Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1- The Fame of Lord Purusha

Srimad Bhagavatam cleanses kalimala or the pollutant of Kali, destroys sins, shows the indweller, the Lord, in oneself by bringing Vairagya towards the materialistic world, and gives pure devotion, crystal clear, and clean knowledge. 

|| Sri Veda Vyasaya Namaha ||

|| Hari Om ||

My Salutations to Lord Adhokshaja, Lord Vasudeva, bestower of Satvika Bhakti. My repeated Salutation to the unchanging Lord Tattva, the bestower of Nishkama Bhakti. My Salutations to Goddess Mahalakshmi who removes our ignorance & wrongful knowledge, who keeps us away from entertainment that would bind us with actions & desire and bestows a desire for Satvika Bhakti. My Salutations to Bharati Ramana, the cause of happiness to Goddess Bharati influencing Bhakti. My Salutation to Parvati Pati, cause for auspiciousness. 
My Prostration to the attendant of God Brahma who accrued an immeasurable Satvika merit as Prahlad and as Guru Raghavendra bestows only Satvika blessings which is stainless.

Sri Sutacharya continuing the narration on the Fame of Lord which cleanses kalimala or the pollutant of Kali says,

भावयन्नेष सत्त्वेन लोकान् वै लोकभावनः ।

लीलावतारानुरतो देवतिर्यङ्नरादिषु ॥

“The Lord creates the entire universe, fourteen Lokas or Regions, all beings or Jivas. Accepting Satvika Guna protects by sustaining, nourishing and regulating all living and nonliving of the Universe and appears on earth to show his Lila or sports charm.

Here, Sri Sutacharya is communicating the following:

लोकभावनः or the one who created The entire universe, सत्त्वेन or With Satvika Guna or in the form of Hari. लीलावतारानुरतो or the Lord appeared among all species showing his Lila or Sport appearing among various देवतिर्यङ्नरादिषु or animals, Birds, humans, and Gods and in all Yoni

While all Jivas starting from God Brahma to a blade of grass takes birth because of the previous Karmas that have bound with an entanglement of actions. However, not with the Lord. He has no expectation or binds with any Karma and hence he appears in his Sport. He appears not for a Sport as he is independent.

In The Lord’s Sport, he transacts as per the practice of the time or Age of his appearance. For example, when he appeared in Dwapara Yuga, He sported consistent to that Age. He does so to set an example to Gods as that is their dharma or duty.

The Gods take birth on earth for different reasons. That could be for re-establishing the dharma or teaching the Axiom, or to help the virtuous, or to bless or maybe for the redemption of curse they have come to Eart. For whatever reason they take birth on earth, they need to abide by the dharma or the duty of that Yuga or the Age. Also, the kula or the race they show-up, they need to abide by that dharma or rules. Being Gods they can't say that I am so and so and express their power. So also the Lord. He too would follow such conditions to set an example to Gods. When he appears among human, He follows the human dharma, among Gods, He follows their Dharma. When among Rishis he follows the Rishis dharma. Similarly, appearing as a baby or kid or young lad, or youth or married or as King He sports consistent to that appearance.

Though Lord is full of attributes, He does not exhibit all of those when He appears on earth. When He appeared in Gokula as the son of Nanda Gopa, He hearded the Cows as Gopala. Though being the cause for JagadJanmadi or creation of the Universe, He did not say that I am the Lord of the universe and need Lordship. In Ayodhya, He conducted His duty and established the Dharma including Pitravakya paripalaka or abiding by the words of His father. As Brahamana He took the forms of Parashurama or as Rishi Kapila. He did excellent transactions to be remembered for Yuga – Yuga. As a boy, he became Budha and misled the unworthy with an illusion of Buddhism. He preached against Vedas.

Yashoda Krishna

Appearing in the form of Krishna, Lord showed the entire universe in his mouth. This is unimaginable and marvelous. So too his fame. This he does out of extreme Generosity and expresses the attribute of Independence. While Gods have to follow the dharma but not He. In all his sport, there is generosity,

“Just by Hearing the fame of Lord, the pollutants of Kali will disappear. Lord’s fame has the power of Kalimalapaha”

While He generally expresses the Dharma to establish an Excellency or high bar but he need not follow.

Sri Sutacharyas says the following three things:

1.    His appearance or Avatara is only through Lila.

2.    He takes whichever form is beneficial to the devotees or the forms as sought by devotees such as Goddess Lakshmi or God Brahma who sought the form of  Lord Narasimha. Consistent with the Yuga or Age and Kula or race, He will transact.

3.    Also, His Achintya i.e. Not imaginable or Adbutha i.e. Excellent acts are shown to his devotees when he decides to do so.

जगृहे पौरुषं रूपं भगवान् महदादिभिः।

सम्भूतं षोडशकलमादौ लोकसिसृक्षया ॥1॥

In the beginning, the Lord intended to create the universe. Hence, from Prakriti having Satvika, Rajasika and Thamasika Guna he created Mahat-Tattva. From Mahat-Tattva he created Ahankara Tattva from which he created sixteen elements consisting of five Jnana Indriya, five Karma Indriya, One Manas and five Tanmatra. He accepted the form of Purusha including these sixteen elements.

