Sri Hari’s Power (aishvarya) and the Way to Experience It

(From Madhurya-Tattva-Vijnana, by Sri Ananta Dasa Babaji Maharaja)

Srimat Jiva Gosvamipada has referred to Sri Bhagavan’s unequalled, boundless, innate sovereignty as his aishvarya. Sri Bhagavan’s six kinds of power are transformations of his cit-shakti. SaD-vidha aizvarya kRSNera cic-chakti-vikAra (Caitanya-Caritamrta). Shakti and shaktiman are one; therefore it is easily deduced that Sri Hari’s aishvarya is his natural and innate treasure rather than something incidental. In Sri Gita, Sri Bhagavan said to Sri Arjuna,

yad yad vibhUtimat sattvaM zrImad Urjitam eva vA |
tat tad evAvagaccha tvaM mama tejo’Mza-sambhavam ||

“Know that whatever in this world is possessed of the greatest splendor, glory, strength and authority springs from but a spark of my power.” (BG. 10.41)

Shruti also says etAvAn asya mahimA tato jAyAMz ca puruSaH pAde’sya vizvabhUtAni tripAde’syAmRtaM divi. The many universes existing in the past, present and future indicate the power and glory of the purusha. One-fourth of his power is manifest in the material realm, with three-fourths in the divine realm. The vast and boundless power and majesty of that cinmaya-dhama is beyond human comprehension.

In Bhagavat-Sandarbha Srimat Jiva Gosvamipada has described aishvarya as Sri Bhagavan’s power to subjugate all others, such as his dominion over Brahma and Maheshvara. In his Govinda-Bhashya, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusanapada has described aishvarya as ‘the state of being in complete control.’ In his Raga-Vartma-Candrika, Sripada Visvanatha Cakravarti has written, aizvaryaM tu nara-lIlatvasyAnapekSitatve sati IzvaratvAviSkAraH. yathA mAtA-pitarau prati aizvaryaM darzayitvA ‘etad vAM darzitaM rUpaM prAg-janma-smaraNAya me. nAnyathA mad-bhavaM jJAnaM martya-liGgena jAyate.’ ity uktam. yathA---arjunaM prati ‘pazya me rUpam aizvaram’ ity uktvA aizvaryaM darzitam. vraje’pi brahmANaM prati maJju-mahimA-darzane paraH sahasra-caturbhujatvAdikam apIti. “Disregarding nara-lila, the manifestation of divinity is characterized by aishvarya. For example, after displaying his aishvarya before his mother and father, Devaki and Vasudeva, Sri Krishna said, ‘I have shown you this four-armed form only to remind you of my previous births. Otherwise you would not know me, as I shall assume human characteristics.’ Moreover, displaying his aishvarya to Arjuna, Sri Krishna said, ‘Behold my omnipotent form!’ In Vraja also, Krishna exhibited countless four-armed forms to Brahma when he revealed to him the power of his beauty and charm.”

Srimat Jiva Gosvamipada has described aishvarya as unequalled, boundless, natural sovereignty. Even though this innate, boundless aishvarya is present in all forms of God, the aishvarya manifested in Sri Krishna’s lila has no equal. For this reason, in Srimad-Bhagavata, the essence of all vedanta, he is glorified as Sri Bhagavan himself. In his Sri Laghu-Bhagavatamrta, Srimat Rupa Gosvamipada has written the following:

atrocyate parezatvAt pUrNA yady api te’khilAH |
tathApy akhila-zaktInAM prAkaTyaM tatra no bhavet ||
aMzatvaM nAma zaktInAM sadAlpAMza-prakAzitA |
pUrNatvaM ca svecchayaiva nAnA-zakti-prakAzitA ||
zaktir aizvarya-mAdhurya-kRpA-tejo-mukhA guNAH |
zakter vyaktis tathAvyaktis tAratamyasya kAraNam ||

“Although as the Supreme Lord, all his avataras are complete, only in the form of Sri Krishna are all his energies fully manifest. Those forms of Sri Bhagavan in which only a portion of his power is manifest are called amsas, whereas the form in which his power is revealed in full is called purna. Qualities such as aishvarya (the power to subjugate all others), madhurya (the ability to be charming under all conditions), krpa (the causeless desire to relieve others’ suffering), and tejas (the power to overcome time, maya, karma, etc.) are called shaktis. The different gradations of partial and full are determined by the degree to which the various shaktis are manifest or unmanifest. Here, it is particularly worth noting that in no shastra is there any mention that any form of Bhagavan has less than complete shakti. Still, among all the forms of God who have descended into the world and performed pastimes, it is nowhere seen that any have displayed the shakti or aishvarya possessed by Sri Krishna. But no mahajanas or shastras accept that there is any true difference in the divinity of any of the various forms of God. Rather, they would consider that way of thinking to be offensive. Sri Narayana is a vilasa-murti of Sri Krishna, but doctrinally there is no difference in the two forms. Still, in consideration of rasa, Sri Krishna’s superiority has been established, as shown in Bhakti-Rasamrta-Sindhuh 1.2.59:

siddhAntatas tv abhede’pi zrIza-kRSNa-svarUpayoH |
rasenotkRSyate kRSNa-rUpam eSA rasa-sthitiH ||

