Krsna is Realized in Different Ways

Krsna is Realized in Different Ways

Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.156-163
New York, December 11, 1966

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Prabhupada:

ete camsa-kalah pumsah
krsnas tu bhagavan svayam
indrari-vyakulam lokam
mrdayanti yuge yuge
 [SB 1.3.28]

jnana, yoga, bhakti -- tina sadhanera vase
brahma, atma, bhagavan-trividha prakase

So the Absolute Truth is manifested according to the vision of the seer. The Absolute Truth is one without second, but according to the capacity of the seer, the Absolute Truth is manifested either as Brahman, impersonal Brahman, or localized Paramatma, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this point we have discussed.

So Lord Caitanya is giving one evidence from Srimad-Bhagavatam:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
 [SB 1.2.11]

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that "The Absolute Truth is one, without any duality. He is simply named in different ways." And what are the different names? "Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan."

brahma-anga-kanti tanra, nirvisesa prakase
surya yena carma-cakse jyotirmaya bhase

Lord Caitanya says that "The conception of Brahman is that it is the rays of the body of Krsna. Just like the sunshine is the rays of the body of the sun disc, similarly," brahma-anga-kanti tanra nirvisesa prakase. And in that brahmajyoti, or rays, there is no variegatedness. Just like if you all of a sudden see to the sun, you don't find any variegatedness in the sky. It appears just like only dazzling effulgence. But when the sunlight is not there, we can see millions and millions of stars in the firmament. So in the Upanisad also, it is prayed that "My Lord, You kindly move this curtain of glaring effulgence so that I can actually see You."

So one who is dazzled by this glaring effulgence of the rays of Krsna, they can realize the Supreme Lord or the Supreme Absolute Truth as impersonal. Surya yena carma-cakse jyotirmaya bhase. Carma-cakse, with our present eyes, defective... All our senses are defective. We are very much proud of our eyes. I want to see personally. But we do not know that with these eyes or any sense, they are all defective. They are not perfect. Just like in the glare of the sunshine, oh, we see nothing. We see sometimes darkness. So we cannot believe these eyes or senses. We have to take information of perfect knowledge from the authorities. That is the Vedic way. So those who want to see God or the Supreme Absolute Truth by the agency of their imperfect senses, they say that God is impersonal. They're imperfect. That is a realization of the imperfect senses. Perfectly, the perfectly vision, perfect vision of the Supreme Lord is a person. Just like nobody can enter into the sun disc. They can say from distant place, "Oh, there is nothing. It is simply fire." But from scripture we understand, "No, that is a planet." And as in this planet we have got so many variegatedness, similarly, in that planet also, there are... In every planet. There is no reason to disbelieve that in, in the, in other planets there is no life, there is no variegatedness. No. According to Vedic literature, it is not acceptable. Each and every planet, there is variegatedness as we find in this planet. The difference is that in some of the planets earthly matter is prominent, some of the planets fiery elements are prominent. So in the sun, sun planet, fiery elements is very prominent. There the living entities and everything, they are made of fire.

So He's giving another evidence from Brahma-samhita:

yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-
kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam
tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
 [Bs. 5.40]

"I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, whose bodily effulgence is brahmajyoti." The brahmajyoti, that is nothing but His bodily effulgence. And in that brahmajyoti... Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti [Bs. 5.40]. Or that brahmajyoti being manifested, there are innumerable planets and universes. There are. The same example: just like in the sun, sunshine, there are innumerable planets, so similarly, in the original shine, Krsna shine -- this is sunshine; the original shine is Krsna shining -- in that effulgence there are innumerable Vaikuntha planets, spiritual planets. Ekamsena sthito jagat [Bg. 10.42]. In the Bhagavad-gita, you'll find, all these planetary manifestations is situated in one fourth of His effulgence. Three fourths of the manifestation are in the spiritual sky. Tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam. Asesa-bhutam. It is so much extended that nobody can calculate how far. We cannot calculate even the sunshine, how far it is extended, and what to speak of that original effulgence. So our knowledge is always imperfect. We cannot study even millions and millionth part of the opulence of the Supreme Lord. So it is futile to deny God because we cannot calculate His potencies and expansion of potencies.

paramatma yenho, tenho krsnera eka amsa
atmara 'atma' haya krsna sarva-avatamsa

Now, this localized aspect, Paramatma, in individual soul, living, He's called Paramatma. So that Paramatma, Supersoul, is also a part representation. The, the body of Krsna is sac-cid-ananda vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. Sac, cid, ananda -- three, three spiritual divisions. Not division actually. They are one. But for our understanding we analyze in that way, sac, cid, ananda. Sat. Sat means eternity. So Brahman realization, impersonal Brahman realization, is realization of eternity; Paramatma realization means eternity and knowledge; and Bhagavan realization means full realization: eternity, knowledge and bliss. Simple eternal realization is without factual knowledge and without bliss -- impersonal. The impersonalists, they cannot enjoy the transcendental bliss. They simply stay as eternal. That's all. Santa-rasa. It is called santa-rasa, peaceful santa-rasa. There is no exchange. And further development is dasya-rasa. And further development is sakhya-rasa. And further development is vatsalya-rasa. And further, ultimate development is madhurya-rasa. So in the spiritual atmosphere there are different degrees of realization. So this Brahman realization is the first step, and the Paramatma realization is the second step, and Bhagavan realization, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is the ultimate stage.

He's giving some evidences from Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita also:

krsnam enam avehi tvam
atmanam akhilatmanam
jagad-dhitaya so'py atra
dehivabhati mayaya

Now, in Srimad-Bhagavatam some advanced devotee is indicating Krsna, krsnam enam avehi: "This Krsna..." When Krsna was present in person, many persons studied Him in a different way, but one of them, who is pure devotee, he is describing about Krsna that enam, "This Krsna, this Krsna," krsnam enam avehi, "you should try to understand." What is that? Tvam atmanam akhilatmanam. Atmanam akhilatmanam. Atma means the self, or soul. So we individual souls, we are part and parcel, fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme. Therefore Krsna is to be understood as the source of all individual selves. Akhilatma. Akhila means all. Then jagad-dhitaya: "Now, He has come, He has descended out of His causeless mercy," jagad-dhitaya, "for the benefit of this world, this planet." Dehiva abhati. Just like He appears ordinary person. Abhati mayaya. Maya. This maya is not illusion. This maya means by His internal potency. By His internal potency, He can appear just like us, but He's not like us. He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Then,

atha va bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat
 [Bg. 10.42]

Now the Lord says, Krsna says, when Arjuna asked Him, "Krsna, will You describe something about Your different potencies, by which You are working in this material world?" Then Krsna describes so many things. Out of that one verse is that atha va bahunaitena kim jnatena tavarjuna:  "My dear Arjuna, I have described in nutshell many of My potencies in displaying this manifested world, but you can understand one thing, that by one part, by manifestation of one of My part, I am..., I have entered all the universe and all the hearts of living entities." Just like by one reflection of the sun, if you put millions of pots with water, by one of the potencies of the sun, you'll find the sun is represented in every pot. During noontime, by one of the potencies of the sun, you can feel, five thousand miles away, the sun is just over your head. So, as it is possible even for a material object, so this Krsna, the supreme spiritual form, He has got many potencies which we cannot calculate. In the Vedic literature it is said: parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate... [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.156-163 -- New York, December 11, 1966

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