Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Humility, wanting to be cheated, Goswāmīs rob, who attains Vaikuṇṭha?


Dāmodar:
Advaitaji, what kind of relationship should we have towards other religions? The "harer nāma" verse means that others, who do not chant harinām, they are at a lower level. But I do not want to think that I am better than others because I chant harinām...

Advaita Das:
Śrīman Mahāprabhu said: uttam hoiyā āpnāke māne tṛṇādhom “The Vaiṣṇava is the greatest but he thinks himself lower than a blade of grass.” It is not that I am the greatest because I am the greatest - I am the greatest because Guru and Gauranga are the greatest. They have mercifully taken me into their realm. Their greatness rubs off on me too. mādhurya sindhum adhi yasya bhaven nipātas tat kevalaṁ madhurimānam urīkaroti “Whatever falls into the ocean of sweetness becomes sweet too”

Dāmodara-
But most people, they accept different kinds of false Gurus. What does it mean? That they have lack of saṁskāras? They want to be deluded?

Advaitadās-
It is all destiny - adhikāra bheda. Nobody wants to be cheated.

Another bhakta -
radhe radhe!
Recently I have read one of the boards about Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism where one mātājī has written a very offensive thing, I quote, "The 6 Gosvāmīs used to rob people in order to earn money for book writing".  I've asked her to show me the source of this statement in Caitanya Caritāmṛta or Caitanya Bhāgavat.  But she said that this information she has heard from some ISKCON devotee, and she can't give any source.  So what can you say about this statement? What are the roots of this statement? I realize that this is total bullshit, but I have a very anxious mind and things like that disturb me very much.

Advaita Das
There is no evidence for such a scandalous slander. In 35 years śāstra-study this is the first time I hear  such an outrage. The Goswāmīs did not need money for book writing - there were not even books then. The printing press was brought by the British in the 19th century only.

Bhakta: is it true that everyone who leaves the body in Vraja will attain the spiritual world?

Advaitadas: There are such statements in the Purāṇas, yes, but these same Purāṇas also say that Vaikuṇṭha can be a temporary destination for those who performed pious acts. This refers to Śvetadvīpa, an outpost of Vaikuṇṭha in the top of the material universes. Furthermore, Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmīpāda has stated in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1.2.56) that of the four types of Vaikuṇṭha-liberation one is called sukhaiśvaryottarā, which means the predominant desire (uttarā) for the happiness and powers which are natural to the spiritual world. This explains how it is that simply by leaving the body somewhere, even if one is not a pure devotee, which could be the case with many Vraja-residents, one can attain Vaikuṇṭha.

1 comment:

  1. Nice exchange between yourself and Damodardas. Like father to a son. When the devotees get younger we are getting older. That includes me.

    Damodardasji

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