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The Glories of Lord Nityananda Balarama · Page 103/373 · Para 7/47

The Glories of Lord Nityananda Balarama

Cc Ādi 5.41
Text
vāsudeva-saṅkarṣaṇa-pradyumnāniruddha
'dvitīya catur-vyūha' ei--turīya, viśuddha
Synonyms

vāsudeva-the expansion named Vāsudeva; saṅkarṣaṇa-the expansion named Saṅkarṣaṇa; pradyumna-the expansion named Pradyumna; aniruddha-the expansion named Aniruddha; dvitīya catuḥ-vyūha-the second quadruple expansion; ei-this; turīya-transcendental; viśuddha-free from all material contamination.

Translation

Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha constitute this second quadruple. They are purely transcendental.

Purport

Śaṅkarācārya says (sūtra 43) that devotees think that Pradyumna, who is considered to represent the senses, has sprung from Saṅkarṣaṇa, who is considered to represent the living entities. But we cannot actually experience that a person can produce senses. Devotees also say that from Pradyumna has sprung Aniruddha, who is considered to represent the ego. But Śaṅkarācārya says that unless the devotees can show how ego and the means of knowledge can generate from a person, such an explanation of the Vedānta-sūtra cannot be accepted, for no other philosophers accept the sūtras in that way.