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FaultyTranslations and Meanings of scriptures if one says "The lotus is blue", he does not mean to say that "lotus" and "blue" are exact synonyms. He means that blueness is a quality of the lotus. Similarly, when sastra says "Brahman is everything", "everything" and "Brahman" are not exact synonyms from Brahman (but as Brahman has qualities we don't have, still there is distinction in this inseparability). Chandogya Upanisad 6.2.1-2: "In the beginning, my dear, this was Being, one only, without a second.""one without a second" means, according to common sense and logic, "one Being without a second Being", or "He has no second", example: there is only one God. But this does not mean that some thing or things below God can't be distinguished from Him. They say "not this, not this" means "not jiva, not jada" (Brahman is neither the individual soul, nor matter - therefore, since only Brahman exists, jiva and jada must be unreal). But they've derived "neti-neti" from Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 4.4.22, which states: "For the desire for sons is the desire for wealth and the desire for wealth the desire for worlds; both these are, indeed, desires only. This Self is not this, not this." This verse is stating that the Self (atman) is not to be had by desiring wealth or worlds. The direct meaning is sufficient; the "jada-jiva" interpretation is without foundation. The Mayavada philosophy that Sankara propounded in his Sariraka-bhasya on Vedanta-sutra is poison for the soul. Anyone who reads it becomes bewildered and illusioned by this impersonal misinterpretation of the Vedas. Sankaracarya is not at fault, for he has thus covered the real purpose of the Vedas under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Both the writer and the reader must use the same dictionary meanings of the words, or communication and understanding break down. If someone says that an author's writing can mean anything they want it to mean, and that they can change the meanings of the words in any way that they like, then they can twist the words to mean the opposite of the writer's intentions. Srila Vyasadeva has summarized the direct meanings of the mantras in the Upanisads in the Vedanta-sutra. Unfortunately Mayavadis do not take their direct meaning. Mayavadis indirectly interpret them in a different way. It is typical of all Mayavadis or atheists who interpret the meaning of Vedic literature in their own imaginative way. The real purpose of such people is to impose the impersonalist conclusion on all Vedic literature. In order to present their false, imaginary meanings, they must adopt so much word jugglery and grammatical interpretation that they finally become ludicrous. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remarked that no one should hear the Mayavadi commentaries or purports Mukhya-vrtti (the direct meaning) is abhidha-vrtti, or the meaning that one can understand immediately from the statements of dictionaries, whereas gauna-vrtti (the indirect meaning) is a meaning that one imagines without consulting the dictionary. For each sutra the direct meaning must be accepted without interpretation. But Mayavadis simply abandon the direct meaning and proceed with your imaginative interpretation. Vedic versions understood directly are first-class evidence. Only a direct presentation can be considered evidence. Vedānta-sūtra clearly describes that God is a transcendental person and that bhakti is the highest spiritual path. Yet people have used speculative definitions to prove exactly the opposite. As a result, the whole world has entered a hellish era of atheism and voidism. So we must be very careful to follow the standard method of interpretation, then the Vedic Absolute Truth is clear and will lead us to the highest goal of love of Godhead. Common words mistranslated by Mayavadis: I."asarira" -- Mayavadis say this means Lord has no sarira or body; but the root of the word sarira means "decay", so the word really refers to a body that decays, not simply a body. II."akarana" -- Mayavadis say this means He has no senses; but this word really means that His senses are not energized by something else (e.g. as our material senses are energized by life energy) because He is without a source. III."arupam" -- Mayavadis say this means that Lord has noform. But they put more stress on this word. This word indicates theLord has no material body but a transcendental form of eternity,bliss and knowledge. Aself-contradicting philosophy Since ignorance is destroyed, but the object remains even after enlightenment, then it follows that the object is the supreme Brahman; in other words, Brahman is maya. There is no need for Mayavadis to postulate their elaborate theories of how Brahman is covered by ignorance, etc. The bottom line is: Brahman is maya - which runs directly against all sastra. If we were God, then we would already be God. We would not need some process to become God, because God is God eternally. God has no need to enter material bodies and experience the suffering and impurity of the material world; that is a ridiculous idea based on complete ignorance of the spiritual world. God is enjoying eternally in the spiritual world, and there is no need for Him to accept an imperfect material form. If the soul and God are one, then there is no meaning to self-realization. God and the soul are eternal, so if we were God then we would already be God. Actually oneness with God would mean unconsciousness and total annihilation of the individual. The Mayavadis say that the brahman is manifested in a personal form in this material world. How can something personal be manifested from something impersonal? Where do we have an experience of such a phenomena? Lord Krsna