Pandora’s
box produces ever-new jīva-tattva speculations – we had fall-vāda, envy-vāda,
dream-vāda, fall from taṭastha-vāda (will be discussed later) and first-become-lord-Brahmā-vāda. Now
there is a new siddhānta – boredom-vāda.
Dāmodar
Das
One devotee writes: By the way, Kṛṣṇa creates and
oversees physical worlds as He has nothing to do, so says the famous commentary
on verse 2.1.33 of "Srī Vedanta-sutra." This commentary states that Śrī
Kṛṣṇa is like bored, very rich Prince, who plays a variety of games simply
because of boredom, nothing to do and just to have fun. This commentary was
written for the first time by Śrī Śrīmad Rāmānuja ācārya and all the Vaiṣṇava-ācāryas
later in their comments just repeated this comment, because it is a genius and
explains all two sentences. What do you think?
Advaita
Das
I do not know of such comments. I have only an English
rendering of Rāmānuja’s commentary here by George Thibaut, whoever that may be.
There it says in 2.1.33 –
“We see in ordinary life how some great king, ruling
this earth with its seven dvīpas, and possessing perfect strength, valour, and
so on, has a game at balls, or the like, from no other motive than to amuse
himself; hence there is no objection to the view that sport only is the motive
prompting Brahman to the creation, sustentation, and destruction of this world
which is easily fashioned by his mere will.”
Even if this translation is correct, it does not
mention boredom. Anyway we are not Rāmānujaites. Our Vedānta Bhāṣya is by Baladeva
Vidyābhūṣaṇa.”
Dāmodar
Das
“He claims
that all ācāryas repeated it.”
Advaita
Das
The jivas
are anādi, beginningless - there is no reason for their existence or their presence
in the material world and Kṛṣṇa is never bored as He is ānanda ghana vigraha,
the embodiment of bliss.”
Dāmodar
Das
I quote
the pūrva-pakṣa- “About a month ago I wrote that the jīva in any case does not
fall from the spiritual world or goes out of taṭastha-śakti (allegedly while
choosing where to go). A correct theory, which is supported by the Upaniṣads
and the majority of the Vaiṣṇava Sampradaya is, that Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself puts the
jīva in the material world and decides for himself at what point to release the
jīva!
Advaita
Das
Majority? No Vedic philosopher says that. No Vedic guru
or sampradāya speaks fall vāda, putting in the material world-vāda, envy-vāda,
or dream-vāda. Where is the evidence for that? There are so many ślokas in Śrīmad
Bhāgavata that say anādy avidyā, the jīvas’ ignorance is beginningless, and the
Brahma Sūtra says anādi karma. Did Kṛṣṇa put us here, for what reason then? And
when? This morning at 3? 1967? Ask his evidence.
Dāmodar
Das
"Because
of boredom, nothing to do and just to have fun'
Advaita Das
sṛṣṭy-ādikaṁ
harir naiva prayojanam apekṣya tu |
kurute
kevalānandād yathā mattasya nartanam ||
pūrṇānandasya
tasyeha prayojana-matiḥ kutaḥ |
muktā
avyāpta-kāmāḥ syuḥ kim utāsy akhilātmanaḥ
This is what is in Baladeva’s ṭīkā of the sūtra VS
2.1.33. It means –
“Hari has no purpose in his creation. He is doing it
for fun only like the dancing of a crazy man. How can there be any purpose in
the embodiment of full bliss?”
That is not the
same as being bored. If He is full bliss how can He be bored? But remember one
thing - this is not an historical fact. Just as the Kaustubha-gem was not
really gotten at the samudra manthan - it is eternally Kṛṣṇa's also before
churning of the milk ocean. So there is no time frame in the creation. Otherwise
Bhagavad Gītā’s verse 2.12 would be false, and all the anādy avdiyā verses in
the śāstras and their commentaries too.”
Dāmodar
Das
It is also
mentioned in Bhagavat Sandarbha - What Jīva Goswāmī
says in in the Sandarbhas about this verse?
Advaita
Das
It is in Bhagavat
Sandarbha paragraph 35 –
Nārāyaṇa-saṁhitā
also states:
“Lord Hari
performs actions, such as creation, without any specific purpose. He does so
purely out of pleasure, just as an intoxicated man dances. Since He is
completely blissful, what purpose does He have to achieve from creation? If
even liberated souls delight in the Self alone, how much more must this be so
for the Lord, the Supreme Soul of all?”
