गोविन्द भाष्य (श्रील बलदेव विद्याभूषण - अचिन्त्यभेदाभेद वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य सटीक)

between the Lord and His attributes, even though there is in truth no distinction at all. If this is not done then it would not be possible to speak sentences like, "Existence exists," "Time is always," and "Space is everywhere," statements that are useful in ordinary discourse. Nor are statements like “Existence exists" foolish illusions. They are meaningful statements, as the sentence "The jar exists" is a meaningful statement. These statements are not metaphors like the sentence "Devadatta is a lion", for the statement “Existence does not exist" can never be truthfully said. Nor do these statements hint that attributes do not exist, for in the previously stated example of water flowing from a mountain peak there are certainly attributes. However, the idea that the Supreme Lord is different from His attributes is certainly denied here. In this way the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not different from the attributes He possesses. Adhikaraṇa 15 The Supreme Personality of Godhead Experiences the Highest Bliss Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Now will be described the truth that the bliss and other attributes of the Lord are all of the highest nature. If the bliss and other attributes of the individual spirit souls were equal to the bliss and attributes of the Lord, love and devotion for the Lord would not be possible. Viṣaya (the subject to be discussed): Now will be discussed the texts that describe these attributes of the Lord. Saṁśaya (doubt): Are the bliss and other attributes of the Supreme Lord greater than the bliss and other attributes of the individual spirit souls, or are they not greater than them? Pūrvapakṣa (the opponent speaks): Because the bliss of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in the same terms used to describe the ordinary blisses of the material world, therefore the Lord's bliss is not greater. After all, when one speaks the word "jar" one doesn't mean something greater than a jar. Siddhānta (conclusion): In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.

Sūtra 32 param ataḥ setūnmāna-sambandha-bheda-vyapadeśebhyaḥ param—greater; ataḥ—than this; setu—of a bridge; unmāna—immeasurable; sambandha—relationship; bheda—difference; vyapadeśebhyaḥ—from the descriptions. It is greater because of the statements about a bridge, immeasurability, a relationship, and a difference. Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa The bliss and other attributes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are greater than the bliss and attributes of the individual spirit souls. Why is that? The sūtra declares: "because of the statements about a bridge, immeasurability, a relationship, and a difference." The statement about a bridge is given in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (8.4.1), where the bliss of the Supreme Lord is described in these words: eṣa setur vidhṛtiḥ "It is the highest bridge." The statement about immeasurability is given in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.4.1): yato vāco nivartante "Unable to describe the immeasurable bliss of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, words return and become silent." The statement about a relationship is given in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.3.32): etasyaivānandasyānyāni bhūtāni mātram upajīvanti "The bliss of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest. All others experience only a small portion of that bliss."

The statement about a difference is given in the following words: anyaj jñānaṁ tu jīvānāṁ anyaj jñānaṁ parasya ca nityānandāvyayaṁ pūrṇaṁ paraṁ jñānaṁ vidhīyate "The knowledge possessed by the individual spirit souls is one thing and the knowledge possessed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is another. The perfect, complete, blissful, and immutable knowledge possessed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is higher." The bliss and other attributes described in these statements are not at all like the ordinary bliss and other attributes found in this world. Here someone may object: Still, what is described with the word "jar" cannot really be different from a jar. To answer this objection the author of the sūtras speaks the following words. Sūtra 33 sāmānyāt tu sāmānyāt—because of resamblance; tu—but. But because of a common quality. Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa The word "tu" (but) is used here to dispel doubt. As the word "jar" is used to describe many different kinds of jars, which all have a single quality of "jarness" in common, so the word "bliss" describes many different kinds of ordinary and extraordinary blisses, which all have a single quality of "blissness" in common. However the different kinds of bliss and other attributes are not alike in all respects. Therefore it is said: para-jñānamayo 'sadbhir

