In the Vanguard of History's Greatest Paradigm Shift
Don't cheat yourself by relegating yourself to a dull, life of drudgery of simply serving your temporary material senses. Do yourself the ultimate favor. Get yourself in the vanguard of history's greatest paradigm shift, the sankirtan movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, which is currently inundating the entire universe with a tidal wave of pure love of God. Learn more and more about Krishna and your relationship with Him. And then dedicate your life for fully sharing whatever you have realized about Krishna with theh world around you. This will put you on the vanguard, the cutting edge, of the greatest spiritual revolution in universal history.
In several places, it is labeled an offense to chant the names of the demigods as if they were Krishna's names. Therefore, one should not chant "Durga" or "Kali" with the same level of importance as "Krishna". Yet, in several places, it is also claimed that ISKCON's culture represents the authentic culture of Vedic civilization.
I am not a scholar of the Vedas, but I have learned through my association with a local Hindu temple that the worship of goddesses plays an important role in Vedic culture. This is especially true of goddesses such as Sarasvati, the demigod of learning, and Gayatri, from whom the popular Gayatri mantra derives its name.
I find your strategy to be deceptive, because it is trying to promote bhakti yoga by associating it with one of the world's most ancient cultures, thereby contradicting the claim that bhakti is a universal phenomenon that transcends time and place. I am not asking ISKCON to rewrite any of Srila Prabhupada's books or edit any of Srila Prabhupada's lectures. However, can this please be noted whenever references are made to "the ancient Vedic civilization"?
Ramesh
So now as the humble of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, I will try to respond to your concern in a pure, loving, and authoritative manner based on India's ancient Vedic scriptures
The Vedic civilization is indeed ancient. Within our particular universe it was introduced 155 trillion years ago when Lord Brahma was enlightened from within the heart by Lord Sri Krishna. After receiving this knowledge Lord Brahma understood and glorified Lord Sri Krishna as the original and supreme person and the other gods as being His sub-ordinate servants. In recent centuries of the Kali yuga (the age of quarrel and hypocrisy) long after the days of the ancient Vedic culture, the incorrect idea that all the gods are the same has been introduced. Unfortunately the pujaris at most of the Hindu temples nowadays only know about this recent concocted idea. They are not aware of the relationship between Krishna and the other gods that was common knowledge during the days of yore, the days of the ancient Vedic civilization. This is why it is of the utmost priority that we now educate the Hindu world and indeed the entire world regarding how to properly understand and implement the culture of pure devotion to the Supreme Person, which is the highest level of Vedic understanding, that was formerly the world religion, so that a new age of peace and prosperity can now dawn upon our greatly troubled Planet Earth.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Lord Caitanya's Movement is Inundating the Universe
Video For the Day
Prema Tidal Wave
Answers by Citing the Vedic Version
Question: All Gods the Same in Ancient Vedic Civilization?
Hare Krishna, please accept my humble offering of gratitude for everything I have learned from ISKCON during the course of my association with your organization. I would like to offer a complaint regarding something I have been seeing in some of the ISKCON's writings.In several places, it is labeled an offense to chant the names of the demigods as if they were Krishna's names. Therefore, one should not chant "Durga" or "Kali" with the same level of importance as "Krishna". Yet, in several places, it is also claimed that ISKCON's culture represents the authentic culture of Vedic civilization.
I am not a scholar of the Vedas, but I have learned through my association with a local Hindu temple that the worship of goddesses plays an important role in Vedic culture. This is especially true of goddesses such as Sarasvati, the demigod of learning, and Gayatri, from whom the popular Gayatri mantra derives its name.
I find your strategy to be deceptive, because it is trying to promote bhakti yoga by associating it with one of the world's most ancient cultures, thereby contradicting the claim that bhakti is a universal phenomenon that transcends time and place. I am not asking ISKCON to rewrite any of Srila Prabhupada's books or edit any of Srila Prabhupada's lectures. However, can this please be noted whenever references are made to "the ancient Vedic civilization"?
Ramesh
Answer: Krishna, the Supreme God in Ancient Vedic Civilization
Thank you very much for your serving and appreciative mood. Your loving attitude is greatly appreciated.So now as the humble of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, I will try to respond to your concern in a pure, loving, and authoritative manner based on India's ancient Vedic scriptures
The Vedic civilization is indeed ancient. Within our particular universe it was introduced 155 trillion years ago when Lord Brahma was enlightened from within the heart by Lord Sri Krishna. After receiving this knowledge Lord Brahma understood and glorified Lord Sri Krishna as the original and supreme person and the other gods as being His sub-ordinate servants. In recent centuries of the Kali yuga (the age of quarrel and hypocrisy) long after the days of the ancient Vedic culture, the incorrect idea that all the gods are the same has been introduced. Unfortunately the pujaris at most of the Hindu temples nowadays only know about this recent concocted idea. They are not aware of the relationship between Krishna and the other gods that was common knowledge during the days of yore, the days of the ancient Vedic civilization. This is why it is of the utmost priority that we now educate the Hindu world and indeed the entire world regarding how to properly understand and implement the culture of pure devotion to the Supreme Person, which is the highest level of Vedic understanding, that was formerly the world religion, so that a new age of peace and prosperity can now dawn upon our greatly troubled Planet Earth.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Comments
Post a Comment