Ravindran Kesavan

There are two systems of Gothra: One, the family tree - which traces the biological lineage. Two, the spiritual initiation lineage- which traces the unbroken guru disciple lineage of a spiritual tradition. Whichever the first guru's name who started the spiritual tradition become the gothra name for all the followers of that tradition in this system. K.Ravindran

Ramanuja uses the "either- or" thinking of the classical logic (technically called the Principle of excluded middle) in many of his criticisms. Example : "Either avida is real or it is unreal". But this either-or thinking is flawed and gotten rid of in many-valued logic fuzzy logic and quantum logic. Advida cannot be neatly classified as real or unreal. - it depends on the context and level; at one level it is real at another at is not real.To understand this level difference let use a familiar example of Dream. Is dream real or unreal? If we rephrase this question to mean , Do dream occur? (did I really dream of a unicorn?) then the answer is- yes. If we rephrase the same question to mean what one sees in the dream is real? ( does the unicorn I saw is real?) then the answer is- no. So is the dream real or unreal? Both. Avidya is not neatly real or unreal. You need a third category of "indeterminate" or "Undecidable". Bi-valued logic fails here. One needs a tri-valued logic. Regards, K.Ravindran

Dear Suchandra, This doesnot mean that Christians do not believe in souls. That conclution does not follow from the above premise. They Verynuch believe in soul. But what they dont believe in is the Soul of Animals and Plants. ( They are created as food for Human) ( And nonchristians perhaps - due to the religious prejudices ) They verymuch believe in the Soul of a (Christian) human being. Perhaps the only religion that doesn't admit a soul is Buddhism ( Anatmavada) . K.Ravindran

There is already only one god. Why should not the bhaktas call the One god with thousand names? : Ganesa , Kartikeya, Aditya, Siva, Gowri, Saraswati, Bhrama, Kali, Mahakala, Bhuvaneswari, Matangi, Chinamasta, Tara, Avakohiteswaea, Heruksa , Adonai, Allah, Yehova, Vishnu, Krishna , Karupaswami , Orisha, Obathala, Yemaya, Zious , Rhia, Arthemis, Diana, Freyr,Thor, Eros, Chu-jung, Hu- chi ..... .... ..... ..... ................... ....... ...... What is the problem, in humanity chanting the thousand names of The One God ? Or is it that you dont agree with the Vedic Wisdom: "There is one reality, the sages call it by many names" ? K.Ravindran

There seems to be a confusion over the meaning of the word "Real" Many times One hears in this forum discussions, that the world is 'real' and at the same time it is equally called "Vertual" (cf. the title of this thread), "dreamland" or "dream" (cf. the two quotations of Srila Prabhupada) In what sense the world is real if it is vertual or a dreamland? What is the meaning of real over here? What is the definition of reality? K.Ravindran

Hi Srikanth , welcome back. How was your vacation? K.Ravindran

Well, to recognise the truth in it, you must be wise too Bija. There is a Zen saying : "A snake will know the legs of another Snake". I have oftern received profound spiritual lessions and instructions from even children as young as three years of age . And they taught me in the form of (Disguise of) child's play . God is every where. I worshipped god as my teacher and god taught me from anywhere and every where. By the by I liked very much your dream that you shared elsewhere: to have an ecofriendly biodiverse zone and a house there, or something to that effect. A spiritual man like you need also a spiritual environment - a sat sang - association with spiritually advanced souls. It is a nice idea to create a matt of this sort in an ecologically enriched biodiverse locality. Regards, K.Ravindran

Dear Bhaktajan, It is nice to see the change and development in your spiritual stance from your original position. You have graduated from thinking Siva as being destructive and unworthy of worship and all that stuff (c.f. your first response post ) to Lord Siva being the protecter of Vaishnavas and you. That is good spiritual progress. There is a few more steps ahead for you to be fully metured spiritually. You still think that Balachandran has been send to you by Siva to learn from you. That may not be the case. For all I know from my experience Lord Siva is a grand and ultimate teacher in spiritual deciplines and he teaches all that is there to learn in spirituality - he does not need any one to teach spiritual knowledge. He is the original and universal guru and a Siva bhakta doesnot require to go to any other gurus. On the otherhand the purpose of Blachandran's reaching you might be to teach you certain spiritual lession that you need to learn in your Vaishnava achara. Lord siva has sent him to be your teacher and not the otherway round - and you are already learning spiritually from his interaction, as I can see it. Now only one more step is required. You need to realise that Lord Siva - your protecter - wants you to do Vaishnava bhakti properly and has sent his Bakta to teach you as your Guru. You need to leave your ego - that you are his teacher - and surrender to his holy feet as your spiritual Siva guru, serve him and learen from him. Lord Siva's grace has fallen on you now. This is the way you should take it. I mean this sincerly knowing Lord Siva's ways. His deciples must be taken as his representatives, and I have learned it the hard way in my spiritual life. They can teach you mega lessions even if they look very ordinary, because it is Lord Siva who function through them. You are lucky my friend, that Lord Siva is instructing you and dont miss the opportunity to serve Him and learn from Him. Regards, K.Ravindran

It all depends which book one reads and believes in. According to goddess mythology, the ten incornations of Vishnu are created by the Goddess Tripurasundari from her ten finger nails. K.Ravindran

Gayatri mantra and even devada is cast in a feminine form . But actusally the devada of this vedic mantra is "Savitr' - the Sun God. K.Ravindran

There were Religions before Christianity and Islam and Judaism. Human kind were never with out religion. K. Ravindran

Vegitarianism is a fine spiritual value. Non harming and hurting another conscious being is the essence of it. Every one should strive for it and achieve it, rather than rejecting it as an immposible ideal. In a completely spiritual world no one will hurt any other creature. It is an advance understanding of spiritual life. I dont see anything imposible about the whole world achieving it . We have progressed in many ways. Human race was cannibolistic once . We have given up that. Slavery was ones practiced, we gave up that. Why should we think that a fine princviple like vegitarianism is not possible universally? We all should strive towerds it, and accomplish it. Nothing much is achieved if it remains the practice of an elitest few. The suffering of the creatures will not vanish that way. K.Ravindran

Because krishna is a human. He is a realised human. Like every realised rishi, he knows he is god in nondual mode of knowing. At the same time he also knows that God is a transcendantal being different from the emprical existence. Bedabeda principle is applied here. While Krishna is God - and so are every souls - God is not Krishna. ( God is more than krishna) Of course The Krishna bhaktas will disagree with this interpretatiuon. K.Ravindran

Milk should not be treated as meat. However there should be a public movement that milk should be obtained only from Spiritual Cow Asramas where cow is treated with reverence and protected. That could act as a motivation for cow protection. K.Ravindran