{"id":49090,"date":"2023-04-13T00:55:48","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T04:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/?p=49090"},"modified":"2023-04-13T03:30:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T07:30:20","slug":"the-philosophy-of-the-seer-and-the-seen-of-srila-bhakti-siddhanta-saraswati","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/the-philosophy-of-the-seer-and-the-seen-of-srila-bhakti-siddhanta-saraswati\/","title":{"rendered":"The Philosophy of \u201cthe Seer and the Seen\u201d of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">This philosophy that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati epitomises and that he expounded is well worth remembering on this day when the prediction of Padma Purana \u2013<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">sri-brahma-rudra-sanaka vaisnavah ksiti savannah<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">catvaras te kalau bhavya hy utkale purusottamat<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">\u201cIn Kali yuga the four Vaisnava sampradayas, which are purifiers of the earth, will appear in Purusottama-ksetra, in Utkala\u201d was fulfilled. Thus Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati appeared as the summum bonum of all the four Vaisnava sampradayas at Sri Purushottama Ksetra in Orissa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">In establishing the synthesis of all the four sampradaya\u2019s teachings and defeating the triputi vinasha doctrine of the Mayavadis Srila Sarswati Thakura explained drg-drsya philosophy as follows \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">\u201cA bhogi (one who attempts to enjoy this world) considers himself the seer (drasta), and everything else, including the Supreme as the seen (drsya), his object of vision (darsana). Due to their bitter experience of this world, so-called renouncers wish to deny the plurality of drasta, drsya and darsana and thus regard them as one. Only devotees have the proper vision to appreciate that Krishna is the Supreme enjoyer and alone is fully independent and no one\u2019s servant, being the drasta, should be served by all, for the jivas and all else that be are drsya, objects of His darsana.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">He who sees an object is called the seer, and an object seen by the observer is called the seen. The instrument of seeing, is called sight. It is a common error to deem the sense of sight the actual seer. Whatever we can measure by any of our senses we also call a seeable object, and he who senses it is called the seer. It is best that the jiva see himself as the object of Krishna\u2019s enjoyment. Thinking himself the seer, he sees the world as the object of his enjoyment. But thinking himself the enjoyer, under the influence of the false ego, will result only in his misfortune. It is not fitting that the jiva see the world as the object of his own enjoyment. Rejecting that outlook, and instead seeing the world as the object of the Lord\u2019s enjoyment, seeing it as Krishna\u2019s world or Gokula, is the jiva\u2019s good fortune and satisfies Krishna\u2019s senses \u2013 \u201cI am not the seer, but rather am seen by Krishna. I am not the enjoyer, but the object of enjoyment for Krishna.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Hiranyakasipu thought he was the seer of the pillar in his hall and desired to observe the existence of Visnu, or to measure Visnu, and adjudging himself the enjoyer, perceived Prahlada as his son, the object of his enjoyment. But the Lord of inconceivable powers revealed His inconceivable eternal form to Hiranyaksipu and destroyed that seer, and was very, merciful to Prahlada, who regarded himself as the object to be seen or enjoyed by Visnu.\u201d \u2013 Gaudiya 16.24.403-6<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">It will do us all a world of good to also remember his heart\u2019s desire and make it our life\u2019s mission \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">\u201cMy sempiternal wish is that in unlimited ways you constantly remain preaching Krishna katha. Then all my desires will be fulfilled.\u201d \u2013 Gaudiya 2.540<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">\u201cWhen big city halls have been transformed into Gaudiya Mathas and Hari katha is heard everywhere, at that time the whole world will be filled with ecstasy.\u201d \u2013 Srimad Bhagavata Tatparya.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">All glories to His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaja!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Hare Krishna!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">yours in service of Sri Guru and Gauranga,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Shyamananda dasa brahmacari<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">P.S: This article is largely based on Srimad Bhakti Vikasa Swami\u2019s magnum opus Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Vaibhava.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">By Shyamananda dasa<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; This philosophy that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati epitomises and that he expounded is well worth remembering on this day when the prediction of Padma Purana \u2013 sri-brahma-rudra-sanaka vaisnavah ksiti savannah catvaras te kalau bhavya hy utkale &hellip; <a class=\"kt-excerpt-readmore\" href=\"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/the-philosophy-of-the-seer-and-the-seen-of-srila-bhakti-siddhanta-saraswati\/\" aria-label=\"The Philosophy of \u201cthe Seer and the Seen\u201d of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[140,3,194],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-area2","category-english","category-nb"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-03 20:48:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49090\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}