Sutra 1
sarvatra prasiddhopadesat
sarvatra—everywhere; prasiddha—celebrated; upadesat—because of the teaching. (The word "manomaya" here refers to the Paramatma) because (in this passage) the famous (attributes of the Paramatma as are taught) everywhere (in Vedanta literature are) described.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
This passage describes the Paramatma and not the jiva. Why? Because the qualities that belong only to the Paramatma, beginning with His being the creator of the material universes, and which are described everywhere (saravatra) in Vedanta literature, are mentioned in this passage in the phrase taj-jalan and other phrases and words also.
Although the opening words of this passage (sarvam khalv idam brahma) are not intended to teach about Brahman but to invoke peacefulness, the word manomaya definitely describes the Supreme Brahman. The word kratu means "devotional service" and manomaya means "He who can by understood by a pure mind." The Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad(4.4.19) explains manasaivanudrastavyam (He may be seen by a pure mind). The passage yato vaca nivartante aprapyo manasa saha (The Supreme cannot be described in words or understood by the mind) means the foolish cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead and even the wisest sages cannot understand Him completely. The word prana-sarira (life-body) means {.sy 168}He who is the controller of life." Some also interpret this word to mean "He whose transcendental form is most dear." The words aprano hy amanah (He has neither breath nor mind) may mean either that He is supremely independent and does not need breath or mind, or it may mean that he does not possess material breath or material mind. The sruti-sastra explains manovan (The Supreme has a spiritual mind) and anida-vatam (The Supreme has spiritual breath).
Other scriptural passages also state that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described by the word manomaya. Some of these passages follow.
manomayah prana-sarira-neta
"He is understood by the pure mind (manomaya). He is the guide of the body and senses."
—Mundaka Upanisad 2.2.7
sa eso 'ntar-hrdaya akasas tasminn ayam puruso manomayo 'mrtamayo hiranmayah
"The golden Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is full of nectar, and who is known by the pure mind (manomaya), resides in the sky of the heart."
—Taittiriya Upanisad 1.6.1
hrda manisa manasabhiklpto ya etad vidur amrtas te bhavanti
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is known by they who have a pure heart and a pure mind. They who know Him in this way become free from death."
—Katha Upanisad 7.9 pranasya pranah
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the life of all life."
—Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 4.4.18 Sutra 2
vivaksita-gunopapattes ca
vivaksita—wished to be said; guna—qualities; upapatteh—because of being appropriate; ca—
and.
The word "manomaya" here must refer to Brahman) because the qualities (given here) most appropriately describe Brahman.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
Manomaya (knowable by the pure mind), prana-sarira (the controller of life), bha-rupa (effulgent and glorious) and the other qualities mentioned here are appropriate for the Supreme Personality of Godhead but not at all for the jiva.
Sutra 3
anupapattes tu na sarirah
anupapatteh—because of inappropriateness; tu—indeed; na—not; sarirah—the jiva. (The word "manomaya" here) cannot refer to the jiva because the qualities (described in this passage) cannot be attributed to him.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
The manomaya her cannot refer to the jiva because it is not possible that the qualities described here refer to the tiny, glowworm-like jiva.
Sutra 4
karma-kartr-vyapadesac ca
karma—object; kartr—agent; vyapadesat—because of the statement; ca—also. And because the distinction is drawn here between the agent and the object.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
With the words (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 3.14.4) etam itah pretyabhisambhavitasmi (After death I will attain Him) at the end the manomaya is clearly designated as the object of the sentence and the jiva, with the words abhisambhavitasmi (I will attain) is clearly identified as the agent. Therefore the manomaya, being the object, must be different from the jiva, which is the agent. The manomaya must therefore be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word abhisambhavitasmi here describes meeting. The jiva meets the Supreme Lord as a great river meets the ocean.
Sutra 5
sabda-visesat
sabda—words; visesat—because of the difference. (The word "manomaya" here cannot refer to the jiva because the words are in different cases.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
The text says (Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.3) esa ma atmantar-hrdaye (He is within my heart). In these words the devotee jiva is placed in the genitive case and the object of his worship is placed in the nominative case. Because the jiva and the object of his worship are in different cases they must be two distinct persons. Therefore the manomaya here must be the worshipable Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is different from the devotee jiva.
