गोविन्द भाष्य (श्रील बलदेव विद्याभूषण - अचिन्त्यभेदाभेद वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य सटीक)

Personality of Godhead was also created at some point. This may be so because the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is not really different from these other causes.
In the following words the author of the sūtras addresses this doubt.
Sūtra 8
asambhavas tu sato 'nupapatteḥ
asambhavaḥ—the state of not being created; tu—indeed; sataḥ—of the eternal
Supreme Personality of Godhead; anupapatteḥ—because of impossibility
Indeed, the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead was never created, for such
a creation is impossible.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
The word "tu" (indeed) is used here either to remove doubt or affirm the truth
of this statement. The eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead was never created.
Why not? The sūtra explains: "anupapatteḥ" (because that is impossible). There is
no creator of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because it is illogical and
inappropriate to assume the existence of such a creator. That is the meaning here.
Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.9) explains:
sa kāraṇaṁ kāraṇādhipādhipo
na cāsya kaścij janitā na cādhipaḥ
"the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of all causes. He is the king
of all other causes. No one is His creator. No one is His king."
It is not possible to say that because all other causes are created by something
else therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead must have been created by
someone else, for such a statement contradicts these words of the Śruti-śāstra. A
root cause of everything must be accepted, for if it is not then there is an unending
chain of causes. By definition the root cause of everything does not have another
cause, a root from which it has sprung. This is described in the Saṅkhya-sūtra
(1.67) in these words:
mūle mūlābhāvāt

"This is so because the root cause of everything is not caused by another root
cause."
In this way the doubt that perhaps the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
created by someone else is clearly refuted. Because the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is the first cause of all causes, by definition He is not caused by someone
else. However, the secondary causes, such as the avyakta and the mahat-tattva are
all created by another cause. The sūtras explaining that ether and the other
material elements were all created were given as examples of this general truth.
Adhikaraṇa 4
Fire Is Manifested From Air
Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
After concluding this discussion, we will consider what seems to be a
contradiction in the Śruti-śāstra's description of fire. Chāndogya Upaniṣad (6.2.3)
explains:
tat tejo 'sṛjata
"Then the Supreme Personality of Godhead created fire."
In this way it is explained that the Supreme Personality of Godhead created fire.
However, the Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.1.3) explains:
vāyor agniḥ
"From air, fire is manifested."
These words explain that air created fire. Someone may say that in this second
quote the word "vāyoḥ" is in the ablative case (meaning "after air"), and in this
way there is no contradiction because both elements were created by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and fire was created after air was created.
Considering that someone may say this, the author of the sūtras speaks the

following words.
Sūtra 9
tejo 'tas tathā hy āha
tejaḥ—fire; ataḥ—from that; tathā—so; hy—indeed; āha—said.
Fire comes from it. Indeed, it said that.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
From air comes fire. This is confirmed in the Śruti-śāstra, which explains:
vāyor agniḥ
"From air comes fire."
The word "sambhūta" is used here. The use of that word shows that the
meaning is that from air fire is created. Also, the primary meaning of the ablative-
case is "from". If the primary meaning of a word makes sense, then the primary
meaning should be accepted. In that circumstance the secondary meaning should
not be accepted. As will be explained later, this statement does not contradict the
statement that everything is created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Adhikaraṇa 5
Water Is Manifested From Fire
Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Now the author describes the origin of water. In some places the scriptures

