22. The "PuruSha" Seen in Brahmaloka

Adhyaya 1 - Pada 3 AdhikaraNa 4

The "PuruSha" Seen in Brahmaloka is the Supreme Personality of Godhead


Introduction by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa



In the Prashna UpaniShad (5.2.2-5) the following passage is read:

etad vai satyakAma paraM cAparaM ca brahma yad oMkAras
tasmAd vidvAn etenaivAyatanenaikataram anveti. . . yaH punar etaM
tri-mAtreNom ity anenaivAkShareNa paramM puruSham abhidhyAyIta sa
tejasi sUrye sampanno yathA pAdodaras tvacAvinirmucyate evaM
haiva sa pApmabhir vinirmuktaH sa sAmabhir unnIyate brahmalokaM
sa etasmAt jIva-ghanAt parAt paraM purishayaM puruShaM vIkShatet1)


"O SatyakAma, the syllable oM is both the superior Brahman and the inferior Brahman. A wise man attains one of these two Brahmans. . .One who, reciting the eternal oM of three lengths, meditates on the Supreme Person, will attain the sun-planet. As a snake sheds its skin so does he become free from all sins. By the hymns of the Vedas he is carried to Brahmaloka. There he directly sees the Supreme Soul, the Supreme Person residing in the heart."

SaMshaya: Is the person seen and meditated on the four-faced demigod BrahmA or the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

PUrvapakSha: The text here says that the devotee who meditates on oM of one length attains the world of men, the devotee who meditates on oM of two lengths attains the world of heaven, and the devotee who meditates on oM of one length attains the world of Brahma. The planet here is the planet of the four-faced demigod BrahmA and the person seen by one who goes there is the four-faced demigod BrahmA.

SiddhAnta: The conclusion follows.


SUtra 13


IkShati-karma-vyapadeshAt saH


IkShati - of seeing; karma - object; vyapadeshAt - because of the description; saH - He.



The person here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the description of the object of vision here fits the Supreme Person.


Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa



Here the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the IkShati-karma, or object of vision. Why? the sUtra says vyapadeshAt (because the description of the object of vision here fits the Supreme Person). This is so because the UpaniShad (5.2.7) describes the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the following words: tam oMkAreNaivAyatanenAnveti vidvAn yat tac chAntam ajaram amR^itam abhayam paraM parAyaNaM ca (By reciting oM the wise man attains the supremely peaceful, ageless, eternal, fearless Supreme, the ultimate goal
of life). The conclusion is that, according to the argument of niShAda-sthapaty-adhikaraNa-nyAya, the word brahmaloka here means ViShNuloka (the planet of Lord ViShNu).