the Vedas is not meant for the recreation of armchair speculators, but for the formation of character. After this training, the brahmacārī is allowed to enter into household life and marry. When he is a householder, he has to perform many sacrifices so that he may achieve further enlightenment. He must also give charity according to the country, time and candidate, discriminating among charity in goodness, in passion and in ignorance, as described in Bhagavad-gītā. Then after retiring from household life, upon accepting the order of vānaprastha, he undergoes severe penances – living in forests, dressing with tree bark, not shaving, etc. By carrying out the orders of brahmacarya, householder life, vānaprastha and finally sannyāsa, one becomes elevated to the perfectional stage of life. Some are then elevated to the heavenly kingdoms, and when they become even more advanced they are liberated in the spiritual sky, either in the impersonal brahma-jyotir or in the Vaikuṇṭha planets or Kṛṣṇaloka. This is the path outlined by Vedic literatures. The beauty of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however, is that by one stroke, by engaging in devotional service, one can surpass all the rituals of the different orders of life."
The demigods perform their different functions in maintaining the cosmic mechanism to give human beings the chance to come to the platform of Krsna Consciousness, and as human beings, we should be mindful and not waste this rare opportunity.
This cycle of sacrifice is also described in the third chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. The Prajāpati (Lord Brahma, or in a deeper meaning, Lord Vishnu) created all living beings and ordered them to perform sacrifices because, by the performance of such sacrifices, they could obtain everything desirable and achieve liberation. The sacrifices performed by human beings please the demigods, who reciprocate by sending rain, which in turn produces food grains, which are meant to be offered in sacrifice, restarting the cycle. By the performance of dharma (prescribed duties), a human being grows in detachment and spiritual realization, going from the platform of executing fruitive sacrifices to obtain material results (karma-kanda) to the platform of devotional service, starting with sakama karma-yoga, and progressing to niskama karma-yoga. In this way, one gradually learns how to work for the Lord in a detached spirit, which is the path to perfection in human life. Devotional service is the real, supreme dharma, that eclipses the temporary material duties.
The teaching of the 5th fire also describes human sexuality in the context of this cycle of sacrifices. In the Gita (7.11), Krsna says He is sex life which is not contrary to religious principles. Both men and women desire material happiness and such mutual material happiness can be obtained through the institution of marriage. When one gets married, there is the ceremony of vivaha-yajña, which indicates the beginning of a sacrifice that is concluded only when one enters into renounced life or dies. In this way, the whole family life is a continuous process of sacrifice, where one executes religious duties and thus grows in spiritual understanding. Inside of family life, the main duty is to beget and educate a few children giving them a chance of participating in this cycle of sacrifice and going back to Godhead. In this context, human sexuality can be used positively.
In modern societies, responsible married life and parenthood are often frowned upon, but Prabhupada classifies this as propaganda from demons, as part of their efforts to destroy society. Not everyone has the nature or qualification to be a renunciant, and therefore, without being trained and engaged in religious family life, they express their sexuality in all kinds of perverted ways that are not favorable for their spiritual development. Outside of family life, sex life is always sinful in one way or another, and sin is something that pushes us away from God. It is a given that even the most sinful person can be saved by sincerely chanting the holy names, but a pious life makes things much easier.