SRI BRAHMA-SAMHITA

Verse 45

ksiram yatha dadhi vikara-visesa-yogat
sanjayate na hi tatah prthag asti hetoh
yah sambhutam api tatha samupaiti karyad
govindam adi purusam tam aham bhajami [45]

Translation: As milk becomes transformed into yoghurt by reacting with an added agent, yet yoghurt is not separate from its origin—milk; similarly, for accomplishing a particular task, He assumes the nature of ‘Sambhu’—that Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I worship.

Purport: (The innate nature of the aforementioned Sambhu, the presiding deity of Mahesa-dhama, is being elucidated.) Sambhu is not ‘another God’ separate from Krishna. Those who hold such a biased view are blasphemers of the Supreme Lord. Sambhu’s control is subject to the control of Govinda, and so They are actually non-different Truth. The symptom of Their non-difference is illustrated by the example that as milk is transformed to assume the properties of yoghurt with the addition of an agent, similarly, although the Lord becomes transformed to assume another form, that form is dependent; that transformed aspect has no independence.

Tamo-guna, or the material quality of inertia, the quality of minuteness of the marginal potency, and a minute degree of a mixture of divine cognizance (samvit) and ecstasy (hladini)—all these elements combined constitute a particular transformation. The form of the distant aspect of the plenary portion of the Supreme Lord that is amalgamated with this transformation constitutes the halo of the divinity as the masculine generative organ Lord Sambhu form of Sada-siva; and from Sambhu, Rudradev is manifest.

In the work of creation as the efficient cause in the form of the aggregate material elements, in the work of sustenance by vanquishing certain demons, and for the purpose of executing the entire work of annihilation—Govinda descends as the guna-avatara (descent pertaining to one of the three qualities of material nature) in the entity of Sambhu, who is a separated portion endowed with the nature of a plenary portion. Sambhu’s aspect as the ‘Lord of time’ has been corroborated in the scriptures, and the authoritative quotations have been cited in the (Sanskrit) commentary (of Sri Jiva).

The purport of such statements in the Srimad Bhagavatam as vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh, etc., where Sambhu’s glories as a Vaishnav are extolled is that Sambhu, by his own potency of time, and subordinate to the will of Govinda, unites with Durgadevi and accomplishes his tasks. In many scriptures headed by the Tantras he teaches religious forms that are a ladder for the jivas of various qualifications to attain bhakti, or devotion. By Govinda’s sweet will, he (indirectly) protects and sustains suddha-bhakti, or pure devotion by preaching the doctrine of mayavada (illusionism) and intellectual or imaginary fabrications of the scriptures.

The fifty qualities of the jiva are present within Sambhu in copious proportions, and five more great qualities unattainable by the ordinary jivas are also found in him in partial proportion. So Sambhu cannot be categorized as a jiva; he is the Lord of jivas (isvara), although he partakes of the nature of a separated part (vibhinnamsa) of the Supreme Lord.

• For Reader's Appreciation
• Feelings of Appreciation
• Prologue
• Translator's Note
• Illumination
• Verse 1
• Verse 2
• Verse 3
• Verse 4
• Verse 5
• Verse 6
• Verse 7
• Verse 8
• Verse 9

• Verse 11
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• Verse 13
• Verse 14
• Verse 15
• Verse 16
• Verse 17
• Verse 18
• Verse 19

• Verse 20
• Verse 21
• Verse 22
• Verse 23
• Verse 24
• Verse 25
• Verse 26
• Verse 27
• Verse 28
• Verse 29

• Verse 30
• Verse 31
• Verse 32
• Verse 33
• Verse 34
• Verse 35
• Verse 36
• Verse 37
• Verse 38
• Verse 39

• Verse 40
• Verse 41
• Verse 42
• Verse 43
• Verse 44
• Verse 45
• Verse 46
• Verse 47
• Verse 48
• Verse 49

• Verse 50
• Verse 51
• Verse 52
• Verse 53
• Verse 54
• Verse 55
• Verse 56
• Verse 57
• Verse 58
• Verse 59

• Verse 60
• Verse 61
• Verse 62

• Verse Contents

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