nāma-jāty-ādibhir vibhuḥ na yogavān na yukto 'bhūn naiva pārthiva yokṣyati "The Supreme Personality of Godhead has the highest transcendental knowledge. He never is, was, or will be touched by the temporary names and forms of the material world." It this way it is demonstrated that the knowledge possessed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the knowledge possessed by the individual spirit souls. Here someone may object: If the Supreme Personality of Godhead is actually superior to the individual spirit souls and to the inanimate material world, then why does the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (3.14.1) declare: sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma taj jalān iti śānta upāsīta "Everything is the Supreme. Everything is manifested from Him. A peaceful sage should worship Him." In the following words the author of the sūtras answers this objection. Sūtra 34 buddhy-arthaḥ pāda-vat buddhi—of understanding; arthaḥ—for the purpose; pāda—foot; vat—like. It is for understanding, like the word "foot". Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa This teaching is meant to increase understanding. The understanding here is that everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is like the explanation of the word "foot" in the scriptures. In the Ṛg Veda (10.90.3) it is said: pādo 'sya viśvā bhūtāni

"पादोऽस्य सर्वा भूतानि त्रिपादस्यामृतं दिवि।" "समग्र जड़-प्रपञ्च उस परमेश्वर का केवल एक पाद (चरण) मात्र है।" यह सम्यक् बोध होने पर कि यह सम्पूर्ण जड़ जगत् परमेश्वर का केवल एक ही पाद है, साधक किसी से भी द्वेष नहीं करता, और तदनन्तर उसका हृदय श्रीभगवान् के प्रति अनन्य प्रेम-भक्ति में समर्पित हो जाता है। तथापि इसका अर्थ यह कदापि नहीं है कि मनुष्य प्रत्येक वस्तु में आसक्त हो जाए, क्योंकि ऐसा करने से बुद्धि मोहग्रस्त हो जाती है। ॥ अधिकरणम् १६ ॥ परमेश्वरस्य वैचित्र्यविशिष्टत्वम् (भगवान् वैचित्र्य-विहीन नहीं हैं) श्रीमद्-बलदेव-विद्याभूषण-विरचिता भूमिका (गोविन्दभाष्य-अवतरणिका): अथ नानाविधप्रेमानुरूपं भजनीयस्य नानाविधत्वं दर्शयति— अब यह तथ्य प्रतिपादित किया जाता है कि भगवान् के प्रति भक्तों के नानाविध प्रेम और भाव-वैचित्र्य के अनुरूप ही, उपास्य परमेश्वर श्रीहरि भी अनेक प्रकार के दिव्य विग्रहों (स्वरूपों) को स्वीकार करते हैं। यदि ऐसा न हो, तो भक्तों के नानाविध प्रेम-वैविध्य का प्रयोजन ही व्यर्थ सिद्ध होगा। भगवान् के ये अनन्त रूप अनादि एवं नित्य हैं। जैसा कि श्रुति-शास्त्र में वर्णित है: "एकोऽपि सन् बहुधा योऽवभाति" (यद्यपि वे एक ही हैं, तथापि वे अनेक रूपों में प्रकाशित होते हैं।) इस प्रकार, वे एक ही अद्वितीय परमपुरुष नित्य रूप से विभिन्न धामों एवं रूपों में युगपत् आविर्भूत रहते हैं। संशयः (सन्देह)—किं तेषु रूपेषु तारतम्यं (न्यूनाधिकभावः) अस्ति न वेति? संशय (हिन्दी)—क्या भगवान् के इन विभिन्न स्वरूपों में परस्पर कोई उच्च-नीच अथवा न्यूनाधिक भेद का तारतम्य है अथवा नहीं? पूर्वपक्षः—सर्वसाम्यात् परमात्मस्वरूपाणां परस्परं तारतम्यं नास्तीति। पूर्वपक्ष (हिन्दी)—चूँकि ये समस्त स्वरूप एक ही पूर्णब्रह्म परमेश्वर के हैं, अतः वे सभी सर्वथा समान हैं और उनमें कोई भेद या तारतम्य नहीं है। सिद्धान्तः—अत्रोच्यते, सूत्रकारः स्वसिद्धान्तं प्रकटयति— सिद्धान्त (हिन्दी)—इसके उत्तर में सूत्रकार महर्षि बादरायण निम्नलिखित शब्दों द्वारा अपने सिद्धान्त का प्रतिपादन करते हैं: ॥ सूत्रम् ३५ ॥ उपपत्तेश्च ॥ ३५ ॥

