Jahnava Nitai Das

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The Gaudiya Vaishnavas don't differentiate between the 2 Vaasudevas and hence state that Krishna is the source of all.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Gaudiyas actually make a distinction between three Vaasudevas, but hey consider Krishna, the son of vasudeva, to be the foremost form. They also acknowledge two Vaasudevas in the chatur-vyuha expansions of vasudeva, sankarshana, pradyumna and aniruddha. There are two separate chatur-vyuha expansions, so a total of three Vaasudevas. The chatur-vyuha vaasudevas are four-armed Narayana forms. Then there is a form known as "sukshma-vaasudeva", who is relatively unknown, but is briefly mentioned in various pancharatras. He is a two armed form.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The Gaudiya Vaishnavas don't differentiate between the 2 Vaasudevas and hence state that Krishna is the source of all.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Gaudiyas actually make a distinction between three Vaasudevas, but hey consider Krishna, the son of vasudeva, to be the foremost form. They also acknowledge two Vaasudevas in the chatur-vyuha expansions of vasudeva, sankarshana, pradyumna and aniruddha. There are two separate chatur-vyuha expansions, so a total of three Vaasudevas. The chatur-vyuha vaasudevas are four-armed Narayana forms. Then there is a form known as "sukshma-vaasudeva", who is relatively unknown, but is briefly mentioned in various pancharatras. He is a two armed form.

I remember a long time ago one of my teachers tried testing this by keeping milk under a pyramid shaped thing. I dont remember what the result was.

There is one text called Hari-bhakti-vilasa which is basically a compilation from various smriti texts giving rules and regulations one must follow. There is one interesting injunction that states if one eats eggplant in a particular month of the rainy season one will go to hell. On the surface the rule seems pretty stupid, and there isn't any explanation given. I have heard one explanation of this rule from a sadhu who says in that particular month of the rainy season the eggplants are infected with a particualr type of worm. And thus if one eats it, one will be killing many such creatures. Those who have experience buying eggplant in the rainy season probably know how hard it is to find one without little holes in the side where the worms had eaten their way out. Some of these rules are certainly only applicable to specific regions, climates, etc. It would require a study to find out what is the purpose behind many of these regulations in the smritis.

I have read this book a long time ago, and over all I liked it, though I didn't accept everything. In my opinion the author tries too hard to reconcile modern scientific opinions with Vedic opinions to show that they almost say the same thing. One point he does make that is worth noting, is that when the scriptures say the moon is farther than the sun from the earth, it is refering to vertical distance from the bhu-mandala. The bhu-mandala is a flat plane, practically from one side of the universe to the next. The earth is situated in the center of this bhu-mandala. So if a planet was situated at the end of the universe, but was relatively close to the bhu-mandala vertically, it would be described as closer than a planet situated very near earth, but higher vertically. Over all I think the book is worth reading. We need more indepedent thinkers who are willing to research alternative concepts of the universe, history, etc. The same author has recently published a new book on similar lines, explaining universal cosmology from the Bhagavata Purana. I will find a link to the site and post it.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The author thinks that Puranas are Vedic and hence the title.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The concept that different categories of books were written over different periods of time generally has its foundation on the Aryan invasion theory. Those who hold such a view like to refer to periods such as the Vedic period, Puranic period, etc. But there are others who consider "Vedic" to refer to an ancient civilization and culture, and thus all the books written by that culture would be referred to by them as Vedic literatures. Thus the word Vedic is defined and used differently based on one's concept of ancient history. Of course this analysis of the two schools is quite generic and blunt. There are countless combinations of beliefs, and we can't exactly define everyone in a few categories.

There are many meanings for the name Vaasudeva, one of which is the Lord or wealth. But the most common meaning given to vaasudeva is "one situated on the platform of vishudha sattva". I will try to provide details later when I get time.

There are many meanings for the name Vaasudeva, one of which is the Lord or wealth. But the most common meaning given to vaasudeva is "one situated on the platform of vishudha sattva". I will try to provide details later when I get time.

Though Brahman is not seen, it pervades the entire material existence. Krishna uses the word avyakta-murti, or unmanifested form, to describe how He pervades all existence.

Without being too negative, this article has little based on scripture. Everything is stretched beyond imagination, and the entire article is based on the faulty idea that there is no future. He repeatedly says "mohammed is the only one who has done this..." but he fails to take into account eternal time, which may bring another thousand people who fit the descriptions. First of all, the Vedic texts clearly state that Kalki is an incarnation of Vishnu, God. As far as point 1, the texts do not say he will be the last messenger of God. Time is cyclical in the Vedic conception and there is never a last. After Kalki arrives, the Satya Yuga will begin, and Ashvathama will take the post as Vyasa Muni to guide the world in spiritual knowledge. Also, there is no mention in the Vedas of the Kalki avatar. All descriptions of Him are from the Puranas. Actually every line of this article is based on a false statement, and it is not worth the time to go into detail. I didn't want to be too negative, but there isn't anything accurate within this article.

Please continue posting portions of this Upanishad. It is very nice to read in this manner.

There are different categories of mantras, and different definitions for the word mantra based on the category of mantra invoked. The ultimate purpose of mantras are to deliver the mind, and this is accomplished by meditation on the sound representation of a deity. The Vedic conception of matter includes various levels of existence, from subtle to gross. All objects are ultimately based on sound syllables known as seed letters (bija mantras). It is because all matter comes from sound that sound is able to deliver the mind from matter (thus the definition of the word mantra). Sound is never separate from matter on the higher planes of existence. The Vedic understanding of objects includes three aspects, namely the adhibhauta, adhyatma, and adhidaiva. In the case of fire, these refer to the element fire, the instrument by which fire is perceived, and the controlling deity behind fire. All of these are existing in a subtle form within the mantra of the deity of fire (agni-devata). One who has perfected the mantra can manifest the three aspects of fire through recitation of the mantra. This is known as mantra siddhi. On the level of adhibhauta one may manifest the physical element of fire from the sound (mantra). On the level of adhidaiva one may manifest the deity of fire from the mantra. The ultimate purpose of the mantra would be to manifest the deity, the manifestation of the agni-bhuta is secondary. I hope this has given some answer to your question. If you have further questions please ask.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Siva may be supreme among demigods and not the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But the argument given by you is not proper. You have mentioned that Siva served Rama as Hanuman. This does not prove anything. Krishna was Arjuna's charioteer.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Lord Krishna would carry his father's shoes on His head. The Vedic conception of God goes beyond that of most other religions in the world. Not only is He the greatest who is served by all, but he is the servant as well, engaging in the most menial services to His devotees. Who could comprehend that right now in Vaikuntha the supreme all-powerful Godhead is carrying the shoes of His devotee on His head. Krishna is acintya, completely inconceivable. Supremacy has nothing to do with service. Service is even performed by God out of love. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I wrote that I had read somewhere about no. of puranas having more than 1000. That was a mistake.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Actually there are 1000 or so Puranas, though I don't know how many are in existence at present. There are 18 maha-puranas compiled by Vyasa (and Parashara Muni in the case of Vishnu Purana). Each of the 18 maha-puranas has 18 upa-puranas (subsidiary texts). Each of these 18 upa-puranas has 18 upakhyanas which focus on a particular event or personality. Thus there are supposed to be over 5,000 puranas, but only a fraction of them are available in human socity at present. The upa-puranas and upakhyanas are usually written by one of Vyasa's disciples or a rishi. Due to the large number of texts and the inability to verify whether they are genuine, most of these texts are ignored.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>To say Krishna is the Ultimate is correct as he is an incarnation of Vishnu. However the statement 'Krishna is the source of all avatars' is to be taken with a pinch of salt. With a lot of salt actually, when we consider the fact that Krishna was an avatar himself and yet another fact that such a statement is in direct contradiction to the Vedas and the Puranas too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> It's nice to see you figured it all out. Thouands of saints, sadhus and pandits throughout India for centuries just weren't able to catch the contradictions you discovered. Perhaps you think too much of yourself. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>While there is nothing wrong with such sectarian beliefs from a devotional perspective, there is this small problem that it is distorting the original story.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Good that you are in possession of the original story. Thats probably where the saints, sadhus and acharyas of other sampradayas went wrong. They couldn't get their hands on the original story. I agree that those who belong to the Gaudiya lines should take the effort to study other Vaishnava conclusions to understand their positions, but I would have to ask the same from others who are not Gaudiyas. Some people are brought up in South India, where Vaishnavism is a caste, and they think the conlusions there are the only authentic Vaishnava siddhanta. It would be useful for such people to study the vaishnava schools of North, West and East India to develop a non-biased understanding of what vaishnavism is. For example if one were to think that only ignorant people worship Krishna as the source of all incarnations, it would be a very foolish conception. The Madhva and Ramanuja sampradayas do not accept Krishna as the source of incarnations, though they both differ on the position of the original form. For Sri Vaishnavas the original form is Narayana, for Madhva's there is no original form - or they are all original forms. Gaudiyas do not deny that Kshirodakashayi Vishnu incarnated as Krishna, but Kshirodakashayi Vishnu is Himself an incarnation of Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, who is an incarnation of Karanadakashayi Vishnu, who is an expansion of Shankarshana, who is an expansion of Vasudeva, who is an expansion of Balarama, who is an expansion of Krishna from Goloka Vrindavana. The chatur-vyuha expansions exist in the paravyoma, whereas the purusha avataras exist in the jagat. Thelinkig point between the expansions of the Lord from the para-vyoma and the avataras of the Lord in the jagat is Garbhodakashayi Vishnu. Thus it is through Garbhodakashayi Vishnu that the Lord appears