Preface
All Glories to Guru and Gauragga.
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva.
First of all let me offer my respectful obeisances to my spiritual master Om Visnupada Srimad
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada, then my respectful obeisances to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is associated with Sri Advaita Prabhu,
Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhara Prabhu, Srivasa Prabhu, as well as whose eternal assistants are the six
gosvamis, headed by Srila Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Gopala
Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami, Ragaunatha dasa Gosvami, as well as whose private secretary is Sri
Svarupa Damodara dasa and His eternal attendant Govinda.
Then let us talk about the Brahma-sutra or Vedanta-sutra. There are many comments on the
2}Vedanta-sutra. In India especially the system is that anyone who is the head of a religious institution
must be well conversed with the Vedanta-sutras, and is expected to write comments on the Vedanta-
sutra, without which one is not accepted as an acarya. 2}Acarya means one who knows the purpose of
Vedic knowledge. He personally practices them as well as teaches to his disciples the system of Vedic
knowledge.
There are many acaryas, especially of the 2}vaisnava-sampradaya, like the four sampradayas:
ramanuja-sampradaya, madhvacarya-sampradaya, visnusvami- sampradaya, and nimbarka-sampradaya.
Our sampradaya is called gaudiya-sampradaya, or the Vaisnavas who are in the disciplic succession of
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The gaudiya-sampradaya actually belongs to the madhva-sampradaya and
the madhva-sampradaya belongs to the brahma- sampradaya.
Besides these four vaisnava-acarya-sampradayas 1}, there are also non-vaisnava-sampradayas,
especially the impersonalist school headed by Sankaracarya
. Sankaracarya has written a commentary on the Vedanta- sutras, known as Cariraka-bhaasya. generally
this Cariraka-bhasya made by Sankaracarya is very popular on account of the present Indians being
influenced by materialistic activities. But still the other different 2}bhasyas, or commentaries, made by
the Vaisnava 2}acaryas are also available in the gaudiya- sampradaya, specifically headed by Rupa
Gosvami
.
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In the beginning there was no commentary on the 2}Vedanta-sutra because according to Srimad-
Bhagavatam it is said that the real commentary on the 2}Vedanta-sutra is Srimad-Bhagavatam itself,
presented by the author, Sri Vyasadeva Himself. In our english commentary on the Srimad-Bhagavatam
First Canto, First Chapter, we have explained this fact that Srimad- Bhagavatam is the right type of
commentary on the 2}Vedanta-sutra. As such the gaudiya-vaisnava- sampradaya did not take much care
to present their commentary on the Vedanta-sutra.
About 200 years ago there was a conclusion in Golpa district in Jaipur, wherein the acaryas or
followers of other sampradayas challenged the gaudiya- vaisnava-sampradaya that it has no
commentary on the 2}Vedanta-sutra. At that time Sri Vicvanatha Cakravarti Thakura was living in
Vrndavana, but he was too old, and when the Gaudiya Vaisnavas approached him to present a
commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, he asked his disciple, Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana to write a
commentary on the Vedanta- sutra. As Vaisnavas are generally very humble and meek, Sri Baladeva
Vidyabhusana thought himself unfit to write an authorized commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, so he
approached Lord Govinda in the temple of Jaipur. He placed himself down before Lord Govinda to take
his permission and authority to begin writing a commentary on the Vedanta- sutra, and he was assured
by Govinda that he could do so. With this inspiration he wrote the Vedanta-sutra commentary known as
Govinda-bhasya. This 2}Govinda-bhasya is very authorized and accepted by all the vaisnava-
sampradayas, This commentary, which may be known as Bhaktivedanta-bhasya, follows the footprints
of Govinda-bhasya.
The necessity of presenting the Bhaktivedanta-bhasya commentary on Vedanta-sutra should also be
explained herein. My spiritual master, Om Visnupada Paramhamsa Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, ordered me to present the Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy in English as far
as possible, and in this attempt for the english-knowing persons, since 1965 I have been in the western
countries with my three books of the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Then I presented my
commentary on the Srimad-Bhagavad-gita known as The Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and similarly I have
presented The Teachings of Lord Caitanya. Also, requested by many of my western disciples, especially
my worthy disciples Sriman Hansadutta Das Adhikari and Janardana Das Adhikari, who are in charge
of the Montreal Center, and I am trying to present an English commentary on the 2}Vedanta-sutra as
follows.
