ascending / descending process

 
So this Kapila, Devahuti, son of Devahuti Kapila, His Saṅkhya yoga means bhakti-vitana-yogam: how bhakti, devotional service to the Lord, is expanded. That is Saṅkhya yoga. And how it is received, that is also stated here, tattva amnayam yad pravadanti saṅkhyam. Amnayam, by disciplic succession. No philosophical speculation, but as it is received by predecessor, by tradition, amnayam. Tattvam amnayam. We cannot manufacture tattva. That is improper way of understanding the truth. Generally, the Western philosophers, they try to understand the Absolute Truth by the ascending process. 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. So ascending process is based on speculation, and descending process is based on fact.    (More...)
This evening we are talking about Bhagavad-gita, that Bhagavad-gita is understood by the descending process, as Krsna said. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that this yoga system... Bhagavad-gita is also yoga system. That is bhakti-yoga. Although there are description of karma, jnana and the mystic yoga, and ultimately bhakti-yoga, but actually it is meant for bhakti-yoga, the Bhagavad-gita. Those who are jnanis, speculative, for them also, it is described. And those who are hatha-yogis, they are also described there. But ultimately, the conclusion is bhakti-yoga. Just like in the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita the yoga system is described. The yoga system is described, that one has to go in a secluded place, and he has to sit down straight, right angular, and see the front portion of the nose, and the eyes half closed. In this way the hatha-yoga system, or astaṅga-yoga system, is described in the Bhagavad-gita.    (More...)
There are two ways of answering such questions, I mean the deductive way and inductive way. Mortality of man is established by either of the above ways. In deductive way we take it for granted from reliable source, "Man is Mortal.'' But in the inductive way we approach the same truth by our poor reasoning of "observation and experiment.'' By observation we can see that Gandhi dies, Fotilal dies, C.R. Das dies, Patel dies and therefore we conclude that man dies or, "Man is Mortal''. Then again in the same deductive way when we reason that man is mortal, and find that Jawaharlal is a man and thus conclude that Jawaharlal is mortal.    (More...)
The above statement is very important in the following manner. There are two different processes for acquiring knowledge. The one is Deductive Process and the other is Inductive Process. In the Deductive Process we deduce the conclusion from the statement of higher authorities whereas by the Inductive Process we make a research in the truth by our own imperfect knowledge and induce a conclusion. Say for example if we want to know how man is mortal then we have to make a research in statistics of daily death occurrences. Rama dies, Syama dies, father dies, mother dies, he dies, she dies, etc. all these experiences may help us in the conclusion that after all man dies and therefore the conclusion man is mortal made. But the defect of this process of knowledge is that it may be that we have not seen a person who is still living even after some thousands of years. As soon as we get this information the whole conclusion that a man is mortal-is at once changed and we have to say that some men are mortal. In this way the research work of scientific thought are constantly changing because the very research work is done by person who is himself a condition by the four principles of mistake, illusion, cheating and imperfection. Therefore, the Deductive Process is more effective. Man is mortal we have heard it from very authoritative sources like the Vedas and we have accepted it. The Vedas say that stool is impure but the stool of the cow is pure. The Vedas say that bone is untouchable but the conchshell which is also a bone is perfectly pure. For the common man the statements of the Vedas appear to be contradictory. But in spite of such contradiction, because we Hindus accept the Vedas as authority we accept cow dung as pure and allow it to be used even in the kitchen. So also we accept the conchshell. The conchshell is after all a bone of an animal but because it is accepted by the Vedas we allow conchshell to be used in the sanctified room of our family deity. If we examine in the physical laboratory or analyse it by chemical test we won't find any difference between the stool of a man and that of a cow or the bone of an ox and that of a conch. And yet the whole Hindu Muslim conflict, the whole struggle of Gandhi and Jinnah and the whole question of Kashmir problem in the UNSCO have arisen from this petty difference of bones only. In the Hindu temple the bone conchshell is already there but as soon as a Muhammadan throws a piece of bone of the ox in the temple-the whole trouble began, resulting in the partition of India and Pakistan. So an impartial mundane student who will enter into the research work of such bone affairs in the annals of Indian History-surely he will come to the conclusion of unrestricted obedience to the words of the Vedas or that of the Koran or that of the Bible that lead to all sorts of Jehad and crusade. As a matter of fact the so called intelligent persons of the modern age have taken the shelter of secularism on the strength of past unfortunate religious feuds. This is another type of nonsense.    (More...)
Therefore in the present age respect for Deductive Process is dwindling whereas respect for Inductive Process is increasing although we know so far the Inductive research is concerned the process has not been successful. The conclusion is that we have lost our faith in the traditional Vedic knowledge handed down from the Guru to Chela or from the father to the son, although such system of Deductive Knowledge from the authority is the most perfect form of knowledge. The ultimate truth which is far beyond the reach of our imperfect senses can never be known by such inductive research work. The imperfect senses could not even measure the distance of the physical product The Sun or the Innumerable stars in front of us-and what such imperfect senses can make a research in the Mantras which are purely spiritual affairs. We have to accept the Mantra and its potency from the Vedic source and follow the practice and principles only to arrive at reality of truth. Research work by imperfect senses is practically a revolt against the established truth. Let us therefore accept the Vedic injunction of Brihannaradiya Puranam.    (More...)
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 (called the ascending process) is not approved by the Ve
In three out of the four millenniums, namely the Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga, there was honor in understanding transcendence through the path of disciplic succession. In the present age, on account of Kali, people have no interest in the matter of the disciplic succession, but they have invented many paths of argument and logic. Such an ascending process of understanding transcendence is not approved according to the Vedic way. The Absolute Truth must descend from the Absolute platform. It is not to be understood by the ascending process. The Holy Name of the Lord, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is a transcendental vibration. Therefore it comes down from the transcendental platform, the Supreme Abode of Krishna. And, because there is no difference between Krishna and His Name, therefore the Holy Name of Krishna is as pure, as perfect, and as liberated as Krishna Himself. For understanding the transcendental nature of the Holy Name of God, the academic scholars have no entrance by their logic and argument. The single path to understanding the transcendental nature of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is to chant these Names with faith and adherence. Such chanting will release one from the designated conditions of gross and subtle bodies.    (More...)