संशय-निराकरणम् / पूर्वपक्ष-समाधानम्
कहीं श्रुति यह प्रतिपादन करती है कि अग्नि से जल की उत्पत्ति होती है, और कहीं अन्य प्रकार से वर्णन मिलता है। इस प्रकार उत्पन्न हुए संशय के निवारणार्थ सूत्रकार अग्रिम सूत्र प्रस्तुत करते हैं—
॥ ब्रह्मसूत्रम् २.३.१० ॥
सूत्रम्: आपः ॥ १० ॥
पदच्छेदः:
आपः — जल (प्रथमा बहुवचनम्)।
सूत्रार्थः:
(तेज से) जल उत्पन्न होता है।
श्रील बलदेवविद्याभूषण-विरचितं गोविन्दभाष्यम् (भावानुवाद एवं व्याख्या)
पूर्वसूत्र से 'अतस्तथा ह्याह' (उससे ही, क्योंकि श्रुति ऐसा ही कहती है) इस पदसमूह की यहाँ अनुवृत्ति होती है।
इसका अर्थ यह है कि तेज (अग्नि) से ही जल की उत्पत्ति होती है; क्योंकि श्रुति-शास्त्र स्पष्ट रूप से ऐसा ही विधान करता है।
श्रुति-प्रमाणम् (१):
छान्दोग्योपनिषत् (६.२.३) में कहा गया है—
"तदपोऽसृजत"
अनुवाद: "उस (तेज) ने जल की सृष्टि की।"
श्रुति-प्रमाणम् (२):
तैत्तिरीयोपनिषत् (२.१) में भी कहा गया है—
"अग्नेरापः"
अनुवाद: "अग्नि से जल उत्पन्न हुआ।"
ये दोनों श्रुति-वाक्य सर्वथा स्पष्ट हैं और इनके लिए किसी विस्तृत व्याख्या की आवश्यकता नहीं है।
तेज से जल की उत्पत्ति का प्रत्यक्ष लौकिक दृष्टान्त छान्दोग्योपनिषद् के अग्रिम वचनों में इस प्रकार समझाया गया है—
श्रुति-प्रमाणम् (३):
"तस्माद्यत्र क्व च शोचति स्वेदते वा पुरुषस्तेजस एव तदध्यापो जायन्ते"
हिन्दी-भावार्थ:
"इसी कारण जब कभी कोई मनुष्य शोक से सन्तप्त होता है (मनस्ताप रूपी तेज से) अथवा पसीने से युक्त होता है (शारीरिक ताप रूपी तेज से), तब उस तेज (गर्मी) से ही जल (अश्रु अथवा स्वेद/पसीना) उत्पन्न होता है।"

Adhikaraṇa 6
Earth Is Manifested From Water, and the Word "Anna" in the Chāndogya
Upaniṣad Means "Earth"
Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad it is said:
tā āpa aikṣanta bahvayaḥ syāma prajāyemahīti tā annam asṛjanta
"Water thought: `I shall become many. I shall father many children.' Then
water created anna."
What is the meaning of the word "anna" here? Does it mean "barley and other
food", or does it mean “earth"?
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad it is said:
tasmād yatra kvacana varṣati tad eva bhūyiṣṭham annaṁ bhavaty adbhya eva tad
adhy annādyaṁ jāyate
"Therefore, whenever it rains there is abundant anna. In this way anna is
produced by water."
This passage seems, therefore, to support the idea that the word "anna" here
means barely and other food". To explain the proper meaning here, the author of
the sūtras speaks the following words.
Sūtra 11
pṛthivy-adhikāra-rūpa-śabdāntarebhyaḥ
pṛthivi—earth; adhikāra—context; rūpa—color; śabda—quotes from the Śruti-

śāstra; antarebhyaḥ—because of other.
"Because its color, its context, and other quotes from the Śruti-śāstra, all
confirm that earth is the proper meaning.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Here the meaning "earth" should be accepted. Why? Because of the context and
other reasons. It should be accepted because the context (adhikāra) of the passage
is a description of the creation of the five material elements. It is also so, because
the "anna" here is described as being black in color (rūpa), in the words:
yat kṛṣṇaṁ tad annasya
"That anna is black in color."
It is also so because in other scriptures (śāstrāntarebhyaḥ) it is said (in the
Taittirīya Upaniṣad):
adbhyaḥ pṛthivī
"From water, earth is manifested."
The passage: "Therefore, whenever it rains there is abundant anna. In this way
anna is produced by water," clearly uses the word "anna" to mean "food".
However, because this passage is in the context of a description of the five material
elements being manifested one from the other, the "food" here is a metaphor for
"earth". Thus the two meanings "food" and "earth" combine in the word "anna" in
this passage.
Adhikaraṇa 7
The Elements Are Manifested From the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa

