What Mayavada Philosophy Says About God Exposing Impersonalism
Śrīla Prabhupāda rigorously defends the transcendental nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead against the philosophical deviations of the impersonalists. He exposes how Māyāvāda philosophy indirectly insults the Lord by denying His eternal form, senses, and opulences. By systematically defeating these monistic theories, Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes the supremacy of pure devotional service and protects humanity from the pitfalls of atheism.
The Myth of the Formless God
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Māyāvādīs falsely claim the Absolute Truth is ultimately formless and without senses. He points out the absurdity of this idea, questioning how a God without eyes or ears could possibly witness the suffering of the world or hear the prayers of His devotees. By defining the Lord as deaf, dumb, and blind, this philosophy indirectly hurls the greatest insult at the Supreme Person.
- According to the Mayavada philosophy, the Supreme Truth, being all-pervasive, does not need a transcendental form. The Mayavadis suppose that since His form is distributed everywhere, He has no form. This is untrue.
- The God of the monists, or Mayavadis, cannot eat, see, or hear. Such a concocted, formless God can never bring peace to the world. How can a God who has no sensory organs see the miseries of the people or hear their heartfelt prayers?
- The Mayavadis' proposition that God has no legs, no eyes, no ears and no hands is an indirect way of insulting Him by defining Him as blind, deaf, dumb, lame, helpless, etc.
The Fallacy of a Material Incarnation
Another dangerous proposition of the impersonalists is their assertion that when God descends to the material world, He assumes a temporary, material body. Śrīla Prabhupāda vehemently rejects this idea, clarifying that the Lord always appears in His original, infallible spiritual form through His internal potency. To suggest that the omnipotent Supreme Lord can be covered by material nature is a completely offensive and illogical conclusion.
- Mayavada philosophy says that the Lord is originally impersonal but assumes a human form and many other forms when He descends. Actually, however, He is originally like a human being, and the impersonal Brahman consists of the rays of His body.
- The most dangerous theory of the impersonalists is that when God comes as an incarnation He accepts a material body created by the three modes of material nature. This Mayavada theory has been condemned by Lord Caitanya as most offensive.
- Because a material body can be neither omnipotent nor omniscient, the Lord's body is surely not material. The Mayavada theory that the Personality of Godhead comes within this material world with a material body cannot be supported by any means.
The Absurdity of the Covered God
Māyāvādī philosophers often preach that the individual living entity is actually the Supreme Lord but is currently overwhelmed by illusion. Śrīla Prabhupāda exposes the inherent contradiction in this theory, stating that if God can be conquered by māyā, then māyā would be greater than God. He emphasizes that the infallible Supreme Lord is never subject to material conditioning, and the idea that everyone is God is sheer nonsense.
- Acyuta means infallible. God cannot be entrapped by maya. The Mayavadi philosopher says that "I am God. Now I am under illusion of maya. I have forgotten myself, that I am God, and by meditation I shall become God." This is all nonsense.
- The Mayavada theory holds that the living entity was formerly God but has now become overwhelmed by the influence of maya.
- Isvara cannot be many. That is not isvara. The Mayavada philosophy that everyone is God, that is not very right conclusion. That is rascaldom.
The Duty to Defeat Impersonalism
Śrīla Prabhupāda instructs his followers that it is not enough to simply practice devotion; one must also be ready to intellectually defend the personal nature of the Absolute Truth. He warns that Māyāvāda philosophy ultimately leads to atheism by destroying the foundational understanding of the soul's eternal loving relationship with God. Therefore, a sincere Vaiṣṇava must be fully equipped with logic and scripture to defeat these monistic misconceptions.
- A Vaisnava, or devotee, must not only be fixed in the service of the Lord, but, if required, must be prepared to argue with the impersonalist Mayavadis with all logic and philosophy and defeat their contention that the Absolute Truth is impersonal.
- The Mayavada Philosophy has played havoc in spiritual understanding leading to Atheistic tendency. The interpretation that one has to be naked before the Lord is also mayavada philosophy.
- The Mayavada philosophy is so degraded that it has taken the insignificant living entities to be the Lord, the Supreme Truth, thus covering the glory and supremacy of the Absolute Truth with monism.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda provides the ultimate defense against the confusing and degrading tenets of impersonalism. He clarifies that Māyāvāda philosophy minimizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead by denying His eternal form and falsely elevating the conditioned soul to the status of the Supreme. By recognizing these logical fallacies and philosophical offenses, a devotee can safely avoid the pitfalls of monism and remain steady on the pure path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
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