Sutra 10
apah
apah - water. Water.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
To this sutra should be added the previous sutra's phrase "atas tatha hy aha" (Water comes from it. Indeed it said that.) This means that water is manifested from fire. This is so because the Sruti-sastra declares it. Chandogya Upanisad (6.2.3) explains:
tad apo 'srjata "Fire created water."
Taittiriya Upanisad (2.1) also explains:
agner apah
"From fire water was manifested."
These two quotes are clear and need no elaborate explanation. Why water comes from fire is explained in the following words of Chandogya Upanisad:
tasmad yatra kva ca cocati svedate va purusas tejasa eva tad adhy apo jayante "Heat makes a person produce water. This is so when a person perspires or weeps." .pa
Adhikarana 6
Earth Is Manifested From Water, and the Word "Anna" in the Chandogya Upanisad Means "Earth"
Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana In the Chandogya Upanisad it is said:
ta apa aiksanta bahvayah syama prajayemahiti ta annam asrjanta
"Water thought: 'I shall become many. I shall father many children.' Then water created anna."
What is the meaning of the word "anna" here? Does it mean "barley and other food", or does it mean {.sy 168}earth"?
In the Chandogya Upanisad it is said:
tasmad yatra kvacana varsati tad eva bhuyistham annam bhavaty adbhya eva tad adhy annadyam jayate
"Therefore, whenever it rains there is abundant anna. In this way anna is produced by water."
This passage seems, therefore, to support the idea that the word "anna" here means barely and other food". To explain the proper meaning here, the author of the sutras speaks the following words.
Sutra 11
prthivy-adhikara-rupa-cabdantarebhyah
prthivi - earth; adhikara - context; rupa - color; cabda - quotes from the Sruti-sastra; antarebhyah - because of other.
"Because its color, its context, and other quotes from the Sruti-sastra, all confirm that earth is the proper meaning.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
Here the meaning "earth" should be accepted. Why? Because of the context and other reasons. It should be accepted because the context (adhikara) of the passage is a description of the creation of the five material elements. It is also so, because the "anna" here is described as being black in color (rupa), in the words:
yat krsnam tad annasya
"That anna is black in color."
It is also so because in other scriptures (sastrantarebhyah) it is said (in the Taittiriya Upanisad): adbhyah prthivi
"From water, earth is manifested."
The passage: "Therefore, whenever it rains there is abundant anna. In this way anna is produced by water," clearly uses the word "anna" to mean "food". However, because this passage is in the context of a description of the five material elements being manifested one from the other, the "food" here is a metaphor for "earth". Thus the two meanings "food" and "earth" combine in the word "anna" in this passage. .pa
Adhikarana 7
The Elements Are Manifested From the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
The description here, that the material elements are manifested in a particular sequence, beginning with ether, is given to remove controversy in regard to the sequence in which the elements are manifested. The fact that the pradhana, mahat- tattva, and all the elements are created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead has already been proved in sutra 1.1.2 (janmady asya yatah). Now the
author of the sutras begins a more detailed description of that creation. In the Subala Upanisad it is said:
tad ahuh kim tad asit tasmai sa hovaca na san nasan na sad asad iti tasmat tamah saYjayate tamaso bhutadir bhutader akacam akacad vayur vayor agnir agner apo 'dbhyah prthivi tad andam abhavat "They said: What was in the beginning? He replied: In the beginning was neither existence nor non-existence. Nothing existed and nothing did not exist. In the beginning there was darkness. From the darkness the origin of the material elements was born. From the origin of the material elements, ether was born. From ether, air was born. From air, fire was born. From fire, water was born. From water, earth was born. In this way the egg of the material universe was created."
Here it should be understood that aksara, avyakta, mahat-tattva, tan-matras, and material senses should also be placed, in this sequence, between darkness and ether. This should be done to complement the following statement of Agnimalaya:
sandagdhva sarvani bhutani prthivy apsu praliyate. apas tejasi praliyante. tejo vayau praliyate. vayur akace praliyate. akacam indriyesv indriyani tan-matresu tan- matrani bhutadau viliyante. bhutadir mahati viliyate. mahan avyakte viliyate. avyaktam aksare viliyate. aksaram tamasi viliyate. tama eki-bhavati parasmin. parasman na san nasan na sad asat.
"When the all the elements are burned up, earth merges into water, water merges into fire, fire merges into air, air merges into ether, ether merges into the senses, the senses merge into the tan-matras, the tan-matras merge into the origin of the material elements, the origin of the material elements merges into the mahat-tattva, the mahat-tattva merges into the avyakta, the avyakta merges into the aksara, and the aksara merges into the great darkness. Then the great darkness becomes one with the Supreme. In the Supreme is neither existence nor non-existence. Nothing exists and nothing does not exist."