Here, Sri Sutacharya starts with the avatar or form of Purusha as being the first form in this Universe and not the previous forms starting before the creation of the Universe or the forms outside the universe.

The important aspects and at the outset of narrating various forms of Lord, Sri Sutacharya wants us to understand  the following:

जगृहे or Accepted means appeared and the Lord has no dosha of Janma or the pain that the Jiva or being experience in the womb. He is Kala-Desha Pari poorna or Complete being omnipresent at all times and in the universe. There is no difference among various forms of Lord. Even before the birth of Brahma. Hence his appearance means that the darkness in the universes or the Brahamanda was removed by Lord. महदादिभिः – Creation of Mahat-Tattva from Prakriti. Creation of Ahankara Tattva. Creation of sixteen elements that include five Jnana-Indriya, five Karma Indriya, One Manas, five Tanmatra. सम्भूतं or being produced is one of the meaning and the other being entered to be together is relevant here.

Shrutis are telling that the Lord is the cause of these Sixteen elements. Hence, he himself cannot be of these sixteen elements. To understand this, we shall take a look at the process of creation:

Initially, The Lord established the subtle raw material of Prakriti called Nara. As he is the foundation of this raw material He is called Narayana. Establishing Prakriti having Satvika, Rajasika and Thamasika Guna, He created the Mahat-Tattva including God Brahma & Vayu responsible to influence this. From Mahat-Tattva He Created Ahankara Tattva including God Garuda, Sesha & Rudra. Using these raw materials, He created sixteen elements constituting five Jnana-Indriya, five Karma Indriya, one Manas, five Tanmatra. At the same time, he created the respective Gods responsible to influence these Elements or Tattva including their King God Indra. All these Gods or beings are called Naram and the Lord gives Protection or refuge to them and hence He is called Narayana.

Also, the basic raw material required for these sixteen elements that are outside this universe and the Gods responsible to influence these are been Supported, Controlled and Regulated by Lord Narayana and he stands independent without being influenced. Also, are means stains or blemishes and Na means negation. Hence the Lord is Stainless or base or causes for Stainless. Hence, the Prakriti which is exposed to death and decay has no influence on Lord Narayana.

The Lord starts the creation process outside of and before the creation of the universe or Brahmanda. He creates sixteen elements as these are required for the creation of the body.  Subsequently, he instructs all those Gods starting from Brahma to start Creation. But they fail. All these Gods of elements or tattva comeback to the Lord under the leadership of God Brahma and sing the stotra or praises of Lord and request Him for creation.

The Lord enters the Prakriti, Mahat-Tattva, Ahankara Tattva, the sixteen Elements including those Gods responsible to influence this. Being inside, the Lord controls and regulates the nonliving and as the Indweller of all living.

The Lord creates the Brahamanda or the universe with Prakriti. Keeping all the sixteen elements in his stomach including the Gods of elements he enters the universe in the form of Purusha.

The aspects to be understood here is:

1.    The Lord is Satchitananda or his form is constituted of complete Jnana and Ananda

2.    His Forms are Nitya from Anadi to Anantha i.e. He is Eternal

3.    He is EakaPrakara or remains unchanged during all times. He is Tattva

4.    While we are Atma, but he is Paramatma or Supreme Atma

5.    He and His form is not established nor created i.e. He has no birth nor death

6.    There is no difference among himself, his forms and various parts of his form. The Lord, His forms or his various parts of His form is indistinguishable.

7.    Also, there is no difference between His dharma & Himself

8.    He is the creator of the five elements Viz. Akasha, Air, Fire, Water and Earth, sixteen elements and remains uninfluenced by it

9.    Also, only He the Bhagavan has the Knowledge, Skills, and Power to construct the universe and no other beings

10.  So too, non-beings have no ability to process themselves in a systematic way or just like that accidentally or with any big or small bang

11.  He is Stainless. Has no blemishes nor prone to any disease or decay as he is Narayana

12.  Ishwara being in everything he controls & regulates as a Sport without expectation nor exerting any special Yogic Power

13.  He is described as both SuGuna and NirGuna i.e. He is full of attributes and the Prakriti with Satvika, Rajasika, and Thamasika Guna has no influence on Him

14.  During the end of Pralaya, the destruction of Prakriti from Gross to subtle takes place under the control of Goddess Lakshmi. And that Goddess serves at the Lord’s feet

15.  He has opposing attributes or Guna and not dosha like of being in an atom as stoola and the whole universe as mahat. Also being with color and colorless. As Hari he is Green and as Shama, he is Black or as Shashivarnam, He is bright white like the color of Moon. i.e He has achintya and adbutha shakti and in fact, he mesmerizes the world with his power of Maya and Maya is under his control. Hence he is also called Param or Supreme and not a Juggler.

Katha Upanishad says अणोर्-अणीयान् महतो महीयान् आत्मा गुहायां निहितोस्य जन्तोः|| (1.2.20).m i.e. Smaller than the atom, and yet larger than the largest, the Atman is hidden within beings.

16.  He is Ishwara with Ananta Kalyana Guna Poorna.

|| Hari Om ||

|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||