At the present moment all over the world there are major portions of godless persons. Generally people
are very attached to the void philosphy presented by Lord Buddha or the impersonal philosophy
presented by Sankaracarya
. In other words, to be more plain and simple, people are becoming very atheistic. To say that there is
no God, as the atheists declare, is rather bold and simple, but to say that there is a supreme cause that is
void, or there is God but He has no form, is more dangerous than the simple declaration that there is no
God.
Our society, known as the international Society for Krishna Consciousness, has now started the
movement for Krsna Consciousness , and it is very gratifiying that the younger generation of the
western part of the world, in America, Canada, and Europe, are taking interest in this great movement.
We already have branches in almost every important city of the United States and Canada, and we have
started centers also in London and Hamburg. We hope that our Krsna Consciousness movement will
gradually increase, as predicted by Lord Caitanya, who said that His missionary activities, the same as
the Krsna Consciousness movement, will be preached all over the world, in every village in every
country. Taking into consideration the present activities of this movement, it is hoped that the
prediction of Lord Caitanya will soon be fulfilled and the people of the world will be very happy,
having Krsna Consciousness.
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As referred to above, generally the commentary known as 2}Cariraka-bhasya is taken by the people as
the purport of Vedanta, or in other words Vedanta 1}means according to the opinion of the followers of
Sankaracarya 's purport as explained by him in Cariraka- bhasya. Besides the Cariraka-bhasya of
Sankaracarya there are many other atheistic schools preaching Vedanta on the basis of godlessness.
One of the prominent followers of Sankaracarya , namely Sadananda Yogindra, has compiled his book
known as 2}Vedanta-sara, in which he writes to prove that the to understand both the upanisads and the
2}Vedanta-sutra, Sankaracarya
's Cariraka-bhasya is the only means. This is the claim of monopoly by the mayavada school. Actually
Vedanta-sutra has many commentaries and all those commentaries are not on the basic principal of
monism or impersonalism.
All the prominent acaryas of the different vaisnava-sampradayas have complied commentaries on
Vedanta-sutra, but they do not follow the principles of the Cagkarite school. On the other hand the
impersonalist monists stress more on non-duality. Generally they declare themselves God and there is
no existance of God separately.
The monistic school does not recognize the Vedanta commentaries presented by the Vaisnava acaryas,
known as the cuddhadvaita, vicistadvaita and dvaitadvaita, as well as the inconceivably-one-and-
different philosophy of Lord Caitanya, known as 2}acintyabhedabheda-tattva. According to them the
monistic commentary on Vedanta-sutra is final, Lord Krsna has a material body, and the followers of
the philosophy of Krsna Consciousness are not transcendentalists.
Vedanta means the last word in the matter of pursuing knowledge. Everyone is pursuing some sort of
knowledge. There are universities, institutions, and many educational establisments pursuing
knowledge, but Vedanta means the last word in the pursuit of knowledge. This last word in the pursuit
of knowledge is explained in the Bhagavad-gita by Lord Krsna. The purpose of Vedic knowledge is to
understand Krsna. The exact words in the 15th Chapter of 2}Bhagavad-gita are sarvasya caham hrdi
sannivistah. "the Lord is situated in everyone's heart. He gives intelligence and delusion. He is the
original source of knowledge. He is the goal of knowledge. He is the compiler of Vedanta-sutra, and He
knows what is Vedanta.."
