Mādhava, commenting on the last blog:
It is good that Advaitadas explains in his blog, especially to those who are searching for the path proper, the shortcomings in the theories of the likes of Subal, that the seekers would not dive into an ocean of acid, mistaking the bubbling phenomena for the waves of the prema-ocean. Of course being obsessed with such topics is unfavorable, but I am yet to see that happening in the Madangopal blog.
madangopal.com and madangopal.blogspot.com are guided by the teachings of Śrī-Śrī Sādhu Bābā and the 6 Gosvāmīs. In modern issues they will be guided, with the help of God, by common sense and clean conscience. They are not meant as an affront to any particular Vaiṣṇava camp and will be evenhanded, based on the above guidelines. Just now Subal happens to be the talk of the day, so more attention is given to him, but there will be no witch-hunt conducted on anyone here. When we differ in opinion from a major modern Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācārya this will be expressed in a polite, non-offensive manner, respecting the maryādā. Anyone who feels that the above statement of purpose is ever violated by me, should certainly and promptly remind me of that in the comments box. Rādhe Rādhe!
It is good that Advaitadas explains in his blog, especially to those who are searching for the path proper, the shortcomings in the theories of the likes of Subal, that the seekers would not dive into an ocean of acid, mistaking the bubbling phenomena for the waves of the prema-ocean. Of course being obsessed with such topics is unfavorable, but I am yet to see that happening in the Madangopal blog.
madangopal.com and madangopal.blogspot.com are guided by the teachings of Śrī-Śrī Sādhu Bābā and the 6 Gosvāmīs. In modern issues they will be guided, with the help of God, by common sense and clean conscience. They are not meant as an affront to any particular Vaiṣṇava camp and will be evenhanded, based on the above guidelines. Just now Subal happens to be the talk of the day, so more attention is given to him, but there will be no witch-hunt conducted on anyone here. When we differ in opinion from a major modern Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācārya this will be expressed in a polite, non-offensive manner, respecting the maryādā. Anyone who feels that the above statement of purpose is ever violated by me, should certainly and promptly remind me of that in the comments box. Rādhe Rādhe!
Therein lies the problem, Advaitaji, you are inviting us to find fault in a senior Vaishnava such as yourself. :-) In that case you had better take responsibility for any offences we make. :p
ReplyDeleteBut to get back on topic, I'm not sure what I feel about Subal's thoughts. I'm also wondering why he is even the "talk of the day"; I humbly submit that we are all experienced enough to recognise crackpot theories as and when they appear. The latest idea about "updating" Radha-Krishna lila for modern times brought forth some ideas in me that I found rather humorous, but I knew that others would find them offensive.
I agree with the essence of what Subal is saying; the lila/philosophy has to be presented in a way for today's man to understand. But I disagree with the way he seems to be going about it. I suppose that's also my opinion/verdict on a number of crackpot theories out there. They have their good points (sometimes) but the implementation is all wrong.
I am curious to what a feed-reader is. And how you would fancy adjusting the Lila when some of the recent acaryas say that even Radharani's ornaments are made of mahabhava? The whole lila is a display of svarupa zakti. Of course there is the principle of svarasiki, which is probably what Visvanatha Cakravarti practised, but that was strictly within the aesthetic bounds.
ReplyDeleteRegarding adjusting the lila, I was wondering what exactly is meant by "updating" the lila. For example, would Radha and Krishna (using Subal's updated ages of 20 and 21 resepctively) still live in the village? Perhaps They have now moved to the big city and have office jobs, even working for the same company!
ReplyDeleteThe issue of separation is there because They work on different floors. Although They are hopelessly in love with Each Other, they manage to steal a few secret moments whenever and wherever possible.
Then tragedy strikes because Krishna is such a good worker and He is headhunted by another bigger company (Mathura Inc.) who offer Him a big package of incentives if He moves over to their side. Plus, the boss of Mathura Inc. (Kamsa) is hated by all and Krishna could possibly manage a hostile takeover.
At the end of it all, Krishna goes on to found His own company (Dvaraka Inc.) and it is very successful.
And so on..
I wouldn't know if any of this is offensive, this is just what passed through my mind when I first heard of Subal's "update" ideas. It may be funny in some ways but I still prefer the original version. :-)