Even the leaves fall from Vaikuntha
Hare Krishna
Devotional Place of unlimited pastimes that is ever lasting and never
aging, the atma-vigraha (the soul's real spiritual Krishna Conscious
self and form) bodies are always there serving Krishna - Nitya-siddha
means - eternally established as ones Krishna Conscious self. This is
what permanence, perpetual and eternity means - no beginning, no end
and never changing (although Lila-rasa - the mellows of a pastime
with Krishna can change in the spiritual universe). Generally
nitya-siddha among Vaishnava's means one never falls to the
conditioned living entity stage, known as the jiva-bhuta non-Krishna
conscious condition, which is the sub-conscious lower self that is
oblivious to their full Krishna Conscious atma-vigraha body in
Krishna's perpetual Kingdom. The jiva-bhutah (souls) is the
sub-conscious condition active in the material universe, and the
jiva-nikaya is the jiva-bhuta's transformation to the inactive
dormant state of consciousness situated in the Brahma-sayujya
(Impersonal Brahmajyoti) This condition of the lower self, or the
sub-conscious condition of the atma-vigraha personified consciousness,
is a non-dream state however, all living entities have the conscious
choice to remain serving Krishna as their full conscious personality
(atma-vigraha body), or be submerged with non-Krishna active dreams
that enters/creates the material universe.
This altered state on consciousness where one is physically aware of
ones conventional underlying Krishna Conscious atma-vigraha body, to
falling into an absent-minded stupor (dream) where one forgets their
authentic body atma-vigraha body, is called the jiva-bhutah stage of
consciousness. This transformation of consciousness, where one's
awareness changes from recognizing reality (their own Krishna Conscious
atma-vigraha body), to being captivated by ones dreaming illusions, is
due to turning ones back on Krishna. In this way, the jiva-bhutah
sub-conscious dreaming projections of non-Krishna Conscious
'thoughts', originates and is only transmitted while one is not
Krishna Conscious and aware of their original source or atma-vigraha
body. This sub-conscious status generates their holographic illusory
situation in the material universe; it is never their eternal Krishna
Conscious atma-vigraha body that enters the apparition-impermanent
dream of material existence.
In this manner, one's sub-consciousness can continue on for almost an
eternity until one gets fed up existing like this and attempts to
achieve the yogic cessation of thought known as the inactive state of
consciousness called the jiva-nikaya (impersonally liberated condition)
that exists in a dormant state within the Brahma-sayujya or Impersonal
Brahmajyoti. This active and inactive dreaming condition is facilitated
by Krishna's expansion known as Maha-Vishnu.
Only the individual part and parcels (marginal identity) of Krishna,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are subject to the dual levels of
consciousness explained here and never Krishna and His unlimited inner
circle plenary expansions. Even great souls like Naradha-Muni, who is
an individual atma-vigraha (marginal form), knows he is also subject to
the temptations of the lower self because he can also choose between
the higher Krishna Conscious real self or the lower sub-conscious dream
self. Naradha Muni sets the example that the only way to remain
conscious of one's full identity, body, personality and individuality
is to always be Krishna Conscious. In this way Krishna always protects
him from illusion. See the story of Nardha Muni and the village girl on
page 97.
Jiva-samjnitah means the parts and parcels of Krishna, also known as
the living entities that are originally and eternally in personal form.
These atma-vigraha bodies are the expressions of Krishna, or individual
extension of His own likeness.
Krishna is compared to the sun, and the atma-vigraha's are compared
to the sunrays, the atma-vigraha's are the same as Krishna in quality
(have eternal form and the freedom to choose their own path in
existence) but never quantity. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and the cause of all causes. Krishna can never forget Himself
or be effected by impermanence, where as the marginal living entities
can forget Krishna and simultaneously themselves (their eternal
atma-vigraha body) In this way ones deluded consciousness becomes
overwhelmed by flickering impermanence experienced through the
phenomena of unconscious dreaming that transmits or creates the
material universe along with its Impersonal inactive shadowy dreaming
escape.
The analogy of the sun and the sunrays is only a metaphor and is not to
be taking literally. All parts and parcels of Krishna have eternal form
like Krishna (can manifest in different ways of servitude in Krishna
Lila or pastimes)) and it is only in the material universe ignorant
souls (transmitted sub-consciousness) can appear to take on those
impersonal characteristics. Also it's important to note that the
atma-vigraha's were officially never created, nor can their
atma-vigraha bodies or their dreaming forgetful transmitted
consciousness be destroyed. Just as Krishna has an eternal bodily form,
so does all the living entities have eternal bodily forms known as the
marginal personified identities that originally, eternally and always
are their original Krishna Conscious atma-vigraha source.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the
founder of the ISKCON Movement (The International Society for Krishna
Consciousness) used the words potency and energy when describing the
marginal aspect of Krishna's creation, such terminologies are
referring to the creation of Maha-Vishnu, which is divided into two
dimensions of Impersonalism;
1. Material active universe, which includes the temporary ethereal
and biological containers the jiva-bhutah consciousness, is
incarcerated in and attempts to satisfy desires with.