Sutra 6
smrtes ca
smrteh—because of the smrti-sastra; ca—also. And because of the statement of smrti-sastra also.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is different from the jiva is also confirmed by the following statement of Bhagavad-gita (18.61):
isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati bhramayan sarva-bhutani yantrarudhani mayaya
"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy."*
Someone may object: The Chandogya Upanisad (3.14.3) describes the manomaya in the following words: esa ma atmantar-hrdaye 'niyan vrir heva yavad va (In my heart is the Self, smaller than a grain of rice or barley). This text shows that because it is very tiny the manomaya must be the jiva and cannot be the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Sutra 7
arbhakaukastvat tad-vyapadesac ca neti cen na nicayyatvad evam vyomavac ca
arbhaka—small; okastvat—because of the residence; tat—of that; vyapadesat—because of the teaching; ca—and; na—not; iti—thus; cet—if; na—not; nicayyatvat—because of meditation; evam—in this way; vyomavat—like the sky; ca—also.
If it be said that the word "manomaya" here cannot refer to Brahman because here it is said that the residence of "manomaya" is very tiny, then I say no because Brahman should be meditated on in this way and because in the same passage the "manomaya" is said to be as great as the sky.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
For these two reasons it cannot be said that the manomaya is not the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this passage from Chandogya Upanisad the manomaya is said to be greater that the entire Earth planet. The text says jyayan antariksat (He is greater than the sky). Because the Supreme Brahman is all-pervading the word vyomavat (like the sky) is used in this sutra.
How may these two statements (that Brahman is very small and very great) be reconciled? To answer this question he says nicayyatvad evam (Because Brahman should be meditated on in this way). This means that it is said that Brahman is very small so He may become the object of meditation. This means that when in the Vedic literatures it is said that the infinite, all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead is as small as the distance bewteen the thumb and forefinger or some other very small distance, in some instances it is meant to be taken figuratively and in other places literally. In the first instance (figuratively) the devotee meditates on the Lord in his heart and in the second (literally) by His inconceivable potencies, the Lord personally appears in the heart out of kindness to His devotee. Although the Supreme Lord has only one original form, He still manifests in many different forms to His devotees. This is described in the smrti-sastra in the words eko 'pi san bahudha yo 'vabhati (Although He is one He manifests in many forms). Because of His inconceivable potency the Supreme Lord, although He is all-pervading, may become as small as an atom. This will be described (later in this book) in the section (Sutra 25) describing Vaisvanara. In this way when the Supreme Personality of Godhead is manifested in a very small form, as the size of an atom or the distance between the thumb and forefinger, that very small size is present everywhere, so in this way also the Supreme Lord is all-pervading.
Someone may object: If the Paramatma is then also present within the material body just as the jiva is, then, because of His contact with the body the Paramatma must also feel all the pleasures and sufferings of the body just as the jiva does. To answer this he says:
Sutra 8
sambhoga-praptir iti cen na vaisesyat
sambhoga—of enjoyment; praptir—attainment; iti—thus; cet—if; na—not; vaisesyat—because of the difference.
If it is said that (the Paramatma in the heart also) experiences (the pains and) pleasures (of the material body), then I say no because there is a great difference (between Him and the jiva.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
In the word sambhoga the prefix sam means "with" as it also does in the word samvada (with+words -conversation). Therefore this sutra states that the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not enjoy with (the jiva). Why? Because there is a difference between them. This is the meaning: mere contact with a certain body does not by itself bring suffering and enjoyment. Being under the dominion of karma is the real cause of material suffering and enjoyment. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not under the power of the law of karma. This is described in the Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.1): anasnann anyo 'bhicakasiti (Two birds sit in the metaphorical tree of the material body. One bird eats. The other bird does not eat, but only looks) and in the Bhagavad-gita (4.14), where Lord Krsna says: na mam karmani limpanti na me karma-phale sprha (There is no work that affects me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action).
Adhikarana 2
The Eater is Brahman
Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana Visaya: The Katha Upanisad (1.2.25) says:
yasya brahma ca ksatram ca
ubhe bhavatah odanah mrtyur yasyopasecanam
ka ittha veda yatra sah
"There is a person for whom the brahmanas and ksatriyas are food and death is the sauce. Who knows where this person is?"
Samsaya: Here the words odana (food) and upasecana (sauce) indicate an eater. Who is the eater? Is it fire, the jiva, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Purvapaksa: Because there is nothing specific to show that of these three fire is not the eater, and because the questions and answers in this passage seem to indicate fire, and because the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (1.4.6) declares agnir annadah (Fire is the eater), therefore fire is the eater in this passage.
