No One Is Inferior Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

No One Is Inferior Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please No One is Inferior Date: 2012-08-16 Author: Vaijayantimala devi dasi Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev! Our beloved Gurudev HH Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj says while talking about humility, "We have to be humble. That should be our nature. You do not have to open your mouth and tell that you are humble. It becomes showy humility. Behave humbly. That is our position. Suppose somebody gives credit to us for our service to the Lord, we should consider that it is on account of the Lord's mercy that He has allowed us to be engaged in His service and we are able to render the service nicely. We should not hear our own glories and it should not go through the ears at all and you don't get stuck with it." When I read this, I understood my position that I have not even understood the meaning of being humble, while all the time offering so called humble obeisances to everyone and proclaiming myself as a humble servant. In one of the Srimad Bhagavatam discussions here, we came across the following wonderful verse spoken by Srila Narada muni. SB 7.1.27, yathā vairānubandhena martyas tan-mayatām iyāt na tathā bhakti-yogena iti me niścitā matiḥ Narada Muni continued: By devotional service one cannot achieve such intense absorption in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as one can through enmity toward Him. That is my opinion. In the Rajasuya yajna performed by king Yudhishtira, he saw that when Sishupala was killed by Krishna, he merged into the body of the Supreme Personality Of Godhead, even though he was extremely envious of Krishna. This mysterious mercy of the Lord was a matter of great surprise and King Yudhishtira wanted to know the cause for this. In reply to this, Srila Narada muni explained in detail how the Lord is affected neither by prayers nor by blasphemy and how the conditioned soul, if he somehow or the other concentrates his mind upon the Lord, it is for his benefit. Then he speaks the above verse SB 7.1.27, in great humility. We can never understand the real purport or intent of the verse, unless we read the exalted purport by Srila Prabhupada. Without the purport, it is assured that we can only have a completely wrong understanding of the verse by our mental concoction (sva kapola kalpitam). Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport, "Sriman Narada Muni, the topmost pure devotee, praises Krishna's enemies like Sishupala because their minds are always completely absorbed in Krishna. Indeed, he thinks himself deficient in the inspiration of being feelingly absorbed in Krishna consciousness. This does not mean, however, that the enemies of Krishna are more elevated than Krishna's pure devotees. In the Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 5.205, Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami also thinks of himself in such a humble way, jagāi mādhāi haite muñi se pāpiṣṭha purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha I am a worse sinner than Jagaai and Maadhaai and am even lower than the worms in the stool. A pure devotee always thinks himself more deficient than everyone else. If a devotee approaches Srimati Radharani to offer some service to Krishna, even Srimati Radharani thinks that the devotee is greater than She. Thus Narada Muni says that according to his opinion the enemies of Krishna are better situated because they are fully absorbed in thoughts of Krishna in terms of killing Him, just as a very lusty man always thinks of women and their association." What a standard of humility by the exalted sage who thinks himself more deficient than everyone else. Here is another wonderful incident in the life of Sri Ramanujacharya. Once when the great 11th century teacher and philosopher, Sri Ramanujacharya, went to the holy Tirumala hill (Tirupathi), the abode of Lord Venkateshwara, the acharya's aged uncle, and also his spiritual master, Sri Periya Tirumala Nambi, came all the way down the hill to invite and receive him. Sri Ramanujacharya was moved and told him that he could have sent some little boy to invite him instead of undertaking the difficult trip himself. But the aged saint said, "I looked around but couldn't find anyone as little as me. So I had to come myself." We are very much reminded of our beloved and most merciful Gurudev who in his advanced age came many times to the airport or railway station personally to receive his disciples. In Srimad Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara kanda, Sita Mata asks Hanumanji, who is prepared to depart, to convey her enquiries about the welfare of Rama, Lakshmana and Sugreeva. She further requests Hanumanji to urge them to rescue her. Then, Sita mata expresses her doubt about the capacity of the troops of monkeys and bears to cross the ocean. At that time the great Hanumanji in extreme humility speaks the following wonderful verses 5-39-38 and 39, mat viśiṣṭāḥ ca tulyāḥ ca santi tatra vana okasaḥ mattaḥ pratyavaraḥ kaścin na asti sugrīva sannidhau aham tāvat iha prāptaḥ kim punaḥ te mahābalāḥ na hi prakṛṣṭāḥ preṣyante preṣyante hi itare janāḥ In Sugreeva's army, some of the monkeys are superior to me and some are even equal to me. No one in the vicinity of Sugreeva is inferior to me. When I have arrived here, why to talk about the mighty ones? Generally, superior ones are not sent for errands. Only others are indeed sent. Hanumanji says that superior ones are not sent as messengers and hence he is the most inferior monkey. Thus he assures Sita Mata that those monkeys will reach Lanka by one single leap. Let me contemplate and put into practice the real meaning of humility by again and again remembering these exalted personalities and their humble dealings. Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev, Vaijayantimala devi dasi Abu Dhabi..
