NBS#29 The Appearance of Lord Kapila Jan. 2016 | Page 6

Issue no 29, Page — 6

Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur

nityaà bhägavata-sevayä

even though He is unborn, He imitates taking birth,
and even though He is not acting under the influence
of illusion, He imitates activities for the sake of all others,
for bestowing mercy.
The Supreme Lord says: "He who realizes this truth, to
him also the nature of his own self is revealed, and after
giving up this body, he will not take birth again but he
will come to Me, Lord Vasudeva, whose eternal body
is made of bliss and knowledge, Oh Arjuna! He will be
liberated from this cycle of birth and death."
Särärtha-varñiëé
Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur
In this verse, the Supreme Lord explains "One shall
become accomplished simply by understanding the
true nature of My birth, which was previously described,
and My activities after birth. They are divine, divyaà."
Sri Ramanujacarya and Sri Madhusudana Saraswati
explains the word divyaà as beyond the three modes
of material nature. Srila Sridhara Swami explains it as
not related to this world. As this world is a creation of
the three material modes, his explanation actually also
means the same, beyond the three material modes.
Since the Lord's birth and activities are beyond the three
material modes, they are eternal.
And as is also confirmed by Srila Jiva Goswami when

he quotes from Çrémad-Bhägvatam in his Bhägavatasandarbha, na vidyate yasya ca janma karma vä – the
Supreme Personality of Godhead doesn't take birth, and
He doesn't perform any (material) activities (SrimadBhägavatam, 8.3.8). The word divyaà also means that
the Lord cannot be approached by logic or arguments
on the strength of the words of the revealed scriptures.
In Puruña-bodhané U paniñad, of the Pippaläda-çäkha
of the Atharva Veda it is said: eko devo nitya-lélänurakto
bhakta-vyäpé bhakta-hådyantar-ätmä –“One Supreme
Personality of Godhead is eternally engaged in many,
many transcendental forms in relationships with His
unalloyed devotees. He is mainfest in their hearts."
The eternal nature of the Lord's birth and activities
has also been treated at length in many places in the
Çré Bhägavatämåta. Thus, the word tattvataù means
to know the Supreme Lord in truth. That means to
understand His birth and activities as eternal, accepting
His statements as they are, as He has explained that
"I am unborn and My body is indestructible ajo 'pi
sann avyayätmä (Bhagavad-gétä 4.6), and My birth
and activities are divine janma karma ca me divyam
(Bhagavad-gétä 4.9)." Thus, the word tattvataù means
to know the Supreme Lord in truth, accepting His words
as they are. There's no means or stratagem or argument
required. They are always eternal.
As is explained in the verse (Bhagavad-gétä 17.23),
oà tat sad iti nirdeço brahmaëas tri-vidhaù småtaù the
word om, tat, and sat are used to indicate the Supreme
Absolute Truth. Therefore tattva means the nature of
being the Absolute Truth. Taking this meaning, tattvah
in this sense means "My birth and activities are divine,
being of Him Who is the personified form of the
Absolute Truth. He who understands this, will not take
birth again after giving up his present body, but will
come to Me.” Giving up the body refers to not taking
birth. “After giving up the body, he who knows, doesn't
take birth again, but even before that, without giving up
the body, he attains Me.”
Sri Ramanujacarya writes, paraphrasing Sri Krishna:
“True knowledge of My transcendental birth and
activities completely destroy all sins that impede one
on the path to attaining My full shelter. Only those dear
devotees who have taken shelter of Me attain Me, even
in this very life.”
Çré-gétä-bhüñaëa
Sri BaladevaVidyabhushana
“Liberation is very difficult to attain even by the strict
practice of thousands of troublesome processes, but
it is easily attainable to those following the path of
devotion to Me just by hearing about My birth and My