Inquiries Into the Absolute: Digest 195, Faith in scripture anddisciplic succession; Bhagavatam is not mythology; God's Topmost Form

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Digest 195, November 21st 2006. Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami Maharaja

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Faith in shastra and parampara

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Q: How can we know that the shastra is correct? The ancient traditions are oral

and only recently in historical time were they written down. And we all know

that when a story is told it changes from one person to the other. The new

testament of the bible was written 70-100 years after Christ's death. Here your

talk about thousands of years.

 

Even the Mahabharata is known to be full of corruptions. So, how can one be

sure that all the other texts were not altered also? You assume the former

guru's were not cheaters or misrepresented for their own aggrandizement but

there are thousands of so called religious people then and now who do. I am not

being adversarial here. I really want to believe. So please answer me.

 

Answer: The way we can ascertain that that we are getting the unadulterated

message is because of the presence of an unbroken, living disciplic succession,

which can be traced all the way back to Lord Krishna Himself and coming down to

the present day. Yes, there is a high possibility of the pure message being

eroded or misinterpreted - as in Christianity or any other tradition most of

which have no claim of unbroken, unadulterated disciplic succession

representing the teachings of their original preceptors.

 

This is not uncommon in history; even Krishna Himself speaks in Bhagavad-Gita

of this knowledge being lost: "in course of time the succession was broken, and

therefore the science as it is appears to be lost."(BG 4.2) Therefore, He comes

to reestablish by speaking this science again to Arjuna, and also assures that

He regularly appears in every millennium or sends His representatives, to

reestablish true religious principles whenever they are in decline. In other

words, it is the Lord's will and established system that there will always be

His pure representatives preserving His pure message available to humanity, to

the pious and sincere seekers. If this knowledge happens to be corrupted or

covered up, He personally arranges to rectify and reinstate these principles.

On this basis, we can be sure.

 

The acharyas in Vaishnava disciplic line themselves candidly point out that

portions of the Vedic texts do not have the proper disciplic lineage continuing

today, as in the case of Mahabharata. But the principal texts that elaborate on

the essential teachings of the Vedas in a suitable manner for the present age

are indeed perfectly preserved and handed down -- this can be verified directly

at least from writings that extend back to several generations.

 

More importantly, as we discussed in a recent digest (Digest 192), we can see

that the pure disciplic succession is preserved healthy and intact through the

qualities manifested by its most recent and living representatives. You write

that you accept the principles given in BG, wherein Krishna delineates the

qualities by which we can identify a truly transcendental person, one who is

qualified to be His pure representative. When we come in contact with such a

person, we can be sure that he is representing the original teachings of

scriptures.

 

Consider a tree which appears as if lifeless in the autumn and winter - but

when spring arrives, even if several branches have indeed dried up and

perished, if just one branch comes forth with new shoots and leaves, we can

know that the tree is alive, and that this branch must be connected to the

root. In the same way, when we see such qualities perfectly manifested in the

person of a devotee, it must be concluded that he is strongly connected to the

root, i.e. transmitting the pure teachings of scripture. Without being

specifically empowered by Krishna, it is not possible for a mundane person to

manifest these qualities and also influence & uplift so many others to become

pure vaishnavas. (krsna sakti vina nahe tara pravartana Cc 13.1 p) True, there

are and have been many false religious proponents and factions, and many dried

up branches, but we cannot conclude from this that all are faulty - especially

when it is the Lord's desire that a pure disciplic line should be preserved.

One might have come across m

any counterfeit currencies, but one should not conclude that there is no

authorized currency in circulation.

 

How can we know the stories in Bhagavatam are not parables?

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Q: Some of the stories in the Bhagavatam are like Sci Fi or Fantasy novels. How

do we know they were not just made up by man, legends based on good spiritual

ideas to give us spiritual knowledge in a way the culture at the time could

understand. I believe there is a God, I believe without doubt there is an after

life and reincarnation to help us grow spiritually. I do not believe karma is a

punishment or a reward but a way to grow spiritually. I do not believe in

transmigration because what would be the point ... that's like a punishment

which has no value. I do love God and I want to believe in the texts and the

only one I can really believe is the Bhagavad-Gita, without interpretation. I

believe it speaks for itself, because the religious truths are the same as most

other religions but the Srimad Bhagavatam is difficult to believe, other then

as parables or stories to prove a point.

