​How is Vaishnava classification of scripture different from Advaitic classification of paramarthika and vyavaharika?

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Any other questions? So, when we say that there is a hierarchy of the Puranic truths and some are sattvic, some are rajasic, some are contextual truths, some are not absolute truths, isn’t Shankaracharya, aren’t we doing the same thing that Shankaracharya has done in terms of saying that some is paramarthic and some is vyavaharic, some part of scripture is transcendental, some is just operational? Well, at one level, it is true that both are strategies or approaches for understanding scripture and for reconciling whatever contradictions are found in scripture. The major difference, however, is that the Advaitic strategy of two-fold division of scripture is itself not found in scripture.
There is no explicit statement. In scripture we say that this is vyavaharic and this is paramarthic. Scripture gives two kinds of knowledge, vyavaharic and paramarthic.
It doesn’t say like that. That’s the first point. Whereas, when we consider the Puranas, Matsya Purana itself talks about the three levels of Puranas, sattvic, rajasic and tamasic.
And the classification of sattva-guna, rajasic and tamasic is of course almost all-pervasive in scripture. Moreover, there is no easy way to impose or to draw the Advaitic conclusion from scripture because the Advaitic conclusion requires the relegation of the vast majority of scripture to the ordinary realm. And thus, it becomes more an imposition of one’s own ideas on scripture than the emergence of the truth revealed in scripture.
So similarly, but on the other hand, when we come to the understanding of the sattvic, rajasic, tamasic, there is, as I said, the Puranas themselves are divided. So sattva-guna, rajasic-guna, tamasic-guna, there are 3, 3, 6, 6 Puranas for each of them. And the worship of Vishnu is widely talked about in the epics, in the Ramayana, in the Mahabharata, also in the Bhagavatam undoubtedly.
Now, we don’t have to do that which the scripture itself has not done. That means that if some people have faith in the worship of the devatas, then sometimes Madhavacharya also says in one of his commentaries that यो यो याम याम तनु बखता शद्धयार्चितमि चिति बखता तुस्या चलाम् शद्धाम् तामे विद्धाम्यहम् When the scripture says this verse, that Krishna says, I give them the faith. So, it is also explained that Madhavacharya says that actually Krishna gives them the faith through scripture.
Sorry. Yeah, so Krishna gives them the faith through scripture. So they are attracted.
So, if somebody has an attraction to Lord Shiva, then the people get attracted to Shiva by their focus on the worship of, by their focus on scripture which talk about the glory of Shiva. So, there is a reciprocity between one’s internal desire and one’s attraction to a particular kind of scripture. So, we don’t have, so there is this, this is the truth which is present in scripture itself and we don’t have to reject that.
Sometimes some devotees go to the extreme and start condemning the worship of the devatas. That is definitely non-scriptural. Devata poova worship is not the highest recommendation in scripture, but it is a valid scriptural recommendation and it needs to be respected as such.
So, ultimately, although some amount of reasoning can be given, even the existence of God is a matter of faith. There is an intellectual basis for the faith, but there is a leap of faith that is required. Similarly, with respect to the understanding of the identity of the Supreme, there is a shastra moolak vichar, there is a scriptural logic that is there to it, but eventually it is a matter of faith.
And that faith is organically developed when one associates with faithful devotees. So, rather than getting into a, getting into an interminable debate about the basis for, for a hierarchical arrangement of the revelation of scriptural truth, we can focus on trying to behave in ways that inspire faith within people. And when that faith is inspired within people, then they themselves will move onwards and come towards Krishna.
Thank you.