The Lord and the souls
All souls have the same transcendental nature as the Supreme Brahman, just as sparks emerging from a fire. The Lord has no material form, He is unborn, without material desires, fully transcendental
« The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad: An in-depth study
The Lord and the souls
All souls have the same transcendental nature as the Supreme Brahman, just as sparks emerging from a fire. The Lord has no material form, He is unborn, without material desires, and so on. His form and qualities are pure and transcendental.
The Lord is like a big fire, and the souls are like the sparks coming from it. The Lord is thus the master of the souls and their maintainer. The souls who choose to forget this original position accept material forms and names and become entangled in material desires. When they finally abandon such desires, they return to their transcendental position.
The body is temporary, but the soul has no beginning or end and undergoes no change. Such concepts exist only inside the material creation. Outside of it, everything is eternal. There is thus no literal creation of the soul, although some examples speak of creation to emphasize the supremacy of the Lord.
Text 2.1.1
tad etat satyam
yathā sudīptāt pāvakād visphulingāḥ
sahasraśaḥ prabhavante sarūpāḥ
tathākṣarād vividhāḥ saumya bhāvāḥ
prajāyante tatra caivāpiyanti
Brahman is the Supreme Truth! Just as countless sparks emerge from a blazing fire, all similar in nature, so, O gentle one, from the imperishable Lord (akṣara), various beings come forth and eventually return.
Commentary: The previous chapter described the truth about sacrifices, and this chapter describes the truth about the souls, who have the same spiritual nature (sarūpāḥ) as the Supreme Brahman.
In the Bhagavad-gita (2.20) Krsna mentions: "For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." This clearly indicates that different from the material body, the soul has no beginning and no end. Eternal means without beginning, without end, and without change. If something is created at a certain point, it will also be destroyed at a certain point. If something changes, these changes will eventually lead to destruction. Apart from that, He says, nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ: For the unreal or illusory, there is no permanence. For the eternal, there is no change. If the souls were created at a certain point and later destroyed, they would not be different from temporary material objects.
Keeping this in mind, how can we understand these words from the Muṇḍaka Upanisad, that describe souls coming from the Supreme Brahman, like sparks coming from fire, and later merging back into Him?
In his Govinda Bhasya, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana explains the rules for interpreting verses from the scriptures. As he explains, these rules should be applied when trying to understand obscure or apparently contradictory passages. Only when these rules are appropriately applied can we hope to find the correct meaning:
upakramopasamharav, abhyaso 'purvata-phalam
artha-vadopapatti ca, liìgam tatparya-nirnaye
"The upakrama (beginning), upasamhara (ending), abhyasa (what is repeated again and again), apurvata (what is unique and novel), phalam (the general purpose of the book), artha-vada (the author's statement of purpose), and upapatti (appropriateness) are the factors to consider in interpretation of obscure passages."
As an example, he offers a passage from the Svetasvatara Upanisad (4.6-7):
dva suparna sayuja sakhaya, samanam vrksam parisasvajate
tayor anyah pippalam svadv atty, anasnann anyo 'bhicakasiti
samane vrkse puruso nimagno, 'nisaya socati muhyamanah
justam yada pasyati anyam isam, asya mahimanam iti vita-sokah
"The individual spirit-soul and the Supersoul, Personality of Godhead, are like two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird is not trying to eat these fruits but is simply watching His friend. Although the two birds are on the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other, he turns his face to his friend who is the Lord and knows His glories, at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties."
When we apply these criteria to this passage, we find the following:
- Upakrama (beginning): The two birds sitting in the tree (The individual spirit-soul and the Supersoul, Personality of Godhead, are like two friendly birds sitting on the same tree).
- Upasamhara (ending): The other person (the second bird), who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can liberate the first from all anxieties.
- Abhyasa (what is repeated again and again): The word "anya" (the other person) is repeated several times in this passage, as in the phrases tayor anyo 'snan (the other person does not eat) and anyam isam (He sees the other person, who is the Supreme Lord).
