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

of God. Some said that the jīva becomes free from the cycle of repeated birth and death when He understands his real identity as the perfectly spiritual Supreme Brahman (God). The Vedānta-sūtra refutes all these misconceptions, and establishes Lord Viṣṇu as supremely independent, the original creator and cause of all causes, omniscient, the ultimate goal of life for all living entities, the supreme religious principle and the supreme transcendental knowledge. The Vedānta-sūtra describes five tattvas (truths): 1. īśvara (The Supreme Personality of Godhead); 2. jīva (the individual living entity, or spirit-soul); 3. prakṛti (matter); 4. kāla (time); and 5. karma (action). The īśvara is omniscient, but the jīva has only limited knowledge. Still, both are eternal beings, are aware of the spiritual reality, and have a variety of spiritual qualitites. Both are alive, have personality, and are aware of their own identity. At this point someone may object: "In one place you have said that the Supreme Godhead is omniscient, and in another place you have said that He is knowledge itself. This is a contradiction, for the knower and the object of knowledge must be different. They cannot be the same. To this objection I reply: Just as a lamp is not different from the light it emanates and it's light is both the object of knowledge and the method of attaining it, in the same way the Supreme Personality of Godhead is simultaneously the supreme knower and the supreme object of knowledge. There is no contradiction. Īśvara is supremely independent. He is the master of all potencies. He enters the universe and controls it. He awards both material enjoyment and and ultimate liberation to to the individual spirit souls (jīvas)residing in material bodies. Although He is one, He manifests in many forms. They who understand the transcendental science maintain that He is not different from His own transcendental form and qualities. Although He cannot be perceived by the material senses, He can be perceived by bhakti (devotional service). He is changeless. He reveals His own spiritual, blissful form to His devotees. The many jīvas are situated in different conditions of existence. Some are averse to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and turn their faces from Him. Such jīvas are bound by material illusion. Other jīvas are friendly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and turn their faces to Him. These jīvas become free from the two-fold bondage of material illusion, which hides the Supreme Lord's form and qualities, and in this way they become able to see the Suprerme Personality of Godhead face-to-face. Prakṛti (material nature) consists of the three modes: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Prakṛti is known by many names, such as tamaḥ and māyā. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead glances at Prakṛti, she becomes able to perform her various duties. Prakṛti is the mother of many variegated material universes. Kāla (time) is the origin of past, present, future, simultaneity, slowness, quickness, and many other similar states. Kāla is divided into many different units from the extremely brief kṣaṇa to the extermely long parārdha. Turning like a wheel, time is the cause of repeated creation and annihilation of the universes. Time is unconscious. It is not a person. These four tattvas (īśvara, jīva, prakṛti, and kāla) are eternal. This is confirmed by the following scriptural quotations: