Śrīmad Advaita Prabhu

This article is an English lecture by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda which was transcribed and published in The Harmonist magazine (Vol.34, Issue 1) on August 17th, 1937. Herein, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura discusses the ontological position of Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu.

The following discourse was given at Bhakti Vijaya Bhavān, Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, on January 14th, 1936, in exposition of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā Chap. 6, which deals with the ontological conception of the divine personality of Śrīmad Advaita Prabhu. His Divine Grace spoke in English in order that Sadānanda Brahmacārī (alias Herr E. G. Schulze) might follow.

vande taṁ śrīmad-advaitācāryam adbhuta-ceṣṭitam yasya prasādād ajño ’pi tat-svarūpaṁ nirūpayet

All Praise to Advaita Ācārya of most wonderful deeds whose mercy enables even an ignorant person to describe Him as He really is.” (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā *6.1)

This day, our discourse is about Śrīmad Advaita Ācārya Who is the āvatara (to us visibly manifest self) of Īśa (the divine ruler of the world).

This universe is an emanation of Mahā-Viṣṇu and created by His potency called Māyā. Mahā-Viṣṇu is the creator of this phenomenon. Advaita is His avatāra. He is the material cause of the universe. Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya, Nityānanda and Advaita are Viṣṇus. Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa are śaktis. Mahāprabhu is Svayaṁ Rūpa. Advaita Prabhu is the source of material cause, He acts as guru. This is stated in His pranāma-mantra:

advaitaṁ hariṇādvaitād ācāryaṁ bhakti-śaṁsanāt bhaktāvatāram īśaṁ tam advaitācāryam āśraye

I seek the refuge of Advaita Ācārya Who is called Advaita because He is not any second entity other than Hari Himself Who is the ācārya because He is the expounder of bhakti, Who is the avatāra of bhakta and Who is the Lord Himself. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.13)

Śrī Advaita is Viṣṇu. He used to instruct others as Viṣṇu. He is Īśvara. He is to Lord it over the Vaiṣṇavas. Personally, He is not a Vaisnava. Though He is Īśvara Viṣṇu, still He exposes Himself as a devotee, or bhakta (Vaiṣṇava). He is bhaktāvatāra.

Mahā-Viṣṇu, when inseparable with Baladeva, is the efficient cause (nimitta-kāraṇa), such as a potter, and material cause (upādāna-kāraṇa) such as the instruments, clay etc. The efficient cause is attributed to Nityānanda Prabhu and the material cause to Advaita Prabhu. Mahāprabhu is identical with Kṛṣṇa, and Nityānanda with Baladeva. Both the efficient and material causes are in Nityānanda Prabhu. In Vāsudeva, or Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, we do not ascribe any such causes which rest up to Baladeva Prabhu only. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has kept Himself aloof from creation. He is the concentration of love alone. He is full of transcendental love. He is the object of love of all. The ingredients of this world should not be attributed to Him (Kṛṣṇa). The main Viṣṇu is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. He is the Source of the cause of the ingredients of the world. Mundane references should not be dragged to Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu.

Phytomorphic demonstrations were not done by Him (Mahāprabhu).***** Advaita being Viṣṇu, or īśāvatāra, comes down here as an ācārya to help the beginners. The Ganges water comes from the feet of Viṣṇu. Tulasī and the water of the Ganges were used for the purpose of invoking Viṣṇu.

*******Editor’s Note: *The word ‘phytomorphic’ derives from phyto (plant) and morphic *(of the nature of). In this context, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura uses ‘phytomorphic’ to indicate that Mahāprabhu did not present bhakti as a natural, organic, or biological process of growth or evolution, but as a conscious, transcendental reality that descends by grace.

viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi puruṣākhyāny atho viduḥ ekaṁ tu mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ dvitīyaṁ tv aṇḍa-saṁsthitam tṛtīyaṁ sarva-bhūta-sthaṁ tāni jñātvā vimucyate

The First Puruṣa is the creator of mahat (the material principle); the Second is immanent in the world as aggregate; the Third indwells all individual entities. One who knows Them is liberated from the bondage of the world. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.251)

Now we come to the different systems of conception of phenomenon. There are two systems. One of them is Sāṅkhyāyana and the other is Ekāyana. Sāṅkhyāyana, literally enumeration, is the synthetic system (Kapila’s) for grouping many integers. Ekāyana, literally integral, is analytic from the Unit. It is the Vedānta system (Vyāsa’s), manifesting from the One. The Vedānta system is the Bhāgavata system. In this system, everything is concentrated in the One Thing, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In Pañcarātra there is the arcana system. The Sāṅkhyāyana of the Bhāgavata is different from that of the atheist Kapila. In the latter’s system, there are twenty-four things in all. Prākṛti has got no conceptional existence. Pradhāna can be conceived. There are two processes of epistemological method in philosophic conception viz., the inductive, or to induce to, and the deductive, or to deduce from.