2. The Brahma-sayujya (Impersonal Brahmajyoti) inactive condition
where the jiva-bhutah transforms into its jiva-nikaya inactive
dreamless consciousness. Both conditions do not exist in Krishna's
Personal abode therefore, when referring to Krishna's internal
Goloka-Vrindavan and Vaikuntha creations, the marginal is referring to
individual atma-vigraha's bodies, when referring to the marginal
living entities within Maha-Vishnu's universe, it means the
transmitted dreaming jiva-bhutah or jiva-nikaya consciousness only.
Further more, the Impersonal terminology describing the marginal living
entity as energy and potency is only used to identify and describe the
lower conscious self's dreaming condition while in the dream of
Maha-Vishnu. Maha-Vishnu is the utmost manifestation of God's power as
Supreme Controller of the Cosmic Universe, which includes the material
universe and the Impersonal Brahma-sayujya (the Impersonal Brahmajyoti.
Maha-Vishnu is known as the Preserver because He is the force and
action of guarding all that exists within the cosmic dream. His dreams
are also the dreams of those who 'consciously' (not physically in
their atma-vigraha bodies) leave Goloka-Vrindavan or the Vaikuntha's.
It is by Maha-Vishnu that our dreaming consciousness is facilitated and
our mistaken desires fulfilled. There is a great confusion among Hindus
that say Maha-Vishnu is Supreme God. This is incorrect; Sri Krishna is
the Supreme Personality of God, ever abiding in joy and complete Bliss.
Maha-Vishnu is Krishna's expansion in the role of Krishna's
Eternal Servant and is responsible for facilitating the forgetful
consciousness of those who choose to enter the dreaming important
material existence and its Brahma-sayja inactive state of
consciousness, and the most precious of the Demi-Gods because
Maha-Vishnu is the preserver and protector of all that is Good and is
unaffected by the duties He has to perform. Maha-Vishnu is the term
that refers to the Supreme Creator of the entire universal dream. He
is shown (below) displaying His mighty four-armed form, holding the
Chakra Disk of Divine almighty Power, Conch Shell of Divine Creation,
the Mace, which controls the cosmos, and the Lotus Bud.
Maha-Vishnu sleeps in the coils of the snake Shesha, with his wife
Lakshmi, at his feet. The snake floats on the infinite cosmic ocean of
Milk. From Him come all things within the material universal dream,
including the Impersonal escape of the jiva-nikaya's. In His sleep,
Maha-Vishnu expands Himself into other Vishnu forms and observes
everything being created, and as a result a lotus flower blooms in his
navel. When the flower opens, Brahma appears seated inside it, to live
out his life of a hundred Brahma years. After this period, Maha-Vishnu
stops dreaming, the lotus flower closes again and withdraws, and is
then recreated in the next dream, and so on.
Maha-Vishnu's role is the Supreme preserver of all material creation.
Maha-Vishnu uses His power of preserverance to protect all the physical
creations within our universe. He is not only a representative of
Krishna, but also a deep and superior expression of Krishna's power
and motion specially suited for fulfilling the various dreams of those
coming from Krishna's abode (reality) and entering His dream
(illusion) creation. Often times in early Hinduism, Maha-Vishnu was
referred to as the Supreme Form of God, however this is false
interpretation because Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as
described in the Srimad Bhagavatam, however Maha-Vishnu is Himself just
an expansion of Krishna's omnipresence and power. So it is appropriate
to see Maha-Vishnu as either an expansion of Krishna or an Eternal
Divine Servant of Krishna. However you see fit is appropriate.
To simply understand Maha-Vishnu, visualize Krishna creating a potent
and dominant representative to generate the material universe and its
flip side, the Impersonal Brahmajyoti for those living entities that
choose to leave Goloka-Vrindavan. Maha-Vishnu is the expansion of
Krishna's form designated to serve specific functions of creation,
preservation, and destruction under Krishna's command. Maha-Vishnu
assists and helps Krishna's devotees when they appear from
Goloka-Vrindavan or begin to awaken from their illusionary dream within
the material manifestation, with the Bliss of His omnipotent influence
and love as they struggle to again serve Krishna instead of their own
selfish dreams. Maha-Vishnu also facilitates Krishna's
Goloka-Vrindavan Lila's or pastimes within His dream whenever Krishna
decides to appear. Maha-Vishnu is the form of Krishna who creates the
material and impersonal dream within the impermanent cosmos. Through
Maha-Vishnu's representatives and the demi-gods headed by Brahma, He
facilitates the building of our earth planet as well as the unlimited
space which gives rise to the billions of Galaxies, clusters and
planets.
This further clarification of how the marginal atma-vigraha's can
choose to exist as their Krishna Conscious self, or enter a non-Krishna
conscious dream within the temporary universe facilitated by
Maha-Vishnu, further strengthen the understanding of Personalism and
gives the clear understanding of our real origins in Goloka-Vrindavan,
and further make it clear to the Impersonalists and Vaishnava's
infected with Impersonalism, that the life force or marginal
personalities are not originally insignificant atoms or sparks of
living light, as some Gaudiya Math so-called authorities propagate.