Even in Sri Krishna alone a gradation of fullness has been shown (BRS 2.1.222-223):

prakAzitAkhila-guNaH smRtaH pUrNatamo budhaiH |
asarva-vyaJjakaH pUrNataraH pUrNo’lpa-darzakaH ||
kRSNasya pUrnatamatA vyaktAbhUd gokulAntare |
pUrNatA pUrNataratA dvArakA-mathurAdizu ||

“That which is complete in its manifestation of qualities is called purnatama (fullest). That in which the manifestation of qualities is somewhat less is called purnatara (fuller), and that which has even fewer manifested qualities is called purna (full). In Gokula, Sri Krishna’s manifestation is purnatama, in Mathura it is purnatara and in Dvaraka it is purna.” This distinction is in accordance with statements in the Laghu-Bhagavatamrta concerning aishvarya, madhurya, krpa and tejas.

Srimat Jiva Gosvamipada has stated that love mixed with awe and reverence is the means to attain realization of God’s aishvarya. That type of love in which the devotees consider Sri Hari as ishvara, or the Supreme Being, and which realization of his aishvarya or majesty is present is described as being love mixed with awe and reverence. The reason is that the knowledge of God’s majesty awakens awe and reverence in the devotee’s mind and causes him to be hesitant in expressing his love. aizvarya-jJAna-prAdhAnye saGkucita prIti (CC). What is aishvarya-jnana? Izvaro’yam ity anusandhAne sati hRt-kampa-janaka-sambhrameNa svIya-bhAvasyAtizaithilyaM yat pratipAdayati tad aizvarya-jJAnam (Srila Visvanatha). “When the bhakta knows that ‘This is the Supreme Being’ and his heart palpitates from feelings of awe, his intimate, loving mood is diminished. This is known as aishvarya-jnana.” In Srimad-Bhagavata 10.85.18-19, we find the following in Sri Vasudeva’s speech to Sri Krishna-Baladeva:

yuvAM na naH sutau sAkSAt pradhAna-puruSezvarau |
bhU-bhAra-kSatra-kSapaNa avatIrNau tathAttha ha ||
tat te gato’smy araNam adya padAravindam
Apanna-saMsRti-bhayApaham Arta-bandho |
etAvatAlam alam indriya-lAlasena
martyAtma-dRk tvayi pare yad apatya-buddhiH ||

“You are not our sons; you are directly the Supreme Lords. You assured me that you have descended to destroy the ksatriyas and reduce the earth’s burden. O friend of the distressed! We have now taken shelter of your lotus feet, which remove from the afflicted their fear of worldly life. For so long we have uselessly sought after sense enjoyment, thinking ourselves to be these mortal bodies, regarding you, the Supreme Lord, to be our child.”

In this statement of Srila Vasudeva Mahasaya, it is worth noting that when he became aware that Sri Krishna is God, his reverential attitude caused his heart to palpitate and his fatherly affection to diminish, having become weakened and hesitant. This is known as aishvarya-jnana, and it is even seen within sakhya-prema. When Sri Bhagavan showed Arjuna his visvarupa on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, Arjuna was frightened by that vast, brilliantly radiant form and prayed as follows:

sakheti matvA prasabhaM yad uktaM he kRSNa he yAdava he sakheti |
ajAnatA mahimAnaM tavedaM mayA pramAdAt praNayena vApi ||
yac cAvahAsArtham asat-kRto’si vihAra-zayyAsana-bhojaneSu |
eko’thavApy acyuta tat samakSaM tat kSAmaye tvAm aham aprameyam ||

“O Lord! Ignorant of your vast divine power, out of affection I have inadvertently treated you carelessly by addressing you ‘O Krishna!’ ‘O Yadava!’ ‘O friend!’ I have joked with you while sporting, lying down, sitting and eating, either alone or with friends. O immeasurable Supreme Person, I beg your forgiveness for all these offenses.” (BG 11.41-42) It is also apparent in these words of Arjuna that when he became aware of Krishna’s divinity, his friendly mood diminished, his heart pounded and he became fearful. Except for Sri Vrndavana, in all other abodes of God the devotees’ love is mixed with awe and reverence. This is a brief explanation of the sadhana for experiencing aishvarya.