Bakthi and Vedantha

[Guest guest]

Bakthi and Vedantha

 

Thank you Tatwamasi for your msg on Ishta Devathas. You had said

 

"When we look at Bhakti aspects of sadhana with the eyes of a

vedantin, total confusion ensues unless one has learnt to bridge that

apparent gap. This may explain the typical "fights" between Bhaktas

who are "in love" and Vedantins who are attempting to put things into

a box with logical rules."

 

The teachings of Bagavan Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is a synthesis

of Tantra, Bhakthi and Vedanta. If you look at Swami Vivekananda or

the saktha poet Ramprasad Sen you will see this in actual practice.

 

Swami Vivekananda the man who took Vedanta to the West has written

beautiful poems in Bengali about MAA KAALI. He also performed Kanya

Pooja in Kashmir.

He smeared his body with ashes and went to Amarnath as a Digambara

Sadhu.

 

Again Ramprasad Sen was a Vama marga Tantrik who performed Munda

Sadhana. He wrote beautiful poems about MAA KAALI. But his poems

indicate that he understood the concept of Brahman better than most

people.

 

But again in this synthesis some aspect gets predominance. Swami

Vivekananda was more of a Vedantin whereas Ramprasad Sen was more of

a Bhakta. That is why you will find among the immediate disciples of

Bagavan Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Vedantins, Bhakthas and yes-even Vama

marga Tantrik.

 

In modern times Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi is one person who

symbolizes this synthesis.

 

In India we find Vedantins who go regularly to temples and also

perform daily Pooja with all rituals. Then we have Bhakthas who are

scholars in Vedanta. There are no watertight compartments. Most of

the Hindus in India can never speak ill of either Vedanta or Bhakthi

because these two run in their blood. We may rile at Vedantins or

Bhakthas but not at Vedanta or Bhakthi.

 

Sankar