Prabhupada on Sankara-SB intro

theist · October 19, 2002

The word Brahman indicates the greatest of all, which is full with transcendental opulences, superior to all. Brahman is ultimately the Personality of Godhead, and He is covered by indirect interpretations and established as impersonal. Everything that is in the spiritual world is full of transcendental bliss, including the form, body, place and paraphernalia of the Lord. All are eternally cognizant and blissful. It is not the fault of the Äcärya Sankara that he has so interpreted Vedänta, but if someone accepts it, then certainly he is doomed. Anyone who accepts the transcendental body of the Personality of Godhead as something mundane certainly commits the greatest blasphemy.

theist · October 19, 2002

Guru means who speaks on the basis of sästra; otherwise he's not guru. And sästra means the opinion of the great authorities. Just like Vyäsadeva, Paräsara Muni, Närada Muni, modern äcäryas. We do not neglect. We may differ from the philosophical point of view just like Buddha, Sankaräcärya. Vaisnavas, they do not accept the philosophy of Buddha or Sankaräcärya. Buddha's philosophy: zero, sünyavädi; and Sankara's philosophy: nirvisesa-vädi, impersonal. So we defy these, nirvisesa-sünyavädi. But we have got all respect for them. Don't think that we disrespect. Keçava dhåta-buddha-çaréra jaya jagadéça hare. And the Vaisnavas know Sankaräcärya. Sankara, svayaà sankara, he is incarnation of Lord Siva, and Lord Buddha is incarnation of Krsna. So they come for particular purpose, to benefit the whole world. But that is for the time being. That is not permanent. The permanent solution is mataà ca väsudevasya. That is permanent. Mataà ca väsudevasya. That is permanent.

theist · October 19, 2002

This is the understanding of the devotees. They know everything perfectly well, what is what. They know Sankaräcärya, what he is. Sankaräcärya is the incarnation of Lord Sankara, Lord Siva. Lord Siva. Vaiñëavänäà yathä çambhuù. He is the topmost Vaisnava. So the devotees know that Sankaräcärya was at heart a Vaisnava, but he had to preach like avaisnava because he had to drive away Buddhism from India. That was the mission. So therefore he made something, compromise, with the Buddhist philosophies.

________

Just these three quotes,of many, are enough to display the unfortunate rumors floating around that Srila Prabhupada spoke offensively of Sankaracarya.

They also show us how we should speak of, and feel towards such great souls, even though philosophically there may be some disagreement.

Hare Krsna

theist · October 19, 2002

That is Caitanya Mahäprabhu's stressing, that gauëa-våttye yebä bhäñya karila äcärya. Therefore each and every aphorism and verse of Vedänta-sütra has been indirectly interpreted by the Säriraka-bhäsya. Such interpretation, if somebody hears, then his future is doomed. Just like our Gandhi, he wanted to prove, from Bhagavad-gétä, nonviolence. The Bhagavad-gétä is being preached in the battlefield, and it is completely violence. How he can prove? Therefore he is dragging the meaning out of his own con... It is very troublesome, and anyone who will read such interpretation, he is doomed. He is doomed because the Bhagavad-gétä is meant for awakening your Krsna consciousness. If that is not awakened, then it is useless waste of time. Just like Caitanya Mahäprabhu embraced the brähmaëa who was illiterate, but he took the essence of Bhagavad-gétä, the relationship between the Lord and the devotee. Therefore, unless we take the real, I mean to say, essence of any literature, it is simply waste of time.

täìhära nähika doña, éçvara-äjïä päïä

gauëärtha karila mukhya artha äcchädiyä

[Cc. Ädi 7.110]

Now, at the beginning, He criticized Sankaräcärya that If somebody hears Sankaräcärya's commentation, then he's sure to be doomed. But again He supports Sankaräcärya. Why? Sankaräcärya is the incarnation of Lord Siva, and he's a great devotee. Sankara... Vaiñëavänäà yathä çambhuù: ;There are many devotees of the Lord, but the foremost devotee is Lord Siva. And he has got a disciplic succession which is called Visnuswami-sampradäya. So Sankaräcärya was covered devotee. He's covered devotee. His aim was to bring men to the standard of devotional service, but the time and circumstances in which he was preaching, he could not place his real object because they were unable to understand. At last, at the end of his life, he composed so many poetries in praise of Vrndävana-lilä, and especially his very famous Catpar pandika (?), that is, he has stated,

