The Goal of Vedanta Study 181
is manifested in a collective and individual sense. Collective ignorance is call-
ed Visuddhasatvapradhana. When that Visuddhasatvapradhana becomes manifested
within the ignorance of material Nature it is called the Lord, and the Lord
manifests all kinds of ignorance. Therefore Hs is known as Sarvajna.” Accord-
ing to the Mayavadi philosophy the Lord is the product of this material Nature,
and the living entity is in the lowest grade of ignorance. That is the sum and
substance of the Mayavadi philosophy.

If, however, we accept directly the import of the Upanishads, it is clear
that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a Person with unlimited Potency.
For example, in the Brihadarnyak it is stated that the Supreme Personality
of Godhead is the Origin of everything, and He has multiple different
potencies: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental to the
cosmic manifestation of His time through His material energy, and He is the
Origin of all religiousness, and He is the Supreme Deliverer, and He is
Possesser of all opulences. Let me understand the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Who is just like the Sun, profusely distributing His different energies,
while beyond the cloud of this material cosmic manifestation. He is the
Master of masters, and He is the Supreme of the supremes. He is known
as the Greatest Lord, the Personality of Godhead. His energies and potencies
are multiple, variously distributed.” It is stated that Vishnu is the Supreme,
and those who are sairatly persons are always anxious to see the Lotus Feet of
Vishnu. In the Aitariya Upanishad also it is stated that the Lord glanced over
the material Nature, and thus the cosmic manifestation came about. This is
also stated in the Prasna Upanishad.

When there is a negative description of the Lord in the Vedic literature,
just like Apani Pada, such a Mantra indicates that the Lord has no material
body, and that He has no material Form. But He has His Spiritual Body, He
has His transcendental Body, and He has His transcendental Form. The Maya-
vadi philosophers misunderstand this transcendental nature of the Supreme
Lord, and explain the Supreme Lord as impersonal. The Lord, His Name,
Form, Quality, Entourage and Abode all being in the transcendental world—
how can He be a transformation of this material Nature? Everything connected
with the Supreme Lord is eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge.

So, in effect, Sankaracharya delivered this Mayavadi philosophy to bewilder
a certain class of atheistic people. Actually, he never meant that the Supreme
Lord, the Personality of Godhead, is impersonal, with no Body or no Form.
Therefore, the intelligent persons should not attend any lecture on Mayavadi
philosophy. We should understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead
