The Lord’s Opulence

Brahma means the greatest of all and the cause of everything. Uddhava here addresses the Lord as the paramam, or supreme brahma, because in His feature as Bhagavān the Lord is the highest feature of the Absolute Truth and the shelter of unlimited spiritual opulences. Unlike those of ordinary living entities, the Lord’s opulences cannot be restricted by time, and thus the Lord is anādy-antam, without beginning or end, and apāvṛtam, unhindered by any superior or equal potency. The opulence of the material world is also resting within the Lord, who alone can protect, maintain, create and destroy the material world. In this chapter, Śrī Uddhava inquires from the Lord about His spiritual and material opulences in order to refine his appreciation of the Lord’s position as the Absolute Truth. Even Lord Viṣṇu, the ultimate creator of the material world, is an expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and thus Śrī Uddhava wishes to fully appreciate the unique status of his personal friend.

The behavior of saintly persons is also to be taken as evidence, and therefore it is here stated that although ignorant, impious persons are bewildered before the Lord’s all-pervading feature, those with purified, clear consciousness worship the Lord as He is. In this chapter Śrī Uddhava inquires about the Lord’s opulences, and here the words uccāvaceṣu bhūteṣu (“within superior and inferior creations”) clearly refer to the Lord’s external opulences, those manifested in the material world. The saintly brāhmaṇas, or Vaiṣṇavas, worship Lord Kṛṣṇa within all things and yet recognize the variety in the Lord’s creation. For example, in worshiping the Deity, the devotees will select the nicest flowers, fruits and ornaments for decorating the transcendental form of the Lord. Similarly, although the Lord is present in the heart of every conditioned soul, the devotee will give more attention to a conditioned soul interested in the message of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Although the Lord is everywhere, the devotees make distinctions, for the sake of the Lord’s service, between His presence in superior (ucca) and inferior (avaceṣu) creations.

Śrī Uddhava here inquires about the spiritual opulences of the Lord, which consist primarily of His viṣṇu-tattva expansions such as Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. By worshiping different plenary expansions of the Lord one achieves particular perfections, and Śrī Uddhava wants to know about this.

The Lord exists as the Supersoul within everything. He also appears in various incarnations or sometimes empowers a devotee to act as an incarnation. All such forms of the Lord are unknown to the nondevotees. The bewildered conditioned souls think that the supreme enjoyer, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is actually meant to be enjoyed by them for their sense gratification. Praying to God for specific material benedictions and assuming God’s creation to be their personal property, the nondevotees cannot understand the actual form of the Lord. They therefore remain foolish and bewildered. Within the universe everything is subject to creation, maintenance and destruction, and thus the Supersoul is the only actual controller in the material world. Unfortunately, when the Supersoul appears in various incarnations to clarify His position, ignorant persons think that the Supersoul is merely another creation of the modes of material nature. As stated in this verse, they cannot see that person who is actually seeing them, and simply remain bewildered.

Uddhava here inquires about the Lord’s material and spiritual potencies, as manifested within our universe. Just as ordinary animals or insects living in human cities cannot appreciate the scientific, cultural or military achievements of man, similarly, foolish materialists cannot appreciate the mighty opulences of the Personality of Godhead, even those manifested within our universe. For the appreciation of ordinary human beings Uddhava requests the Lord to reveal exactly how and in what forms He expands His potencies. As already explained, the Lord is the essential ingredient of all that exists, and thus any mighty or opulent manifestation must ultimately rest on the Lord Himself.

Lord Kṛṣṇa was pleased that His two friends, Arjuna and Uddhava, had posed the same question regarding the opulences of the Personality of Godhead. Lord Kṛṣṇa considered it wonderful that His two dear friends had asked exactly the same question.

Lord Kṛṣṇa here explains to Uddhava the circumstances in which Śrī Arjuna posed his questions.

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī points out that the Personality of Godhead maintains an ablative and genitive relationship with His opulences. In other words, the Lord is not different from all living entities, because they are coming from Him and they belong to Him. The Lord gave a similar explanation to Arjuna in the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (10.20), beginning with the same words, aham ātmā. Although the Lord describes His external, or material, opulences, the Lord’s position is always transcendental and nonmaterial. Just as the living soul within the body gives life to the body, similarly, the Lord, by His supreme potency, gives life to all universal opulences.

Lord Viṣṇu appeared among the sons of Aditi as Vāmanadeva.

It is significant to know that Lord Kṛṣṇa is represented within this universe by the lord or supreme in all categories. No one can be as aristocratic and perfect as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, nor can anyone estimate the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa is without doubt the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lord Śiva used his bow to completely cover with arrows the three demoniac cities built by Maya Dānava.

Oṣadhīnām here indicates those plants that fructify once and then die. Among them, those that give grains, which sustain human life, represent Kṛṣṇa. Without grains it is not possible to produce milk products, nor can one properly perform Vedic fire sacrifices without offerings of grains.

