20240801 Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta 1.5. Inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

First shower — Fifth stream

Inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference

TEXT: Praṇava is the mahā-vākya —

The conclusion of these principal transcendental sound vibration from Lord Caitanya is that the praṇava, i.e. Oṁkāra is the secret name of Kṛṣṇa, the original seed of the Vedas and the transcendental sound in all the Vedas. Praṇava is formed by pra+ṇu, to praise+an. Oṁkāra is the avatāra in the form of sound of Para-brahman who is to be glorified. From Oṁkāra, all the Vedas have arisen. In fact, praṇava is the seed of the Vedas and all of the other portions of the Vedas are specifically subsidiary statements. The propounder of Māyāvāda, Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Svāmī has covered the principal statement of praṇava and established the four subsidiary Vedic statements, viz., 1. Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi (I am Brahman,) 2. Prajñānaṁ Brahma (Cognisance is Brahman), 3. Tattvam Asi (You are that), 4. Ekam Evādvitīyaṁ (Only one without a second), as the principal statement.

Jayapatākā Swami: Boo boo boo! We are against the Śaṅkarācārya philosophy. Gaurāṅga! Jaya Jaya! Jaya!

Here it is raining. So we have lots of online virtual visitors.

Impersonalism and personalism—

Jayapatākā Swami: I want personalism! Jaya Gaura Nitāi!

TEXT: It has been accepted in the māyāvāda that both the illusory state of the conditioned souls and the controlling power of Brahman are merely due to illusion (Māyā), Brahma-nirvāṇa or separation of māyā is the liberation of the soul. In this māyāvāda theory, the pure relationship of the living entity with Para-brahman is made hidden. The complete purport of the Vedas is not considered. Therefore, Śrī Madhvācārya Svāmī accepting some statements of the śrutis has established dvaitavāda. Even in that, because there was no complete consideration of the Vedas, the knowledge of relationship is not blossomed. Śrīmad Rāmānujācārya also did not show the cheerfulness of knowledge of relationship in viśiṣṭādvaitavāda. Dvaitādvaitavādī Śrīman Nimbāditya Svāmī also has propagated some of incompleteness. Śrīmad Viṣṇu Svāmī also left some ambiguity in his śuddhādvaita opinion. Acintya-bhedā-bheda or the transformation of energy is the opinion of the Brahma-sūtra.

In order to establish the eternality of prema-dharma, Mahāprabhu taught the pure, complete teachings about the knowledge of relationship through the acintya-bhedā-bheda and delivered the world from the darkness in the form of argumentativeness.

Mahāprabhu says – the only mahā-vākya is praṇava. The meaning in it is clear in the Upaniṣads. What the Upaniṣads teach is completely approved by Vyāsa in the Vedāntα-sūtras. The commentary of the Vedāntα-sūtras is the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The first sūtrα (janmādy asyα yataḥ) teaches that the principle of transformation (pαriṇāmα) is the truth. The same teaching is given in the Vedic mantra, “Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyαnte.” In the Bhāgαvαtαm also, that meaning is confirmed. Apprehending that by the theory of the transformation of the energy, Brahman becomes transformed, Śaṅkarācārya established vivαrtα-vāda (theory of illusion). This vivαrtα-vādα is the root of all faults.

Pαriṇāmα-vādα, transformation of the energy of the Lord, is the pure truth approved by all scriptures. If the eternality of the Supreme Lord’s energy is not accepted, then in pαriṇāmα-vādα, there is a great defect of the Lord’s illusion and transformation. But if the eternal, natural, superior energy of the Lord is accepted, then there remains no fault. The truth is that by the wonderful transformation of energy, the universe has come about. Brahman is not transformed. The result of the transformation of the energy of Brahman is this material cosmic manifestation and the world for the living entities. From the example that the Lord has given of a touchstone, which by its energy turns iron to gold and yet remains the same, it appears clearly that Kṛṣṇa’s energy has made all the creation, but nevertheless Kṛṣṇa is not transformed by that. Everything is the transformation of energy. By the full transformation of the spiritual potency (cit-śakti), the spiritual abodes such as Vaikuṇṭha, name, form, qualities, pastimes and the spiritual particles of living entities atomic in size. By transformation of the illusory potency (māyā-śakti) is the whole material world and the gross and subtle bodies of the living entities. The fourteen planetery systems are to be understood when the material world is mentioned. This pαriṇāmα-vādα is found everywhere in the Vedāntα-sūtrαs and the Upaniṣads. The gradual transformation evolving into mαhαt-tαttvα, αhαṅkārα, ether, fire, air, water and earth is pαriṇāmα-vādα.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Kṛṣṇa doesn’t change. Kṛṣṇa’s energies change. So in this way the whole universe is made by the māyā-śakti. The spiritual world is manifested by the cit-śakti. Sat-cit-ānanda. So Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual world is sat-cit-ānanda. And the material world is manifested by His māyā-śakti. So māyā-śakti has three manifestations – sattva, rajas and tamas. So when we fully understand this and identify with Kṛṣṇa and we go back to the spiritual world. (My voice is not so good today.)