In the scriptures it is also said:
vikara-vishesha-yogat
“Shiva is touched by the modes of material nature.”
In some places in the scriptures it is seen that Shiva is not different from Lord Vishnu. For this reason it may be concluded that They are not different. This is described in the following words of the Rig-veda-shirah:
atha nityo narayano brahma ca narayanah shivash ca narayanah shakrash ca narayanah kalash ca narayanah dishash ca narayanah adhash ca narayanah urdhvam ca narayanah antar bahish ca narayanah. narayana evedam sarvam jatam jagatyam jagat.
“Narayana is eternal. Narayana is Brahma. Narayana is Shiva. Narayana is Indra. Narayana is time. Narayana is the directions. Narayana is below. Narayana is above. Narayana is within. Narayana is without. Narayana is the entire created material universe.”
Their relationship is described by Brahma in these words (Shrimad-Bhagavatam (2.6.32):
“By His will, I create, Lord Shiva destroys, and He Himself, in His eternal form as the Personality of Godhead, maintains everything. He is the powerful controller of these three energies.”
Bs 5.46 — The light of one candle being communicated to other candles, although it burns separately in them, is the same in its quality. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda who exhibits Himself equally in the same mobile manner in His various manifestations.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
In this verse Lord Hari, the next in this sequence, is described. Now that the guna-avatara Shiva has been described, the guna-avatara Vishnu is described in this verse. The reason the guna-avataras have the same powers as the Lord Himself is given in these words:
vivrita-hetu-samana-dharma
“So they may manifest the material world, the guna-avataras are given powers like those of the Supreme Lord.”
From a part of a part of Lord Govinda is manifested Lord Karanarnavashayi Vishnu. From Him is manifested Lord Garbhodakashayi Vishnu. From Garbhodakashayi Vishnu is manifested the Lord Vishnu who is a guna-avatara. As the light of one candle being communicated to other candles, although it burns separately in them, is the same in its quality, so the different forms of the Lord are all the same Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In this example Lord Shiva, because he is the controller of the mode of ignorance, is compared to the soot that is the by-product of these candles. Therefore He is not equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as are the forms of Lord Vishnu. In the following verses the various expansions of Lord Vishnu will be described.
Bs 5.47 — I adore the primeval Lord Govinda who assuming His own great subjective form, who bears the name of Śeṣa, replete with the all-accommodating potency, and reposing in the Causal Ocean with the infinity of the world in the pores of His hair, enjoys creative sleep [yoga-nidrā].
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
In this verse Lord Karanarnavashayi Vishnu is described. Countless material universes are manifested from the pores of His body. The word “sa” in “sa-roma” is an example of arsha usage. The “adhara-shakti” here is the Lord’s own form of Shesha.
Bs 5.48 — Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṇu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṇu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṇu is the portion of portion.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
Brahma and the other demigods assist Lord Vishnu, the protector of all the universes. In that sense they are avataras, non-different from the Lord. The word “jagadanda-nathah” refers to the deities headed by Lord Vishnu. The word “jivanti” means that they have specific powers and responsibilities in the management of the universe.
Bs 5.49 — I adore the primeval Lord Govinda from whom the separated subjective portion Brahmā receives his power for the regulation of the mundane world, just as the sun manifests some portion of his own light in all the effulgent gems that bear the names of sūryakānta, etc.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
After thus revealing the deities who are the shelters of the various abodes beginning with devi-dhama, the author explains that Brahma is an individual spirit soul (jiva), by nature different from the Supreme Lord. Here the word “bhasvan” means “shining like the sun”, “nijeshu” means “in His own eternal parts”, and “ashma-shakaleshu” means “manifests some portion of his own light in all the effulgent gems that bear the names of suryakanta, etc.”
The word “api” means “as a great fire employs a spark to set something else on fire, so the Supreme Lord manifests a certain portion of His own powers in a certain chosen individual soul (jiva)”. In this way given a certain portion of the Supreme Lord’s power, the demigod Brahma is able to create the material universe.
Although Goddess Maya, who is also known as Durga, is a maidservant of Lord Karanarnavashayi Vishnu and dutifully carries out His commands, and although Brahma, Vishnu, and others are avataras of Lord Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, nevertheless Lord Govinda is the final shelter of all, and all others take shelter of Him. This will be further explained later in this book.
