śakti-traya-jñāna -Understanding 3 shaktis

[Guruvani]

This topic will explore the matter of understanding shakti-jnana.

Without proper shakti-jnana all sorts of fairytales and myths sprout up due to ignorance of shakti-jnana.

 

 

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 2.96

 

kṛṣṇera svarūpa, āra śakti-traya-jñāna

yāńra haya, tāńra nāhi kṛṣṇete ajñāna

 

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇera — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; sva-rūpa — the real nature; āra — and; śakti-traya — of the three energies; jñāna — knowledge; yāńra — whose; haya — there is; tāńra — of him; nāhi — there is not; kṛṣṇete — in Lord Kṛṣṇa; ajñāna — ignorance.

 

 

TRANSLATION

"One who knows the real feature of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His three different energies cannot remain ignorant about Him.

 

 

PURPORT

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states in his Bhagavat-sandarbha (16) that by His potencies, which act in natural sequences beyond the scope of the speculative human mind, the Supreme Transcendence, the summum bonum, eternally and simultaneously exists in four transcendental features: His personality, His impersonal effulgence, particles of His potency (the living beings), and the principal cause of all causes. The Supreme Whole is compared to the sun, which also exists in four features, namely the personality of the sun-god, the glare of his glowing sphere, the sun rays inside the sun planet, and the sun's reflections in many other objects. The ambition to corroborate the existence of the transcendental Absolute Truth by limited conjectural endeavors cannot be fulfilled, because He is beyond the scope of our limited speculative minds. In an honest search for truth, we must admit that His powers are inconceivable to our tiny brains. The exploration of space has demanded the work of the greatest scientists of the world, yet there are countless problems regarding even fundamental knowledge of the material creation that bewilder scientists who confront them. Such material knowledge is far removed from the spiritual nature, and therefore the acts and arrangements of the Absolute Truth are, beyond all doubts, inconceivable.

The primary potencies of the Absolute Truth are mentioned to be three: internal, external and marginal. By the acts of His internal potency, the Personality of Godhead in His original form exhibits the spiritual cosmic manifestations known as the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, which exist eternally, even after the destruction of the material cosmic manifestation. By His marginal potency the Lord expands Himself as living beings who are part of Him, just as the sun distributes its rays in all directions. By His external potency the Lord manifests the material creation, just as the sun with its rays creates fog. The material creation is but a perverse reflection of the eternal Vaikuṇṭha nature.

These three energies of the Absolute Truth are also described in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, where it is said that the living being is equal in quality to the internal potency, whereas the external potency is indirectly controlled by the chief cause of all causes. Māyā, the illusory energy, misleads a living being as fog misleads a pedestrian by blocking off the light of the sun. Although the potency of māyā is inferior in quality to the marginal potency, which consists of the living beings, who are part and parcel of the Lord, it nevertheless has the power to control the living beings, just as fog can block the actions of a certain portion of the sun's rays although it cannot cover the sun. The living beings covered by the illusory energy evolve in different species of life, with bodies ranging from that of an insignificant ant to that of Brahmā, the constructor of the cosmos. The pradhāna, the chief cause of all causes in the impersonal vision, is none other than the Supreme Lord, whom one can see face to face in the internal potency. He takes the material all-pervasive form by His inconceivable power. Although all three potencies — namely internal, external and marginal — are essentially one in the ultimate issue, they are different in action, like electric energy, which can produce both cold and heat under different conditions. The external and marginal potencies are so called under various conditions, but in the original, internal potencies there are no such conditions, nor is it possible for the conditions of the external potency to exist in the marginal, or vice versa. One who is able to understand the intricacies of all these energies of the Supreme Lord can no longer remain an empiric impersonalist under the influence of a poor fund of knowledge.

