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

If this is said, then the author of the sūtras gives the following reply.
Sūtra 18
pratyakṣopadeśān neti cen nādhikārika-maṇḍalasyokteḥ
pratyakṣa—direct; upadeśāt—because of the teaching; na—not; iti—thus; cet—
if; na—not; adhikārika—of great leaders; maṇḍalasya—of the circle; ukteḥ—from
the statement.
Someone may say: "No. It is not so. Because there is a direct teaching," If this is
said, I reply: "No. What you say is not true. Because those texts describe great
leaders."
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Here someone may say, "It is not correct to say that the liberated souls have
no power to create material universes, for many passages of the Śruti-śāstra
directly describe that power." If this is said, then the author of the sūtra replies,
"No. It is not so." Why not? The sūtra explains, “adhikārika-maṇḍalasyokteḥ"
(Because those texts describe great leaders). These texts explain how, by the mercy
of the Supreme Lord, the liberated soul can travel to the planets of the great
demigods, such as that of the four-faced Brahmā, and enjoy many pleasures there.
In this way it is said that the great liberated souls, such as Nārada Muni and the
four Kumāras can travel to the planets of the demigods, and when the do the
demigods there honor them with great respect.
These passages of the Upaniṣad mean in truth that by the Supreme Lord's
mercy the liberated souls can travel to many different worlds and feel pleasure by
seeing the Lord's glories and opulences there. These passages should not be
wrongly interpreted to mean that the individual spirit soul has the power to create
material universes.
Here someone may object: If the liberated soul is thus an enjoyer of various
material pleasures, then he is not different from a conditioned soul, for all material
pleasures must come to an end.
If this is said, then the author of the sūtras gives the following reply.
Sūtra 19

vikārāvarti ca tathā hi sthitim āha
vikāra—the changes of material existence; a—not; varti—existing; ca—and;
tathā—so; hi—because; sthitim—situation; āha—says.
Furthermore it is changeless, for it describes that condition.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
The word "vikāra" here refers to the six kinds of transformation, beginning
with birth, that are present in the material world. These transformations do not
effect the liberated soul. Neither do these transformations affect the supremely
pure Personality of Godhead, his transcendental abode, or anything else that has
transcendental qualities like those of the Supreme Lord. Aware of what is the truth
about all these worlds, the liberated soul may observe them but he does not really
reside in them. The word "hi" in this sūtra means, “because". The true nature of
the liberated soul is described (sthitim āha) in the following words of Kaṭha
Upaniṣad (2.2.1):
puram ekādaśa-dvāram
ajasyāvakra-cetasaḥ
anuṣṭhāya na śocati
vimuktaś ca vimucyate
"Although he resides in the city of eleven gates, the city of the unborn and
pure-hearted Supreme, he does not lament. He is free. He is liberated."
Although his spiritual form seems to be covered, the soul enlightened with
transcendental knowledge is liberated in truth. Although he seems to reside in the
world of the three modes, he is liberated. That is the meaning of this verse. In
these two ways he is liberated. He has directly attained the goal of life. The
covering of material life is like a garland of clouds. It covers the eyes of the
conditioned souls, but it does not cover the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In
Śruti-śāstra it is said:
vilajjamānayā yasya
sthātum īkṣā-pathe 'muyā
vimohita vikantthante
mamāham iti durdhiyaḥ

"The illusory energy of the Lord cannot take precedence, being ashamed of her
position. But those who are bewildered by her always talk nonsense, being
absorbed in thoughts of It is I' and It is mine'."*
Therefore the clouds (of material illusion) can never really cover the sun (of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead).
Here someone may object: The goal of life is to make manifest the true nature
of the individual spirit soul, who is blissful, whose desires are all at once fulfilled,
and who has a host of transcendental virtues. That is enough. Why should one
labor to understand the Supreme Lord also?
If this is said, the author of the sūtras gives the following reply.
Sūtra 20
darśayataś caivaṁ pratyakṣānumāne
darśayataḥ—they show; ca—also; evam—thus; pratyakṣa—direct perception;
anumāne—and logic.
Direct perception and logic both reveal it.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Although he has the transcendental qualities already described, because he is
atomic in size the liberated soul does not, by himself, have bliss that is limitless. It
is when he associates with the Supreme Personality of Godhead that the liberated
soul attains limitless bliss. This is described in Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.7):
rasaṁ hy evāyaṁ labdhvānandī-bhavati
"When one understands the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure,
Kṛṣṇa, he actually becomes transcendentally blissful."*
Also, in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.27), Lord Kṛṣṇa explains:
brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham
amṛtasyāvyayasya ca

