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TEXT 27 brahmano hi pratisthaham
SYNONYMS  brahmanah--of
the impersonal brahmajyoti; hi--certainly; pratistha--the
rest; aham--I am; amrtasya--of the immortal; avyayasya--of
the imperishable; ca--also; sasvatasya--of the eternal; ca--and;
dharmasya--of the constitutional position; sukhasya--happiness;
aikantikasya--ultimate; ca--also.
TRANSLATION And I am
the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional position
of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable and eternal.
PURPORT The constitution
of Brahman is immortality, imperishability, eternity, and happiness. Brahman
is the beginning of transcendental realization. Paramatma, the Supersoul,
is the middle, the second stage in transcendental realization, and the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate realization of the Absolute
Truth. Therefore, both Paramatma and the impersonal Brahman are within
the Supreme Person. It is explained in the Seventh Chapter that material
nature is the manifestation of the inferior energy of the Supreme Lord.
The Lord impregnates the inferior material nature with the fragments of
the superior nature, and that is the spiritual touch in the material nature.
When a living entity conditioned by this material nature begins the cultivation
of spiritual knowledge, he elevates himself from the position of material
existence and gradually rises up to the Brahman conception of the Supreme.
This attainment of the Brahman conception of life is the first stage in
self-realization. At this stage the Brahman realized person is transcendental
to the material position, but he is not actually perfect in Brahman realization.
If he wants, he can continue to stay in the Brahman position and then gradually
rise up to Paramatma realization and then to the realization of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. There are many examples of this in Vedic literature.
The four Kumaras were situated first in the impersonal Brahman conception
of truth, but then they gradually rose to the platform of devotional service.
One who cannot elevate himself beyond the impersonal conception of Brahman
runs the risk of falling down. In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated
that although a person may rise to the stage of impersonal Brahman, without
going further, with no information of the Supreme Person, his intelligence
is not perfectly clear. Therefore, in spite of being raised to the Brahman
platform, there is the chance of falling down if one is not engaged in
the devotional service of the Lord. In the Vedic language it is also said:
raso vai sah; rasam hy evayam labdhvanandi bhavati: "When one understands
the Personality of God, the reservoir of pleasure, Krsna, he actually becomes
transcendentally blissful." The Supreme Lord is full in six opulences,
and when a devotee approaches Him, there is an exchange of these six opulences.
The servant of the king enjoys on an almost equal level with the king.
And so, eternal happiness, imperishable happiness, eternal life accompany
devotional service. Therefore, realization of Brahman, or eternity, or
imperishability is included in devotional service. This is already possessed
by a person who is engaged in devotional service.
The living
entity, although Brahman by nature, has the desire to lord it over the
material world, and due to this he falls down. In his constitutional position,
a living entity is above the three modes of material nature, but association
with material nature entangles him in the different modes of material nature,
goodness, passion and ignorance. Due to the association of these three
modes, his desire to dominate the material world is there. By engagement
in devotional service in full Krsna consciousness, he is immediately situated
in the transcendental position, and his unlawful desire to control material
nature is removed. Therefore the process of devotional service beginning
with hearing, chanting, remembering--the prescribed nine methods for realizing
devotional service--should be practiced in the association of devotees.
Gradually, by such association, by the influence of the spiritual master,
one's material desire to dominate is removed, and one becomes firmly situated
in the Lord's transcendental loving service. This method is prescribed
from the twenty-second to the last verse of this chapter. Devotional service
to the Lord is very simple: one should always engage in the service of
the Lord, should eat the remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Deity, smell
the flowers offered to the lotus feet of the Lord, see the places where
the Lord had His transcendental pastimes, read of the different activities
of the Lord, His reciprocation of love with His devotees, chant always
the transcendental vibration Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare
Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, and observe the fasting
days commemorating the appearances and disappearances of the Lord and His
devotees. By following such a process one becomes completely detached from
all material activities. One who can thus situate himself in the brahma-jyoti
is equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in quality.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Fourteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita in the matter of the Three Modes of Material Nature.
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