What is the exact difference between brahmavadis and mayavadis?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
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so what is the exact difference between Brahmavadis and Mayavadis Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagwan these are aspects of the same absolute truth it’s not that Brahman is here, Paramatma is here, Bhagwan is here no, they are the same one absolute truth they are progressively increasing realization of the absolute truth say for example after this lecture there is prasad and there is halwa over there so now we are sitting over here the fragrance of halwa comes over here so we are experiencing halwa at one level is that the level of laughter laughter at the level of fragrance then we go from here we go to the prasadam hall, we are standing in a queue and we can see in a bucket, there is halwa laughter so then we are experiencing halwa at another level, that is sight and then when we take it in our plate and we eat it then we experience halwa fully the smell the fragrance, the sight and the taste so similarly, there is one absolute truth it’s one absolute truth when that absolute truth the absolute truth is sat-chit-ananda when the seeker experiences one aspect of the absolute truth that is the sat aspect that beyond this temporary material world there is an eternal world when the seeker experiences the sat aspect that is brahman realization it’s like experiencing the halwa through its fragrance when the seeker goes further and realizes that there is not just eternal existence but there is eternal cognizance the absolute truth is conscious and conscious in the sense that the absolute truth is actually controlling this world the conscious controller of this world so that is like the realization of the brahman seeing, experiencing the halwa through both the fragrance and the sight and when we realize Bhagawan at that time we understand the absolute truth is not just sat and chit it is also ananda Jiva Goswami explains in the Bhagwat Sandarbha that in Sanskrit in English there are two genders there is masculine and feminine in Sanskrit there are three genders there is masculine, feminine and there is neutral gender so in Jiva Goswami in his book called Harinama Amrit Vyakaran he he gives spiritual nomenclature to all the rules of grammar so there what he does is he says the masculine gender he calls as Narayan and the feminine gender he calls as Lakshmi and the neutral gender he calls as Brahman now why is that Brahman because he explains this in the Bhagwat Sandarbha that actually at the sat level when one realizes the absolute truth and just sat the realization is that the absolute truth is simply existence so all activity is illusion and when we go beyond activity to the actionless, relationless, emotionless existence eternal existence that is the realization of the absolute truth so they conceive of the absolute truth as without any energies that’s why it is neutral gender but now the absolute truth when we conceive of the absolute truth as having material potencies as the capacity to control the material world that is the Parmatma realization but when one gets the Bhagawan realization one understands the absolute truth has material potencies and the absolute truth also has spiritual potencies that there is Samved, Sandini, Ladini there are various Shaktis and Krishna performed beautiful pastimes with his devotees in the spiritual world then we understand that the absolute truth is not just conscious but it is ecstatic it is joyful Anandamaya, that realization now impersonalists also accept that the Brahman is Ananda but what is the nature of that Ananda if there is simply existence, there is no relationship there are no emotions, what is the nature of that Ananda that they can’t explain but the Vaishnava understanding is that actually that Ananda is through the reciprocation of relationships through the reciprocation of love so now Brahmavadis are those who have experienced the sub-aspect of the absolute truth and they are also very renounced, very detached because they have become, they have turned away from the Asat material world that is itself glorious now they they are usually not aware of the Bhagawan aspect or they are not attracted to the Bhagawan aspect why? why are they not attracted? Bhakti Sanjayate Bhakti it is by association of devotees that Bhakti arises so if they have not been fortunate enough to associate with devotees then they are attracted to the impersonal conception and then they become situated as Brahmavadis Mayavadis on the other hand, they are aware of the Bhagawan aspect also but they consider the Bhagawan aspect to also be Maya so Brahmavad and Brahman these are all bona fide aspects of the absolute truth. Brahmavad is a bona fide spiritual realization.
Brahman is a valid aspect of the absolute truth but when Brahman is itself made the highest highest aspect of the absolute truth or rather Brahman is made into the only absolute truth that is also not bad it’s wrong but it’s not offensive when Brahman is made into the only absolute truth and Bhagawan is considered to be Maya then it becomes offensive so to think of Brahman as the absolute truth that is Brahmavad but to think of Brahman as the only absolute truth and to consider Bhagawan as Maya that is that is a serious misunderstanding Krishna also differentiates between this in 12th chapter when Arjuna asks him, who are better, the personalist or the impersonalist? So Krishna actually appreciates the impersonalist also but he says it will take a long time to come to me klesho dhikta raste shyam avyakta asapajita sam in 12.5 he says that actually the path of impersonal realization is a slow gradual path but he appreciates them they engage in the welfare of all living beings they are detached overall he speaks appreciatively about them but in 9.11 and 12 in the Gita he talks about mayavadas this is actually a terrible misconception those who have this conception that my form is a product of illusion that I am a product of illusory energy they are doomed themselves by their misconception so the difference between brahmavad and mayavad is essentially brahmavadis are attracted to brahman as the absolute truth where mayavadis consider Bhagawan to be an illusion is that clear?