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Re: aham brahmasmi - Re: Bon Giovanni -
K. Sadananda writes:
>In article <3ko14k$o5p@ucunix.san.uc.edu>, Bon_Giovanni@earthspirit.org(Bon
Giovanni) wrote:
>> Subject: aham brahmasmi - Revised and Enlarged!
>> Replying to: <3jr1ml$4e9@ucunix.san.uc.edu
>>> at: alt.hindu
>> ===============================================
>> I find that when Pai talks with Vaishnava he is polite, goodnatured,
>> pleasant,
>> even humble.Over the years I have noted that some Vaishnava can be a
little
>> clicquish, in that though they call themselves servants, they do tend
to
>> treat
>> nonVaishnavites as demons or dummies.
>This is not what Krishna taught.
>Advesti sarva Bhutanam Maitri karuna Evacha
>Niramamo nirahankaraha sama duhkha sukha kshami
>Without hatred to all living beings (not just to so-called Krishna
devotees>alone) with frendship and compassion without mamakara and ahankara
with>equanimity in pain and pleasure ...
>Sometimes I wonder why they call themselves as Krishna Devotees!
>That is why Mani whom I respect has to bashout at them in one of
his>articles on this net.
>That is why I said in true bhakti there cannot be fanatism and reverse
is>also true!
>With pranams - Sadananda
Sadanandaji,
I found this article of yours to be completely distasteful,
misleading, and irrelevant to the subject matter being discussed in
this forum.
You quote Bhagavad-Gita (in context, for once) to try to show
that a Vaishnava should be without animosity towards other living beings.
This is quite true. What bothers me is that you extend this to the domain
of ideas, and assume that if we don't hate you then it must naturally follow
that we don't disagree with your ideas.
Most of us outgrew that stage wherein we saw disagreements as
indicative of personal animosity. I can hate your ideas without hating you.
I suspect that the reverse is also true. Our philosophy, which comes from
the Gita, teaches that even people like yourself who deny the personal
existence of God are also Krishna's eternal devotees, only covered by
maya. Therefore, I think I speak for all Vaishnavas when I say that we
don't harbor any personal hatred against you.
What I do dislike, however, is the kind of outright dishonesty and
even ignorance that is being propagated on this newsgroup under the guise
of 'Hinduism.' I do consider myself a fundamentalist in the sense that I
am intolerant of dishonesty, especially with regards to our Holy
Scriptures. There are many speculative ideas appearing here which are being
passed off as coming from scripture, and most of the time this simply is not
true. If it is fanatical to ask that people study and discuss the Gita
honestly (i.e. without inserting their own opinions or interpretations) then
let me be guilty. I see no reason why we have to change God's words.
Finally, I would ask that you not attempt to distract the readership
of this group with your false accusations of hatred and so on. I have seen
you get up on a pedestal in order to preach your own philosophy, only to
have Manish Prabhu and Jahnava-Nitai Prabhu deconstruct and ultimately
defeat it. If you have nothing else to say in response, either concede
defeat or stay silent. By resorting to these kinds of false accusations,
you only demonstrate that you can't go down with dignity. Worse, you
distract people from the issues we were discussing.
Yours in service of Lord Krishna,
-- HKS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
- H. Krishna Susarla - "Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or -
- susarla@rice.edu - sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without -
- Rice University - religion is mental speculation." -
- Class of 1995 - -- Swami Srila Prabhupada -
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, was impersonal before and
have now assumed this personality. Due to their small knowledge,
they do not know My higher nature, which is imperishable and supreme."
- Bhagavad-Gita 7.24