Recommended publications
  • In the Name of Krishna: the Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town
    In the Name of Krishna: The Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Sugata Ray IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Frederick M. Asher, Advisor April 2012 © Sugata Ray 2012 Acknowledgements They say writing a dissertation is a lonely and arduous task. But, I am fortunate to have found friends, colleagues, and mentors who have inspired me to make this laborious task far from arduous. It was Frederick M. Asher, my advisor, who inspired me to turn to places where art historians do not usually venture. The temple city of Khajuraho is not just the exquisite 11th-century temples at the site. Rather, the 11th-century temples are part of a larger visuality that extends to contemporary civic monuments in the city center, Rick suggested in the first class that I took with him. I learnt to move across time and space. To understand modern Vrindavan, one would have to look at its Mughal past; to understand temple architecture, one would have to look for rebellions in the colonial archive. Catherine B. Asher gave me the gift of the Mughal world – a world that I only barely knew before I met her. Today, I speak of the Islamicate world of colonial Vrindavan. Cathy walked me through Mughal mosques, tombs, and gardens on many cold wintry days in Minneapolis and on a hot summer day in Sasaram, Bihar. The Islamicate Krishna in my dissertation thus came into being.
    [Show full text]
  • Chaitanya-Charitamrita Compact
    Chaitanya-Charitamrita Compact A summary study of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s life story By Sutapa das Based on Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita translated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder Acharya: International Society for Krishna Consciousness O devotees, relish daily the nectar of Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita and the pastimes of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, for by doing so one can merge in transcendental bliss and attain full knowledge of devotional service. (Antya-Lila 5.89) © 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor Text: Sutapa Das Design & Graphics: Prasannatma Das Layout: Yogendra Sahu Artwork courtesy of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. www.krishna.com. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness Founder Acarya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada College of Vedic Studies Bhaktivedanta Manor, Hilfield Lane, Watford, WD25 8EZ 01923 851000 www.krishnatemple.com [email protected] Dedicated to: Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami, who, being requested by the Vaishnava community, was divinely empowered to compose this spotless biography. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who carried the message of Shri Chaitanya to the Western world, established the ISKCON movement, and kindly translated this priceless literature into English. Kadamba Kanana Swami, who nurtured my interest in Chaitanya-Charitamrita, and provides ongoing inspiration and guidance in my spiritual journey. Contents Introduction ..........................................................................7 The God
    [Show full text]
  • Spiritual Scientist
    Alchemy attempted to transform baser metals like iron into gold. However, the Vedic texts describe an even more amazing science, a verifiable science that brings about an even more miraculous transformation: the transformation of negative emotions into positive, selfishness into selflessness, exploitation into compassion, enjoying mentality into service attitude. Let’s see how this science works. Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, a sixteenth century philosopher-saint compares lust with iron and love with gold. Lust is essentially a selfish material drive that incites us to exploit the bodies of the opposite sex for our physical gratification. On the contrary, love is primarily a selfless spiritual emotion that inspires us to serve others for their ultimate well being. Just as iron, when covered with a gold plating, can look like gold, lust, when covered with sweet speech and action, can look like love. We often see ‘love’ marriages ending in divorce in a short time, because they were based on lust, not love. Relationships can be sustained only when there is the selfless desire to serve, not the selfish desire to exploit. When we let ourselves be controlled by lust, we become dissatisfied and we make others fearful. On the other hand, when we choose to become vehicles of divine love, we relish and share contentment. Kaviraja Goswami further compares lust with blinding darkness and love with illuminating sunlight. Lust blinds us to the spiritual reality of our existence; whereas love, especially when it is directed towards Krishna, illuminates our heart with spiritual and material wisdom. When we love Krishna, we naturally love all living beings because we see them as our brothers and sisters in our divine family.
