GLORY, THY DIVINE

Brahmān, Cosmic Self, or Supreme Being, is supreme consciousness with infinite cosmic form. He alone is truth and reality. Brahmān (the Supreme Being) is Sat-Chit-Anand (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss). There are three aspects of the Brahmān: Sat (Existence), Chit (Consciousness), and Ānand (Bliss).

He is Supreme in every respect, as described by Parāśara Muni, and is full of six opulences: strength, fame, wealth, knowledge, beauty, and renunciation. That’s why he is associated with paramam, or the Supreme Personality.

He is the Ultimate Truth. He is the originator, sustainer, and last resort of all creation. He is the shelter of the universe. He is the eternal protector of Sanātan Dharma (eternal righteousness and order). He is the everlasting Supreme Divine Personality. Brahmān, so says the Svetasvatara Upanishad, is all-pervading in the entire universe. He pervades everything—all that exists and all that will exist. Brahmān, by His own power, daivatma sakti, and by His own maya, created this universe. He pervades the entire universe, the very stuff of consciousness, is the controller of time, the destroyer of all material entities, is endowed with three gunas through His maya power, is all-knowing, and appears as the five elements (in the sense the five elements are superimposed on Him), because of which He seems to be the universe that remains under His control.

He is "the Creator and Sustainer of all living beings". He does not dwell in the living beings, i.e., the infinite is not contained by the finite beings.

As Robert Oppenheimer, the famous nuclear physicist, witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, Sri Krishna’s full depiction in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita ran through him by way of his exclamation: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”. It is, perhaps, the most well-known line from the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita.

It is a huge paradox for a finite creature to describe the qualities of infinity. It is aptly illustrated in the Bhagavad Gita that He Himself is beyond description by any of His creatures.

na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ prabhavaṁ na maharṣhayaḥ

aham ādir hi devānāṁ maharṣhīṇāṁ cha sarvaśhaḥ

Neither the celestial gods nor the great sages know of My origin. I am the source from which the gods and great seers come.

 The sameway Rig Veda declares

ko addhā veda ka iha pra vocat kuta ājātā kuta iyaṁ visṛṣṭiḥ |

arvāg devā asya visarjanenāthā ko veda yata ābabhūva ||

"Who in the world can know clearly? Who can proclaim from where this universe was born? Who can state where this creation came from? The devatās came after creation. Therefore, who knows from where the universe arose?"

1. Outline

Brahman is the source and destination of all that exists. All that exists is His creation. He is replete with all opulence beyond the comprehension of a mortal being.

He is "Having Oneness in Regeneration, Sanctification, and Glorification; Genuine Oneness is in the Divine Glory!"

"And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified (Romans 8:30). Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God."

To describe the opulence of God by His finite creature requires deep comprehension and cognition based on true knowledge and exclusive devotion to Him.

ananya-chetāḥ satataṁ yo māṁ smarati nityaśhaḥ

tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ

Sri Krishna in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita says: those yogis who always think of Me with exclusive devotion, I am easily attainable because of their constant absorption in Me.

He further says

etāṁ vibhūtiṁ yogaṁ cha mama yo vetti tattvataḥ

so ’vikampena yogena yujyate nātra sanśhayaḥ

Those who know in truth My glories and divine powers become united with Me through unwavering Bhakti Yog (devotion). Of this, there is no doubt.

The Srimad Bhagavatam says

tasmāt tvam uddhavotsṛjya

codanāṁ praticodanām

pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca

śrotavyaṁ śrutam eva ca

mām ekam eva śaraṇam

ātmānaṁ sarva-dehinām

yāhi sarvātma-bhāvena

mayā syā hy akuto-bhaya (ŚB 11.12.14-15)

 Therefore, my dear Uddhava, abandon the Vedic mantras as well as the procedures of supplementary Vedic literature and their positive and negative injunctions. Disregard that which has been heard and that which is to be heard. Simply take shelter in Me alone, for I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead, situated within the hearts of all conditioned souls. Take shelter in Me wholeheartedly, and by My grace, be free from fear in all circumstances.

2. Opulence

Scriptures say that He alone knows His own opulence, and secondly, His devotees, through their exclusive devotion towards Him, illustrate His opulence. He is the embodiment of all energies in the forms of Maya śhakti (material energy), Jīva śhakti (spiritual energy), and Yogmaya  śhakti (divine energy).

2.1. Supreme Being

Sri Krishna says that "He is the source of all that exists. It is from His mind that the seven great sages, the four great saints, and the fourteen Manus were born. All the people of this world then descended from them. The various exceptional qualities in humans also arise from Him. Those devotees who know this engage in His devotion with great faith. They derive immense satisfaction from conversing about His glories and also help enlighten others about them. God dwells in the hearts of such devotees whose minds are always united in Him. He then bestows upon them His divine knowledge, through which they can attain God-realisation."

He says neither the celestial gods nor the great sages know of my origin. I am the source from which the gods and great seers come.

He says

daivī hyeṣhā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te

My divine energy, Maya, consisting of the three modes of nature, is very difficult to overcome. But those who surrender to Me cross over it easily.

By saying so, Sri Krishna highlights His opulence.

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

I am the origin of all creation. Everything proceeds from Me. The wise, who know this perfectly, worship Me with great faith and devotion.

