Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)

by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words

This page relates ‘Pragata: Parabrahman as Manifest’ of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.

5.5. Pragaṭa: Parabrahman as Manifest

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Till this point, we have dealt with here three aspects of Parabrahman–Parabrahman as sarvoparī, kartā, and sākāra. Now we will investigate Parabrahman as pragaṭa. All the features of Parabrahman analyzed so far, Svāminārāyaṇa lays special emphasis on the significance of Parabrahman being manifest (pragaṭa) and realizing him as such. The English word incarnate or incarnation does not convey the correct sense, because it narrowly refers to the material body (or rebirth, or birth in a physical body). Therefore, the word ‘manifest’ or ‘manifestation of Parabrahman’ is perhaps found to convey the perfect understanding. Therefore, from Svāminārāyaṇa’s standpoint, it may be said that the two words ‘incarnation’ (avatāra) and ‘manifestation ‘(prākatya) have different connotations. The former is used in a very laxed and liberal sense as a generic term, while the latter is used in a restricted sense as a specific term implying ‘Parabrahman’s willing self-presentation’. Thus, the term ‘manifest’ is applied to ‘coming of or revealing of’ Parabrahman on earth while simultaneously being present in His highest abode. So, when Parabrahman descends on earth, He is not absent in His permanent residence Akṣaradhāma, but He assumes another equally beauteous-glorious-divine form. He rather manifests Himself in one more additional form to participate in the life of loving devotees.^[8]

So, it is not descent from a higher plane to a lower plane with a physical body; rather, it is a spiritual descent into the celestial, human, or subhuman plane with all His transcendental glory and divinity intact accompanying Him. It is a descent out of love, mercy, and a desire to become accessible to all. Also, as Parabrahman manifests on earth, He possesses six unique opulence or supernatural attributes of transcendence, namely, perfect power, perfect beauty, perfect knowledge, perfect fame, perfect renunciation, and perfect wealth.^[2] Thus, when sarvavatāri Parabrahman (supreme godhead) Himself descends on the earth, He does so while simultaneously remaining present in His highest abode (Brahmadhāma/ Akṣaradhāma)^[3], for He can assume as many forms as are necessary. He, out of His infinite ever-flowing grace for mankind, descends on earth, becomes one like us and unveils and reveals His transcendental glory and divinity.^[4] He, as such, is beyond the comprehension of finite beings, senses, mind, ego, and intellect. But, despite this, He wills to present Himself in the mortal coil and becomes accessible. This He can simultaneously do assuming as many forms in as many universes (worlds/earth).^[5]

When He Himself descends on the earth assuming a human form, His physical body appears to be finite and imperfect and corporeal like human beings; but He is neither limited nor affected (influenced) by the properties of māyā (matter). Therefore, the visibly-manifest form of Parabrahman is as divine as the form of Parabrahman, in His highest abode Brahmadhāma. In other words, the visibly-manifest form of Parabrahman on the earth is totally identical with the eternally present divine form of Parabrahman in the highest abode.^[6] Whenever the supreme Parabrahman Himself descends on the earth, He brings along with Him in His retinue Akṣarabrahman: the ideal supreme devotee and other released ātmāns as His attendants.^[7] As in the Gītā, we find greater evidence.

The Bhagavad-Gītā introduces:

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati bhārata | abhyutthānamadharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmyaham || Bhagavad-Gītā 4/7 ||

“Whenever there is a major decline of in the form of Dharma (Svarūpaniṣṭhā the firm conviction of Parabrahman) and the rise of Adharma, O Arjuna, then I incarnate myself.”

The Bhāṣyakāra comments:

“svecchayā anyajīveśvarātmanonupraviśya kadācit sākṣādeva saṃbhavāmīti bhāvaḥ” (Bhagavad-Gītā 4/7, p.95)

“Parabrahman by his independent will, sometimes He Himself manifests or sometimes he manifests through the jīvas and īśvaras by reentering them.”

This statement leads us into the discussion where the question is why Parabrahman manifests? What is the purpose and purport of his manifestation? Bhadreśadāsa provides solutions to this question and explicitly clears the way. He expounds that to grant liberation to infinitive jīvas and īśvaras is the primary purpose (Brahmasūtra 2/1/34, p.184) of Parabrahman. Along with this, he fulfills the wishes of His beloved devotees and establishes the dharma on earth (Bhagavad-Gītā 4/8, p.96).

Based on this evidence and the sāmpradāyika tradition as alive today, Dr. Raymond Williams writes: in the Svāminārāyaṇa Sampradāya, its founder,

“Svāminārāyaṇa is thought to be the single, complete manifestation of the Supreme Person (Parabrahman-Puruṣottama), and such, is superior in power and efficacy to all other manifestations of God.”^[8]