[Advaita-l] Eternal Loka

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sun, Jul 21, 2013 at 9:18 PM, Rajaram Venkataramani <
rajaramvenk at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hare Krishna.
>
> *1. smrti and bhashya evidence that vaikuntha is eternal:*
> grīvāyāḿ janaloko 'sya tapolokaḥ stana-dvayāt mūrdhabhiḥ satyalokas tu
> brahmalokaḥ *sanātanah* (SBh 2.5.39) Sridhara comments for this verse
> that Vaikuntha is eternal. Kadalangudi Natesa Sastrigal, who belongs to
> advaita sampradaya, also translates it into Tamil as nityamana vaikuntamum
> (eternal vaikunta).
>

Dear Rajaram,

The above verse comes with the previous verse where the enumeration of
seven loka-s that are familiar to us in our daily sandhyAvandanam (bhU,
bhuva, suva, maha, jana, tapa and satya) for upasana purpose, as per
Sridhara swamin.  The One that transcends these created seven is called
'brahma lokaH' which Sridhara comments as vaikunThaH.  This 'loka' is
eternal and does not come within the created one.

Now, let us see two more popular usages of this term 'brahmalokaH':

In the Kathopanishad we have in 1.2.17:

EtadEvAlambanaM shrEShTham.....brahmalokE mahIyatE

bhAShyam:  jnAtvA brahmalokE mahIyatE parasmin brahmaNi. aparasmin cha
brahmabhUtaH brahmavadupAsyo bhavati ityarthaH.

Sw.Gambhirananda: The idea is this:  Getting identified with the Supreme
Brahman or the inferior Brahman (as a result of meditation), he becomes
adorable like Brahman.

There itself in 1.3.16:

nAchiketamupAkhyAnam.....brahmalokE mahIyatE

Here the shankara bhashyam is: brahmaiva loko brahmalokaH..aatmabhUtaH
upAsyo bhavati ityarthaH.  Sw.Gambhirananda:  he becomes adorable by
becoming identified with Brahman, in the region of Brahman that is
identical with Brahman Itself.


There is yet another popular usage:

The Br.up.4.3.33:

...sa Eko brahmaloka AnandaH.....ESha Eva parama AnandaH ESha  brahmalokaH
samrADiti ...

Here the bhashyam identifies the first usage of brahmaloka as hiraNyagarbha
loka.  The second usage is Parabrahman, though the bhashyam does not
mention it since the context is the calculus of bliss in various loka-s and
the infinite bliss being Brahman Itself.  Sw.Madhvananda translates: //
'This is the state of brahman, O Emperor', said Yajnavalkya. // Here too,
one can see the meaning as: brahmaiva lokaH brahmalokaH in line with the
Kathopanishad / bhashyam usages.

Thus, Sridharaswamin's comment for the term brahmalokaH as vaikunTha and as
something outside the purview of created worlds, and therefore eternal, is
quite in tune with the upaniShadic usage of the term brahmaloka in the
context of the Ultimate Reality, Brahman, and shankara's commentary of this
term.  In the bhAgavatam verse, the satyaloka could be equated with the
brahmaloka (apara brahma loka/hiranyagarbha loka) of the upanishad.

[Since I could not access the font converter, I am presenting the
bhagavatam verses and the sridharI commentary as it is.  But one familiar
with  Sanskrit can make out the words here.]

>
>
*|| 2.5.38 || *

* *

bhür-lokaù[1] <#1401555e58fc34c4__ftn1> kalpitaù padbhyäà
bhuvar-loko[2]<#1401555e58fc34c4__ftn2>‘sya
näbhitaù |

hådä svarloka urasä maharloko mahätmanaù ||

* *

*çridharäh, viçvanäthaù :* idäném upäsanärthaà loka-kalpanä-bhedän darçayan
sapta-loka-pakñam äha dväbhyäm | bhür-lokaù pätälam ärabhya | padbhyäà
kaöi-paryantäbhyäm ||38||

* *

*krama-sandarbhaù : **na vyäkhyätam.**
*





*|| 2.5.39 || *

* *

gréväyäà janaloko’sya tapolokaù stana-dvayät |

mürdhabhiù satyalokas tu brahmalokaù sanätanaù ||

* *

*çrédharaù : *stana-dvayäd ity upäsanärthatväd ürdhvädho-bhäga-vaiparétyaà
na doñäù | yad vä, stanac-chabdaà kurvad yad oñöha-dvayaà tasmäd ity arthaù
| brahma-loko[3] <#1401555e58fc34c4__ftn3> vaikuëöhäkhyaù, sanätano nityaù,
na tu såjya-prapaïcäntarvartéty arthaù ||39||

