some doubts on advaita

From the Bhakti List Archives

• February 16, 1996


Hello,
	In an interesting discussion, Sri. Vidyasankar wrote..

>This thing about "really exist" has to be understood in proper perspective. 
>In the advaita theory of two truths, saguNa brahman exists and it is 
>necessary to surrender to ISwara in the vyAvahArika level. It is only the
>paramArtha truth that nothing but nirguNa brahman exists. So long as one
>lives in and deals with the vyavahAra level, ISwara SaraNa is a superior

	I am not aware of this 'advaita theory of two truths'. Is it that
	for advaitins living in this material world, sarguNa brahman exists
	and that they should offer saraNaagathi to Iswaran? 
	Then who follows the paramaartha truth of nirguNa brahman? I used to
	think that for all advaitins, there exists only nirguNa brahman and
	it is kinda an abstraction of the God. so i used to wonder about
	the idea behind idol worship..etc.
	Isn't the concept of nirguNa brahman and the practice of worshipping
	the avathaarams (rama, krishna..) which talk abt the guNas of the
	Lord contradictory. 

	These are just some doubts. I am really a novice at these.  I
	haven't understood the concept clearly . can anybody please explain
	these in detail? 

	viji
	
	vijayt@acuson.com
	(Vijay Triplicane)