The inductive agency works the purpose of the atheist or empiricist. As seekers after the unknown, they start from their own standpoint. This leads them to egoistic doctrines. In Bhāgavata Sāṅkhyāyana, the manifestive characters are permanent. They have nothing to do with mundane objects. Tabula rasa is the goal of the atheistic Sāṅkhya. But Pañcarātra differs from that sort of Sāṅkhya. The world is true, but there might be a cataract to be removed.

The inadequacies of this universe are not in its origin. In atheistic Sāṅkhya, we find that prākṛti is the end of all. The theistic idea is that God is Absolute. Prākṛti has the capacity to produce this world with the help of Puruṣa. Prākṛti is inanimate. The combination of two inanimate objects can produce another inanimate object. But knowing, willing and feeling which are the signs of animation – spirit (cit), cannot be found in inanimate matter (jaḍa-prākṛti). But it is said:

yadyapi sāṅkhya māne, ‘pradhāna’ — kāraṇa jaḍa ha-ite kabhu nahe jagat-sṛjana nija sṛṣṭi-śakti prabhu sañcāre pradhāne īśvarera śaktye tabe haye ta’ nirmāṇe

Wherefore, although Sāṅkhya holds that matter (pradhāna) is the cause of the world, yet the creation of the world can never be effected by inanimate matter (jaḍa). It is the Lord Himself Who infuses His Power into matter and it is by His Power that the world is created. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 6.18-19).

The inadequacies should not be carried to the transcendental region. The atheistic idea is that the tangible material principle (pradhāna) evolves itself from non-manifest material energy (prākṛti) and that the principle of the individual ego (ahaṅkāra) is subsequently evolved automatically from the undifferentiated manifest material principle (prākṛteḥ mahān mahato ahaṅkāraḥ). For instance, soda and acid when separate cannot show their activities, but their combination will produce something.

Theists say, “No, that cannot be; animation cannot be found in inanimate matter (jaḍa). That which cannot take any initiative is inanimate matter (jaḍa). The non-manifest inanimate material energy (prākṛti) cannot take initiative. Thus, she is styled jaḍa. The property of spirit is inherent in one only. The property of spirit cannot be confounded with the property of non-spirit (acit). Let us take the instance of the bottle and the liquid. The bottle should not be confounded with the liquid. Matter is not spirit. It is an external form. Take the example of the external cover and the enclosed letter. The envelope is not the letter. But the letter is inside the cover. Material things are targeted to morphology.* But ontology should be sought out.

*******Editor’s Note: **Morphology is a branch of biology that deals with the form of living organisms, and with relationships between their structures. However, Morphology does not tell us what a thing is in its ultimate sense.

Advaita is one without a second. No numerical value should be attributed to Him. “The Lord infuses His own creative Energy into the undifferentiated manifest material principle (pradhāna). It is only by the power of the Lord that the creation can be brought about.”

He has delegated His potency to produce the world. Advaita Prabhu simply made the offering of the Ganges water with the tulasī plant, but for which nothing can be offered to Kṛṣṇa.

Any jīva who takes the shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and chants His Holy Name, is purified.

aho bata śva-paco ’to garīyān yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā brahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te

Yea, even the dog-eating caṇḍāla on the tip of whose tongue Thy Name abides, is glorified! Those who sing Thy Name have already performed all ascetic practices, all the sacrifices, have constantly bathed in all the holy streams, are truly Aryans, have chanted all the Vedic mantras. (Śrīmad Bhāgavata 3.33.7)

yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād yat-prahvaṇād yat-smaraṇād api kvacit śvādo ’pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt

Even the caṇḍāla is instantly rendered eligible for performing the Savana rite which can be done only by brāhmaṇas. (Śrīmad Bhāgavata 3.33.6)

The analytical system is found only in Vedānta and Bhāgavata. The system of enumeration, is found in the different scripts such as Brāhmī, Kharoṣṭī, Sānkī and Puṣkarāsādi.*

*******Editor’s Note: **Brāhmī, Kharoṣṭī, Sānkī and Puṣkarāsa are ancient writing systems in India.

The pure Sāṅkhyāyana and Ekāyana had their genesis as in the following scheme:

(1) Pañcarātra (jñāna), Sāṅkhyāyana, Arcana Paddhati, Sattvata Pañcarātra.

(2) Vedānta, Ekāyana, Bhāgavata system.

The Sāṅkhya of Kapila consists of twenty-four wrong elements – prākṛteḥ mahān etc. Through inductive process one individual merges in infinity-absolutism-annihilation. From this comes forth agnostic, pantheistic and such other ideas.

In atheistical Sāṅkhya all terminates in prākṛti. But the object of adoration of prākṛti (nature) is God, or Theos. Godhead is not a product of one of His Potencies. From prākṛti, all prākṛta things come out; but the substratum is Kṛṣṇa. The world is the methodical outcome of the spirit. God willed and there was a creation. God has degraded us to this world for imprisonment. We are delegated here, being different souls. This world is the perverted reflection of the spiritual realm. Indolent people are imprisoned. The mouse has got a play-ground in the trap. In the same way, we have got many temptations in this world which is nothing but the prison-house of the fallen souls. We should try our level best to go back to that blissful eternal dominion. Back to God and back to Home. We should take recourse to Īśāvatāra.