Only in the material universe, facilitated by Maha-Vishnu, can one
appear in any way they imagine, even a spark of insignificant light!!
It is very hard understanding that there was never a time when all our
atma-vigraha bodily forms did not exist, nor in the future will that
form ever cease to be, even if one consciously forgets it and chooses
to go off into some non-Krishna conscious illusionary dream in the
material existence, or extend that figment of ones imagination to the
Impersonal Brahma-sayujya. The fact is the jiva-nikaya and jiva bhutah
consciousness only exists as transmitted dreaming consciousness when
one forgets Krishna and themselves (ones own atma-vigraha body).
It has to be clearly understood by Vaishava scholars of Vedanta that
their unique atma-vigraha body is the source of ones sub-consciousness
jiva-bhutah condition they are attempting to consciously transform back
to their original Krishna Conscious self. The paradox here is there is
no origin to the atma-vigraha body because of the eternal nature of the
devotional time in the Spiritual Personal Universe that is permanent,
yet variegated, that never changes, yet is never the same, is always
new youthful, fresh, undying and never repeats its self like the
impermanent material universe does. This Perpetual Phenomenon is
actually the only reality in creation and is a place where
Impersonalism and materialism cannot exist.
The tatastha shakti is the Impersonal condition of the marginal living
entity when consciously withdrawn into its lower self that can only be
attained after first ending ones conditional existence in the material
universe. The tatastha shakti or marginal plane is the dormant
consciousness, or lower self, in denial of the eternal self
(atma-vigraha body). In this condition, ones forgetful consciousness or
lower self is trapped or merged into the Impersonal Brahman effulgence.
Unlike Krishna's Personal Brahman effulgence that is full of
personalities and identities, this Impersonal effulgence is the bodily
glare of Maha Vishnu (Also known as the Brahma-sayujya) and is living
and growing due to the constant insignificant flow of those individuals
who 'consciously' choose to leave or fall out of Krishna
Consciousness (Krishna's Kingdom) and into material
sub-consciousness, facilitated by Maha-Vishnu within the material
universe. The Impersonal Brahman effulgence is the outer covering of
the Vaikuntha planets and under the jurisdiction of Maha-Vishnu, who
also manages the material universe. The bodily glow of Maha-Vishnu
reaches far out into His space that is one quarter the size of
Krishna's creation. Maha-Vishnu's glow within His realm of the
universe reaches far out into space and borders the outer covering of
the Vaikuntha planets where Maha-Vishnu's impermanent universe and
the Krishna's permanent Vaikuntha planets, where Krishna and Vishnu
resides, meet (just like a negative charge up against a positive
charge). In other words, it is where the Personal Brahman borders the
Impersonal Brahman. The Personal Brahman is under the jurisdiction of
Krishna while the Impersonal Brahman is always under the jurisdiction
of Mahan-Vishnu. This version of Brahman is the Impersonal-resting
place of infinite jiva-nikaya's who have all previously been
liberated from their material existence. Srila Prabhupada confirms
this: - "Because he falls down from Brahma-sayujya, he thinks that
may be his origin, but he does not remember that long, long, long ago
before that even, he was with Krishna.
The real Personal Brahman is made up of the marginal plane of unlimited
individual personalities who are all servants of Krishna. This Personal
Brahman is not a potency or energy, it is individual persons with
identity, personality and form that also houses the Vaikuntha Planets
and surrounds Krishna and His Goloka-Vrindavan central Planet. This
Brahman or Brahmajyoti is the real reality of sat, cit, ananda all
embodied in vigraha (eternity knowledge, bliss embodied in form). It is
impossible for the Impersonal Brahman to exist in the effulgence
(individual atma-vigraha's) of the Personal Brahman that emanates and
surrounds Krishna's Person. Only in the external realm, where the
Impersonal Brahman or Brahmajyoti exists and maintained by Maha-Vishnu,
do we find that the jiva-nikaya consciousness, transformed from the
jiva-bhutah consciousness or lower self, can appear as an atomic ray or
particle of non-differentiated character. This Impersonal condition can
never exist in the real Personal Brahman or Personal Brahmajyoti where
Krishna and His devotees individually reside. The living beings or
atma-vigraha's, are Krishna's separated parts but have always had
an original Krishna Conscious form. Thus the atma-vigraha's have
inherited a minute proportion of Krishna's qualities (form,
personality, individuality and identity that is eternal with no
beginning and no end); therefore, the atma-vigraha's is an embodiment
of awareness of service to Krishna, the perceiver, egoism, the enjoyer,
the thinker, and the doer. The constitutional distinction between
Krishna and the atma-vigraha's is that Krishna is Almighty, while the
atma-vigraha's are His eternal servants, that is, if they always
remember Krishna and simultaneously their original source or
atma-vigraha body they serve Krishna as. When they forget, they
'consciously' (not physically in their eternal atma-vigraha body)
enter the impermanent illusionary dream that is facilitated by the
dreaming Maha Vishnu. This is because they also dreaming.