- Apurvata (what is unique in the passage): The difference between the Supreme Lord and the individual soul, who are described as two separate birds, performing different activities and having different powers. This idea could never have been understood without the revelation of the Vedic scriptures.
- Phalam (general purpose of the passage): What is the purpose of this passage? To describe how the individual spirit soul becomes free from suffering by approaching the Lord.
- Artha-vada (the author's statement of purpose): The statement is "mahimanam eti" (found at the end of the passage): One who understands the Supreme Lord becomes glorious.
- Upapatti (appropriateness): This is found in the passage "anyo 'nasan" (the other person, the Supreme Lord, does not eat the fruits of material happiness and distress).
When we take everything together, the purpose of the verse becomes very clear. The soul and the Lord are intrinsically different. The soul is engaged in material activities, attached to the fruits of action and desperately trying to enjoy this material world, while the Lord is transcendental and never becomes involved in material activities (His activities are purely transcendental). By inquiring about the Supreme Lord from self-realized souls and obtaining information about His names, forms, and pastimes, one can become situated in the transcendental platform, just like the Lord, becoming glorious, and free from all suffering and anxieties.
We often tend to read verses and then interpret them based on whatever impression comes to our mind, which leads to all kinds of misunderstandings. However, when we study the verses carefully following this logical process, the true meaning becomes clear, and apparent contradictions are harmonized.
Apart from these specific rules for interpreting individual passages, all verses must be interpreted according to the general teachings of the book, as well as the general conclusions of Vedic literature, as received from the previous acaryas. To understand verses according to the conclusions of previous acaryas is actually the main factor in finding the truth.
In verse 1.1.8, the process of creation of the material universes was already explained, and we are all well familiar with the conclusion that the souls are eternal, and only the material universes are repeatedly created and destroyed. When we take this into consideration, it becomes clear that the current verse does not speak about a hypothetical process of creation of the souls, but about the creation of the universes by Lord Maha-Vishnu.
The analogy of the fire explains the basic truth that the souls are one with the Lord in quality, although different in quantity. The Lord is like a big fire, and the souls are like the sparks that are part of this fire and sometimes come out of it. In a famous passage from the Chandogya Upanisad (6.10), Uddālaka describes several characteristics of the Supreme Self to his son, Śvetaketu, and concludes each explanation with the words "tat tvam asi", which indicates similarity. For example, if I say "you are like him", pointing to another person, it indicates that although different individuals, you two share similar qualities or characteristics. The soul is the same as the Lord in terms of quality but is different in terms of quantity. The soul is also a separate individual. It's thus incorrect to interpret tat tvam asi as "you are that". The correct translation is "you are like that", indicating that we are like the Lord, although eternally separated as different individuals.
The analogy of the fire also reinforces the idea that the Lord is the master of the souls and their maintainer. Although both the Lord and the souls are eternal, the souls are eternally subordinate and dependent on Him, and thus their eternal position is loving service to the Lord.
The souls who choose to forget this original position are put under the care of Lord Maha-Vishnu, who sends them to take part in the material creation and accept material forms and names.
Before the creation of the universe, Lord Maha-Vishnu lay on the causal ocean with all the souls merged into his body. When He desires to create, he sends all the souls in the direction of the material energy, together with His time energy, initiating the process of material creation. The souls have thus a long time to perform their material activities, develop their Krsna Consciousness, and go back to Godhead. When time is up, Maha-Vishnu withdraws the cosmic manifestation, annihilating all material names and forms, and again putting all the souls to sleep inside His transcendental body.
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 Śaṅkarācārya, people were coming from Buddhism and were not prepared to hear the complete truth, therefore Śaṅkarācārya 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, Śaṅkarācārya 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 Śaṅkarācārya and his disciples encountered an elderly scholar who was absorbed in studying complex grammatical rules. Observing this, Śaṅkarācārya 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 worshiped 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.