In2-MeC

IBSA (ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Sadhana Asrama), Govardhana, India
3 January 2004

What the Upanisads Teach
Part Five

Brahman is Isvara, the Supreme Controller

Throughout the Upanisads we find names like Isa, Isvara, Isana, Sarvesvara, Mahesvara and Vaisvanara. All confirm that Brahman is the supreme controller. The texts in which these names appear do not assign them to Saguna Brahman only, as opposed to Nirguna Brahman. It is the theory of the impersonalists that Isvara is not Brahman per se but rather a personification of the highest grade of the material mode of goodness. That is Saguna Brahman; but the real Brahman is nirguna, so the Mayavadis say, and it is completely disassociated from the affairs of the universe. But Brhadaranyaka Upanisad, which is supposed to be the most monistic Upanisad of all, declares atma (the Supreme Soul) to be sarvesam bhutanam adhipatih (the ruler of all beings) and sarvesam bhutanam raja (the king of all beings). (Br. U. II. 5. 15) In IV. 4. 22 of the same upanisad we find Brahman to be the controller of all (sarvasya vasi), the ruler of all (sarvasya isanah) and the Lord of all (sarvasya adhipatih).

A section of Chandogya Upanisad is dedicated to vaisvanara-vidya. In it the sage Asvapati Kaikeya instructs five householder sages on how to properly meditate upon Vaisvanara. And what is Vaisvanara? Srila Vyasadeva makes that clear in sutra 1. 2. 25 of the Vedanta: vaisvanarah sadharana sabda visesat--"The word vaisvanara denotes Brahman because of its special properties. " Therefore Vaisnavara cannot possibly refer to the jiva. Chandogya V. 18 explains that the word is derived from visvanara, which means "He who is the ruler of all human beings" (visvesam naranam netara) and "He who is the soul of all" (visvesam ayam narah). The conclusion is inescapable: Brahman is directly Isvara. The theory that Isvara is only the topmost evolute of matter is not supported by the Upanisads.

Svetasvatara Upanisad is most explicit in this regard: sarvasya prabhu isana; vasi sarvasya lokasya sthavarasya carasya ca: "Brahman is the Lord and ruler;" "He is the controller of all the moving and non-moving entities in the world. " (Svet. U III. 17, 18) Other verses of this Upanisad declare isvaranam paramam mahesvaram, "He is the Lord of lords;" devatanam paramam daivatam, "He is God among the demigods;" patinam paramam patim, "He is the Leader of leaders;" na tasya kascit patirasti loke no ca isita, "No one within the universe is master to Him, nor does anyone rule over Him. "

Brahman is Purusa, the Personality of Godhead

In Sanskrit, purusa means "one who dwells in the body. " Thus it is applied to both soul and Supersoul. When the Upanisads employ this word as an appellation of Brahman, the meaning is that the Supreme is a person and His body is transcendental.

Brhadaranyaka, favorite Upanisad of the Mayavadis, states atmaiva idam agra asit purusavidhah--"Before creation there was only Brahman in the form of a person. " (Br. U. I. 4. 1) Brahmana 3 of adhyaya II of Brhadaranyaka is known as Murta-Amurta Brahmana; here two appearances of Brahman are discussed. Murta means corporeal and temporary and amurta means incorporeal and eternal. Verses II. 3. 5-6 constitute a description of the amurta Brahman. He is called purusa, a person. This person appears golden, or white like a white lotus or wool, or iridescent red, or like a flame, or like a flash of lightning.

Chandogya Upanisad I. 6. 6 describes Brahman as hiranmayah purusah--"the Golden Person. " He has eyes like a red lotus. He is risen above all sin; one who knows Him rises above all sin. That the Purusa has a form, and is sinless, means that His form is not material. Adhyaya IV of this upanisad instructs the meditation upon aksipurusa, the Person in the eye. He is said there to be the Self (atma), immortal (amrta), and fearless (abhaya). Etad brahma: "He is Brahman," the Brahman who is vamani (bestower of blessings to all) and who illuminates all the worlds (bhamani).

Sadviya (knowledge of eternity) is the subject matter of adhyaya VI of Chandogya Upanisad. Here Uddhalaka Aruni instructs his son Svetaketu about Brahman. He describes that Brahman as devata, a Deity possessed of jnana, knowledge, and sakti, power.