These words are a very significant explanation of 2}Vedanta-sutra by Krsna himself. In another place
also He has referred to the Vedanta-sutra by saying, {.sy 168}By the course of Brahma-sutra one can
actually understand what is the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita. 1}" Bhagavad-gita and Vedanta-sutra are
very intimately interrelated. To understand Vedanta- sutra rightly is to understand Bhagavad-gita
1}rightly.The word sutra means "summarized code". In the Skanda and Vayu Puranas 1}the word sutra
is explained as "when a thesis is presented in few words, but with great volumes of meaning and, when
understood, is very beautiful." Mentioned herein are the names of different commentaries on Vedanta-
sutra by different acaryas.
This Cariraka-bhasya of Sankaracarya is also known as Vedanta-siddhanta. The summary of non-
dualism philosophy expounded by Sankaracarya is as follows.
According to this philosophy there is only the Absolute Truth. To this philosophy the living entity is
Brahman and the cosmic manifestation is false. The example of reality and falsity is given by them in
the comparison of mistaking a serpent and a rope. In the darkness, in illusion, a rope may be accepted
as a serpent. When one comes to his senses he understands that the rope was not a serpent. Then the
"serpent" becomes false. Similarly, according to Cagkara's philosophy this cosmic manifestation
actually is not. Maya means {.sy 168}What is not." Ma means "not" and 2}ya means "this". In other
words the phenomenal representation of the material world has no reality. Behind this phenomena the
noumenon is reality.
According to Cagkara's philosophy the Absolute Truth is impersonal. As such there is no diversity. In
the material world there are different kinds of diversity, just as diversities of the species of life. The dog
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species are not like the human being species. This speciality, dog species or human species, is present
in the material world, but spiritually there is no such differentiation. Even in personal considerations
there are diversities. In a personal form one has legs, hands and head. But this differentiation, according
to the mayavada philosophy of Sankaracarya, is also false. Sankaracarya does not recognize qualifying
the Brahman, just as Vaisnava philosophy qualifies the Supreme Brahman. Take for example: God is
merciful. This is a qualification of God or the Absolute Truth. But, Cagkara's philosophy being
impersonal, they do not accept the Absolute Truth qualified by mercifulness, or beauty, or opulence.
They do not accept. According to them if the Absolute Truth is qualified then it becomes limited by the
qualification. Their conclusion is that if Brahman, or the Absolute Truth, is unlimited, there should not
be any limitation by qualification.
The incarnation of the Absolute Truth, or Godhead, is accepted by them as a manifestation of material
designation. In other words, according to Cagkara's philosophy when God or the Absolute Truth
incarnates He assumes a material body. Therefore He is designated. In that designated form only the
Absolute Truth becomes the creator, sustainer, and annihilator of the cosmic manifestation, although in
his commentary on the Bhagavad- gita, in the beginning, Sankaracarya
has accepted that Narayana is beyond this cosmic manifestation. Everything that is manifested in the
material world is produced from the unmanifested mahat-tattva, but Narayana is still transcendental to
the mahat-tattva. In other words, he has accepted that the mahat-tattva is also created by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Narayana. There are so many contradictions in his philosophy. That is a
different subject matter. We do not wish to enter into the contradicitions of his philosophy, but as far as
possible we are presenting the summary of mayavada philosophy, non-dualism.
According to Sankaracarya, in the highest spiritual conception the Absolute Truth is without any
contamination of material existance, and therefore He has no connection with the creation, sustenance,
or annihilation (of the material world). He is always devoid of all qualities, without any diversity,
without any material condition, and without any responsibility of activities. As such, the cosmic
manifestation is also false. Similarly the Personality of Godhead, who accepts His designation from this
false material manifestation, the conception of the Personality of Godhead, is also false. The Absolute
Truth is only conceived as eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. The appearance as Narayana, or
as an incarnation, is not eternal, but is temporary. For some purpose He appears like that. The ultimate
end is impersonal.
According to Cagkara's philosophy, the differentiation between God and the living entities is an
illusion. Actually, that is not the fact. The living entities are not subordinate energy of the Supreme.
