15. The Person in the Eye

Adhyaya 1 Pada 2 - AdhikaraNa 4


The Person in the Eye is the Supreme Personality of Godhead


Introduction by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


ViShaya: ChAndogya UpaniShad 4.15.1-2 says:


ya eSho .antar-akShiNi puruSho dR^ishyate sa eSha Atmeti hovAca. etad amR^itam ayam etad brahma tad yad yad asmin sarpir vodakaM vA si~ncati vartmani eva gacchati. etaM sampad-dhAma ity AcakShate etaM hi sarvANi kAmAny abhisaMyanti


"He said: He who is seen in the eye is the AtmA. He is immortal, He is nectar. He is the greatest. Because He is present neither water nor liquid butter will stay on the eye, but both will slide from it. He is the abode of all opulences. For one who sees Him all desires are at once fulfilled."


SaMshaya: Is this person a reflection, a demigod, the jIva, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

PUrvapakSha: It may be the first, for the observer sees himself reflected in another.as eye. It may be the second because BR^ihad-AraNyaka UpaniShad (5.5.2) says: rashmibhir eSho .asmin pratiShThitaH (With the rays of sunlight the sun-god enters the eye). It may be the third because a person sees with his eyes, so he may also be the person in the eye. In this way the person in the eye is one of these three.

SiddhAnta: The conclusion follows.


SUtra 13

antara upapatteH


antaraH—the person within; upapatteH—because of reason.


The person in (the eye is the Supreme Personality of Godhead) because (that conclusion is dictated) by reason.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


The person in the eye is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why? The sUtra says upapatteH (because that conclusion is dictated by reason). This is so because of the proof given (in the quote from the ChAndogya UpaniShad) in the description of the qualities beginning with being the Supreme Self(AtmA), immortality (amR^ita), being the greatest (brahma), being untouched by material things, and being the abode of all opulences (sampad-dhAma). (These qualities can properly be attributed only to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.)


SUtra 14

sthAnAdi-vyapadeshAc ca


sthAna—the place; Adi—beginning with; vyapadeshAt—because of the statement.
ca—also.


And also because of the teaching (in the scriptures that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is present) in this place and in other places as well.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the controller who resides with the eye is described in BR^ihad-AraNyaka UpaniShad (3.7.18):


yash cakShuShi tiShThaMsh cakShuSho .antaro yaM cakShur na veda yasya cakShur sharIraM yash cakShur antaro yam ayaty eSha ta AtmAntaryAmy amR^itaH


"He who stays in the eye, who is within, whom the eye does not know, who is the ultimate proprietor of the eye and the body, and who, residing within, controls the eye, is the immortal Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead who resides in the heart."


SUtra 15

sukha-vishiShTAbhidhAnAd eva


sukha—by happiness; vishiShTa—distinguished; abhidhAnAt—because of the description; eva—indeed.


Also because He is described as (full of) bliss.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


This sUtra refers to ChAndogya UpaniShad (4.10.5), which says: prANo brahma kaM brahma khaM brahma (the Supreme Personality of Godhead is life. the Supreme Personality of Godhead is bliss. the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sky). The discussion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that begins with these words continues through some paragraphs up to the paragraph under discussion (ChAndogya UpaniShad 4.15.1), which describes the person in the eye. For this reason the person in the eye must be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The interpolation of agni-vidyA between 4.10.5 and 4.15.1 does not break the context because agni-vidyA is a part of the discussion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word vishiShTa (distinguished) in this sUtra means that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has all-knowledge and all other transcendental qualities.


SUtra 16

shrutopaniShatka-gaty-abhidhAnAc ca


shruta—heard; upaniShatka—UpaniShad; gati—destination; abhidhAnAt—because of the description; ca—also.



And because of the description of the destination of they who hear the UpaniShads.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


One who hears the UpaniShads and understands the secret knowledge of the Vedas travels to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Of the person who knows the person in the eye Upakoshala Muni says arciSham abhisambhavati (He attains the realm of light). Because these two persons (he who knows the secrets of the Vedas and he who knows the person in the eye) attain the same destination it must be understood that the person in the eye is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.


SUtra 17

anavasthiter asambhavAc ca netaraH


anavasthiteH—because the abode is not eternal; asambhavAt—because of being impossible; ca—and; na—not; itaraH—anyone else.


(The person in the eye) is not anyone else (but the Supreme Personality of Godhead) because (the others) do not stay always in the eye and because it casnnot be them (according to the context).


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


These other persons cannot be the person in the eye because none of them stay permanently in the eye and because non of them possess immortality or any of the other qualities attributed to the person in the eye. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is therefore the person in the eye referred to in this text.