The description here, that the material elements are manifested in a particular
sequence, beginning with ether, is given to remove controversy in regard to the
sequence in which the elements are manifested. The fact that the pradhāna, mahat-
tattva, and all the elements are created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead has
already been proved in sūtra 1.1.2 (janmādy asya yataḥ). Now the author of the
sūtras begins a more detailed description of that creation. In the Subāla Upaniṣad it
is said:
tad āhuḥ kiṁ tad āsīt tasmai sa hovāca na san nasan na sad asad iti tasmāt tamaḥ
sañjāyate tamaso bhūtādir bhūtāder ākāśaṁ ākāśād vāyur vāyor agnir agner āpo
'dbhyaḥ pṛthivī tad aṇḍam abhavat
"They said: What was in the beginning? He replied: In the beginning was
neither existence nor non-existence. Nothing existed and nothing did not exist. In
the beginning there was darkness. From the darkness the origin of the material
elements was born. From the origin of the material elements, ether was born.
From ether, air was born. From air, fire was born. From fire, water was born. From
water, earth was born. In this way the egg of the material universe was created."
Here it should be understood that akṣara, avyakta, mahat-tattva, tan-mātras,
and material senses should also be placed, in this sequence, between darkness and
ether. This should be done to complement the following statement of Agnimalaya:
sandagdhvā sarvāṇi bhūtāni pṛthivy apsu pralīyate. āpas tejasi pralīyante. tejo
vāyau pralīyate. vāyur ākāśe pralīyate. ākāśaṁ indriyeṣv indriyāṇi tan-mātreṣu tan-
mātrāṇi bhūtādau vilīyante. bhūtādir mahati vilīyate. mahān avyakte vilīyate.
avyaktam akṣare vilīyate. akṣaraṁ tamasi vilīyate. tama ekī-bhavati parasmin.
parasmān na san nasan na sad asat.
"When the all the elements are burned up, earth merges into water, water
merges into fire, fire merges into air, air merges into ether, ether merges into the
senses, the senses merge into the tan-mātras, the tan-mātras merge into the origin
of the material elements, the origin of the material elements merges into the
mahat-tattva, the mahat-tattva merges into the avyakta, the avyakta merges into
the akṣara, and the akṣara merges into the great darkness. Then the great darkness
becomes one with the Supreme. In the Supreme is neither existence nor non-
existence. Nothing exists and nothing does not exist."
The word "origin of the material elements" here means "the false-ego". False-
ego is of three kinds. From false-ego in the mode of goodness, the mind and the
demigods are manifested. From false-ego in the mode of passion, the material
senses are manifested. From false-ego in the mode of ignorance are manifested the
tan-mātras, from which are manifested the ether and the other elements. In this
way these different explanations all corroborate each other.

In the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad it is said:
pūrvam hy ekam evādvitīyaṁ brahmāsīt. tasmād avyaktam vyaktam evākṣaraṁ
tasmād akṣarān mahān mahato vā ahaṅkāras tasmād ahaṅkārāt pañca-tan-mātrāṇi
tebhyo bhūtāni tair āvṛtam akṣaraṁ bhavati.
"Before the material world was manifest, only the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who is one without a second, existed. From Him came the avyakta.
From the avyakta came the akṣara. From the akṣara came the mahat-tattva. From
the mahat-tattva came false-ego. From false-ego came the five tan-mātras. From
them came the material elements. The akṣara is filled with all these."
Saṁśaya (doubt): Do the pradhāna and other parts of this sequence arise one
from the other or do they all arise directly from the Supreme Personality of
Godhead?
Pūrvapakṣa: They arise from each other, for that is the statement of the texts.
Siddhānta (the conclusion): The author of the sūtras gives His conclusion in
the following words.
Sūtra 12
tad abhidhyānād eva tu tal liṅgāt saḥ
tat—that; abhidhyānāt—because of meditation; eva—indeed; tu—indeed; tat—
that; liṅgāt—because of the body; saḥ—He.
Because of meditation and because of the body, it is indeed He.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
The word "tu" (indeed) is used to dispel doubt. The Supreme Personality of
Godhead is the master of all potencies, including the potency of great darkness,
the potency that begins the material creation. He is the direct cause, and the
pradhāna, earth, and other features of the material creation are effects created by
Him. Why is that? The sūtra explains: "Because of meditation and because of the
body."
The Śruti-śāstra explains:

so 'kāmayata bahu syāṁ prajāyeya
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead desired: Let Me become many. Let me
create the material world."
Thus, it is by the desire of the all-powerful Supreme Personality of Godhead
that the pradhāna and other features of the material world are created. That is how
He is the cause of the material world. Also, the material world is the body of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead enters the
great darkness of the material world and transforms it into pradhāna and the
others aspects of matter. In this sense the material world is His body. This is
confirmed by the Antaryāmī-brāhmaṇa of the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad, and also
by the Subala Upaniṣad, which explains:
yasya pṛthivī śarīram
"The world is the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Adhikaraṇa 8
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Is the Cause of Matter's Transformations
Sūtra 13
viparyayeṇa tu kramo 'ta upapadyate ca
viparyayeṇa—by the reverse; tu—indeed; kramaḥ—sequence; ataḥ—from this;
upapadyate—is manifested; ca—and.
Indeed, this sequence is also reversed.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
The word "tu" (indeed) is used here for emphasis. In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad
(2.1.3) it is said:

एतस्माज्जायते प्राणो मनः सर्वेन्द्रियाणि च। खं वायुर्ज्योतिरापः पृथिवी
विश्वस्य धारिणी॥
"उस (परमेश्वर) से प्राण, मन, समस्त इन्द्रियाँ, आकाश, वायु, अग्नि, जल और पृथ्वी उत्पन्न होते हैं,
जो इस विश्व को धारण करने वाली हैं।"
सुबाल उपनिषद् में यह क्रम विपरीत है, जहाँ प्रधान और महत्-
तत्त्व सर्वप्रथम आते हैं। वास्तव में सब कुछ श्रीभगवान् (परम पुरुषोत्तम) से ही
उत्पन्न होता है। वे प्राण-वायु से आरम्भ कर पृथ्वी पर्यन्त प्रत्येक वस्तु के भीतर
विद्यमान रहते हैं; और जब सृष्टि का एक तत्त्व दूसरे तत्त्व से उत्पन्न होता है, तो वह द्वितीय
तत्त्व वास्तव में प्रथम तत्त्व के भीतर अन्तर्यामी रूप से स्थित सर्वशक्तिमान्
परम पुरुषोत्तम भगवान् से ही उत्पन्न होता है। यदि ऐसा न होता, तो ये दोनों विभिन्न
विवरण परस्पर विरोधी सिद्ध होते। परम पुरुषोत्तम भगवान् ही सबके
मूल उद्गम और सबके स्रष्टा हैं। उन्हें जान लेने पर सब कुछ ज्ञात हो जाता है।
प्रधान तथा प्रकृति के अन्य तत्त्व जड़ एवं अचेतन होने के कारण स्वतः
भौतिक जगत् में विकार (परिवर्तन) उत्पन्न नहीं कर सकते। इसी कारण यहाँ 'च' (भी) शब्द
का प्रयोग किया गया है। अतः प्रत्येक परिस्थिति में परम पुरुषोत्तम भगवान् ही
भौतिक जगत् के इन परिवर्तनों के वास्तविक कारण हैं।
अधिकरण ९
परम पुरुषोत्तम भगवान् ही मन और बुद्धि के स्रष्टा हैं
श्रील बलदेव विद्याभूषण द्वारा भूमिका
अब सूत्रकार (महर्षि वेदव्यास) एक विशिष्ट संशय का निवारण करते हैं।
सूत्र १४
अन्तरा विज्ञानमनसी क्रमेण तल्लिङ्गादिति चेन्नाविशेषात् ॥ १४ ॥
अन्तरा — मध्य में; विज्ञान — बुद्धि (ज्ञान); मनसी — और मन; क्रमेण —
क्रम से; तत् — उसके; लिङ्गात् — चिह्न (श्रुति-प्रमाण) से; इति चेत् — ऐसा यदि कहा जाए तो;
न — नहीं (ऐसा नहीं है); अविशेषात् — अविशेष होने से (कोई भेद न होने के कारण)।

