17. AkShara

Adhyaya 1 Pada 2 - AdhikaraNa 6


"AkShara" is the Supreme Personality of Godhead


Introduction by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


ViShaya: The MuNDaka UpaniShad (1.1.5-6) says:


atha parA yayA tad akSharam adhigamyate. yat tad adreshyam agrAhyam agotram avarNam acakShuH-shrotraM tad apANi-pAdaM nityaM vibhuM sarva-gataM su-sUkShmaM tad avyayaM yad bhUta-yoniM paripashyanti dhIrAH


"Here is the transcendental knowledge by which the Supreme Personality of Godhead is known. The great sages directly see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who cannot be seen, who cannot be grasped, who has no name, who has no color, who has no eyes or ears, who has no hands or feet, who is eternal, all-powerful, all-pervading, subtle, and changeless, and who is the creater of all that is."


Later the MuNDaka UpaniShad (2.1.2) also says:


divyo hy amUrtaH puruShah sa-bAhyAbhyantaro hy ajaH aprANo hy amanAH shubhro .akSharAt parataH paraH


"The Supreme Person is transcendental, formless, without inside or out, unborn, unbreathing, without mind, splendid, and higher than the highest of the eternals."


SaMshaya: Do these two passages describe first the pradhAna and then the puruSha (jIva), or do they describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

PUrvapakSha: Because in these passages there is no mention of being the observer or any other qualities of a conscious being, and because there is mention of the word yoni (source of everything), which refers to the ingredient of which the creation is made, these passages describe the eternal pradhAna, and above that eternal pradhAna, the puruSha (jIva). Above the eternal, ever-changing pradhAna is the jIva, who is the knower of the field of activities. Therefore in these passages the pradhAna and jIva should be known to be the topics of discussion.

SiddhAnta: The conclusion follows.


SUtra 21

adR^ishyatvAdi-guNako dharmokteH


adR^ishyatva—being invisible; Adi—beginning with; guNako—qualities; dharma—qualities; ukteH—because of the statement.


(These passages describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead,) who possesses many transcendental qualities, including invisibility, because His qualities are described here.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


In both passages the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who possesses many transcendental qualities, including invisibility, should be understood (to be the topic of discussion). Why? the sUtra says dharmokteH (because His qualities are described here).

The MuNDaka UpaniShad (1.1.9) says:


yaH sarvaj~naH sarvavid yasya j~nAnamayaM tapaH. tasmAd etad brahma nAma-rUpam annaM ca jAyate


"The Supreme Personality of Godhead knows everything. He knows everything. He is full of knowledge. From Him is born that Brahman that is the material form of this world."


Because in the pasage of MuNDaka UpaniShad (1.1.6) that begins divyo hy amUrtaH puruShah (The Supreme Person is transcendental and formlesss) the akShara is described as possessing a host of transcendental qualities, which include omniscience, and because that akShara is described as the ultimate goal of all knowledge, the akShara must be the Supreme Personality of Godhead.


SUtra 22


visheShaNa-bheda-vyapadeshAbhyAM ca netarau


visheShaNa—modifiers; bheda—difference; vyapadeshAbhyAM—because of the description; ca—and; na—not; itarau—the other two.


Because of the description of the qualities (of the akShara) in these two (passages, the akShara) cannot be the other two (pradhAna and jIva).


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


The other two, that is pradhAna and jIva, should not be thought (to be the topic of discussion here). Why? the sUtra says visheShaNa (because of the description of the qualities). Because the description in MuNDaka UpaniShad (1.1.9), beginning with the words yaH sarvaj~na (The Supreme Personality of Godhead knows everything), specifically identifies the akShara as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and because the description in MuNDaka UpaniShad (1.1.6), beginning with the word divya (The Supreme Person is transcendental), identifies the akShara as a being different from the jIva, therefore the akShara mentioned in both passages must be understood to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original cause of all causes.


SUtra 23

rUpopanyAsAc ca


rUpa—of a form; upanyAsAt—because of the mention; ca—also.


And also because there is mention of a form.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


The MuNDaka UpaniShad (3.1.3) says:

yadA pashyaH pashyate rukma-varNaM
kArtAram IshaM puruShaM brahma-yonim
tadA vidvAn puNya-pApe vidhUya
nira~njanaH paramaM samyam upaiti


"One who sees the golden-colored Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Lord, the supreme actor, who is the source of the Supreme Brahman, becomes free from the reactions to past pious and sinful deeds, and becomes liberated, attaining the same transcendental platform as the Lord."*


Because the form of the akShara is described in this way as the original cause of all causes, the form of the akShara here must be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It cannot be either pradhAna or jIva.


SUtra 24

prakaraNAt


prakaraNAt—because of the context.
(The akShara here must be the Supreme Personality of Godhead) because of the context.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


The meaning of this sUtra is clear.

The smR^iti-shAstra also confirms that this text refers to Lord ViShNu. The ViShNu PurANa (6.5.65-70) says:

dve vidye veditavye
iti cAtharvaNI shrutiH
parayA tv akShara-prAptiH
r~N-vedAdi-mayI aparA

yat tad avyaktam ajaram
acintyam ajam avyayam
anirdeshyam arUpaM ca
pAnipAdAdy-asaMyutam

vibhuM sarva-gataM nityaM
bhUta-yonim akAraNam
vyApya-vyApyaM yataH sarvaM
tad vai pashyanti sUrayaH

tad brahma paramaM dhAma
tad dhyeyaM mokSha-kA~NkShiNAm
shruti-vAkypditaM sUkShmaM
tad viShNoH paramaM padam

tad eva bhagavad-vAcyaM
svarUpaM paramAtmanaH
vAcako bhagavac-chabdas
tasyAdyasyAkSharAtmanaH

evaM nigaditArthasya
sa-tattvaM tasya tattvataH
j~nAyate yena taj-j~nAnaM
param anyat trayImayam


"The Atharva Veda says there are two kinds of knowledge: superior and inferior. Superior knowledge is that which brings one to the eternal and inferior knowledge is the teaching of the R^ig Veda and the other Vedas. The eternal is unmanifested, without decay, inconceivable, unborn, unchanging, without material form, without material hands or feet, all-powerful, all-pervading, eternal, the source of all living entities, causeless, present within everything, untouched by anything, and the source from which everything has come. Saintly persons see Him. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the supreme abode. He is the object of meditation for they who yearn for liberation. He is described in the words of the Vedas. He is supremely subtle. He is Lord ViShNu. He is known as BhagavAn (the Supreme Personality of Godhead). He is the Supreme Lord who has a transcendental form. He is BhagavAn. He is eternal. One who knows these truths knows the truth. He knows the real truth. The inferior truth of the three Vedas is something else."