The word "origin of the material elements" here means "the false-ego". False-ego is of three kinds. From false-ego in the mode of goodness, the mind and the demigods are manifested. From false-ego in the mode of passion, the material senses are manifested. From false-ego in the mode of ignorance are manifested the tan-matras, from which are manifested the ether and the other elements. In this way these different explanations all corroborate each other. In the Gopala-tapani Upanisad it is said:
purvam hy ekam evadvitiyam brahmasit. tasmad avkyatam vyaktam evaksaram tasmad aksaran mahan mahato va ahagkaras tasmad ahagkarat paYca-tan-matrani tebhyo bhutani tair avrtam aksaram bhavati. "Before the material world was manifest, only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second, existed. From Him came the avyakta. From the avyakta came the aksara. From the aksara came the mahat-tattva. From the mahat- tattva came false-ego. From false-ego came the five tan-matras. From them came the material elements. The aksara is filled with all these."
Samcaya (doubt): Do the pradhana and other parts of this sequence arise one from the other or do they all arise directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Purvapaksa: They arise from each other, for that is the statement of the texts.
Siddhanta (the conclusion): The author of the sutras gives His conclusion in the following
Sutra 12
tad abhidhyanad eva tu tal liggat sah
tat - that; abhidhyanat - because of meditation; eva - indeed; tu - indeed; tat - that; liggat -because of the body; sah - He.
Because of meditation and because of the body, it is indeed He.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
The word "tu" (indeed) is used to dispel doubt. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of all potencies, including the potency of great darkness, the potency that begins the material creation. He is the direct cause, and the pradhana, earth, and other features of the material creation are effects created by Him. Why is that? The sutra explains: "Because of meditation and because of the body." The Sruti-sastra explains:
so 'kamayata bahu syam prajayeya
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead desired: Let Me become many. Let me create the material world."
Thus, it is by the desire of the all-powerful Supreme Personality of Godhead that the pradhana and other features of the material world are created. That is how He is the cause of the material world. Also, the material world is the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead enters the great darkness of the material world and transforms it into pradhana and the others aspects of matter. In this sense the material world is His body. This is confirmed by the Antaryami-brahmana of the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad, and also by the Subala Upanisad, which explains:
yasya prthivi cariram
"The world is the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." .pa Adhikarana 8
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Is the Cause of Matter's Transformations Sutra 13
viparyayena tu kramo 'ta upapadyate ca
viparyayena - by the reverse; tu - indeed; kramah - sequence; atah - from this; upapadyate - is manifested; ca - and.
Indeed, this sequence is also reversed.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
The word "tu" (indeed) is used here for emphasis. In the Mundaka Upanisad (2.1.3) it is said:
etasmaj jayate prano manah sarvendriyani ca. kham vayur jyotir apah prthivi vicvasya dharini
"From Him are born life, mind, all the senses, ether, air, fire, water, and earth, the support of the
world."
In the Subala Upanisad, the sequence is reversed, with pradhana and mahat-tattva coming first. Everything actually comes from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is present within everything, beginning with the life-air and ending with earth, and when one feature of creation comes from another, the second feature actually comes from the all-powerful Supreme Personality of Godhead present within the first feature. If this were not so, then these two different versions would contradict each other. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin of all and the creator of all. By knowing Him everything becomes known. The pradhana and other features of matter, being inert and unconscious, cannot by themselves create changes in the material world. That is why the word "ca" (also) is used here. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in every case the real cause of these transformations in the material world. .pa
Adhikarana 9
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Is the Creator of Mind and Intelligence
Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana Now the author of the sutras removes a specific doubt.
Sutra 14
antara vijnana-manasi-kramena tal-liggad iti cen navicesat
antarah - in the middle; vijnana - knowledge; manasi - and mind; kramena - with the sequence; tat - of that; liggat - because of the sign; iti - thus; cet - if; na - not; avicesat - because of not being different.
If it is said that the sequence of mind and intelligence appears in this way, then I reply: No. Because they are not different.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
The word "vijnana" here means "the material senses of the conditioned soul".
