4.4a. Grace to Pramāṇas: The Divine Birth on Earth

When we meticulously study the Prasthānatrayī Svāminārāyaṇa Bhāṣya and the Vacanāmṛta, we clearly discover one fundamental fact that both scriptures accept the grace of Parabrahman as the most significant factor to attain the knowledge of the eternal entities. In addition to this, they both accept that the seeker can obtain this knowledge in his very life and Parabrahman discloses his true form for him; at this point, we can say there must be Parabrahman in the human form. From both points of perspective, the knowledge is nothing else but of the manifest form of Parabrahman on earth. In the field of epistemology, it is a novel contribution indeed.

Svāminārāyaṇa declares his important doctrine in the Vacanāmṛta:

“Please listen, I want to tell all of you about Parabrahman. Whenever a jīva attains a human body in Bharatakhaṃḍa, Parabrahman’s avatāras or Parabrahma’s Sādhu will certainly also be present on earth at that time. If that jīva can recognize them, then he becomes a devotee of Parabrahman.”(Vacanāmṛta Vartāl 19, p. 567)

This principle emphasizes that the source or means of knowledge is Parabrahman Himself, who comes to earth to provide knowledge of Him to the infinitive numbers of seekers. When the manifest form of Parabrahman roams on earth, then by his grace, the seeker’s māyic indriya becomes divinized.^[1] Thus, knowing Parabrahman perfectly means knowing the manifest form of Parabrahman through the indriyas, the antaḥkaraṇa, and experience. Only then can one be said to possess perfect jñāna.^[2] Here, Pratyaksh Bhagwan (the manifest human form of Parabrahman) are important words. Only His knowledge is called ultimate knowledge and is the cause for liberation for a jīva. It has previously been observed that this principle (Parabrahman manifests on earth) is essential to Svāminārāyaṇa, thereby he indicates it invariably in the Vacanāmṛta.^[3] The Bhāṣyakāra defines this doctrine (Parabrahman manifests on earth as a human) while commenting on the Bhagavad-Gītā śloka, which explains that whenever there is a major decline of dharma and the rise of adharma, then Parabrahman incarnates.^[4]

The Bhagavad-Gītā explores:

“tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmi avatīrṇo bhavāmi ityarthaḥ | kadācit svecchayā anyajīveśvarātmano nupraviṣya kadācit sākṣādeva saṃbhavāmi iti bhavaḥ ||” (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.”

In a similar manner, the Brahmasūtra is also intimately allied with this principle. The Bhāṣyakāra contends against the Naiyāyika that Parabrahman’s human form is well endorsed by us but not by logical argument. Instead, we approve it by verbal testimony.

The commentary demonstrates it in the context of the sūtra (aphorism):

śāstrayonitvāt || Brahmasūtras 1/1/3 ||

“Because of its root in the scriptures.”

Bhadreśadāsa enunciates:

“yadyapi saśarīratvaṃ tvasmākam api iṣṭameva kintu nahi tadanumānikamapi tu śrautameva divyaṃ śarīraṃ, sākṛtikasyaiva divyamānuṣavigrahasya tasya sakalakāraṇatvaśruteḥ |” (Brahmasūtra 1/1/3, p. 22)

“Parabrahman’s definite human form is well sanctioned by us but not by logical system. As a replacement, we approve it by verbal testimony. The cause of this human form of Parabrahman with a definite form which is described in the Shrutis.”

The way the Svāminārāyaṇa Bhāṣya supports this significant principle serves as a profound bond on which the entire Saṃpradāya is standing.

The Upaniṣad Bhāṣya also joins by propagating:

“sahajānandaḥ paramātmā svayameva saṅkalpya kṛpayā svabhaktamanorathasaṃpūraṇādiprayojanena svasvarūpasāmarthyādyajahannevā'vatarati” (Katha-upaniṣad 1/3, p. 37)

“Sahajānanda Parabrahman, by His own resolution, Himself incarnates on the earth to fulfill the wishes of his devotees out of grace with all His power.”

