Self and Consciousness: The Bhagavata: Vyasa and Narada

The Dissatisfaction of Vyāsa

When the sages of Naimisharanya heard the Mahābharata they were left with questions.  And when queried on their dissatisfaction with Mahābhārata as the ultimate commentary on the Vedas, Suta, also known as Ugrashrava or Sauti, the narrator of the Mahābhārata reflected for a moment. After a time, he began to explain that the author of Mahābhārata, Vyāsa himself had felt the same.

Suta was a great student of Vyāsa. He had been empowered by Vyāsa to explain the Mahābhārata. But he had confided in his student that he himself had felt a sense of incompleteness after finishing that great work.

He had heard the following story from Shukadeva, the son of Vyāsa, whose version of the Bhāgavata he would later reveal to the multitude.

Suta said, “I can understand how some of you may be unsatisfied even after hearing the narration of Mahābhārata. In fact, even the author of Mahābhārata felt this way. After finalizing the composition of Mahābharata, in this very forest of Naimisharanya,” Suta explained, “Vyāsa was despondent.”

Suta said, “Vyāsa had performed a great service to humanity. Knowing that the lives of men are often short, brutish, and violent, that great author had done his best to mitigate their suffering by expanding the meaning of the original Veda into four: the Rig, Yajuh, Sama, and Atharva.

“He had put forth the Upanishads as an esoteric literature with the inner meaning of the Vedas. He entrusted these writings to great scholars and learned rishis like Paila, Jaimini, Angira, and his own student Vaishampayana who published them among their own disciples.

“And finally to preserve their meaning and popularize the truths found in the Vedas, he explained them in the form of the histories found in Mahābharata, the Puranas and Ithihasas. Since the general public may not have access to the esoteric meaning of these scriptures, he used stories and explained everything very simply in Mahābhārata which may be read and understood even by children.”

“In that great work he not only explained the meaning of karma, but demonstrated how the law of action and reaction unfolded itself through countless lives in different families such as the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Dharma, or the proper way to live through duty, had also been described in great detail, exposing the reactions of improper duty and demonstrating the glories of proper duty and right living through the example of heroes and villains of the Kurukshetra war.”

Suta continued, That great author, Veda Vyāsa thought to himself, ‘I have gathered the important truths of the Vedas and included them in Mahābhārata along with all great religious principles, and the histories of the ancients. There one kind find a full description of the creation of the universe and the laws of man. I have respected the Vedas, the great teachers, and the sacred fire. All the important ideas governing health, wealth, and happiness are contained in that great work. Still, there is something lacking.’

“And so it was,” said Suta, “That Vyāsa came to this very forest and sat down at the bank of the river Sarswati in meditation. His heart was heavy. He felt that although he had undertaken such a great project, he had failed.

“It dawned on him that his failure was precisely in giving so much emphasis to “social dharma” over a transcendental understanding of the nature of the Personal Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. While he had placed great emphasis on a proper moral life, on right living, he had not encouraged his readers in the search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Even despite explaining the instructions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-Gīta and having ennumerated the Thousand Names of Viṣṇu, he had not sufficiently given directions about Divine Love.”

“Vyāsa lamented, ‘While I have explained everything about consciousness and both subjective and objective universes, even though I have been complete in explaining Bhagavat dharma, dedication and devotion to the Personal Godhead, Bhagavan Śrī Kṛṣṇa.’”

“And so it was that Kṛṣṇa Dwaipayana Vyāsa, author of this Mahābhārata which I have just narrated to you, sat despondent on the banks of the Saraswati, absorbed in prayer and meditation.”

Suta continued, “At that time the saint among the gods, Nārada himself arrived at the ashrama of Veda Vyāsa and found him meditating on the banks of the Saraswati River.

“Now Nārada was a great rishi who could see past, present and future. He knew the heart and mind of Veda Vyāsa. He found a sitting place close to Vyāsa and sat himself down with his transcendental lute called a vina.”

“Vyāsa broke his meditation and looked up at the sage, his visage clouded with doubt. With this, Nārada smiled. Nārada could sense Vyāsa’s discontent. He said, ‘O wise one, you seem despondent. Are you upset by having written so many mundane things? By recommending the pursuit of mortal happiness, you have identified the body with the soul so often that your readers confuse materialism with their own self-interest. How could a great seer of truth such as yourself be satisfied by identifying the body with the soul? Are you satisfied by promoting material happiness as the goal of life? How can you be happy with recommending social duties, wealth, and the satisfaction of material desires as the way to salvation?”