    [Show full text]
  • The Life of Krishna Chaitanya
    The Life of Krishna Chaitanya first volume of the series: The Life and Teachings of Krishna Chaitanya by Parama Karuna Devi published by Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center (second edition) Copyright © 2016 Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center All rights reserved. ISBN-13: 978-1532745232 ISBN-10: 1532745230 Our Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center is a non-profit organization, dedicated to the research, preservation and propagation of Vedic knowledge and tradition, commonly described as “Hinduism”. Our main work consists in publishing and popularizing, translating and commenting the original scriptures and also texts dealing with history, culture and the peoblems to be tackled to re-establish a correct vision of the original Tradition, overcoming sectarianism and partisan political interests. Anyone who wants to cooperate with the Center is welcome. We also offer technical assistance to authors who wish to publish their own works through the Center or independently. For further information please contact: Mataji Parama Karuna Devi [email protected], [email protected] +91 94373 00906 Contents Introduction 11 Chaitanya's forefathers 15 Early period in Navadvipa 19 Nimai Pandita becomes a famous scholar 23 The meeting with Keshava Kashmiri 27 Haridasa arrives in Navadvipa 30 The journey to Gaya 35 Nimai's transformation in divine love 38 The arrival of Nityananda 43 Advaita Acharya endorses Nimai's mission 47 The meaning of Krishna Consciousness 51 The beginning of the Sankirtana movement 54 Nityananda goes begging
    [Show full text]
  • Conversion and Ritualisation: an Analysis of How Westerners Enter the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and Assimilate Its Values and Practices
    Conversion and Ritualisation: an Analysis of How Westerners Enter the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and Assimilate its Values and Practices A thesis submitted to the University of Wales Trinity Saint David In fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016 Luc De Backer Acknowledgements I would like to thank all those who have supported me on my way. My gratitude to my supervisor Maya Warrier for her encouragements and five years of continued guidance, and to my second supervisor Bettina Schmidt for her valuable advice. My gratitude also goes to Kenneth Valpey, Matylda Obryk, Nima Gajjar, and Rogier Vrieling for proof reading my chapters and to all ISKCON devotees who have participated in this project. I also offer my special gratitude to Hridaya Chaitanya Dasa, ISKCON GBC Zonal Secretary for Spain, France, and the Benelux, for authorising me to conduct this research and to Yadunandana Swami for his encouragement to take up this scholarly endeavour. 2 Abstract The central aim of my thesis is to examine the processes by which individuals from a Western background enter the International Society for Krishna Consciousnes (ISKCON), a transnational religious movement with its roots in Chaitanya Vaishnavism, a Hindu tradition originating in India. The central argument of my research is that extant models of conversion do not do justice to the process by which individuals enter ISKCON and assimilate its values, beliefs, and practices. This thesis thus critically examines conversion models/theories and seeks to refine our understanding of conversion, especially in relation to groups in which everyday ritual practice plays a central role.
