Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Story 20 - Chathushloki Bhagavatham - Verse 3
Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 20 - Chathushloki Bhagavatham - Verse 3
3rd sloka of Chathushloki Bhagavatham
Yathaa mahaanthi bhootaani bhoteshu uchhaavacheshu anu
Pravishtaani apravishtaani tathaa teshu na teshu cha aham
As the five elements (pancha bhootaas of ether, air, fire, water and earth) are present in all the gross objects which are created and destroyed (have birth and die) but still remains independent of the gross objects, similar “I” the ultimate reality am present in the world but am independent of it (without getting affected by the world and its objects)
Explanation
Lord Vishnu here gives a beautiful example to drive the point that the world is an illusion which has the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord or Consciousness as the substratum. It is also said that the Lord is present in each and every object seen in the world but still is unaffected by the objects which are always changing.
Any thing to be explained in Vedanta should contain a drishtaantha or example to drive the same point. This is how Nyaaya system and each system of philosophy works in proving the various points that they want to prove.
Here, Lord gives the example of the pancha bhootaas or five gross elements. The five elements are Ether, air, fire, water and earth. Each object in the world that we see and perceive is made up of these five elements. Each have these five elements present in them in various proportions – some might have air as their main constituent but still it will have qualities of other four also. Therefore, each gross object that we see (and which is always changing) has these five elements in them. The five elements are unchanging – they have no changes. But the objects in which these five elements are present are always changing. The objects in the world which are gross in form are termed as bhootaas or gross objects. These objects, as we know, are changing each and every moment. The body is changing each and every moment (as science also accepts this). Each object that we perceive is always changing. But amidst these changing objects, the five elements are changeless. They are present in these changing objects but still not affected by these objects.
Thus, the changeless elements are present in the changing objects but still not affected by the objects. Similarly the ultimate reality of Lord is present in each and every object but it is without any change. The example of constant and variable will make us understand this easily. The variable is always changing but the constant in the variable is without any change. The constant remains independent of the variable but still it is there in the variable. The constant is a mere witness to the process of change in the variable. It is also correct that an unchanging thing should be there to witness any change.
A person sees a bus moving. He sees the bus moving only with respect to the immovable road or the not-moving person. If the person is also moving at the same rate of the bus, there will no movement of the bus seen. Therefore, any change needs to be witnessed by a changeless entity which is a mere witness of the changes. The changes also require a changeless substratum as the changing variable requires a changeless constant or as the moving bus requires an immovable road as its substratum or basis.
Similarly the changing world requires a changeless substratum which is a mere witness to the changes. Since the witness needs to be present with the changing world, therefore the Lord is present in each of the object in the world. But when the objects change, the Lord doesn’t change as he is changeless. The world changes as it is born and it will die but the changeless substratum of Lord is without any birth and death also. This Lord is not different from one’s own real nature of Consciousness.
The example of dream world brings out the import of the above example of Lord Vishnu (which is used by Sri Krishna in Gita chapter 9). The dreamer is present in all the changing objects in the dream. But still the dreamer is not at all affected by the dream. The dreamer sleeps in a 6 feet bed in India and in the dream, he travels to Chicago, he marries, he has couple of children, he becomes old and it is time to die also for the body. Suddenly the person wakes up and finds himself unaffected by whatever was seen in the dream and he finds himself in the same old 6 feet bed. The dreamer is throughout present in each object of the dream because the dream world itself is his creation alone and he has to be present in each of his creation. But still he is unaffected by the dream world.
Similarly the waking world that we see is also a big dream. The dreamer here is the Lord of the nature of Consciousness (our own very nature) and the various objects that we see are the dream worlds. The Lord is present in the objects as their witness but still he is separate or distinct from them as he is not affected by them. He is ever-free, ever-eternal and ever-blissful in nature. The moment a person realizes the ever-blissful Lord as one’s own very nature, he is liberated from the illusory sorrows that very moment itself.
The world which is changing has no existence at all even as the various gross objects that seem to take birth, seem to exist and seem to die off have no existence at all. The dream world has no existence at all once the dreamer wakes up – only when the dream is going on, the dreamer feels that the dream world exists and is real.
Similarly the world that one sees is only an illusion in the reality of Lord. The world is unreal and has no existence at all apart from the ultimate reality of Lord.
What the individual needs to do is to realize the Lord who is present in the heart of all beings by contemplation on the Lord and seeing him everywhere. Then the individual realizes that the world that he sees is only an illusion and whatever exists is the Lord alone.
Thus, in this sloka we find the Lord telling that the world is an illusion even like the gross objects that seem to exist now but vanish tomorrow and tells that the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord alone is real – everything is Lord – one without a second.
Now the question comes: If everything is the Lord and the world is an illusion, what is way out of this illusion? The first three slokas concentrated on propounding the ultimate reality that everything is Lord alone and the world of duality is only an illusion – the next sloka which is the last of Chatushloki bhagavatham propounds the way to realization of the ultimate reality of Lord which is one’s own very nature.
The philosophy of Vedanta is propounded by Sankara in just half a verse:
Brahma satyam jagan mithyaa jeevo brahmaiva naa parah
Brahman is the ultimate and absolute reality (Brahman here means the Lord or Consciousness)
the world is only an illusion in the Lord
the individual self or the seeker is Brahman or Lord alone, not different
The first two points have been clearly answered by the Lord in the first three slokas. The third point that the individual self or the seeker has been dealt here but the way to realize this is mentioned in the next sloka. WE will see that tomorrow (the individual self is the Lord only because we never feel the cessation of the individual Self and the Lord says that there is only one reality or one dreamer who witnesses the dream world of waking world that we perceive now).
