i read somewhere that son of srila vyasadeva i.e srila shukadevaji is advaita guru. name of shukdeva goswami incuded in advaita guru parampara. is it true ? impersonalist doesnt belives in krishna's spiritual body they simply says he also has a body similar to us or temporary body of five elements like us. but in sb 11.31.6 srila shukdeva goswamiji says krishna doesnt left his body(because 'he is unborn' mentioned in many places of bhagwatam) so i'm thinking how one can say that srila shukdeva goswami is advaita guru ?
sorry for bad english.
hare krishna !!
Replies
gaudpaad i.e son of chaya shuka is teacher of govindpaad and govindapaad is teacher of adi shankaracharya.
Dear Susakha Shyamasundara Das Prabhuji, Hare Krishna.
Can you please present the sastric or Goswami references to the below quote
"
But once,srila sukhadeva goswami heard a pastime of krishna when he is going through some place.
"Krishna is so merciful that he gave the position of mother in vaikuntha to the person who came to kill him with poison".
After hearing this conversation,Sukadev Goswami completely attracted to the pastimes of lord and became a Pure Devotee of lord.
Even the Four Kumaras of Bramha also Bramhavadi's in beginning.But when they went to vaikuntha,they saw the beautiful form of the lord and smelled the tulasi leaves on his feet.Then they become pure devotees.
"
I have heard these many places so looking for the actual sastric references.
Sri Suka heard Srimad Bhagavatam (krishna katha) from his father Sri Vyasa in the womb of his mother.
Therefore, he was Krishnas devotee even before he was born.
Also, as far as i know, Sri Brahmaji didnt visit Vaikuntha yet, only Sri Kumaras.
Sri Kumaras were pure devotees even before they visited Vaikuntha loka, otherwise it would be impossible for them to come there.
thank you both prabhujis for very good explanation ! actually impersonalist shows this verse
sb 1.4.4 -
His (Vyasdev's) son was a great devotee equibalanced monist and was always fixed up by his mind in monism. He was transcendental to the mudane activities without being exposed like a stunted ignorant.
but they(impersonalists) forget that - that time shukadevaji was not aware of shrimad bhagwatam. after hearing it he becomes a great and pure(as he is a pure person and free from all three gunas of prakruti from the birth time) devotee of lord krishna and becomes one of the twelwe mahajans who knows the bhagwat dharma as mentioned in sb 6.3 !! jay shri radhe radhe !!
hare krishna !!
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
Sri Sukha deva goswami is a Brahmavadi in the starting.
Bramhavadi means they think that Brahmajyothi is the highest destination.They want want to merge into that light.They don't have any realization of Bhagavan.
But once,srila sukhadeva goswami heard a pastime of krishna when he is going through some place.
"Krishna is so merciful that he gave the position of mother in vaikuntha to the person who came to kill him with poison".
After hearing this conversation,Sukadev Goswami completely attracted to the pastimes of lord and became a Pure Devotee of lord.
Even the Four Kumaras of Bramha also Bramhavadi's in beginning.But when they went to vaikuntha,they saw the beautiful form of the lord and smelled the tulasi leaves on his feet.Then they become pure devotees.
The difference between Bramhavadi and mayavadi is ,
Bramhavadi thinks that the highest destination is Brmhajyothi.It is first state of realizing the GOD.
Mayavadi thinks that he is GOD and he is under illusion.HE also thinks that when ever GOD comes he takes a material body like us.The ultimate aim of them is also bramhajyothi but they think that once they merge into that they become one with GOD.
Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.11
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate
The Absolute Truth is both subject and object, and there is no qualitative difference there. Therefore, Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān are qualitatively one and the same. The same substance is realized as impersonal Brahman by the students of the Upaniṣads, as localized Paramātmā by the Hiraṇyagarbhas or the yogīs, and as Bhagavān by the devotees. In other words, Bhagavān, or the Personality of Godhead, is the last word of the Absolute Truth. Paramātmā is the partial representation of the Personality of Godhead, and impersonal Brahman is the glowing effulgence of the Personality of Godhead, as the sun rays are to the sun-god. Less intelligent students of either of the above schools sometimes argue in favor of their own respective realization, but those who are perfect seers of the Absolute Truth know well that the above three features of the one Absolute Truth are different perspective views seen from different angles of vision.
As it is explained in the first śloka of the First Chapter of the Bhāgavatam, the Supreme Truth is self-sufficient, cognizant and free from the illusion of relativity. In the relative world the knower is different from the known, but in the Absolute Truth both the knower and the known are one and the same thing. In the relative world the knower is the living spirit or superior energy, whereas the known is inert matter or inferior energy. Therefore, there is a duality of inferior and superior energy, whereas in the absolute realm both the knower and the known are of the same superior energy. There are three kinds of energies of the supreme energetic. There is no difference between the energy and energetic, but there is a difference of quality of energies. The absolute realm and the living entities are of the same superior energy, but the material world is inferior energy. The living being in contact with the inferior energy is illusioned, thinking he belongs to the inferior energy. Therefore there is the sense of relativity in the material world. In the Absolute there is no such sense of difference between the knower and the known, and therefore everything there is absolute.
Sri Shuka is one of the highest devotees in this universe:
SB 6.3.20-21 — Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhāgavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.
Advaita guru-paramparā (Lineage of Gurus in Non-dualism) or sametimes called Ṛṣi-paramparā, which includes the vedic seers Vasishta, his son Shakti, his son Parashara, his son Vyasa, (the famous redactor of the Vedas), and Vyāsa's son sri Sukadeva Goswami.
I also heard in Bhakti Sudhir Goswamis lecture, that because of advaita philosophy or non dualism and impersonalism sri Suka isnt devotee of Lord.
My opinion is that all rishis in advaita parampara are pure devotees of Lord. The same as Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma.
How rishis in impersonal advaita philosophy, can be at the same time pure devotees of Lord and personalists, who always accompany Lord in His transcendental lilas, its usually hidden from separatists who doesnt know absolute truth.
SB 1.2.11 — Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān. ( thats real non dual advaita philosophy, which accept personal and impersonal aspect of god at the same time )
Lord personal aspect is very dear to Lord and to all living beings.
Mother Yasoda see Him as her son, Arjuna as his friend, gopis as their lover, but the rishis see Him as all three aspects, as bhagavan (supreme person) paramatma and parambrahman.
Great rishis see Krishna as all three aspect, and they see Him as He really is, but mother Yasoda see Him as her son. We can say that mother yasoda is in so called transcendental illusion.
what is eternal transcendental illusion and whats material illusion is for some other topic.
The problem with impersonal Mayavadis isnt because they meditate on impersonal param brahman, its because they dont accept Lords Personal aspect to, therefore they cant know absolute truth as it is.
The same is with vaishnava personalists who practice sadhana bhakti and adore God in a form of deities, but ignore paramatma aspect of God :
.
-Anyway, this cant apply on Vrajabasis, who are examples of raganuga or spontaneous bhakti.
NBS 22 — Even in the case of the gopīs, one cannot criticize them for forgetting the Lord's greatness.