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Re: A Great Injustice

From the Bhakti List Archives

Venkat Nagarajan • April 1, 1999 


Dear Bhagavatas,

Do terms such as Religion and Theology do justice to 
Visistadvaita Vedanta?

No. The following explains why. 

A religion is defined as belief in the supernatural power that 
controls human destiny.  Visistadvaita Vedanta is anAdi and
nitya (beginningless and eternal); it is the exposition of the
nature of reality; the universal truth, of which God is a part. 
(As the introduction to Sri RAmAnja's Gita Bhasya so
eloquently states: The supreme reality is a qualified whole.  
Isvara is the sustainer of the whole, and prakriti and jivas are
the sustained.  Each is an indissolvable part of the whole.) 
Terms such as Religion and Theology imply faith and origin
by default.  Visistadvaita Vedanta is beginningless, eternal 
and immutable; thus, it is not subject to faith and does have
an origin.  Whenever one tries to compare this SINGLE, 
BEGINNINGLESS, ETERNAL, ENDLESS, TRUTH to religions or
theologies or philosophies he or she is doing a great injustice; 
for all these have an origin and are mutable, unlike 
Visistadvaita Vedanta.  I don't see why when one has access
to the ultimate immutable truth, one needs to refer to lesser
or partial truths.  Our great Acharyas have already established
Visistadvaita Vedanta's supremacy in debates, out of 
compassion and for the good of society.   Thus, one who needs
structure to cement his or her conviction simply needs to read 
and understand what already exists.  One can not debate but 
only discuss (with others who have a conviction about its 
supremacy) that which has already been proven supreme. 

This is what I have come to realize.

Adiyen,
Venkat