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October - December 2021

Advaita in Srimad Bhagavatham – 8 – P R Kannan

Skandha 8

 आ मावाmयिमदं िव9eं यि कि  ग यां जगत् । तेन य े न भु ीथा मा गृधः कmय िmव नम् ॥१.१०॥

All this universe – whatever moves on the earth, is owned by Atma. Enjoy only whatever is allotted to your lot. (Practise detachment). Do not covet, for whose is wealth? This verse differs from the first mantra of Isavasya Upanishad only in the first and second words. Here Atma is the word used, whereas the Upanishad calls him ईश, meaning Iswara. It is only Paramatma who is Iswara, and who again is Atma in the body. In the second word here िव9eं occurs, whereas the Upanishad calls it सव The first line in the mantra in the Upanishad is: ईशा वाmयिमदँ सव यि क जग यां जगत् ।

न िव ते यmय च ज म कम वा न नाम पे गुणदोष एव वा ।

तथािप लोका ययस4भवाय यः mवमायया

ता यनुकालमृ�छित ॥३.८॥

Bhagavan has no real birth, karma, name, form, virtue or fault. He is beyond all these. Still, for the wellbeing of the world, he comes down to earth from time to time through the power of Maya, which is inseparable from him.

गुणारिण�छ िचद ू मपाय त Jोभिवmफू ज तमानसाय ।

नै क4य भावेन िवव ज तागम- mवयं काशाय नमmकरोिम ॥३.१६॥

As the fire in Arani wood is concealed, your power of awareness (omnicience) is concealed behind the veil of Gunas (the three Gunas of Prakriti- Satva, Rajas and Tamas). Your mind is apparently agitated by the vagaries of the Gunas (you appear to be swayed by emotions like love, anger etc. in your incarnations). To those who have renounced sense of doership of actions and hence appear to violate Vedic stipulations, you shine in their minds as self-luminous power. I prostrate to you.

@लेशभूय Bपसारािण कमा िण  िवफलािन वा । देिहनां िवषयाता नां न तथैवा प तं विय ॥५.४७॥

The activities of humans, anxious to accumulate wealth, are attended by painful efforts with little or no fruit. On the other hand, the activities dedicated to you, Bhagavan, are not so; i.e. they yield fruit beyond expectations with small effort.

नावमः कम क पोऽिप िवफलाये9eरा प तः । क पते पु षmयैष स  ा मा दियतो िहतः ॥५.४८॥

The effort of humans, properly executed, even if very little, dedicated to Iswara, does not become fruitless, as the effort is accepted by Iswara, the indwelling Atma, who is very dear and benevolent.

यथा िह mक धशाखानां तरोमल ावसेचनम् । एवमाराधनं िव  णोः सव'<‘षामा  मनTिह ॥५.४९॥

Just as watering the roots of a tree is beneficial to its trunk and branches, the worship of Vishnu is beneficial to all beings, as he is the same indwelling Atma in all beings.

त य ते लोकतापेन साधवः ायशो जनाः । परमाराधनं ति पु षmयािखला मनः॥७.४४॥

Virtuous people generally feel miserable at the suffering of other people (and try to help them even by sacrificing their own lives). That is indeed the supreme worship of Paramatma, the indweller of all beings.

य ु यतेऽसुवसुकमम नोवचोिभ- दह'<‘ा मजा दष नृिभmतदस पृथ वात् ।

तैरेव स  वित यि  यतेऽपृथ  वा सव mय

त  वित मूलिनषेचनं यत् ॥९.२९॥

Actions performed by humans through their vital breath, wealth, bodily effort, mind and speech for the sake of their own body, offspring etc. are futile like watering the branches of a tree, if those actions are prompted by their sense of I and mine without recognition of all beings being forms of Paramatma. If the actions are prompted by the unified vision of Paramatma in all beings and dedicated to him, they bear valuable fruit like watering the roots of a tree.

स वं समीिहतमदः िmथितज मनाशं भूतेिहतं च जगतो भवब धमो ौ।

वायुय था िवशित खं च चराचरा\यं सव

तदा मकतयावगमोऽव  से ॥ १२.११॥

Bhagavan, you are the supreme knowledge personified. You know everything about this creation and its beginning, sustenance and annihilation, and you know all the endeavors made by the living entities, by which they are either ensnared in this material world or liberated from it. As the air enters the vast sky and also enters the bodies of all moving and nonmoving entities, you are present everywhere, and therefore you are the knower of all.

