ALL Glories to Guru and Guranga - Veadant a Sutra….Tape 1
First Chapter First Sutra-( Something Wrong With Swamijis Machine
Om Namo Bagavate Vasudevaya- Again Something Wrong
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the supreme personality of Godhead Vasudev,-First of all let me offer my respectful obeisance to my spiritual master Om vishnupad Sr Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Gosvami Prabhupad, then my respectful obeisances to supreme personality of Godhead
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is associated with sri advaita Prabhu , Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhar Prabhu, srivasa Prabhu, as well whose eternal assistants are the six gosvamins, Headed by Srila Rupa Gosvami, Sanatan Gosvami Ragunath Mata Gosvami, Gopal Mata Gosvamin, sri Jiva Gosvamin, Ragaunath Das Gosvamin, as well as who is private secretary Sri Swarup Damaodar Das and His eternal attendant Govinda , Then let us talk about this Brahma Suta or Vedanta Sutra, There are many comments on the vedant sutra in India especially the system is, that , anyone who is the head of an religious institution must be well conversed with the Vedanta Sutras , and is expectad to write comments on the Vedanya Sutra without which one is not accepted as an Acharya .Acharya Means one who knows the purpose (Purport?) of Vedic Knowlege , He personally practices them as well as teaches to his disciples to the syastem of vedic knowlege so there are many acharyas, especially of the Vaishnava Sampradaya, like the four sampradays , Ramanuja sampradaya , Madyacharya Sampradaya, Vishnu Swami Sam. , Nimbarka Sam. and our Sam. Is called Gaudiya Sampradaya or the Vaishnavas who are in the disciplic succesion of Lord C.M. The Gaudiya Sam. actually belongs to the Madhya Sam. and the Madhya Sam belongs to the Brahma Sam. Brahma Sam. means the disciplic succession from Lord Brahmaha. So besides this four Vaishnava Acharyas Sampradaya, there is also non Vaishnava Sam. especially the impersionalists school headed by Sankacharya, Sankacharya Has written commentary on the vedant a Sutras Known as Sarirakphasya Generally this Sarirakphasya made by Sankacharya is yery popular on account of the present Indians Being Influenced by a materialistic activeties, But still the other different Phasyas or commentaries made by the Vaishnav Acharyas they are also available In the Gaudiya Sam. Especifically headed by Rupa Gosvami in the beginning there was no commentary on the vedanta Sutra Because accordingto S.B. it is said that the real commentary on Vedant Sutra is S.B. itself, Presented by the author Sri Vasdev Himself in our english commentary on the S.B. first canto, first Chap. we have explained this fact that S.B. is the right type of commentary on the vedantas Suta as such the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sam. did not take much care to present their commentary on the vedanta s. but let us_About 200 years ago there was a conclusion in Golpa District in Jaipur, wherin the Acharyas or followers of other Sam. They challlenged the Gaudiya Sam. that it has no commentary on the V.S. and on that account the Gaudiy Sampradaya had to present a comm. on V.S. at that time Sri Vishvanath Chakravati thaku was living in Vrindaban but he was too old , and when Gaudiya Vaishnavas approached him to present a commentary on the V.S. He asked his Disciple, Sri Valadeva Vadyavhusana to write a commentary on the V.s. and as Vaishnavas are Generally very humble and meek , Sri Valadeva Vadyavhusana thought himself very much unfit to write an authorised commentary on the V.S. So he approached Lord Govinda in the temple of Jaipur and he placed down himself before Govinda to Take his permission and authority to begin writing commentary on the V.S. and he was assured by govinda that he could do so, and with this inspiration he wrote the vedanta Sutras Commentary Known as Govinda Bhasya. this Govinda Bhasya is very much authorized and accepted by all the Vaishnava Sampradayas, and our , this Presentation of commentary which may be known as Bhaktivedanta Bhasya. Just Following the footprints of Govinda Bhasya. The necessity of presenting the Bhaktivedanta Bhasya commentary on Vedanta Sutra is should also Be explained herin. My Spiritual Master Om Vishnupad Paramhansa Asata Saraswati Sri Srima Bhaktii Siddhanta Sarasswatti Goswami maharaj, ordered me to to present the Gaudiya Vaishnava Philosophies in english as far as possible and this attempt to the english Knowing persons, since /I965 I have come to the western countries with my three books or the first Canto of S.B. and then I Have Presented My commentary on the Srimad Bhagwat Geeta Known as The Bhagawat Geeta as It is and similarly I have presented the teachings of Lord Chaitaya also How I have been requested by many of my western diciples especially my worthy disciple Sriman Hansadutta Das Adhikary and Janardan Das Adhikary who are in charge of the Montreal Center , and I am therefore trying to present an english commentary on the vedanta sutra as follows.
