21. AkShara (2)

Adhyaya 1 - Pada 3 AdhikaraNa 3

"AkShara" Refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead


Introduction by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa



ViShaya: The BR^ihad-AraNyaka UpaniShad
(3.8.7-8) says:

kasmin khalu AkAsha otash ca protash ceti. sa hovAca. etad vai tad akSharaM gArgi brAhmaNA abhivadanti asthUlam anaNv ahrasvam adIrgham alohitam asneham acchAyam
".aIn what is the sky woven, warp and woof?.a He said: .aO GArgi, the brAhmaNas say it is woven in the eternal. The eternal is not large, not small, not short, not tall, not red, not liquid, without shade).


SaMshaya: Is the akShara (eternal) here pradhAna, jIva, or the Supreme
Personality of Godhead?

PUrvapakSha: The word shvetAshvatara UpaniShadakShara here may denote any of the
three. The meaning is ambiguous.

SiddhAnta: The conclusion follows.


SUtra 10


akSharam ambarAnta-dhR^iteH


akSharam - the eternal; ambara - with sky; anta - at the end; dhR^iteH - because of being the support.


The word "akShara" here refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because the "akShara" is described as the resting place of all the elements, beginning with the grossest and culminating in sky.

Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa



The akShara here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why? The sUtra says amabarAnta-dhR^iteH (because the akShara is described as the resting place of all the elements, beginning with the grossest and culminating in sky). The UpaniShad says etasmin khalu akShare gArgy AkAsha otash ca protash ca (O GArgi, the sky is woven, warp and woof, in the eternal). the word akShara must refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because it is here described as the resting place of all the elements, which culminate in sky. The objection may be raised:" AkShara here may refer to pradhAna because pradhAna is the origin of all the changes of this world. AkShara may also refer to the jIva because the jIva is the resting place of all inanimate objects that come within its perception."

If these objections are raised, he then says:


SUtra 11


sA ca prashAsanAt

sA - that; ca - and; prashAsanAt - because of the command.



"AkShara" here must refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the text says that everything is supported by His command.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa



In the previous sUtra the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as the resting place of all the elements, beginning with the grossest and culminating in sky. Why is this? The sUtra says prashAsanAt (because the text says that everything is supported by His command). The BR^ihad-AraNyaka UpaniShad (3.8.9) says etasya vA akSharasya prashAsane gArgi dyAvA-pR^ithivI vidhR^ite tiShThataH. etasya vA akSharasya prashAsane gArgi sUryA-candramasau vidhR^itau tiShThataH (By the command of the eternal, O GArgi, heaven and earth are manifest. By the command of the eternal, O GArgi, the sun and moon are manifest). Because these words describe the order of the eternal, the eternal should be understood to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Neither the inanimate, unconscious pradhAna, nor the conditioned or liberated jIva can create everything simply by their command.

SUtra 12


anya-bhAva-vyAvR^ittesh ca


anya - another; bhAva - nature; vyAvR^itteH - because of the exclusion; ca - also.



And also because the text describes certain qualities that specifically exclude any other being.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa



The BR^ihad-AraNyaka UpaniShad (3.8.11) says tad vA etad akSharaM gArgy adR^iShTaM draShTR^i ashrutaM shrotR^i (O GArgi, this eternal sees, but is unseen. He hears, but is unheard). Because these words describe the akShara in terms that cannot be applied to anyone but the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the word akShara must refer to the Supreme Person. The pradhAna is inanimate and unconscious and therefore it cannot see. Because the text here says that the akShara sees everything but cannot be seen by anyone, it cannot mean the jIva.