Adi-lila, Chapter 7 5
pahca-tattva—eka-vastu, nahi kichu bheda
rasa asvadite tabu vividha vibheda
SYNONYMS

pafica-tattva—the five subjects; eka-vastu—they are one in five; nahi—there is not;
kichu—anything; bheda—difference; rasa—mellows; asvadite—to taste; tabu—yet;
vividha—varieties; vibheda—differences.

TRANSLATION

Spiritually there are no differences between these five tattvas, for on the tran-
scendental platform everything is absolute. Yet there are also varieties in the
spiritual world, and in order to taste these spiritual varieties one should distinguish
between them.

PURPORT

In his Anubhasya commentary Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura describes
the Pafica-tattva as follows. The supreme energetic, the Personality of Godhead,
manifesting in five kinds of pastimes, appears as the Pafica-tattva. Actually there is
no difference between them because they are situated on the absolute platform, but
they manifest different spiritual varieties as a challenge to impersonalists to taste
different kinds of spiritual humors (rasas). In the Vedas it is said, parasya Saktir
vividhaiva sruyate: ‘‘The varieties of energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
are differently known.” From this statement of the Vedas one can understand that
there are eternal varieties of humors or tastes in the spiritual world. Sri Gauranga,
Sri Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Sri Gadadhara and Srivasa are all on the same platform,
but in spiritually distinguishing between them one should understand that Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the form of a devotee, Nityananda Prabhu appears in the
form of a devotee’s spiritual master, Advaita Prabhu is the form of a bhakta (devo-
tee) incarnation, Gadadhara Prabhu is the energy of a bhakta, and Srivasa is a pure
devotee. Thus there are spiritual distinctions between them. The bhakta-rupa (Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu), the bhakta-svarupa (Sri Nityananda Prabhu) and the bhakta-
avatara (Sri Advaita Prabhu) are described as the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Himself, His immediate manifestation and His plenary expansion, and They all
belong to the Visnu category. Although the spiritual and marginal energies of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead are nondifferent from the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Visnu, they are predominated subjects, whereas Lord Visnu is the pre-
dominator. As such, although they are on the same platform, they have appeared
differently in order to facilitate tasting of transcendental mellows. Actually, how-
ever, there is no possibility of one being different from the other, for the worshiper
and the worshipable cannot be separated at any stage. On the absolute platform, one
cannot be understood without the other.

TEXT 6
ARGTTFS FR SSHA-AATFT |
SSSA SSW’ AMT SSafSsy tv i