sthāna-viśeṣāt prakāśādi-vat sthāna—of places; viśeṣāt—from the variety; prakāśa—light; ādi—beginning with; vat—like. Like light and other things, so He also is different in different places. Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is one, nevertheless, in different places and before different devotees He manifests different kinds of opulence, power, and sweetness. In this way, in the presence of devotees in the various mellows, such as the mellows of peacefulness, servitude, and friendship, the Lord manifests many different kinds of forms. He does this in the same way as light or other things also manifest many different kinds of forms. As the light of a lamp appears clear or red when reflected from crystals or rubies set in a temple's walls, and as sound, although originally one, appears different when sounded by a conchshell, mṛdaṅga, flute, or other musical instrument, so the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifest sweetness and other attributes according to the different circumstances. That is the meaning. When the Lord manifests His great opulence, He is worshiped by the rules and regulations of vidhi-bhakti. That manifestation is compared to the light reflected from crystal. When the Lord manifests His great sweetness, He is worshiped by the spontaneous love of ruci- bhakti. That manifestation is compared to the light reflected from rubies. In this way the Lord's many manifestations in different abodes and in relation to the different kinds of devotion of different kinds of devotees, are basically of these two kinds (opulence and sweetness). Sūtra 36 upapateś ca upapateḥ—because of reasonableness; ca—also. Also because it is reasonable. Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa

छान्दोग्योपनिषदि (३.१४.१) अपि तथैव वर्णितम्— "यथाक्रतुरस्मिँल्लोके पुरुषो भवति तथेतः प्रेत्य भवति" इति। (अर्थात्: जैसा मनुष्य का इस लोक में संकल्प या श्रद्धा होती है, परलोक में वह वैसा ही फल प्राप्त करता है।) नैतदन्यथा भवति। यथैकस्मिन् परमेश्वरे नानाविधानुरागाः सन्ति, तथैव स एक एव प्रभुर्बहुधा रूपैरात्मानं विस्तारयति। ॥ अथ सप्तदशं पराधिकरणम् ॥ (अधिकरणम् १७) विषयः: परमेश्वरस्यैव सर्वोत्कृष्टत्वम् (भगवान् ही सर्वोपरि हैं) श्रीमद्बलदेवविद्याभूषणविरचिता भूमिका (अवतारणिका): इदानीं परमेश्वरस्यैव सर्वोपरित्वरूपं सत्यं प्रतिपाद्यते। यदि परमेश्वरादपि कश्चिद् उत्कृष्टः स्यात्, तदा तस्मिन् प्रेमाभक्तिभावस्य विकास एव न सम्भवेत्। श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषद् (३.४) स्पष्टमेव कथयति यत् स एव प्रभुः सर्वमहान्। किन्तु श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषदि (३.१०) परमेश्वरादपि परं किमपि तत्त्वमस्तीति वर्णितमिव प्रतिभाति। संशयः: किं समाराध्यतम-परमेश्वरादपि उत्कृष्टतरः कश्चिद् व्यक्तिर्वा तत्त्वं विद्यते, उत नास्ति? पूर्वपक्षः: परमेश्वरादपि परं किमपि श्रेष्ठतरं तत्त्वमस्ति, यतः श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषदि (३.१०) "ततो यदुत्तरतरं तदरूपमनामयम्" इति स्पष्टं वर्णितम्। सिद्धान्तः: अस्मिन् विषये सूत्रकारः श्रीवेदव्यासः स्वसिद्धान्तं प्रतिपादयति— ॥ ब्रह्मसूत्रम् ॥ तथान्याप्रतिषेधात् ॥ ३.२.३७ ॥ पदच्छेदः एवं शब्दार्थः: तथा — तथा एव (परमेश्वर एव सर्वोत्कृष्टः); अन्य — अन्यस्य (परमेश्वरात् परस्य श्रेष्ठतरस्य); प्रतिषेधात् — निषेधदर्शनात् (श्रुतिभिः खण्डितत्वात्)। सूत्रार्थः (हिन्दी अनुवाद): वैसा ही है (अर्थात् परमेश्वर ही सर्वोपरि तत्त्व हैं), क्योंकि श्रुतियों द्वारा उनसे श्रेष्ठ किसी भी अन्य तत्त्व का स्पष्ट निषेध किया गया है।

Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Nothing is greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why is that? The sūtra explains: "for another is denied." In the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (3.9) it is said: yasmāt paraṁ nāparam asti kiñcid yasmān nāṇīyo na jyāyo 'sti kiñcit "There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person because He is the supermost. He is smaller than the smallest, and He is greater than the greatest."* In this way the scriptures deny the existence of anything greater than the Supreme Lord. That is the meaning here. In Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (3.8) it is said: vedāham etaṁ puruṣaṁ mahantam āditya-varṇaṁ tamasaḥ parastāt tam eva viditvāti mṛtyum eti nānyaḥ panthāḥ vidyate 'yanāya "I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is transcendental to all material conditions of darkness. Only he who knows Him can transcend the bonds of birth and death. There is no way for liberation other than knowledge of that Supreme Person."* After thus teaching that no path but knowledge of the Supreme Person leads to liberation, the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (3.9) explains: yasmāt paraṁ nāparam asti "There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person." In this way is proved that there is no truth superior to the Supreme Lord. In Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (3.10) it is said: tato yad uttarataraṁ tad arūpam anāmayam ya etad vidur amṛtās te bhavanty athetare duḥkham evāpi yānti

"They who know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is greater than the greatest, and has no material body and no faults, become immortal. They who do not know Him suffer." In this way the scriptures declare that there is no truth superior to the Lord. In this way the false idea of our opponent is disproved. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.7), the Supreme Lord Himself declares: mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya "O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me."* Adhikaraṇa 18 The Lord is All-pervading Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Now, to show that the object of worship is always nearby, the truth that the Supreme Lord is all-pervading will be described. Otherwise, if the Supreme Lord were not always nearby, then there would not be enthusiasm to love the Lord, and love for the Lord would become slackened. In the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad it is said: eko vaśī sarva-gaḥ kṛṣṇa īḍyaḥ "Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme controller and the supreme object of worship, is present everywhere." Saṁśaya (doubt): Is Lord Hari, the supreme object of meditation, all-pervading, or does He stay only in one place? Pūrvapakṣa (the opponent speaks): Because the Lord is of moderate height, and because He stays aloof from the material world, the Lord cannot be everywhere and does not go to every place. Therefore the Lord is not all-pervading. Siddhānta (conclusion): In the following words the author of the sūtras gives

His conclusion. Sūtra 38 anena sarvagatatvam āyāma-śabdādibhyaḥ anena—by Him; sarva—everywhere; gata—going; tvam—the state of being; āyāma—all-pervasiveness; śabda—Śruti-śāstra; ādibhyaḥ—beginning with. He is everywhere, for the Śruti-śāstra and other scriptures declare that He is all- pervading. Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Even though His form is of a moderate height, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-pervading. Why is that? The sūtra explains: "the Śruti-śāstra and other scriptures declare that He is all-pervading." Here the word "āyāma" means "all-pervading". The word "ādi" (beginning with) here means "because He has inconceivable potencies". In the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad it is said: eko vaśī sarva-gaḥ kṛṣṇa īḍyaḥ "Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme controller and the supreme object of worship, is present everywhere." In the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka it is said: yac ca kiñcij jagat sarvaṁ dṛśyate śrūyate 'pi vā antar bahiś ca tat sarvaṁ vyāpya nārāyaṇaḥ sthitaḥ "Lord Nārāyaṇa is present everywhere. He is within and without everything. He is within everything that has ever been seen or heard." In this way it is declared that, even though He has a form of moderate height, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is certainly all-pervading. Because of His inconceivable potencies the Lord is greater than all and present everywhere, even