At The present Moment all over the world there are major portions of Godless persons. Generally people are very such attached to void philosophy presented by Lord Buddha or impersonal philosophy presented by Sankacharya. In other words to be more plain and simple , people are becommeng very much atheistic. to speak that there is no God as the atheists declare is rather bold and simple, but to say that there is a supreme cause which is void, or ther is God but he has no form, such declarations are more dangerous than the simple declaration that ther is no God, Our society Known as the international Society for Krishna consciousness now started the movement Krishna Consciousness and God Consciousness, and it is very gratifying that the junger generation of the western part of the world both in america, canada and Europe, they are taking interest in this Great Movement. We have got already branches almost in every Important city of United States and Canada and we have started our centres also in London, and Hamburg, and we hope that this K. C. movement will gradually increase as predicted by Lord Caitanya, that His Missionary activities, the same as K. C. movement will be preached all over the world in every village in every county. Taking into consideration the present activities of this movement it is hoped that the prediction of L. C. will be soon fulfilled and People of the worl will be very happy having K. C.
As referred to above generally the commentary known as Sarirakphasya is taken by the people as the purport of vedanta , or in other words Vedanta Means according to the Opinion of the followers of Sankacharya Purport explained by Sankacharya under Sarirakphasya. Besides the Sarirakphasya of Sankarayacharya there are many other atheistic school who are preaching Vedant on the basis of Godlessness. One of the prominent followers of sankacharya namely Sadananda Yogindra has compiled his book known as vedanta sara in which he writes to say, to prove the course of Vedanta Upanishad is the practical evidence to understand both upanishad and Vedanta. Sarirakphasya made by Sankacharya is the only means. This too much to claim monopoly on the V.S. by the Mayavadi school. Actually Vedanta Sutra has many commentaries and all those commentaries are not on the basic principal of Monism or impersonalism All the prominent Acharyas of Different Vaishnav sampradayas have compiled commentary on V.S. but they do not follow the principals of the Sankarite school on the other hand the impersonalists monists class stress more on non duality generally they declare themselves God and there is no existance of God separately , and as such, such monistic school doese not recognize the vedanta commentaries presented by the vashnava Acharyas known as the suddhadvaita suddhadvita visistaadvaita and dvita-advaita as well as the philosophy inconceivable one and different philosophy by L.C. Known as Achintavda avdatatva according to them the monistic presentation of commentary on V.D. is final according to them Lord Krishna has a material body and the followers of the philosophy of K.C. are nor transcendentalists.
Vedanta Means the last word in the matter of persuing Knowlege , everyone is persuing, some sort of knowlege advancement of knowledge, the universities institutions and many educational establishments they are persuing knowledge, but vedanta means , the last word in the pursuit of knowlege. This last word in the matter of persuit of knowlege is explained in the bagawat Geeta by lord Krishna that the puppose of Vedic knowlege is to understand him or Krishna. The exact word in the I5th Chapter of B.G. is that SARVASYCHAAHAM Hridisannivasta. the lord is situated in everyones heart , he is giving intelligence as well as he is deluding from th intelligence, and he is the origienl source of knowlege. Hes the objective of the goal of persuing knowledge and hes also the compiler of vedant a Sutra, and actually he knows what is vedanta.