�ानं चानुयुगं �ूते हfरः िस mव�पधृक् । ऋिष�पधरः कम योगं योगेश�पधृक् ॥१४.८॥

In every yuga, the Supreme Personality of Hari assumes the form of Siddhas such as Sanaka to preach transcendental knowledge; he assumes the form of great saintly persons such as Yajnavalkya to teach the way of karma; he assumes the form of great yogis such as Dattatreya to teach the system of mystic yoga.

सग जेश�पेण दmयून् ह या mवरा वपुः। काल�पेण सवष'<‘ामभावाय पृथ�गुणः ॥१४.९॥

In the form of Prajapati, Bhagavan creates progeny; becoming the king, he kills the thieves and rogues; and in the form of time, he annihilates everything. All the different qualities of material existence should be understood to be qualities of Bhagavan.

mतूयमानो जनैरेिभमा यया नाम�पया ।

िवमोिहता मिभना नादश नैन च द ृ यते ॥१४.१०॥

People in general are bewildered by the Maya of Bhagavan manifesting as various names and forms, and therefore they praise him and try to find the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through various types of philosophical speculation. Nonetheless, they are unable to see the Supreme Lord.

स  �ीपािधपतयो नृपा वै यगयादयः ।

अथः  कामैग ता ना तं तृ णाया इित नः 9;1ुतम् ॥१९.२३॥

We have heard that although powerful kings like Pṛithu (son of Vena) and Gaya achieved proprietorship over the seven islands (dvipas), they could not achieve satisfaction or find the end of their ambitions.

पुंसोऽयं संसृतेहत'<‘ुरस तोषोऽथ कामयोः । यद�छयोपप  ेन स तोषो मु ये mमृतः ॥१९.२५॥

Lack of contentment in wealth and other desires is indeed the cause of Samsara (repeated birth and death). Contentment with whatever comes one’s way in life providentially is the cause of Liberation, it is said.

यद�छालाभतु�mय तेजो िव  mय वध ते ।

त शा4य यस तोषाद4भसेवाशुशु िणः ॥१९.२६॥

A brahmaṇa who is satisfied with whatever is providentially obtained is increasingly enlightened with spiritual power, but the spiritual potency of a dissatisfied brahmaṇa decreases, as fire diminishes in potency when water is sprinkled upon it.

Bhagavadgita says:

 यद�छालाभस तु�ो � �ातीतो िवम सरः। समः िस ाविस ौ च कृ वािप न िनब’tयते।।4.22।।

“Content with what comes to him without effort of his own, transcending the pairs of opposites, free from envy, his mind balanced both in success and failure; though he acts, yet the consequences do not bind him.”

यद� छयोपप ेन स तु�ो वत ते सुखम् ।

नास तु�ि  िभल कै रिजता मोपसा दतैः ॥१९.२४॥

One should be satisfied with whatever comes his way in the natural course. A person who is not self-controlled will not be happy even with possessing the three worlds.

सुलभा युिध िव ष'<‘  िनवृ�ाmतनु यजः । न तथा तीथ आयाते 9;1 या ये धन यजः ॥२०.९॥

O Brahmarishi, men, who have laid down their lives on the battlefield without withdrawing from fear, are easily available, but rarely does one come across a person, who gives his accumulated wealth with faith to a saintly person who is himself Tirtha, capable of enabling one to cross Samsara.

कमा मनानेन जहाित योऽ ततः कं fर थहारैः mवजना यदmयुिभः ।

कं जायया संसृितहतुभूतया  म य mय  गेहः किमहायुषो  यः ॥२२.९॥

What is the use of the material body, which automatically leaves its owner at the end of life? And what is the use of all one’s family members, who are actually plunderers taking away money that is useful for the service of the Lord in spiritual opulence? What is the use of a wife? She is only the source of increasing mundane entanglement. And what is the use of family, home and community? Attachment for them merely wastes one’s valuable lifetime.