Here someone may object: It is not proper to assume that this quotation from Mundaka Upanisad (text 2.1.3 quoted in the previous purport) supports the idea that all the features of the material world are directly created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. The list given in that verse merely gives the sequence in which those material features were manifested. It says that first come the material senses and then comes the mind. This does not mean that everything comes directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
If this objection is raised, then I reply: No. It is not so. Why not? The sutra explains: "na vicesat" (because they are not different). This means that the material senses and the mind are not different from the life-force, the element earth, or any of the other material features. They have all come directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this passage the life-force and all the other material features all come from the Supreme Personality of Godhead (etasmat - from Him). That is the meaning. The
following scripture quotes also declare that the elements are all created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead:
so 'kamayata bahu syam prajayeya
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead desired: Let Me become many. Let me create the material world."
etasmaj jayate pranah
"The life-force and everything else was manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
In the Bhagavad-gita (10.8) the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself declares:
aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate
"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from me."*
In the Vamana Purana it is said: tatra tatra sthito visnus
tat tac chaktim prabodhayet eka eva maha-saktih kurute sarvam aYjasa
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, enters everywhere and awakens the power dormant in everything. He is the supremely powerful one. He does everything perfectly."
In this way it is shown that pradhana and all other material features all come directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That fact is not at all contradicted by the sequence of events presented in the Subala Upanisad and the other scriptures. This is so because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the creator of the original material darkness, the pradhana and the other features of the material world. Thus when the scripture says tat tejo 'srjata (The Supreme Personality of Godhead created fire), it is understood that He also created darkness, a host of other potencies, pradhana, air, and other aspects of matter. When the scriptures say 2}tasmad vai (From the Supreme Personality of Godhead everything has come), it is understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of material darkness and a host of other potencies, the pradhana and other features of matter were born from Him, and the material element ether was also manifested from Him. .pa
Adhikarana 10
All Words Are Names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
Here someone may object: Is it not so that if Lord Hari is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all, and the all-pervading Supersoul, then the names of all that is moving and inert would also be names of Him? However, this is not so, for words are primarily the names of the various moving and inert things.
Thinking that someone may accept this idea that words are primarily names of various things and only secondarily names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the author of the sutras gives the following explanation.
Sutra 15
caracara-vyapacrayas tu syat tad-vyapadeco 'bhaktas tad- bhava-bhavitvat
cara - moving; acara - and unmoving; vyapacrayah - the abode; tu - indeed; syat - may be; tat -of that; vyapadecah - name; abhaktah - not figurative; tat - of Him; bhava - the nature; bhavitvat -because of being in the future.
Indeed, He resides in all that move and does not move. Therefore it will be learned that every word is one of His names.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
The word "tu" (indeed) is used here to dispel doubt. The word "caracara-vyapacrayah" means that the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides in all moving and unmoving beings. The word "tad-vyapadecah" means "the names of the moving and unmoving beings". The word {.sy 168}abhaktah" means "these names are primarily names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead". Why is that? The sutra explains: "bhava-bhavitvat" (the real meaning of names will be learned in the future). This means that by studying the scriptures one will come to understand that all words are names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Sruti-sastras explain:
so 'kamayata bahu syam
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead desired: Let Me become many. Let me create the material world."
sa vasudevo na yato 'nyad asti
"He is the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nothing is different from Him."
In the Visnu Purana (3.7.16) it is said: kataka-mukuta-karnikadi-bhedaih
kanakam abhedam apisyate yathaikam sura-pacu-manujadi-kalpanabhir harir akhilabhir udiryate tathaikah
"As golden bracelets, crowns, earrings, and other golden ornaments are all one because they are all made of gold, so all demigods, men, and animals are one with Lord because they are all made of Lord Hari's potencies."
The meaning is this: Names of potencies are primarily the names of the master of these potencies. This is so because the master is the very self of His potencies. .pa
Adhikarana 11
The Individual Spirit Souls Are Eternal and Without Beginning Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana
Because He is the origin of everything, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has no other origin from which He was created. This has already been described. Now we will determine the nature of the individual spirit soul. First the idea that the individual soul has an origin will be refuted. In the Taittiriya Aranyaka, Maha-Narayana Upanisad (1.4) it is said:
yatah prasuta jagatah prasuti toyena jivan vyasasarja bhumyam
"From the Supreme Personality of Godhead the universe was born. With water He created the living entities on the earth."
In the Chandogya Upanisad it is said:
san-mulah saumyemah sarvah prajah
"O gentle one, all living entities have their roots in the Supreme."
Samcaya (doubt): Do the individual spirit souls have an origin or not?
Purvapaksa (the opponent speaks): Because He is the creator of the material universe, which contains both sentient living entities and insentient matter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be the creator of the individual spirit souls. Any other idea would be illogical.
Siddhanta (conclusion): The author of the sutras gives the following conclusion.