Adventures in Humility

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Monday, April 30, 2007

Priti Sandarbha 10

If you just stumbled here, then read this first for background. The language of the text clearly points to a translator from ISKCON (probably the late Kusakratha das). Here we go with some choice quotes from Priti-sandarbha (Anuccheda 10) of Sri Jiva Gosvamipada after he briefly describes the five kinds of liberation:

By his own will a liberated soul can manifest many different forms. This is described in these words of Chandogya Upanisad (7.26.2):

sa ekadhA bhavati, dvidhA bhavati, tridhA bhavati.

"The liberated soul may manifest one form, two forms,
three forms, or more forms than that."

He then explains that Vaikuntha is free from maya and that one who reaches there never comes back. And then at the end of Anuccheda 10, he says:

In final liberation the devotees attain a spiritual nature and form like those of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. This is described in the following words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.15.14):

vasanti yatra puruSAH
sarve vaikuNTha-mUrtayaH
ye 'nimitta-nimittena
dharmeNArAdhayan harim

"In the Vaikuntha planets all the residents are similar in form to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They all engage in devotional service ot the Lord without desires for sense gratification."

Here "nimitta" means "result", and "animitta" means "without cause". These two words together mean, "without the desire for material sense gratification". "Dharmena" means "by devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead". Here the word "vaikuntha" means "the Supreme Personality of Godhead". "Vaikuntha-murtayah" means numberless forms of the individual souls who reside in Vaikuntha and who are manifest from tiny fragments of the effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are many liberated souls, each with his own form, and there is one Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has His own form. Still, the liberated souls have forms that are like the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This verse was spoken by the demigod Brahma to the demigods.

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So after first describing that it is within the capacity of the jiva to manifest one, two, or more forms, Sri Jivapada says that in Vaikuntha all the souls there have a form of their own that is similar to that of the Lord's.

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2 Comments:

  • At 30 April, 2007 22:50, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    By his own will
    By his own will
    By his own will
    By his own will
    By his own will
    By his own will
    By his own will


    Priti Sandarbha 10

    By his own will a liberated soul can manifest many different forms. This is described in these words of Chandogya Upanisad (7.26.2):

    sa ekadhA bhavati, dvidhA bhavati, tridhA bhavati.

    "The liberated soul may manifest one form, two forms, three forms, or more forms than that."

     
  • At 01 May, 2007 02:54, Blogger "Gaurasundara das" said…

    Jai Gaura!

    By that I assume you are placing a lot of emphasis on the will of the liberated soul (talk about an understatement, haha!). From memory I think the verse from Chandogya Upanisad refers to sadhana-siddha and not nitya-siddha.

    I've heard that verse before and so checked out and here we are. I would be wary of taking this verse as proof of an official statement because, as far as Govinda-bhashya is concerned, it is being used explicitly to describe the state of (newly) liberated (sadhana-siddha) souls. For Gaudiyas, this explains how a liberated Vaishnava can enter both aprakat-Vrindavan and aprakat-Navadvipa simultaneously. In fact it seems that many more forms can be achieved.

    On the other hand, this could also be relevant to nitya-siddhas as it would explain why the associates of Krishna can expand in Gaura-lila, etc. But I would still be wary of it because of it's sweeping nature.

    Anyhow, the following Sandarbhas (11-13) emphasise that the liberated body is given by the Lord as opposed to inherent. But that is just the official line anyway. Inherent is always a possibility, Mahaprabhu doesn't care how we reach Him as long as we do reach Him.

    Of course, my understanding is imperfect and is always being refined.

     

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