Bs 5.50 — I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, whose lotus feet are always held by Gaṇeśa upon the pair of tumuli protruding from his elephant head in order to obtain power for his function of destroying all the obstacles on the path of progress of the three worlds.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
In order to become free of all obstacles, at the beginning of endeavors the people offer prayers to Ganesha. Concerned that this should be done, the author speaks this verse. This is confirmed by the following words of Lord Kapiladeva:
yat-pada-nihshrita-sarit-pravarodakena tirthena murdhny adhikritena shivah shivo ‘bhut
“Placing the water from Ganesha’s feet on his own head, Shiva has become auspicious.”
Bs 5.51 — The three worlds are composed of the nine elements, viz., fire, earth, ether, water, air, direction, time, soul and mind. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda from whom they originate, in whom they exist and into whom they enter at the time of the universal cataclysm.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
The meaning of this verse is clear.
Bs 5.52 — The sun who is the king of all the planets, full of infinite effulgence, the image of the good soul, is as the eye of this world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda in pursuance of whose order the sun performs his journey mounting the wheel of time.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
Here someone may protest: “Is it not so that many sages say the sun-god is in truth the Supreme Lord?” This verse is spoken in reply to that claim. Here the word “cakshuh” means “he who manifests”. In the Bhagavad-gita (15.12) Lord Krishna declares:
“The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of the whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.”
In the Shruti-shastra it is said:
bhishasmad vatah pavate bhishad eti suryah
“Out of fear of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the wind blows. Out of fear of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sun rises.”
The sun is here called “the eye of this world” because it is the eye of the Lord’s universal form (virat-rupa).
Bs 5.53 — I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, by whose conferred power are maintained the manifested potencies, that are found to exist, of all virtues, all vices, the Vedas, the penances and all jīvas, from Brahmā to the meanest insect.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
The gist of this verse is: “What more need be said of the Lord’s glories?” In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna declares:
“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me.”
Bs 5.54 — I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who burns up to their roots all fruitive activities of those who are imbued with devotion and impartially ordains for each the due enjoyment of the fruits of one’s activities, of all those who walk in the path of work, in accordance with the chain of their previously performed works, no less in the case of the tiny insect that bears the name of indragopa than in that of Indra, king of the devas.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
The Supreme Personality of Godhead administers the law of karma impartially for all spirit souls. He may be compared to the rain who falls equally everywhere. Even so, the Lord especially favors His devotees. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (9.29), where Lord Krishna declares:
“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.”
In the Bhagavad-gita (9.22), Lord Krishna again declares:
“But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form, to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.”
Bs 5.55 — I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, the meditators of whom, by meditating upon Him under the sway of wrath, amorous passion, natural friendly love, fear, parental affection, delusion, reverence and willing service, attain to bodily forms befitting the nature of their contemplation.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
To whomever hates Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives a result not attainable by others. What, then, may be said of the result the Lord gives to they who meditate on Him under the sway of amorous passion, or in the other ways mentioned here? From this one may come to ask this rhetorical question: Who is a better object of worship than Lord Krishna? The conclusion, then, is: “I should worship Lord Krishna. That is explained in this verse.
Here the word “sahaja-pranaya” means “friendship”, “vatsalya” means “the love felt by parents and other superiors”, “moha” means “forgetting everything, which means forgetting that Krishna is the Supreme Lord”, “guru-gaurava” means “thinking of the Lord as one’s parent or other superior”, and “sevya-bhavaih” means “service, or in other words the thought: I should serve Lord Krishna”.
The word “tasya sadrishim” means that they who approach the Lord with anger think the Lord’s form is material. However, that kind of meditation is not appropriate for they who approach the Lord in the other, friendly ways. These devotees are situated in different stages of perceiving the Lord’s transcendental features and are situated in different levels of being exalted with spiritual virtues. For example, Lord Krishna told Maharaja Vasudeva (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 10.3.41):
“I found no one else as highly elevated as you in simplicity and other qualities of good character.“*
In the Vedanta-sutra it is said:
jagad-vyapara-varjanam
“The devotees are free of all worldly activities.”
Shri Narada Muni explains (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 1.6.28):
“I was awarded a transcendental body befitting an associate of the Personality of Godhead.”