The atma-vigraha bodies never change however; the conscious awareness
of our atma-vigraha body can change by forgetting to serve Krishna in
every deed and thought. The difference between one's higher
atma-vigraha self and one's jiva-bhutah lower self, is the higher
self is ones eternal devotional form, while the lower self is
flickering self centered consciousness. The higher self is real, the
lower self is an illusion.This is also the meaning of marginal, the
choice to forget Krishna or remember Krishna; the living entity can
choose one or the other as the following demonstrates: -
1. The higher real self to the lower illusionary self,
2. The Spiritual universe to the material universe,
3. Prolonged consciousness to restricted consciousness
4. Atma-vigraha body to the jiva-bhutah or jiva-nikaya (impersonally
liberated condition - dreaming consciousness),
5. To be in the light (Krishna Consciousness) to live in the
darkness (material universe),
6. To live in reality to exist in a dreamed-up imaginary fantasy,
7. Spiritual Permanence to material Impermanence,
8. Krishna's eternal Universal creation to Maha-Vishnu's
Impermanent Universal creation,
9. Marginal atma-vigraha to marginal jiva-bhutah and jiva-nikaya
dreaming transmitted consciousness,
10. Higher self to the lower self,
11. Goloka-Vrindavan/Vaikuntha to the illusion of Maha-Vishnu's
Maya and the heavenly, middle and hellish material planets,
12. Remembering Krishna to forgetting Krishna and existing in
illusion,
13. To be ones Krishna Conscious atma-vigraha body to being ones
forgetful non-Krishna conscious dream projections,
14. Real self (atma-vigraha) or imagined self (jiva-bhutah - or
jiva-nikaya).
15. Personalism to Impersonalism.
16. Personal Brahmajyoti to Impersonal Brahmajyoti.
This choice of independence always exists between ones higher self and
ones lower self. Krishna allows this marginal independence because He
does not want robots around Him; He wants those who choose to be
Krishna Conscious and want to remain aware of their original
undeviating atma-vigraha bodily identity, personality and service.
The choice is to be ones self or be carried away by prevarication into
a self-centered dream state, where one can forget Krishna for almost an
eternity, is the characteristic of the marginal atma-vigraha's.
Krishna and the living entities (the atma-vigraha's) are therefore
the same in quality but not quantity, which means the atma-vigraha's,
or marginal living entities, are subject to forgetfulness while
Krishna, the Supreme Atma-Vigraha and maintainer of the
Goloka-Vrindavan and Vaikuntha realms, as well as the mundane universe
created by the forgetful lower self of the atma-vigraha's and made
possible through Krishna's Maha-Vishnu expansion, is never effected
by the dreaming atma-vigraha's or the dreaming Maha-Vishnu expansion.
The marginal identities (individual atma-vigraha's who always have
the choice between the higher bodily self or the lower dream self) have
an eternal bodily individual form as already explained. It must be
emphasized the living entities in their original form in
Goloka-Vrindavan and the Vaikuntha's are not individual sparks of
insignificant light as some Vaishnava scholars propagate. Only in the
sub-conscious dream can ones fallen consciousness appear that way due
to the dreaming projected 'thoughts', called the transmitted
jiva-bhutah or jiva-nikaya consciousness. However, both are only an
illusion facilitated by the sleeping Maha-Vishnu.
This lower self-consciousness firsts manifests as the jiva-bhutah and
then may change to the jiva-nikaya dreamless state if one refuses to
accept the authority of Krishna and keep denying their higher
personified atma-vigraha conscious source. If one refuses to accept the
existence of their Krishna Conscious atma-vigraha body, they will
become fed-up with the impermanent material energy and progress through
a transformation and attain the transmitted jiva-nikaya 'crudely
enlightened' stage of being 'impersonally' liberated into the
Brahma-sayujya (A condition of inactive consciousness). The Mayavadis,
Impersonalists Yogis, Jains and Buddhists hanker after this Impersonal
inactive state of consciousness, who view the self as jiva spark or an
atoms of effulgence merged into the Impersonal Brahmajyoti or, more in
line with their beliefs, they imagine they are only individuals while
embodied and when free from Karma and the cycle of birth and death,
they again merge back into the whole like the air in a sealed container
merges with the all-pervasive air around the pot when it is broken.