this words are very significant explanation of vedanta Sutra By Krishna himself. In another place also he has referred to the V.S. by saying, By the course of Brahma Sutra one can actually understand what is the philosophy of B.G. B.G. and V.S. is very much intimately interelated to understand B.G. rightly is to understand V.S. rightly, and to understand V.S. rightly is to understand B.G. rightly. the words Sutra means sumarized code, in the Skanda and Vayu purana the words sutra is explained that when a thesis is presented in a small word but with great volumes of meaning and when they're understood very beautiful
It is mentioned herin the different names of commentary on V.S. by different Acharyas, this sarirak Basya of Sankaracharya is also a known as Vedanta Siddhanta the summary of non dualism philosophy expounded by SankaCharya is as follows. According to this philosophy there is only the Absolute Truth or Brahman and anything else beside the absolute truth they are false According to this philosophy the living entety is Brahman and the cosmic manifest is False. the example of reality and falsity is given by them in comparison yo mistake serpent as rope. A serpent and Darkness are an illusion may be accepted as rope, but when one comes to this senses understands that the serpent was not rope then it becomes false , similarly according to Sankar Philosophy this cosmic manifestation is actually ,it is not , maya Means what is not . Ma means not and ya means this , in other words the phenomenal representation of the material world has no reality behind this phenomena the numinum is reality. according to Sankar Philosophy the absolute truth is impersonal , as such there is no diversity, in the material world there are different kinds of diversities Just like diversities of the spiecies of life. The dog species dose not tally with the human being speicies, this speciality , dog speiceis or human speiceis is in the material world but spiritually there is no such differentiation. Even in personal considderation there are diversities , just in a personal form one has got leg one has hands one has got head, but this differentiation according to Mayavadi philosophy or sankacharya is also false. Sankacharya doese not recognise qualifying the Brahman, Just like Vaishnav Philosophy Qualifies the supreme Brahman. Take for example God is merciful , so this is a qualification of God or the absolute truth, but Sankar's philosophy being impersonal they do not accept the absolute truth qualified by mercifullnes or beauty or oppulance, they do not accept. According to them the absolute truth is qualified then it becomes limited by the qualification. Their conclusion is that brahman or the Absolute truth is unlimited there should not be any limitation by qualification. The incarnation of the absolute truth or Godhead accepted by then as manifestatio of material designation. In other words according to Sankara philosophy when God or the absolute truth incarnates he assumes a material body therefore he's designated. that designated form only the absolute truth becomes the creator sustainer and anihilator of the cosmic manifestation, altho in his commentary On the B.G. in the beginning Sankaracharya has accepted that Narayana is beyond this cosmic manifestation, everything that is manifested in the material world it is produced from the unmanifested Maha Tattwa but Narayan is still transcendental to Maha Tattwa. In other words he has accepted that Maha tattwa also created by the supreme personality of Godhead Narayana. So there are so many contradiction in his philosophy ,that is a different subjuect matter , we do not wish to enter into the contradiction of his philosophy but as far as possible we are presenting the summary of mayavadi philosophy non dualism. According to Sankaracharya in the highest spiritual conception of the Absolute truth hes without any contaminate of material existence and therefore he has no connection with the creation sustenance or anihilation, hes always devoid of all qualities, without any diversity , without any material condition , and without any responsibility of activety. As such the cosmic manifestation is also false , similarly the personality of Godhead who accepts designation from this false material manifestation, the conception of the personality of godhead is also false. The absolute truth is only conceived as eternal full of knowlege and full of Bliss, the appearance as Narayana or incarnation is not eternal , that is temporary. For some purpose he appears like that. The ultimate end is impersonal. According to Sankara Philosophy the differentiation between God and the Living entitie is illusion, actually that is not the fact . The living entitie s are not subordinate energy of the supreeme Simply being covered by the conception of maya the living entities appear to be different from the Absolute truth. This Differentiation between the living entities and the supreme is in the material world in ordinary dealings, spiritually there is no such difference. The activeties of the living entitie is spirit of enjoyment in the material world his infinites quality or his minuteness or his inumerablness only a designation of the false Maya. An example in this connection given by the mayavadi Philosophers is that Crystal Glass when reflected by red flower the crystal glass appears to be red, but it has nothing to do with the redness of the flower, it is completely different [From the color ,]