* *
------------------------------
[3] <#1401555e58fc34c4__ftnref3> ayaà ca satya-lokas tad-uparitanaù saptama
ity arthaù |



> *2. smrti evidence that there is no fear in vaikuntha:*
> ātapatraḿ tu vaikuṇṭhaḿ dvijā *dhāmākuto-bhayam *tri-vṛd vedaḥ
> suparṇākhyo (SBh 12.11.19).
>

Here is the verse/commentary:

*||** 12.11.**19 ||*

* *

ätapatraà tu vaikuëöhaà dvijä dhämäkuto-bhayam |

tri-våd vedaù suparëäkhyo yajïaà vahati puruñam ||



*çrédharaù : *he dvijäù | eka-vacanänto vä päöhaù | akuto-bhayaà kaivalyaà
dhäma gåham abhajat | yad vä, vaikuëöhasya viçeñaëam akuto-bhayaà yad
dhämeti | tri-våt åg-yajuù-säma-rüpo vedaù, suparëo’si garutmäàs tri-våtte
çiraù ity ädi mantra-liìgät | yajïaà yajïa-rüpaà puruñam, yajïo vai
viñëuùiti çruteù ||19||


Here The Lord is Himself called vaikunThaH who is Fearless [That is, there
is no source from where fear can be for the Lord].  The alternative meaning
is: the loka itself is called by that epithet of fearlessness.


In any case, the meaning is not incompatible with popular meaning of
Brahman as we have seen from the Katha, Br.up. and the bhashyam/s.


Further, it will be interesting to see what kind of mukti did Parikshit get:
SB 12.5.11-12
 *ahaṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
brahmāhaṁ paramaṁ padam
evaṁ samīkṣya cātmānam
ātmany ādhāya niṣkale*
*daśantaṁ takṣakaṁ pāde
lelihānaṁ viṣānanaiḥ
na drakṣyasi śarīraṁ ca
viśvaṁ ca pṛthag ātmanaḥ*
 Translation:
You should consider, “I am nondifferent from the Absolute Truth, the
supreme abode, and that Absolute Truth, the supreme destination, is
nondifferent from me.” Thus resigning yourself to the Supreme Soul, who is
free from all material misidentifications, you will not even notice the
snake-bird Takṣaka when he approaches with his poison-filled fangs and
bites your foot. Nor will you see your dying body or the material world
around you, because you will have realized yourself to be separate from
them.

Sridharaswamin:

*çrédharaù : *vimarça-prakäraà darçayaàs takñakädarçanaà darçayati
dväbhyäm, yo’haà sa brahmaiva, yad brahma tad aham eveti samékñan |
taträhaà brahmeti bhävanayä jévasya çokädi-nivåttiù | brahmäham iti
bhävanayä ca brahmaëaù pärokñya-nivåttir bhavatéti vyatihäro darçitaù |
niñkale nirupädhau | ätmani brahmaëi ||11||**

* *

viña-yuktair änanair daçantaà grasantaà takñakam | lelihänaà sarpam |
yadvä, lelihänaà jihväbhir oñöha-präntän saniñpeñam äsvädayantam | ätmanaù
påthak ||12||
[The Advaitic mokSha / Jnanam teaching is given out to Parikshit]

These verses, describing Parikshit's mukti jnanam and state and Sridhara's
comments are also relevant:

*|| 12.6.5 ||*



bhagavaàs takñakädibhyo måtyubhyo na bibhemy aham |

praviñöo brahma nirväëam abhayaà darçitaà tvayä ||



*çrédharaù : *“siddho’smi” ity uktaà tad eväviñkaroti—bhagavann iti | yatas
tvayä darçitaà brahma praviñöaù | kathaà bhütam ? abhayam, yato nirvaëaà
kaivalya-rüpam ||5||