There understanding however comes from within the sub-conscious
illusionary realm emanating as delusional dreams from those who forget
Krishna and their own atma-vigraha body. All this illusion is
facilitated by the dreaming Maha-Vishnu because Krishna has empowered
Him to fulfil all of the bizarre desires of those who choose to forget
Krishna. His incredible dreams are also the dreams of the jiva-bhutah
consciousness and their 'conscious' transformation into the
jiva-nikaya Impersonal consciousness that either merges into
Maha-Vishnu's body or the Impersonal effulgence (the causal ocean)
that surrounds it. The glorious of Maha-Vishnu fills volumes of books
and He is only the facilitator of the material universe and the
Impersonal Brahmajyoti. Only in the Universe facilitated by Maha-Vishnu
can one's consciousness 'appear' as an individual atomic spark,
or where one can imagine their consciousness to be all-pervasive and
one with everything. Both conditions are an illusion. These conditions
of deluded states of consciousness is Impersonalism and has nothing to
do with Goloka-Vrindavan reality of Personalism and Perpetual form that
is way, way, way beyond the dream universe over-seen and facilitated by
Maha-Vishnu. We forget the Vedas mostly only deal with the creation of
Maha-Vishnu.
When Srila Prabhupada refers to spiritual sparks, he is referring to
the conditions within the creation of Maha-Vishnu after first appearing
in his creation (specially set up by Krishna to satisfy the mistaken
desires of those who choose to 'consciously' leave/forget their
Krishna Conscious atma-vigraha body (only in a dream state) and
manifest the jiva-bhutah 'material active' conscious state,
followed by jiva-nikaya (Impersonally liberated condition) entering the
condition of no-thought, desires or dreams. All this happens after
sub-consciously leaving (in a dream state) one's atma-vigraha body in
Goloka-Vrindavan. It is very important to understand this. This is an
important realization.
It must be made clear that Srila Prabhpada is referring to Maha-Vishnu
when discussing the creator of the universe that he refers to as the
'cosmic' manifestation.
The Goloka-Vrindavan realm and Vaikuntha planets have no beginning or
end and one can only exist there as a person. Srila Prabhupada
therefore is mostly referring to the material creation and its
Impersonal Brahma-sayujya escape when he says one can appear to exist
as an atomic spark. In reality this condition is an inert state of
consciousness that is also temporary just like the material universe.
Both conditions of consciousness, Personal and Impersonal within and
without the material universe (within the creation of Maha-Vishnu) is
the transmitted consciousness emanating from one real and eternal form
in Goloka-Vrindavan, outside the realm of Maha-Vishnu's jurisdiction
that was long, long, long ago forgotten. Maybe forgotten, but the
connection to who we really are, always exist and can never disappear.
The Vedic texts such as the Srimad Bhagavatam describe that God in His
form of the Primeval 'Maha-Vishnu' lies on the 'causal ocean' and as he
exhales, countless numbers of universes are created from the pores in
His skin. Then as He inhales, they are brought back into His body and
become unmanifest again until the time of His next outward breath. Each
breath is equivalent to many billions of years according to our
calculation.
The first living being created in each universe is called 'Brahma' and
is given the task of creating a diversity of life and environments
within that particular universe. According to people's karma from the
last universe they are put into appropriate bodies in the new one,
anything from being Brahma themselves to being a small ant, and the
cycle continues for infinity. More purified souls are given the task of
stewardship over the existence in a similar fashion to Brahma, and are
known as 'devas' but none have his specific powers.
Maha-Vishnu originates from The Supreme Person (Krishna) - whose abode
is beyond this material world. It is said that the material universes
exist in a small space of an infinite and eternal 'spiritual sky',
known as Vaikuntha. The spiritual sky, Vaikuntha, is beyond our
material conceptions being filled with eternity, knowledge and bliss.
In Vaikuntha it is said that "time is conspicuous by its absence" and
thus there is no creation or dissolution. It is not destroyed when the
material universes become unmanifest, but stays as it is.
In the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita in the Madhya chapter 6, Srila
Prabhupada mainly discuses the activities in the material universe (the
cosmic manifestation) in relation to Maha-Vishnu and Krishna's Lila
within Maha-Vishnu's jurisdiction, Lord Caitanya and His devotees who
'appear' to come to the material universe to help the fallen, it is
all Lila for them because the choice to leave Goloka-Vrindavan is a
conscious choice made by the living entities who want to exist
independent from Krishna. When they again desire to be Krishna
conscious, Krishna sends His devotees to fill the role that facilitates
their desire to again begin to remember their 'old original
consciousness' in the mood of loving reciprocation with Krishna, Lord
Caitanya and His dear devotees (one never leaves physically Krishna
Lila) This is very difficult to understand if one is not Krishna
Conscious.
Achintya-bhedabheda-chintya set of guidelines: - Lord Caitanya*
disproved all kinds of non-spiritual and non-Vaishnavite system of
belief and established the crucial philosophy of Vedic Religion through
His spiritual principle known as 'Achintya Bhedabheda', which
explains that, - Krishna and the individual atma-vigraha's or
atma-jivas are quantitatively distinct and qualitatively
indistinguishable with each other. Krishna is infinite, atma-vigraha's
are infinitesimals, this is the principal distinction between the two.
In the matters of identity, they both are spiritual in nature with
eternal form and personality. Lord Caitanya established that, the
individual atma-vigraha's are the eternal servitors of Krishna.
