The Govinda Bhasya of Baladeva Vidyabhusana (#01): athāto brahma-jijñāsā
Now, therefore, having come to the human form of life and attained education and other facilities, it's time to enquire about Brahman, the Absolute Truth.
The whole purpose of the material creation is to give a chance to the conditioned souls to revive their eternal nature. The Puranas explain that there are 8,400,000 forms of life in this universe, distributed amongst aquatics, plants, insects, lower animals, humans, and also higher beings, all the way up to Brahma. Before attaining the human form, the soul has to pass through an extremely long evolutionary process, going through the millions of different forms of plants and animals. In all these different species there is some degree of intelligence and something to be learned, but only human beings have the higher intelligence necessary to understand philosophical topics. In all the lower species of life, the soul is fully immersed in the assumption that one is the body, and thus works tirelessly just to maintain it. Only in the human form of life, there is the possibility of understanding our real nature as spiritual sparks transcendental to the body, starting the process of brahma-jijñāsā (inquiry into Brahman).
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» Vedānta-sūtra: The Govinda-bhāṣya of Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
🤺 Exercise for this lesson:
- Can you answer the following arguments using the ideas from this lesson?
Opponent: There is no need to waste our time inquiring about philosophical matters that have no substance. Rather, we should be concerned about practical things such as satisfying our different material needs in this life and obtaining a better position in the next. The Vedas offer us a way to satisfy both in the dharma-sastras. Simply by discharging these pious duties, one can attain immortality and an eternal reward, as described in many passages of the Vedic literature:
apama somam amrta abhuma
"We have attained immortality by drinking soma-rasa."
aksayyam ha vai caturmasyajinah sukrtam bhavati
"Indeed, the merits of one who performs the vow of cāturmāsya are inexhaustible."
As these and other passages indicate, one can attain perfection by performing religious rituals or performing austerities and penances prescribed in the Vedas, like the vow of caturmasya. We are satisfied with the prosperity obtained by following the path of morality and the ritualistic functions of religion. This is the true spirit of the Vedas, there is no need to inquire about Brahman, which is just a subjective concept.
💬Text of the slides for this lesson:
Light in the darkness from the scriptures
Many think that the performance of material duties and auspicious activities mentioned in the karma-kanda section of the Vedas with the purpose of elevation to the celestial planets is the ultimate goal of the Vedas. During their studies, however, they inevitably come across passages that describe something higher, describing a source of ultimate happiness, beyond the actions and reactions of this material world. Take these two passages for example:
yo vai bhūma tat sukhaṁ, nānyat sukham asti
bhūmaiva sukhaṁ, bhūmatveva vijijñāsitavyaḥ"Bhūma, the infinite and absolute Personality of Godhead, is the source of true happiness. Nothing else can bring one genuine bliss. He alone is happiness and He alone should be inquired to and realized in truth." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.23.1)
ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyi
“O Maitreyī, indeed, the Lord (ātmā) should be perceived, heard, inquired about and meditated upon. (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.4.5)
Fruitive activity is not the goal of the scriptures
However, there are also passages in the scripture that appear to contradict this view, suggesting that fruitive activities and the performance of vows can bring one definitive benefits:
apama somam amrta abhuma
"We have attained immortality by drinking the soma juice." (Rg Veda 8.18.3)
aksayyam ha vai caturmasyajinah sukrtam bhavati
"Indeed, the merits of one who performs the vow of cāturmāsya are inexhaustible."
To this argument, Vyasadeva answers: athāto brahma-jijñāsā. After having come to human life and attained the opportunity of associating with saintly persons, one should enquire about Brahman. The absolute truth is the only source of true eternal happiness.
Positive factors in understanding the Vedas
To this, one could argue that the Vedas also speak about the absolute truth. What is therefore the need for specifically studying the Vedanta-sutra?
The problem is that verses from the scriptures can be easily misunderstood and misinterpreted. This combination of misunderstanding and doubt may then lead one away from the real meaning of the Vedas, bringing him back to the materialistic platform. By studying the Vedanta-sutra one strengthens his intelligence and gets the correct conclusions by which one can properly understand the Vedas.
tam etaṁ vedānuvacanena brāhmaṇā vividiṣanti yajñena dānena tapasānāśakena
"By Vedic study, sacrifice, charity, austerity, and fasting, the brahmanas strive to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Brhad-Aranyaka Upanisad 4.4.22)
satyena labhyas tapasā hy eṣa ātmā, samyag jñānena brahmacaryeṇa nityam
"This Supreme Self is attainable through the practice of truth, austerity, perfect knowledge, and constant discipline." (Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.5)
japyenaiva ca saṁsiddhyed brāhmaṇaḥ nātra saṁśayaḥ
kuryād anyan na vā kuryān maitro brāhmaṇa ucyate
"Whether he performs other rituals and duties or not, one who perfectly chants mantras glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be considered a perfect brāhmana, eligible to understand the Supreme Lord." (Manu-Samhitā 2.87)
tatrānvahaṁ kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ pragāyatām, anugraheṇāśṛṇavaṁ manoharāḥ
tāḥ śraddhayā me ’nupadaṁ viśṛṇvataḥ, priyaśravasy aṅga mamābhavad ruciḥ
"O Vyāsadeva, in that association and by the mercy of those great Vedāntists, I could hear them describe the attractive activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And thus listening attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of Godhead increased at every step." (SB 1.5.26)
tad viddhi praṇipātena, paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ, 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." (Bg 4.34)
Limited and temporary results
tad yatheha karma-cito loko kṣīyate, evam evāmutra puṇya-cito loko kṣīyate
"Just as in this world the results earned by pious acts are destroyed in due time, also in the next life the position earned by pious acts is destroyed." (Chāndogya Upanisad 8.1.6)
parīkṣya lokān karma-citān brāhmaṇo, nirvedam āyān nasty akṛtaḥ kṛtena
tad vijñānārtham sa gurum evābhigacchet, samit pāṇiḥ śrotriyam brahma-niṣṭham
"After examining the results of fruitive activities, the seeker of the truth understands their ephemeral nature. To learn transcendental subject matters, one must approach the spiritual master. In doing so, he should carry fuel to burn in sacrifice. The symptom of such a spiritual master is that he is an expert in understanding the Vedic conclusion, and therefore he constantly engages in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12)
satyam jnanam anantam brahma
"The Supreme Brahman has no limits. He is eternal and full of knowledge." (Taittirīya Upanisad 2.1.2)
anando brahmeti vyajanat
"Having further increased his spiritual understanding, he realized Brahman as spiritual bliss." (Taittirīya Upanisad 3.6.1)
na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate, na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate
parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca“The Supreme Lord does not possess a bodily form like that of an ordinary living entity. He performs no action, and no one is found to be equal to or greater than Him. His potencies are multifarious, and thus His deeds are automatically performed as a natural sequence." (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8)
sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ sarvendriya-vivarjitam
asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛc caiva nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca"The Supersoul is the original source of all senses, yet He is without senses. He is unattached, although He is the maintainer of all living beings. He transcends the modes of nature, and at the same time He is the master of all modes of material nature." (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.17)
bhāva-grāhyam anidākhyam bhāva-abhāva-karaṁ śivam
kāla-sarga-karaṁ devaṁ ye vidus te jahuḥ tanum“The Supreme Lord is attained only by loving devotional service. He is known as having no material body and no material support. He is the creator and destroyer of the entire universe, and supremely auspicious. Those who have come to realize this Supreme Lord, attain freedom from repeated birth and death.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.14)