Guest guest Posted September 22, 1999 Report Share Posted September 22, 1999 Dear Prashant, In my understanding, Swamiji, picking it up from his Master and his own realization, has shown that the three types of Vedanta, Advaita, Visishtadvaita and Dvaita, represented by the three Acharyas, Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhva (as well as others) are three rungs of a ladder. We always go from diversity or multiplicity to unity. These three, then, are not quarrelling views, but stages of realization. As we go nearer to the Divine we feel our closeness, then our organic integratedness, then our absolute unity. Sri Ramakrishna used to quote Hanuman, who said to Rama: " When I think of myself as a body, I feel different from You, and am your servant; when I (by meditation etc.) identify myself with my mind, I think of You as the Whole of which I am a part; when I am lost in contemplation of the Atman I feel I am just one with You. " These are stages of consciousness/experience/realization. The Advaitin is then at the top, you may say. Yes, but the Advaitin is the least argumentative or disputing of all; a true Advaitin never looks down on the others; he feels they are expressing what they have experienced and theirs views are therefore justified. Since the Advaita is the all-comprehending view, he can do this. How can those of a more limited view/experience understand what they have not yet discovered? Please read at length in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, using the index. He makes all this very clear. Namaste, ------ Swami Yogeshananda Vedanta Center of Atlanta 2331 Brockett Road Tucker, GA 30084 yogeshananda http://www.eternalquest.org/ ----- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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