
LESSON 4  HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY AND SANKARA

Excerpts from "Teachings of Lord Caitanya."

p.209
According to Mayavadi philosophers, Vedanta refers to the Sariraka commentary
of Sankaracarya. When impersonal philosophers refer to Vedanta and
the Upanisads, they are actually referring to the commentaries of Sankaracarya,
the greatest teacher of Mayavadi philosophy. After Sankaracarya came Sadananda-
yogi, who claimed that the Vedanta and Upanisads should be understood through
the commentaries of Sankaracarya. Factually this is not so. There are many
commenatries on Vedanta and the Upanisads made by the Vaisnava acaryas, and
these are preferred to those of Sankaracarya. However, the Mayavadi philosophers
influenced by Sankaracarya do not attribute any importance to the Vaisnava
understandings.

There are four different sects of Vaisnava acaryas - the Suddhadvaita,
Visistadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Acintya-bhedabheda. All the Vaisnava acaryas
in these schools have written commentaries on the Vedanta-sutra, but
the Mayavadi philosophers do not recognize them. The Mayavadis distinguish
between Krsna and Krsna's body, and therefore they do no recognize the worship
of Krsna by the Vaisnava philosophers.

p. 212
Lord Caitanya admitted that Sankaracarya was an incarnation of Lord Siva,
and it is known that Lord Siva is one of the greatest devotees (a mahajana)
of the Bhagavata school. There are twelve great authorities on devotional
service, and Lord Siva is one of them. Why, then, did he adopt the process of
Mayavadi philosophy? The answer is given in Padma Purana, where Lord Siva
states:

mayavadam asac-chastram  pracchannam bauddham ucyate
mayaiva kalpitam devi  kalau brahmana-rupina

"The Mayavadi philosophy is veiled Buddhism." In other words, the voidist
philosophy of Buddha is more or less repeated in the Mayavadi philosophy of
impersonalism, although the Mayavadi philosophy claims to be directed by
the Vedic conclusions. Lord Siva, however, admits that this philosophy is
manufactured by him in the age of Kali in order to mislead the atheists.
"Actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead has His transcendental body,"
Lord Siva states. "But I describe the Supreme as impersonal. I also explain
the Vedanta-sutra according to the same principle of Mayavadi philosophy."

In the Siva Purana the Supreme Lord says:

dvaparadau yuge bhutva  kalaya manusadisu
svagamaih kalpitais tvam ca  jnanan mad-vimukhan kuru

"In the beginning of the Dvapara-yuga, directed by My orders, many sages
will bewilder the people in general by Mayavadi philosophy." In the Padma
Purana Lord Siva personally tells Bhagavati devi:

srnu devi paraksyami  tamasani yatha-kramam
yesam sravana-matrena  patityam jnaninam api

apartham sruti-vakyanam  darsayal loka-garhitam
karma-svarupa-tyajyatvam  atra ca pratipadyate

sarva-karma-paribhramsan  naiskarmyam tatra cocyate
paratma-jivayor aikyam  mayatra pratipadyate

"My dear Devi, sometimes I teach Mayavadi philosophy for those who are engrossed
in the mode of ignorance. But if a person in the mode of goodness happens to
hear this Mayavadi philosophy, he falls down, for when teaching Mayavadi
philosophy, I say that the living entity and the Supreme Lord are one and
the same."

Sadananda-yogi, one of the greatest Mayavadi acaryas, has written in his book,
Vedanta-sara: "The Absolute Truth of eternity, knowledge and bliss is Brahman.
Ignorance and all products of ignorance are non-Brahman. All products
of the three modes of material nature are covered by ignorance, and all are
different from the supreme cause and effect. This ignorance is manifested in
a collective and individual sense. Collective ignorance is called
visuddha-sattva-pradhana. When that visuddha-sattva-pradhana is manifest
within the ignorance of material nature, it is called the Lord, and the
Lord manifests all kinds of ignorance. Therefore He is known as sarvajna."
Thus according to Mayavadi philosophy, the Lord is a product of this material
nature, and the living entity is in the lowest stage of ignorance. That is the
sum and substance of Mayavadi philosophy.