    [Show full text]
  • Bhagavata Precepts Book.Indb
    THE BHAGAVATA ITS PHILOSOPHY, ITS ETHICS, AND ITS THEOLOGY & LIFE AND PRECEPTS OF SRI CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU By Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura THE BHAGAVATA ITS PHILOSOPHY, ITS ETHICS, AND ITS THEOLOGY & LIFE AND PRECEPTS OF SRI CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU By Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura THE BHAGAVATA ITS PHILOSOPHY, ITS ETHICS, AND ITS THEOLOGY By Sri Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode “O Ye, who are deeply merged in the knowledge of the love of God and also in deep thought about it, constantly drink, even after your emancipation, the most tasteful juice of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, come on earth through Sri Sukadeva Gosvami’s mouth carrying the liquid nectar out of the fallen and, as such, very ripe fruit of the Vedic tree which supplies all with their desired objects.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1/1/3) THE BHAGAVATA ITS PHILOSOPHY, ITS ETHICS, AND ITS THEOLOGY We love to read a book which we never read before. We are anxious to gather whatever information is contained in it and with such acquirement our curiosity stops. This mode of study prevails amongst a great number of readers, who are great men in their own estimation as well as in the estimation of those, who are of their own stamp. In fact, most readers are mere repositories of facts and statements made by other people. But this is not study. The student is to read the facts with a view to create, and not with the object of fruitless retention. Students like satellites should reflect whatever light they receive from authors and not imprison the facts and thoughts just as the Magistrates imprison the convicts in the jail! Thought is progressive.
    [Show full text]
  • The Parampara Institution in Gaudiya Vaisnavism
    The Parampara Institution In Gaudiya Vaisnavism –Jagadananda Das – Great philosophers could not reach the end of your glories, oh Lord, even if they should think on them with increasing joy for æonchars. For, in the form of the intelligence within and the teacher without, you destroy all inauspiciousness and reveal the way to attain you.(1) Contents: • ISKCON after the death of Bhaktivedanta • Schismatic tendencies in post-Prabhupada ISKCON • The first ISKCON heresy: rtvikvada or the doctrine of the monitor guru • The origins of the siksa-sampradaya idea • The Gaudiya Math after Bhaktisiddhanta's death • History of the parampara • Initiation in the Bhakti-sandarbha • Conclusions • Notes • Chart I: The guru-parampara of the Gaudiya Math • Chart II: The guru-pranali of Lalitaprasada Thakura Introduction One of the primary areas of concern in scholarly work surrounding new religious movements in the last decade has been that of succession. Since most new religions are centred about charismatic religious leaders, the death of a founder presents his or her followers with a crisis which is crucial for the survival of the sect he or she has created. In the context of those religions which have South Asian origin, the charismastic leader is given particular emphasis as the guru, who is often, as David Miller says, ... at the centre of sacredness. Sacred texts and the worship of deities are secondary matters compared with the centrality of the guru whose interpretations of the texts are often looked upon as more sacred than the texts themselves.(2) In the Indian tradition, great importance is placed on the personal search for a guru; it is the divine mission of a seeker to encounter a knower of the truth.(3) Each individual guru is an institution in himself, whether he establishes one temple or monastery or many, and is obliged at the time of his death to seek some kind of continuity.
    [Show full text]
  • Exposing Gaudiya Math Twister: Sankarshana Dasa (Bhakta Suria)
    Exposing Gaudiya Math Twister: Sankarshana dasa (Bhakta Suria) BY: MAHESH RAJA My detailed rebuttal follows below the nonsense article penned by Sankarshana dasa who is also known as Bhakta Suria of Singapore. (He was hiding as Anonymous). He is exposed as Hypocrite Twister. In ALL his articles you have to check what he has avoided to present or HOW he has TWISTED Srila Prabhupada’s quotes to back-up his Anti-Ritvik propaganda/Gaudiya matha following. Just to give the reader a glimpse of exposing this twister’s cunningness please read: Become Guru by Order, That's All http://hareKrishna.com/sun/editorials/04-10/editorials5990.htm Questions for Suria Prabhu BY: BHAKTA THAKUR http://www.hareKrishna.com/sun/editorials/04-10/editorials6016.htm We hear Suria was initially following bogus GBC voted ISKCON conditioned soul “guru” Indradyumna Swami then the Twister changed game and instead joined Gaudiya Matha conditioned soul “guru” who gave him the name Sankarshana dasa. The cheaters are always cheated from accepting Srila Prabhupada the BONAFIDE Diksha Guru. This is just the fitting punishment. Instead of accepting the Ritvik system authorized by Srila Prabhupada they go for positions, power, money, prestige and are cheated. WHAT A COLOSSAL LOSS they do NOT get Srila Prabhupada as Diksha guru!!!!!! Therefore they rot in the material world in the OCEAN of CONTINUOUS CYCLE of birth and death BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of YEARS imprisonment in 8,400,000 species of life forms. What a waste of human life form! ++++++++++++++ Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2012-04-16 10:06. Firstly Mahesh Raja is a fool.
