Strange dilemma

[Guest guest]

Hello I am an advaita vedantist by nature. Although I always enjoy bhakti yoga but when thinking of god I always think him/her impersonal. I started going to ISKCON. However in Bhagvat Gita As It Is I found that advaita vedanta is just rejected by saying it as mayavaad. I love the atmosphere of the temple, but it makes me sad when someone mocks advaita philosophy.

I have been influenced by Swami Vivekananda, and gayatri mantra philosophy. Any openion on sankaracarya and vivekananda philosophy.

PLease I am very confused about this and its the first time in the US I find that there are significantly differences among vedantic sects.

PLease be open minded and help me out of this dilemma

[Guest guest]

simply you have to reconsider that the absolute cannot be only impersonal but also personal

 

if in this world we can act, have relationships,express desires and love, it is not possible that in the absolute everything is lose

 

sri shankaracharya is not offended or criticized, he simply offers a religion also to the ones who do not want to see god as a transcental person, but he, as ultimate instruction, does not teach advaita, but the worship of krsna with the famous poem "bhaja govinda"

 

"intellectual fools you must worship govinda...!"

 

so reconsider your beliefs and add to the consideration that god is omnipervadent, the one that he is also a trascendental person that wants to reunite with us as our eternal best friend

 

so do not be confused... simply add new elements to your consciousness and you will easily understand krsna consciousness, bhagavad gita, bhakti and harekrsna chanting

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna!

 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisances unto Him!

 

Dear Prabhu, you seemed to be confused. It is very natural. I would like to tell you what I know.

 

First one has to understand the fundamental issue of relationship between man and God. As humans we should recognise the supremacy of God and all His paraphernalia. So...that being said, how should we recognize GOD is the main question for everyone to realize.

 

It is not about different theories(Vedanta or Bhakti) it is about recognizing GOD and respecting Him and serving Him. So, what is the best way to do it?

 

Advaita Vedanta does not recognize God as a person or as an individual but rather as a "all in one" philosophy where everything is same and we are same as everything. This may be true in a certain perspective but not the real TRUTH.

It is true in the sense that God exists everywhere and in everything and we all exist in Him. But that does not mean we can become HIM. Unfortunately Advaita Philosophy propogates this ideology- that everyone can reach Para-Brahman and can attain salvation , in other words, we all become like HIM. That is not true at all. Srila Prabhupada says we are GOD, yes, but not in quantity but in quality. In other words, we can attain the qualities of GOD but can never match HIM in quantity.

 

So, when Prabhupada says Quality and Quantity, automatically there is some kind of physics inolved and there should be a person involved and the Vedic scriptures claim Krishna as the all pervading Supreme and the effulgence emanating from Him is Brahmajyoti and that is what Advaita philosophers or Mayavadis try to attain. In other words, Advaitis recognize the brahmajyoti coming from the Supreme and do not recognize the Supreme Himself.

 

It is like giving respect to sunlight and ignoring the presence of the Sun. It is like not respecting the Head of the family but respecting everything done by Him. It is common sense that the first rights go to the Head and not to the paraphernalia. That is exactly what the Advaitis are doing. They are not respecting the Head but His paraphernalia.

 

So that is why ISKCON is bent upon the fact that advaitis are not correct and are mayavadis and that we as individual souls should recognize God in His personal feature and not His secondary nature.

 

SO once we know God in His personal feature and the constitutional position of His emanations and other paraphernalia then we know what is the hierarchy and we can serve accordingly. So, if we have to serve God in anyway it can be through only His personal form and not his impersonal form that is we respect the topmost quality and not the secondary nature. Bhakti yogis do not ignore brahmajyoti but they just see brahmajyoti secondary which factually is true.

 

It becomes BHAKTI automatically once when a devotee serves HIS personal feature, that is Bhakti Yoga- to serve God personally like a servant with love and affection and also the most appropriate for the age of Kali.

 

Again, Sankarachrya and Vivekananda are all different people who came at different times and they had different goals. Remember one thing! what is important! Is it important to embrace the theories or is it important to embrace GOD Himself in His personal form just like you respect your parents. I am not advocating any theory. Just think in the fundamental sense that which theory embraces GOD to the fullest recognizing all aspects of GOD or think if you will respect your father as your father personally or just as some impersonal being. Just because you see your father personally, you respect Him personally, similarly believe the fact that God is also personal and He will show Himself to you.

 

DO NOT SEARCH FOR GOD, do your work and serve HIM and HE WILL REVEAL HIMSELF.

 

All other acharyas and all other theories arouse in respect to time and place.

 

So dont get confused with all that. Just keep it simple and analyse for yourself, the Sun or the Sunlight and serve accordingly.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Haribol!

 

anand

 

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna.

THanks for nice words.

What only I have read is Vivekananda's work. and he is clearly advaitist. where his place among vedic gurus. This may be an out of place question. But a KC person like you can give a better opinion. I am a grad student in the US and dont have any spiritually talented friend to discuss such things. only place I found is a ISKCON tample and I started this conflict.

 

Another query: Is krsna really mentioned in rgveda, like second guest is saying in this thread? What I had knowleddge was that HE is vishnu avatara.

 

[Guest guest]

Hello Brother,

Hare Krishna,

 

Answers to your questions are in here...

 

http://www.thedivinelifesociety.org/download/radhasprem.htm

 

Wish you all the very best for good things!

 

Shekhar

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna!

 

All glories to Srila PRabhupada! I offer my Humble obeisances unto HIm!

 

Dear Prabhu, I would like to say onething, i think it is impossible to know everything about Vedas and the different theories and then become a devotee of a particular philosophy. So, how can one learn?

 

The only way, according to me, the experience of being a devotee and the experience of chanting and the goodness of all devotees and the greatness of Srila PRabhupada will inspire you to become a better devotee and that way Iam sure you will understand Krishna Consciousness better. All this may sound sentimental, but when you gain experince as a devotee and read and listen to vedic scriptures from various sources, it will dawn you that Krishna is a Supreme and He is the most loving.

 

At least this is my life experience. I am also a graduate student in USA and here in my place there are no temples or no Krishna devotees. But Iam hanging in there. Where are you from? Just curious.

 

Practice Krishna Consciousness for a sometime and you will see the change in you. But when you practice be sicnere to it. Haribol!

 

anand