 

 

Answer: Yes, our goal is ultimately to simply and humbly serve God and love

Him. But a symptom of one's desire to love and serve is the eagerness to hear

and know more about Him. It is natural that when you make friendship with

someone, you want to know more intimately about their life, activities, likes

and dislikes, about their opulence and other associates etc, which will enhance

your intimate relationship with that person. In the same way, devotees do not

want to just serve God as some abstract, unknown principle, but are eager to

enter into a relationship with Him, to prepare to enter His kingdom and serve

Him along with His eternal associates. To give us the opportunity to know Him

better, God descends to this earth and performs superhuman pastimes along with

His associates from the spiritual kingdom - this is not impossible for the

Omnipotent Lord. Srimad Bhagavatam records some of these most intimate

portrayals of the Lord's supernatural activities and loving exchanges - for us

to reject them as parab

les would be to reject a part of the revelation of Himself that He is giving us

in order to help us come closer to Him.

 

It may seem difficult or beyond one's comprehension to conceive of certain

aspects of spiritual knowledge from our present level of spiritual evolvement.

It is important therefore to get training in the spiritual science in a

systematic, step-by-step manner, under the guidance of some realized devotee.

For example, a young child who has just learned how to read will be thoroughly

bewildered if he undertakes the task of comprehending high-school or college

texts, without systematic guidance that takes him through different grades of

knowledge, from the simple to the more complex. The Srimad Bhagavatam is

compared to post-graduate studies, very much based on the principles of

Bhagavad-Gita but elaborating those principles in great depth and detail.

Therefore it is recommended that one should study Bhagavatam under the guidance

of a Bhagavata (realized devotee). Without such help, it is quite possible that

one may become confused by apparent contradictions.

 

Therefore, presently, I would like to encourage you to strengthen your

foundational faith and devotion, by following the basic principles as you are

now doing and acting on those teachings which you are able to understand and

relate to. By acting in knowledge, faith grows and matures to be able to access

deeper truths.

 

At the same time, please allow me to caution you not to reject or discount

those parts of shastra you are unable to reconcile. If each of us starts

accepting and rejecting parts of scripture that seem incredible to our limited

minds, in effect we are simply being guided by our own fallible opinions, is it

not? This is often the approach of mundane academic scholars and by this method

of successive rejection of what they "feel" is not rational or unacceptable,

they have done great injustice and practically relegated the entire body of

scriptures to the status of myth. However, when we really carry deep respect

and honor for those who have presented these scriptures, and value their

superior intelligence and judgment, how can we justify brushing aside their

descriptions as superfluous or allegorical, when they themselves assert that

these details are indeed factual, as Srila Prabhupada often does throughout the

Bhagavatam. There are indeed some narrations in scriptures which are

allegorical, but often it is cle

arly indicated that they are so, and those descriptions which are held to be

factual by the text itself, and by the great devotees, it would be best for us

to defer to that even if it seems beyond our understanding for the present.

 

One can admit one's ability to comprehend or penetrate into the meanings of

these sections, admit that we have many preconceptions based on our own limited

experience within this material world which blocks our ability to understand

transcendence, and with sincere prayers to the Lord to give us the ability to

understand His transcendental activities, continue studying. And if possible,

you can seek out some realized devotees from whom you can hear the Bhagavatam.

By this humble, devotional, and respectful approach to the Bhagavatam, you will

get newer and fresher insights into its message.

 

Why is Krishna the topmost form?

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What happens to those who worship other forms?

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Q: Why do you please think that God has only one best form or topmost in your

religion and is the best and topmost only in the Form of Krishna, when there

have been great holy people and saints who worship God not in the form of

Krishna. So will all others not go to God, or will they go to a God in the form

they can comprehend? It's very confusing.

 

Answer: It is not a personal, sectarian opinion that we claim the form of

Krishna to be topmost, nor does Krishna to belong to any particular religious

denomination. Krishna Himself declares that His form, that particular

two-handed form which He exhibits before Arjuna is the topmost, there being

nothing superior to it, (BG 7.7, 11.52-54) which indicates that all other forms

are also included in this form. Similar conclusions are given in different

scriptures such as Srimad Bhagavatam and Brahma Samhita, and vaishnavas accept

this as such. This does not mean that His other forms are less important in a

mundane sense of comparison. The Supreme Lord has unlimited forms, all of which

are equally Absolute, and those who worship any of the bona fide forms of the

Lord, as revealed in authorized scriptures, will attain Him in that particular

form. Indeed there are many great saintly devotees, even within the Vedic

tradition, who have worshiped Him in other forms, (including the Fish, Boar,

Narasimha and Rama etc) ac

cording to their inner mood of devotion, and they attained the spiritual planet

where the Lord presides in that particular form. All these devotees are equally

respected, with no mundane envy or distinctions of superior or inferior,

although often these devotees themselves speak of the superlative glories of

the Lord in His original feature of Krishna. (Please see Digest 167,142 for

further discussion on this subject)

 

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Past Questions and Answers: All previous digests with responses to about 485

questions can be accessed at http://www.romapadaswami.com/Inquiries/

 

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