 

[Guruvani]

 

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 4.69

 

mahābhāva-svarūpā śrī-rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī

sarva-guṇa-khani kṛṣṇa-kāntā-śiromaṇi

 

SYNONYMS

mahā-bhāva — of mahābhāva; svarūpā — the form; śrī-rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī — Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; sarva-guṇa — of all good qualities; khani — mine; kṛṣṇa-kāntā — of the lovers of Lord Kṛṣṇa; śiromaṇi — crown jewel.

 

 

TRANSLATION

Śrī Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī is the embodiment of mahābhāva. She is the repository of all good qualities and the crest jewel among all the lovely consorts of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

 

 

PURPORT

The unadulterated action of the hlādinī-śakti is displayed in the dealings of the damsels of Vraja and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is the topmost participant in that transcendental group. The essence of the hlādinī-śakti is love of Godhead, the essence of love of Godhead is bhāva, or transcendental sentiment, and the highest pitch of that bhāva is called mahābhāva. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the personified embodiment of these three aspects of transcendental consciousness. She is therefore the highest principle in love of Godhead and is the supreme lovable object of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

 

[Guruvani]

Radharani is the personified hladini-shakti. All the gopis are extensions of Radha.

They are not jivas.

 

 

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 4.71

 

kṛṣṇa-prema-bhāvita yāńra cittendriya-kāya

kṛṣṇa-nija-śakti rādhā krīḍāra sahāya

 

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇa-prema — love for Lord Kṛṣṇa; bhāvita — steeped in; yāńra — whose; citta — mind; indriya — senses; kāya — body; kṛṣṇa — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; nija-śakti — His own energy; rādhā — Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; krīḍāra — of pastimes; sahāya — companion.

 

 

TRANSLATION

Her mind, senses and body are steeped in love for Kṛṣṇa. She is Kṛṣṇa's own energy, and She helps Him in His pastimes.

 

 

PURPORT

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is as fully spiritual as Kṛṣṇa. No one should consider Her to be material. She is definitely not like the conditioned souls, who have material bodies, gross and subtle, covered by material senses. She is all-spiritual, and both Her body and Her mind are of the same spiritual embodiment. Because Her body is spiritual, Her senses are also spiritual. Thus Her body, mind and senses fully shine in love of Kṛṣṇa. She is the personified hlādinī-śakti (the pleasure-giving energy of the Lord's internal potency), and therefore She is the only source of enjoyment for Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa cannot enjoy anything that is internally different from Him. Therefore Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa are identical. The sandhinī portion of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's internal potency has manifested the all-attractive form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and the same internal potency, in the hlādinī feature, has presented Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is the attraction for the all-attractive. No one can match Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in the transcendental pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

 

[Guruvani]

 

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 4.72

 

ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis

tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ

goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto

govindam ādi-puruṣaḿ tam ahaḿ bhajāmi

 

SYNONYMS

ānanda — bliss; cit — and knowledge; maya — consisting of; rasa — mellows; prati — at every second; bhāvitābhiḥ — who are engrossed with; tābhiḥ — with those; yaḥ — who; eva — certainly; nija-rūpatayā — with His own form; kalābhiḥ — who are parts of portions of His pleasure potency; goloke — in Goloka Vṛndāvana; eva — certainly; nivasati — resides; akhila-ātma — as the soul of all; bhūtaḥ — who exists; govindam — Lord Govinda; ādi-puruṣam — the original personality; tam — Him; aham — I; bhajāmi — worship.

 

 

TRANSLATION

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who resides in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who embodies the ecstatic potency [hlādinī]. Their companions are Her confidantes, who embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are imbued and permeated with ever-blissful spiritual rasa."

 

 

PURPORT

This text is from the Brahma-saḿhitā (5.37).

 

 

[Guruvani]

Shakti-jnana is actually imperitive if we hope to remove ignorance about Lord Krishna.

Some people say "we don't need any detailed discussion or investigation into origins".

 

But, without seperately exploring the "orgins" issue, the understanding of shakti-jnana will remove all the myths and fairytales that are sometimes attached to the "origins" issue.

 

Shakti-jnana is important for understanding Krishna.