“Nārada smiled, ‘O great one, you are well-versed in the truth, you have asked and answered so many questions, and yet your Mahābhārata fails to satisfy the soul completely for you have avoided the subject of surrender to Godhead and the search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. All that is known and knowable is included in your brilliant book. And yet, you are unhappy. How could this be possible if you have clearly explained the highest truths?’

“And Vyāsa replied, ‘You are right. I cannot lift this cloud that shadows me. My heart is heavy. I have written so many things. I tried to get to the truth. But still, I feel unsatisfied. What have I left out? You were born from Brahmā himself. Your knowledge is unlimited. You are known as the saint among gods and are a true rishi who can see past, present and future. I did my best to write something valuable for the human society. Why do I feel so unsatisfied? How can I overcome this darkness in my soul? What is it that I have left out of my work?’

“And Nārada explained,

श्री-नारद उवाच

भवतानुदित-प्रायं यशो भगवतो ऽमलम् येनैवासौ न तुष्येत मन्ये तद् दर्शनं खिलम्

śrī-nārada uvāca

bhavatānudita-prāyaṁ

yaśo bhagavato 'malam yenaivāsau na tuṣyeta

manye tad darśanaṁ khilam

‘You have spoken of consciousness in a vague way, of the Absolute and the Supreme. But you have not actually broadcast the sublime and spotless glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless. Although, great sage, you have very broadly described the four principles beginning with religious performances, you have not described the glories of the Supreme Personality, Vāsudeva.”

SB 1.5.8,9

As Śrīla Prabhupāda points out,

“The prompt diagnosis of Śrī Nārada is at once declared. The root cause of the despondency of Vyāsadeva was his deliberate avoidance of glorifying the Lord in his various editions of the Purāṇas. He has certainly, as a matter of course, given descriptions of the glories of the Lord (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) but not as many as given to religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and salvation.”

“These four items are by far inferior to engagement in the devotional service of the Lord. Śrī Vyāsadeva, as the authorized scholar, knew very well this difference. And still instead of giving more importance to the better type of engagement, namely, devotional service to the Lord, he had more or less improperly used his valuable time, and thus he was despondent. From this it is clearly indicated that no one can be pleased substantially without being engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.”

The most philosophical portion of Mahābhārata is Bhāgavad-Gīta. Bhāgavad-Gita explains the nature of consciousness, absolute consciousness, and the material cosmos or time-space continuum, and the three modes of material nature. How the living entities are trapped by the illusion of the material world and how they rise and fall on the wheel of repeated birth and death within the seven planes of consciousness known as bhur, bhuvah, svah, mahar, jana, tapas and satya lokas. How the three worlds or physical, mental, and intellectual planes of consciousness recur through constant creation and destruction throughout the nights of Brahmā and how one might attain to higher planes of consciousness is all explained in Bhagavad-Gita. And yet, the external meaning of the Vedas as propounded by Vyāsa laid great stress on communion with heavenly realities through the performance of sacrifice. The temporary rewards gained through sacrifice, however, also partake of the rise and fall of the wheel of fortune, or repeated birth and death. The Bhagavad-Gita points out that when one’s karmic merits are exhausted, even those who have properly performed their Vedic dharma are once again subject to the laws of karma in the temporal plane of misconception. Birth and rebirth is inevitable in the repeated cycle of reincarnation.

Dharma, Artha, and Kāma are the most popular aspects of Vedic literature. But dharma, or proper living, while contributing to good karma, only perpetuates one’s existence in the world of birth and death. And artha, or material gain, is desirable in the temporary plane, but all wealth must be returned to the earth at the time of death. So, while the Vedas and Mahābharata promote wealth and prosperity through sacrifice, these gains are ultimately temporary. The same can be said for kāma which refers to desire, especially sexual and romantic satisfaction. All such material rewards disappear at the time of death, except where they leave a karmic reaction.

This leaves us with mukti, or salvation. Many of the followers of the Upanishads proposed that real liberation lay with transcending the wheel of karma. Salvation for them involves going beyond the triple plane of consciousness: sense, mind, and intellect--and merging with the infinite. Such an individual never returns to the plane of birth and death. And yet this concept of salvation is also superficial, according to Nārada’s examination of Vyāsa’s despondency.