Mundaka Upanisad adhyaya II is a glorification of the Purusa. About His abode and He Himself, the upanisad sings:

There the sun does not shine
nor the moon and the stars
There lightning does not shine
of the common fire need we speak

Him alone, as He shines, do all things reflect
this whole world radiates with His light.

The next adhyaya of this upanisad clearly distinguishes between the Supreme Purusa and the individual soul who is also called purusa. The example of two birds in the tree of the body is given. One eats, the other watches.

Stuck on that very same tree
one person grieves, deluded
by her who is not the Lord;
But when he sees the other,
the contented Lord--and His majesty--
his grief disappears.

When the seer sees that Person
the golden-colored, the creator, the Lord,
as the womb of Brahman
Then, shaking off the good and the bad,
the wise man becomes spotless
and attains the highest identity.

Sri Isopanisad 16 proclaims:

pusann ekarse yama surya prajapatya
vyuha rasmin samuha tejo
yat te rupam kalyanatamam tat te pasyami
yo 'sav asau purusah so 'ham asmi

O my Lord, O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe, O regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well-wisher of the progenitors of mankind--please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays so that I can see Your form of bliss. You are the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, like unto the sun, as am I.

Te rupam kalyanatamam means that the Purusa's form is most auspicious.

Prasna Upanisad V. 6-7 distinguishes between Brahman as a Person and the individual soul as a person by referring to the former as parama purusa--the Supreme Person. He is santa, peaceful; ajara, ageless; amrta, immortal, and abhaya, fearless.

Svetasvatara Upanisad presents verses that are quoted by Srila Prabhupada in Bhagavad-gita As it Is.

It is stated in the Vedic language (in the Svetasvatara Upanisad 1. 12), bhokta bhogyam preritaram ca matva/sarvam proktam tri vidham-brahmam etat. There are three Brahman conceptions: prakrti is Brahman as the field of activities, and the jiva (individual soul) is also Brahman and is trying to control material nature, and the controller of both of them is also Brahman, but He is the factual controller. [Bg 13. 3p]

In the same place this upanisad describes the preritara (controller-Brahman) as deva (Supreme God), isa (ruler) and purusa (Supreme Person).

In the purport to Bhagavad-gita 7. 7 we find this, a quotation of Svetasvatara Upanisad 3. 8. 9:

vedaham etam purusam mahantam
aditya-varnam tamasah parastat
tam eva vidvan ati mrtyum eti
nanyah pantha vidyate 'yanaya
yasmat param naparam asti kincid
yasman naniyo no jyayo 'sti kincit
vrksa iva stabdho divi tisthaty ekas
tenedam purnam purusena sarvam

"I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is transcendental to all material conceptions of darkness. Only he who knows Him can transcend the bonds of birth and death. There is no way for liberation other than this knowledge of that Supreme Person.

There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person, because He is the supermost. He is smaller than the smallest, and He is greater than the greatest. He is situated as a silent tree, and He illumines the transcendental sky, and as a tree spreads its roots, He spreads His extensive energies. "

Mahanarayana Upanisad II. 93 brings all these indications of the personality of Brahman to an unambiguous conclusion:

narayana parama brahma tattvam narayanah parah
narayanah paro jyotih atma narayanah parah

Narayana is the Supreme Brahman. Narayana is the Supreme Truth. Narayana is the Supreme Light. Narayana is the Paramatma.

Katha Upanisad affirms that the Purusa is Lord Visnu, in these verses that are quoted by Srila Prabhupada in his purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 7. 15. 41:

This is confirmed in the Katha Upanisad (1. 3. 3-4,9) as follows:

atmanam rathinam viddhi
sariram ratham eva ca
buddhim tu sarathim viddhi
manah pragraham eva ca
indriyani hayan ahur
visayams tesu gocaran
so 'dhvanah param apnoti
tad visnoh paramam padam

The soul is the occupant of the chariot of the body, of which the driver is the intelligence. The mind is the determination to reach the destination, the senses are the horses, and the sense objects are also included in that activity. Thus one can reach the destination, Visnu, who is paramam padam, the supreme goal of life. In conditioned life the consciousness in the body is the cause of bondage, but the same consciousness, when transformed into Krsna consciousness, becomes the cause for one's returning home, back to Godhead.

To be continued, starting with Brahman and its Attributes.

<< Back