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| I Only Need One Moon |
|
“You are praying for “Just like in the sky, there
is one moon only, and there are millions of stars. They're useless. What is the
value of the millions of stars? But one moon: Oh, dissipate the whole darkness
of night!” Do we really need someone
else, some big leader or conditioned soul, to decide for us what Srila
Prabhupada’s position was and remains on the so-called jiva controversy? Are
not all of his statements on this topic readily available in his books, on audio,
and throughout the VedaBase? Certainly, there is no real
contradiction in the statements of the Sampradaya Acharya.
However, when there is apparent contradiction, it requires proper use of logic,
surrender, and intelligence to resolve the apparent conflict. Numerous quotes have been
brought forward in recent weeks by devotees on both sides of the topic. Anyone
who is unbiased and even slightly objective will agree that there are
statements by Srila Prabhupada apparently justifying either position.
Therefore, when someone on one side takes one of these statements
and proceeds to rant about how anyone who disagrees must be demoniac, atheist, pasandi, etc., he can hardly claim to be a scholar. Such
characterizations are the remarks of a fanatic and nothing more. All
pretentious attempts at posing as a learned brahmana are
exposed-- for just what they really are--by such rhetoric. In the guise of presenting shastra, the advocates of “no-fall” inevitably fail to
acknowledge their explanations as speculations and fix-it-as-you-go pot shots.
There is very little difference in interpretation between the two views in
regard to the position of jivas who return to the spiritual world. This is
expressed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna in the Gita,
8.21 where He says, “. . . he never comes back.” The devotees who believe that
living entities originally fell from Vaikuntha understand this to mean that
once a jiva has experienced and learned first-hand about life in the material
world, he is, for all practical purposes, absolutely resolved not to return here
again. On the other hand, advocates
of “no-fall” take this statement and extrapolate out an entire cosmology, one
which is extremely difficult to authenticate according to the same shastras they demand from others. And then they take it even further, taunting the
opposition to cite shastra! The logic (if it can be
called that) of the “no-fall” adherents is that, since no one falls from
Vaikuntha, the origin of jivas must be somewhere else. They sometimes cite
questionable translations of Jaiva Dharma to prove that conditioned
souls all spring from Maha Vishnu. How one of those verses was twisted and
mistranslated was nicely exposed by Shiva dasa: CONTRADICTORY
STATEMENTS ON FALL OF JIVA. However,
when the “no-fall” hypothesis was first injected in a big way into our movement,
apparently sometime in the late Seventies or early Eighties, it was planted
from one of the free-style books authored by an influential godbrother of Srila
Prabhupada’s and pushed by Prabhupada’s (former?) devotees. This book called
the origin of the conditioned jivas in the material world as the
undifferentiated becoming differentiated. The devotees all presumed that this
meant the conditioned souls originated in the brahmajyoti.
Recently, others have claimed that the origin of the conditioned souls was in a
shanta, or neutral, relationship with Lord Aniruddha, somewhere outside the bounds of the spiritual
world. Recently on the Sampradaya
Sun, a very outspoken and aggressive advocate of “no-fall” audaciously
challenged all the devotees who repeat Srila Prabhupada and preach that jivas
fall from Vaikuntha. In effect, this
advocate cried: “Show me the shastra!” He wants us to produce shastric
evidence, apart from Srila Prabhupada’s specific explanations on this topic. The same challenge can be
leveled back on this “gentleman,” especially in regard to where the conditioned
souls originated from (if they did not originally come from the spiritual world).
Apart from the aforementioned dubious translation of a verse from Jaiva
Dharma, where is the detailed, descriptive shastric
verification of original locus-standi? No doubt this scholarly fellow
has already poured through all of the Vedas and Puranas.