(wait, look closely at pravartate: "mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate")
Let's check line 28-29:
"ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo"
" mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate"

Line 30: "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from
Line 31: me."*

Line 32: In the Vāmana Purāṇa it is said:

Wait, let's double check the exact diacritics and words from the image:

1. "If it is said that the sequence of mind and intelligence appears in this way, then"
2. "I reply: No. Because they are not different."
3. "Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa" -> Ś-r-ī-l-a B-a-l-a-d-e-v-a V-i-d-y-ā-b-h-ū-ṣ-a-ṇ-a
4. "The word "vijñāna" here means "the material senses of the conditioned soul"." -> vijñāna has jñ, ā.
5. "Here someone may object: It is not proper to assume that this quotation from"
6. "Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (text 2.1.3 quoted in the previous purport) supports the idea" ->

tatra tatra sthito viṣṇus
tat tac chaktiṁ prabodhayet
eka eva mahā-śaktiḥ
kurute sarvam añjasā
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, enters everywhere and
awakens the power dormant in everything. He is the supremely powerful one. He
does everything perfectly."
In this way it is shown that pradhāna and all other material features all come
directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That fact is not at all
contradicted by the sequence of events presented in the Subala Upaniṣad and the
other scriptures. This is so because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the
creator of the original material darkness, the pradhāna and the other features of
the material world. Thus when the scripture says tat tejo 'sṛjata (The Supreme
Personality of Godhead created fire), it is understood that He also created
darkness, a host of other potencies, pradhāna, air, and other aspects of matter.
When the scriptures say tasmād vai (From the Supreme Personality of Godhead
everything has come), it is understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
the master of material darkness and a host of other potencies, the pradhāna and
other features of matter were born from Him, and the material element ether was
also manifested from Him.
Adhikaraṇa 10
All Words Are Names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Here someone may object: Is it not so that if Lord Hari is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the master of all, and the all-pervading Supersoul, then
the names of all that is moving and inert would also be names of Him? However,
this is not so, for words are primarily the names of the various moving and inert
things.
Thinking that someone may accept this idea that words are primarily names of
various things and only secondarily names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the author of the sūtras gives the following explanation.

Sūtra 15
carācara-vyapāśrayas tu syāt tad-vyapadeśo 'bhāktas tad-bhāva-bhāvitvāt
cara—moving; acara—and unmoving; vyapāśrayaḥ—the abode; tu—indeed;
syāt—may be; tat—of that; vyapadeśaḥ—name; abhāktaḥ—not figurative; tat—of
Him; bhāva—the nature; bhāvitvāt—because of being in the future.
Indeed, He resides in all that move and does not move. Therefore it will be
learned that every word is one of His names.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
The word "tu" (indeed) is used here to dispel doubt. The word "carācara-
vyapāśrayaḥ" means that the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides in all
moving and unmoving beings. The word "tad-vyapadeśaḥ" means "the names of
the moving and unmoving beings". The word “abhāktaḥ” means "these names are
primarily names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead". Why is that? The sūtra
explains: "bhāva-bhāvitvāt" (the real meaning of names will be learned in the
future). This means that by studying the scriptures one will come to understand
that all words are names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Śruti-śāstras
explain:
so 'kāmayata bahu syām
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead desired: Let Me become many. Let me
create the material world."
sa vāsudevo na yato 'nyad asti
"He is the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nothing is different
from Him."
In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (3.7.16) it is said:
kaṭaka-mukuṭa-karṇikādi-bhedaiḥ
kanakam abhedam apīṣyate yathaikam
sura-paśu-manujādi-kalpanābhir

