Philosophy

Vedanta is not antithetical to Christism or Islam. Even if we say that divine principle resides outside man, Vedanta does not say that it is wrong.

antarbahiśca tatsarvaṃ vyāpya nārāyaṇaḥ sthitaḥ ।

-Mahānārayaṇopaniṣad 13.5

Thoughts on the Three Matas

It has become common practice among us — notably among Brahmins — and especially among those who think they have understood the essence of a mata, to argue whether it is Dvaita, Advaita or Viśiṣṭādvaita, when they are faced with the prospect of understanding philosophical texts such as the Gītā or the Upaniṣads. When I translated Vedic texts such as the Puruṣa-sūkta into Kannada, many people would ask me this same question. I would reply in one of the following two ways :

udāracaritānām tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam ||
bāndhavā viṣṇubhaktāśca svadeśo bhuvanatrayam ||

Principle is more important than practice

About the relationship between husband and wife

Now, with the advent of democracy, our lives are full of constant turmoil. The king reigned over a kingdom that was subject to rule by a single ruler. Democracy, on the other hand, has many leaders. It is difficult to achieve consensus with multiple leaders - more so about wealth and its distribution. So, what is theoretically thought to be a multi-leader system practically results in anarchy.

But then, what is the use of lamenting over that? There is another side to this topic. We see this kind of admixture only among the rarefied urban population. Those who are wealthy or in prestigious positions or in seats of power are into mixed relationships for many reasons. These are the urban nouveau riche. If we leave them aside and look at populations of tribesmen and categories of poor people, we see resistance to the idea of this admixture. Such people have maintained the differences in clans and categories that have come to them from time immemorial.

Having now reflected upon the steps to attain the right level of eligibility, let us think once again about the four problems due to changing times.

What about the jñānī? He too has to perform karma but instructing him is not necessary. He performs karma without any guidance. Karma is imperative as long as the body exists. Life in the physical plane implies contact with the world. Even the most knowledgeable cannot escape it. If that is the case, what is so unique about a jñānī’s knowledge? The answer is that a jñānī’s karma does not result in individual results for him.

Let us now remember and discuss these in some detail.