Stick to the Plan (05/17/12)
Daṇḍavats Swami,
I think you and I may have argued on this anādi point back in 1996 when you were visiting Govindajī Gardens.
I have never been one to appreciate the stance of S_____ on anadi that first appeared in “Not Even the Leaves Fall From Vaikuṇṭha”. Nor do I appreciate that of other anādivādīs and offenders of our guru-varga such as B_____, A____ etc.
I still do not accept the idea that Bhaktivinoda’s taṭastha-jīva explanations in “Jaiva Dharma” were a preaching strategy and that anādi means that Kṛṣṇa put us here with no free choice in the matter and so on.
I so much more appreciate the feeling, deep thinking and realizations of Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja and Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura than those of the mundane grammarians. But in the end, if it were (and i do not believe it is) a preaching strategy, I would have to say — stick to the plan.
Here’s the other deal on anādi:
1: Anādi bahira-mukha. “Anādi means that which has no beginning. Then why after they enter the land of exploitation, do they begin to come within the form of thought, place and time? Before time, before the conception of this material time, there is movement – so anādi. Firstly, bahira-mukhata means the tendency towards exploitation. At the beginning, the first tendency is towards exploitation. Then when they enter the area of exploitation that comes within the factor of time and space – the thought of the mundane world, so anādi bahira-mukha. In this way, some enter this side and some may go towards Vaikuṇṭha. In this way, the equilibrium is disturbed and the dynamic character of this world begins in the negative side.” (Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja)
2: “Limitation of free will, that is the cause of this world. No misuse of free will – no world!” (Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja)
3: If the soul were not endowed with the freedom to determine his
position, we would have to blame God for our suffering. But we cannot blame God. The starting point of the soul’s suffering is within himself. (Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja)
4: The free will is there and that is the rub. Some say in disappointment, “Why He has given such dangerous free will to us, by misusing which we are under eternal suffering? Why He has given? He is omniscient – He is all-knowing. Then knowingly we can misuse. Why He has given such a thing in us? By misuse of which why has an adult given a dagger in the hand of an infant, that he may stab himself?” But devoid of free will, then it is a material thing, matter. Free will is a very valuable thing and with the help of that, he can taste the rasa. (Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja)
5: It is a very intricate question—troublesome, intricate and puzzling question. The nature of too much discussion may oppose faith. Ultimately everything is adhokṣaja. Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa, that is adhokṣaja. We must have some respect for that. It is approachable only through faith, śraddhā, and not with intellectual reason and argument. (Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja)
6: This mayika existence, though it is told anādi – anādi means before it enters this world of mundane thinking, the primal stage of conscious existence. So, though it is told as anādi, but still it has got ādi in the spiritual record. (Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja)
Hoping this meets you well.
Gaura Haribol,
Swami Narasingha
