Why did Vyasadeva give Vedic rituals instead of just giving bhakti, as Prabhupada did?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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So, why did Vyasdeva even give the Vedic atonements when actually they are not practical and he eventually had to give bhakti? Prabhupada gives bhakti everywhere, directly.
There is a recommended way, but there is also in the broad Vedic context, freedom of choice. That means, this is the way I recommend, but if you don’t want to take this, that doesn’t mean you are doomed. The broad Vedic tradition offers us what you could say as user-friendly spirituality.
So, user-friendly means that whatever you want to practice, at that level you can fit in. There are certain religions which often offer spirituality, this is the way. If you are not following this way, you are going to go to hell.
It’s either my way or the highway, but the Vedic way is not like that. The broad Vedic tradition is, if you can’t follow this, then follow this. If you can’t follow this, then follow this.
So, Krishna himself has instituted the tradition or through the scripture, Krishna has instituted the system of worship of devatas. So, for those who can’t worship him, Krishna doesn’t say you have to go to hell. You worship someone else.
Stay within the house of the Vedas. So, the house of the Vedas has the innermost chamber where there is treasury of bhakti. But for those who are not ready for it, those who are not interested in it, the house of Vedas is still very big.
And people can come in different chambers of that house and find something interesting. And that’s how they get connected and they stay at least within the house of the Vedas. So, in fact, that’s what wherever we want to do outreach in a broader setting, then what happens is that if we have multiple activities, temple is one place where you have worship, but if there are other things over there, if there is yoga, there is schools, there is there is free food, there is some cultural activities or whatever, then people may not come for the temple to the worship, but they’ll come for so many other things.
But they’re coming in the temple premises. They’re coming in contact with devotees. So, Prabhupada’s stress, Prabhupada had very little time with us after he started the Krishnamoishad movement.
He was there just for 10-11 years. So, Prabhupada’s purpose, stress is bhakti everywhere. But at the same time, Prabhupada does give us the scripture.
By the scripture, everything is, all the other paths also are given. So, the idea is that Vyasadeva’s strategy is at one level, you cast the net broad. At another level, you pull the net inwards.
So, when you’re casting the net, try to get as many souls within the Vedic fold as possible. But when you want to take them out, it is the bhakti which will actually take them out of the material world and towards Krishna. So, both approaches are valid.
So, rather than seeing that this or this, it is this and this. It’s like a pyramid. On the pyramid, at the top, you could say it’s bhakti.
But along the side of the pyramid, there are different people following different paths and they are also rising on the path of consciousness. It’s better to be a pious materialist than to be an impious materialist. So, the Vedic atonements are basically for people who are not yet ready for bhakti, but they don’t want to be materialistic.
At least they have that much consciousness. I don’t want to, that this is wrong. I want to atone for it.
At one level, surrender to Krishna is very easy. At another level, it’s very difficult. It’s easy because the practice of the path is easy in one sense, not very difficult austerities.
But it’s difficult because at one level, we have to give up our ego and independence. We have to surrender to Krishna, which is difficult for some people.