bhaja govindaà bhaja govindaà

bhaja govindaà müòha-mate

präpte sannihite käla maraëe

na hi na hi rakñati òukåï-karaëe

My dear foolish brothers, you kindly worship Krsna, Govinda... Thrice he has said, bhaja govindaà bhaja govindaà bhaja govindaà müòha-mate. Müòha-mate means You foolish nonsense, you kindly worship Govinda. Why? Now, präpte sannihite käla maraëe:When death will be nearer, your this grammatical interpretation, òukåï karaëe, this pratha (?), that pratha (?), arguing, jugglery of words, will not save you, will not save you. You please worship Govinda. That is his instruction. And there are many others.

So Sankaräcärya was a covered devotee. He was devotee. Somebody accuses Sankaräcärya that he was covered Buddhist. But so far I am concerned, I say that Sankaräcärya was covered devotee. He was devotee at heart, but because he was ordered to preach in that way... Otherwise, there was no alternative. That is stated in the Padma Puräna. When there is conversation between Lord Siva and his wife Pärvati, he disclosed that In the age of Kali, as a Brähmaëa, I preach this Mäyäväda philosophy, which is covered Buddha philosophy. Buddha philosophy says that This material life is all. After this material life, there is nothing, all void. And Sankaräcärya said that It is impersonal. There is no variety. So in both the philosophies there is no acceptance of Lord, the Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead. Therefore they are called nästika-väda. Nästika-väda means atheism, atheism. Caitanya Mahäprabhu has described Buddha religion as atheism. And Mäyäväda philosophy, He has said, dangerous atheism. He has given little preference to Buddhism, but to Mäyäväda philosophy He has stated, It is dangerous atheism. His exact version is like that, bheda namiya bauddha haila nästika. Vedäçraye nästika-väda bauddha ke adika. He says that We call the Buddhists as atheists because the simple reason is that they do not accept Vedas. Lord Buddha, he denied, that I don't care for the Vedas. I have got my this own proposition, that ahimsä. Nonviolence is the religion. That's all. So he did not accept Vedas. Therefore, those who are Vedantists, those who are followers of Vedas, they called Buddhist religion atheism. Atheism means anyone who does not believe in scriptures, standard scriptures. That is called atheism.

So Caitanya Mahäprabhu says that Buddha philosophy is atheism undoubtedly, but Sankara philosophy is dangerous atheism because he is accepting Vedänta, but he is preaching atheism. He's accepting... Under the shelter of Vedänta, he's preaching atheism. So therefore they are more dangerous. Just like you are fighting with your enemies, that is very clear.The other party is my enemy. But if somebody's treating as your friend and within he's trying to kill you, enemy, oh, that is very dangerous enemy. So similarly, Caitanya Mahäprabhu said that Buddhism is atheism. That's all right. But this Sankara's philosophy is more dangerous than atheism. And actually, so-called, so many swamis and sannyäsés, they came. They come from India. They are this same, dangerous atheists. Nobody has preached in your country this philosophy of Krsna consciousness or... Bhagavad-gétä is widely read, but differently interpreted. So therefore they are dangerous atheists. They are... Under the garb of Bhagavad-gétä, they are preaching atheism. So they are very dangerous. But still, because he was Lord Siva, incarnation of Lord Siva, and he had a particular duty, therefore Caitanya Mahäprabhu supports now that täìhära nähika doña:He's not faulty. He's not faulty because the time required to propagate such philosophy, and he had done that under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He wanted.

There is, Padma Puräëa, there is statement. In the Padma Puräëa there is: mäyävädam asac-chästraà pracchannaà bauddham ucyate. In the Padma Puräëa it is stated that This Mäyäväda philosophy is covered Buddhism. Mayaiva kalpitaà devi kalau brähmaëa-mürtinä. Lord Siva says to his wife, My dear Pärvati, in the age of Kali, in the garb of a brähmana, I'll have to preach this philosophy. Brahmaëaç cäparaà rüpaà nirguëam vakñyate mayä. Brähmaëaç ca aparaà rüpam: Brahman, the Supreme Lord, He has got transcendental form, but I'll have to preach that He has no form, nirguëam. Sarvasvaà jagato py asya mohanärthaà kalau yuge: In the age of Kali, just to bewilder the persons, I'll have to preach this philosophy. Vedänte tu mahä-çästre mäyävädam avaidikam: And, when I shall explain Vedänta, I shall explain everything against Vedas.