 

 

Quote:

<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(102, 102, 102); padding-left: 3ex; padding-right: 3ex;" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"> Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 2.96

 

kṛṣṇera svarūpa, āra śakti-traya-jñāna

yāńra haya, tāńra nāhi kṛṣṇete ajñāna

 

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇera — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; sva-rūpa — the real nature; āra — and; śakti-traya — of the three energies; jñāna — knowledge; yāńra — whose; haya — there is; tāńra — of him; nāhi — there is not; kṛṣṇete — in Lord Kṛṣṇa; ajñāna — ignorance.

 

 

TRANSLATION

"One who knows the real feature of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His three different energies cannot remain ignorant about Him.</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Guruvani]

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 2.96 purport,

 

 

Although all three potencies — namely internal, external and marginal — are essentially one in the ultimate issue, they are different in action, like electric energy, which can produce both cold and heat under different conditions. The external and marginal potencies are so called under various conditions, but in the original, internal potencies there are no such conditions, nor is it possible for the conditions of the external potency to exist in the marginal, or vice versa.

 

 

These three energies of the Absolute Truth are also described in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, where it is said that the living being is equal in quality to the internal potency,

 

So, the jiva is actually equal in quality to the internal potency.

But, when the living entity is in the marginal position he is not acquainted with his nature as internal potency.

When the jiva become invlolved in the activities of the internal potency, then the jiva becomes internal potency and loses it's marginal status.

 

There is no marginal plane or potency in Goloka.

 

Marginal potency only refers to conditioned living beings who are out of touch with the function of the internal potency which is to serve and love Krishna.

 

The devotess and associates of Krishna in Vrindavan are NOT marginal potency.

Never have been and never will be.

[Guruvani]

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 2.96 purport,

 

 

The external and marginal potencies are so called under various conditions, but in the original, internal potencies there are no such conditions, nor is it possible for the conditions of the external potency to exist in the marginal, or vice versa.

Does anybody understand this basic point of siddhanta that marginal and external potency are only called as such due to certain conditions and that those conditions do not exist in Goloka?

 

It is preposterous and just downright ignorant to say that there is a marginal or external energy in Goloka.

[sevabhakta]

The kicker is that most people who argue in favor of the fairy tale were properly educated as to the meaning of the word marginal, yet conveniently consider the word loses its meaning.

 

Others it seems consider that possessing free will automatically indicates a marginal position. However according to the simple definition of the word "marginal", there is no correlation.

 

Service in Goloka Vrndavana and Vaikunthaloka is Full. There is no marginal service position. Everything is experienced in fullness.

 

"Oh, playing with the cowherd boys was kind of monotonous yesterday, and Krsna is not all he cracks himself up to be. I wonder what Maya is doing today. I wonder if she has the same phone number..."

 

Please

[Guruvani]

 

The kicker is that most people who argue in favor of the fairy tale were properly educated as to the meaning of the word marginal, yet conveniently consider the word loses its meaning.

 

Others it seems consider that possessing free will automatically indicates a marginal position. However according to the simple definition of the word "marginal", there is no correlation.

 

Service in Goloka Vrndavana and Vaikunthaloka is Full. There is no marginal service position. Everything is experienced in fullness.

 

"Oh, playing with the cowherd boys was kind of monotonous yesterday, and Krsna is not all he cracks himself up to be. I wonder what Maya is doing today. I wonder if she has the same phone number..."

 

Please

Good point.

 

Does Radha not have free will?

Did Krishna take away her free will?

Does not Subal, Sudhama and Sridham Sakha not have free will?

Do they ever misuse it?

Or, do they use free will in love for Krishna to serve him in spontaneous ways according to their free will?

 

Free will can be perfected.

Free will doesn't mean that doubts and hesitation are always there in the hearts of Krishna's pure devotees.

 

When free will is perfected, the pure devotee only uses that free will to choose in what way he will spontaneously serve Krishna in endless novel ways.

 

The concept that free will is an eternal risk of falling down is just wrong.