Forgetfulness of the Lord transforms their awareness down to the jiva-
bhutah consciousness undergoing worldly sufferings through repeated
births and deaths. Lord Caitanya propagated Sri Krishna Nama Sankirtan
(congregational chanting) as the Yuga-Dharma for the present age
Kaliyuga, which when adopted in holy association and good conduct,
shall bestow 'Divine Love' which is the highest summum bonum for
the trapped jiva-bhutahs. Lord Caitanya generously distributed this
exceptional treasure of divine love to one and all without any
discrimination. The generosity of Lord Caitanya knows no bound,
therefore He is known as the all-benevolent Lord. Everyone who came
across the Lord became influenced and marvelled. Those who desire to
achieve the highest well being of human life and reawaken their old and
original Krishna Consciousness should whole-heartedly follow the
instructions of Lord Caitanya and adore Him through Krishna Nama
Sankirtana in close association with the pure devotees of Lord Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
It is said the Brahma-sayujya or Impersonal Brahmajyoti is on the edge
of the material universe and one attains that condition by merging into
the outer bodily effulgence of Maha-Vishnu. Krishna's transcendental
body (vigraha) is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. Sat means ever
existing for all time and in all places; in other words, all-pervading
in time and space. Cit means full of knowledge. Krishna has nothing to
learn from anyone, he is the knower of everyone. He is independently
full of all knowledge. Ananda means the reservoir of all pleasure and
vigraha means eternal bodily form. The impersonalists are seeking to
merge into the Impersonal Brahman effulgence of eternity and knowledge,
but they avoid the major portion of the absolute pleasure, which is in
Krishna. One can enjoy the transcendental blissfulness of merging into
the Impersonal Brahman effulgence after being freed from the
contamination of material illusion, false identification, attachment,
detachment and material absorption. These are the preliminary
qualifications of a person who can realize Brahman. It is stated in
Bhagavad-gita that one has to become full of joyfulness; this is not
exactly joyfulness, but a sense of freedom from all anxieties. Freedom
from all anxieties may be the first principle of joyfulness, but it is
not actual joyfulness. Those who realize the self, or become
brahma-bhuta, are only preparing themselves for the platform of
joyfulness. That joyfulness can be actually achieved only when one
comes into contact with Krishna. Krishna consciousness is so complete
that it includes the transcendental pleasure derived from impersonal
Brahman realization. Even the impersonalist will become attracted to
the personal form of Krishna, known as Syamasundara.It is confirmed by
the statement of Brahma-samhita that the Brahman effulgence is the
bodily ray of Krishna; the Brahman effulgence is simply an exhibition
of the vigour of Krishna. Krishna is the source of the Brahman
effulgence, as He Himself confirms in Bhagavad-gita. From this we can
conclude that the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth is not the
ultimate end; Krishna is the ultimate end of the Absolute Truth. The
members of the Vaishnava schools therefore never try to merge into the
Impersonal Brahman effulgence in their pursuit of spiritual perfection
nor do they believe they originated from there. They accept Krishna as
the ultimate goal of self-realization. Therefore Krishna is called
Parambrahman (the Supreme Brahman) or Paramesvara (the supreme
controller). Sri Yamunacarya has prayed as follows: "My dear Lord
Krishna, your Maha-Vishnu creates the cosmic manifestation, I know that
the gigantic universe and gigantic space and time within the universe
are covered by the ten layers of the material elements, each layer ten
times larger than the previous one. The three material modes of nature,
the Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, the Kshirodakasayi Vishnu, the Maha-Vishnu,
and beyond them the spiritual sky and its spiritual planets, known as
Vaikunthas, and the Brahman effulgence in that spiritual sky - all of
these taken together are nothing but a small exhibition of Your
potency".
"Those who attain 'brahma-sayujya' liberation cannot gain entrance into
Vaikuntha; their residence is outside the Vaikuntha planets." (Caitanya
Caritamrta Adi Lila 5:31.).
"Outside the Vaikuntha planets are the atmosphere of the glowing
effulgence, which consists of the supremely bright rays of the body of
Lord Krona." (Caitanya Caritamrta Adi Lila 5:32.)
"That region is called Siddhaloka, and it is beyond material nature.
Its essence is spiritual, but it does not have spiritual
varieties."(Caitanya Caritamrta Adi Lila 5:33.)
"It is like the homogeneous effulgence around the sun. But inside the
sun are the chariots, horses and other opulence's of the sun-god."
(Caitanya Caritamrta Adi Lila 5:34.)
Srila Prabhupada: - "Outside of Vaikuntha, the abode of Krishna, which
is called 'paravyoma', is the glaring effulgence of Krishna's bodily
rays. This is called the 'brahmajyoti'. The transcendental region of
that effulgence is called Siddhaloka or Brahmaloka. When impersonalists
achieve liberation, they merge in that Brahmaloka effulgence. This
transcendental region is undoubtedly spiritual, but it contains no
manifestations of spiritual activities or variegated ness. It is
compared to the glow of the sun. Within the sun's glow is the sphere of
the sun, where one can experience all sorts of varieties."(Caitanya
Caritamrta Adi Lila 5:34.