3rd sloka of Chathushloki Bhagavatham
Yathaa mahaanthi bhootaani bhoteshu uchhaavacheshu anu
Pravishtaani apravishtaani tathaa teshu na teshu cha aham
As the five elements (pancha bhootaas of ether, air, fire, water and earth) are present in all the gross objects which are created and destroyed (have birth and die) but still remains independent of the gross objects, similar “I” the ultimate reality am present in the world but am independent of it (without getting affected by the world and its objects)
Explanation
Lord Vishnu here gives a beautiful example to drive the point that the world is an illusion which has the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord or Consciousness as the substratum. It is also said that the Lord is present in each and every object seen in the world but still is unaffected by the objects which are always changing.
Any thing to be explained in Vedanta should contain a drishtaantha or example to drive the same point. This is how Nyaaya system and each system of philosophy works in proving the various points that they want to prove.
Here, Lord gives the example of the pancha bhootaas or five gross elements. The five elements are Ether, air, fire, water and earth. Each object in the world that we see and perceive is made up of these five elements. Each have these five elements present in them in various proportions – some might have air as their main constituent but still it will have qualities of other four also. Therefore, each gross object that we see (and which is always changing) has these five elements in them. The five elements are unchanging – they have no changes. But the objects in which these five elements are present are always changing. The objects in the world which are gross in form are termed as bhootaas or gross objects. These objects, as we know, are changing each and every moment. The body is changing each and every moment (as science also accepts this). Each object that we perceive is always changing. But amidst these changing objects, the five elements are changeless. They are present in these changing objects but still not affected by these objects.
Thus, the changeless elements are present in the changing objects but still not affected by the objects. Similarly the ultimate reality of Lord is present in each and every object but it is without any change. The example of constant and variable will make us understand this easily. The variable is always changing but the constant in the variable is without any change. The constant remains independent of the variable but still it is there in the variable. The constant is a mere witness to the process of change in the variable. It is also correct that an unchanging thing should be there to witness any change.
A person sees a bus moving. He sees the bus moving only with respect to the immovable road or the not-moving person. If the person is also moving at the same rate of the bus, there will no movement of the bus seen. Therefore, any change needs to be witnessed by a changeless entity which is a mere witness of the changes. The changes also require a changeless substratum as the changing variable requires a changeless constant or as the moving bus requires an immovable road as its substratum or basis.
Similarly the changing world requires a changeless substratum which is a mere witness to the changes. Since the witness needs to be present with the changing world, therefore the Lord is present in each of the object in the world. But when the objects change, the Lord doesn’t change as he is changeless. The world changes as it is born and it will die but the changeless substratum of Lord is without any birth and death also. This Lord is not different from one’s own real nature of Consciousness.
The example of dream world brings out the import of the above example of Lord Vishnu (which is used by Sri Krishna in Gita chapter 9). The dreamer is present in all the changing objects in the dream. But still the dreamer is not at all affected by the dream. The dreamer sleeps in a 6 feet bed in India and in the dream, he travels to Chicago, he marries, he has couple of children, he becomes old and it is time to die also for the body. Suddenly the person wakes up and finds himself unaffected by whatever was seen in the dream and he finds himself in the same old 6 feet bed. The dreamer is throughout present in each object of the dream because the dream world itself is his creation alone and he has to be present in each of his creation. But still he is unaffected by the dream world.
Similarly the waking world that we see is also a big dream. The dreamer here is the Lord of the nature of Consciousness (our own very nature) and the various objects that we see are the dream worlds. The Lord is present in the objects as their witness but still he is separate or distinct from them as he is not affected by them. He is ever-free, ever-eternal and ever-blissful in nature. The moment a person realizes the ever-blissful Lord as one’s own very nature, he is liberated from the illusory sorrows that very moment itself.
The world which is changing has no existence at all even as the various gross objects that seem to take birth, seem to exist and seem to die off have no existence at all. The dream world has no existence at all once the dreamer wakes up – only when the dream is going on, the dreamer feels that the dream world exists and is real.
Similarly the world that one sees is only an illusion in the reality of Lord. The world is unreal and has no existence at all apart from the ultimate reality of Lord.
What the individual needs to do is to realize the Lord who is present in the heart of all beings by contemplation on the Lord and seeing him everywhere. Then the individual realizes that the world that he sees is only an illusion and whatever exists is the Lord alone.
Thus, in this sloka we find the Lord telling that the world is an illusion even like the gross objects that seem to exist now but vanish tomorrow and tells that the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord alone is real – everything is Lord – one without a second.
Now the question comes: If everything is the Lord and the world is an illusion, what is way out of this illusion? The first three slokas concentrated on propounding the ultimate reality that everything is Lord alone and the world of duality is only an illusion – the next sloka which is the last of Chatushloki bhagavatham propounds the way to realization of the ultimate reality of Lord which is one’s own very nature.
The philosophy of Vedanta is propounded by Sankara in just half a verse:
Brahma satyam jagan mithyaa jeevo brahmaiva naa parah
Brahman is the ultimate and absolute reality (Brahman here means the Lord or Consciousness)
the world is only an illusion in the Lord
the individual self or the seeker is Brahman or Lord alone, not different
The first two points have been clearly answered by the Lord in the first three slokas. The third point that the individual self or the seeker has been dealt here but the way to realize this is mentioned in the next sloka. WE will see that tomorrow (the individual self is the Lord only because we never feel the cessation of the individual Self and the Lord says that there is only one reality or one dreamer who witnesses the dream world of waking world that we perceive now).
# posted by vedanta : 9:47 AM
