Imperfection in Vaikuntha is Mayavada.

[Guest guest]

Imperfection in Vaikuntha is Mayavada.

 

It is stated explicitly that the spiritual world is a manifestation of

the Lord's internal pleasure potency, svarupa-sakti, the Lord's most

powerful potency. "Whereas the material energy is conducted by the

external potency, maya, the spiritual world is conducted by the internal

potency, Radharani." (Elevation to KC, Ch. 5) And the residents thereof

are firmly situated under the protection of that internal

potency-antatanga-sakti-vilasanugrhita. (Bhagavat-sandarbha 78) This is

also stated in Bhagavad-gita 9.13, daivim prakrtim asritah, that great

souls are under the protection of the Lord's divine potency. Sri Jiva

shows in Bhagavat-sandarbha 75-78 that the Lord's associates are within

His own svarupa. They are all suddha-sattva in nature-tripadvibhuter

lokastu asankhyah parikirttitah suddha-sattva-maya sarve

brahmananda-sukhahvayah. Thus, to argue that His eternal associates fall

implies that the Lord Himself can fall down. Srila Prabhupada states,

"It is a most ludicrous argument to say that the Supreme Lord is

overpowered by His own material energy." (Bhag. 3.7.9, purp.)

 

This is the conception of the impersonalists who think that a portion of

the Lord's svarupa sakti, the Lord's most powerful sakti, can be covered

by maya. Srila Sanatana Goswami states in Brhad-bhag. 2.4.183, saktya

sampaditam yat tu sthiram satyam ca drsyate, that all the manifestations

of the internal potency are stable and real-once one attains bhakti, it

becomes part of the devotees essential nature and cannot be destroyed or

reduced.

 

The suddha-sattva spiritual body of the eternally liberated devotee,

which is composed of pure spiritual energy, must transform and become

covered by matter in the form of a new subtle and gross body, if a

nitya-parsada is to fall to the material world. This is again the

philosophy of Mayavada. The following quote supports this:

 

When one goes to a transcendental planet, it is necessary to change both

the finer and gross bodies, for one has to reach the spiritual sky

completely in a spiritual form. (Cc. Adi-lila 5.22, purp.)

 

Jiva Gosvami in Krsna-sandarbha, texts 117-152, explains the eternal

nature of the Lord's associates. Here the glories of the Lord's internal

potency and it's infallible nature are revealed in detail. In view of

these conclusive statements of Jiva Goswami it is clear that to even

imply that the maya-sakti could have any influence whatsoever on a

resident of Vaikuntha is tantamount to saying that the internal potency

is fallible. This is the philosophy of the Mayavadis, that maya can

cover brahman. Actually, it is worse than Mayavada for it suggests that

not only brahman but Parabrahman may be covered by maya.

 

Sri Jiva states further,

 

The Yadavas and Vrajavasis are His eternal associates. (Krsna-sandarbha,

text 153)

 

And in his commentary on Bhag. 3.7.37 Sri Jiva writes,

 

By this verse only, the eternality of the Lord's associates is conveyed.

 

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura:

 

This verse aims at explaining that the associates of the Lord, devotion

to the Lord, and the planet of the Lord are all eternal. (Commentary on

Bhag. 3.7.37)

 

Avidya, which is anadi, is situated on the backside of the Lord and has

the nature of ignorance. She covers the knowledge of the jivas who are

situated on the backside of the Lord and are non-devotees. Their

non-devotion is anadi. There is no real reason or purpose for their

knowledge being covered. (Bhag. 3.7.10 commentary)

 

It is stated in Bhag. 2.5.13 that maya never appears in front of the

Lord, therefore it is apparent that those who are situated on the front

side of the Lord, the pure devotees, are never effected by maya.

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:

 

In Cit-jagat there is no ignorance whatsoever of free souls whereas in

Mayik Jagat, mayik impressions of fallen fettered souls are always

obscured with intervening materials. (Sri Caitanya's Teachings-Part II,

Chapter One, p. 390-1)

 

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

The Brahma-samhita describes this supreme abode as ananda-cinmaya-rasa,

a place where everything is full of spiritual bliss . . . nothing there

is material . . . the manifestation there is totally of the spiritual

energy. (Bg. 8.22, purp.)

 

Are we to suggest that the Lord's internal potency is fallible and

imperfect? Many references attest to the invincibility of the Lord's

internal potency-that the superior energy of the Lord (svarupa-sakti)

can be overwhelmed by the inferior energy of the Lord (maya-sakti) is

not supported anywhere by sastra or by any acaryas. Yet even

disregarding the direct statement of the Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.10, that

maya cannot enter the spiritual world, this theory that all jivas in the

material world come by falldown from the spiritual world requires that

the eternal associates of Krsna be influenced by maya in order for them

to become illusioned. For "the living entity cannot be forgetful of his

real identity unless influenced by the avidya potency." (Bhag. 3.7.5,

purp.)

 

Those who adhere to the philosophy of Sankaracarya state that all the

creations are maya and are therefore false, so when we allow an

imperfection to enter into our description of the spiritual world, we

are wide open for the impersonalists to simply state, that yes, you

admit imperfection in your spiritual world; it is just like the material

world, all false. Certainly it is considered an imperfection of the

spiritual world that one firmly situated under the personal protection

of the divine internal potency of the Lord and ecstatically engaged in

the Lord's loving transcendental service can fall from that.

Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com