From the color , similarly the living entities in contamination of maya becomes active , or becomes enjoyer, or becomes infinitesmal, or in other words becomes individual. All these things are artificial color reflection only actually a living entitie is pure Brahman. This teory of reflection is called Pratimbavada, according to his philosophy , Transcendentally there is no difference between the absolute truth the living entities and the material nature. this non differentiation between the absolute truth the living entities and the cosmic manifestation is exemplified by the mayavad Philosopher by, just like the entire sky and the sky in the Pot , the sky in the pot and the entire sky is the same but the sky within the pot appears to be limited on account of being designated by the pot cover , when the pot is broken or the illusion of Maya is disapated at that time there is no such difference like this pot is different from that pot or this sky is different from that sky. So according to Sankaracharya this cosmic manifestation is also Maya when this material elements will dissappear , the only existential Brahman remains therefore Brahman is truth and this cosmic manifestation is false. Sankaracharya doese not accept the theory of transformation , like the Vaishnav acharyas, the theory of transformation is explained, Just like milk transformed into Yogurt under ceartain conditions, and as such the Yougurt cannot be transformed again into milk, neither the Yougurt can be equally utilised like the milk. This theory of transformation is not accepted by the Maya vadi philosopher. Actually this Kind of philosophy called propaganda by Sankaracharya was done under supreme order in order to dissapate the Buddist ? philosophy of Darkness Voidness and to establish vedic philosophy , Absolute truth. . According to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sankar's Mayavad philosophy is another addition of Buddha philosophy. Buddha Philosophy of voidness is almost equal to the impersona philosophy of Sankara. Therefore according to Sankar's Philosophy impersonal non variagratedness is the ultimate stage of perfect knowledge The Geatest opposition offered by sri Ramanujacharya to the Sankar philosophy is known as visista advaitavada this doctrine of Visits Advaitavada was not new represented by Sripad Ramanuja Acharya, but before him there were other exponents of this doctrine and they are Known as Voudhayana dramid tmku Guhadva sathakavana natha muni Jamuna Acharya the basic principle of Visista Advaitavada doctrine is that in Gods creation there is division of sentient and non sentient , Just like in studying our own self we find that our body is a material or non sentient, mind inteligence and false ego is vaia between myself and the body. Self is sentient similarly the supreeme Lord is sentient and this material cosmic manifestation is body , but combined together the absolute truth forms combination of this sentient and non sentient features is called Visista Advatavada. According to Sri Ramanujacharya there are three truths namely the sentient and non sentient and the Supreme Lord. They are Generaly called Tattratraya the innumerable living entities as a group is called sentient energy of the supreme lord, whereas the cosmic manifestation is called material energy of the Lord, but the lord himself is above them ,he has got all auspicious transcendental qualities He's Omniscient, Omnipotent, hes self efulgent, the lord of the creation is Known as the SPG. Vasudeva. Both the cosmic manifestation material world and the Living entities both of them are sentien and insentient bodily parts of the Lord. Sri Ramanujachrya has elaborately deliniated his philosophy into 12 divisions as Follows; The supreme Absolute truth is one in combination of gross subtle sentient and insentient groups differentiation. 2). he has protested against the doctrine dualism as well as monism. 3) he has accepted that the absolute truth Brahman has transcendental qualities and transcendental Potencies, therefore hes not impersonal. 4) He has vehemently protested against impersonal non qualitative absolute truth . 