 Our point is that Krsna is neither Hindu, nor Mohammedan nor Christian. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Proprietor of everything, the Supreme Enjoyer and the most well -wishing friend of everyone. We want to impress these three points everywhere and by such understanding surely there will be peace and prosperity all over the world. - Letter to: Gargamuni - Gorakhpur 16 February, 1971 Luxemburg House Programs Going WellSubmitted by kancana on
January 22, 2010 -
16:41
Devotees from Radhadesh have been organizing programs in Luxemburg since 2008. These were initially started with the enthusiasm and teamwork of Gaurahari Dasa, Manasi Ganga Devi Dasi, Sudevi Dasi, and Yadurani Devi Dasi. At the moment there are 3 main families helping with these get-togethers by hosting them in their homes and cooking for those that come. These include: Sanjay and Indira, Mahesh and Madhavi, and Vikranta and Kinjal. Nisha from Mauritius has also been very supportive of the programs. Generally the devotees from Radhadesh also bring some prasadam to the program including vegetable dishes and sweets. The program starts at 16.00 and finishes by 19.30, and includes kirtan, class, and prasadam. They also have japa meditation together and hold discussions and mini-dramas. At the moment, the group is going through the spiritual classic, Sri Isopanisad. For more information please contact: |  THE BEGINNING OF INQUIRIES From Tattva Viveka By Srila Thakur Bhaktivinoda TEXT 1.1 jayati saccidānanda rasānubhava vigraha procyate saccidānandānubhūtiryat prasādata Glory to Sri Krishna Chaitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in whose form rest eternity, knowledge, bliss, and the taste of nectar. By His mercy this book, subtitled as “Realization of the Eternally Existent, Transcendentally Blissful Supreme”, has been written. TEXT 1.2 ko ‘ham vā kim idam viśvam āvayo ko ‘nvayo dhruvam ātmānam nivrto jīvah prcchati jñāna-siddhaye A conditioned soul in want of knowledge will be inclined to inquire: “Who am I? What is this world? What is my relation-ship with this world?” Author’s Commentary Many days after their birth, human beings learn how to efficiently attain knowledge of sense objects. The objects of this world, perceived by the senses, are called“visaya”. As his sensory powers grow, a child becomes increasingly aware of the world of sense objects. Tasting pleasure there, he is drawn to this world. Thus attracted, a human being thinks of and acts for nothing else. The constant companions, namely sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, gradually turn the human mind into their slave. In this way human beings are plunged into the world of sense objects. When one is fortunate enough to have the thought,“Death must come, and when it does, I will have no relationship with this world of senses objects,” one turns from the world and yearns to know the truth, asking: “Who am I, the person who perceives this world? What is this world? What is my relationship with this world?” TEXT 1.3 ātmā prakrti-vaicitryād dadāti citram uttaram Because
of their different natures, those who ask these questions attain a
great variety of answers. Only a soul situated in a pure condition
attains the true answers. sva-svarūpa-sthito hy ātmā dadāti yuktam uttaram Author’s Commentary These three questions of the unattached person are answered by the indwelling spirit (ātmā), and the answers, collected together, are known as the philosophy or science of religion. In India, the self-evident revealed scriptures such as the Vedas are the original source of spiritual science. In this country, answers are also given by philosophies that misinterpret the Vedic teachings, such as nyāya, sānkhya, pātañjala, vaiśesika,and karma-mīmāmsā, as well as by philosophies that openly oppose the Vedic teachings, such as Buddhism and the philosophy of the atheist Charvak. Philosophies suchas Materialism, Positivism, Secularism, Pessimism, Scepticism, Pantheism, and Atheism have been preached in other countries such as China, Greece, Persia, France, England, Germany, and Italy. Many philosophers have used logic to prove the existence of God. In other places the idea has been preached that one should simply have faith in God and worship Him. Such religions based upon faith are of two types. Some claimed to be originally given by God while others were rooted in each person’s own individual faith in God. Religion rooted on faith is called Theism. Included among the religions with belief systems and scriptures said to be given by God are Christianity and Mohammedanism. The answers to the previously mentioned three questions are of two kinds, namely the characteristic answers given by a soul situated in a pure condition, and the great varieties of answers given by all others. The question may arise that if the answers are coming from the indwelling spirit or ātmā, which is a homogeneous principle, why is there not a single answer given to each of these questions? Actually, all persons situated in a pure condition will give the same answers, but persons who have fallen into the material world are not situated in purity. The material world is not their real home. It is a world born from material illusion. The Supreme Truth, para-tattva, has a spiritual potency, parā-śakti. The shadow of that spiritual potency is the potency of illusion, māyā-śakti. Māyā-śakti is the mother of the material world. The great variety of qualities māyā offers are accepted by the souls residing in the material world as their own qualities. Thus the soul’s original qualities are withdrawn and the specific mixture of qualities and an identity offered by māyā are accepted by the soul. In this way, the spirit soul identifies with matter. Spiritual and material ideas thus become mixed together in many different ways in the mind of the spirit soul. Each accepting a different mixture of material qualities, the spirit souls misidentifying with matter each give their own answers to these three questions and thus a great variety of answers manifest. Influenced by the traditions, activities, associates, foods, language, and thought patterns of the countries where they live, the souls in this world give varying answers to these three questions. Time, place, and circumstance combine to create a great variety of natures. Firstly, the souls come in contact with matter in different ways. Those different kinds of contact bring one set of variations of nature. Secondly, their different countries, languages, families, and other circumstances bring another set of variations of nature, and the great variety of natures becomes multiplied. Only a person who has travelled to every country, learned every language, and studied every country’s history can understand the scope of that variety. Here I will only point in the direction of that variety, as to do more would be very difficult. Of the two kinds of answers given by the living entities, one is the true answer. The other is the great variety of answers according to the views of different philosophies. The great variety of answers may be divided into two groups. The first group is called “jñāna” and the second group is called “karma”. Here, someone may protest: “When you say the true (yukta) answer, you imply that you honor logic (yukti) as the way to know the truth. Why, then, do you not accept the great variety of answers that logic brings?” To this protest, I reply, “Spiritual logic does not depend on the material logic that brings a variety of answers. Therefore when I use the words logic (yukti) and truth (yukta), I refer to thelogic and truth accepted by liberated souls purified of matter’s touch, logic and truth that properly distinguish between matter and spirit. Logic that is material, that takes shelter of matter, will always lead to a great variety of conclusions. A liberated soul situated in his original spiritual form can give the true, the genuinely logical answer.” Among the great variety of answers is seen the group called jñāna. Employing jñāna, the spirit soul in contact with matter tries to distinguish spirit from matter. When it speaks positively (anvaya), jñāna affirms the primacy of matter, saying matter is the beginningless root of all that exists. When it speaks negatively (vyatireka), jñāna says that matter can not be destroyed, for it is merely a transformation of the Supreme brahman, who has no potencies (niśakti). They who follow karma say God does not exist, and therefore the living entities should engage in material activities. Pure jñāna and karma have their place in true spiritual love and spiritual activities. They are part of the true answers to our three questions. They will be discussed later in this book, when devotional service (bhakti) will be described.Because they are material in nature, words can not completely describe the pure spiritual truth. Bibliography — Bhaktivinode Thakur. Tattva-Viveka, Tattva-Sutra, Amnaya-Sutra.English translation by Sri Nityananda Brahmacari. Sree GaudiyaMath. Madras. 1979. — Bhaktivinode Thakur. Tattva Viveka. English translation by SriKusakratha Das. Krishna Books. Culver City, California. |
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