The ultimate perfection (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.8)
After the descriptions of the greatness of the Lord, ananda or spiritual bliss is described. This whole chapter urges us to seek this ananda, and this section tries to define it.
Section 8: The ultimate perfection
After the descriptions of the greatness of the Lord, ananda or spiritual bliss is described. This whole chapter urges us to seek this ananda, and this section tries to define it. As a point of reference, it starts by defining the extension of human bliss, and proceeds in comparing it with the standards of happiness of different grades of higher beings inside of the universe. The conclusion is that even the happiness of being Brahma can’t compare with the bliss of merging into the impersonal brahmajyoti, and this happiness is in turn insignificant when compared with the bliss of pure devotional service to the Lord.
Text 2.8.1
bhīṣā’smād vātaḥ pavate, bhīṣodeti sūryaḥ
bhīṣā’smād agniś cendraś ca, mṛtyur dhāvati pañcama iti
saiṣā ānandasya mīmāmsā bhavati
yuvā syāt sādhu yuvā’dhyāyakaḥ, āśiṣṭho dṛḍhiṣṭho baliṣṭhaḥ
tasyeyam pṛthivī sarvā vittasya pūrṇā syāt, sa eko mānuṣa ānandaḥ
From fear of Him, the wind blows. From fear of Him, the sun rises. From fear of Him, Agni, Indra and even Yamaraja perform their duties.
Now, hear from me about the definition of ānanda, bliss. Take a noble young man, who is well versed in the Vedas, very intelligent, handsome, and strong. Let the world be full of wealth for him. That is the measure of human bliss.
Commentary: Srila Prabhupada mentions the first line of this verse (bhīṣā’smād vātaḥ pavate) in his purport to Bg 9.6. This whole purport works as a commentary for the first part of this verse (From fear of Him, the wind blows. From fear of Him, the sun rises. From fear of Him, Agni, Indra and even Yamaraja perform their duties):
“For the ordinary person it is almost inconceivable how the huge material creation is resting in Him. But the Lord is giving an example which may help us to understand. Space is the biggest manifestation we can conceive. The cosmic manifestation rests in space. Space permits the movement of even the atoms and on up to the greatest planets, the sun and the moon. Although the sky (or wind or air) is great, still it is situated within space. Space is not beyond the sky.
Similarly, all the wonderful cosmic manifestations are existing by the supreme will of God, and all of them are subordinate to that supreme will. As we generally say, not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus everything is moving under His will: by His will everything is being created, everything is being maintained, and everything is being annihilated. Still He is aloof from everything, as space is always aloof from the activities of the atmosphere. In the Upaniṣads, it is stated, "It is out of the fear of the Supreme Lord that the wind is blowing." In the Garga Upaniṣad also it is stated, "By the supreme order, under the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the moon, the sun and the great planets are moving." In the Brahma-samhitā this is also stated. There is also a description of the movement of the sun, and it is said that the sun is considered to be one of the eyes of the Supreme Lord and that it has immense potency to diffuse heat and light. Still it is moving in its prescribed orbit by the order and the supreme will of Govinda. So, from the Vedic literature we can find evidence that this material manifestation, which appears to us to be very wonderful and great, is under the complete control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This will be further explained in the later verses of this chapter.”
After describing the greatness of the Lord, the verse proceeds to define ananda, spiritual bliss. This whole chapter urges us to seek this ananda, and this section tries to define it. As a point of reference, it starts by defining the extension of human bliss. In terms of material enjoyment, no one can be happier than a young, handsome man, who is strong, intelligent, well-versed in the scriptures, and has the wealth of the whole word. This is what materialistic persons aspire for. However, this level of happiness is quite insignificant compared with the spiritual bliss this chapter speaks about.
Text 2.8.2
te ye śatam mānuṣā ānandāḥ
sa eko manuṣya-gandharvāṇām ānandaḥ
śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
te ye śatam manuṣya-gandharvāṇām ānandāḥ
sa eko deva-gandharvāṇām ānandaḥ
śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
te ye śatam deva-gandharvāṇām ānandāḥ
sa ekaḥ pitṛṇām cira-loka-lokānām ānandaḥ
śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
te ye śatam pitṛṇām cira-loka-lokānām ānandāḥ
sa eka ājānajānām devānām ānandaḥ
śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
If we multiply this limit of human bliss a hundred times, it equals the bliss of a manuṣya-gandharva. If we multiply the bliss of a manuṣya-gandharva one hundred times, it equals the pleasure of a deva-gandharva, and if we multiply that one hundred times, it equals the bliss of the ancestors living in Pitṛloka. If we go further and multiply this standard of bliss of the Pitṛs one hundred times, we come to the standard of bliss of a lower demigod born in Svargaloka. Each one of these different standards of bliss is matched by a self-realized soul who has no material desires.