5) He has deliberately established the doctrine of the living entities being infinitesmal ,and the in the supreme Lords infinity, there fore the infinitetesimal living entities are constitutionally meant for serving , or rendering service to the infinite supreme personality of Godhead. 6) he has established this that the living entities who are infinitesmal they are subjected to , fall victim under ignorance and when he is out of that position of ignorance he becomes again liberated 7) he has proved that only transcendental loving service to the S.L. is the means of liberate from material entanglement. 8) according to his oppinion devotional Service is the supper most proscess for self realization . 9) be has refuted strongly that even [in the state of liberation one cannot be equal with the S.L] in the state of liberation one cannot be equal with the S.L. 10) he has put strong arguments against the impersonal doctrin of monism , II) he has proved that this material world is abominable and the spiritual world is real life for eternal bliss 12 ) he has established that the living entities and the cosmic manifestation are different bodily parts of the supreme Lord, Plus Ramanujacharya has deliniated that the SPG. descends in five different features namely achar the diety in the temple incarnation like fish incarnation tortise incarnation , Boar incarnation Nishingah incarnation , they are called Bivhava then he has got expansion which is called Byuha, just like expansion of Vasudeva, sankarshan, Pradyumna , Aniruddia, and his impersonal expansion means efulgence of the body, as well as he's present in everyones heart as Antaryami, or the super soul. All this different pleanary portions of the S.L. are bejond material contamination, eternal without any lamentation, always superior than the Living entities, definite determination , full of six oppulance According to Ramanujacharya there are five kinds of worshipable methods which are called abhigamans upadana ijya sadhyaya yaga , when devotees go to the temple cleanses the path to the templ, or the temple, and decorates the temple, in various ways , such activeties are called Abhigaman . the collection of ingridients just like flowers and other worshipable paraphanalia that is called Upadana ingridients. When the Lord is worshiped in the temple it is called Ijya, chanting different mantras and offering different kinds of prayers is called Sadhyaya. And meditation or remembering the activeties of the Lord in full absorbtion is called Yoga. Practicing all different kinds of worshipable principals one can attain the planets in the spiritual world known as Vaikuntha Loka. According to Sri Ramanujacharya attainment of the Vaikuntha is the highest perfectional stage. The greatest____? of Ramanujacharya is that he himself and later on his disciplic succession all have ever increasingly protested against the impersonalsm of Sankaracharya. Still in southern India these two Parties come in conflict and Generally the party belonging to the Ramanujacharya sampradaya they come out Victorious. Pancharatra regulative principals were current before the advent of Sankaracharya, but on account of influence of the Buddha philosophy such Panchara regulative principals were stopped and Sankarachaya instead of directly Reastablishing the Pancharatra method he took the shelter of mayavad philosophy to defeat Buddha Philosophy, and Sri Ramanujacharya again established the Pancharatra or worshipable method . So after Ramanujacharya there is the appearance of Madyacharya whose doctrine is Advaitavada, he has very strongly established the doctrine of Duality or that God or the absolute truth and the living entities are completely different entities on the evidence of Brahma Sutra or Vedanta Sutra as well as Bhagawat Geeta, purana, and the Narada Pancharatra, etc. He has Proved duality in every stage namely , that the S.L. and the living entity are two different etities, similarly the cosmic manifestation and the S.L. are also two different entities. One living etitiy is different from another Living entitiy in other words each and every living entitiy is individual. There is difference sentient and non sentient entities and there is also difference between one kind of insentient matter with another Kind of Insentient matter. acharya establied two is not one but two. One truth is completely independent and the other truth is dependent, Lord Vishnu is the supreme independent Personality of Godhead qualified with transcendental qalities without any material contamination therefore he's fully independent. Except Lord Vishnu anything else either cosmic manifestation or the living entities they are not independent but they are dependant on the supreme Lord. The living entities are qualitatively represetation of the supreme Lord. The doctrine that man is made after God is accepted by Madhyacharya. The features of man is exactly reflection of the