though His form is of a moderate height. In Bhagavad-gītā (9.4 and 5), the Supreme Lord Himself declares: mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ na ca mat-sthāni bhūtāni paśya me yogam aiśvaram "By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them. And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence!"* Because the Supreme Lord is different from matter does not mean that He cannot be all-pervading within the material world, for the Śruti-śāstra clearly declares that He is certainly present within and without. The scriptures also affirm that as oil is present in sesame seeds and as butter is present in yogurt, so the Supreme Lord is present everywhere. In this way it is proved that worshipable Lord Hari is present everywhere. This is clearly shown in His Dāmodara pastime. Even though He was a small child, still He displayed His power of being all- pervading. Adhikaraṇa 19 The Supreme Lord Awards the Fruits of Action Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Now will be described the truth that the Supreme Lord awards all the fruits of action. Otherwise, if He did not award the fruits of action, or if He awarded only some of the fruits of action, because of His miserliness it would be difficult to develop love for Him. In the Praśna Upaniṣad (3.7) it is said: puṇyena puṇyaṁ lokaṁ nayati "The Supreme Lord takes the pious to the world of the pious."

संशयः — क्या स्वर्गलोक-प्राप्ति आदि पुण्य-फल यज्ञादि कर्मों के अनुष्ठान से स्वतः प्राप्त होते हैं, अथवा वे परमेश्वर के विधान (स्वीकृति) द्वारा प्राप्त होते हैं? पूर्वपक्षः — ये समस्त फल यज्ञादि कर्मों के सम्पादन से ही उत्पन्न होते हैं; इसमें परमेश्वर की कोई भूमिका नहीं है। सिद्धान्तः — इसके समाधान में सूत्रकार भगवान् बादरायण अपना निश्चित मत (सिद्धान्त) प्रस्तुत करते हैं—

सूत्र ३९

फलमत उपपत्तेः ॥ ३९ ॥ पदच्छेदः एवं शब्दार्थः फलम् — कर्मफल; अतः — उस परमेश्वर से ही; उपपत्तेः — क्योंकि यही युक्तिसंगत (उपपन्न) है। सूत्रार्थः कर्मों का फल उस परमेश्वर से ही प्राप्त होता है, क्योंकि यही युक्तियुक्त है। श्रील बलदेव विद्याभूषण विरचित गोविन्दभाष्य (तात्पर्य) स्वर्गलोक की प्राप्ति तथा अन्य पुण्य-फल, जो यज्ञादि सद्धर्मों के अनुष्ठान से साध्य हैं, वस्तुतः स्वयं परमेश्वर द्वारा ही प्रदान किए जाते हैं। ऐसा क्यों? इस पर सूत्रकार कहते हैं—"उपपत्तेः" (क्योंकि यही तर्कसंगत है)। नित्य, सर्वज्ञ, सर्वशक्तिमान् एवं परम उदार परमेश्वर की जब यज्ञादि कर्मों द्वारा आराधना की जाती है, तब वे ही कालान्तर में उन सत्कर्मों का अभीष्ट फल प्रदान करते हैं। कर्म तो स्वतः अचेतन (जड़) हैं तथा उत्पन्न होकर क्षणमात्र में विनष्ट हो जाते हैं; अतः वे विनष्ट होकर कालान्तरभावी फल देने में असमर्थ हैं। यही इसका तात्पर्य है। अग्रिम सूत्र में सूत्रकार इसका श्रुति-प्रमाण प्रस्तुत करते हैं—

सूत्र ४०

श्रुतत्वाच्च ॥ ४० ॥ पदच्छेदः एवं शब्दार्थः श्रुतत्वात् — श्रुति-शास्त्र में ऐसा ही प्रतिपादित होने के कारण; च — तथा / भी। सूत्रार्थः तथा श्रुति-शास्त्र द्वारा प्रमाणित होने के कारण भी (वही फलदाता सिद्ध होते हैं)।

Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (3.9.28) it is said: vijñānaṁ ānandaṁ brahma rātir dātuḥ parāyaṇaṁ "The Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of knowledge and bliss. It is He who gives the fruits of actions to they who perform yajñas." In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.24) it is also said: sa vā eṣa mahān aja ātmā annādo vasu-dānaḥ "The unborn Supreme Personality of Godhead gives the fruits of work." These two passages explain that the Supreme Lord gives the fruits of action. The word "dātuḥ" means "of the performer of yajña", and "rātiḥ" means “the giver of the results". Sūtra 41 dharmaṁ jaiminir ata eva dharmaṁ—piety; jaiminiḥ—Jaimini; ataḥ—from Him; eva—indeed. Jaimini affirms that piety comes from Him. Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Jaimini holds that piety comes from the Supreme Lord. The pious deed that gives an auspicious result itself comes from the Supreme Lord. In the Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad (3.8) it is said: eṣa eva sādhu karma kārayati

"The Lord engages the living entity in pious activities."* According to Jaimini, the Supreme Lord does not give the results of actions, either directly or indirectly. The Lord creates only the actions themselves and the results are given by the actions. Here someone may object: Is it not so that actions are over in a moment, whereas there is often a great lapse of time before actions bear their karmic result? If the actions quickly cease to exist they cannot create the karmic results, for something that has ceased to exist cannot create something new. To this objection Jaimini may reply: No. It is not so. Even though the action itself comes to an end, it leaves behind a potential result. Only when this result is fulfilled is the action actually completed. Even if there is a considerable lapse of time, the action itself gives the result to the person, a result appropriate to that particular action. Thus actions are the givers of results. In the following words Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the author of the sūtras, gives His opinion. Sūtra 42 pūrvaṁ tu bādarāyaṇo hetu-vyapadeśāt pūrvaṁ—previous; tu—but; bādarāyaṇaḥ—Vyāsadeva; hetu—of the cause; vyapadeśāt—from the description. But Vyāsadeva holds the previous view, for the Lord is described as the cause. Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Here the word "tu" (but) is employed to dispel doubt. Vyāsadeva holds the previous view, that the Supreme Personality of Godhead awards the fruits of action. Why so? The sūtra explains: "for the Lord is described as the cause". In the Praśna Upaniṣad (3.7) it is said: puṇyena puṇyaṁ lokaṁ nayati pāpena pāpam "The Supreme Lord takes the pious to the world of the pious and the sinful to the world of the sinful."

In this way the scriptures teach that the Supreme Lord awards the results of action. That is the meaning. Because they already have ceased to exist, the actions themselves cannot be the cause of the karmic results. Also, it is the Supreme Lord Himself who is the creator of karma, for the scriptures say: dravyaṁ karma ca kālaś ca "The Supreme Personality of Godhead is creator of matter, karma, and time. In this way it is proved that the Lord is the creator of karma. The idea that actions leave behind a potential result is a lame and foolish idea. Actions are inanimate and unconscious. They are like a block of wood or a stone, and therefore they have no power to award the results of actions. Also, the Śruti-śāstra never describes them as awarding the results of actions. Here someone may object: Is it not so that the demigods are worshiped in the performance of yajñas and it is the demigods themselves who give the results of these yajñas. If this is said, then I reply: It is by the sanction of the Supreme Lord that the demigods are able to give these results. This is clearly described in the Antaryāmī Brāhmaṇa. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself awards the results of actions. The lotus-eyed Supreme Lord Himself affirms this in the following words (Bhagavad-gītā 7.21-22): yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ śraddhayārcitum icchati tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ tām eva vidadhāmy aham "I am in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so he can devote himself to that particular deity.* sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas tasyārādhanam īhate labhate ca tataḥ kāmān mayaiva vihitān hi tān "Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtain his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone."*