Commentary: In CC Antya 2.10, Prabhupada mentions:
"In the Siddhānta-śiromaṇi, chapter one (Golādhyāya), in the Bhuvana-kośa section, the nine khaṇḍas are mentioned as follows:
aindram kaśeru sakalam kila tāmraparṇam
anyad gabhastimad ataś ca kumārikākhyam
nāgam ca saumyam iha vāruṇam antya-khaṇḍam
gāndharva-samjñam iti bhārata-varṣa-madhye"Within Bhārata-varṣa, there are nine khaṇḍas. They are known as (1) Aindra, (2) Kaśeru, (3) Tāmraparṇa, (4) Gabhastimat, (5) Kumārikā, (6) Nāga, (7) Saumya, (8) Vāruṇa and (9) Gāndharva."
It seems that by "manuṣya-gandharva" this verse refers to these earthly Gandharvas who live in the other khaṇḍas of Bhārata-varṣa, parts of the planetary system that are inaccessible to us. Although very elevated, if compared to ordinary human beings, these earthly Gandharvas have a much lower standard of living than the deva-gandharvas living in Svargaloka.
The Puranas describe our universe as being composed of 14 planetary systems, one of them being Bhu-Mandala, of which our planet is part. Bhu-Mandala is described as being composed of different islands, or dvipas. The central one is Jambudvipa, of which Bharata-varsa is part.
Some interpret the word "dvipa" as being literally an island, part of a gigantic flat structure, but Prabhupada concludes that "dvipa" is just a metaphor for planets floating in the ocean of space. As he mentions on CC Madhya 20.218: "The planets are called dvīpas. Outer space is like an ocean of air. Just as there are islands in the watery ocean, these planets in the ocean of space are called dvīpas, or islands in outer space."
From this description, it appears that our planet is just one of these nine fragments that comprise Bharata-varsa, and Bharata-varsa is in turn just one of the divisions of Jambudvipa, the central island of the planetary system of Bhu-Mandala.
Apart from Jambudvipa, there are six other great islands, called Plakṣadvīpa, Śālmalīdvīpa, Kuśadvīpa, Krauñcadvīpa, Śākadvīpa, and Puṣkaradvīpa. Each of these islands is divided into seven regions. In this way, the whole planetary system is formed by different planets spread around the cosmos. Souls who have the necessary qualifications are however capable of moving through these different planets and thus accessing the different parts of Jambudvipa and the other larger islands with ease, just like Pariksit Maharaja visited the different varsas of Jambudvipa and received tribute from the different kings there.
Most of the other varsas that compose Bhu-mandala are called earthly heavens because the inhabitants there have a much higher standard of living than we enjoy on our planet. It is described that they live for 10,000 years and enjoy a standard of living similar to the inhabitants of Treta-yuga. It is also described that when the inhabitants of the celestial planets fall from their positions, having exhausted their karma, they take birth in one of these varsas to enjoy their remaining piety before taking birth on Earth to generate a new set of karma.
Higher than Bhu-Mandala are the planetary systems of Bhuvarloka and Svargaloka, and still higher are Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, and Satyaloka.
Just like the relative standard of material happiness of the celestial Gandharvas is a hundred times superior to the earthly Gandarvas, inhabitants of Pitṛloka, enjoy a standard of living one hundred times better than them.
Pitṛloka is the court of Yamaraja, the planet of the ancestors. Although it is geographically situated at the bottom of the universe, it is a celestial planet, where the ancestors of pious families can live in great delight, remaining connected with their descendants on Earth. To be promoted to Pitrloka, one has to not only be pious but also produce pious descendants who will maintain the family traditions and offer oblations (pinda) to the ancestors every year.
The descendants can, in turn, later also join their ancestors in Pitrloka, and thus the family remains connected in the afterlife for as long as the next descendants remain faithful and continue to offer oblations to the ancestors every year, generation after generation. However, when the family tradition is broken, as it happens with most families in Kali-yuga, all the ancestors fall from Pitṛloka and receive their next bodies according to their karma. The family is thus permanently destroyed. Arjuna mentions this when he says that "An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. The ancestors of such corrupt families fall down because the performances for offering them food and water are entirely stopped." (Bg 1.41)
Text 2.8.3
te ye śatam ājānajānām devānām ānandāḥ
sa ekaḥ karma-devānām devānām ānandaḥ
ye karmaṇā devānapiyanti, śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
te ye śatam karma-devānām devānām ānandāḥ, sa eko devānām ānandaḥ
śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
te ye śatam devānām ānandāḥ, sa eka indrasyānandaḥ
śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
If we multiply the bliss of the lower demigods by one hundred, we reach the standard of bliss of the sacrificial demigods, and one hundred times that is the bliss of principal demigods. If we again multiply this one hundred times, we reach the standard of bliss of Indra. Each one of these different standards of bliss is matched by a self-realized soul who has no material desires.
Commentary: The karma-devās are persons who are elevated to the celestial planets by perfectly performing ritualistic activities from the karma-kanda section of the Vedas. Different from other demigods, who live for the whole duration of the reign of Manu (306.72 million years), the duration of life of these sacrificial devas is fixed according to the amount of their piety. As soon as their pious credits are exhausted, they fall from the celestial planets together with the rain and assume human bodies. From there, they may again perform fruitive activities for several lives until they can be again elevated to the celestial planets. These are the people Krsna refers to in verses 2.42 and 2.43 of the Bhagavad-gita:
“Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.”