There is NO chance that a pure devotee of Krishna can neglect him or reject him at any time in eternal existance.

 

Otherwise, what is the meaning of perfection?

Otherwise, there is no meaning to perfection in devotional service.

[sevabhakta]

Amen. I mean, Hari Bol!!

 

Srila Prabhupada said that the option to neglect Krsna according to free will is always present in the Spiritual World, but once one is fixed in loving service they NEVER choose that way.

 

SB 2.2.31 purport: "But any devotee who enters the kingdom of God by transcendental engagement of his senses in devotional service, and who associates with the liberated souls and the Personality of Godhead there, will never be attracted to the limited surroundings of the material world."

 

SB 4.7.29 purport: "Now he says that because his mind is fixed on the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, Visnu, he is no longer disturbed by the ordinary critics of his way of life. From this statement by Lord Siva it is understood that as long as one is on the material platform one is affected by the three modes of material nature. As soon as one is in Krsna consciousness, however, one is no longer affected by such material activities. One should therefore always be fixed in Krsna consciousness, busy in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. It is guaranteed that such a devotee will never be affected by the actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature."

 

70-04-25. Letter: Jagadisa

Regarding your questions about how and from where did the conditioned souls fall, your first question if someone has a relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka, does he ever fall down? THE SOULS ARE ENDOWED WITH MINUTE INDEPENDENCE AS PART OF THEIR NATURE AND THIS MINUTE INDEPENDENCE MAY BE UTILIZED RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY AT ANY TIME, SO THERE IS ALWAYS THE CHANCE OF FALLING DOWN BY MISUSE OF ONE'S INDEPENDENCE. BUT THOSE WHO ARE FIRMLY FIXED UP IN DEVOTIONAL SERVICE TO KRSNA ARE MAKING PROPER USE OF THEIR INDEPENDENCE AND SO THEY DO NOT FALL DOWN.

[Guruvani]

 

 

70-04-25. Letter: Jagadisa

Regarding your questions about how and from where did the conditioned souls fall, your first question if someone has a relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka, does he ever fall down? THE SOULS ARE ENDOWED WITH MINUTE INDEPENDENCE AS PART OF THEIR NATURE AND THIS MINUTE INDEPENDENCE MAY BE UTILIZED RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY AT ANY TIME, SO THERE IS ALWAYS THE CHANCE OF FALLING DOWN BY MISUSE OF ONE'S INDEPENDENCE. BUT THOSE WHO ARE FIRMLY FIXED UP IN DEVOTIONAL SERVICE TO KRSNA ARE MAKING PROPER USE OF THEIR INDEPENDENCE AND SO THEY DO NOT FALL DOWN.

Despite numerous such quotes and statements from shastra and the acharyas, the "fall-from-goloka" theorists keep saying that in fact these pure devotees of Krishna do abuse their minute free will and choose to give up Krishna for maya which is nowhere to be seen or found even in the imagination of the Vrajavasis.

 

They could potentially misuse their free will.

That is the meaning of love.

Love means choosing to serve Krishna.

 

But, free will doesn't necessitate that a pure devotee could potentially abuse that free will and leave service to Krishna.

 

Would Bill Gates ever give up his wealth and fortune to become a homeless beggar in the street?

No!

 

Neither would any pure devotee of Krishna ever give up the nectar and bliss of devotional service to Krishna to become an artificial enjoyer in the material world.

 

How could any enlightened self-realized soul choose stool from an option to take stool or a valuable touchstone gem?

 

Self-realized, liberated souls are more intelligent than that.

[sevabhakta]

Wow, it is 12 hours later and none of the "mates" from "fallen down under" have replied on this topic. It is so simple and crystal clear.

 

Gaura Nitai!

[Murali_Mohan_das]

As "crystal clear" as it is "inconceivable".

 

 

Wow, it is 12 hours later and none of the "mates" from "fallen down under" have replied on this topic. It is so simple and crystal clear.

 

Gaura Nitai!