Then, He resolves that whether one with wisdom or without wisdom may perceive me. In this way, He, who is inconceivable, becomes conceivable to all. Due to his resolution, Parabrahman, who has no worldly birth and death, incarnates on earth and the seeker can obtain his true knowledge.^[5]

The most startling and striking observation to emerge from these references is the firm and positive correlation among all Prasthānatrayī Bhāṣyas. In this sequence, the Bhāṣyakāra wants to add a significant matter that along with Parabrahman Akṣarabrahman, also incarnates on earth. The Bhāṣyakāra reminds us by quoting the Iśopaniśad mantra, which reflects that Parabrahman and Akṣarabrahman moves and also moves not. They are far and near. They are inside all this and also outside all this.^[6]

“tat pūrvoktam akṣaratattvaṃ puruṣottamatattvaṃ ca ejati gacchati mumukṣoḥ kalyāṇecchayā kṛpayā mumukṣudeśaṃ prati gacchati, tatra manuṣyādirūpeṇa avatarati |” (Īśa-upaniṣad 5, p.14)

“Here ‘tad’ refers to Akṣara and Puruṣottama entities as per the context of the first mantra. They take a human form on the earth to grant liberation to a number of the jīvas while remaining in Akṣaradhāma with their root form.”

Parabrahman, when by His will descends as the incarnate-Parabrahman on earth, He does so with a purpose and a mission to fulfill the wish of devotees, and therefore, assumes a form appropriate to it. These forms of Parabrahman are perceptually apprehendable by the mind (antaḥkaraṇa) and the sensory-motor organs of the jīvas.

Now, let us talk about the obstacles in knowing the ultimate realities. As long as the dark cover of avidyā-karma (past action-nescience) and the viruses of three guṇas of prakṛti (māyā) are there in the self (jivātman), a person cannot have the resolute knowledge of Parabrahman in terms of self-satiating realization. Therefore, the body, the sensory-motor organs, the vital breath (prāṇa) and the antaḥkaraṇa (mind) should become dematerialized (amāyic) to behold this knowledge-realization in the self. When all these body-apparatuses are totally divinized by the grace of Parabrahman or the Parabrahman-possessed Sādhu (i.e., The Akṣara-Guru), the knowing self becomes absolutely pure, dross-free and divine. Consequently, the Parabrahman present before him in the manifest human-guise is then apprehended as through and through the divine, transcendental, and infinitely glorious.

Therefore, when the total being of the self is transformed into a kind of divine person, his vision then changes. His psycho-physical apparatuses of knowing, his perception, and his conceptual framework are all divinized. With the divinized vision and divinized instruments of knowing, he now is able to know and behold the glorious divine nature of infinite Parabrahman even in His incarnate (currently manifest) human-form. Now, Parabrahman for him, is no more human, though participating in his life as one among humans in the guise of a human person (as the manifest incarnation). Thus, for such devotees with purified vision, Parabrahman is no more unknown and unknowable.

Then the question may arise that the Śruti which proclaims that:

‘yato vāco nivartante aprāpya mānasaā saha^[7]!’

“Wherefrom words/speech turn back, together with the mind failing to know Him.”

“Naiva vācā na mānasaā prāptum śakyo ma cakṣuṇā^[8].”

“The Supreme Self cannot be known or reached by speech, by mind or eyes.”

What should be understood? Well, in this case, the Śrutis talks about the inability of the commoners and seekers undevoted to Parabrahman. In the case of loving devotees of Parabrahman, He is undoubtedly knowable, sheerly by His connate mercy (vātsalya).

Thus, Parabrahman as Parabrahman, in terms of His essential nature, as supreme and divine and infinite, is known and knowable veritably. Of course, this implies that Parabrahman is not fully knowable because He is the Supreme Infinite Who is eternally ever new, limitlessly satiating, and infinitely glorious, and hence, ever unfathomable.^[9] There are several important areas where this study, for the first time, makes an original contribution to the Vedic tradition of Pramāṇamīmāṃsā. The next section presents the uniqueness of the Svāminārāyaṇa Darśana’s perspective on some famous pramāṇas. A considerable amount of literature has been published on various Pramāṇas in Indian philosophy, but here we are going to analyze some significant factors of Svāminārāyaṇa Darśana regarding epistemology, for attaining knowledge of Brahman and Parabrahman.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vac. Gaḍhaḍā-1/51

[2]:

Vacanamrut Loyā 7, p. 303

[3]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/3,27,31,37,38,49,56; Kāriyāṇi 2,8; Pāñcālā 6,7; Gaḍhaḍā 2/35; Gaḍhaḍā 3/28,31,35,38; Ahmedabadm 6,7 Moreover, in the Svāminārāyaṇa School Akṣarabrahman also incarnates on earth together with Parabrahman. (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/71, p.174)

[4]:

Bhagavad-Gītā 4/7

[5]:

“ajāyamāno bahudhā vijāyate” (Shukla YajurVeda 31/19)

[6]:

Īśa-upaniṣad 5

[7]:

Taittirīya Upaniṣad -2/4/1 67

[8]:

Kaṭha Upaniṣad -6/12

[9]:

Vacanāmṛta Kāriyānī 1; Brahmasūtra 1/1/1, pp. 10-11