harir akhilābhir udīryate tathaikaḥ
"As golden bracelets, crowns, earrings, and other golden ornaments are all one
because they are all made of gold, so all demigods, men, and animals are one with
Lord because they are all made of Lord Hari's potencies."
The meaning is this: Names of potencies are primarily the names of the master
of these potencies. This is so because the master is the very self of His potencies.
Adhikaraṇa 11
The Individual Spirit Souls Are Eternal and Without Beginning
Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Because He is the origin of everything, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has
no other origin from which He was created. This has already been described. Now
we will determine the nature of the individual spirit soul. First the idea that the
individual soul has an origin will be refuted.
In the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka, Mahā-Nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad (1.4) it is said:
yataḥ prasūtā jagataḥ prasūtī
toyena jīvān vyasasarja bhūmyām
"From the Supreme Personality of Godhead the universe was born. With water
He created the living entities on the earth."
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad it is said:
san-mūlāḥ saumyemāḥ sarvāḥ prajāḥ
"O gentle one, all living entities have their roots in the Supreme."
Saṁśaya (doubt): Do the individual spirit souls have an origin or not?
Pūrvapakṣa (the opponent speaks): Because He is the creator of the material
universe, which contains both sentient living entities and insentient matter, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead must be the creator of the individual spirit souls.
Any other idea would be illogical.
Siddhānta (conclusion): The author of the sūtras gives the following
conclusion.
Sūtra 16
nātmā śruter nityatvāc ca tābhyaḥ
na—not; ātmā—the individual spirit soul; śruteḥ—from the Śruti-śāstra;
nityatvāt—because of being eternal; ca—and; tābhyaḥ—from them.
Because the individual spirit soul is eternal, and because of the statements of
Śruti-śāstra and other scriptures, this idea about the individual spirit soul is not
true.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
The individual spirit soul was never created. Why not? The sūtra explains:
"śruteḥ" (because of the statements of Śruti-śāstra). In Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.2.18) it
is said:
na jāyate mriyate vā vipaścin
nāyaṁ kutaścin na babhūva kaścit
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
"O wise one, for the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has
not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is
unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval. He is not slain when the body is
slain."*
That the individual spirit soul was never born is also declared in the
Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (1.9):
jñājñau dvāv ajāv īśānīśau
"Neither the Supreme Personality of Godhead nor the individual spirit souls

were ever born."
The word "tābhyaḥ" in the sūtra means "the eternality of the individual spirit
soul is described in the Śruti and Smṛti -śāstras". The word "ca" (and) in the sūtra
means that the individual spirit soul is also conscious and full of knowledge.
In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (2.5.13) it is said:
nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām
"Of all eternal living souls there is one who is the leader. Of all eternal souls
there is one who is the leader."
In the Bhagavad-gītā the Supreme Lord explains:
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇaḥ
"The soul is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval."
Therefore, when it is said, "Yajñadatta is born and again he dies," such words
refer only to the external material body. The jāta-karma ceremony and other
ceremonies like it also refer to the external material body. The individual spirit
soul is different from the external material body and resides in it like a passenger.
In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.3.8) it is said:
sa vā ayaṁ puruṣo jāyamānaḥ śarīram abhisaṁpadyamānaḥ sa utkraman
mriyamāṇaḥ
"At the moment of birth the spirit soul enters a material body and at the
moment of death the soul leaves the body."
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (6.11.3) it is said:
jīvopetam vāva kiledaṁ mriyate na jīvo mriyate
"The soul resides in the material body. When the body dies the soul does not
die."
Here someone may object: How can this be? If this is so, then this fact disagrees
with the scriptural description of the individual souls' creation.
To this objection I reply: The individual spirit souls are said to be created
because they are effects of the Supreme. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has
two potencies, and these are said to be His effects. Here is what makes these two

potencies different. One potency is the pradhāna and other inert, unconscious, not
alive potencies that are meant to be objects of enjoyment and various experiences.
The other potency is the individual spirit souls, who are not inert, dull matter, but
are conscious, alive beings, and who are able to enjoy and perceive various
experiences. These two potencies share one common feature: that they are both
the effects of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way the scriptural
description of the souls' creation is not contradicted. In this way the scriptures are
correct, and in this way, also, the individual spirit souls are never born.
Adhikaraṇa 12
The Individual Spirit Souls Are Both Knowledge and Knowers
Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Now the author of the sūtras considers the nature of the individual spirit soul.
In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (3.7.22) it is said:
yo vijñāne tiṣṭhan
"The individual spirit soul is situated in knowledge."
In another passage it is said:
sukham aham asvapsaṁ na kiñcid avediṣi
"I slept happily. I did not know anything."
Saṁśaya (doubt): Is the individual spirit soul unalloyed knowledge only, or is
the soul the knower that experiences knowledge?
Pūrvapakṣa (the opponent speaks): The individual spirit soul consists of
knowledge only. This is confirmed by the statement of Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad
(3.7.22): "The individual spirit soul is situated in knowledge." The soul is not the
knower or the perceiver of knowledge. The intelligence is the knower. Therefore
statement, "I slept happily. I did not know anything." is spoken by the
intelligence, not by the soul.

