By a Tridandi Swami of Sreedham Mayapur, Nabadwip
The Vedic culture is considered to be the most ancient and mysterious in the scholarly circle. The great spiritual Dictator Sree Krishna Dwaipavana Vyasdeva is known to be the deliverer of the Vedic message in its present form as such the great Vyasa is held in uncommon reverence in all the authentic various schools of vedic interpreters. The last and the greatest gift of the supreme personality to the Theistic scholars, is the great Bhagbat Purana.
In this holy book the essence of Theism, contained in the Vedas has been revealed in such a living and magnificent manner that it dazzles even the intellect of many vedic thinkers. The bonafide followers of the dictator however feel simply charmed to see the beauty of spiritual wisdom unveiled in this great treatise. The Absolute Truth the Beautiful has been discovered here in His lovely autocratic character, and an automatic affectionate service of the same Supreme Being, has been declared to he the Summum Bonum of living beings.
Maximum happiness is of course the goal of life. But people are seen to strive after different objects for the same. Their objects of interest while scientifically arranged may be considered under four heads namely, Dharma the consideration of duty, Artha accumulation of worldly energy, Karma actual consumption of the necessaries of material life and Moksha or perfect liberation from the forces of Nature. Great thinkers of Vedic Philosophy however easily agree to dismiss the consideration of Tribarga or the first three forms of objects but there is much controversy over the conception of the fourth goal, i.e., liberation.
A section of erudite scholars forcibly asserts that complete withdrawal from material world means a certain (sure) disolution of individual existence. On the other hand powerful Theistic thinkers with transcendental understanding backed up by the faith in revelation upholds strongly that individual existence can be retained in absolutely spiritual relativity perfectly independent of material existence. Vedic interpreters also class themselves in these two groups:
1. Supporting Impersonal Salvation,
2. Salvation of person from material relativity.
Both the above schools however admit the authenticity of the sayings and decisions of the great Vyasdeva though interpreting him in their own respective lines. But Sree Bhagwat Purana the last and the greatest work of the greatest apostle, bewilders the Impersonal School to a great extent and clearly condemns mere independence from matter eulogising a life of positive attainment of spiritual confidential partnership in the Absolute Personal Being The Supreme Beautiful. In other words a really liberated soul must have a definite eternal function it is said, as if in the Absolute commonwealth and in discharging the duty wherein unfettered soul enjoys the maximum happiness. The Absolute Autocrat is also the Absolute Good. So Autocracy here is always meaning to compensate the limitations of the little partners in their voluntary co-operation and thus promoting dynamic, harmonious, common pastimes.
While perfectly unveiled Godhead shines as Sree Krishna to give us all sorts of engagements in Him. He is the Emporium of all sorts of Rasas (transcendental mellows) or ecstatic energy. Principal rasas are five in number, such as Santa a mode of mere allegiance, Dasya that of actual service, Sakhya that of friendly co-operation, Vatsyalya that of filial affection and Madhura the mode of consort-partnership. All the modes of Rasas, we are told, have been harmonized to form the Spiritual Person of Sree Krishna the Godhead.
The material world being merely shadow in character, the very essence of life is to he traced in the causal spiritual realm in its pure positive glory. So according to Bhagbat school our life has got its fulfilment in the most optimistic form in the company of Sree Krishna. Such attainment of final adjustment will place our life in perfect harmony and consequently in all round and unique happiness. While not imaginary but real of all reals such life is certainly the highest attainment.
We tried above to give a very brief description of the conception of our desired attainment. The next question will be how to reach this destination. This will form the second part of this article. We shall take it up next time.
(To be continued)