Two Bodies Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur

Two Bodies
Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur

saìgatäù käçcid yogamäyäkåtänukülyän nirodham
uktvä abhisåtya tasyäm eva rätrau räsa-vihäriëaà
taà präptäù käçcid anyasyäm api.

The word ‘saìgatäù’ [in Bhäg. 10.29.11]
speaks about certain gopés who by the
arrangement of yogamäyä were able to meet
the Lord despite prohibitions by seniors such
as in-laws and husbands.

nanu, puruñäntaro prabhukta-dehäbhis täbhiù
saha bhagavad-viläso na yujyata iti. taträha—jahur
iti. deham iti jäty-apekñayä ekatvam. tasya dehasya
yogamäyayaivälakñitam antardhäpanam ity eke, anye
tv evam ähuù—atra heyo deho guëamaya eva bhavaty
ato guëamayam iti viçeñaëasyädhikyät täsäà dehä veëuvädanät
pürvaà dvidhäbhütä guëamayäç cinmayäç
cäsann iti budhyate tatra ye guëamayäù svapatyupabhuktä

dehäs tän eva jahuù.

An objection may be raised here. Does it befit
the Lord to enjoy those bodies of the gopés
which have already been enjoyed by their socalled
husbands?

This objection is answered by the word ‘jahuù’ in
the same verse. The gopés are many in number, yet
the word ‘dehaà’ in the verse is singular according
to rules of Sanskrit, and not plural. This indicates that
the speaker has classified all the bodies of the gopés
in a separate spiritual category. Certain authorities
on this subject matter have said that the bodies of
the gopés disappeared from their homes to appear
in the räsa dance.
Other authorities say that the
bodies of the gopés which stayed back at home were
material bodies. By taking both such authorities into
consideration, it is to be concluded that on hearing
the beautiful sound vibrations of Krishna’s flute,
the bodies of the gopés divided into two — material
and spiritual — after which the material body that
was enjoyed by their husbands stayed back and the
spiritual body escaped to the räsa dance.

ayam atra viveko gurüpadiñöa-bhaktyärambha-daçäta
eva bhaktänäà çravaëa-kértana-smaraëa-daëòavatpraëati-
paricaryädi-mayyäà çuddha-bhaktau çroträdiñu
praviñöäyäà satyäà—nirguëo mad-apäçrayaù iti
bhagavad-ukter bhaktaù sva-çroträdibhir bhagavadguëädikaà
viñayékurvan nirguëo bhavati. vyavahärikaçabdädikam
api viñayékurvan guëamayo ’pi bhavatéti
bhakta-dehasyäàçena nirguëatvaà guëa-mayatvaà
ca syät. tataç ca—bhaktiù pareçänubhavo viraktiù
iti tuñöiù puñöiù kñud-apäyo ’nu-ghäsam iti nyäyena

bhakti-våddhi-täratamyena nirguëa-dehäàçänäm
ädhikya-täratamyaà syät.
The following parallel should be analyzed in
this regard: When devotees begin their devotional
service under the guidance of a bona-fide spiritual
master, they engage in activities such as hearing,
chanting, singing, remembering the Lord, paying
obeisances, worshiping the deity in various ways,
listening to a pure devotee, etc. In this way, they
become transcendental. The Lord himself proclaims
this in Bhäg. 11.25.26 by the words nirguëo madapäçrayaù
—
“The devotees transcend the modes
of material nature in these ways”. However, the
same devotees may sometimes be found engaging
in mundane sounds, activities and tastes. Therefore,
just like the gopés, the devotee’s body can also
have two aspects — that which is material (guëamaya)
and that which is spiritual (nirguëa).

The verse Bhäg. 11.2.42, beginning with bhaktiù
pareçänubhavo viraktiù, says that with every morsel
of food, satisfaction and nourishment increase while
hunger decreases. Similarly, as devotional service
increases in a devotee, the nirguëa body becomes
prominent and the guëa-maya fades away.
·
— From the Särärtha Darçiné Öikä commentary on Çrémad
Bhägavatam 10.29.10-11. Translated by Hari Parshad Das from
the Sanskrit available at http://www.granthamandira.com