By the example of a dancing madman (implying deficiency
or absence of awareness), one should not think that the Lord is something other
than omniscient. The example is relevant in this sense alone, that, owing to
His excessive internal bliss, He performs pastimes without having any
particular purpose to accomplish. If to try and circumvent the problem with
this example, we suggest instead the example of (the Lord’s pastimes occurring
naturally, like) inhaling and exhaling, the same defect (absence of awareness
being attributed to the Lord) still presents itself, in the case of breathing
during deep sleep. Therefore, the limitations of these examples aside, the real
point to be noted is that the Lord’s pastimes are characterized exclusively as
natural and spontaneous manifestations of the bliss inherent in His essential
nature. The Śruti also declares, “This (i.e., the act of creation, etc.) is the
nature of the Lord. What yearning can there be in one whose desires are
naturally and completely fulfilled?” (Māṇḍūkya-kārikā 1.9).
Dāmodar
Das
na
conmatta-dṛṣṭāntenāsarvajṣatva prasaṣjayitavyam | svarūpānandodrekeṇa
sva-prayojanam ananusandhāyaiva līlāyate ity etad aṃśenaiva svīkārāt |
ucchvāsa-praśvāsa-dṛṣṭānte'pi suṣupty-ādau tad-doṣāpātāt | tasmāt
svarūpānanda-svābhāvikyena tal-līlā
Advaita
Das
The last
text is Jīva Goswāmī's.
"If the
Lord’s direct engagements, such as the act of glancing at material nature, are
accepted as His pastimes, then the deeds He performs in Vaikuṇṭha are surely
all the more so. The wives of the Kāliya serpent prayed: “Our obeisances unto
You, who always enjoy in Your own nature” (avyākṛta-vihārāya, SB 10.16.47).
Therefore, even liberated sages, like Śrī Śuka, hear His pastimes with total
absorption and delight (as shown in the above-quoted verse, SB 12.12.69,
ajita-rucira-līlākṛṣṭa-sāraḥ). “
I think it
is clear Kṛṣṇa is not 'bored'. This devotee sees things that are not there. There
is some text before too, before the Nārāyaṇa-Saṁhitā quote, just to get the
whole context clear -
“Similarly, what distinguishes the Lord’s actions from
ordinary acts is that they are exclusively manifestations of His natural bliss.
As the Brahma-sūtra states, “The actions of the Lord, such as creation, are a
play, like the pleasurable deeds people enact” (VS 2.1.33). The Tattva-vādī
[Madhvācārya] has explained this sūtra, “The Lord creates in the same way that
an intoxicated man dances out of bliss, and not to achieve anything.”
By the way you see here that Jīva Goswāmī calls
Madhvācārya 'the tattva-vādī' not 'the head of our sampradāya'. Caitanya Caritāmṛta
described Mahāprabhu smashing the tattva-vādīs who are not a branch of Madhva
sampradāya but Madhva sampradāya proper. Jīva Goswāmī says vyākhyātaṁ ca
tattva-vādibhiḥ, yathā, 'the tattva vādi explains” when he quotes Madhva. So
how can Madhvācārya create a branch of his OWN sampradāya and be called a
member of his own branch?
Dāmodar
Das
That it is
just fun of lord. But it is quite strange that because of that fun, jīvas
suffer so much.”
Advaita
Das
That is due to bodily consciousness. The soul does not
suffer. But again, this is all anādi - never forget this. There is no beginning
and thus also no cause. This is not an historical story. It is timeless - anādi
bahirmukha. It is not that we were once in the spiritual sky and Kṛṣṇa just
sent us away or so.”
Dāmodar
Das
But without
Rādhikā, Kṛṣṇa feels bored, or not?
Advaita
Das
No,
because the separation is a thrill and the tricks He plans to meet her too.
This all takes place on the topmost level of transcendental bliss called
mahābhāva.
Dāmodar
Das
When he is
bored from behavior of Rukmiṇī, he teases her meek humble behaviour - tries to
make her angry….
Advaita
Das
The
Bhāgavat (10.60) does not say He is bored - he just enjoys her māna not out of
boredom. vibhur api kalayann sadāpi vṛddhi – Kṛṣṇa is always full but his
fullness always increases (Dāna Keli Kaumudī 1)
Dāmodar
Das
That means
"If He is always full, how He can be bored?"
Advaita
Das
Yes. If
sādhakas feel always thrilled in worshipping Him how can He Himself be bored?
Boredom-vāda is like fall-vāda - thinking there is material imperfection in
spiritual sky. There is no evidence for this in śāstra, nor does it make any
sense (yukti).
Dāmodar
Dās
Boredom is
not mentioned among the vyabhicārī bhāvas in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (2.4.4-6)
either.
