The Bhagavata: The Confluence of Science, Philosophy and Poetics

The Bhagavata is a sophisticated text. Here we have a highly complex microcosmic narrative woven together with the metaphor of the external world. The great ontological discourses of the (theistic) Samkhya are set within a ontogenic framework. And, further, in the midst of such a ontogenic milieu blended with metaphor, there is applied an intelligent dialectical strategy. Science (embryology, to be precise), metaphor, philosophy and dialectics thus come together in one irresistible combination.  To interpret the Bhagavata, therefore, is by no means an easy task. A non-intellectual, literal approach means that the entire plan goes haywire.

The Concept of Pure Personality (Purusa) in the Philosophy of Sankaradeva

puruṣa uttama    parama puruṣa
parama ānanda sbāmī .
tayu pādapadma-    makaranda āśe
śaraṇa paśilo āmi .. (NG, 186)

The concept of a pure personality (purusa) is central to the philosophy of Sankaradeva. It is at the core of the Bhagavata's understanding of the form and nature of God (isvara) and the souls (jivas). In this blog post I attempt to lay down the foundational points for this concept and plan to discuss it in further detail later on.

First, by pure personality (purusa), a transcendental person is meant. A pure personality (purusa) is a pure person. Let us take up the conception of person given in Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person):

A person is a being, such as a human, that has certain capacities or attributes constituting personhood, which in turn is defined differently by different authors in different disciplines, and by different cultures in different times and places. In ancient Rome, the word persona (Latin) or prosopon (πρόσωπον; Greek) originally referred to the masks worn by actors on stage. The various masks represented the various "personae" in the stage play.

(Note how similar is the Greek term prosopon to the Sanskrit term purusa.)

After this definition, we lay down a few basic points relating to the conception of purusa or the transcendental pure person that will form the basis of any treatise that may be developed on this subject.


A pure person (purusa) is a separate ontological category; it is distinct from and superior to the category of matter (prakrti). It is sometimes referred to impersonally (and rather technically) as brahma (spirit). This sort of a substantial definition sometimes deludes us into thinking that it is substance. But, it is not substance. A pure person (purusa) is just that: a pure personality (purusa).

A pure person (purusa) is full of afferential (sense) and efferential (action) capacities or capabilities. Knowing and doing are features essential to its nature. It is the feeler. Memory and even language are native to it.



A pure person (purusa) is genderless: it is neither male nor female nor hermaphrodite. 'He' or 'it,' in whichever case they are used to refer to this entity, is used to indicate a pure transcendental person only.

A pure person (purusa) is endowed with a beauteous form. It (or he) is certainly not absolutely formless. But this form is not a prakrti-made one.

A pure person (purusa) exists forever. It is eternal (sanatana). It just is. And just was and will be. At no point of time did the purusas ever come into existence. They are never created, not even in Vaikuntha--their native, transcendental abode--; not even by Isvara.

A pure person (purusa) is not connected to any material mind-link (manas) or any physical frame or material body. When it is so connected, then, at that time, it is referred to as jiva. The pure person (purusa) has its own transcendental mind, its own faculty of consciousness (cit). This cit is different from the material manas by which term we might mean (material) entities like subtle mind, brain, cerebral cortex, etc.

The supreme pure person is the Lord (isvara) and the souls (jivas) are also, in their native forms, pure personalities (purusas) .

Self-Counsel (ātma-upadeśa): A Translation of a Passage from the Nama Ghosa

ātma-upadeśa

he jihbā sadā tora, madhurese mātra priẏa

jāna tañi rasara sāraka .

āna teji nirantare, kariẏoka mātra pāna

nārāẏaṇa nāma amṛtaka .. 89

he jihbā tañi sadā, āhmāta nirddaẏa bhaili

kene nobolasa rāma bāṇī .

saṃsāra sāgare iṭo, harise sudṛḍha nāwa

jāni hari buliẏo kalyāṇī .. 90

he karṇa sadā tora, śabada mātrase priẏa

tañi śabda madhura jānasa .

koṭi amṛtatodhika, parama madhura śabda

śuna sadā kṛṣṇa nāma yaśa .. 91

he mana tora kāma, saṅkalpa bikalpa dharmma

teji michā kāmanā [byāpāra] sakala .

sadāẏe saṅkalpa mātra, kariẏo suhṛda mana

kṛṣṇanāma parama maṅgala .. 92

śunio hṛdaẏa hera, brahmāṇḍa bhitare yata

bastu āche toka nojoḍaẏa .

tāka teji kṛṣṇanāma, akṣaẏa amṛta piẏā

santoṣaka labhiẏo hṛdaẏa .. 93

śuniẏoka buddhi tora, kewale niścaẏa dharmma

teji sawe bināśī biṣaẏa .

sadā śuddha sumaṅgala, akṣaẏa kṛṣṇara nāma

tāke mātra kariẏo niścaẏa .. 94

śuna hera ahaṅkāra, nicinta āpuna māra

michā ahammamaka tejiẏo .

parama īśbara kṛṣṇa, huẏoka tāhāna dāsa

sādhusaṅge kṛṣṇaka bhajiẏo .. 95

śuniẏoka citta hera, parama rahasya bāṇī

tumi śuddha jñānara ālaẏa .

kṛṣṇa nitya śuddha buddha, parama īśbara dewa

nachāḍibā tāhāna āśraẏa .. 96

kṛṣṇa nija iṣṭadewa, ātmā priẏatama guru

suhṛda sodara bandhujana .

kṛṣṇe mora mati gati, kṛṣṇata bhakati rati

kṛṣṇapāwe nimajoka mana .. 97

Self-Counsel (ātma-upadeśa)

O tongue! Only the sweet is dear to you always;
you are the connoisseur of taste (rasa).
Forsaking other things, please do only the drinking
of the nectar of the ‘Narayana’ name. 89

O tongue! Always you have become cruel to me;
for what reason do you not utter the word ‘Rama?’
In this samsara-ocean, only ‘Hari’ is the well-secured boat.
Knowing, utter ‘Hari,’ beneficial lady! 90

O ear! Always, only sound is dear to you;

you are the discerner of sweet sound.

A billion times sweeter then nectar, the supremely sweet sound;

listen always to Krsna’s name and glory. 91

O mind! Yours is the duty of thinking and considering alternatives.

Forsaking all other false affairs,

you always think only on, beloved mind,
the supremely beneficial name, ‘Krsna.’ 92

Hey heart, listen! All things that are within the perimeter of this universe;
all these are not enough for you.

Forsaking those, drinking the inexhaustible nectar of Krsna’s names,

you obtain satisfaction, heart! 93

Please listen, intellect! Yours is solely the duty of resolving.

Forsaking all destructible sense-objects;

the pure, very auspicious, indestructible name of ‘Krsna’—
on that, only, you resolve always. 94

Hey ego, listen! Do not plot your own downfall;

you forsake all your false egotism.

Supreme Lord is Krsna—you become His servant;
do pure devotion to Krsna in pure devotees’ company. 95

Please listen, O conscience! I say this supremely secret word.

You are the abode of unstained knowledge.

Only Krsna is forever-existing (nitya), pure (suddha) and wise (buddha). He is the Supreme Lord and controlling entity.

Do not ever leave His shelter. 96

Krsna is my own deity, my most beloved self, my teacher.

He is my kinsman, my brother and bosom friend.
Let, towards only Krsna, my intellect move; let, in Krsna, fond attachment develop in my mind;
let, into Krsna’s feet, my mind sink. 97