To further make this clearer, it is not the same Brahmajyoti-Personal
effulgence of Krishna where the Vaikuntha planets exist that surround
Goloka-Vrindavan that is mostly talked about in the various Vedic
scripts. The Brahmajyoti talked about in The Nector of Devotion and the
Madhya Chapter of the Caitanya Caritamrita is the bodily glare of
Maha-Vishnu Personal form. This is confirmed by Srila Prabhupada: -
"According to the Brahma-Samhita, there are infinite numbers of
planets, all these infinite universes with their infinite planets
within are floating on and are produced from the Brahman effulgence
emanating from the transcendental Maha-Vishnu, who is worshiped by
Brahma, the presiding deity of the universe in which we are
residing". (How this happens is explained on page 148).
In this way, one can enter this Brahmajyoti effulgence emanating from
Maha-Vishnu or even merge ones consciousness (jiva-nikaya) into His
body, not by leaving or renouncing the material universe, but by rather
changing ones material addicted consciousness, to a non-creative
dormant Impersonal inactive consciousness. It is this Impersonal
consciousness that Srila Prabhupada sometimes refers to as
'individual atomic spiritual sparks' however as Srila Prabhupada
said: -
"Because he (the living entity) falls down from Brahma-sayujya, he
thinks that may be his origin, but he does not remember that long,
long, long, long before that even he was with Krishna".
The living entities are also known as jiva-sakti, which also means the
marginal atma-vigraha's however, it must be made clear that Krishna
(the Supreme Atma-Vigraha Lord Krishna) and his marginal living
entities (individual atma-vigraha's) have bodily form eternally that
is naturally Krishna Conscious.
The marginal conditions of the atma-vigraha's means the living
entities can waver or fall (only in a conscious dream condition) from
their higher consciousness (always existing as perpetual form) and
forget their atma-vigraha body, just as one forgets their present body
while dreaming. The real body still exists while the sub-conscious
dream condition only creates illusion after illusion.
In this way, the dreaming consciousness becomes the lower self in
defiance of its higher self's perpetual form that continues to exist
in Goloka-Vrindavan regardless. The lower self therefore is the
transformation of being consciously aware of ones atma-vigraha body, to
forgetting that it exists altogether. Along these lines, one's
existence is never diminished and just continues to exist in that
forgetful consciousness in another dimension within the material
impermanent universe. Ones thoughts have simply changed from thinking
of and serving Krishna, to thinking of satisfying ones self without
Krishna. This is how the jiva-bhutah conscious comes into being. The
words 'transmitted consciousness' is used to separated the real
from the imaginary however, it is only a figure of speech in this
thesis for communicating the separation of consciousness from being
aware of ones Krishna Conscious atma-vigraha body, or forgetting it and
creating the material universal dreams, all facilitated by Maha-Vishnu
and his Vishnu expansions - all expansions of Lord Krishna.
Technically it is all going on in the same space just as ones dreams at
night are all happening within your dreaming body. This is very
difficult to comprehend. As will be explained in detail later, Krishna
in His Personal Goloka-Vrindavan form only rarely has anything to do
with the material universe and its Impersonal escape, which is all a
dream anyway. Krishna leaves all that in the hands of His Maha-Vishnu
expansion. It is therefore Maha-Vishnu who facilitates those who want
to merge their consciousness into an imaginary stage of non-existence.
This can be done in two ways, merging into Maha-Vishnu's bodily
effulgence or into His body however, just like the material universal
dream one is trying to escape from, both methods of Impersonal
liberation are also a dreaming illusion outside the realm of
Goloka-Vrindavan and the Vaikuntha planets.
The material universe is the invented figment of the non-Krishna
Conscious self that is transmitted as thoughts of selfish dreams when
one's consciousness is no longer Krishna Conscious, or aware of their
Krishna Conscious body.
All souls have the choice (known as jiva-samjnitah or jiva-sakti -
marginal living entities) to be Krishna Conscious as their atma-vigraha
bodies serving Krishna, or can drift off into an unconscious dream
state of forgetting Krishna and create their own existence known as the
material universe. Margin can also further mean one can go one-way or
the other, either to remember Krishna and ones eternal body, or forget
Krishna and dream-up unlimited counterfeit bodies. This is again
similar to dreaming at night in your present body, the body goes
nowhere while the imagination fantasizes itself everywhere within the
confines of the material universe that includes that universes
Brahma-sayujya escape.