Any science is based on the faculty of expert discrimination. By skillful definition of isolated and interactive components one becomes expert in any field. Ultimately the most intelligent person can isolate the spirit soul from matter and describe the properties of matter and spirit as both isolated and interactive components of reality. The proliferation of innumerable philosophical speculations is due to differing modes of perception within the material world. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in everyone’s heart and awards a particular degree of knowledge or ignorance according to one’s desire and merit. Thus the Lord Himself is the basis of the mundane process of philosophical speculation, for He creates differing and alternating modes of perception within the conditioned souls. It is to be understood that one can acquire perfect knowledge only by hearing directly from Lord Kṛṣṇa and not by hearing from conditioned philosophers who imperfectly perceive the creation of the Lord through the screen of their personal desires.

One who realizes the eternal soul within no longer fears any material situation and thus is qualified to accept the renounced order of life, sannyāsa. Certainly fear is one of the great miseries of material life; therefore the gift of fearlessness is very valuable and represents Lord Kṛṣṇa. Both in ordinary pleasant speech and silence, very few confidential things are revealed, and thus diplomacy and silence are both aids to secrecy. Lord Brahmā is prominent among sexual pairs because the original beautiful couple, Svāyambhuva Manu and Śatarūpā, emerged from Lord Brahmā’s body, as explained in Chapter Twelve of the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

The Vedic literatures state that one who possesses perfect knowledge of the creation and destruction of all entities and who is completely situated in omniscience is to be known as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. Although many great personalities are sometimes called Bhagavān, ultimately Bhagavān is the one supreme entity who possesses unlimited opulences. Throughout history, many important personalities have been addressed as “lord,” but ultimately there is only one Supreme Lord. In the Lord’s catur-vyūha, or quadruple expansion, the first manifestation is Vāsudeva, who here represents all of the Lord’s expansions in the viṣṇu-tattva category.

Pañca-gavya refers to five sacrificial ingredients obtained from the cow, namely milk, ghee, yogurt, dung and urine. The cow is so valuable that even its dung and urine are antiseptic and fit for sacrificial offering. Kuśa grass is also used for religious occasions. Mahārāja Parīkṣit constructed a sitting place from kuśa grass during the last week of his life. Among beautiful things the lotus cup formed by lotus petals represents Lord Kṛṣṇa, and among jewels the ruby, which is similar to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s own Kaustubha gem, symbolizes the potency of the Lord.

Generally, the Vaiṣṇavas worship the Personality of Godhead as Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Nārāyaṇa, Hayagrīva, Varāha, Nṛsiṁha and Brahmā. It is understood that when a suitable living entity is not available to fill the post of Brahmā, the Lord Himself assumes the position; therefore Lord Brahmā is mentioned in the list. Lord Viṣṇu sometimes appears as Indra and sometimes as Brahmā, and it is Viṣṇu appearing as Brahmā who is indicated in this connection.

In Bhagavad-gītā (7.9) Lord Kṛṣṇa says, puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca: “I am the fragrance of the earth.” The original fragrance of the earth is very pleasing and represents Lord Kṛṣṇa. Although unpleasant aromas may be artificially produced, they do not represent the Lord.

Having given a brief but detailed synopsis of His personal opulences within this world, the Lord now briefly summarizes the opulences that expand from His bodily effulgence. It is stated in Brahma-saṁhitā that all of the material universes with their infinite varieties, transformations and opulences rest on the bodily effulgence of the Lord. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has elaborately explained this point in his commentary on this verse.

Without the manifestation of the mahat-tattva, or total material existence, and the jīva, or living entity, nothing can exist within the material world. Everything we experience is a combination of the living entity and matter, in its various subtle and gross categories. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the entire basis of the existence of both the living entity and matter. Nothing can possibly exist even for a moment without the mercy of the Supreme Lord. One should not foolishly conclude that the Lord is therefore material. As has been clearly explained in this canto of the Bhāgavatam, both the living entity and the Supreme Lord are completely transcendental to material nature. The living entity, however, has the propensity to dream that he is material, whereas the Lord constantly remembers the transcendental position of both Himself and the conditioned dreaming entity. As the Lord is transcendental, His abode is also far beyond the reach of the modes of nature. The actual purpose of life is to understand by mature conviction the transcendental Lord, His transcendental abode, our own transcendental position and the process by which we may go back home, back to Godhead.

The Lord here explains that Uddhava should not expect a complete catalog of the Lord’s opulences, since even the Lord Himself finds no limit to such opulences. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, kālena indicates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is within every atom and can therefore easily calculate the total number of atoms. However, although the Lord is certainly omniscient, even He Himself cannot supply a finite number for His opulences, because they are infinite.

Although the Lord stated in the previous verse that His opulences are innumerable, the Lord here gives a specific resume and demonstration of His opulences.

