The mechanism of Bhagavat-sākṣātkāra

In the Prīti Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Goswami does a systematic analysis of Bhagavat-sākṣātkāra, the direct perception of Bhagavān. He explains how the sākṣātkāra occurs and the eligibility for it. This is done, like everything else in the Goswami theology, on the basis of the Bhāgavata. I examine the discussion in the Prīti Sandarbha below.

The eligibility for Bhagavat-sākṣātkāra

In Anuccheda 7.1 and 7.2, Śrī Jīva Goswami explains that there are two types of sākṣātkāra- internal and external. A key (but not only) requirement for both types of sākṣātkāra is purity of the heart, that is, freedom from material desires. For internal sākṣātkāra, he cites the following verse (Babaji’s translation):

na yasya cittaṁ bahir-artha-vibhramaṁ tamo-guhāyāṁ ca viśuddham āviśat |

yad-bhakti-yogānugṛhītam añjasā munir vicaṣṭe nanu tatra te gatim

When the sage’s internal ground of awareness (citta) is blessed with the bhakti-yoga present in the heart of the devotional saints and is thus rendered completely pure (viśuddha), it is no longer diverted to external objects and does not fall prey to stupor [while meditating on or remembering Bhagavān]. At that point, the contemplative sage (muni) assuredly directly perceives the existential truth of Your essential being (gatim) without any effort. (SB 4.24.59)

This verse states that the citta has to be pure (viśuddha), and only then can Bhagavān be perceived in the mind. The same requirement applies also for external Bhagavat- sākṣātkāra —

hantāsmin janmani bhavān mā māṁ draṣṭum ihārhati |

avipakva-kaṣāyāṇāṁ durdarśo’haṁ kuyoginām || [bhā.pu. 1.6.22] iti |

Alas, dear boy, you will not be able to see Me here in this life. I am imperceptible to immature yogīs, whose impurities are not completely.

Is purity of the heart sufficient for experiencing Bhagavān? No, an additional component is needed, which is Bhagavān’s power of self-revelation. Śrī Jīva Goswami writes:

na kevalaṁ śuddha-cittatvam eva yogyatā | kiṁ tarhi ? tad-bhakti-viśeṣāviṣkṛta-tad-icchāmaya-tadīya-sva-prakāśatā-śakti-prakāśa eva mūla-rūpā sā, yat-prakāśena tad api niḥśeṣaṁ sidhyati |

But purity of heart (śuddha-cittatvam) is not the sole criterion of eligibility for bhagavat-sākṣātkāra. Then what else is required? The very root of eligibility is indeed the manifestation of Bhagavān’s power of self-revelation (sva-prakāśatā-śakti), which is in the form of His will (tad-icchāmaya) and is impelled to appear by a specific mode of bhakti to Him (tad-bhakti-viśeṣa). By its manifestation, complete purity of the heart also comes about.

As an aside, this refutes the notion that bhakti is dormant inside the jīva, since in that case, there would be no need for another power for revealing Bhagavān.

Śrī Jīva’s main point is that complete purity of the heart comes about when Bhagavān’s sva-prakāśatā-śakti manifests. He cites two verses to support this: S.B. 1.2.12 for internal sākṣātkāra, and SB 6.16.44 for external sākṣātkāra. This leads naturally to the mechanism of the sākṣātkāra, which I discuss below.

The mechanism of Bhagavat-sākṣātkāra

Given that there are two requirements for Bhagavat- sākṣātkāra- purity of the heart and Bhagavān’s sva-prakāśatā-śakti, it follows that these two are mechanistically involved in the sākṣātkāra. We can glean this from Śrī Jīva Goswami’s commentary later on in the Anuccheda. He writes:

tatas tat-karaṇa-śuddhy-apekṣāpi tac-chakti-pratiphalanārtham eva jñeyā |

It is thus to be understood that even the requirement of purity of the senses is solely for the purpose of being able to reflect Bhagavān’s sva-prakāśatā-śakti

For ordinary objects, the citta takes the shape of the object when it receives information from the senses. This is the process of perception. A similar mechanism operates for Bhagavat- sākṣātkāra, except that the pure citta reflects Bhagavān’s sva-prakāśatā-śakti.

What, then, is the role of the senses? Śrī Jīva Goswami has again left helpful clues in a previous section of the Anuccheda. He writes:

..puruṣa-karaṇāni tadīya-sva-prakāśatā-śakti-tādātmyāpannatayaiva tat-prakāśatābhimānavanti syuḥ

.. it follows that it is only by endowment with the essential nature of that potency (tatśakti- tādātmya) that a human being’s senses are filled with the impression (abhimāna) that they themselves are perceiving Bhagavān.

The jīva who perceives Bhagavān thinks it is perceiving Him with the senses, when in fact, it is His sva-prakāśatā-śakti that operates through the senses. The jīva remains unaware of the distinction between the two.

Based on this discussion, it follows that if the sva-prakāśatā-śakti is present, but the citta is not pure, then Bhagavān will not be perceived as He is. I will take up this fascinating discussion in the next article. Also, a reflection of Bhagavān’s sva-prakāśatā-śakti on the pure citta is how perception occurs in Vaikuṇṭha even. There, the citta is made of Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti but still acts as if it is inert.

Summary

Bhagavat-sākṣātkāra requires two conditions to be satisfied:
> pure citta
> Bhagavān’s sva-prakāśatā-śakti

The mechanism of Bhagavat-sākṣātkāra involves a reflection of Bhagavān’s sva-prakāśatā-śakti off the pure citta

The jīva, unaware of the mechanism, considers that the perception of Bhagavān has occurred through its own senses.