Siddhānta (conclusion): The author of the sūtras gives the following
conclusion.
Sūtra 17
jño 'ta eva
jñaḥ—knower; ataḥ eva—therefore.
Therefore he is the knower.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
The individual spirit soul is both knowledge and knower. In the Praśna
Upaniṣad (4.9) it is said:
eṣa hi draṣṭā spraṣṭā śrotā rasayitā ghrātā mantā boddhā kartā vijñānātmā puruṣaḥ
"The individual spirit soul is the seer, the toucher, the hearer, the taster, the
smeller, the thinker, the determiner, the doer, and the knower."
This truth is accepted because it is declared by scripture, not because it is
understood by logic. Our acceptance of the truth of scripture is described in sūtra
2.1.27:
śrutes tu śabda-mūlatvāt
"The statements of Śruti-śāstra are the root of real knowledge."
In the Smṛti-śāstra it is said:
jñātā jñāna-svarūpo 'yam
"The individual spirit soul is both knower and knowledge."
Therefore the individual spirit soul is not knowledge alone without being
anything else, and this is not at all proved by the statement, "I slept happily. I did

not know anything," for such an idea would contradict these scripture statements
that affirm the soul to be the knower. Therefore it is concluded that the individual
spirit soul is both knowledge and knower.
Adhikaraṇa 13
The Individual Spirit Souls Are Atomic
Introduction by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Now the author of the sūtras considers the size of the individual spirit souls. In
the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.9) it is said:
eṣo 'ṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo yasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṁviveṣa
"When the life-breath withdraws the five activities, the mind can understand
the atomic soul."
Saṁśaya (doubt): Is the individual spirit soul atomic or all-pervading?
Pūrvapakṣa (the opponent speaks): The individual spirit soul is all-pervading.
Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.14) declares that the soul is "mahān" (great). The
statement that the soul is atomic is merely a poetic metaphor.
Siddhānta (conclusion): The author of the sūtras gives the conclusion in the
following words.
Sūtra 18
utkrānti-gaty-āgatīnām
utkrānti—departure; gati—travel; āgatīnām—and of return
Because of departure, travel, and return.

Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
In this sūtra the word "aṇuḥ" (the atomic soul) should be understood from the
previous sūtra. In this sūtra the genitive case is used in the sense of the ablative.
The individual spirit soul is atomic and not all-pervading. Why is that? The sūtra
explains: "Because of departure, travel, and return."
In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.2) it is said:
tasya haitasya hṛdayasyāgraṁ pradyotate. tena pradyotenaiṣa ātmā niṣkrāmati
cakṣuṣo vā mūrdhno vānyebhyo vā śarīra-deśebhyaḥ
"The soul shines in the heart. At the moment of death the effulgent soul leaves
through the opening of the eyes, the opening at the top of the the head, or another
opening in the body."
In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.11) it is said:
anandā nāma te lokā
andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ
tāṁs te pretyābhigacchanti
avidvāṁso 'budhā janāḥ
"Sinful fools enter into planets known as the worlds of torment, full of darkness
and ignorance."
In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.6) it is said:
prāpyāntaṁ karmaṇas tasya
yat kiñcedam karoty ayam
tasmāt lokāt punar etya
yasmai lokāya karmaṇe
"At the time of death the soul reaps the results of his works. He goes to the
world where he deserves to go. When the results of his past deeds are exhausted,
again he returns to the middle planets, the world of karma."
In this way the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad describes the soul's travel from one
place to another. If he were all-pervading, the soul would not be able to travel from
one place to another, for he would already be everywhere.