    [Show full text]
  • Balarama's Appearance Day Observers Pray for Spiritual Strength
    Balarama’s Appearance Day Observers Pray for Spiritual Strength By Madhava Smullen on 1 Aug 2009 This year at ISKCON's center in Vrindavana, India all three deity altars, as well as the altar doors, the deities’ beds, swing and palanquins have been given special long-lasting gold-leafing treatment, adding a stunning dimension to their already intricate wooden designs. Following a spiritual lifestyle requires strength. Strength to hold off the advances of a world intent on selling you products and life choices you don’t need. Strength to aspire for goals of the spirit, outside this body of flesh and blood that we inhabit. Strength to aim for a spiritual destination despite the seeming pleasures of this world. It’s hard. You know it, and I know it. Anyone who is trying to live a spiritual life knows it. That’s why this August 5th is one of the most important festival days of the year for ISKCON devotees. For by worshiping Lord Balarama on the occasion of his appearance, they will get strength from the strongest. Who is Balarama? According to Krishnadasa Kaviraja’s Chaitanya Charitamrita—a manual of devotion and biography of Gaudiya Vaishnavism's founder Shri Chaitanya—he is the first expansion of God, Krishna, and assists the Lord in his pastimes. Yet while appearing to be a separate person from Krishna, Balarama is also intriguingly non-different. Chaitanya Charitamrita describes him as Krishna’s “second body,” and explains, “These two are one and the same identity. They differ only in form.” Still, Balarama serves as Krishna’s elder brother, both in their eternal state of being in the Spiritual World, and during their recorded earthly pastimes.
    [Show full text]
  • 199338091.Pdf
    BBRAHMA MADHVA GAUDIYA SSAMPRADAYA At the beginning of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada there is a list of disciplic succession. This list was first published by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and enumerates the most prominent members of the guru-parampara. This accounts for some time gaps. Kavi Karnapura in his Gaura- ganoddesa-dipika (22-) lists the gurus up to Lord Chaitanya. Their abridged biographies follow. Biographies up to Laksmipati Tirtha and Visnu Puri (19.) are Copyright © 2000 Jaya Tirtha Charan dasan. All Rights Reserved. (www.hknet.org.nz/guru-parampara-contents- page.htm) Rest of biographies comes from O.B.L. Kapoor's compilations available from our Library (Gva-ac.zip, Gvaa-y.zip) 1.1. KKRSNA 2.2. BBRAHMA 3.3. NNARADA 4.4. VV YASA 5.5. MADHVACARYA 6.6. PADMANABHA TTIRTHA 7.7. NRHARI (NARAHARI)) TTIRTHA 8.8. MADHAVA TTIRTHA 9.9. AKSOBHYA TTIRTHA 10. J JAYA TTIRTHA 11. JJNANASINDHU 12. DDAYANIDHI 13. VIDYADHIRAJA (VIDYANIDHI)) TTIRTHA 14. RAJENDRA TTIRTHA 15. J JAYADHARMA (VIJAYADHVAJA)) TTIRTHA 16. PPURUSOTTAMA 17. BBRAHMANYA TTIRTHA 18. VV YASA TTIRTHA 19. LLAKSMIPATI TTIRTHA,, VVISNU PPURI 20. MMADHAVENDRA PPURI 21AA.. IISVARA PPURI 21BB.. NNITYANANDA PPRABHU 21CC.. AADVAITA AACARYA 22. LLORD CCAITANYA 23AA.. RRUPA GGOSVAMI,, SSANATANA GGOSVAMI 23BB.. SSVARUPA DDAMODARA 24. RRAGHUNATHA DASA GGOSVAMI 25. KKRSNADASA KKAVIRAJA GGOSVAMI 26. NNAROTTAMA DASA TTHAKURA 27. VVISVANATHA CCAKRAVARTI TTHAKURA 28AA.. BBALADEVA VVIDYABHUSANA 28BB.. JJAGANNATHA DASA BBABAJI 29. BBHAKTIVINODA TTHAKURA 30. GGAURAKISORA DASA BBABAJI 31. BBHAKTISIDDHANTA SSARASVATI GGOSVAMI 32. A.C. BBHAKTIVEDANTA SSWAMI PPRABHUPADA 1.1. KKRSNA 2.2. BBRAHMA 3.3. NNARADA 4.4.