Simply being covered by the conception of maya, the living entities appear to be different from the
Absolute Truth. This differentiation between the living entities and the Supreme is manifested in the
material world in ordinary dealings. Spiritually there is no such difference. The activities of the living
entity in the spirit of enjoyment in the material world, his infinitesimal quality, or his minuteness, or his
inumerableness, are only designations of the false 2}maya. An example in this connection given by the
2}mayavadi philosophers is that , when reflected by a red flower, crystal glass appears to be red,
although this has nothing to do with the redness of the glass. It is completely different from the color.
Similarly, the living entity in the contamination of maya becomes active, or becomes an enjoyer, or
becomes infinitesimal, or in other words becomes individual. All these things are artificial color
reflection only. Actually, a living entity is pure Brahman. This theory of reflection is called
pratibimbavada. According to this philosophy, transcendentally there is no difference between the
Absolute Truth, the living entities, and material nature.
This non-differentiation between the Absolute Truth, the living entities, and the cosmic manifestation,
is exemplified by the mayavadi philosopher by the following example of the entire sky and the pot. The
sky in the pot and the entire sky are the same. But the sky within the pot appears to be limited on
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account of being designated by the pot cover. When the pot is broken, or the illusion of maya is
dissipated, there is no such difference that this pot is different from that pot, or this sky is different from
that sky. According to Sankaracarya this cosmic manifestation is also 2}maya. When these material
elements dissappears, then only existential Brahman will remain. Therefore, Brahman is truth and this
cosmic manifestation is false.
Sankaracarya does not accept the theory of transformation, as the Vaisnava acaryas, do. The theory of
transformation is explained in this way. Just as milk is transformed into yogurt under certain
conditions, but yogurt cannot be transformed again into milk, nor can it be used as milk, in the same
way the living entities cannot become the Supreme Absolute Truth. This theory of transformation is not
accepted by the maya vadi philosopher.
Actually, this kind of propaganda by Sankaracarya was done under Supreme order to dissipate the
dark Buddhist philosophy and to establish the Vedic philosophy, the Absolute truth. According to Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Cagkara's mayavada philosophy is another edition of Buddha's philosophy.
Buddha's philosophy of voidness is almost equal to the impersonal philosophy of Cagkara. Therefore,
according to Cagkara's philosophy, impersonal non-variegatedness is the ultimate stage of perfect
knowledge.
The greatest opposition was offered by Sri Ramanujacarya tothe Cagkara philosophy. Ramanuja's
philosophy is known as 2}vicistadvaitavada. This doctrine of 2}vicistadvaitavada was not newly
presented by Sri Ramanujacarya, but before him there were other exponents of this doctrine and they
are known as Nathamuni and Yamunacarya.
The basic principle of the vicistadvaitavada doctrine is that in God's creation there is the division of
sentient and non-sentient, just as in studying our own self we find that our body is material, or non-
sentient, and our mind intelligence and false ego are the path between my self and my body. My self is
sentient. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is sentient, and this material cosmic manifestation is His
body.Combined together, the Absolute Truth forms a combination of the sentient and non-sentient
features. This is called 2}vicistadvaitavada.
According to Sri Ramanujacarya there are three truths: namely the sentient, the non-sentient, and the
Supreme Lord. They are generally called tattva-traya. The inumerable living entities as a group are
called the sentient energy of the Supreme Lord, wheras the cosmic manifestation is called the material
energy of the Lord. The Lord Himself is above them. He has all-auspicious transcendental qualities. He
is omniscient and omnipotent. He is self-effulgent. He is the Lord of the creation. He is known as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. The material world and the living entities are sentient and
insentient bodily parts of the Lord.
Sri Ramanujacarya has elaborately delineated his philosophy in 12 divisions as follows;
1. The Supreme Absolute Truth is one in the combination of gross, subtle, sentient, and insentient
groups,
2. He has protested against the doctrine of dualism as well as the doctrine of monism.
3. He has accepted that the Absolute Truth, Brahman, has transcendental qualities and transcendental
potencies, and therefore He is not impersonal.
4. He has vehemently protested the doctrine of an impersonal, non-qualitative Absolute Truth.
5. He has deliberately established the doctrine of the living entities being infinitesimal and the in the
supreme Lord being infinite, and therefore the infinitesimal living entities are constitutionally meant for
serving the infinite Supreme Personality of Godhead.