in the material world each time. The devas approach the banks of the kshira-udaka (milk ocean) and recite the purusha-sukta prayers. Though unable to see the Lord, Brahma receives a message from within his heart about the impending incarnation of Godhead. Garbhodakashayi Vishnu is non-different from Lord Krishna, as are all the forms of the Lord. When the Lord chooses to cover certain aspects of His existence and opulence, he becomes a particular form and is called by a particular name. When the same form chooses to reveal those covered oppulences he is known by a different name. Thus Garbhodakashayi Vishnu incarnating as Krishna is not as a different person. It is the same Lord revealing His hidden qualities. The original qualities of the Lord displayed in full are those of Lord Krishna. When Lord Krishna covers certain qualities, he is known as Garbhodakashayi Vishnu. When he [bold]again reveals those qualities[/bold] he is again known as Lord Krishna. I don't expect people who get their understanding of avatara from the Hindu newspaper or from the Sri Krishna TV serial to understand these concepts. It requires a study of the pancharatras.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Rama & Krishna are Poorna avatars of Lord Narayana. We only do not like the idea of creating Krishna as different from Narayana & making western people ignorant of Ultimate Supreme Narayana.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> This is the philosophical consclusion of the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya. I respect their conclusion, and the bhava of their acharyas. But there are other schools of Vaishnavism throughout India which accept other forms of the Lord as the avatari (source of incarnations). The great poet Jayadeva Goswami, who composed Gita Govinda is one such devotee who considers Krishna the ultimate source of all avataras. He is not a Gaudiya Vaishnava, for he predates Gaudiya Vaishnavism. His Gita Govinda song is respected and sung throughout India by all Vaishnavas. In Orissa, the Vaishnavas, though not Gaudiyas, consider Krishna to be the source of all incarnations. They even make deities of avataras, such as matsya, kurma, varaha, narasimha etc., with the face of Jagannatha - Krishna. In the Vallabha Sampradaya (rudra sampradaya) Sri Nathji ( Krishna, the lifter of Govardhana hill) is considered the supreme form of the Lord. Their object of worship is Bala Gopala, and they consider Him to be the source of all incarnations. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Whether you like it or not you have to accept that Lord Narayana is the Ultimate God.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Narayana is the Ultimate God, or in Srila Prabhupada's words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Narayana is the same personality as Krishna, Rama, etc. When discussing a single person there can be no comparison of the individual to Himself. The only difference between one form and the other is what the Lord chooses to manifest to His devotees. According to Gaudiyas, and some other vaishnavas as well, the form of Lord Krishna is the top most manifestation of love, for it includes the parakiya-madhurya-rasa.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>If Siva is the author of material creation, then why is Brahmaa called as creator?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> There are many stages in the process of universal manifestation. In each stage there is a primary entity initiating the transformations that occur. It is for this reason that sometimes Durga is described as the source of the material existences, sometimes Brahma, sometimes Shiva, and sometimes Vishnu. Each one plays a lead role in a particular stage of creation. I will try to write a "synthesis of creation theories" later, but for now I will just briefly mention a few things. The original creation is known as sarga, whereas the secondary creation conducted by Brahma is known as visarga, or recreation. Description of Sarga and Visarga are two of the Lakshanas that make a Purana. These two categories of creation have been explained in our newsletter (Tattva Prakasha 1.6), so I will just quote from there: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>1) Sarga - the elemental creation. Sarga is defined as follows: bhuta-matrendriya-dhiyam janma sarga udahritah "The elemental creation of sixteen principles of matter - namely the five gross elements (pancha-bhutas), the five objects of sense perception (tan-matras), the five knowledge acquiring senses (jnanendriyas) and the mind - is known as sarga." The five gross elements (pancha-bhutas) are earth, water, fire, air and ether; the five objects of sensual perception (tan-matras) are sound, form, taste, smell, and touch; and the five knowledge acquiring senses (jnanendriyas) are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. Together with the mind, these sixteen principles are created by the first purusha incarnation, Maha-Vishnu. Within these sixteen principles eight other principles exist subtly, making there a total of twenty-four principles of material existence. 2) Visarga - the secondary creation. Visarga is defined as follows: brahmano guna-vaishamyad visargah paurushah smritah "The secondary creation by Brahma carried out through the interaction of the three modes of nature is known as visarga." By manipulating the sixteen original principles of material existence and by the interaction of the three modes of material nature (sattva, rajas and tamas), Lord Brahma carries out a subsequent creation, more properly described as an assembling of universal ingredients.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> So the initial creation of Sarga is a creation of the elemental principles, whereas Visarga is the assembling of the elements into form. Brahma's "creation" is to take the elements and follow the blueprint given to him by Vishnu. Lord Shiva's role in creation involves how Vishnu interacts with the external energy (maya). Vishnu being nirguna does not come into contact with the material energy. Instead he "touches" it through his empowered glance, which is known as Shambhu (Shiva). From the glance of Maha-Vishnu comes a halo of light (Shambhu, or Shiva), in which all the conditioned souls are dwelling. This halo of light combines with the pradhana, impregnating the conditioned souls within the material nature. Shambhu is also the time factor, and this is why the pradhana is stirred into activity. Prior to the influence of time, the material nature exists as the pradhana, or unmanifested modes of material nature in perfect equilibrium. There is no differentiation between sattva, rajas and tamas. When Shambhu enters, as the time factor, the material nature is agitated and the three modes become distinct. This stage of creation is known as the Mahat-tattva, or great truth. Once the influence of time is present, then the distinction between cause and effect becomes visible. Thus you have a series of transformation of matter, from subtle to gross, which brings about the sixteen principles of material existence. This creation is known as Sarga (as has been described above briefly).