In this way worshiped by the performance of yajña, the Supreme Lord Himself gives the auspicious results to the worshiper. When He is thus pleased by devotion, the Supreme Lord will give everything, even Himself to His devotee. This will be described later on with quotes from the Śruti-śāstra. Thus, in these two padas has been seen: 1. the fault of the material world, which is an abode of many sufferings, beginning with repeated birth and death, 2. the faultless glories of the Lord, 3. the Lord's being the controller of all, 4. the Lord's form of pure spirit, and 5. the Lord's being not different from His attributes. By hearing of these things one develops a great thirst to attain the Lord's association and a great disgust for all that is far from the Lord. In this way one comes to attain the Lord. That is what was revealed in these two padas. Pada 3 Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa parayā nirasya māyāṁ guṇa- karmādīni yo bhajati nityam devaś caitanya-tanur manasi mamāsau parisphuratu kṛṣṇaḥ May Lord Kṛṣṇa, who with the aid of His transcendental potency pushes aside the influence of māyā, who has a host of transcendental virtues eternally, who enjoys eternal transcendental pastimes, and who has now appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, appear in my heart. In this pada will be revealed the way of worshiping the Lord's transcendental attributes. As in a vaidūrya jewel many splendid colors are always manifest, so in the Supreme Personality of Godhead many different transcendental forms, all perfect and without beginning, are also manifest eternally. Understanding that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is supremely perfect, complete, and pure, has many different forms, a devotee becomes attracted to one of the Lord's forms and directs his worship to that form. If the various scriptures describe transcendental virtues present in that form of the Lord, all those virtues may also be ascribed to that single chosen form. Thus a person who worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as present in His powers and opulences, such as the mind and the other powers of the world, should review the scriptures' descriptions of the various qualities of these forms, but not of other forms of the Lord.

Others, however, speak in the following way: The one Supreme Personality of Godhead assumes different forms as an actor assumes different roles on the stage. In this way the Lord has many different names and abodes. For this reason all the qualities and pastimes of the different forms of the Lord, as described in the scriptures, may be ascribed to any one of the Lord's forms. Here someone may object: Is it not so that many of the qualities of many of the Lord's forms, qualities described in the scriptures, cannot be properly ascribed to all of the Lord's forms? Is it not so that sweetness, opulence, peacefulness, austerity, ferociousness, and other qualities may be mutually contradictory, and it may also be contradictory to ascribe the features of having a horn, tail, mane, tusk, or other features appropriate to the Lord's forms like Varāha and others to the Lord's humanlike forms, which carry a flute, conchshell, bow, arrows, and other paraphernalia? Therefore in the Mahābhārata it is said: yo 'nyathā santam ātmānam anyathā pratipadyate kiṁ tena na kṛtaṁ pāpaṁ caureṇātmāpahāriṇā "A person who ascribes to the Supreme Lord qualities that the Lord does not actually possess is a thief who robs himself. Does he not sin with his words?" Therefore, because of both the injunction of Smṛti-śāstra and the experience of the wise sages, one should not ascribe the qualities of one of Lord's forms to another of the Lord's forms. If this is said, then the following reply may be given: The qualities of one of Lord's forms may be ascribed to another of the Lord's forms only when the qualities are appropriate to that particular form. Ascribing the qualities of one of Lord's forms to another of the Lord's forms is of two kinds: 1. cintana, and 2. dhī- mātra. They who perform this first kind of meditation are called sva-niṣṭha, and they who perform the second kind of meditation are called ekāntī. In the next pada three kinds of wise devotees, headed by the sva-niṣṭha devotees, will be described. The sva-niṣṭha devotees have equal love for all the Lord's forms. They see all the qualities of all the Lord's forms present equally in each of the Lord's forms. They do not see anything improper in ascribing many contradictory qualities to each of the Lord's forms. They consider that the Lord by His great potency may possess many mutually contradictory qualities, just as a vaidūrya jewel may display many different colors. The ekāntī devotees, who are divided into two groups: pariniṣṭhita and nirapekṣa, do not have equal love for all the Lord's forms. They meditate only on the qualities of one form the Lord, the form they have chosen. They see the qualities of this form alone. Even though they are well aware of the Lord's other forms, they do not meditate or gaze upon them. On His part, the Lord generally does not reveal His other forms to these devotees. This will be reveled in another adhikaraṇa. As for the passage quoted from the Mahābhārata, its true meaning is