śāśvatasya ca dharmasya
sukhasyaikāntikasya ca
"And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal,
imperishable, and eternal, and is the constitutional position of ultimate
happiness."*
This is like a poor man who takes shelter of a rich man and becomes wealthy.
Here someone may object: in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.3) it is said:
nirañjanaḥ paramaṁ sāmyam upaiti
"Freed from matter, the liberated soul becomes equal to the Supreme."
The Śruti-śāstra thus explains that the liberated soul is equal to the Supreme.
What is the use, then, of even using the word, "the Supreme Lord"? The so-called
atomic nature of the individual soul is only a figure of speech. The truth is that the
individual soul is all-pervading.
If this is said, then the author of the sūtras gives the following reply.
Sūtra 21
bhoga-mātra-sāmya-liṅgāc ca
bhoga—enjoyment; mātra—only; sāmya—equality; liṅgāt—by the sign; ca—
also.
Also because of the indication that the equality is only in enjoyment.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
The word "ca" (also) is used here for emphasis. As a frog jumps, so the word
"na" (not) should jump into this sūtra from sūtra 18. In the Taittirīya Upaniśād
(2.1.1) it is said:
so 'śnute sarvān kāmān saha brahmaṇā vipaścitā

॥ श्रीब्रह्मसूत्रम् ॥
॥ चतुर्थोऽध्यायः — चतुर्थः पादः ॥
(पूर्वानुवृत्तिः — सूत्र २१ का भाष्य-उपसंहार)
श्रुति-वचनम्:
"सोऽश्नुते सर्वान् कामान् सह ब्रह्मणा विपश्चितेति।" (तैत्तिरीयोपनिषद् २।१।१)
हिन्दी अनुवाद: "मुक्त जीवात्मा सर्वज्ञ परब्रह्म के साथ समस्त दिव्य आनन्दों का उपभोग करता है।"
भाष्य-विवरणम्:
उपनिषद् का यह कथन कि मुक्त आत्मा भगवान् के तुल्य है, केवल दिव्य आनन्द के भोग के विषय में ही लागू होता है।
स्वरूप अथवा ऐश्वर्य की दृष्टि से मुक्त आत्मा कभी भी परमेश्वर के समान नहीं हो सकता, यही इसका वास्तविक अर्थ है।
यह आक्षेप पूर्व में ही सूत्र २।३।१९ में निरस्त किया जा चुका है।
इस प्रकार यह सिद्ध हुआ कि परमेश्वर और व्यष्टि जीवात्मा की समानता केवल भोग-मात्र में है,
उनके स्वरूप भिन्न हैं और यह भेद सर्वथा नित्य एवं सत्य है।
॥ एकादशम् अनावृत्यधिकरणम् ॥
अधिकरण ११: मुक्तात्मा का पुनः संसार में न लौटना
श्रीमद्बलदेवविद्याभूषणविरचित-गोविन्दभाष्यावतरणिका:
अब यह प्रतिपादित किया जाता है कि मुक्त जीवात्मा नित्य काल तक परम पुरुषोत्तम भगवान् के सान्निध्य में ही निवास करता है।
विषयः: परमेश्वर के परम धाम में मुक्त जीवों के प्रवेश का निरूपण करने वाले समस्त शास्त्र-वचन यहाँ विचार के विषय हैं।
संशयः: क्या मुक्त आत्मा आध्यात्मिक जगत् में नित्य निवास करता है अथवा वहाँ से उसकी कभी पुनरावृत्ति होती है?
पूर्वपक्षः: पूर्वपक्षी का कथन है कि आध्यात्मिक जगत् (भगवद्धाम) भी स्वर्गलोक आदि लोकों के समान ही एक स्थान है।
जैसे स्वर्गलोक से पुण्य क्षीण होने पर जीव का पतन हो जाता है, वैसे ही भगवद्धाम से भी जीव का पतन सम्भव है।
अतः मुक्त आत्मा अनिवार्यतः नित्य काल तक आध्यात्मिक जगत् में स्थित नहीं रहता।
सिद्धान्तः: इस पूर्वपक्ष का निराकरण करते हुए सूत्रकार भगवान् बादरायण अपना अन्तिम सिद्धान्त प्रस्तुत करते हैं—
॥ सूत्रम् २२ ॥
अनावृत्तिः शब्दादनावृत्तिः शब्दात् ॥ ४।४।२२ ॥
पदच्छेदः:
अनावृत्तिः, शब्दात्, अनावृत्तिः, शब्दात्।
सूत्रार्थः:
शास्त्र-प्रमाण (शब्द) के आधार पर मुक्त जीवों की संसार में पुनरावृत्ति नहीं होती; शास्त्र-प्रमाण के आधार पर उनकी पुनरावृत्ति नहीं होती।
(अध्याय तथा शास्त्र की समाप्ति सूचित करने के लिए पद की द्विरुक्ति की गई है।)

