One of the amazing things about Śrī Jīva Goswami’s Sandarbhas is that they leave no question unanswered. The Sandarbhas are utterly comprehensive and superbly organized. They are a delectable Vaiṣṇava tour-de-force. That time has come to obscure their importance defies belief and is a profound tragedy for the Caitanya tradition.
As yet another example of how Śrī Jīva Goswami leaves no question unexamined in the Sandarbhas, consider the following conundrum that is examined in the Prīti Sandarbha Anuccheda 7.3. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is seen by numerous people during His appearance in this world. Wouldn’t that mean that everyone got sākṣāṭkāra of Bhagavan? Wouldn’t they all be liberated? Yet, few among those people who saw Him were devotees. So how did they deserve to be liberated?
Śrī Jīva responds:
atha yad-avatārādāv aśuddha-cittānām api tat-sākṣātkāraḥ śrūyate, tat khalu tad-ābhāsa eva jñeyaḥ | nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ [gītā 7.25] iti śrī-gītopaniṣadbhyaḥ |
When it is learned from scripture that even people of impure heart (aśuddha-citta) obtained a vision of Bhagavān (tat-sākṣātkāra) during His avatāric descent, it should be understood that this vision was a mere semblance of the true experience of seeing Him (tat-sākṣātkāra-ābhāsa). This understanding is confirmed by the following statement of Bhagavad Gītā: “Being veiled by My yoga-māyā potency, I am not revealed to everyone” (gītā 7.25).
People who saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s during His appearance did not all get liberation, because they only got an ābhāsa or semblance of Bhagavat-sākṣāṭkāra. That is because He can be seen only if one’s citta is clean, which requires bhakti. Śrī Jīva cites a verse from Padma Purāṇa to support this:
yogibhir dṛśyate bhaktyā nābhaktyā dṛśyate kvacit | draṣṭuṁ na śakyo roṣāc ca matsarād vā janārdanaḥ ||
Bhagavān Janārdana is seen by the yogīs through the eye of devotion and is never visible without devotion. He can never be seen through anger or envy. (pa.pu. 6.238.83)
What exactly does the term ‘ābhāsa’ mean in the context of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sākṣāṭkāra? Śrī Jīva writes:
avatāra-samaye tu paramānande’pi duḥkhadatvaṁ, manorame’pi bhīṣaṇatvam, sarva-suhṛdy api durhṛttvam ity-ādiviparīta-darśanam eva
During the periods of His descent, however, He is perceived [by those of impure heart (aśuddha-citta)] to be exactly the opposite of what He is in truth — although He is supreme bliss, He appears [to them] as a source of misery; although most beautiful, as terrible in aspect; and although the unconditional benefactor of all, as bearing ill will.
ābhāsa implies that the vision of Śrī Kṛṣṇa does not accord with His actual nature. Instead, He is perceived opposite to how He is. The cause of this, consistent with the mechanism of such vision (discussed here), is the fact that the citta of such persons is not clean. As such, it is not able to reflect Bhagavān’s sva-prakāśatā-śakti. Śrī Jīva explains:
tad-aprakāśe yoga-māyā-prakāśe ca mūlaṁ kāraṇaṁ tad-bhaktāparādhādimaya-puruṣa-cittāsvācchyam | yat khalu tadānīntane tasya sārvatrika-prakāśe’pi vajralepāyate |
The root cause of His remaining invisible (aprakāśa) [at times other than His appearance] and of His being manifested [in a veiled form] by His yoga-māyā potency [during the periods of His descent], is the unclean heart condition of human beings in general (puruṣa-cittāsvācchyam), which takes the form of offenses to His devotees and other such sinful acts. This impurity [covers their awareness (citta)] as firmly as a layer of cement, making it impossible for them to see Bhagavān even though He is manifest to everyone everywhere at the time of His appearance.
Śrī Jīva Goswami then proceeds to analyze four types of people who have an unclean citta, and the corresponding vision they get of Bhagavān. I will take this up in another article.
Summary
ābhāsa of Bhagavat-sākṣāṭkāra refers to a vision of Śrī Kṛṣṇa different from how He actually is.
This defective vision is due to an unclean citta, that is unable to reflect Bhagavān’s sva-prakāśatā-śakti.
Bhakti is required to attain Bhagavat-sākṣāṭkāra.
Radhe Radhe,
Prabhuji
Please accept my pranamas🙏🏼
In the case of Sisupala or Kamsa, as it is known, they did not have pure citta nor bhakti for Bhagavan and thus they did not have real Bhagavat-sākṣāṭkāra. Still they got mukti due to their intense absorbtion in Him. It seems that although they had ābhāsa of Bhagavat-sākṣāṭkāra still because of their absorbtion mukti was given to them. How to understand this?
Thank you 🙏🏼
Radhe Radhe. Great question. This is discussed in detail by Sri Jiva Goswami in the following section. I will answer it in the next article.
Pranams🙏 Important information that Śrī Jīva Goswāmī confirms the Bhagavat-sākṣāṭkāra ābhāsa! I may remember how different people saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa differently when He was fighting the demons Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika. 🔻In the Lalita-mādhava of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī it is stated, “After Kṛṣṇa’s arrival in Kaṁsa’s arena, Kaṁsa’s priest looked at Kṛṣṇa with a detestful expression. The entire arena was filled with dread on the part of Kaṁsa and his priest and restless expressions of pleasure on the cheeks of Kṛṣṇa’s friends. Frustration was felt by His envious rivals. The great sages meditated. Hot tears were in the eyes of Devakī and other motherly ladies, and hairs stood on the bodies of the expert warriors. There was astonishment in the hearts of demigods such as Indra. The servants danced, and the restless eyes of all the young girls glanced about.” In this statement there is a description of a combination of different mellows, but there is no incompatibility🔻.
💥When Kṛṣṇa entered the wrestling arena with Balarāma and Their friends, He appeared differently to different people according to their different relationships (rasas) with Him. Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure and all kinds of rasas, both favorable and unfavorable. He appeared to the wrestlers exactly like a thunderbolt. To the people in general He appeared as the most beautiful personality. To the females He appeared to be the most attractive male, Cupid personified, and thus He increased their lust. The cowherd men who were present there looked upon Kṛṣṇa as their own kinsman, coming from the same village of Vṛndāvana. The impious kṣatriya kings who were present saw Him as the strongest ruler and their chastiser. To the parents of Kṛṣṇa, Nanda and Yaśodā, He appeared to be the most loving child. To Kaṁsa, the king of the Bhoja dynasty, He appeared to be death personified. To the unintelligent, He appeared to be an incapable personality. To the yogīs present, He appeared to be the Supersoul. To the members of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty He appeared to be the most celebrated descendant. *Thus appreciated differently by different kinds of people present, Kṛṣṇa entered the wrestling arena with Balarāma and His cowherd boyfriends.*.
Having heard that Kṛṣṇa had already killed the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa, Kaṁsa knew beyond doubt that Kṛṣṇa was formidable. He thus became very much afraid of Him. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma had long arms. They were beautifully dressed, and They were attractive to all the people assembled there. They were dressed as if They were going to act on a dramatic stage, and They drew the attention of all people🔻. He revealed Himself to them according to their mood either spiritual or material.