that it is a rebuke hurled at the impersonalists, who claim that the Supreme is consciousness and nothing else. The truth that the Supreme certainly does have qualities, and therefore the Lord's qualities should be sought out by they who seek liberation, is described in Chāndogya Upaniṣad (8.1.1-6). It is also said, in thw Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.4.1): ānandaṁ brahmaṇo vidvān na bibheti kutaścana "He who knows that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of bliss never fears anything." This means that they who understand the qualities of the Supreme become free of fear. In this way the scriptures affirm that the Supreme certainly does have qualities. The impersonalists claim that the Lord's qualities are either falsely ascribed to Him or else are accepted only because of the material traditions of this world. However, because many of these qualities are present in the Lord alone and no one else, it cannot be said that these qualities are falsely ascribed to the Lord, and because the revelation of scripture does not describe them as such, it also cannot be said that the qualities of the Lord are accepted only because of the material traditions of this world. They who claim that the qualities of the Lord are imagined to facilitate worship of the Lord, as in the statement, "Imagining the goddess of speech to be a cow, one should worship her", are all fools. Their idea is destroyed by the simple statement of the scriptures: satyam etyopāsīta "Approaching the Supreme Reality, one should worship Him." Even the impersonalists, in their commentaries on sūtras 3.3.12 and 3.3.38, affirm that the Supreme is bliss and there is no difference between the individual souls and the Supreme. In this way they accept the idea that the qualities of the worshipable Supreme are real and not metaphors. When the scriptures say that the Supreme has no qualities (nirguṇa), the intention is that He has no material qualities. Because it is clearly stated that the Lord is not different from His qualities, this objection of the impersonalists should not be taken seriously. For the purpose of meditation the Lord's qualities should be understood to be of two kinds: aṅgi-niṣṭha (general qualities) and aṅga-niṣṭha (features of the Lord's form). It is said that one may collect from all the different parts of the Vedas descriptions of the Lord's qualities.

Adhikaraṇa 1 The Lord Should Be Sought Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Viṣaya (the subject to be discussed): To understand the Lord's qualities one should search all the texts of the Vedas. Saṁśaya (doubt): Should one learn about the Supreme by studying the branch (śākha) of Vedic texts in one's own community, or should one study all the branches of the Vedas? Pūrvapakṣa (the opponent speaks): Because all the branches of the Vedas are different, one should study only one's own branch of the Vedas. Siddhānta (conclusion): In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion: Sūtra 1 sarva-vedānta-pratyayaṁ codanādy-aviśeṣāt sarva—all; veda—Vedas; anta—end; pratyayam—meaning; codana— injunctions; ādi—beginning with; aviśeṣāt—because of not being different. Because the Vedic injunctions and all other sources of real knowledge are not genuinely different, therefore knowledge of Him is the conclusion of all the Vedas. Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa The word "anta" (end) here means "conclusion". The word "anta" is also used in this way in Bhagavad-gītā (2.16): ubhayor api dṛṣṭo 'ntaḥ "This they have concluded by studying the nature of both."*

Thus knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the final conclusion taught by all the Vedas. Why is that? The sūtra explains: "because the Vedic injunctions and all other sources of real knowledge are not genuinely different." The "other sources of real knowledge" here refers to logic. In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1.4.7) it is said: ātmety evopāsīta "One should worship the Supreme." These words, as well as the promptings of logic, confirm the truth that these statements and many others like them in passages of all the Vedas, all describe the same Supreme Lord. The same Supreme Lord is described in the same way in the Kaṇva, Mādhyandina, and other recensions of the Vedas. Here someone may object: In one part of the Vedas (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.9.28) it is said: vijñānam ānandam brahma "The Supreme is knowledge and bliss." However, in another part of the Vedas (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.1.9) it is said: yaḥ sarva-jñaḥ sarva-vit "The Supreme knows everything." Because in this way each branch of the Vedas speaks differently of the Supreme, they do not all describe the same object as the Supreme. If this is said, the author of the sūtras gives the following reply. Sūtra 2 bhedād iti cen naikasyām api bhedāt—because of difference; iti—thus; cet—if; na—not; ekasyām—in one; api—also.