View source for In the Kali-yuga, bhakti has been described as the most suitable and easiest of paths for God realization. Yet how is it that Vedantic teachings, with their accent on jnana, are being given the pride of place by noted savants or knowers?

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{{terms|"In the Kali-yuga, bhakti has been described as the most suitable and easiest of paths for God realization. Yet how is it that Vedantic teachings, with their accent on jnana, are being given the pride of place by noted savants or knowers"}}
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[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1976]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="9" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1976 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1976 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="AnswerstoaQuestionnairefromBhavansJournalJune281976Vrndavana_0" class="quote" parent="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="169" link="Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana" link_text="Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana">
<div class="heading">The so-called Vedantists are bluffers. They do not know what is Vedānta. But the things are going on that people want to be bluffed and the bluffers take advantage of it, and therefore... Veda means knowledge, and anta means end of knowledge. That is the combination of Vedānta. So in the Vedānta the beginning is, Vedānta-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsāḥ. "Now, in the human form of life, they should inquire about the Absolute Truth." That is the Vedānta philosophy.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana|Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Hari-śauri: So it depends on how one acts as to whether he can be accepted as...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Then... One acts means he must act accordingly. If he does not act accordingly, that is his business. That's all.</p>
<p>Hari-śauri: Jaya, Śrīla Prabhupāda.</p>
<p>Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Jaya. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (devotees offer obeisances) (break)</p>
<p>Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: ...for answers to these questions.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: What they will answer? What do they know? All rascals.</p>
<p>Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you speak perfectly.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: The scientist agrees?</p>
<p>Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I have spoken to Tamal Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja today about the... (break)</p>
<p>Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: This is question number eight for this Bhavan's Journal, Bombay. We've covered the first seven questions. The eighth question, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is "In the Kali-yuga, bhakti has been described as the most suitable and easiest of paths for God realization. Yet how is it that Vedantic teachings, with their accent on jñāna, are being given the pride of place by noted savants or knowers?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: The so-called Vedantists are bluffers. They do not know what is Vedānta. But the things are going on that people want to be bluffed and the bluffers take advantage of it, and therefore... Veda means knowledge, and anta means end of knowledge. That is the combination of Vedānta. So in the Vedānta the beginning is, Vedānta-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsāḥ. "Now, in the human form of life, they should inquire about the Absolute Truth." That is the Vedānta philosophy. And what is that Absolute Truth? Sūtra means in aphorism, in small words, a big philosophy is given. That is called sūtra. A little link. So Vedānta-sūtra begins when one is inquisitive to understand the Absolute Truth. That is called Vedānta-sūtra. And it is answered, first question is now about brahma-jijñāsa, inquisitive, inquiry about Brahman. So Brahman is, in nutshell, described: "Brahman means the origin of everything." Janmādy asya yataḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]). And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam ([[Vanisource:BG 15.15|BG 15.15]]). All the Vedas, all the book of knowledge, their business is how to search out God. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 15.15|BG 15.15]]). So the whole Vedānta is description of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But because in this Kali-yuga people will not be able to study Vedānta nicely on account of lack of education, therefore Vyāsadeva personally wrote a commentary on the Vedānta. That commentary is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāṣyaṁ brahma-sūtrānam **. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the real commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra written by the author himself. The Vedānta-sūtra is also given by Vyāsadeva, and under the instruction of Nārada, his spiritual master... Get this light on. He wrote commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra. That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also begins with the same aphorism, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñāh sva-rāṭ ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]). So actually, Vedānta-sūtra is explained by the author of the Vedānta in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So some rascals, without understanding Vedānta, without reading the commentary, natural commentary of the Vedānta-sūtra they are posing themselves as Vedantist. That means they are misguiding people. And because people are not educated, they're accepting these rascals as Vedantists. Actually, the so-called Vedantists, they are bluffers. They are not Vedantists. They do not know anything of the Vedānta. That is the difficulty. Otherwise, what is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that is real Vedānta. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsa. That is Vedānta-sutra-bhāṣya. Find out this verse.</p>
<p>Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Kamasya nendriya pritir labho jiveta yavata ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.10|SB 1.2.10]]).</p>
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