Although they are followers of the Vedas, they are called men of small knowledge, because they don’t understand the real purpose of the Vedas, becoming instead attached to the ephemeral and temporary secondary results promised in the scriptures to attract ordinary people into the pious path. As a result, they get caught in a long cycle of going up and down from the celestial planets. When they finally become tired of it they generally desire impersonal liberation, and thus they are cheated life after life of their true position as eternal servants of the Lord due to their obstinacy. This is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita 9.21 and 2.44:
“When they have thus enjoyed vast heavenly sense pleasure and the results of their pious activities are exhausted, they return to this mortal planet again. Thus those who seek sense enjoyment by adhering to the principles of the three Vedas achieve only repeated birth and death.”
“In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.”
After them we have the principal demigods, who preside over the different celestial planets, and finally Indra, who is the leader of all demigods. The verse emphasizes, however, that just like all the previous standards of pleasure mentioned before, all these progressively higher standards of happiness are matched by a self-realized soul, who is free from material desires. This is indicated by the line śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya, which is repeated after each new standard of happiness is described.
The logic is similar to when we say that the wealth of a street sweeper is matched by the king, as well as the wealth of an ordinary soldier and a minister. Whatever a sweeper, a soldier, or a minister can pay, the king can also pay. It suggests that the king is more wealthy than all of them, but it doesn't directly reveal the extent of the wealth of the king.
Text 2.8.4
te ye śatamindrasyānandāḥ, sa eko bṛhaspater ānandaḥ
śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
te ye śatam bṛhaspater ānandāḥ, sa ekaḥ prajāpater ānandaḥ
śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
te ye śatam prajāpater ānandāḥ, sa eko brahmaṇa ānandaḥ
śrotriyasya cākāma-hatasya
If we multiply the bliss of Indra a hundred times, we reach the standard of bliss of Bṛhaspati, and if we multiply his bliss by one hundred, it equals the bliss of Brahma. If we multiply it one hundred times, it becomes equal to the bliss of the Supreme Brahman. This same bliss is enjoyed by a liberated soul.
Commentary: Brihaspati is a great sage who is extremely advanced in knowledge and pious activities. Because of this, he receives the post of spiritual master of the demigods and enjoys a standard of happiness still higher than Indra. Brihaspati is however not a pure devotee and therefore his standard of happiness is superseded by others who are still higher.
The word prajāpati can be used in connection to the high demigods who increase the population of the universe (like Daksa), Lord Brahma, and also the Supreme Lord. In this verse, Lord Brahma is indicated. Lord Brahma enjoys a standard of happiness still higher than Brihaspati, but even Brahma can't enjoy the same standard of happiness as the Supreme Brahman. A liberated soul thus enjoys a standard of happiness much higher than even Lord Brahma. The verse refers to the spiritual bliss of Brahman as being 100 times higher than the bliss of Lord Brahma but doesn't imply that it is "just" 100 times higher. The logic of the passage is that 100 times indicates a direction and not an exact number. The logic is similar to saying that "the sun, moving many yojanas per second, goes like an arrow." It gives the idea that the movement is fast, and not that the movement of the sun is not faster than a regular arrow.
In the Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Adi 7.97) it is mentioned: "Compared to the ocean of transcendental bliss that one tastes by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realization [brahmānanda] is like the shallow water in a canal."
In the purport, Prabhupada quotes a verse from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.38): "If brahmānanda, the transcendental bliss derived from understanding impersonal Brahman, were multiplied a million times, such a quantity of brahmānanda could not compare with even an atomic portion of the pleasure relished in pure devotional service."
Therefore, the standard of happiness in the ananda-maya platform is unlimited. The happiness of attaining the impersonal Brahman is already unlimitedly greater than any form of happiness in this material world, and the happiness of attaining a personal relationship with the Lord in one of the spiritual planets is millions and billions of times higher than the happiness of attaining the Brahmajyoti.
In this way, finally, the extent of happiness of a pure devotee of the Lord is revealed. Nothing else can be compared to it.
Text 2.8.5
sa yaś cāyam puruṣe, yaś cāsāv āditye, sa ekaḥ
sa ya evam vit, asmāl lokāt pretya
etam anna-mayam ātmānam upasankrāmati
etam prāṇamayam ātmānam upasankrāmati
etam manomayam ātmānam upasankrāmati
etam vijñāna-mayam ātmānam upasankrāmati
etam ānanda-mayam ātmānam upasankrāmati
tad apy eṣa śloko bhavati
He who knows this Brahman in man (as Paramātmā) and in the sun (as Surya-Narayana) and sees both as one, reaches this Supreme Brahman, the ananda-maya, who is also the foundation of the anna-maya, prāṇa-maya, mano-maya, and vijñāna-maya.
Commentary: Yogis find the Lord inside their hearts as Paramātmā, while Brahmanas meditate on the Lord in the form of the sun while chanting the Gāyatrī mantra. Devotees worship the Lord in the form of the deity and so on, but there is no difference between all these forms. The Lord is one.
The ananda-maya is the origin and foundation of all the other purusas, and therefore, when one attains the Lord in His personal form, there is nothing more to be attained. This is the ultimate perfection.
Hari bol.....