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā

mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na chāhaṁ teṣhvavasthitaḥ

This entire cosmic manifestation is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest form. All living beings dwell in Me, but I do not dwell in them.

na cha mat-sthāni bhūtāni paśhya me yogam aiśhwaram

bhūta-bhṛin na cha bhūta-stho mamātmā bhūta-bhāvanaḥ

And yet, the living beings do not abide in Me. Behold the mystery of My divine energy! Although I am the Creator and Sustainer of all living beings, I am not influenced by them or by their material nature.

Kāla (Time) is a powerful force of the Supreme Being, so says the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, that creates, sustains, destroys, and recreates everything in this material world.

 kālo ’smi loka-kṣhaya-kṛit pravṛiddho

lokān samāhartum iha pravṛittaḥ

ṛite ’pi tvāṁ na bhaviṣhyanti sarve

ye ’vasthitāḥ pratyanīkeṣhu yodhāḥ

Sri Krishna says I am mighty kāla (Time), the source of destruction that comes forth to annihilate the worlds. Even without your participation, the warriors arrayed in the opposing army shall cease to exist.

2.2. The Great Disciple Arjuna

It is also well accepted in the scriptures that exclusive devotion gives the power of comprehension and cognition to know the opulence of God.

tam eva śharaṇaṁ gachchha sarva-bhāvena bhārata

tat-prasādāt parāṁ śhāntiṁ sthānaṁ prāpsyasi śhāśhvatam

Surrender exclusively to Him with your whole being, O Bharat (descendant of King Bharat, Arjuna). By His grace, you will attain perfect peace and the eternal abode.

In the same vein, Sri Krishna says,

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ

Abandon all varieties of dharmas and simply surrender unto Me alone. I shall liberate you from all sinful reactions; do not fear.

He is described by His disciple, Arjuna, as "You are the Supreme Divine Personality, the Supreme Abode, the Supreme Purifier, the Eternal God, the Primal Being, the Unborn, and the Greatest. The great sages, like Narad, Asit, Deval, and Vyas, proclaimed this, and now You are declaring it to me Yourself."

paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān

puruṣhaṁ śhāśhvataṁ divyam ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum

āhus tvām ṛiṣhayaḥ sarve devarṣhir nāradas tathā

asito devalo vyāsaḥ svayaṁ chaiva bravīṣhi me

Our vision and cognition are limited to the material realm, but beyond that, one requires a divine vision that is possible for a seeker of truth with exclusive devotion to the Supreme Being.

na tu māṁ śhakyase draṣhṭum anenaiva sva-chakṣhuṣhā

divyaṁ dadāmi te chakṣhuḥ paśhya me yogam aiśhwaram

But you cannot see My cosmic form with these physical eyes of yours. Therefore, I grant you divine vision. Behold My majestic opulence!

Arjuna describes "Your infinite form in every direction, with countless arms, stomachs, faces, and eyes. O Lord of the Universe, whose form is the universe itself, I do not see in You any beginning, middle, or end. You are the controller of the Universe. The universe is nothing but your manifestation, and you are also its supreme master.""

Completely beholden by witnessing the cosmic form of Sri Krishna, Arjuna asks, Tell me who You are, so fierce of form. O God of gods, I bow before You; please bestow Your mercy on me. You, who existed before all creation, I wish to know who You are, for I do not comprehend Your nature and workings. In response to Arjun’s question regarding who he is, Shree Krishna reveals his nature as all-powerful Time, the destroyer of the universe.

 Arjuna says, You are the imperishable reality beyond both the manifest and the non-manifest.

You are the primaeval God and the original Divine Personality; You are the sole resting place of this universe. You are both the knower and the object of knowledge. You are the Supreme Abode. O possessor of infinite forms, You alone pervade the entire universe. You are the original Divine Person, the cause of all causes.

tvam ādi-devaḥ puruṣhaḥ purāṇas

tvam asya viśhvasya paraṁ nidhānam

vettāsi vedyaṁ cha paraṁ cha dhāma

tvayā tataṁ viśhvam ananta-rūpa

namaḥ purastād atha pṛiṣhṭhatas te

namo ’stu te sarvata eva sarva

ananta-vīryāmita-vikramas tvaṁ

sarvaṁ samāpnoṣhi tato ’si sarvaḥ

O Lord of infinite power, my salutations to You from the front and the rear, indeed from all sides! You possess infinite valour and might and pervade everything, and thus, You are everything.

pitāsi lokasya charācharasya

tvam asya pūjyaśh cha gurur garīyān

na tvat-samo ’sty abhyadhikaḥ kuto ’nyo

loka-traye ’py apratima-prabhāva

You are the Father of the entire universe, of all moving and non-moving beings. You are the most deserving of worship and the Supreme Spiritual Master. When there is none equal to You in all the three worlds, then who can possibly be greater than You, O Possessor of incomparable power?

adṛiṣhṭa-pūrvaṁ hṛiṣhito ’smi dṛiṣhṭvā

bhayena cha pravyathitaṁ mano me

tad eva me darśhaya deva rūpaṁ

prasīda deveśha jagan-nivāsa

Having seen Your universal form that I had never seen before, I feel great joy. And yet, my mind trembles with fear. Please have mercy on me and again show me Your pleasing form, O God of gods, O Abode of the universe.

3. Remarks

Sri Krishna says in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita that all the beauty, glory, and power are just a spark of His immeasurable splendour.

atha vā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣhṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛitsnam ekānśhena sthito jagat

What need is there for all this detailed knowledge? Simply know that with one fraction of My being, I pervade and support this entire creation.

However, the finite being, through his deep devotion, can somehow understand the resplendent, unlimited, and primaeval cosmic form of the Supreme Being.

-Asutosh Satpathy