Or perhaps the jiva is the eater here because eating is an action and the jiva performs actions although the Supreme does not perform any actions. This is also confirmed by the sruti-sastra (Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.1 and Katha Upanisad 3.1) which describes an eater accompanied by a non-eater who simply looks: tayor anyahpappalam (Two friendly birds sit on a tree. One eats the pippala fruit and the other does not eat but only looks). From all this it may be understood that the eater here is the jiva. Siddhanta: The proper understanding follows.
Sutra 9
atta caracara-grahanat
atta—the eater; cara—the moving; acara—and the non-moving; grahanat—because of taking. The eater (is Brahman) because He takes the moving and non-moving (as His food).
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
The eater is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why? Because of the words caracara-grahanat (Because He takes the moving and non-moving as His food). In this passage (Katha Upanisad 1.2.25) the words brahma ksatram indicate the entire universe, which is then sprinkled with the sauce of death and eaten. This passage must refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead for no one other than He can eat the entire universe. A sauce is something which, while being eaten itself is the cause of other things being eaten also. The eating of the entire universe sprinkled with the sauce of death must refer to the periodic destruction of the material universes. In this way it is proved that the eater of the universes here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is not refuted by the statement of Upanisads (na caasnan) that He does not eat. The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not eat the results of karma, but He has His own transcendental eating.
Sutra 10
prakaranat—because of the context; ca—also.
This is also confirmed by the context. Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
That this passage refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also confirmed by the following statement of Katha Upanisad (1.2.20):
anor aniyan mahato mahiyan
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest."*
This is also confirmed by the following words of smrti-sastra:
atasi lokasya caracarasya
"You are the eater of this complete cosmic manifestation, of the moving and the non-moving." Adhikarana 3
The Associate in the Cave is Brahman
Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana Visaya: The Katha Upanisad (1.3.1) states:
rtam pibantau sukrtasya loke
guham pravistau parame parardhe chaya-tapau brahma-vido vadanti pancagnayo ye ca trinaciketah
"Two persons drink the results of karma in cave of the heart. They who know Brahman, they who keep the five sacred fires, and they who perform the three naciketa sacrifices say these two persons are shade and light."
Samsaya: In this passage a companion to the jiva, who experiences the results of karma, is described. This companion may be interpreted to be either intelligence, life-breath, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Purvapaksa: The companion here must be either intelligence or life-breath for they assist the jiva as he experiences the results of karma. The companion cannot be the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the Supreme Lord never experiences the results of karma. Therefore the companion must be either intelligence or life-breath. Siddhanta: The conclusion follows.
Sutra 11
guham pravistav atmanau hi tad darsanat
guham—in the cave; pravistau—entered; atmanau—two selves; hi—indeed; tat—that; darsanat —because of being seen in other passages of Vedic literature.
The two persons that have entered the cave of the heart are the two selves (the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the jiva because this explanation is seen in Vedic literature.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
The two persons that have entered the cave of the heart are the jiva and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not the jiva and intelligence, and not the jiva and the life-breath. Why? The sutra says tad darsanat (because this explanation is seen in Vedic literature).
The Katha Upanisad (2.1.7) says that the jiva has entered the cave of the heart:
ya pranena sambhavaty
aditir devatamayi guham pravisya tisthantim
ya bhutebhir vyajayata
"Accompanied by the life-breath and a host of powers, the jiva, who is the king of the senses, enters the cave of the heart."
Another verse (Katha Upanisad 1.2.12) says that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has entered the cave of the heart:
tam durdarsam gudham anupravistam
guhahitam gahvarestam puranam adhyatma-yogadhigamena devam matva dhiro harsa-sokau jahati
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the oldest person, and who is worshiped in the jungle of this world, remains hidden in the cave of the heart. A wise man, meditating on Him in a trance of spiritual yoga, gives up all material joy and grief."
The word hi (indeed) in this sutra means "This is indeed corroborated by all the Puranas" The word pibantau (they both drink) in the passage of the Upanisad is used in the same sense as the phrase "the two parasol-bearers." Although only one of the pair carries the parasol, they are still known as "the two parasol-bearers." In the same way only one of the two "drinkers" here actually drinks. The word chaya-tapau (shade and light) here means either that the knowledge of the two persons is different, or it means that one of the persons is bound to the cycle of repeated birth and death and the other is free from the cycle of repeated birth and death.