In this way it is said that one becomes like the Lord in all respects.
In Shrimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.48) it is said:
“Inimical kings like Shishupala, Paundraka, and Shalva were always thinking about Lord Krishna. Even while they were lying down, sitting, or engaging in other activities, they enviously meditation upon the bodily movements of the Lord, His sporting pastimes, His loving glances upon His devotees, and other attractive features displayed by the Lord. Being thus absorbed in Krishna, they achieved spiritual liberation in the Lord’s own abode. What then can be said of the benedictions offered to those who constantly fix their minds on Lord Krishna in a favorable, loving mood?”
In this way they who think of the Lord in a favorable, loving mood attain different kinds of love for Him. In this way it is seen that the Lord’s form and pastimes are the same in either the material world or in the spiritual world of Goloka. That Lord Krishna’s form is the same in either the spiritual or material world is confirmed by these words of Shrimad-Bhagavatam (10.28.17):
“Nanda Maharaja and the other cowherd men felt the greatest happiness when they saw that transcendental abode. They were especially amazed to see Krishna Himself there, surrounded by the Personified Vedas, who were offering Him prayers.”
Bs 5.56 — I worship that transcendental seat, known as Śvetadvīpa where as loving consorts the Lakṣmīs in their unalloyed spiritual essence practice the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa as their only lover; where every tree is a transcendental purpose tree; where the soil is the purpose gem, all water is nectar, every word is a song, every gait is a dance, the flute is the favorite attendant, effulgence is full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty, where numberless milk cows always emit transcendental oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time, who is ever present and without past or future and hence is not subject to the quality of passing away even for the space of half a moment. That realm is known as Goloka only to a very few self-realized souls in this world.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
After having described the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the highest object of worship, in these two verses the author describes the Lord’s transcendental abode. Here the word “shriyah” means “the beautiful girls of Vraja, who are glorified in many mantras and meditations”. Of these limitless gopis there is but one lover (kanta). In the way are revealed the glories of the Lord’s personal associates as well as the glories of Lord Krishna, who is more exalted than all other persons, including His own form as the Supreme Lord Narayana.
The words “kalpa-taravo drumah” refer to certain trees famous for granting all desires. The phrase “bhumish cintamani-gana-mayi” means that the land there also grants all desires. If this so, how much more must the Kaustubha jewels and other jewels there fulfill all desires? The words “toyam amritam” means that the water there tastes like nectar. How sweet, then, must the nectar there taste? The words “vamshi priya-sakhi” mean that the sound of Lord Krishna’s flute is supremely pleasing to the ear.
What more need be said? Everything there is spiritual and full of bliss (cid-anandam). The word “jyotih” means “splendid like the sun, moon, and other luminaries”. In the Gautamiya Tantra the land of Vrindavana is described in these words:
samanodita-candrarkam
“Vrindavana is glorious like a rising moon or a rising sun.”
Because it is like an eternally full moon, Goloka is always supremely splendid and glorious. The word “asvadyam” means “tasty because it is a manifestation of the Lord’s spiritual potency”. The spiritual nature of the Lord’s abode is described in these words (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 10.28.14):
“The all-merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari revealed to the cowherd men His abode, which is beyond material darkness.”
The words “sravati surabhibhyah” mean that when they hear the sound of Lord Krishna’s flute, the surabhi cows emit oceans of milk. The phrase “vrajati na hi” means that the residents of Goloka are not aware of time. This means that in Goloka time has neither faults nor disadvantages. This is described in the following words of Shrimad-Bhagavatam (2.9.10):
na ca kala-vikramah
“In the personal abode of the Lord there is no predominance of the influence of time.”
The word “shveta” means “pure”, and “dvipam” means “island”. In the Gopala-tapani Upanishad it is said:
yatha sarasi padmam tishthati tatha bhumyam hi tishthati
“As a lotus flower stands in the water, so the land of Vrindavana stands on this earth.”
The phrase beginning with the word “kshiti” is described in these words of the Hari-vamsha:
yam na vidmo vayam sarve pricchanto ‘pi pitamaham
“Even after we had asked Grandfather Brahma about it, we still could not understand the Lord’s abode of Goloka.”