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Another point to be noted that is that the Vaishnava Puranas say that only Vishnu can grant Moksha. However the Shiva Purana says that it is Shiva who is the granter of Moksha, thus creating clear contradiction.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Each school of philosophy or upasana defines liberation differently. According to the Bhagavatam liberation is defined as follows: muktir hitvanyatha rupam svarupenavavyavasthitih "Liberation is giving up all external forms and designations and being resituated in one's constitutional eternal form." According to Vaishnava texts, this type of mukti is granted only by Vishnu. Lord Shiva is able to grant other types of mukti, but to Vaishnava's that is not considered as "mukti". One may be liberated from many things in many ways. Thus everyone can give mukti to some degree. Even we can "liberate" people. For example, give food to a hungry person, and you have "liberated" him. But it isn't actually liberation as defined by the Bhagavatam. Different texts speak of different types of liberation, but using the same word. According to the audience and the process of worship, the results will vary. But they may all be termed as liberation to varying degrees. To put an end to material suffering is one type of liberation, and Lord Shiva can very easily grant this to his devotees. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I may be wrong, but I believe that ISKCON teaches that Krishna is the ultimate and real form.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I would change the word "real" to "original", though even "original" requires explanation, as it is not a case of cause and effect through time. All of the forms of the Lord are eternal. That form which manifests the full opulence of the Lord is the form of Lord Krishna.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Read the Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana and Linga Purana which say that Shiva is the supreme God...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Everyone is supreme within their own realm of control. Even in our own world of existence we can see this clearly. There is a mayor incharge of a city, a governor incharge of a state, and a president in charge of a country. Each one may be termed as Supreme when describing him in terms of his domain of control. But when you see the entire picture, each one is subservient to a higher control. Vyasa's descriptions of Lord Shiva and Devi are in this context. Lord Shiva is maheshvara. He is the Supreme controller within the material realm of existence. As Shambhu he creates the entire material creation by interacting with Shakti. From this angle of vision he is the source and cause of existence. But from whom does everything emanate? That is the question of the Brahma-sutras: janmady asya yatah. "From whom everything comes?" The ultimate cause of all causes is Vishnu. The 18 Puranas are written for people influenced by the three modes of nature. Six Puranas are aimed at those within the tamo-guna, six for those within rajo-guna, and five for those within the sattva-guna. Srimad Bhagavatam is the spotlesss Purana situated on the plane of vishuddha-sattva. It is completely free from the contaminations of dharma, artha, kama, moksha. It establishes the fifth purushartha, Prema, as the ultimate goal of life. Sincere seekers should take shelter of this transcendental book, for it can provide us light in this dark age of Kali.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>It is not that all those on Pandavas side were good and all those on Kauravas side were bad.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Krishna incarnated to remove all the kings from the face of the earth, because they were a burden to mother earth. He was the one who destroyed the Pandava's army as kala-rupa. Simply by fighting on the side of the Pandavas did not make everyone as a realized soul. There were so many reasons why each person chose to fight on a particular side. And not everyone on the side of the Kauravas was evil. Bhisma was a fully liberated soul and pure devotee of Lord Krishna. The Bhagavatam glorifies him as one of the twelve mahajanas, or great authorities on krishna-bhakti. Krishna's own army fought on the side of the Kaurava's. In the lila of the Lord, each devotee plays a role, like actors in a play. Sometimes one devotee must act the part of the villain in order to create the perfect mood for the Lord's pastimes. This is pure devotional service, free from any tinge of expectation. Not everyone involved was a liberated soul, but on both sides Lord Krishna's eternal associates were taking part. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Yudhistira did lie. He was 4 inches above the ground always until he lied to Drona which pulled him down to the level of the other humans.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> There is mention of Yudhisthira coming down to touch the earth, but it is the commentator's who explain why this occurred (as is also the case in Yudhisthira seeing hell). Those who propagate social morality as the supreme duty choose to explain the cause as being the lie told by Yudhisthira. Those who propagate pure devotion to God as the ultimate duty explain that Yudhisthira touched the ground, and subsequently had to see hell, due to his hesitation in following the order of Lord Krishna (to tell the lie).

