preṣṭhaḥ san preyasām api

aham ātmātmanāṁ dhātaḥ

preṣṭhaḥ san preyasām api

ato mayi ratiṁ kuryād

dehādir yat-kṛte priyaḥ

O Brahmā! I am the soul in all the living beings. Among all dear things I am the dearest object to the living beings. For this reason the body and family are dear to a person. Therefore one should have love for me.

That Lord has indicated that he is very dear to those who have pure bhakti without material guṇas. But I alone should also be dearest to all jīvas. They should hold me dear. This is an injunction. I am the soul (ātmā), the Paramātmā, of all the jīvas (ātmanām). For this reason (yat-kṛte) body and family become dear to a person. Affection for wife and sons is based on one’s body. Affection for one’s own body is based on the jīva within the body. Affection for the jīva is based on the Paramātmā. Affection for Paramātmā is natural. The affection for the jīva and the preceding items is figurative only, and the affection for each item is successively less.

 

But how can you make a command and say “The jīva should act with rati for me.” Rati is something which is to be attained. The command is uttered to act when rati does not exist. The answer is as follows. The jīva is fit for māyā, but not the Paramātmā. Humans who have fallen into māyā’s bondage experience objects of māyā. But even for the jīva, māyā is only superimposed. Though natural affection for Paramātmā exists, because of lack of experience of Paramātmā, the jīva does not have affection for Paramātmā. He is like a wealthy merchant who does not know that he possesses wealth and thus acts like a poor man. Thus it is enjoined that the jīva should have affection. It is an injunction.

 

However, though Paramātmā is dearest, it is seen that even though the jñānīs may realize him directly, there is no rati for Paramātmā and prema does not develop. For the devotees alone, Paramātmā, existing in all time and space, is the dearest. This is not so for the jñānīs. Though the sun dispels the pain of cold and gives happiness to the eye with light, and though this is experienced by all, some people do not appreciate this. This is because they have no attachment for the sun. And though the sun gives happiness to them, it is also indifferent to them. The jñānīs do not rejoice in the Brahman though it gives happiness of realizing the self and destroys ignorance, because they do not have great attachment to it. Brahman also, giving them realization of the impersonal aspect, is indifferent to them. When devotee of the sun god, whether having vision or blind, sees the sun who is satisfied by his devotion, as having hands and feet, along with chariot and horses, he brings the sun under his control by his devotion. Similarly, the jīva, whether liberated or in bondage, delights in the Paramātmā with realization of his qualities, and brings Paramātmā under his control by his devotion. Thus Paramātmā is most dear to the devotees whether they have pure bhakti or mixed bhakti. However Paramātmā is not most dear to the jñānīs with a small amount of bhakti. Thus when the Paramātmā himself says “One should show affection for me” it should be considered in relation to the devotee only. Or, the sentence can mean “For this reason (ataḥ) one should show affection for me, the result of which (yad-kṛte) is that the intelligent man will have affection for the body (dehādiḥ priyaḥ), using the body and senses to perfect bhakti.” Such persons do not hanker for liberation.

 

|| 3.9.43 ||