*|| 12.6.6 ||*

* *

anujänéhi mäà brahman väcaà yacchämy adhokñaje |

mukta-kämäçayaà cetaù praveçya visåjämy asün ||



*çrédharaù : *“kià bhüyaù çrotum icchasi” iti yad uktam, tatra siddho’haà
na kiïcic chrotum icchämi | kevalam anujïäà dehéty äha—anujänéhéti | väcam
ity upalakñaëaà sarvendriyäëäm | väcaà niyamya kià kariñyasi ?tad
äha—muktäù kämäçayäs tad väsanä yena tac ceto’dhokñaje praveçyäsün visåjämi
||6||



*|| 12.6.7 ||*



ajïänaà na nirastaà me jïäna-vijïäna-niñöhayä |

bhavatä darçitaà kñemaà paraà bhagavato padam ||



*çrédharaù : *nanu kià präëa-tyägena ? kiïcit kälaà jïäna-niñöho bhava, iti
cet taträha—ajïänaà ceti | ca-kärät tat-saàskäraç ca tac ca
tvat-kåpayaivety äha—bhavateti ||7||




 || 12.6.9 ||



parékñid api räjarñir ätmany ätmänam ätmanä |

samädhäya paraà dadhyäv aspandäsur yathä taruù ||



*çrédharaù : *ätmanä buddhyä | ätmänaà mana ätmani pratyak prakäçe
samädhäya paramätmänaà dadhyau | aspandäsuù léna-präëaù | yathä taruù
sthäëuù ||9||


|| 12.6.11 ||



takñakaù prahito vipräù kruddhena dvija-sünunä |

hantu-kämo nåpaà gacchan dadarça pathi kaçyapam ||



*çrédharaù : *tad evaà brahma-bhüte tasmiàs takñakägamanädikaà
piñöa-peñaëam iväbhavad iti darçayati—takñaka iti tribhiù | he vipräù ||11||


brahma-bhütasya räjarñer deho’hi-garalägninä |

babhüva bhasma-sät sadyaù paçyatäà sarva-dehinäm ||



*çrédharaù : *tac ca putra-kåtyam iva jätam ity äha—brahma-bhütasyeti ||13||


The above highlighted word appears in the Bh.Gita 5.24 and 18.54 and
Shankara comments at both places as the Advaita jnanam/mukti/jivan mukti.
The word 'brahmanirvANam' too appears in the cited Bh.Verse and in the BG
verse.  'abhayam', fearlessness, too appears in the Parikshit-specific
verse.  All these are undoubtedly in tune with the popular shAnkaran
advaitic commentaries/concepts.  Thus, in conclusion we can undoubtedly
say: vaikunTha is the Advaitic mukti of non-difference, kaivalya (a word
appearing in the above bhagavatam verse).  Its loka-epithet is also not the
literal world but the figurative expression.  That VaikunTha is Brahman is
also shown in the analysis above.  For the word 'loka' there are two
explanations, vyutpatti-s: lokyate iti lokaH = that which is observed is
lokaH.  lokyate anEna iti lokaH = that BY WHICH everything else is seen is
LokaH.  The former will refer to an object/inert entity and will apply to
all the seven loka-s.  The latter alone will be the subject, the observer,
jnanam, brahman.  If the vaikuntha loka is taken as a kind of real world
where there are a number of people engaged in a variety of activity,
somewhat like the svarga/indra loka, then that comes in the first
explanation and is undoubtedly not the advaitic moksha state.  That loka
will have to be categorized along with the hiranyagarbha loka as Appayya
Dikshita has pointed out: the very same brahmaloka will be seen by the
vishnu upasaka as vishnu loka and shiva upasaka as shiva loka.


There is also a relative eternality, amRtatvam, admitted in the
Kathopanishat: 1.1.13 and 14, etc where the agnividyA is sought and given.
See the commentaries there and a few other following mantras.



> In "mutthi neri", Sringeri Periyva talks about fear due to duality in the
> world of gods. Such fear is denied in Vaikuntha, the world of Vishnu.
>

This is admissible in the Appayya Dikshita scheme where the residents are
of extremely pure nature and no fear from asura-s or internal threats will
not be there.  In fact in the Katha itself Nachiketas says: in svarga
(itself) the fear of Yama is not there!!
[I have not revised the above write-up.  Pl. pardon any spelling and
grammar errors.]

Warm regards
subrahmanian.v

>
> There is definitely a difference between Indraloka (temporary) and
> Vaikuntha (permanent).
>
>
>