KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.5.35 & 36
- Although the universal form, as imagined by the great philosophers, is one of the features of the Lord, it is more or less imaginary.
- Virat rupa is not eternal. It is very important to understand what is temporary and what is eternal.
- By nature, the body is ever changing, and the soul is eternal.
- This is the beginning of the instruction by the Lord to the living entities who are bewildered by the influence of ignorance.
- Removal of ignorance involves the reestablishment of the eternal relationship between the worshiper and the worshipable and the consequent understanding of the difference between the part-and-parcel living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- One can understand the nature of the Supreme by thorough study of oneself, the difference between oneself and the Supreme being understood as the relationship between the part and the whole.
- In the Vedānta-sūtras, as well as in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Supreme has been accepted as the origin of all emanations. Such emanations are experienced by superior and inferior natural sequences. The living entities belong to the superior nature,
- Although there is no difference between the energy and the energetic, the energetic is accepted as the Supreme, and the energy or nature is accepted as the subordinate. The living entities, therefore, are always subordinate to the Supreme Lord, as in the case of the master and the servant, or the teacher and the taught.
- Such clear knowledge is impossible to understand under the spell of ignorance, and to drive away such ignorance the Lord teaches the Bhagavad-gītā for the enlightenment of all living entities for all time.
- The Lord said that because He entered into the material universe by His personal representation, the cosmic manifestation has been made possible and is going on.
- Arjuna is completely satisfied to see Him in His personal form of Kṛṣṇa. But Arjuna wants to see the universal form to convince others. He did not have any personal desire for confirmation.
- Kṛṣṇa also understands that Arjuna wants to see the universal form to set a criterion, for in the future there would be so many imposters who would pose themselves as incarnations of God.
- One who claims to be Kṛṣṇa should be prepared to show his universal form to confirm his claim to the people.
- It is said that one can neither see, hear, understand nor perceive the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, by the material senses. But if one is engaged in loving transcendental service to the Lord from the beginning, then one can see the Lord by revelation.
- Every living entity is only a spiritual spark; therefore it is not possible to see or to understand the Supreme Lord.
- Arjuna, as a devotee, does not depend on his speculative strength; rather, he admits his limitations as a living entity and acknowledges Kṛṣṇa’s inestimable position.
- The word yogeśvara is also very significant here because the Lord has inconceivable power. There is a constant competition between increment and measurement. It is impossible for the living entity to understand. But, If the lord likes, He can reveal Himself by His grace, although He is unlimited.
- Therefore Arjuna pleads for the inconceivable grace of Kṛṣṇa. He does not give Kṛṣṇa orders. Kṛṣṇa is not obliged to reveal Himself unless one surrenders fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages in devotional service. Thus it is not possible for persons who depend on the strength of their mental speculations to see Kṛṣṇa.
SB 2.5.35 TRANSLATION
The Lord [Mahā-Viṣṇu], although lying in the Causal Ocean, came out of it, and dividing Himself as Hiraṇyagarbha, He entered into each universe and assumed the virāṭ-rūpa, with thousands of legs, arms, mouths, heads, etc.
SB 2.5.36 TRANSLATION
Great philosophers imagine that the complete planetary systems in the universe are displays of the different upper and lower limbs of the universal body of the Lord.
CLASS NOTES:
The expansions of the planetary systems within each and every universe are situated in the different parts of the virāṭ-rūpa (universal form) of the Lord, and they are described as follows.
The word kalpayanti, or “imagine,” is significant. The virāṭ universal form of the Absolute is an imagination of the speculative philosophers who are unable to adjust to the eternal two-handed form of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Although the universal form, as imagined by the great philosophers, is one of the features of the Lord, it is more or less imaginary. It is said that the seven upper planetary systems are situated above the waist of the universal form, whereas the lower planetary systems are situated below His waist. The idea impressed herein is that the Supreme Lord is conscious of every part of His body, and nowhere in the creation is there anything beyond His control.
Why did SP say that the universal form is more or less imaginary because Universal form is not eternal? Sometimes it is there and it is not there. Those who are fixed in devotional service, are mainly concerned with things that are eternal.
Therefore It is said BG 2.16 they are concerned with eternal. So it is important what is eternal and what is temporary. If we do not know we spend time on things that are temporary and waste our lives.
(BG 2.16) What is eternal and what is temporary
Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.
Difference between matter and spirit
There is no endurance of the changing body. That the body is changing every moment by the actions and reactions of the different cells is admitted by modern medical science; and thus growth and old age are taking place in the body. But the spirit soul exists permanently, remaining the same despite all changes of the body and the mind. That is the difference between matter and spirit.
By nature, the body is ever changing, and the soul is eternal. This conclusion is established by all classes of seers of the truth, both impersonalist and personalist. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (2.12.38) it is stated that Viṣṇu and His abodes all have self-illuminated spiritual existence (jyotīṁṣi viṣṇur bhuvanāni viṣṇuḥ). The words existent and nonexistent refer only to spirit and matter. That is the version of all seers of truth.
The body is always changing and the soul is not changing. Although the change in the body is happening on a daily basis, it seems subtle, the change happens. The process of deterioration is happening.We remember how we were young and this remembrance is the proof that we are different from the body.
Even the healthiest person is going to die. That is the laws of nature. They are unconquerable. It is irreversible.
