5.5. Praga峁璦: Parabrahman as Manifest

Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)

by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words

This page relates 鈥楶ragata: Parabrahman as Manifest鈥� of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.

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5.5. Praga峁璦: Parabrahman as Manifest

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Till this point, we have dealt with here three aspects of Parabrahman鈥揚arabrahman as 蝉补谤惫辞辫补谤墨, 办补谤迟腻, and 蝉腻办腻谤补. Now we will investigate Parabrahman as 辫谤补驳补峁璦. All the features of Parabrahman analyzed so far, 厂惫腻尘颈苍腻谤腻测补峁嘺 lays special emphasis on the significance of Parabrahman being manifest (辫谤补驳补峁璦) and realizing him as such. The English word incarnate or incarnation does not convey the correct sense, because it narrowly refers to the material body (or rebirth, or birth in a physical body). Therefore, the word 鈥榤anifest鈥� or 鈥榤anifestation of Parabrahman鈥� is perhaps found to convey the perfect understanding. Therefore, from 厂惫腻尘颈苍腻谤腻测补峁嘺鈥檚 standpoint, it may be said that the two words 鈥榠ncarnation鈥� (补惫补迟腻谤补) and 鈥榤anifestation 鈥�(辫谤腻办补迟测补) have different connotations. The former is used in a very laxed and liberal sense as a generic term, while the latter is used in a restricted sense as a specific term implying 鈥楶arabrahman鈥檚 willing self-presentation鈥�. Thus, the term 鈥榤anifest鈥� is applied to 鈥榗oming of or revealing of鈥� Parabrahman on earth while simultaneously being present in His highest abode. So, when Parabrahman descends on earth, He is not absent in His permanent residence Ak峁radh膩ma, but He assumes another equally beauteous-glorious-divine form. He rather manifests Himself in one more additional form to participate in the life of loving devotees.^[8]

So, it is not descent from a higher plane to a lower plane with a physical body; rather, it is a spiritual descent into the celestial, human, or subhuman plane with all His transcendental glory and divinity intact accompanying Him. It is a descent out of love, mercy, and a desire to become accessible to all. Also, as Parabrahman manifests on earth, He possesses six unique opulence or supernatural attributes of transcendence, namely, perfect power, perfect beauty, perfect knowledge, perfect fame, perfect renunciation, and perfect wealth.^[2] Thus, when 蝉补谤惫补惫补迟腻谤颈 Parabrahman (supreme godhead) Himself descends on the earth, He does so while simultaneously remaining present in His highest abode (Brahmadh膩ma/ Ak峁radh膩ma)^[3], for He can assume as many forms as are necessary. He, out of His infinite ever-flowing grace for mankind, descends on earth, becomes one like us and unveils and reveals His transcendental glory and divinity.^[4] He, as such, is beyond the comprehension of finite beings, senses, mind, ego, and intellect. But, despite this, He wills to present Himself in the mortal coil and becomes accessible. This He can simultaneously do assuming as many forms in as many universes (worlds/earth).^[5]

When He Himself descends on the earth assuming a human form, His physical body appears to be finite and imperfect and corporeal like human beings; but He is neither limited nor affected (influenced) by the properties of 尘腻测腻 (matter). Therefore, the visibly-manifest form of Parabrahman is as divine as the form of Parabrahman, in His highest abode Brahmadh膩ma. In other words, the visibly-manifest form of Parabrahman on the earth is totally identical with the eternally present divine form of Parabrahman in the highest abode.^[6] Whenever the supreme Parabrahman Himself descends on the earth, He brings along with Him in His retinue Ak峁rabrahman: the ideal supreme devotee and other released 腻迟尘腻苍蝉 as His attendants.^[7] As in the 骋墨迟腻, we find greater evidence.

The Bhagavad-骋墨迟腻 introduces:

yad膩 yad膩 hi dharmasya gl膩nirbhavati 产丑腻谤补迟补 | abhyutth膩namadharmasya tad膩tm膩na峁� s峁沯膩myaham || Bhagavad-骋墨迟腻 4/7 ||

鈥淲henever there is a major decline of in the form of Dharma (厂惫补谤奴辫补苍颈峁ａ弓丑腻 the firm conviction of Parabrahman) and the rise of Adharma, O Arjuna, then I incarnate myself.鈥�

The 叠丑腻峁补办腻谤补 comments:

鈥�svecchay膩 anyaj墨ve艣var膩tmanonupravi艣ya kad膩cit s膩k峁Ｄ乨eva sa峁僢hav膩m墨ti 产丑腻惫补岣�鈥� (Bhagavad-骋墨迟腻 4/7, p.95)

鈥淧arabrahman by his independent will, sometimes He Himself manifests or sometimes he manifests through the 箩墨惫补蝉 and 墨艣惫补谤补蝉 by reentering them.鈥�

This statement leads us into the discussion where the question is why Parabrahman manifests? What is the purpose and purport of his manifestation? Bhadre艣ad膩sa provides solutions to this question and explicitly clears the way. He expounds that to grant liberation to infinitive 箩墨惫补蝉 and 墨艣惫补谤补蝉 is the primary purpose (叠谤补丑尘补蝉奴迟谤补 2/1/34, p.184) of Parabrahman. Along with this, he fulfills the wishes of His beloved devotees and establishes the dharma on earth (Bhagavad-骋墨迟腻 4/8, p.96).

Based on this evidence and the 蝉腻尘辫谤补诲腻测颈办补 tradition as alive today, Dr. Raymond Williams writes: in the 厂惫腻尘颈苍腻谤腻测补峁嘺厂补尘辫谤补诲腻测补, its founder,

鈥湷П鼓宄揪辈阅灏宀獠贯箛a is thought to be the single, complete manifestation of the Supreme Person (Parabrahman-笔耻谤耻峁迟迟补尘补), and such, is superior in power and efficacy to all other manifestations of God.鈥�^[8]