    [Show full text]
  • The Authenticity of the Caitanya-Caritamrita-Maha-Kavya
    The Authenticity of the Caitanya-Caritamrita-Maha-Kavya – Jagadananda Das – 1. Until recently, Kavi Karnapura has generally been accepted without question as the author of a book on the life of Sri Krishna Chaitanya entitled Sri-Chaitanya- charitamrita-maha-kavya [CCMK]. The date of this work is given as 1542(1) by the author himself in its final verse. In the two penultimate verses of the work, he identifies himself as the youngest son of Shivananda Sena and as a mere child (sisu).(2) If Kavi Karnapura is indeed the author, it is certainly a matter of great interest as he is one of the most prolific and authoritative writers amongst Chaitanya's followers. His father, Shivananda Sena, was a rich and influential devotee of Chaitanya, responsible for the management of the yearly trips to Puri which played such an important role in the latter part of the great saint's life.(3) Unfortunately, with the exception of a few such autobiographical words in Karnapura's own compositions, such as the Ananda-vrndavana-campu [AVC], Chaitanya-chandrodaya-nataka [CCN] and Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika [GGD] the only information that we have about Karnapura's life is from Krishnadasa Kaviraja's Chaitanya-charitamrita [CC]. In the CC (A.D. 1612) it is written that on one of Shivananda's visits to Puri, Chaitanya said to him, "The next son born to you must be named Puridasa (after one of Chaitanya's associates, Paramananda Puri)." On Shivananda's next visit to Puri, he brought some of his sons with him, including the young Paramanandadasa or Puridasa.
    [Show full text]
  • Vaishnavism 2
    A Contemporary Scholarly Survey of Radha-Krishna Devotion Steve Bohlert Copyright © Steve Bohlert 2013 All Rights Reserved Sky River Press Pahoa, Hawai’i 1 A Contemporary Scholarly Survey of Radha-Krishna Devotion Several years ago, I read Vaishnavism: Contemporary Scholars Discuss the Gaudiya Tradition, Folk Books, 1992 edited by Steven J. Rosen, foreword by Edward C. Dimock, Jr.. I benefited from it, and wrote an essay in response that I published on my website. I reread the essay in 2013 to prepare it for a book of my collected writings, and it does an excellent job of showing the solid theological background of Universalist Radha-Krishnaism from a traditional Chaitanya Vaishnav perspective. I published it on my stevebohlert.com site, but when my devotional writings migrated from there to here, it doesn’t seem to have made it, or at least I can’t find it. I am republishing a reedited, updated edition as a free pdf download, since it is forty-two pages and can be read on a variety of readers at your convenience. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa, a disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami) interviewed scholars with expertise in different areas of the field and put together a comprehensive survey of the Chaitanya Vaishnav tradition. I comment on some of the most pertinent points: 2 1. Dr. Dimock says, . the doctrine of acintya bhedabheda, i.e. ‘simultaneous difference and non-difference, which is beyond cognition,’ posits a tolerance for ambiguity to which the closest parallel in western thought seems to be quantum theory. (viii) A number of other scholars referred to this doctrine in novel ways expanding its application.
    [Show full text]