Ascending Process - The Futility of Mental Speculation
When attempting to understand the mysteries of the universe and the nature of God, humanity generally relies on its own intellectual power. In Vedic philosophy, this bottom-up approach is known as the āroha-panthā, or the ascending process. Śrīla Prabhupāda extensively critiques this method, explaining that while inductive logic may be useful for mundane scientific discoveries, it is entirely useless for realizing the Supreme Absolute Truth. To know Kṛṣṇa, one must abandon the pride of independent research and embrace a completely different paradigm of learning.
The Illusion of Āroha-panthā
The ascending process is characterized by a rebellious and independent spirit. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that instead of accepting authoritative knowledge from the disciplic succession, modern people prefer to invent their own paths of logic. By relying on inductive reasoning, they falsely believe they can elevate themselves from a position of ignorance to ultimate enlightenment simply through their own speculative efforts.
- Aroha-pantha means inductive process: to know from here, from the lower status to the higher status, speculative method, or ascending process.
- By the ascending process one is elevated by knowledge acquired by himself. In this way one thinks - I don't care for any authorities or books. I will attain knowledge myself by meditation, philosophy, etc. In this way I will understand God.
- There are two processes of understanding the Absolute Truth. One is called ascending process, or inductive logic, and another process is descending process, or deductive logic.
- In the present age, people have no interest in the disciplic succession. Instead, they have invented many paths of logic and argument. This individual attempt to understand the supreme transcendence (the ascending process) is not approved by the Vedas.
The Imperfection of Material Senses
The fatal flaw of the ascending process lies in the instruments it uses: the material mind and senses. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that our senses are fundamentally imperfect and prone to illusion. Quoting the Brahma-saṁhitā, he illustrates that even if a mental speculator travels at the speed of the wind for millions of years, the Supreme Lord will remain forever beyond their grasp.
- Ascending process and descending process. So by ascending process, we can never come to the real knowledge. That is not possible, because our senses are imperfect.
- Brahma-samhita states that if one takes to the ascending process and travels at the speed of mind and wind for millions of years, he will still end up not knowing.
- The Absolute Truth remains above the philosophers and their acquired knowledge. The conception of the Absolute is never perfectly attained by such an ascending process, because of its being born of imperfect, material senses.
- By the ascending process, no one can reach the Lord, even by a long-term endeavor of many, many years. What is obtained by this ascending process, however, is imperfect, partial, impersonal knowledge, liable to be deviant from the Absolute Truth.
The Māyāvādī and Western Approach
Because the ascending process relies on limited mental faculties, it can never comprehend the transcendental personality of the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Western philosophers and Māyāvādī impersonalists exclusively use this inductive method. By trying to exercise their mental power to reach the Absolute, the highest realization they can possibly achieve is the impersonal Brahman effulgence, completely missing the Supreme Person.
- Speculation is an improper way to understand the Absolute Truth. Generally Western philosophers try to understand the Absolute Truth by the ascending process of mental speculation. This is the process of inductive logic.
- Mayavadi philosopher's policy or system is ascending policy. I want to understand the Absolute Truth by exercising my mental power - that is called ascending process or inductive process. But our process is deductive process.
- Absolute Truth is vision from three angles of vision. Those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by the ascending process, they can reach up to the impersonal Brahman. Those who are trying to find out the Absolute Truth within himself.
- Everything is existing. We have to simply take the knowledge. The modern method is ascending process. The knowledge is there, but still, they are trying to understand it by aroha-pantha, ascending process. It is called inductive knowledge.
The Supremacy of the Descending Process
If the ascending process is a failure, how can one know God? Śrīla Prabhupāda presents the only authorized Vedic solution: the descending process (avaroha-panthā). Instead of climbing up to the Absolute Truth, a genuine mahātmā submissively receives deductive knowledge as it comes down directly from the Supreme Lord through the unbroken chain of spiritual masters.
- The cause of all causes, the Absolute Truth, can be known from the Absolute Truth Himself, and not by our ascending process to reach Him.
- Vedic process is not to acquire knowledge by ascending process, inductive process. Vedic knowledge is to receive knowledge by descending process, knowledge coming from authority.
- A mahatma never tries to approach Godhead by any invented method, any inductive, ascending process. Rather, he accepts the standard, deductive, descending process - that is, the method that comes down directly from the Supreme Lord.
- Our process is descending process. We are not trying to understand by the ascending process. Inductive or deductive. We accept the statements of the Vedas. Therefore we haven't got to make much effort to understand the thing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the attempt to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the ascending process of mental speculation is a futile endeavor born of false pride. Śrīla Prabhupāda clearly establishes that our imperfect material senses are utterly incapable of capturing the infinite. By abandoning the inductive methods of impersonalists and modern philosophers, and instead humbly accepting the descending knowledge of the Vedas, a sincere soul can effortlessly and perfectly understand the Absolute Truth.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Ascending Process. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.