7th Jewel: The Truth about Krishna, Part I

শ্রী গৌड़िয-কন্ঠহার

Gaudiya Kanṭhahāra:

The Jeweled Necklace of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas

Being a compendium of quotations from revealed scriptures

concerning the truths about the cult of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu

Compiled under the authority and direction of

His Divine Grace

Bhaktisiddhānta Sāraswāti Goswāmī

Prabhupada

The 7th Jewel:

KṚṢṆA-TATTVA

The One Absolute Truth is Realized in Three

Different Ways

७.१

बदन्ति तत् तत्त्ब-बिदस् तत्त्बं यज् ज्ञानम् अद्बयम्

ब्रह्मेति परमात्मेति भगबान् इति शब्द्यते

7.1

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate 

Great seers of the truth, who understand the nature of the Absolute Truth,

describe that non-dual truth in three ways as

Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. 

(Bhāg. 1.2.11)

७.२

अद्बय-ज्ञान तत्त्ब-बस्तु कृष्णेर स्बरूप 

ब्रह्म, आत्मा, भगबान् तिन ताङ्र रूप

7.2

advaya-jñāna tattva-vastu kṛṣṇera svarūpa 

brahma, ātmā, bhagavān tina tāṅra rūpa 

Kṛṣṇa is the one Absolute Truth which is conceived of in three ways, as Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. 

(Cc. Ādi. 2.65)

Bhagavān Realization is Complete,  Paramātmā and Brahman are Partial Conceptions

७.३

भक्ति-योगे भक्त पाय याङ्हार दर्शन सूर्य 

येन सबिग्रह देखे देब-गण ज्ञान-योग-मार्गे 

ताङ्रे भजे येइ सब ब्रह्म-आत्मा-रूपे ताङ्रे करे अनुभब

7.3

bhakti-yoge bhakta pāya yāṅhāra darśana sūrya 

yena savigraha dekhe deva-gaṇa jñāna-yoga-mārge 

tāṅre bhaje yei saba brahma-ātmā-rūpe tāṅre kare anubhava

Through devotional service devotees can realize or see that Personality of

Godhead, just as the denizens of heaven see the personality of the sun. Those on

the paths of knowledge and yoga worship only Him. They perceive Him as the impersonal Brahman and localised Paramātmā. 

(Cc. Ādi 2.25,26)

The Conclusion of the Śruti About Brahman

७.४

न तत्र सूर्यो भाति चन्द्र-तारकं नेमा 

बिद्युतो भान्ति कूतो ऽयमग्नि तम् एब 

भान्तम् अनुभाति सर्बं तस्य 

भासा सर्बम् इदं बिभाति

7.4

na tatra sūryo bhāti candra-tārakaṁ nemā 

vidyuto bhānti kūto 'yamagni tam eva 

bhāntam anubhāti sarvaṁ tasya 

bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti

In the transcendental abode of the Lord there is no need of sun, moon, or stars

for illumination, nor is there any need of electricity, what to speak of lamps. All of them get their power of illumination from the

Lord's effulgence alone. In fact the whole universe exists only because of His existence.

 (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.15)

७.५

हिरन्मयेन पात्रेण सत्यस्यापिहितं मुखम् 

तत् त्बं पूषन्न्-अपाबृणु सत्य-धर्माय दृष्तये

7.5

hiranmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham 

tat tvaṁ pūṣann-apāvṛṇu satya-dharmāya dṛṣtaye 

O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Please remove that effulgent covering and show Yourself to Your pure devotee. 

(īśopaniṣad 15)

७.६

पूषन्न् अकर्ये यम सूर्य प्राजापत्य ब्युह-रश्मीन् समूह तेजो

यत् ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत् ते पश्यामि यो ऽसब् असौ पुरुषः सो ऽहम् अस्मि

7.6

pūṣann akarye yama sūrya prājāpatya vyuha-raśmīn samūha tejo

yat te rūpaṁ kalyāṇatamaṁ tat te paśyāmi yo 'sav asau puruṣaḥ so 'ham asmi

O my Lord! O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe. O regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well- wisher of mankind please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays, so that I can see Your form of bliss. You are the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, like unto the sun, as am I, being like unto a mote of sunlight. 

(Iśopaniṣad 16)

The Conclusion of the Brahmā-saṁhitā

७.७

यस्य प्रभा प्रभबतो जगद्-अण्ड-कोटि

कोटिस्ब् अशेष-बसुधादि बिभूति-भिन्नम्

तद् ब्रह्म निष्कलम् अनन्तम् अशेष-भूतं 

गोबिन्दम् आदि-पुरुषं तम् अहं भजामि

7.7

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi

koṭisv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam

tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ 

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman which is mentioned in the Upaniṣads, and which, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe, appears as the indivisible, infinite, and limitless truth. Millions and millions of universes emanate from that Brahman effulgence, which is infinite, causeless, and unlimited. That Brahman effulgence is simply the light emanating from the

brilliant form of the Supreme Lord Govinda. 

(Brahmā-saṁhitā 5.40)