Nimbarka
Fri, 02/01/2008 - 15:12 — admin
The second principle proponent of Vaishnavism is Nimbarkacharya, also known as Nimbaditya, who is the founder of dvaitadvaitism, or dualistic monism, which first got its foothold in northern India. Nimbarka distinguishes the individual soul and the material energy from the Supreme Soul, yet declares them to be intimately connected. The nature of this connection is like the connection between waves and water or between a rope and the coils of a rope.8 Just as the water manifests waves on its surface, or just as the rope manifests coils, so the Supreme Soul manifests His energy as the living entities and the cosmic manifestation. The individual souls are infinite in number, each being a tiny spark of consciousness, eternally subordinate to the Supreme Soul. Due to the smallness of the individual soul, she is liable to come under the influence of maya and get caught up in samsara, the cycle of birth and death. When the soul is under the influence of maya, she is forced to accept the material body which she then identifies with, completely forgetting her true spiritual nature and her relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.9 In the free state, however, she enjoys personal association with, and vision of, the Supreme Lord, whose transcendental bodily form is invisible to material eyesight. The Absolute Truth is personal in nature and possesses unlimited potencies. The personal form of God is not material, however, but purely spiritual in nature. Nimbarka and his followers worship Radha and Krishna, and profess that absolute faith in and devotion for the Supreme Lord is the only path to the highest salvation. Salvation does not mean the sacrifice of one’s individuality as it does to the impersonalists, however. Rather, the soul in the highest condition of blessedness is said to dwell eternally in the spiritual abode, engaging in transcendental loving service to God.
Like Shankara, and also like the other Vaishnava acharyas, Nimbarka wrote a commentary on Vedanta-sutra, which is called Vedanta Parijata Saurabha.
Perfection means being in tune with reality. The first thing we must understand is reality — the reality of my identity, i.e., my essence, position and function. Who am I? Just as a person does not identify himself as being the shirt that he is wearing, he also should not identify himself with the body that he is wearing.Nimbarka
Science of Identity Foundation – Chris Butler Speaks
The second principle proponent of Vaishnavism is Nimbarkacharya, also known as Nimbaditya, who is the founder of dvaitadvaitism, or dualistic monism, which first got its foothold in northern India. Nimbarka distinguishes the individual soul and the material energy from the Supreme Soul, yet declares them to be intimately connected. The nature of this connection is like the connection between waves and water or between a rope and the coils of a rope.8 Just as the water manifests waves on its surface, or just as the rope manifests coils, so the Supreme Soul manifests His energy as the living entities and the cosmic manifestation. The individual souls are infinite in number, each being a tiny spark of consciousness, eternally subordinate to the Supreme Soul. Due to the smallness of the individual soul, she is liable to come under the influence of maya and get caught up in samsara, the cycle of birth and death. When the soul is under the influence of maya, she is forced to accept the material body which she then identifies with, completely forgetting her true spiritual nature and her relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.9 In the free state, however, she enjoys personal association with, and vision of, the Supreme Lord, whose transcendental bodily form is invisible to material eyesight. The Absolute Truth is personal in nature and possesses unlimited potencies. The personal form of God is not material, however, but purely spiritual in nature. Nimbarka and his followers worship Radha and Krishna, and profess that absolute faith in and devotion for the Supreme Lord is the only path to the highest salvation. Salvation does not mean the sacrifice of one’s individuality as it does to the impersonalists, however. Rather, the soul in the highest condition of blessedness is said to dwell eternally in the spiritual abode, engaging in transcendental loving service to God.
Like Shankara, and also like the other Vaishnava acharyas, Nimbarka wrote a commentary on Vedanta-sutra, which is called Vedanta Parijata Saurabha.