� न् यमनुगृ  ािम ति�शो िवधुनो4यहम् । य मदः पु षः mत धो लोकं मां चावम यते ॥२२.२४॥

O Brahma, because of material opulence a foolish person becomes dull- witted and mad. Thus he has no respect for anyone within the three worlds and defies even my authority. To such a person I show special favour by first taking away all his possessions.

Although aristocratic birth and other such opulences are impediments to advancement in devotional service because they are causes of false prestige and pride, these opulences never disturb a pure devotee of Bhagavan.

कु तmत कम वैष4यं यmय कम'<‘9eरो भवान् । य�ेशो य�पु  षः सव भावेन पूिजतः ॥२३.१५॥

O Bhagavan, you are the enjoyer and lord of all performances of sacrifice and you are the yajna-purusha, the person to whom all sacrifices are offered. If one has worshipped you with all devotion, where is the chance of discrepancies or faults in his performance of sacrifice?

मानmत4भिनिम�ानां ज मादीनां सम ततः । सव 9;1ेयः तीपानां ह त मु  े म परः ॥२२.२७॥

म ‘;:f तmत ‘;:f ति छ�ं देशकालाहव mतुतः । सव करोित िनि छ�ं नामस”क’rत नं तव ॥२३.१६॥

There may be deficiencies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the various actions, and also in regard to time, place, person and materials used in the yagna. But when your (Bhagavan’s) holy names are chanted, everything becomes faultless.

उ ावचेषु भूतेषु चरन् वायुfरवे9eरः । नो ावच वं भजते िनगुण  वाि यो गुणैः ॥२४.६॥

Like the air passing through different types of regions Iswara, although appearing sometimes as a human being and sometimes as a lower animal, is always transcendental. Because he is beyond attributes of nature, he is unaffected by higher and lower forms.

जनोऽबुधोऽयं िनजकमब धनः सुखे�छया कम समीहतेऽसुखम् ।

य सेवया तां िवधुनो यस म तं <J थं स

िभ ा धृदयं स नो गु ः ॥२४.४७॥

In hopes of becoming happy in this material world, the ignorant human being performs activities that result only in suffering. But by dedicating his activities to Iswara, one becomes free from such desires for mundane happiness. May that Iswara, who is my real Guru, cut the knot of false desires from the core of my heart.

य सेवया ेfरव �रोदनं पुमान्

िवज ा मलमा मनmतमः ।

भजेत वण िनजमेष सोऽ यो भूया स ईशः परमो गुरोगु ः ॥२४.४८॥

One who wants to be free of mundane entanglement should take to the service of Iswara and give up the contamination of ignorance, caused by attachment to activities. Thus one regains his original identity as Atman, just as a block of gold sheds all dirt and becomes purified when treated with fire. May that eternal changeless Iswara become our Guru, for he is indeed the Supreme Guru of all Gurus.

जनो जनmया दशतेऽसत म तं यया प ेत दर ययं तमः ।

वं व यं �ानममोघम  सा  प  ते येन जनो   िनजं पदम् ॥२४.५१॥

A mundane guide instructs his disciples about matters relating to sense gratification, thus leading them to the dark regions of ignorance. But you, Bhagavan, grant knowledge that is eternal and unfailing, which leads the recipient to realise his real nature, i.e. Atman quickly.

वं सवल ोकmय सु�ि ये9eरो  ा मा गु �ा नमभी�िसि ः ।

तथािप लोको न भव तम धधी- जा नाित स तं� द ब  कामः ॥२४.५२॥

Iswara, you are the supreme well- wishing and dearest friend of everyone, the controller, the indwelling Atman, the Guru, and the bestower of supreme knowledge and the fulfilment of all desires. But although you are right in the heart, the dull-witted human does not realise your presence because of mundane desires in the heart.

तं वामहं देववरं वरे यं प ईशं ितबोधनाय ।

िछ  ‘tयथ दीपैभ गवन्  वचोिभ-  <J  थीन्  �द�यान्   िववृणु mवमोकः ॥२४.५३॥

Iswara, for self-realization I surrender unto you, the foremost among Devas, the Supreme Power. By your instructions, lighting up the reality of my existence, kindly cut the knot of ignorance (binding Anatma of body and mind with Atman) from the core of my heart and lead me into the knowledge of my reality.