Jagat

Synopsis: It has been explained earlier that if absolute non-difference between the living entity and Īśvara is accepted, a single entity cannot simultaneously {be the shelter of } both knowledge and ignorance. Whether one accepts the absolute non-difference of the jīva as a part of Brahman or considers the jīva as a part of Brahman, one must equally take recourse to indirect meaning (lakṣaṇā) to interpret statements such as "You are that" (tat tvam asi, CU 6.8.7). ekam evādvitīyaṁ sat nāma-rūpa-vivarjitam | sṛṣṭeḥ purādhunāpy asya tādṛktvaṁ tad itīryate || śrotur dehendriyātītaṁ vastv atra tvaṁ-paderitam | ekatā gṛhyate'sīti tad aikyam anubhūyatām || (Pañcadaśī 5.5-6) Upaniṣadic statements describing the Absolute Reality as being without parts are of two kinds. The primary tendency is that of the Śrutis that are fixed on indicating the Supreme Truth characterized as the substantive [the word to be qualified or distinguished (by another word which is called...

Someone asked the other day why Sri Jiva Goswami is spending time debunking direct experience of the Tattva in the Brahman aspect when surely that had been done before. Nevertheless, here in this section we see that Jiva is doing a quick review of the various arguments that were made in the earlier Sandarbhas in order to show that the idea of the jiva fully merging into the Tattva is not possible. The jiva is a part, not of Brahman as such, but of Its energy, like a photon of light in relation to the light's source,, the sun. This is a long anuccheda, the first few parts of which are really a continuation of commentary on the two verses that preceded in Anucchedas 3 and 4. atra pūrve tattva-bhagavat-paramātma-sandarbheṣv evaṁ mūlyena śruty-ādibhiś ca pratipāditam | jīvākhya-samaṣṭi-śakti-viśiṣṭasya parama-tattvasya khalv aṁśa eko jīvaḥ | sa ca tejo-maṇḍalasya bahiś-cara-raśmi-paramāṇur iva parama-cid-eka-rasasya tasya bahiś-cara-cit-paramāṇuḥ | tatra tasya vyāpakatvāt ...