This is the beginning of the instruction by the Lord to the living entities who are bewildered by the influence of ignorance. Removal of ignorance involves the reestablishment of the eternal relationship between the worshiper and the worshipable and the consequent understanding of the difference between the part-and-parcel living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can understand the nature of the Supreme by thorough study of oneself, the difference between oneself and the Supreme being understood as the relationship between the part and the whole. In the Vedānta-sūtras, as well as in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Supreme has been accepted as the origin of all emanations. Such emanations are experienced by superior and inferior natural sequences. The living entities belong to the superior nature, as it will be revealed in the Seventh Chapter. Although there is no difference between the energy and the energetic, the energetic is accepted as the Supreme, and the energy or nature is accepted as the subordinate. The living entities, therefore, are always subordinate to the Supreme Lord, as in the case of the master and the servant, or the teacher and the taught. Such clear knowledge is impossible to understand under the spell of ignorance, and to drive away such ignorance the Lord teaches the Bhagavad-gītā for the enlightenment of all living entities for all time.
Ordinary living beings have 78 percent of Krishna’s qualities. All these qualities are there only partially in the living entity.
By studying oneself one can understand 3/4th of Krsna. Emotionally I love a person who is giving and I do not like a person who is always taking. By this, we understand that Krsna also likes His devotee who is always serving Him rather than one who is always asking for something from Krsna. Krishna has feelings, when he hears His devotee appreciating Him he likes it. SOMEONE says he is a scientist. Does it mean that he understands everything, NO, he understands some part of nature? Similarly, we can realize up to 78 percent of Godly qualities. That does not mean that we are GOD. We cannot create this material world.
There are many cycles in nature established by Krsna. We can see them and understand them to a certain degree, but we cannot emulate them. When there is a drought, they will commission big tanker trucks to transport from one place to another. But Krsna does it by evaporation of water by the sun and 100 and millions of water gets transported through the clouds. How a cloud is carrying that much water is an engineering miracle! The whole thing is unbelievable. It is impossible for us to imitate. We can put an airplane that is 10000 pounds in the air using aerodynamics. But Krsna is making huge giant planets in perfect orbits in an incredible amount of time. We cannot imitate few things that Krsna does, but we cannot emulate it. We can understand few things about Krsna by analyzing the world. Whatever we do is a puny facsimile of what He does.
There are many levels of truth that Krsna is revealing in these purports. When we advance in KC we will start to understand them.
The Catholics are going along with scientists now and they say that God did it. They say that the Big bang theory was done by God.
Virat rupa is very interesting. It is more or less imaginary. Lets see what SP says about it in BG 11.3 and 11.4
BG 11.3
O greatest of all personalities, O supreme form, though I see You here before me in Your actual position, as You have described Yourself, I wish to see how You have entered into this cosmic manifestation. I want to see that form of Yours.
The Lord said that because He entered into the material universe by His personal representation, the cosmic manifestation has been made possible and is going on. Now as far as Arjuna is concerned, he is inspired by the statements of Kṛṣṇa, but in order to convince others in the future who may think that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary person, Arjuna desires to see Him actually in His universal form, to see how He is acting from within the universe, although He is apart from it. Arjuna’s addressing the Lord as puruṣottama is also significant. Since the Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is present within Arjuna himself; therefore He knows the desire of Arjuna, and He can understand that Arjuna has no special desire to see Him in His universal form, for Arjuna is completely satisfied to see Him in His personal form of Kṛṣṇa. But the Lord can understand also that Arjuna wants to see the universal form to convince others. Arjuna did not have any personal desire for confirmation. Kṛṣṇa also understands that Arjuna wants to see the universal form to set a criterion, for in the future there would be so many imposters who would pose themselves as incarnations of God. The people, therefore, should be careful; one who claims to be Kṛṣṇa should be prepared to show his universal form to confirm his claim to the people.
The statement that we are all Gods is nonsense. If we are God, then we should be able to create this universe.
BG 11.4
If You think that I am able to behold Your cosmic form, O my Lord, O master of all mystic power, then kindly show me that unlimited universal Self.
It is said that one can neither see, hear, understand nor perceive the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, by the material senses. But if one is engaged in loving transcendental service to the Lord from the beginning, then one can see the Lord by revelation. Every living entity is only a spiritual spark; therefore it is not possible to see or to understand the Supreme Lord. Arjuna, as a devotee, does not depend on his speculative strength; rather, he admits his limitations as a living entity and acknowledges Kṛṣṇa’s inestimable position. Arjuna could understand that for a living entity it is not possible to understand the unlimited infinite. If the infinite reveals Himself, then it is possible to understand the nature of the infinite by the grace of the infinite. The word yogeśvara is also very significant here because the Lord has inconceivable power. If He likes, He can reveal Himself by His grace, although He is unlimited. Therefore Arjuna pleads for the inconceivable grace of Kṛṣṇa. He does not give Kṛṣṇa orders. Kṛṣṇa is not obliged to reveal Himself unless one surrenders fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages in devotional service. Thus it is not possible for persons who depend on the strength of their mental speculations to see Kṛṣṇa.
There is competition between increment and measurement. Krsna is always expanding. So it is impossible to understand HIm. In the spiritual world , You never get to the end of understanding Krsna. That is why you never get bored. You don’t get bewildered when you come to the class regularly as you learn details and can ask questions. No one can equal Krsna. Regular hearing and chanting are absolutely needed to not get bewildered.