feature of the S.L. He also accepts that the S.L. expands in multi Pleanary portions as well as seperated portions the multi pleanary portions are called Vishnu Tattwa whereas the seperated Portions are called Jiva Tattva . All the Jiva Tattvas or living entities are eternally associates of the supreme Lord to render Transcendental loving service to the S. L. Knowlege of the Living entities are always inferior or incomplete. when the SPG and the position of the S.L. and the Living entities are always in the catagary of the Supreme and the Subordinate, the Living entities are always subordinate, they have no independent power. As it is confirmed in the B.G. I5th Chapter I5th Verse, the lord says that Memory knowlege and rememberance are always given by the supreme Lord as Anthajami or super soul to the Living etiti otherwise the living etities have no independent power to memorize to think or to act. Contrast with the living etity the SPG. Vishnu hes complete in Knowledge [and complete in bliss,] and complete in bliss, hes always worshipable by the living entities and he's the original supreeme dominator whereas the living entities are the the original predominated. He's therefore the original creator of the cosmic manifestation and the cosmic manifestation is also eternal , althotemporarily manifested. therefore both the living entities and the cosmic manifestation are under the subordination of the supreme lord. The supreme Lord is always differently situate as it is also confirmed in the B.G. that everything is resting on the supreme Lord but still hes always different from everything,. According to Madhyacharya even at the time of dissalution the living entities , and the material energy remain seperated from the supreme Lord , they are never mixed up as it is advocated by the impersomalists. Madhyacharya was very great opposition to the doctrine of Sankaraachaya. Practically the madhyacarya sampradaya Followers simply fighting against the doctrine of mayavad Philosophy propounded by Sankaracharya. He has always defeated the doctrine of Sankaracharya and established the doctrine of duality.
appart from the above mentioned two doctrines of visits Advaitavada and advaitavada there are other doctrines also advocated by VISNU SWAMI SAMPRADAYA and NIMBARK SAMPRADAYA . Visnu Swami Sampradaya later on developed into Baladaev Sampradaya , their doctrine is called Visita Advaitavada and the doctrine of Nimbark Sampradaya is called PvaipaadvaiTAvada
An ajustment of all the doctrines Visita advaitavada, , Advatavada, Advaitaadvaitavada——?????? Have been very nicely tested by Lord Chaitany Mahaprabhu by his doctrine Acinta bedabeda Tatta this doctrine Lord Chaitanya has discussed very elaborately, All kinds of old and new doctrines in the matter of understanding transcendental subject matter and in order to minimize the different veiws of different philosophers, he has added a very nice conception which is called Achintya . Achintya htis word is very much aplicable to the philosophical doctrines of conditioned soul,. A conditioned soul actually cannot acertain the nature if the absoulute truth simply by speculation but , so far as their understanding is concearned thru the authority of the vedic knowlege, this word Achintya is very much applicable in all the doctrines. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was not very much concearned about the doctrines of understanding the Absolute truth. His main buisness was to distribute to the general mass of people principals of Srimad Bhagwatam which is natural commentary on the vedanta Sutra . According to S.B. All philosophical Speculation and religious principals combined to gether culminate into the understanding of Love of Godhead . Man Cannot be satisfied simply by religious sentiments or Philosophical speculations, but according to S.B. when one is elevated to the platform of rendering Loving service to the S.P.G. without any motive and without being hampered by any material condition that stage of transcendental realization is the highest Principal of spiritual understanding and in the stage only one can be fully satisfied. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was more concearned to deliver to the people this satatus of life without much bothering about philosophi speculations.
Lord Sri Chaitany a Mahaprabhu never lobored very much to present a theisis of this doctrine ina seperate book, but later on his diciplic succession , especially of the six Gosvamins Srila Jiva Gosvami has presented six theises which combinedly is called Sadsandharvas of these six Sadsandharvas the one known as Tattva sandharva is practical presentation of this doctrine of Achintya Bedabeda Tatta, later on sri Baladeve Vadyavhusana took this doctrine and explained Vedant Sutra strictly according to that Principals of Achintya Bedabeda Tatta