The Sanskrit word jiva has over 170 different meanings, each describing
a different level of the lower self's sub-conscious dream state while
trapped in the ethereal and biological illusory vessels within the
material dream. Atma-vigraha's are also known as jiva-tattva's which is
a further Sanskrit expression that refers to the original atma-vigraha
body. The atma-vigraha (jiva-tattva) is the true status of the living
entity, which is eternal bodily form, while the transpositional
jiva-sub-conscious illusionary creations and impermanent fantasies are
ones forgetful consciousness that appears in many dream states. All the
following versions of the Sanskrit word jiva are different expressions
of ones sub-conscious illusionary dream state: - jiva-bhutah,
jiva-nikaya, jiva-samjnitah, jiva-kosah, jiva-vinirmukayh jiva-kita,
jiva-sakti, ksudra-jiva, ei-jiva, jiva-adhame, jiva-hana, jiva-rupa,
jiva-paya, vyatha-jiva, mara-ami-jiva, jiva-dehe, brahma-adi-jiva,
ksudra-jiva, ajna-jiva, jiva-abhimana, etc. The universe of both
material and impersonal existence only exists within the confines of
Maha-Vishnu's creation. This is confirmed in the Srimad Bhagavatam
2.5.33
"Thus when all these became assembled by force of the energy of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, this universe certainly came into being
by accepting both the primary and secondary causes of creation".
Srila Prabhupada: - In this verse it is clearly mentioned that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead exerts His different energies in the
creation; it is not that He Himself is transformed into material
creations. He expands Himself by His different energies, as well as by
His plenary portions. In a corner of the spiritual sky of brahmajyoti a
spiritual cloud sometimes appears, and the covered portion is called
the mahat-tattva. The Lord then, by His plenary portion as Maha-Vishnu,
lies down within the water of the mahat-tattva, and the water is called
the Causal Ocean (Karana-jala). While Maha-Vishnu sleeps within the
Causal Ocean, innumerable universes are generated along with His
breathing. These universes are floating, and they are scattered all
over the Causal Ocean. They stay only during the breathing period of
Maha-Vishnu. In each and every universal globe, the same Maha-Vishnu
enters again as Garbhodakasayi Vishnu and lies there on the serpentlike
Sesha incarnation. From His navel sprouts a lotus stem, and on the
lotus, Brahma, the lord of the universe, is born. Brahma creates all
forms of living beings of different shapes in terms of different
desires within the universe. He also creates the sun, moon and other
demigods.
Therefore the chief engineer of the material creation is the Lord
Himself, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (9.10). It is He only who
directs the material nature to produce all sorts of moving and
nonmoving creations.
There are two modes of material creation: the creation of the
collective universes, as stated above, done by the Maha-Vishnu, and the
creation of the single universe. The Lord does both, and thus the
universal shape, as we can see, takes place.
The meaning of nitya - siddha.
The nitya-siddha personality, identity and form refer to ones original
Krishna Conscious body that is always there in Goloka-Vrindavan (Gods
Kingdom) and can never fall down however, souls fall down into material
existence, how can us conditioned souls (lower conscious self)
understand this apparent paradox of existing in two places at the same
time?
The answer is not simple however, try to understand that it is ones
forgetfulness of Krishna that instantaneously formulates the
altered-state sub-consciousness called the jiva-bhutah which is the
fallen (non-Krishna conscious) state of consciousness, or the lower
self that has the ability to manifest itself as multiple counterfeit
identities through numerous ethereal and biological vessels within the
material universe. These bodies are created by desires and thought and
eventually ones consciousness becomes so entrenched they no longer know
who they really are and loose their independence under the confines of
karma. The sub-conscious dream world is not a free for all; it operates
under strict laws of cause and effect (karma). This is referred to as
the law of nature.
The jiva-bhutah's ethereal and biological consciousness, as well as
its material lifeless surroundings (which is made up of the fossilized
lifeless shells left over from their biological possession establishing
the fact that all inert matter originates from life) comes under the
jurisdiction of Krishna's independent marginal identities, it is
their creations that generate the material universe. Krishna does not
do this directly because He is too busy with His loving devotees in
Goloka-Vrindavan however, because everything is His creational dream,
which is a result of the independence of His marginal individuals,
everything is facilitated by His Maha-Vishnu expansion as already
explained, He allows the phenomenon of the material universe to exist
given that some desire to split 'consciously' from their
atma-vigraha body and go it alone. In that way Krishna does not
interfere with those desires. Further more Krishna does not want to
upset His devotees in Goloka-Vrindavan/Vaikuntha, so he expands Himself
as Maha-Vishnu who's sleeping dreams are the bizarre heavenly and
horrific realities of those who choose to forget Krishna.
Even though ones consciousness can split into Krishna Consciousness or
material consciousness, both originate from the source of their
marginal identity, which is the atma-vigraha body however, one can only
choose to be one or the other. As already explained, marginal means one
is eternally an independent identity from Krishna, that
'independence' further has the ability to choose to be dependant on
Krishna, or forget Krishna altogether and do your own thing. Krishna
does not interfere with that choice, yet is always sending His devotees
into the dreaming dimension in an attempt to remind the fallen souls of
their eternal home and wake up from the dream they have carved out for
themselves.It must be understood the Spiritual Universe is unchanging
and never ending, where everything is alive with individuality,
identity and personality. There is no such thing as a Spiritual atomic
spark in the devotional Spiritual realm of Goloka-Vrindavan or
Vaikuntha because every living entity has an atma-vigraha body.