Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Siddhanta and Paths
Q. by Bhakta Igor
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna
All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All glories to Srilla Prabhupada!
Dear Gurudeva could you please elaborate about following inqury.
Questions
1. We know that Lord's incarnations are mentioned in scriptures. Is it possible that sometimes Lord appear and that this is not mentioned in scriptures?
2. How we should react/talk/preach with different followers/disciples of such paths
3.How to make difference between real and false prophets, incarnations, devotees (this is very important, because if someone criticize or minimize some great devotee or empowered jiva who is dear to Lord, offencess are severe.But in the same time if we are offering our respects to someone who is cheater or do not preach siddhantha we are surerly making apparadha to Lord. So how to understand and act properly according to that rule is very delicate.
Could you please elaborate about what is our understanding about above mentioned teachings and please give us some guidance regarding that.
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna
Answer by Swami Gaurangapada:
Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shri Guru Parampara! Pranams!
1. Very very rarely. Almost all bonafide Vishnu Tattva incarnations are mentioned in the Vedic scriptures. Though the Vedic scriptures may not mention the name of all the devotee souls who come as empowered representatives of the Lord (jiva shaktyavesha).
2. You can read Jaiva Dharma and Prema Pradipa about how the devotees interacted with followers of other paths. It depends on the path that person is following, the nature of the person one is talking to and also our capacity and purity to help him. If a person is following a wrong path other than pure Bhakti and claiming or following an ordinary mortal as God that he or she should be humbly corrected in a very polite and palatable manner so that they may realize the truth one day. If a Vaishnava sadhu does not tell them the truth then who will? But there are some who are just not ready for it. They should be somehow made to hear the Holy Names and given Prasadam instead of entering into fruitless argument with them. And those who are fanatic and antagonistic should be simply avoided and we should pray for their souls to attain pure Bhakti one day.
3. To understand and respect a bonafide teacher, we have to first deeply understand the bonafide philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism from the Holy Books of our Acharyas. When we know the Bhakti tattva deeply, we can easily understand who is teaching the essence, who is diluting it, who is deviating from it and who is not preaching Bhakti. We should give proper respect as spirit souls even to those who are in ignorance about the truth of Naam and Bhakti Yoga but we would not be able to accept any spiritual teachings from them.
Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna
All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All glories to Srilla Prabhupada!
Dear Gurudeva could you please elaborate about following inqury.
Questions
1. We know that Lord's incarnations are mentioned in scriptures. Is it possible that sometimes Lord appear and that this is not mentioned in scriptures?
2. How we should react/talk/preach with different followers/disciples of such paths
3.How to make difference between real and false prophets, incarnations, devotees (this is very important, because if someone criticize or minimize some great devotee or empowered jiva who is dear to Lord, offencess are severe.But in the same time if we are offering our respects to someone who is cheater or do not preach siddhantha we are surerly making apparadha to Lord. So how to understand and act properly according to that rule is very delicate.
Could you please elaborate about what is our understanding about above mentioned teachings and please give us some guidance regarding that.
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna
Answer by Swami Gaurangapada:
Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shri Guru Parampara! Pranams!
1. Very very rarely. Almost all bonafide Vishnu Tattva incarnations are mentioned in the Vedic scriptures. Though the Vedic scriptures may not mention the name of all the devotee souls who come as empowered representatives of the Lord (jiva shaktyavesha).
2. You can read Jaiva Dharma and Prema Pradipa about how the devotees interacted with followers of other paths. It depends on the path that person is following, the nature of the person one is talking to and also our capacity and purity to help him. If a person is following a wrong path other than pure Bhakti and claiming or following an ordinary mortal as God that he or she should be humbly corrected in a very polite and palatable manner so that they may realize the truth one day. If a Vaishnava sadhu does not tell them the truth then who will? But there are some who are just not ready for it. They should be somehow made to hear the Holy Names and given Prasadam instead of entering into fruitless argument with them. And those who are fanatic and antagonistic should be simply avoided and we should pray for their souls to attain pure Bhakti one day.
3. To understand and respect a bonafide teacher, we have to first deeply understand the bonafide philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism from the Holy Books of our Acharyas. When we know the Bhakti tattva deeply, we can easily understand who is teaching the essence, who is diluting it, who is deviating from it and who is not preaching Bhakti. We should give proper respect as spirit souls even to those who are in ignorance about the truth of Naam and Bhakti Yoga but we would not be able to accept any spiritual teachings from them.
Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.
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