While impersonal salvation frees one from the chains of repeated birth and death it is a form of spiritual suicide, since through “merging into oneness” one loses all individuality. The living entity becomes undifferentiated cosmical consciousness. But since the conditioned jivas fall out of the cosmic undifferentiated oneness to experience the world of misconception, there is always the chance of returning to the world of birth and death, even from this cosmic plane.

The Gita mentions a higher reality, beyond the cosmic undifferentiated plane. In the 8th Chapter Text 21 it is said, अव्यक्तो ’क्षर इत्य् उक्तस् तम् आहुः परमां गतिम् यमं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद् धाम परमं मम

avyakto ’kṣara ity uktas tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim

yaṁ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

That supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is the supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That is My supreme abode.

Śrīla Prabhupāda comments,

“The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā as cintāmaṇi-dhāma, a place where all desires are fulfilled. The supreme abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa known as Goloka Vṛndāvana is full of palaces made of touchstone.

“There are also trees which are called "desire trees" that supply any type of eatable upon demand, and there are cows known as surabhi cows which supply a limitless supply of milk. In this abode, the Lord is served by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune (Lakṣmīs), and He is called Govinda, the primal Lord and the cause of all causes.

“The Lord is accustomed to blow His flute (venum kvanantam). “His transcendental form is the most attractive in all the worlds-His eyes are like the lotus petals and the color of His body like clouds. He is so attractive that His beauty excels that of thousands of cupids. He wears saffron cloth, a garland around His neck and a peacock feather in His hair.

“In the Gītā Lord Krṣṇa gives only a small hint of His personal abode (Goloka Vṛndāvana) which is the supermost planet in the spiritual kingdom. A vivid description is given in the Brahma-saṁhitā.”

“Vedic literature states that there is nothing superior to the abode of the Supreme Godhead, and that that abode is the ultimate destination. When one attains to it, he never returns to the material world. Kṛṣṇa's supreme abode and Kṛṣṇa Himself are nondifferent, being of the same quality.

“On this earth, Vṛndāvana, ninety miles southeast of Delhi, is a replica of that supreme Goloka Vṛndāvana located in the spiritual sky. When Kṛṣṇa descended on this earth, He sported on that particular tract of land known as Vṛndāvana in the district of Mathurā, India.”

Nārada’s objection to Bhagavad-Gita is clearly expressed in Prabhupāda’s commentary, “In the Gītā Lord Krṣṇa gives only a small hint of His personal abode.” While the Bhagavad-Gita hints at the nature of bhakti-yoga it is not as explicit as it is esoteric. The highest plane is only incidentally mentioned, leaving commentators to draw different conclusions.

Bhagavad-gita’s teachings promote Nishkāma Karma, or “unselfish performance of duties” (sva-dharma) as the first step towards reaching higher consciousness, since “unselfish work” leads to sacrifice and sacrifice brings us into communion with God. Still, the discussion in the Gita tends to be a bit dry in terms of the highest goal, divine love.

Without distinctly outlining the nature of the higher plane, bhakti-yoga theoretical. Without a clear description of the glories and pastimes of the Personal Godhead, the mundane attractions of the physical world will capture and bind the living entities in different circles of hell. The Bhagavad-Gita is silent on the divine abode, transcendental beauty and sublime pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Only a description of the grandeur and beauty of the higher plane as well as a careful delineation of the pastimes of Bhagavan will mitigate the attractions of the physical world.

Such descriptions are sublime. Otherwise, without such descriptions, traditional religion is dry and unattractive. So Nārada tells Vyāsa,

न यद् वचश् चित्र-पदं हरेर् यशो जगत्-पवित्रं प्रगृणीत कर्हिचित् तद् वायसं तीर्थम् उशन्ति मानसा न यत्र हंसा निरमन्त्य् उशिक्क्षयाः

na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo jagat-pavitraṁ pragṛṇīta karhicit tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasā na yatra haṁsā niramanty uśikkṣayāḥ

“Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there.”

तद्-वाग्-विसर्गो जनताघ-विप्लवो यस्मिन् प्रति-श्लोकम् अबद्धवत्य् अपि नामान्य् अनन्तस्य यशो ऽङ्कितानि यत् शृण्वन्ति गायन्ति गृणन्ति साधवः

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api nāmāny anantasya yaśo 'ṅkitāni yat śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

“On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.”