Originally Posted by
devotee
Namaste,
If Supreme does want something, He/She/It is not really Supreme.
OM
-A good example of materially conditioned logic, and the mistaken conclusion it produces.
Trying to understand the nature of the Absolute by means of mundane reasoning is going to fail. One of the reasons the Absolute is called Acintya - incomprihensible, is that He is not understood by mundane logic. The nature of the Absolute is going to be understood when it is revealed by the Absolute Himself - through the medium of His representative, the spiritual master. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, verse 4.34
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.
So one has to learn from a bona-fide spiritual master, who again has learned from a bona-fide spiritual master, and so on. Lord Krishna refers to this system of disiplic succession - guru-parampara, in verses 4.1-2.
sri-bhagavan uvaca
imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha
manur iksvakave 'bravit
The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku.
evam parampara-praptam
imam rajarsayo viduh
sa kaleneha mahata
yogo nastah parantapa
This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.
Sri Krishna - the Supreme Personality og Godhead, is the adi-guru - the original spiritual master, and perfect knowledge of that which is beyond our senses/experience has to come from Him. That is the system of receiving perfect, flawless knowledge. That is the vedic process of attaining knowledge of the Absolute Truth.
Mental speculation may be fun, but it is not going to yield the desired fruit of knowing the Supreme. Therefore Lord Krishna says in verse 7.19
bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma su-durlabhah
After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
He further offers(verse 18.55):
bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas casmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva
visate tad-anantaram
One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.
Inthe previous verse he explains:
brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.
So bhakti is attained
after one is in the liberated stage!
The Absolute reveals Himself only to those who have surrendered at His Lotus Feet, and serves Him with devotion. Surrender, love and devotion is the price.
Lord Brahma prays in the Brahma-samhita (verse 5.38):
“I worship Govinda, the original Supreme Person, Krishna Himself. He is Shyamasundara, the Beautiful One with a complexion the color of a dark stormy cloud. He is the personification of inconceivable attributes. Indeed, the saints always see Him in their hearts,
for they have applied the collirium of pure love on their eyes.”
In Sri Isopanishad (where we find the verse
om purnam adah purnam idam...) the devotee prays:
hiranmayena patrena
satyasyapihitam
mukham
tat tvam pushann
apavrinu
satya-
dharmaya drishtaye
SYNONYMS
hiranmayena -- by
a golden effulgence;
patrena -- by
a dazzling covering;
satyasya -- of the Supreme Truth;
apihitam -- covered;
mukham -- the face;
tat -- that covering;
tvam -- Yourself;
pushan --
O sustainer;
apavrinu -- kindly remove;
satya --
pure;
dharmaya -- unto the devotee;
drishtaye -- for exhibiting.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.
And indeed, The Lord reveals Himself to the pure devotee, as a reciprocation of his/her love, as the Lord also loves him/her and wants to engage that jiva in His eternal, blissful lilas beyond the material covering, and beyond the brahmajyoti effulgence.
Hare Krishna!
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