If, however, we accept the import of the Upanisads directly, it is clear that
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a person with unlimited potency. For
example, in the Svetasvatara Upanisad it is stated that the Supreme Personality
of Godhead is the origin of everything and that He has multiple potencies.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental to the cosmic
manifestation. He is he origin of all religion, the supreme deliverer and the
possessor of all opulences. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is just
like the sun, profusely distributes His energies while situated beyond the
cloud of this material cosmic manifestation. He is the master of masters and He
is the Supreme of the supremes. He is known as the greatest Lord, the
Personality of Godhead. His energies and potencies are multiple and variously
distributed. It is also stated that Visnu is the Supreme and that saintly
persons are always anxious to see His lotus feet (Rg Veda 1.22.20). In the
Aitareya Upanisad it is also stated that the cosmic manifestation came about
when the Lord glanced over material nature (1.1.1-2). This is also verified by
the Prasna Upanisad (6.3).

In the negative descriptions of the Lord which occur in Vedic literature (as
in apani-padah) there are indications that the Lord has no material body and
no material form. However, He does have His spiritual transcendental body and
His transcendental form. Because the Mayavadi philosophers misunderstand His
transcendental nature, they explain Him as impersonal. The Lord's name, form,
quality, entourage and abode are all in the transcendental world. How can he be
a transformation of this material nature? Everything connected with the Supreme
Lord is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge.

In effect, Sankaracarya preached Mayavadi philosophy in order to bewilder
a certain type of atheist. Actually he never considered the Supreme Lord, the
Personality of Godhead, to be impersonal or to have no body or form. It is best
for intelligent persons to avoid lectures on Mayavadi philosophy. We should
understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Visnu is not impersonal. He
is a transcendental person, and the basic principle of the cosmic manifestation
is His energy. Mayavadi philosophy cannot trace the energy of the Supreme Lord,
but all Vedic literatures give evidence of the Supreme Lord's various energetic
manifestations. Visnu is not a product of material nature, but material nature
is a product of Visnu's potency. The Mayavadi philosophers understand Visnu to
be a product of material nature, but if Visnu is a product of material nature,
He can only be counted amongst the demigods. One who considers Visnu to be
a demigod is certainly mistaken and misled. How this is so is explained in
Bhagavad-gita: "Deluded by the three modes, the whole world does not know Me
who am above the modes and inexhaustible. This divine energy of Mine, consisting
of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome, but those who
have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it." (Bg. 7.13-14)

p. 221
When explaining the first aphorism of the Vedanta-sutra, Sankara most
unceremoniously tried to explain that Brahman, or the Supreme Absolute Truth,
is impersonal. He also cunningly tried to switch the doctrine of by-product
into the doctrine of change. For the supreme Absolute Truth, there is no change.
It is simply that a by-product results from His inconceivable powers of action.
In other words a relative truth is produced out of the Supreme Truth.
The Supreme Absolute Truth, Brahman, is immutable, and when we find a by-product
- the living entity or this cosmic manifestation - it is a transformation, or
a by-product of the Supreme. It is like milk being transformed into yogurt. In
this way, if we study the living entities in the cosmic manifestation, it will
appear that they are not different from the original Absolute Truth, but from
Vedic literatures we understand that the Absolute Truth has varieties of energy
and that the living entities and the cosmic manistation are but a demonstration
of His energies. The energies are not separate from the energetic; therefore
the living entity and cosmic maniestation are inseparable truths, part of
the Absolute Truth. Such a conclusion regarding the Absolute Truth and
the relative truth should be acceptable to any sane man.

The Supreme Absolute Truth has His inconceivable potency, out of which this
cosmos has been manifested. In other words, the Supreme Absolute Truth is the
ingredient, and the living entity and cosmic manifestation are the by-products.
In the Taittiriya Upanisad it is clearly stated, yato va imani bhutani jayante:
"The Absolute Truth is the original reservoir of all ingredients, and this
material world and its living entities are produced from those ingredients."

Unintelligent persons who cannot understand this doctrine of by products
cannot grasp how the cosmic manifestation and the living entity are
simultaneously one and different from the Absolute Truth. Not understanding
this, one concludes, out of fear, that this cosmic manifestation and the living
entity are false.

p. 222
The sun has been producing unlimited energy from time immemorial, and so many
by-products result from the sun; yet there is no change in the heat and
temperature of the sun itself. Despite its being a material product, if the sun
can maintain its original temperature and yet produce so many by-products, is it
difficult for the Supreme Absolute Truth to remain unchanged in spite of
producing so many by-products by His inconceivable energy? Thus there is no
question of transformation as far as the Supreme Absolute Truth is concerned.

