atheism, skepticism, antagonism, impersonalism, and finally voidism

[Guest guest]

[Text 647678 from CIS]

 

 

In the gradual development of sense gratification or material knowledge, the

first stage is atheism, then skepticism, then antagonism, then

impersonalism, and finally voidism.

 

In the gradual development of Krsna's sense gratification or transcendental

knowledge-that is, when the conception of spiritual variegatedness surpasses

the stages of impersonal Brahman and Vasudeva without His energies, the

first stage is the worship of Laksmi-Narayana, the second is the worship of

Sita-Rama, the third is the worship of Rukmini-Dvarakadisa, and the fourth

is the worship of Radha Govinda.

 

As human beings gradually develop sense gratification, Radha Govinda's

transcendental pastimes appear to them obscene, while the pastimes of

Rukmini-Dvarakadisa appear a little better. Moreover, they consider the idea

of Ramacandra, who vowed to accept only one wife, as more ethical than the

behavior of Dvarakadisa Krsna, who accepted many wives. They consider

Laksmi-Narayana to be more pure than Ramacandra. Moreover, they imagine that

the conception of Vasudeva without His saktis to be more ethical than the

conception of the Supreme in the form of male and female.

 

But to imagine Vasudeva, who is full of spiritual energies, without His

energies, is the first step toward atheism and impersonalism. In this way

through the exercise of material knowledge, one ultimately ends up with

impersonal Brahman. Impersonalism tries to perpetually separate the Absolute

Truth from His eternal spiritual characteristics. In other words, it

endeavors to destroy the existence of His transcendental personality. When

this conception is further advanced, it embraces the philosophy of Jainism

and Buddism. Overly ethical Jainism and Buddism transform the spiritual

concept into a material concept, theism into atheism and voidism. Thus the

gradual development of sense gratification distracts human intelligence from

the idea of gratifying Krsna's senses and sets a course toward the deep

water of godlessness.

 

(By Srila Bhaktissidhanta Sarasvati. Quote from the "Amrta Vani" book,

chapter "Material and Spiritual Topics)