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Re: Of Hari, Green & Radha

From the Bhakti List Archives

Malolan Cadambi • February 16, 2002 


> 1. Nimbarka  ..... was the founder of  Dvaita-dvaita vedanta. He
> developed
> a Vaisnava cult under the name of Sanatkumara Naraday Sampardaya,
> which is
> similar in several respects to that of Ramanuja. He maintains that
> Brahman
> is Radha Krsna possessing the six principal attributes and many
>  other auspicious qualities.

Step One) Understand What "Visisthadvaita" is: (Thanks to Sri.Anand
Karalappakam)

ViSishtAdvaita is certainly a philosophy of "advaita". But this "advaita",
has nothing to do with the "advaita" of sankara.

ViSishtAdvaita : There is only one Brahman (advaita), who has chit and achit
as its inseparable attributes (chit-achit visishta). It is only the
"advaita" of this sense that is present in the actual reality (previous
posting involved the reference to the fact that jIvAtma and matter are
inseparable attributes of Brahman). Brahman/Iswara, chit and achit are
distinct from one another, though related ( with chit and achit as
inseparable attributes to Brahman). Thus, the concept of
sankara's advaita, which denies the existence of Iswara/God, jIvAtma and
matter (in the ultimate reality), is very much different from the "advaita"
in ViSishtAdvaita. The "advaita"  in ViSishtAdvaita is of the nature of
"viSishta aikya" (adjectival identity, cit and acit being the inseparable
attribute of Brahman) and not that of "svaroopa aikya" (svaroopa aikya =>
jIvAtma is verily the paramAtman in its nature itslef ).

Step Two) Place Emphasis on Reading *Comprehension*

When Sri SMS Chari writes "....similar in several respects to that of
Ramanuja. He maintains that Brahman is Radha Krsna possessing the six
principal attributes and many other auspicious qualities."

This means that

1.) The Considerations of the Nature of Reality, the nature of prakrithi and
the chit and the achit and other thoughts present in the Nimbarka may be
*similar* but not the *same* as that of Bhagavan Ramanuja's exposition of
the Sri Sookthis. Please note that Bhagavan Ramanuja was not the founder of
"Visisthadvaita". The Visisthdvaita Philosophy is rooted in the Vedas and
the rest of the Prasthana Traya both of which are eternal in nature.

There *is* a *difference* between the words similar and same.

>
> 2. Vallabhacharya the founder of Suddhadvaita Vedanta .....
>  advocated yet another type of vaisnavism. According to this school
> the
> Bhagawan of Bhagavata Purana, or Lord Krsna is the highest Brahman.

We here are not discussing the Suddhadvaita of Vallabha, there are other
forums on the internet in which you may be interested in. How does Vallabha
interpret the verse from the Mahanarayana Upanishad "ekam vai nArayana;
Asith" and "brahmanyo devaki putro, brahmanyo madushudhano" together? I am
in earnest to receive your reply at your earliest possible.

>
> 3. Sri Krsna Caitanya ....... founded the .... Caitanya
> Vaisnavism. .......
>  Bhagavan as Krsna is the Absolute Para Brahman ( and not an
> Avatara.)
> The concept of Radha Krsna incarnate in Caitanya brings out the full
> import
> of Krsna Lila.

That means the concept of Radha Krsna *according* to *chaitanya* bring out
the import of Krishna Lila. Well, first answer my question on how would
Chaitanya whose thoughts are same as that of Vallabha explain the Sruthi
Vakhyams which i quoted above?

>
> Unquote
>
> yE yathA mAm prapadhyantE tAmstathaiva bhajAmyaham
> mama varthmAnuvartantE manushyAh pArtha sarvasaH               BG
> IV - 11.
>
> In whatsoever way men approach Me, even so do I bless them, for
> whatever the
> paths men may take in worship, they come unto Me.

Refer to "Ramanuja on Gita" by S.S.Raghavachar for the full import of the
above verse. Also please mention whose translation you have quoted above. If
you have quoted from the popular "Bhagavat Gita as it is" of
Sri.A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami (who is persona non-grata in this list) there
cannot be much credibility attached to the translation. When the bare
fundamentals of the Gaudiya Sampradaya are itself contradictary to the
Sruthi Vakhyams, why bother about the periphery of their thought?


Regards,

Malolan Cadambi


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