In Vedic literatures there is information of a material product called
"touchstone" which simply by touch can transform iron into gold. The touchstone
can produce an unlimited quantity of gold and yet remain the same. Only in the
state of ignorance can one accept the Mayavadi conclusion that this cosmic
manifestation and the living entities are false or illusory. No sane man would
impose ignorance and illusion upon the Supreme Absolute Truth, who is absolute
in everything. There is no possibility of change, ignorance or illusion being
in Him. The Supreme Brahman is transcendental and completely different from all
material conceptions. In the Supreme Absolute Truth there is every possible
inconceivable energy existing. In the Svetasvatara Upanisad it is stated that
the Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead is full of inconceivable energies
and that no one else possesses such energies.

By misunderstanding the inconceivable energies of the Supreme, one may falsely
conclude that the Supreme Absolute Truth is impersonal. Such a deluded
conclusion is experienced by a living being when he is in an acute stage of
disease. In Srimad-Bhagavatam also there are statements to the effect that
the supreme atma, the Lord, has inconceivable and innumerable potencies
(Bhag. 3.33.3). It is also stated in Brahma-sutra that the supreme spirit has
many variegated and inconceivable energies. Nor should one think that there is
any possibility of ignorance existing in the Absolute Truth. Ignorance and
knowledge are conceptions in this world of duality, but in the Absolute there
is no duality. It is simply foolishness to consider that the Absolute is covered
by ignorance. If the Absolute Truth can possibly be covered by ignorance, how
can it be said to be Absolute? Understanding the inconceivability of
the Absolute is the only solution to the question of duality. This is because
duality arises from the inconceivable energy of the Absolute. By His
inconceivable energies, the Supreme Absolute Truth can remain unchanged and yet
produce this cosmic manifestation with all its living entities, just as
touchstone can produce unlimited quantities of gold and yet remain unchanged.
Because the Absolute Truth has such inconceivable energies, the material quality
of ignorance cannot pertain to Him. The true variegatedness which exists in
the Absolute Truth is a product of His inconceivable energy. Indeed, it can be
safely concluded that this cosmic manifestation is but a by-product of His
inconceivable energies. Once we accept the inconceivable energies of the Supreme
Lord, we will find that there is no duality at all. The expansion of the energy
of the Supreme Lord is as true as the Supreme Lord. As far as the manifestation
of the supreme energy is concerned, there is no question of transformation.
The same example can be cited: in spite of producing unlimited quantities of
gold, the touchstone remains the same. We therefore hear same sages say that
the Supreme is the ingredient or cause of this cosmic manifestation.

p. 224
Thus this cosmic manifestation is not false, as Sankaracarya maintains. Actually
there is nothing false here. The Mayavadis say that this world is false because
of their ignorance. It is the conclusion of Vaisnava philosophy that this cosmic
manifestation is a by-product of the inconceivable energies of the Supreme Lord.

p. 225
Sripada Sankaracarya has inceremoniously obscured the Krsna consciousness
described in the Purusa-vedanta-sutra by manufacturing an indirect
interpretation and abandoning the direct interpretation. Unless we take all
the statements of Vedanta-sutra as self-evident, there is no point in studying
Vedanta-sutra. Interpreting the verses of Vedanta-sutra according to one's own
whim is the greatest disservice to the self-evident Vedas.

p. 211
Actually in the first two chapters of Vedanta-sutra the relationship between
the living entities and the Supreme Lord is explained, and in the Third Chapter
the discharge of devotional service is explained. The Fourth Chapter deals with
the relationship which results from discharging devotional service. The natural
commentary on Vedanta-sutra is Srimad-Bhagavatam. The great acaryas of the four
Vaisnava communities (sampradayas) - namely, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya,
Visnusvami and Nimbarka - have also written commentaries on Vedanta-sutra by
following the principles of Srimad-Bhagavatam. At present the followers of all
the acaryas have written many books following the principles of Srimad-
Bhagavatam as the commentary on the Vedanta. Sankara's commentary on Vedanta-
sutra, known as Sariraka-bhasya, is very much adored by the impersonalist
scholars, but commentaries written on the Vedanta written from the materialistic
point of view are completely adverse to the transcendental service of the Lord.
Consequently Lord Caitanya said that direct commentaries on the Upanisads
and Vedanta-sutra are glorious, but that anyone who follows the indirect path
of Sankaracarya's Sariraka-bhasya is certainly doomed.

