The Transcendental Nature of Appearance and Disappearance
In the material world, everything is defined by its beginning and its end. We celebrate the birth of a child and lament the death of a relative, constantly tossed by the waves of temporary gains and inevitable losses. However, the Vedic literature provides a higher perspective that elevates human consciousness above these temporary fluctuations. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches us how to tolerate material changes and, more importantly, how to understand the divine reality behind the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Lord.
Tolerating Material Dualities
The first lesson in spiritual life is learning how to interact with the temporary material energy. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently quotes the Bhagavad-gītā to explain that happiness and distress are simply matters of sensory perception. Because their appearance and disappearance are as nonpermanent as the winter and summer seasons, an intelligent person does not take them seriously, choosing instead to focus on steady spiritual advancement.
- O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons.
- According to Bhagavad-gita we have simply to tolerate all these temporary appearances and disappearance, our main function being to make steady progress in Krsna consciousness.
- The temporary appearance and disappearance of such material interactions (heat and cold, happiness and distress) confirms that the material body is formed of a material energy inferior to the living force, or jiva energy.
- A pure devotee doesn't see, in the material world, someone as higher or lower; higher and lower positions are ephemeral, and a devotee has nothing to do with ephemeral appearances or disappearances. For him stone and gold are of equal value.
The Illusion of the Material Body
Beyond emotional dualities, the physical body itself is a temporary manifestation. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the eternal spirit soul has absolutely no real connection to the birth and death of the material body. Just as the waxing and waning of the moon are simply tricks of light that do not affect the moon itself, the appearance and disappearance of the physical body do not affect the eternal nature of the soul.
- The appearance and disappearance of the body have nothing to do with the living entity, just as the waxing and waning of the moon have nothing to do with the moon.
- It is advised that one observe the eternal time factor, which is the cause of the material body's appearance and disappearance, and that one observe the living entity's entanglement in this time factor.
- Jivo va maro va. Because we are going to accept eternity, so appearance and disappearance of this body is no a very important thing. Nitya-lila, eternal life - that is our Krsna consciousness.
- Spiritual world is eternal. There is no question of occasional appearance and occasional disappearance.
The Sunlike Pastimes of the Lord
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends to the material world, ordinary people mistakenly assume He takes birth like a common man. Śrīla Prabhupāda thoroughly defeats this misconception using the analogy of the sun. The sun is permanently situated in space, yet due to our limited vision, it appears to rise and set. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa eternally exists in His spiritual abode, appearing and disappearing from our worldly vision solely by His internal potency.
- Janma karma ca me divyam: (Bhagavad-Gita 4.9) the activities and the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are transcendental; they are not to be considered material.
- His (Krsna's) appearance and disappearance are like the sun's rising, moving before us, and then disappearing from our eyesight.
- Actually, the sun is always in its fixed position, but owing to our defective, insufficient senses, we calculate the appearance and disappearance of the sun in the sky.
- The so-called appearance and disappearance of the Lord are not actions of material nature, but are demonstrations of the internal potency of the Lord. They are described by the great sages for the purpose of self-realization.
The Liberation of True Understanding
Understanding this science is not a matter of mere academic curiosity; it is the very key to spiritual liberation. Śrīla Prabhupāda promises that anyone who genuinely comprehends the transcendental nature of the Lord's appearance and disappearance immediately escapes the cycle of repeated birth and death. Furthermore, this same transcendental principle applies to the pure devotees and ācāryas, whose appearances and disappearances are equally divine.
- A person is eligible to return home, back to Godhead, if he perfectly understands Krsna and His appearance and disappearance. This is verified by Krsna Himself in the Bhagavad-gita 4.9 : tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna
- In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that anyone who factually understands the transcendental appearance and disappearance of the Lord by His inconceivable energy becomes liberated from the laws of birth and death.
- His (Narada Muni's) appearance and disappearance are practically on the same level as that of the Lord. The Lord and His devotees are therefore simultaneously one and different as spiritual entities. They belong to the same category of transcendence.
- Although this is the disappearance day of Srimad Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, so there is nothing to be lamented. Although we feel separation, that feeling is there, but spiritually, there is no difference between appearance and disappearance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the concepts of appearance and disappearance carry vastly different meanings depending on whether they are applied to the material energy or the Supreme Absolute Truth. For the conditioned soul, the fluctuations of mundane happiness and distress, as well as the birth and death of the physical body, are merely temporary illusions. Like the passing seasons or the waxing and waning of the moon, they are products of the inferior energy and must be quietly tolerated without attachment. Conversely, the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and His pure devotees are entirely transcendental. Just as the sun is permanently situated in space despite seemingly rising and setting to our limited vision, the Lord's divine pastimes are eternal and untouched by material time. By realizing this profound spiritual science, a sincere practitioner naturally transcends the ephemeral dualities of this world, immediately escapes the cycle of birth and death, and returns to the spiritual sky where life is eternal, blissful, and absolute.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Appearance and Disappearance. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.