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TEXT 58
abadhito pi hy abhaso
yatha vastutaya smrtah
durghatatvad aindriyakam
tadvad artha-vikalpitam
SYNONYMS
abadhitahrejected; apialthough; hicertainly; abhasaha reflection; yathaas; vastutayaa form of reality; smrtahaccepted; durghatatvatbecause of being very difficult to prove the reality; aindriyakamknowledge derived from the senses; tadvatsimilarly; arthareality; vikalpitamspeculated or doubtful.
TRANSLATION
Although one may consider the reflection of the sun from a mirror to be false, it has its factual existence. Accordingly, to prove by speculative knowledge that there is no reality would be extremely difficult.
PURPORT
The impersonalists try to prove that the varieties in the vision of the empiric philosopher are false. The impersonalist philosophy, vivarta-vada, generally cites the acceptance of a rope to be a snake as an example of this fact. According to this example, the varieties within our vision are false, just as a rope seen to be a snake is false. The Vaisnavas say, however, that although the idea that the rope is a snake is false, the snake is not false; one has experience of a snake in reality, and therefore he knows that although the representation of the rope as a snake is false or illusory, there is a snake in reality. Similarly, this world, which is full of varieties, is not false; it is a reflection of the reality in the Vaikuntha world, the spiritual world.
The reflection of the sun from a mirror is nothing but light within darkness. Thus although it is not exactly sunlight, without the sunlight the reflection would be impossible. Similarly, the varieties of this world would be impossible unless there were a real prototype in the spiritual world. The Mayavadi philosopher cannot understand this, but a real philosopher must be convinced that light is not possible at all without a background of sunlight. Thus the jugglery of words used by the Mayavadi philosopher to prove that this material world is false may amaze inexperienced children, but a man with full knowledge knows perfectly well that there cannot be any existence without Krsna. Therefore a Vaisnava insists on the platform of somehow or other accepting Krsna (tasmat kenapy upayena manah krsne nivesayet).
When we raise our unmixed faith to the lotus feet of Krsna, everything is revealed. Krsna also says in Bhagavad-gita (7.1):
Now hear, O son of Prtha [Arjuna], how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt. Simply by raising ones staunch faith in Krsna and His instructions, one can understand reality without a doubt (asamsayam samagram mam). One can understand how Krsnas material and spiritual energies are working and how He is present everywhere although everything is not Him. This philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda, inconceivable oneness and difference, is the perfect philosophy enunciated by the Vaisnavas. Everything is an emanation from Krsna, but it is not that everything must therefore be worshiped. Speculative knowledge cannot give us reality as it is, but will continue to be nefariously imperfect. So-called scientists try to prove that there is no God and that everything is happening because of the laws of nature, but this is imperfect knowledge because nothing can work unless directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is explained in Bhagavad-gita (9.10) by the Lord Himself:
This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again. In this regard, Srila Madhvacarya gives this note: durghatatvad arthatvena paramesvarenaiva kalpitam. The background of everything is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. This can be understood by a mahatma who is perfect in knowledge. Such a mahatma is rarely seen.
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