explains in Bhagavad Gita 7:24 that this theory is extremely illogical and indicates a lack of intelligence. It is said that brahman is unchangeable. How then can it split into different living entities within the material world? And why should it do that? In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna explains (15:7) that the living entities are eternal parts and parcels of the Supreme and states than individuality is an eternal principle ( Bhagavad Gita 2:12). If we were all God, why is there so much suffering and ignorance in the world? Also, if we say that we are God but just temporarily covered by illusion, then illusion would be more powerful than God, which doesn't make any sense. Reality according to Mayavada philosophy is beyond material form and duality. But they are erring in the premise that there is no spiritual form or variety. The negation of these facts is a materialistic concept and doesn't provide us any information about spiritual reality. The desire to become one with God is called the "last snare of maya". Because the Mayavadis got frustrated with their attempt to become the supreme enjoyer in this material world, they want to become one with the Supreme. This desire is illusory because the soul is by constitution Krsna's servant. The Srimad Bhagavatam(10:2:32) explains that the misconception of the impersonalists is caused by an impure intelligence and that consequently their realizations are not ultimate and they are thus forced to fall down again to the material platform. The material world is not false ("brahma satyam, jagan mithya" is one of their favourite slogans) because the material world originates in the Absolute Truth, it is real but temporary. However, the belief that the material world is permanent is false-in other words the material world is real but temporary. Mayavadis say the word nirvana means an end but an end to this material existence and an entrance into the silence of the Absolute. But why silence? This they can not explain. Mayavadis are describing so many thing in words and the ultimate goal Mayavadis cannot describe. So unless you have got your goal perfectly known, how you can make progress? This means that their knowledge is imperfect. When asked to a Mayavadi who suffers in hell - soul or body? Mayavadi answers, "The body suffers only." But the body is matter, is it not? Mayavadi: Yes. How can dead matter suffer? Mayavadi: Then it must be the soul that suffers. Then you are saying Brahman suffers? But your philosophy says there's no suffering in Brahman. Mayavadi: (silent, he can not explain) Scripturalrefutation: ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts." [bhagavad-gītā 10.8] Śvetāśvatāra Upaniṣad [4.6-7]dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā samānaṁ vṛkṣaṁ pariśaṣvajāte tayor anyaḥ pippalaṁ svādv atty anaśnann anyo ‘bhicakāśīti “The individual living entity and the superconscious living entity, Brahman or the Personality of Brahman, are like two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds [the individual living entity] is eating the fruit of the tree [the sense gratification afforded by the material body], and the other bird [the superconscious living entity] is not trying to eat these fruits, but is simply watching His friend.” "Persons who are falsely under the impression of being liberated, without devotional service to the Lord, may reach the goal of the brahmajyoti, but because of their impure consciousness and for want of shelter in the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, such so-called liberated persons again fall down into material existence." [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.2.32] vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān." [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.11] In general, Brahman is described in the Upaniṣads and Vedānta-sūtra, Paramātmā is described in Bhagavad-gītā (Gitopanisad or Bhagavad Gita, the essence of all the Upanisads), and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Ultimately, Mayavadis say, we are merged with God and all individuality is illusion. This idea is comprehensively refuted by Krsna Himself: “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” [bhagavad-Gita 2.12] Taittirīya Upaniṣad [2.5] states: ātmānandamayaḥ ānanda ātmā brahma pucchaṁ pratiṣṭhā “The Supreme Lord is full of ecstasy. The impersonal Brahman is His bodily effulgence. He is the source of Brahman.” Chāndogya Upaniṣad [3.14] states: sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma taj jalāniti śānta upāsīta “Whatever we see is a manifestation of Brahman. Everything is created, maintained, and annihilated by Brahman. Therefore one should peacefully worship Him.” Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [2.1] states: yathāgneḥ kṣudrā visphuliṅgā vyuccaranty evam evāsmād ātmanaḥ sarve prāṇāḥ sarve lokāḥ sarve devāḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni vyuccaranti. tasyopaniṣat satyasya satyam iti “Just as small sparks emanate from a big fire, similarly all living entities, all planets, all the demigods, and all material elements such as the earth emanate from the supreme soul, Śrī Govinda. His instructions are the supreme truth.” Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [3.2.4] states: nāyam ātmā bala-hīnena labhyo etair upāyair yatate yas tu vidvāṁs tasyaiṣa ātmā viśate brahma-dhāma “A person devoid of strength in devotional service cannot achieve the Supreme Soul, the Lord. Only one who is eager to practice devotional service through the process of chanting His holy names can enter the supreme abode of the Lord.” avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannaṁ manyante mām abuddhayaḥ paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mamāvyayam anuttamam "Unintelligent men, who know Me not, think that I have assumed this form and personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is changeless and supreme." [bhagavad-gītā 7.24] janmādy asya yataḥ janma–birth; ādi–beginning with; asya–of that; yataḥ–from Whom. Brahman is He from Whom everything emanates. [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.2] brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham amṛtasyāvyayasya ca śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca "And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable and eternal." [bhagavad-gītā 14.27] It is not a fact that Kṛṣṇa's form comes from Brahman; actually, Brahman comes from the transcendental form of Kṛṣṇa. Mayavadis do not know Kṛṣṇa at all. How can they say they love Kṛṣṇa, if they do not even accept Kṛṣṇa's clear statement in Bhagavad-gītā that He is the source of impersonal Brahman, not the other way around? You see they are simply cheaters; they do not even read Bhagavad-gītā. Their so-called love of Kṛṣṇa is nothing but rascal cheating propaganda to fool innocent but stupid people into accepting them as spiritual authorities. Bhagavad Gita 7.7: O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread. Bhagavad Gita 7.29: Intelligent persons who are endeavoring for liberation from old age and death take refuge in Me in devotional service. They are actually Brahman because they entirely know everything about transcendental activities. In the Katha Upanishad (2.2.13) there is the important verse; nityo nityanam chetanas chetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: “He is the supreme eternally conscious person who maintains all other living entities(spirit soul).” Katha Upanishad (2.3.8-9) wherein it says: “Beyond the Brahmajyoti (nirguna or formless Brahman of the monist) there is the Great Purusha viz., Purushottama God who is all-pervading (as the Brahmajyoti) and without any empirical attributes, but having sat-chit-ananda--transcendental embodiment. He who realizes this Purushottama-tattva is finally liberated. Attaining a spiritual body he renders eternal service to the Purushottama [supreme Being]. The Transcendental Personality of Godhead is beyond the purview of occult vision. But He can be apprehended through a pure transparent mind imbibed with intuitive wisdom born out of unalloyed devotional practices in the very core of one’s own unstinted heart--those who have really got such a vision have gained final beatitude.” In the Bhagavad-gita (10.12-13), Arjuna also explains that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. He is the primal God, transcendental and original, the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa proclaim this. Brahma-samhita (5.40)“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord who is endowed with great power. The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman, which is absolute, complete and unlimited, and which displays the varieties of countless planets with their different opulences in millions and millions of universes.” Katha Upanishad (2.2.9):“As with fire--the one original flame expands itself throughout the world by producing many more separate flames; similarly, the one Supreme Soul, who resides in every jiva, enters this cosmos and expands Himself in replica images known as pratibimba, or the jivas.” Thus, herein we have further confirmation that the Lord exists outside of the created universe and the Mayavadi statement that the jiva is one with the Lord is rejected. Govinda, is the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upanishads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless, truth. (Brahma Samhita 5.40) In the Vedas it is said, sa aiksata:"By the glance, He looked over, God looked over, and He created." Padma Purana 6.236.7 mayavadam asac chastram pracchannam bauddham uchyate mayaiva kalpitam devi kalau brahmana rupina Shiva says to Parvati:"Mayavada or Advaita philosophy is an impious, wicked belief and against all the conclusions of the Vedas. It is only covered Buddhism. My dear Parvati, in Kali-Yoga I assume the form of a brahmana (Adi Shankara) and teach this imagined philosophy. Padma Purana 6.236.8-9 apartham sruti-vakyanam darsayan loka-garhitam sva-karma-rupam tyajya tvam atraiva pratipadyate sarva-karma paribhrastair vaidharma tvam tad ucyate paresa-jiva-paraikyam maya tu pratipadyate "This mayavada advaita philosophy preached by me (in form of Adi Shankara) deprives the words of the holy texts of their actual meaning and thus it is condemned in the world. It recommends the renunciation of one's own duties, since those who have fallen from their duties say that the giving up of duties is religiosity. In this way, I have also falsely propounded the identity of the Supreme Lord and the individual soul." Padma Purana 6.236.10 brahmanas caparam rupam nirgunam vaksyate maya sarva-svam jagato py asya mohanartham kalu yuge "In order to bewilder the atheists, in Kali-yuga, I describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Gauranga Krishna to be without any form and without qualities." Padma Purana 6.236.11 vedante tu maha-sastrera mayavadam avaidikam mayaiva vaksyate devi jagatam nasha-karanat "Similarly, in explaning Vedanta mahashastra, I described the same non-scriptural and inauspicious mayavada philosophy in order to mislead the entire population toward atheism by denying the personal form of my beloved Lord." Famous Statement made by Sankaracarya before he left the world bhaja govindam bhaja govindam bhaja govindam muda mate prabhu prapte sannihite kale na hi rakshati dukrincha karane "O the foolish! Worship Lord Govinda, Worship Lord Govinda, Worship Lord Govinda. At the time of death, neither your word jugglery nor your grammatical proficiency will enable you to escape it."