Srimad Bhagavatam – day 676
The Lord alone is the substratum of the entire creation
Narayana Harekrishna
The wives of Kaliya continued, “O Lord, You are the energy behind all names and forms. To a person bound by them, You are the infinite Supreme Lord, who is of subtle existence. To You, who are the cause for the entire creation, we offer obeisance.
You are the sole witnessing consciousness that exists at the root of all the forms of visible proofs such as perception, inference and other (pratyaksha and other pramaṇa). You are the root for all Vedic scriptures. You are the one who is proven through the medium of the Vedas. Way of life, behaviour and righteousness took on a form and manifested as Śrirama and other incarnations of Yours”.
The Lord’s incarnation as Rama is very unique and special. It is impossible to do justice to the subject even after speaking endlessly for many days at a stretch. Such is the significance of Rama. The sweetness hidden in His name cannot be explained. In-depth hidden significance is contained in His name.
“The path of liberation (moksha) propagated by Dakshinamurty and other deities is also nothing but Your form”.
As Rama, You propagated the ideal way to lead life; as Dakshinamurty You showed the way to liberation.
“To You, who are an embodiment of all Vedas, we offer manifold obeisances.
Namaḥ kṛṣṇāya rāmāya vasudeva-sutāya ca
Pradyumnāyāniruddhāya sātvatāḿ pataye namaḥ
As the son of Vasudeva, O Krishna, You are the one who attracts devotees. As Balarama, You fill the hearts of the devotees with happiness. You are Pradyumna. You are none other than Aniruddha. To You, the Lord of the Yadavas, we offer obeisance. O Lord of the universe, we offer obeisance.
You are the consciousness that illumines body and other non-Self objects which are the outcomes of the three attributes (trigunas). Nevertheless, the feelings of ‘I-ness’ that a person has towards his body conceals Your existence, O inner consciousness. Even then, manas and other functions of the four-fold mind, which also have their origin in the three attributes, keep indicating Your existence”.
Although Your existence gets concealed, occasionally we get indications of its existence.
“You are the witness for the body, senses etc. To You, who are none other than the luminous Self, we offer obeisance”.
It appears that this wisdom did not dawn upon the residents of Gokula. They were wailing by the banks of the pond seeking His well-being. They failed to understand that He was the controller of the universe. They endlessly worried that the snake would bite Him and prayed for Him, but did not try to understand His real essence. On the contrary, the wives of the serpent understood Krishna’s real form. They obtained Self-realization. The residents of Brindavan were waiting for Krishna to return safely so that they could hug him, kiss him and carry him home. Even after having witnessed Krishna kill many demons in the past, they still lacked confidence that he would vanquish this serpent.
The wives of Kaliya continued, “O Lord who causes the movements within the senses! Names and forms emerge solely from You, who wander freely within Your illusory energy.”
You are the consciousness that causes movement within the senses. Without You, even an ant cannot move. You cause the movement in my mind, senses and intellect. You pervade all through the creation. However due to the power of illusion, You make it appear as if You and we are different existences. From You, all names and forms emerge.
“Silence is also Your form, O Lord, who revels in Self’s bliss. To You, we offer obeisance.
Only You, who are the eternal witness, understand the principle behind illusory energy (maya) and other causative factors (kāraṇa) as well as the essence behind the five basic elements and other effectual factors (kārya) of creation”.
Here, the entire secret of Vedanta is being revealed. Only after thorough understanding of Vedantic secrets, the real essence of the Supreme Lord can be grasped. Here it is said that He alone knows the principles behind all causative factors as well as of all effectual factors.
“Although You have manifested as the universe, the transformations visible in this universe do not affect You”.
The Lord manifests as the universe. Such universe is subject to many transformations. Nevertheless, the Lord remains untouched by such transformations. He eternally remains unchanged while this world which emerged from Him undergoes changes. Although He remains changeless, He enters the world and enacts as if He too is affected by changes.
“You who are the cause for the existence of this universe also remain as its eternal witness, while also illumining it. Within that illumination again You are visible. O Lord, to You we offer obeisance.”
You are the cause for the existence of this universe. O Lord, You also remain its eternal witness. Simultaneously You illumine it.
“O Lord, Your leisure sports are extraordinary. In You, neither desire nor action exist. Even then, accepting the energy called time and using the attributes of goodness, action and ignorance (trigunas), You undertake the activities of creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe”
You appear as if bound by the three attributes You are creating, sustaining and dissolving the universe. You appear to be responsible for them.
“O Lord, Your transcendental deeds are endless”.
How wonderful are His deeds! That which does not exist, He makes it appear as if it is visible. That which is visible, He makes it invisible. He is the supreme illusion that governs the illusion which creates this universe. We cannot stop by merely declaring that it is a supreme illusion. His illusion has enveloped everything. You, me, and every object in this universe is enveloped by this illusion.
In this supreme illusion, You are like a smaller illusion. You are the one who creates the universe. You are the one who sustains it. You are the one who destroys it. Using a different illusory form, You are creating this universe. Using another illusory form, You alone are sustaining it. Through another form You are annihilating this universe. Again thereafter using another form You are creating it. Isn’t this an astonishing deed?
Fresh creation is Your passion. Protecting that which is created and then making it old is also your task. You then eliminate that object which has become old. In our homes too, we buy newer objects. Thereafter we protect them for some time. Before buying sofa, we visualized whether it would suit the layout of the room. Accordingly we purchased a new sofa. Let us for argument sake, state that we created it. We then enjoyed it. We protected it by undertaking periodic maintenance. When it turned beyond repair, we threw it out, sold it or gifted it. You were the one who purchased it, you were the one who cleaned it multiple times a day to ensure its shine and now you are the one who is destroying it. In the similar manner, the Supreme Lord creates the entire universe, protects it zealously and thereafter destroys it. As Rudra He destroys, as Vishnu He protects and as Brahma He creates. This is an astonishing and strange sport of His.
Krishna Jagadiśwara.