Vedanta is not Instant Gratification

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Thu, 31 Aug 2000, T Swaminarayan wrote:

> By this do you not see that one will end up in
> chaos?You can yourself be a srotriya by going through
> the printed medium!

Actually that's not true.  Even nowadays the learned Brahmans teach Shruti
by word of mouth only.  But I understand your point.  If a Guru is not
Brahmanishta himself, his knowledge is second-hand.  How can such a one
impart the truth?

> The guru you are suggesting is then
> no better than yourself who have gained knowledge from
> reading the scriptures.In my opinion, reading the
> various bhyashas of ACCLAIMED ACHARYAS is better thAn
> settling for a Sotriya suggested by you.
>

But we have the same problem there.  How do we who have never met them
know whether those those acharyas were brahmanishta or not?

we can't.  Until we know Brahman ourselves, we who are afflicted with
avidya lack the capability to accurately make that judgement.  Then is all
hope lost?  No.  We have to bear in mind that mukti is not something that
can be "given" by any entity but is the intrinsic part of ourselves.  We
can by insight and introspection determine who is leading us away from
that inner truth and who is leading us towards it.  The latter is the true
Guru.

--
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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