vedänte tu mahä-çästre

mäyävädam avaidikam

mayaiva vakñyate devi

jagatäà näça-käraëät

In order to kill the atheistic person, I'll have to preach this. This is stated in Padma Puräëa. And similarly, in the Siva Puräëa also, there is another verse:

dväparädau yuge bhütvä

kalayä mänuñädiñu

svägamaiù kalpitais tvaà ca

janän mad-vimukhän kuru

Oh, the Supreme Lord is ordering Lord Siva that In the age of Kali, you go and try to make them against Krsna consciousness.

So there are so many policies and so many programs of the supreme authorities, but Caitanya Mahäprabhu says that that is time service. For the time being they are necessary. Actually, such interpretation is not necessary at all. We should take direct meaning. Now He's explaining Vedänta. The first thing He's explaining, brahma çabde mukhya arthe kahe bhagavän. Whenever we speak of Brahman... Because these Mäyävädé philosophers, they are very much uttering this word,Brahman. Aham brahmäsmi: All Brahman. They don't utter Krsna or Govinda. Oh, that is very difficult for them. They simply utter, Brahman. Now... Let them. Brahman is also Vedic word. So Caitanya Mahäprabhu says the direct meaning of Brahman is Bhagavän, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Cid-aiçvarya-paripürëa, anürdhva-samäna. Now what is the grammatical meaning of Brahman? The grammatical meaning of Brahman is that the greatest and expansive. That is the grammatical meaning of Brahman. Which is unlimitedly expanded and greatest, He is called Brahman. Now, who can be unlimitedly expansive unless He's unlimitedly powerful? Therefore Caitanya Mahäprabhu says that according to Srimad-Bhägavatam also, the same meaning is there. Brahmeti paramätmeti bhagavän iti çabdyate [sB 1.2.11]. So Brahman-Paramätmä ultimately means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without coming to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the conception of Brahman-Paramätmä is imperfect. Why? Caitanya Mahäprabhu says that cid-aiçvarya-paripürëa, anürdhva-samäna. You cannot have conception of the greatest, unlimited, unless you place six kinds of opulence, opulences in full. Because aiçvarya, the opulences... Just like wealth, fame, and beauty, knowledge, and renunciation, they should be unlimited. Now, when they are not unlimited, he's not Brahman, or he's not the Supreme Lord.

So Caitanya Mahäprabhu's interpretation... Not interpretation He says Brahman means that One who is in full opulences, He's Brahman. Täìhära vibhüti, deha,saba cid-äkära: Therefore, because He's the greatest, therefore He cannot be under the control of this mäyä. The Mäyäväda philosophy says that We are now under the control of mäyä. Therefore we have forgotten that we are all Gods. In the Nikhilananda's book, this is explained. He is discussing Vivekananda's speech, that We are all Gods. Every one of us, we are God.Then why you have become dog? That we do not know. That is the explanation. But actually, the explanation is that we are also Brahman, but not Bhagavän, the Supreme Brahman. That is the explanation. Therefore we are prone to be under the subjugation of mäyä. This is real explanation. I am, I am not the Supreme Brahman. The greatest Brahman, I am not. Brahman means greatest, but I am also Brahman, but I am... The infinite and the infinitesimal. We are infinitesimal. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä also mamaiväàço jéva-bhütaù: [bg. 15.7] My, these living entities, they are My parts and parcels. Such parts and parcels of the Brahman is also Brahman. As part and parcel, minute particle, of gold is also gold, minute particle of poison is also poison, so similarly, we are minute, atomic part and parcel of the Supreme. Therefore we are not the unlimited or the biggest. We are Brahman, undoubtedly, but we are not the biggest. Therefore we are prone to be under the control of mäyä. But Supreme Brahman, He's never under the... Therefore Mäyäväda philosophy, that.At the present moment, I am under the control of mäyä, but as soon as I become free from the control of mäyä, then I become the Supreme, therefore they cannot answer that Why, if you are Supreme, why you are under the clutches of mäyä? Then mäyä becomes greater. You are not the greatest. They cannot answer this philo..., this question. At that time, they become fool: We do not know.

