Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)

by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words

This page relates ‘Upasya-Upasaka Relationship’ of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.

7.4. Upasya-Upasaka Relationship

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The liberated self (mukta) attains similarity with Parabrahman (and Akṣarabrahman) in terms of His nature and qualities. Although the mukta attains the figure or form like that of Parabrahman, yet as far as the divine qualities are concerned, he attains them like that of Akṣarabrahman. Whatever he possesses, the brahman-qualities cover all stuff.^[1] After acquiring such type of greatness, the mukta seems capable like Parabrahman even though he is distinct from Parabrahman. If there is no oneness between mukta and Parabrahman, then, the question may arise, what kind of relationship occurs between Parabrahman and the muktas?

The Vacanāmṛta also elaborates on this question.

“After all, that devotee of Parabrahman then becomes independent, just like Parabrahman. He also becomes free from the shackles of kāla, kārma, and māyā -just like Parabrahman. Therefore, what difference remains so that the master-servant relationship is maintained? This is my question.” (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/67, pp.525-526)

Svāminārāyaṇa provides here a unique answer that solves this widely discussed question amongst the various philosophers.

He replies:

“When that devotee leaves his body and goes to the abode of Parabrahman, he attains charm and powers based on the extent to which he has realized the majesty of Parabrahman. Despite this, that devotee still feels Parabrahman’s majesty in the form of His powers, charm, etc., to be much greater. He then realizes, ‘Parabrahman has granted me just as many divine powers and as much charm as I had realized in Him. Yet, Parabrahman’s divine powers and charm appear to be totally limitless. Like me, countless others have also attained qualities similar to that of Parabrahman, yet, no one is capable of becoming like Parabrahman.” (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/67, p.526)

This devotional relationship between Parabrahman and the liberated selves is thus referred to as the ‘Svāmi-sevaka sambandha (master-servant relationship) by Svāminārāyaṇa.^[2] In this way, Svāminārāyaṇa acknowledges that the servant-master relationship always remains whether in the abode or on earth.

The SSS bolsters:

nimagnāḥ sahajānande pragāḍhā''nandasevitāḥ |
kurvāṇā brahmabhāvā''ḍhyāṃ tadbhaktiṃ dāsabhāvataḥ || Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 440 ||

“Immersed in Parabrahman, they enjoy profound bliss. They offer devotion to Him with humility and brahmabhāva.”

Though a mukta becomes pure and sinless, he becomes free from faults, vices, and blemishes forever. He becomes free forever from the saṃsāra-the cycles of birth and death. His dharmabhutajnāna (attributive-consciousness) becomes fully expanded, all-pervading, and unobstructed. He becomes omniscient. Whatever he wills, happens. He comes to possess the power of realizing his wish unconditionally, immediately. He acquires the power to freely move about everywhere at his will and can present himself in any form, in any world or abode, without resorting to any means. He becomes the self-ruler and is not ruled by anyone except Parabrahman. Even when he goes to any other brahmānda, he does it by assuming an additional form, with the original form kept intact in the service of Parabrahman in the highest abode.

The Śrutis and Smṛtis also mention the abilities of a mukta:

“yaḥ sarvajñaḥ sarvo bhavati” (Praśna-upaniṣad 4/10)

sa sarvajña sarvamevāviveśa” (Praśna-upaniṣad 4/11) 401

“te sarvagaṃ sarvataḥ prāpya dhīrāḥ yuktātmānaḥ sarvamevāviśanti” (Mundaka-upaniṣad 3/2/5)

“sa sarvavidbhajati māṃ sarvabhāvena bhārata” (Bhagavad-Gītā 15/19)

These texts highlight mukta’ s capacity to become an all-knower and his power to go everywhere, wherever he wishes.

Moreover,

yaṃ yamantamabhikāmo bhavati yaṃ kāmaṃ kāmayate so'sya
saṃkalpādeva samuttiṣṭhati tena sampanno mahīyate || (Chāndogya-upaniṣad XII 8/2/10)

Whatever object the mukta is attached to, whatever object he desires, by his mere will, it comes to him, and having obtained it, he is happy. However, his will is always in consonance with the will of his Lord, he becomes free forever in all respects; nevertheless, he never uses his freedom without the will of Parabrahman. Now he is under the sway and command of his Parabrahman alone. He voluntarily refrains himself from using his freedom because, for him, the enjoyment of the nectarine bliss of the Supreme Lord is the greatest value than anything else. He knows that—“my Master (Parabrahman) is infinitely transcendent to me, and all my freedom, powers, excellence and divinity are due to Him.’ This awareness retains the relationship of ‘servant-master’, ‘bhakta-Bhagavān’, he, therefore, remembers that: I am the servitor of my Lord.”