So, let him come up with some substantial proof! He has also claimed that all
of the other sampradayas agree with him about
origination. Is that so? Even if they
did or still do, would this lead us to discard Srila Prabhupada for the opinion
of other pundits? Maybe he is getting his certainty
and self-assurance from somebody else. Could it be coming from Srila
Prabhupada’s godbrothers or one of their initiated disciples? Could it be
coming from the neo-Gaudiya Math? Isn’t the reasoning that Srila Prabhupada’s
statements alone do not constitute conclusive proof on this important issue
indicative of an influence ultimately coming from his unfavorable godbrothers? Bhaktijana: When the
souls that were never conditioned at all . . . do they also have the
independence? All
emphases throughout this article have been added. The aforementioned recent
presentations of the “no-fall” theory on Sampradaya Sun, despite no shortage
of audacity, have all failed to include even a short description of how free
will functions for the jiva soul. This is another huge gap in their
presentation. If we are supposed to try to enter into their idea, there is no
free will when one is in the spiritual world. This means that either free will
is not eternal or that jivas in the spiritual world are somehow
constitutionally different from those (allegedly) not there originally. A devotee could also demand shastric verification for this idea. This is another
glaring mental speculation on the part of the “no-falls.” Let us examine Srila
Prabhupada’s discussion on how jivas end up in the material world. One will
find many references by Srila Prabhupada to a key verse from Jagadananda Pandita’s Prema-vivarta: Krishna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare "Turning his face away
from Srila Prabhupada gives an
incisive purport to it in these two conversations: Acyutananda: So what
made the soul take birth in the first place? Acyutananda: .....But
in the Gita, it says, "Once coming there, he never returns." It would be both absurd and laughable for me
to claim to be a scholar. All I know is
Srila Prabhupada. Therefore, I have absolutely no need for the intense demands
and assertions of those connected with the many of his godbrothers, especially
those who were envious of him. On the jiva issue, as far as I am concerned, they
represent stars. All I need is the Benediction Moon of His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada made a very coherent and
logical presentation as to how we conditioned souls ended up in the material
atmosphere. His room conversations and morning walks leave no doubt as to
whether conditioned souls originated in the spiritual world or someplace else.
He was repeatedly asked this question directly by numerous disciples. The
answer was always the same. Those are the only answers that I need. And I have written about it previously. Those articles are on our website, and two of
them have also been previously posted on the Sampradaya Sun. WE ARE ALL
ORIGINALLY KRISHNA CONSCIOUS ENTITIES OUR
ORIGINAL RELATIONSHIP WITH KRISHNA: A FOLLOW-UP If you are still
muddled on this hot-button issue, the Vaishnava Foundation has also recently
posted an article you may find insightful: YOU FORCED
KRISHNA TO ALLOW YOU TO COME Many followers in the line of Prabhupada’s godbrothers
give a clear hint of something subtle--and not necessarily auspicious--being
passed down in their successions, especially when they falsely claim that Srila
Prabhupada’s conversations alone constitute insufficient proof on this
contentious issue. The empowered Sampradaya Acharya
is the embodiment of the Vedas, Puranas, and all
disciplic successions. He appeared to clear up these very issues.
His is the final verdict. Nevertheless, we have included some other references
from previous acharyas. You want shastra? Well, we have also included some shastra. “We live together in the same heart, which is just
like the Transliteration: abhutam—became; antara—separated; va—indeed; okah—from
the original
home Only the purified soul can attain the
perfection of associating with the Personality of Godhead in complete bliss and
satisfaction in his constitutional state. Whoever is able to renovate
such devotional perfection is never again attracted by this material world, and
he never returns. S.B. 2.2.31, verse translation (shastra) “Then, being bewildered and covered, he is
fallen from advaya-vaikuntha.” Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, Vivritti commentary on Srimad
Bhagavatam, 11.2.48 (commentary on shastra) “However, because of contact with matter, the
imprisoned soul loses the memory of his original spiritual form in
Vaikuntha. . . material rasas
are perverted reflections of the soul's original spiritual rasas.” Srila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura, Prema-pradipa,
p. 83 (shastra) Svarupa Damodara: “The spirit soul must necessarily have a body, either
spiritual or material. Quotes from the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada are copyright by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust |