[world-vedic] "MAHATMA"??? GANDHI

[Guest guest]

Dear Mahesh Raja,

 

Thanks for the refrence. Of course, Mahatma is a word to be cafefully used.

As in my mail, I too had pointed he was not a mahatma.

 

> Prabhupada: Truth is truth. There is no experiment. Truth is truth. You

> cannot make experiment. "All right, let us see. The sun may rise this

> side."

>

Neatly said. Words hitting nail right on target. But how does one find

truth? How does one find it? Not all thing are as obvious as sun-rise. There

are many subtle things which confuse us. There comes Gita. Our Karm are our

weapons, assets, our way to knowledge.

 

If you mailed this part refering to title f the book, then I think things

are bit confused. As I understand (please correct me if I am wrong) the

above experiment meana a person is doubting the truth and trying to

experiment on it to prove if it is really true or not. The book's title

(again, please correct me if I have misunderstood) I think refered to

experiments he did on himself and his life that made him realise the truth

of non-violence.

 

But again, I don't want to digress from the thing I wanted to say in my

mail. Let us get over with mindless adoring and also abhoring of Gandhiji

and stop blaming him for all good or bad.

 

 

Dinker Charak

-----------------------------

Software Consultant, Web Applications / Open Systems Group

 

> Time is an illusion perpetrated by the manufacturers of space.

>

> ----------

> Mahesh Raja[sMTP:mahesh.r]

> Saturday, February 05, 2000 5:54 PM

> dinker charak; vediculture

> Re: [world-vedic] Re: "MAHATMA"??? GANDHI

>

> What is Mahatma?

>

> 681118LE.LA Lectures

> So when one comes to this understanding that Krsna, Vasudeva, He keeps

> Himself intact although He is all-pervasive... Vasudevah sarvam iti sa

> mahatma sudurlabhah. Mahatma means great soul. Just like you have heard

> the

> name of Mahatma Gandhi in our country, but the definition of mahatma in

> Bhagavad-gita is different. A mahatma is not a politician. A mahatma is

> not

> for the Indians and not for the Americans or any certain limited circle.

> Mahatma is not like that. Of course, the Indian people awarded the title

> "Mahatma" Gandhi, but mahatma means a different... Mahatma's definition is

> given in the Bhagavad-gita. There it is stated, mahatmanas tu mam partha

> daivim prakrtim asritah. A mahatma is under the shelter of the internal

> potency of God. There are two kinds of potencies. That is also stated in

> the

> Bhagavad-gita. You should read Bhagavad-gita very carefully. You'll

> understand everything. Apara and para. These are stated. Bhumir apo 'nalo

> vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca... bhinna me prakrtir astadha. The Lord

> said,

> material world, what is this material world? This material world is

> composition of earth, water, air, fire, ether. And this is gross element,

> gross ingredients. But there are finer, subtle ingredients, mind,

> intelligence, ego. So these eight gross and fine elements which is the

> material world, that is expressed in the Bhagavad-gita that bhinna me

> prakrti astadha, "These eight kinds of prakrti, nature, is my separated

> inferior energy." Apareyam, this is inferior. They are inferior. Itas tv

> anya me prakrtim para. Besides these eight elements, there is another

> prakrti, another nature, which is superior. And what is that? We can see

> earth, water, fire, air, and, of course, mind we can feel, intelligence we

> can feel, ego also we can feel. There is feeling, although we cannot see

> because they are subtle. And what about the other? That is expressed in

> the

> Bhagavad-gita, jiva bhutam maha-baho, "My dear Arjuna, they are these

> living

> entity." Some of the nonsense philosophers, they are identifying the soul

> with the mind, with intelligence, with ego, but they are all material. The

> soul is different. So this is daivi prakrti, spiritual nature. The

> material

> nature and spiritual nature.

>

> Bg 9.13

> mahatmanas tu mam partha

> daivim prakrtim asritah

> bhajanty ananya-manaso

> jnatva bhutadim avyayam

> Bg 9.13 S maha-atmanah--the great souls; tu--but; mam--unto Me;

> partha--O son of Prtha; daivim--divine; prakrtim--nature; asritah--taken

> shelter of; bhajanti--render service; ananya-manasah--without deviation of

> the mind; jnatva--knowing; bhuta--creation; adim--original;

> avyayam--inexhaustible.

> Bg 9.13 T

> O son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under

> the

> protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional

> service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

> original

> and inexhaustible.

> PURPORT

> In this verse the description of mahatma is clearly given. The first sign

> of

> the mahatma is that he is already situated in the divine nature. He is not

> under the control of material nature. And how is this effected? That is

> explained in the Seventh Chapter: one who surrenders unto the Supreme

> Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, at once becomes freed from the control

> of

> material nature. That is the qualification. One can become free from the

> control of material nature as soon as he surrenders his soul to the

> Supreme

> Personality of Godhead. That is the preliminary formula. Being marginal

> potency, as soon as the living entity is freed from the control of

> material

> nature, he is put under the guidance of the spiritual nature. The guidance

> of the spiritual nature is called daivi prakrti, divine nature. So, when

> one

> is promoted in that way--by surrendering to the Supreme Personality of

> Godhead--one attains to the stage of great soul, mahatma.

> The mahatma does not divert his attention to anything outside Krsna

> because

> he knows perfectly well that Krsna is the original Supreme Person, the

> cause

> of all causes. There is no doubt about it. Such a mahatma, or great soul,

> develops through association with other mahatmas, pure devotees. Pure

> devotees are not even attracted by Krsna's other features, such as the

> four-armed Maha-Visnu. They are simply attracted by the two-armed form of

> Krsna. Since they are not attracted to other features of Krsna (what to

> speak of the demigods), they are not concerned with any form of a demigod

> or

> of a human being. They only meditate upon Krsna in Krsna consciousness.

> They

> are always engaging in the unswerving service of the Lord in Krsna

> consciousness.

>

> Re: Gandhis experimenting with truth?

>

> 751113mw.bom Conversations

> Prabhupada: No, experiment means one who is making experiment, he is a

> fool.

> Dr. Patel: I mean the experiment of making..., method of worshiping, sir.

> You worship this way, other...

> Prabhupada: There is no method. Only method--bhaktya mam abhijanati. That

> is

> method. All rascals. All rascals. Yes, all rascals.

> Dr. Patel: No, sir. The Christians, they go to the temple to worship God

> in

> the same way.

> Prabhupada: No, I don't say Christian and Hindus, Muslims. Anyone who is

> not

> a bhakta, he is a rascal. That's all. That is our conclusion. Therefore we

> say all rascals. Mudha. Krsna says, bhaktya mam abhijanati. Why should we

> experiment other than that?

> Dr. Patel: But that is the way of bhakti, sir. My contention is this, with

> all my...

> Prabhupada: You cannot make.

> Dr. Patel: I submit myself meekly, that...

> Can you do that?

> Dr. Patel: I think I am not explicit to you, sir. What I mean to say is

> way

> of worshiping...

> Prabhupada: There is no other way of worshiping except bhakti.

> Dr. Patel: No, but that is also a bhakti, sir.

> Prabhupada: Yes, but... Only way. Bhaktya mam abhijanati. God is one, and

> to

> understand God is one. That is it.

>

>