an—without; āvṛttiḥ—return; śabdāt—because of bthe scriptures.
No return, because of the scriptures. No return, because of the scriptures.
Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
A devotee who faithfully worships and serves the Supreme Lord and then goes
to the Lord's spiritual world, never returns. How is that known? The sūtra
explains, "śabdāt" (because of the scriptures). In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (4.15.6)
it is said:
etena pratipadyamānā imaṁ mānavam āvartaṁ nāvartante
"They who enter the spiritual world never return to the world of men."
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (4.15.1) it is said:
sa khalv eva vartayan yāvad āyuṣam brahmalokam abhisampadyate. na ca punar
avartate.
"Leaving this life, he enters the spiritual world. He never returns."
In the Bhagavad-gītā (8.15 and 16) Lord Kṛṣṇa declares:
mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ
"After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to
this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the
highest perfection.*
ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino 'rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate
"From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are

places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains
My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again."*
In the Bhagavad-gītā (8.15 and 16) Lord Kṛṣṇa also declares:
Here someone may express the following fear: Lord Hari is all-powerful, the
master of all, perhaps at some point in time He may throw the liberated soul out of
the spiritual world. Or perhaps the liberated soul may at some time voluntarily
leave the spiritual world.
There is no need to fear in this way, for Lord Kṛṣṇa has explained in Bhagavad-
gītā (7.17):
priyo hi jñānino tv artham
ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ
"of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through
devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is very dear to
Me."*
Lord Kṛṣṇa also declares in Śrīma-Bhāgavatam (9.4.68):
sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ
sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham
"The pure devotee is always in the core of My heart, and I am always in the
heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I
do not know anyone else but them."*
In these words the mutual love of the Lord and His devotee is described.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.4.65) Lord Kṛṣṇa declares:
ye dārāgāra-putrāptān
prāṇān vittam imaṁ param
hitvā māṁ śaraṇaṁ yātāḥ
kathaṁ tāṁs tyaktum utsahe
"Since pure devotees give up their homes, wives, children, relatives, riches, and
even their lives simply to serve Me, without any material improvement in this life
or in the next, how can I give up such devotees at any time?"*

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.8.6) it is also said:
dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa-
pāda-mūlaṁ na muñcati
mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ
panthāḥ sva-śaraṇaṁ yathā
"A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by the process
of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, for they fully
satisfy him, as a traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey."*
In this way the scriptures explain that the Supreme Personality of Godhead will
never abandon His devotee and the devotee will always ardently love the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always truthful
and His desires are always at once fulfilled. He is an ocean of love for they who
take shelter of Him. He washes away the ignorance that made His devotees turn
from Him. Once He brings back to Himself His dear devotees, who are His parts
and parcels, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will not again let them go.
In the same way the individual soul, who had been searching for happiness and
who finally has turned from the pathetic, wretched, pale reflection of happiness he
had for many births sought in the material world in many ways, and who now, by
the mercy of the bona-fide spiritual master has understood the truth of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, of whom he is a part and parcel, who now has
no desire apart from the Supreme Lord, who is now purely engaged in devotional
service to the Supreme Lord, and who has now attained the Supreme Lord, whose
spiritual form is filled with limitless bliss, and who is the merciful friend and
master, will never desire to leave such a Lord. In this way the truth is understood
from the scriptures. This truth is understood only by taking shelter of the
scriptures. The words of the sūtra are repeated to indicate the conclusion of the
book.
Epilogue
samuddhṛtya yo duḥkha-paṅkāt sva-bhaktān
nayaty acyutaś cit-sukhe dhāmni nitye
priyān gāḍha-rāgāt tilārdhaṁ vimoktuṁ
na svecchaty asāv eva su-jñair niṣevyaḥ
Let the wise worship and serve Lord Govinda, the infallible Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who lifts his devotees from the mud of material sufferings,
takes them to His eternal and blissful spiritual abode, and out of deep love for
them will not leave them for even half a moment.

śrīmad-govinda-pādā-
ravinda-makaranda-lubdha-cetobhiḥ
govinda-bhāṣyam etat
pāṭhyaṁ śapatho 'rpito 'nyebhyaḥ
Let they whose hearts are greedy to taste the honey of the lotus flower that is
glorious Lord Govinda's feet study this Govinda-bhāṣya. Let a curse fall on the
non-devotees who try to study it.
vidyā-rūpaṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ me pradāya
khyātiṁ ninye tena yo mām udāraḥ
śrī-govindaḥ svapna-nirdiṣṭa-bhāṣyo
rādhā-bandhur bandhurāṅgaṁ sa jīyāt
All glories to graceful and handsome Lord Govinda, who is the dear friend of
Śrī Rādhā, who kindly gave me the name Vidyābhūṣaṇa, and who spoke this
commentary to me in a dream.