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Re: SHREEMADBHAGVADGEETA
In article <3lfgrm$162@ucunix.san.uc.edu>,
jai@caprica.com (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:
(101 unauthorized translations of Gita 7.24 deleted)
Why not forward the whole thread to alt.hindu, in the interest of
honesty, rather than just focusing on your own opinions?
I already conceded the fact that most translations of Gita 7.24
agree with your view, that God is unmanifest and that unintelligent
people see Him as manifest. There are about 500 translations of the
Gita, and I'm sure you could bring up over 400 translations
supporting the impersonalist view.
However, as I argued previously, there is an easy way to tell that
these impersonalist translations are wrong. Just look at Gita 7.25.
Here is one translation:
"Veiled by the delusive power of My Yoga-Maya, I do not stand
revealed to all. This deluded world knows not Me, unborn and
immutable."
This translation comes from Sripada Sankaracarya, the _authority_ on
advaita (impersonalist) philosophy. According to his translation,
Krishna is not revealed to the unintelligent persons (mUdhaH). The
word that is translated here as 'revealed' is prakAs'aH, which
basically means the same thing as vyaktim (manifest). So, this verse
clearly indicates that the mUdhahs (whatever your bias, this is
clearly an unflattering word) do not see God as manifest. No matter
how you look at this verse, you have to come to this conclusion.
Now, if 7.24 is really saying that God is actually unmanifest, why
does 7.25 say the opposite? The only reasonable conclusion is that
7.24 does not say what you think it does. Once again, I offer the
more accurate translation by Swami 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."
Both verses point to the personal nature of God.
Thank you. Case closed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 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