6. He has established that the living entities, who are infinitesimal, are subject to fall victim under
ignorance, but when they are out of that position of ignorance they become again liberated.
7. He has proved that only transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord is the means of
liberation from material entanglement.
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8. According to his oppinion, devotional service is the supermost prosecss for self-realization.
9. He has stated strongly that even in the state of liberation one cannot be equal with the Supreme
Lord.
10. He has put strong arguments against the impersonal doctrine of monism.
11. He has proved that this material world is abominable, and the spiritual world is real life for eternal
bliss.
12. He has established that the living entities and the cosmic manifestation are different bodily parts of
the Supreme Lord.
Also, Ramanujacarya has explained that the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends in five
different features, namely arca, the Deity in the temple, the incarnations, such as the fish-incarnation,
tortise-incarnation, boar-incarnation, and Nrsimha-incarnation, which are called 1}vaibhava. Then He
has expansions called vyuha 1}, such as the expansions of Vasudeva, Sagkarsana, Pradyumna, and
Aniruddha. His impersonal expansion is the effulgence of His body. He is also present in everyone's
heart as Antaryami, or the Supersoul. All these different plenary portions of the Supreme Lord are
beyond material contamination, eternal, without any lamentation, always superior than the living
entities, and full of six opulences
.
According to Ramanujacarya, there are five kinds of methods of worship, which are called
abhigamana, upadana, ijya, sadhyaya, and yoga. When devotees go to the temple, clean the temple or
the path to the temple, and decorate the temple in various ways, such activities are called
2}abhigamana. The collection of ingredients such as flowers and other paraphanalia for worship is
called 2}upadana. Worship of the Lord in the temple is called ijya. Chanting different mantras and
offering different kinds of prayers is called sadhyaya. Meditation, or remembering the activities of the
Lord in full absorption, is called yoga. Practicing all different kinds of worship one can attain the
planets in the spiritual world known as Vaikunthaloka. According to Sri Ramanujacarya, attainment of
Vaikuntha is the highest perfectional stage.
The greatness of Ramanujacarya is that he himself, and later on his disciplic succession, ever-
increasingly protested the impersonalism of Sankaracarya
. Still in southern India these two parties come in conflict and generally the party belonging to the
ramanujacarya-sampradaya is victorious.
Pancaratra regulative principals were current before the advent of Sankaracarya
, but on account of the influence of Buddha's philosophy such pa{.sy 241}caratra regulative principals
were stopped. Sankaracarya , instead of directly re-establishing the 2}paYcaratra method, took shelter
of 2}mayavada philosophy to defeat Buddha's philosophy. Sri Ramanujacarya re-established the
paYcaratra 1}, or worship.
After Sri Ramanujacarya is the appearance of Madhvacarya, whose doctrine is cuddha-dvaitavada. He
very strongly established the doctrine of duality, that God, or the Absolute Truth, and the living entities
are completely different entities, on the evidence of Brahma-sutra or 2}Vedanta-sutra, as well as
Bhagavad-gita, the 2}puranas, and the Narada-pancaratra 1}.
He proved duality in every stage namely that the Supreme Lord and the living entity are two different
entities. Similarly the cosmic manifestation and the Supreme Lord are also two different entities. One
living entity is different form another living entity. In other words, each and every living entity is
individual. There is a difference between sentient and non- sentient entities, and there is also a
difference between one kind of insentient matter and another kind of insentient matter. Madhvacarya
established that two is not one, but two.
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One truth is completely independent and the other truth is dependent. Lord Visnu is the supreme
independent Personality of Godhead, qualified with transcendental qualities without any material
contamination. Therefore He is fully independent. Except Lord Visnu, anything else, either cosmic
manifestation or living entities, are not independent but are dependent on the Supreme Lord.
