The Mukta is Omniscient

[Guest guest]

[The following is a letter submitted to the Chakra website regarding the on

going debate as to whether or not His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada, founder-acharya of the Golden Age, was omniscient.]

 

I have not been following very closely the debate about whether Srila

Prabhupada was omniscient or not, but I would like to offer the following.

 

We find in Sri Baladeva Vidybhushana's commentary on the Vedanta Sutra, (4th

Adhyaya, 4th Pada, 9th Adhikarana), it is stated that the mukta (liberated

soul) is omniscient. And this siddhanta is established in sutra 4.4.15. As

evidence he cites the following verse from the Chandogya Upanishad (7.26.2):

 

"The realized soul does not see death, nor disease, nor suffering. The

realized soul sees everything and obtains everything in every way."

 

In the 10th Adhikarana of the same section, it is established that the mukta

has all the powers of the Lord with the exception of the power to create,

maintain and annihilate the material world. Sri Baladeva Vidhyabhushana

states that the mukta can create planets such as pitriloka and matriloka,

but that these are localized creations.

 

The commentary further states: "With the exception of jagatvyapara, the

power to create the universe, the liberated soul possesses all other

powers."

 

Also we find in Sri Ramanujacharya's commentary to the this sutra (4.4.15)

the same conclusion - that the mukta is omniscient.

 

Elsewhere, in the 5th Adhikarana of the same section it is established that

the liberated soul (mukta) is satya-sankalpa - "His every wish spontaneously

manifests as truth."

 

As far as the current debate was concerned, people were debating as to

whether Srila Prabhupada was aware of some abuse within his institution.

This requires a lot less then omniscience of the universe.

 

In the third chapter of Patanjali's Yoga sutras we find a list of mystical

powers (siddhis) which can be obtained by a yogi (not a liberated soul),

some of which are clairvoyance, the ability to see events occuring far away,

and the ability to hear conversations occuring in distant places.

 

Patanjali states how one attains such siddhis:

 

janmaushadhi-mantra-tapah-samadhijah siddhayah

 

"These mystical perfections may be obtained either by birth, by elixir, by

the chanting of mantras, by austerities, of by attainment of samadhi."

 

But elsewhere he mentions one more method by which these siddhis may be

manifested

 

pratibhadva sarvam

 

"All these powers will come spontaneously to one whose mind is enlightened

through purity."

 

A liberated soul will spontaneously possess these siddhis without needing to

undergo a mechanical process of yoga.

 

The list of siddhis given by Patanjali in the third chapter of the yoga

sutra are quite long, but I have mentioned only three which seem more

relevant to the present debate.

 

Accepting that Srila Prabhupada was a mukta (liberated soul), or accepting

that his mind was at least "enlightened through purity", one must accept the

fact that Srila Prabhupada was omniscient.

 

Up till now the main argument offered as to why Srila Prabhupada could not

be omniscient is "How could he allow these bad activities to go on if he

knew they were occuring."

 

Why should we presume that an omniscient personality must act to stop all

evil that occurs within the world?

 

In response I would suggest we raise the blame up one level to Krishna. Here

we have an all-powerful person, who knows everything. Yet He also allowed

these abuses to go on within ISKCON. Shouldn't he have acted to stop these

actions, especially since they were perpetrated against His devotees? He is

omniscient, yet it seems He did not act in anyway to stop these abuses. Why?

 

Very few people seem to blame an omniscient God for abuses, yet they are

very willing to blame an omniscient saint. They would rather believe that

Srila Prabhupada was not omniscient - and thus innocent of any wrong.

Perhaps Srila Prabhupada did know, just as Krishna did know, but he chose to

allow Lord Krishna's universal plan to go on unimpeded.

 

No one can understand the subtle workings of karma. No one can understand

the ultimate plan of the Lord. And no one can understand the activities of

the liberated soul. Or as it is stated in the Chaitanya-caritamrita (Madhya

23.39): tanra vakya, kriya, mudra vijneha na bujhaya.

 

Your servant,

 

J. N. Das

Bhaktivedanta Ashram,

http://www.indiadivine.com