Bs 5.57 — On hearing these hymns containing the essence of the truth, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa said to Brahmā, “Brahmā, if you experience the inclination to create offspring by being endowed with the real knowledge of the glory of Godhead, listen, My beloved, from Me to this science set forth in the following five ślokas.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
After speaking these descriptions, the author proceeds in these one-and-a-half verses to describe the way one may attain the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything in these verses is clear.
Bs 5.58 — When the pure spiritual experience is excited by means of cognition and service [bhakti], superexcellent unalloyed devotion characterized by love for Godhead is awakened towards Kṛṣṇa, the beloved of all souls.
Commentary by Shrila Jiva Gosvami
In these five verses the author describes the nature of the Supreme Lord’s mercy. In Shrimad-Bhagavatam (11.19.5) Lord Krishna declares:
“Advancing by clear realization of Vedic knowledge, you should worship me in the mood of loving devotion.“
Bs 5.59 — The highest devotion is attained by slow degrees by the method of constant endeavor for self-realization with the help of scriptural evidence, theistic conduct and perseverance in practice.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
In this verse the author describes the devotional knowledge and devotional activities that are both attained by following what is described in the scriptures. The word “pramanaih” means “with the Vaishnava scriptures”, “tat-sad-acaraih” means “by performing activities pleasing to Lord Krishna”, and “tad-abhyasaih” means “by performing them again and again one comes to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead (bodhayan atmanatmanam)”. It is said:
svayam eva svam bhagavad-ashritah shuddha-jiva-rupam anubhavati tato ‘py uttamam shuddham bhaktim labhate.
“A devotee who takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead eventually comes to see his own original form as a pure spirit soul. Then he attains devotional service that is the most exalted and pure.”
In the Prayers of the Personified Vedas (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.20) the following prayer is offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead:
“The individual living entity, while inhabiting the material bodies he has created for himself by his karma, actually remains uncovered by either gross or subtle matter. This is so because, as the Vedas describe, he is part and parcel of You, the possessor of all potencies. Having determined this to be the status of the living entity, learned sages become imbued with faith and worship Your lotus feet, to which all Vedic sacrifices in this world are offered, and which are the source of liberation.”
Bs 5.60 — These preliminary practices of devotion [sādhana-bhakti] are conducive to the realization of loving devotion. [Loving devotion]—than whom there is no superior well-being, who goes hand in hand with the attainment of the exclusive state of supreme bliss and who can lead to Myself.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
This (sadhana-bhakti) is the way loving devotion (prema-bhakti) may be attained. There is no other way. This is described in the following words of Shrimad-Bhagavatam (4.24.55):
“My dear Lord, pure devotional service is even difficult for liberated persons to discharge, but devotional service alone can satisfy You. Who will take to other processes of self-realization if he is actually serious about the perfection of life?”
Bs 5.61 — Abandoning all meritorious performances serve Me with faith. The realization will correspond to the nature of one’s faith. The people of the world act ceaselessly in pursuance of some ideal. By meditating on Me by means of those deeds one will obtain devotion characterized by love in the shape of the supreme service.
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
Even if one has other, non-devotional, desires one should still emphatically engage in the activities of devotional service (sadhana-bhakti). That is affirmed in this verse. It is also affirmed by the following words of Shrimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.10):
“A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.”
Bs 5.62 — “Listen, O Vidhi, I am the seed, i.e., the fundamental principle, of this world of animate and inanimate objects. I am pradhāna [the substance of matter], I am prakṛti [material cause] and I am puruṣa [efficient cause]. This fiery energy that belongs specially to the Brahman, that inheres in you, has also been conferred by Me. It is by bearing this fiery energy that you regulate this phenomenal world of animate and inanimate objects.”
Commentary by Srila Jiva Gosvami
In this verse the Supreme Personality of Godhead says, “In this way your desire to create will be fulfilled. It will bear fruit.”
Here the word “pradhanam” means “the best”, “bijam” means “the perfect and complete original form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead”, “prakritih” means “the unmanifest form of material energy”, and “puman” means “he who sees”.
What more need be said? The Lord said, “You carry the power I have given you. Therefore, O Brahma, with this power I have given, you should create all the worlds filled with moving and unmoving creatures.”
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