According to Sanskrit grammar, and as confirmed by Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the words etāḥ and ete describe two distinct sets of the Lord’s opulences. The Lord has described His opulent plenary expansions, such as Vāsudeva, Nārāyaṇa, the Supersoul, etc., and further the Lord has described the outstanding features of the material creation, which are also included among the glories of the Personality of Godhead. The plenary manifestations of the Lord, such as Vāsudeva, Nārāyaṇa, etc., are all eternal, unchanging transcendental features of the Lord and are indicated by the term etāḥ. The extraordinary aspects of material creation, however, are circumstantial and dependent on individual perception, and they are therefore described here by the words mano-vikārā evaite yathā vācābhidhīyate. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that by consistent logical application of synonyms, etāḥ refers to the Lord’s eternal spiritual manifestations, beyond the perception of the material senses, whereas ete refers to those opulences that can be perceived by conditioned souls. He gives the example that the paraphernalia and intimate associates of a king are all considered to be part and parcel of the king and are therefore granted royal status. Similarly, the opulent features of material creation are reflected expansions of the Lord’s personal opulences and thus may be considered nondifferent from Him. One should not, however, wrongly assume that such insignificant material opulences occupy the same status as the Lord’s plenary features as the Personality of Godhead, which are qualitatively and quantitatively equal to the Lord.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments as follows on this verse. “The Lord’s external opulences are called mano-vikārāḥ, or ‘related to mental transformation,’ because ordinary people perceive extraordinary features of the material world according to their personal state of mind. Thus the word vācābhidhīyate indicates that conditioned souls describe the Lord’s material creation according to specific material circumstances. Because of the circumstantial relative definitions of material opulence, such opulence is never to be considered a direct plenary manifestation of the Lord’s personal form. When one’s state of mind is transformed into a favorable or affectionate state, one defines a manifestation of the Lord’s energy as ‘my son,’ ‘my father,’ ‘my husband,’ ‘my uncle,’ ‘the son of my brother,’ ‘my friend,’ and so on. One forgets that every living entity is actually part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that whatever opulences, talents or outstanding features one may exhibit are actually the potencies of the Lord. Similarly, when the mind is transformed into a negative or inimical state, one thinks, ‘This person will be the ruin of me,’ ‘This person must be finished by me,’ ‘He is my enemy’ or ‘I am his enemy,’ ‘He is a killer’ or ‘He should be killed.’ The negative state of mind is also expressed when one is attracted to the extraordinary material aspects of particular persons or objects but forgets that they are manifestations of the potency of the Personality of Godhead. Even the demigod Indra, who is quite obviously a manifestation of the Lord’s material opulences, is misunderstood by others. For example, Indra’s wife, Śacī, thinks that Indra is ‘my husband,’ whereas Aditi thinks that he is ‘my son.’ Jayanta thinks that he is ‘my father,’ Bṛhaspati thinks that he is ‘my disciple,’ whereas the demons feel that Indra is their personal enemy. Thus different personalities define him according to their mental state. The Lord’s material opulences, being relatively perceived, are therefore called mano-vikāra, which means they are dependent on mental states. This relative perception is material because it does not recognize the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the actual source of the particular opulence. If one sees Lord Kṛṣṇa as the source of all opulences and gives up all desires to enjoy or possess the Lord’s opulences, then one can see the spiritual nature of these opulences. At that time, even though one may continue to perceive the variety and distinctions of the material world, one will become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should not conclude, as do the voidist philosophers, that the Lord’s spiritual manifestations in the viṣṇu-tattva and liberated jīva categories are also products of relative perception and mental states. This useless idea is contrary to the entire body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s teachings to Śrī Uddhava.”

According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the word vācā also indicates the various Vedic literatures that describe the particular processes by which the Lord manifests His spiritual and material opulences, and in this context yathā indicates the specific procedures of manifestation and creation.

One should see all things as expansions of the Supreme Lord’s potency, and thus with speech, mind and senses one should offer respect to all things, without minimizing any living entity or material object. Since everything belongs to the Lord, everything ultimately should be engaged in the Lord’s service with great care. A self-realized devotee tolerates personal insult and does not become envious of any living entity, nor does he see anyone as his enemy. This is practical enlightenment. Although a pure devotee may criticize those who obstruct the Lord’s mission, such criticism is never personally motivated nor is it ever based on enviousness. An advanced devotee of the Lord may chastise his followers or criticize the demoniac, but only to carry out the mission of the Supreme Lord and never out of personal enmity or enviousness. For one who completely gives up the material concept of life there is no possibility of entering again onto the path of birth and death.

When a clay pot is properly baked it holds any liquid substance without leakage. If a clay pot is not properly baked, however, water or any other liquid within it will seep out and be lost. Similarly, a transcendentalist who does not control his speech and mind will find that his spiritual discipline and austerity gradually seep away and are lost. Dāna, or “charity,” refers to work performed for the welfare of others. Those who are trying to give the highest charity by preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness should not engage in speaking cleverly for the satisfaction of beautiful women, nor should they attempt to become artificially intellectual simply for the sake of mundane academic prestige. One should not even think of intimate sexual relationships, nor should one daydream of acquiring a prestigious position. Otherwise, one’s determination to strictly practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be lost, as described here. One must control the mind, senses and speech by higher intelligence so that one’s life will be successful.

One can develop loving devotional intelligence by perfectly chanting the Brahma-gāyatrī mantra awarded at the moment of brāhmaṇa initiation. By clear intelligence, one becomes naturally and spontaneously disinterested in the rewards offered by mental speculation and fruitive activities and takes full shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.