Topic: Sastra-tattva

I will now proceed to explain the Vajrasuci - that weapon that destroys ignorance. It is the enemy of those who are opposed to knowledge and it adorns the man of divine vision.

The Vaiṣṇava is ready to honour all great men without distinction of caste, because they are filled with the energy of God. See how universal is the religion of Bhāgavata. It is not intended for a certain class of the Hindus alone but it is a gift to man at large in whatever country he is born and whatever society is bred.

Not to minimise the rāsa-līla of Kṛṣṇa, but one should not jump over all that Kṛṣṇa has said, and all that Kṛṣṇa has done, and arrive at the most esoteric part of Kṛṣṇa's līla. If one does this, then one will face problems and even possible destruction.

Have the Vedas advanced civilization? If yes, how?

In the famous talks between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Ramananda Raya (Ramananda Samvada), Ramananda Raya gives Mahaprabhu several propositions on what actually is the ultimate goal of life beginning from varnasrama-dharma, leading up to the ultimate conception.

A literal understanding of sastra, as it seems to be regarded in some sections of the greater Vaishnava community, is looked down upon as being neophyte or simply not intellectually satisfying. Some even consider the literal understanding of sastra to be the great enemy of progressive Krsna consciousness.

We did not venture to enter the details of madhurya-rasa. Our Guru Maharaja did not like it. But it will come irresistibly within you, you go on, sravana kirtana. Pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. It is so high. When it will come it will awaken within you. It won’t be awakened by any other person.

I have read an article by a scholar (Mr. Jan Brzezinski, aka. Jagadananda Dasa/ Jagat) in which he suggests that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has counterfeited three books; Caitanya-upanisad, Prema-vivarta and Navadvipa-satakam. My question is: How much attention or credit should a practicing devotee give to the opinions of scholars.

A book called Advaita Prakasa was recently translated from Bengali into English. I was very inspired by it and it seemed to be bona-fide, but I recently heard that it is an unauthorized literature. Can you explain?

That the Vedas are eternal and apauruseya is a fact that all sampradayas, including the school of Sankara, unanimously agree with. They constitute the means of receiving knowledge about the Absolute Truth. However, there are certain factors that make it practically impossible to study the Vedas in this age.

We love to read a book which we never read before. We are anxious to gather whatever information is contained in it and with such acquirement our curiosity stops. This mode of study prevails amongst a great number of readers, who are great men in their own estimation as well as in the estimation of those who are of their own stamp. In fact, most readers are mere repositories of facts and statements made by other people. But this is not study.

To a neophyte disciple there may appear to be contradictions between guru, sadhu, and sastra but such contradictions are only apparent not real. Seeing an apparent contradiction between guru, sadhu, and sastra a neophyte devotee sometimes rejects either the guru, the sadhu, orthe sastra.