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ARTICLE : Thus spoke Lord Caitanya
Lord Caitanya, the Preacher of Srimad Bhagavatam, in His debate on the
Vedanta Sutra with the great learned pandit Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya continued:
" the Lord is beyond the inferior and marginal energies as above
mentioned, and His spiritual energy is manifested in three phases: as
eternal existance, eternal bliss and eternal knowledge. As far as eternal
existance is concerned, it is conducted by the sandhini potency;
similarly, bliss and knowledge are conducted by the hadhini and samvit
potencies respectively. As the supreme energetic Lord, He is the supreme
controller of the spiritual, marginal and material energies. And all these
different types of energies are connnected with the Lord in eternal
devotional service.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is thus enjoying in His transendental
eternal form. Is it not astounding that one dares to call the Supreme Lord
nonenergetic? The Lord is the controller of all energies, and the living
entities are parts and parcells of one of the enrgies. Therefore there is
a gulf of difference between the Lord and the living entities. How then
can one say that the Lord and the living entities are one and the same? In
the Bhagavad-gita also the living entities are descibed as belonging to
the superior energy of Lord. According to the principles of intimmate
correlation between the enrgy and the energetic, both of them are
nondifferent also. Therefore, the Lord and the living entities are
nondifferent as the energy and the energetic.
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego are all
inferior energies of the Lord, but the living entities are different from
all as superior energy. This is the version of Bhagavad-gita [7.4].
The transendental form of the Lord is eternally existant and full of
transendental bliss. How then can such a form be a product of the material
mode of goodness? Anyone, therefore, who does not believe in the form of
the Lord is certainly a faithless demon and as such is untouchable, a not
to be seen person non grata fit to be punished by the Plutonic king.
The Buddists are called atheists because they have no respect for the
Vedas, but those who defy the Vedic conclusions, as above mentioned, under
the pretence of being followers of the Vedas, are verily more dangerous
than the Buddists.
Sri Vyasadeva very kindly compiled the Vedic knowledge in his
Vedanta-sutra, but if one hears the commentation of the Mayavada school (
as represented by the Sankar-sampradaya) certainly he will be misled on
the path of spiritual realization.
The theory of emanations is the beginning subject of the Vedanta-sutra.
All the cosmic manifestations are emanations from the Absolute Personality
of Godhead by His inconceivable different energies. The example of the
touchstone is applicable to the theory of emanantion. The touchstone can
convert an unlimited quantity of iron into gold, and still the touchstone
remains as it is. Similarly, the Supreme 4lord can produce all manifested
worlds by His incinceivable energies, and yet He is full and unchanged. He
is purna [complete], and although an unlimited number of purnas emanate
from Him, He is still purna.
The theory of illusion of the Mayavada school is advocated on the ground
that the theory of emanantion will cause a transformation of the Absolute
Truth. If that is the case, Vyasadeva is wrong. To avoid this, they have
skillfully brought in the theory of illusion. But the world or the cosmic
creation is not false, as maintained by the Mayavada school. It simply has
no permanent existance. A nonpermanent thing cannot be callled false
altogether. but the conception that the material body is the self is
certainly wrong.
Pranava [om], or the omkara in the Vedas, is the primeval hymn. This
transendental sound is identical with the form of the Lord. All the Vedic
hymns are based on this pranava omkara. Tat tvam asi is but a side word in
the Vedic literature, and therefore this word cannot be the primeval hymn
of the Vedas. Sripad Sankeracarya has given more stress on the side word
tat tvam asi than on the primeval principle omkara.
The Lord thus spoke on the Vedanta-sutra and defied all the propaganda of
the Mayavada school. The Bhttacarya tried to defend himself and his
Mayavada school by jugglery of logic and grammer, but the Lord defeated
him by His forceful arguments. He affirmed that we are all related with
the Personality of Godhea eternally and that devotional service is our
eternal function in exchanging the dealings of our relations. The result
of such exchages is to attain prema, or love of Godhead. When love of
Godhead is attained, love for all other living beings automatically
follows because the Lord is the sum total of all living beings.
Teh Lord said that but for these three items- namely, eternal relation
with God, excahnge of dealings with Him and the attainment of love for
Him- all that is instructed in the Vedas is superflous and concocted.
The Lord further added that the Mayavada philosophy taught by Sripad
Sankeracarya is an imaginary explanation of the Vedas, but it had to be
taught by him (Sankeracarya) because he was ordered to teach it by
Personality of Godhead.
to be continued.