So anyway, täìhära vibhüti, saba... Therefore Brahman, His body, cannot be material. So material matter is under His control. Daivé hy eñä guëamayé mama mäyä [bg. 7.14]. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is said that This material nature is under My control. And in another place it is said,

mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù

süyate sa-caräcaram

hetunänena kaunteya

jagad viparivartate

[bg. 9.10]

The whole cosmic manifestation is rolling on under My superintendence. Mayädhyakñeëa. Under My order, under My supervision, prakåtiù,this, oh, the huge, gigantic material nature, is working under Me, hetunänena, and, on this account, there is rules and regulations, everything is being done nicely. So Caitanya Mahäprabhu says that Because Brahman, or the Supreme Lord, is the greatest, therefore His body cannot be made of this material nature. Because material nature is created at a certain interval, and who creates? Creates, the Supreme Lord. The creator, therefore, cannot be under the material nature. If I am creator of something, so I cannot be under the, that particular thing which is created. It is logical. So therefore, because the Supreme Brahman, or Bhagavän, is the creator of this material nature, He cannot be under the control of mäyä. He is... And that is also stated in Bhagavad-gétä, many places. Sambhavämy ätma-mäyayä [bg. 4.6]. Ätma-mäyayä. Not this mäyä. Mäyä means potency. So we have got the experience of this potency, material potency, but there is another potency which is called spiritual potency. So spiritual potency is the internal energy of Krsna, and material potency is the external energy. So Krsna says that Whenever I come, yadä yadä hi dharmasya glänir bhavati bhärata [bg. 4.7],whenever there is discrepancies in the discharging of religious principles, adharmasya abhyutthänam abhyutthänam adharmasya, and there is great predominance of irreligiosity, tadätmänaà såjämy aham, I, at that time, I come. Paritra... Why? Pariträëäya sädhünäà vinäçäya ca duñkåtäm: [bg. 4.8] Just to save the pious and the righteous and to vanquish the impious.

So these are stated in the Bhagavad-gétä. Therefore natural conclusion, as Caitanya Mahäprabhu says, that His potencies, His body and His activities everything spiritual. There is nothing material. Cid-vibhüti äcchädi täìre kahe niräkära. And when there is some indication of impersonalism in the Vedas, it should be understood that His body is not of this material nature. If somebody says that God does not belong to this matter, that is all right. That does not mean He's impersonal. He has got a spiritual body. Matter is denied. The whole Upaniñad... First of all they describe the Supreme... Just like apäëi-pädo javano grahétä. There are Vedic statements that The Supreme has no hands, but He can accept whatever you offer. Now, this is contradictory. If He has no hands, how He can accept? What for He's accepting. Therefore it is to be understood that He has His hand, but not this hand. My hand is, er, can stretch, say, one yard only, but because He's unlimited, His hand can be stretched... Just like we are offering foodstuff, so how He is eating? That is His... He's eating by His transcendental body. We cannot see at the present moment, but He is eating. How He's eating? Because we have got the information, Yes, I eat. Tad ahaà bhakty-upahåtam açnämi prayatätmanaù: Anyone who is My devotee and offers in love, I take them. So that cannot be... There is no mistake. But how He is taking, how He is eating, because we are in this material body, we do not see it, but He is taking. Therefore cid-vibhüti äcchädi täìre kahe niräkära.

cid-änanda teìho, täìra sthäna, parivära

täìre kahe präkåta-sattvera vikära

Now, the Lord's body is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, and Sankaräcärya says that präkåta-sattvera vikära. This body of Krsna or Lord Räma, when They come, according to Mäyäväda philosophy, that actually, the Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth, has no form, but when They assume form, They take help of this material nature. That is not a fact. They come in Their own spiritual form. That is confirmed by Caitanya Mahäprabhu.

täìra doña nähi, teìho äjïä-käré däsa

ära yei çune tära haya sarva-näça

Now, he preached this bewildering philosophy because he was ordered to do so by the Supreme Lord. That was his duty. But we must be very much careful. If we hear Sankara's interpretation, or commentation, then you are doomed. You are doomed means no more Krsna consciousness. You are thrown into wilderness for many, many births. Then sometimes, if you come in contact with some pure devotee, it may be possible. But so far Sankaräcärya's bhäsya is concerned, or anyone who is following that commentation, they are doomed.