The living entities are qualitatively representations of the Supreme Lord. The doctrine that man is
made after God is accepted by Madhvacarya. The features of man are an exact reflection of the feature
of the Supreme Lord. He also accepts that the Supreme Lord expands in multi-pleanary-portions, as
well as separated- portions called jiva-tattva. All the jiva- tattvas, or living entities, are eternally
associates of the Supreme Lord to render transcendental loving service to Him. The living entities'
knowledge is always inferior or incomplete.
The Supreme Lord and the living entities are always in the position of Supreme and subordinate. The
living entities are always subordinate. They have no independent power. As is confirmed in Bhagavad-
gita, 5th Chapter, 15th Verse, the Lord says that knowledge and remembrance are always given by the
Supreme Lord, as antaryami, or Supersoul, to the living entities. Otherwise, the living entities have no
independent power to memorize, think, or act.
In contrast to the living entity, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, is complete in knowledge
and complete in bliss. He is always worshipable by the living entities and He is the original supreme
dominator whereas the living entities are the original predominated. He is, therefore, the original
creator of the cosmic manifestaton, which is also eternal, although temporarily manifested. Therefore
both the living entities and the cosmic manifestation are under the subordination of the Supreme Lord.
The Supreme Lord is always differently situated, as is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, where it is
said that everything is resting on the Supreme Lord, but still He is always different from everything.
According to Madhvacarya, even at the time of cosmic dissolution the living entities and the material
energy remain separate from the Supreme Lord. They are never mixed up as is advocated by the
impersonalists.
Madhvacarya was in very great opposition to the doctrine of Sankaracarya
. Practically the madhvacarya-sampradaya 1} followers are simply fighting against the doctrine of
2}mayavada philosophy propounded by Sankaracarya.He defeated the doctrine of Sankaracarya
and established the doctrine of duality.
Apart from the above mentioned two doctrines of 2}vicistadvaitavada and cuddha-dvaitavada, there
are other doctrines advocated by the visnusvami- sampradaya and nimbarka-sampradaya. The
2}visnusvami-sampradaya later on developed into the 2}baladeva-sampradaya. Their doctrine is called
2}cuddhadvaitavada, and the doctrine of nimbarka- sampradaya is called dvaitadvaitavada.
An adjustment of all the doctrines 2}vicistadvaitavada, cuddha-dvaitavada, cuddhadvaitavada, and
dvaitadvaitavada was very nicely done by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in his doctrine acibntya-
bhedabheda- tattva. In this doctrine, Lord Caitanya has discussed very elaborately all kinds of old and
new doctrines in the matter of understanding transcendental subject matter, and in order to minimize
the different views of different philosophers, He has added a very nice conception which is called
acintya 1}.
This word is very applicable to the philosophical doctrines of the conditioned soul. A conditioned soul
actually cannot ascertain the nature of the Absolute Truth simply by speculation, but only through the
authority of Vedic knowledge. The word 2}acintya applies in all the doctrines.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not very concerned about these doctrines to understand the Absolute
Truth. His main business was to distribute to the general mass of people the principles of Srimad-
Bhagavatam, which is the natural commentary on Vedanta-sutra.
According to Srimad-Bhagavatam, all philosophical speculation and religious priniples combined
together culminate in the understanding of love of Godhead. Man cannot be satisfied simply by
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religious sentiments or philosophical speculation but, according to Srimad- Bhagavatam, when one is
elevated to the platform of rendering loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead without any
motive and without being hampered by any material condition, that stage of transcendental realization
is the highest principle of spiritual understanding, and in that stage only one can be fully satisfied.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu was more concerned to deliver to the people this status of life without much
bothering about philosophical speculations. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never labored very much to
present a thesis of this doctrine in a seperate book, but later on his diciplic succession, especially,
among the six Gosvamis, Srila Jiva Gosvami has presented six theses, which combinedly are called
Sat„-sandharbha. Of the six sandharbhas the one known as 2}Tattva-sandharbha is a practical
presentation of this doctrine and explains Vedanta-sutra strictly according to the principles of acintya-
bhedabheda- tattva. Later on, Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana took this doctgrine and explained Vedanta-
sutra strictly according to that principle of acintya-bhedabheda- tattva.