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"See only what good things they are doing." And why is that?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Because that is the teaching Dattatreya learned by observing the honey bee and the fly. One should follow the example of the honey bee, who looks for the flowers to take their nectar; not like the fly who constantly searches for decaying flesh and dirt. Also the great scholar Chanakya advises that valuable things may be taken even from a dirty place. To see good and find the good in something requires a higher vision.

"A school of Vedanta cannot and will not reject any statement from the Sruti. That is the foundation of any school of Vedanta." --- You seem to have the conception that the shruti is universally accepted and established in one written form. This is incorrect. There are as many varrying versions (and branches) of shruti texts as there are smriti texts. Only major and common texts have universal acceptance. Much of the shruti does not even exist today, at least in written form. Some people accept one text as authentic, others do not. Take Aitareyya Upanishad for example. Though in words one may give more importance to shruti, the texts are subjected to the same subjective processes as smriti texts. This is because the "un-authored" texts have been put into writing - they are no longer "shruti". Any view of them as more authentic than smriti is merely sentimental. I do not deny that they are authentic (though there are individual cases to the contrary). But let us just consider a single point: How can there be 50 different readings of a particular text that is eternal and unauthored? There are many answers one may come to. Some may reject them all, some may accept them all (the veda is unlimited). That is for individuals to decide based on their realization and faith. Others may question what does the shruti actually refer to? Is it the exact combination of varnas (syllables) which occur in the later stages of shabda (sound)? Or is it the supra-intellectual manifestation of sound existing on the level of pure consciousness - beyond the divisions of the alphabet. Since the Vedas are established as eternal, they must belong to the para-shabda, and therefore are situated beyond (or prior to) the manifestation of mechanical sound in terms of letters, syllables, etc. Thus what is it that is actually "unauthored"? This requires an indepth study, and not just a passing glance.

"However, Yudhistira's situation was not this. He had to choose between being truthful or to become the king and he chose the latter." --- Yudhistira had to choose between following mundane social duties, or obeying the direct instruction of God.

Sri Prabhupada once described Lord Krishna's color as a dark raincloud being struck by lightning.

In the ancient texts we find the words jnana and vijnana to refer to knowledge and applied knowledge respectively. Vijnana not only refers to applied material knowledge, but to applied spiritual knowledge as well. It is probably because of the application aspect that the word was later used to refer to modern science in local languages such as hindi, etc. Modern science tends to focus on applied knowledge, how to utilize information to create results - as opposed to just knowing something. Without application all knowledge is basically useless, including spiritual knowledge. The Gita stresses this point (the need for vijnana in addition to jnana) in several places. Perhaps later I will try to say more on this aspect. Of course the word jnana also has a more general meaning, so we have to see the particular context in order to define the proper meaning. Not ever occurence of the word jnana indicates academic knowledge.

There is a software called VCAL that calculates the exact timings for ekadashi based on one's location. It is available in the download section on this site. The program actually calculates the entire year calendar with important festival days for Vaishnavas, and as such the ekadashis are included.