The Brahmasūtra states:

“yathoktamuktaiśvaryapradarśanaṃ paramātmakṛpālabdhatatsāmarthyasūcanamātrābhiprāyeṇa | vastutastu tadānīṃ tasya brahmarūpeṇa svātmanā paramātmaparamānandaparamadivyānubhūtinimagnatvāt taditarasaṃkalpānavakāśāt tādṛśasāmarthyalābhepi na sa svātantryaेṇa tad viniyukte | na vā tathāvidhaṃ kimapi kāmayate iti |” (Brahmasūtra 4/4/8, p.422)

“Whatever has described the infinitive power which a mukta attains, should be known as the capacity of him. However, the mukta is brahmarūpa, and after attaining Akṣaradhāma he is deeply engrossed in the divine bliss of Parabrahman, there is nothing else in which he wishes to indulge in. Moreover, his all potency depends on Parabrahman; he does not use it freely nor does he wish anything after attaining Parabrahman, because now he is fulfilled in every aspect.”^[3]

The term ‘nitya-mukta’ in its strict sense means eternally free, and it applies only to Brahman (Akṣara) and Parabrahman (Puruṣottama), for they alone are eternally unbound and beyond the three guṇas of māyā-prakṛti. This further implies that the term ‘mukta’ applies to those jīvas/ īśvaras who were once bound, and have achieved emancipation through proper efforts. Both Brahman and Parabrahman are from eternity beyond māyā-prakṛti and its three guṇas. Thus, they are ever pure, unbound, and free. Both are eternally free, omniscient, immanent, and supporters of a multitude of universes (brahmāndas).^[4]

Akṣarabrahman differs from liberated selves because his knowledge of Parabrahman is eternally expanded without any obscuration whatsoever. His knowledge of Parabrahman was never in a contracted state. It has always been in an expanded state and shall be so forever.^[5] Parabrahman, Akṣara-brahman, and muktas (released souls) have resemblance in terms of similarity of forms (samāna-vigraha), the resemblance in terms of being transcendent to māyā-prakṛti, the resemblance in terms of autonomy or ability to freely move about (incarnate) in any world, the resemblance in terms of being untouched and unbound by the limitations of the worldly existence.^[6]

As far as the difference is concerned, between mukta and Akṣara-Puruṣottama, in dyubhvaadhikāraṇa (Brahmasūtras 1/3/7) and (Chāndogya-upaniṣad XII 7/24/1), the joy and happiness arising in the experience of the Supreme Infinite are described as an experience of supreme bliss par excellence. In the ' Ānāndamāyādhikaraṇa' (Brahmasūtras 1/1/13-20), we find the strong and categorical pronouncement of the identity and difference in terms of ānanda between jīva and Parabrahman. The study of Vacanāmṛta sār.17, kār.10, Gadh. 2/31, Loyā. 15, Gadh. 3/38 helps in bringing out the distinction between Parabrahman and muktas together with the transcendence of Akṣara-Puruṣottama. A mukta jīva has acquired perfection by the grace of infinitely perfect Lord. The Lord is such an ocean of infinite perfection that even when an infinite number of jīvas acquire perfection through Him, His perfection does not diminish even by the least. Therefore, even if all mukta-jīvas are put together, they cannot exhaust the transcendence of Parabrahman even by an infinitesimal portion.

True, mukta-jīvas acquire similarity (sādharmya/ sāmya) with Akṣara-Puruṣottama and consequently acquire nature, qualities, majesty, and freedom like him. However, they never acquire Parabrahman’s qualities of transcendence as described in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6/16. The supreme powers of sarvāntaryāmitva, sarvasākṣitva, sarvaniyāmakatva, sarva dhārakatva, sarva-vyāpakatva, sarvatantra-svatantratva, (esp., and anyathākartum-Śakti) exclusively rest with Akṣara-Puruṣottama. They are the foundational qualities of Akṣara-Puruṣottama’s transcendence.

It should be noted that even Akṣarabrahman is a permanent upasaka or servant of Parabrahman.^[7] So do the mukta-jīvas, despite being similar in appearance to Parabrahman, they are the servant devotees, while Parabrahman (Puruṣottama) is their master and the supreme object of devotion. All mukta-jīvas, though resemble in terms of nature, form, and qualities with Parabrahman; they differ from Him immeasurably in terms of shine, luster, powers and glory. This is the basis of ‘sevakasvāmi’, ‘dāsa-dāsya’, ‘upasaka-upāsya’ relationship.

The liberated selves (mukta-jīvas) resemble one another in terms of their equality of status, qualities, and majesty. They differ from Akṣarabrahman, who is the supreme devotee and supports an infinite number of universes from eternity. The distinction between the muktas and the Lord is significantly very great because muktas are many; while their Lord is one; and they are His worshippers while He is the worshipped. Allegorically speaking, the shine, luster, and glory of all muktas taken together can hardly match an infinitesimal portion of a body-hair of Akṣarapuruṣottama; even though muktas do not maintain upasaka-upasyabhāva with Akṣarabrahman, instead they maintain this relationship with Parabrahman only.^[8]

That is why the Bhāṣyakāra states:

“ato muktāvapi sevyasevakabhāvo nocchidyate iti rahasyaṃ vijñāpayitukāma iha sūtrakāraḥ” (Brahmasūtra 3/3/25, p.331)

“Thus, even in the state of mukti, the relation of sevya sevaka never subsides, this is all explained by the author of the Brahmasūtra.”

In this way, despite the mukti avasthā, the master-servant relationship never subsides between Parabrahman and mukta. It means the mukta remains upasaka and Parabrahman upasaka forever. This is the secret of the scriptures.