Dedication I offer this book at the lotus feet of my spiritual master, HDG Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaj

who has kindly accepted me as His disciple even though I am most unworthy of Him. I also offer this book at the lotus feet of my Param Gurudeva HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, without Whos causeless mercy I would still be lost in this world of suffering and distress. I would also like to thank my mother, Jagat Mohini Dasi, and the members of ISKCON Suriname who keep encouraging me to stay focused in Krishna consciosness. Preface In my search of the truth I have come across many different views on the topics of God. Evidently there can only be one truth, even though the paths to find the one truth can be many. The main point of religion is to re-establish ones relationship with God. But to be able to do this one first has to know who God is. What is his nature? And what is this relationship which we need to re-establish. One of the views I have come across is the views of the Arya Samaj, founded by Swami Dayanand. Even though many of his points are according to Vedic scriptures I have found that not all of his teachings are completely compliant to the Vedic scriptures. I have also found that some of his teachings are offensive. For example he states that books like the Ramayan are rubbish. These are the reasons for which I am attempting to help the reader find the truth about God and the teachings of the Vedic scriptures. My intention in writing this book is not to offend Swami Dayanand or any of his followers. I am just attempting to let the reader have a deeper insight into to the Vedic view of the following subjects. After reading parts of some books by the swami I come to the conclusion that the swami doesnt accept that there is a spiritual world beyond this material world. This leads him to associate everything with this material world. By doing thus I can understand why he doesnt fully understand all three aspects of God and why he has certain views about certain subjects. After all we are all seeking the truth, and after reading this book my wish is that the reader will have more insight into the truth.

Introduction

The ten principles of the Arya Samaj, which is the basis of their religion, are mostly based on doing good to others and to society, and leading an honest life so that when one is re-born one may again have as many comforts as possible within this material world. But is this enough? Is this all there is? Is what we can perceive around us the summumbonum of what God has to offer? And even after leading the best and most honest possible life according to the scriptures one may attain bliss, but according to the swami, only to fall back down to this cycle of birth and death. That doesnt seem like a very bright prospective. Let me then just live a medial lifestyle, doing what I want, me myself being the judge of whats good and not, because in the end Ill have to come back anyway. No! This is not the goal of life. According to the Vedas there is another world out there, beyond this one. Where everything is eternal, where there is no duality and where every soul lives in complete happiness serving the desires of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Purusha Shukta it is clearly stated that this whole material creation is but one fourth of the Lords creative potency and that three fourths are situated in a realm outside of this material creation. This means that we are wasting our time trying to strive for happiness in this material creation while ultimate happiness can only be found beyond this material creation. We must do all we can, according to the Vedic scriptures, to get out of this cycle of birth and death and to reach that supreme abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Let it be clear that just by merely living good and being honest one cannot attain that supreme abode of the Lord. If it was that easy we wouldnt be here in the first place. If all you want in life is to ensure a comfortable life in the present or following life, then its up to you to make that decision. But you must remember that the comfort you seek may be awarded in your next life but possibly in the body of a dog. Some dogs live more comfortable lives than humans. And if you do come as a dog you wont have the intelligence to realize that this material world is actually full of suffering and that everything is temporary. Further you must remember that what some people define as good maybe defined as bad by others. And what some people may define as bad may be defined as good by the scriptures. Our duty as human beings is to find out the truth and not just live good and honest lives. Even all animals live good and honest lives. What possible bad deed can a cow commit? What dishonest practice can a cow do? Yet it is still punished for its goodness and honesty by being slaughtered and eaten by bad people. So as evidence of the cow provides proof for the suffering going on in this world, we, being intelligent creatures must realize that this world is full of misery and we should try as hard as we can to ensure that we can come out of this cycle of birth and death. In the conclusion of this book I shall try to elaborate some more on these subjects. I have picked a few important topics from the writings of Swami Dayanand and will attempt to give the reader another perspective on these topics. I must admit that many topics that the swami writes about are in accordance with the Vedic scriptures. For example, his views on the varnashram system, his views on the caste system, and his views against the impersonalists and Bhudists way of thought are in accordance with the

Vedic scriptures. Yet there are some topics about which big question marks can be placed. These topics are as follows.

Vedic Scriptures. In his book Sathyarth Prakash Swami Dayanand is asked the question: Do you believe in the Puranas, Ithihasa etc? His answer is: Yes we do but only in the true ones He goes on to say: Ithihaasa, Purana, Kalpa, Gaathaa and Naaraashansi are five names given to Braahmanaas (that have been mentioned before). The Bhaagvat and the like books are not the real Puranas. In section 12-14 of his Tattva Sandharbha, Srila Jiva Goswami explains how the Puranas and Ithihasas are a part of the Vedic scriptures. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (2.4.10) it is stated: 'As clouds of smoke proceed by themselves out of a lighted fire kindled with damp fuel, thus, verily, O Maitrey, has been breathed forth from this great Being what we have as Rig-veda, Yajur-veda, Sama-veda, Atharv, girasas, Itihsa (legends), Purna (cosmogonies), Vidy (knowledge), the Upanishads, Slokas (verses), Stras (prose rules), Anuvykhynas (glosses), Vykhynas (commentaries). From him alone all these were breathed forth. If, as the Swami indicates, the Ithihasas and Puranas spoken about in this verse were a part of the braahmanaas of the Vedas, why would they be mentioned separately? Why wouldnt it just be stated that the Vedas (complete with the Braahmanaas), Upanishads etc were breathed forth. Also, why arent the other three names of the Braahmanaas, namely Kalpa, Gaathaa and Naaraashansi, mentioned in this verse? Why only two names of the Braahmanaas and not all five? Srila Jiva Goswami also refutes the point that these Ithihasas and Puranas are the same as the names given to the Braahmanaas made by Swami Dayanand by quoting a verse from the Chandogya Upanishad (7.1.2): Nrada said: 'I know the Rig-veda, Sir, the Yajur-veda, the Sama-veda, as the fourth Veda (I know) the Atharva, and as the fifth Veda (I know)the Itihasa-purana (the Bharata); the Veda of the Vedas (grammar); the Pitrya (the rules for the sacrifices for the ancestors); the Rasi (the science of numbers); the Daiva (the science of portents); the Nidhi (the science of time); the Vakovakya (logic); the Ekayana (ethics); the Deva-vidya (etymology); the Brahma-vidya (pronunciation, siksha, ceremonial, kalpa, prosody, khandas); the Bhuta-vidya (the science of demons); the Kshatra-vidya Here Sri Narada says that he knows the Ithihasas and Puranas as the fifth Veda. Srila Jiva Goswami also gives many more quotations found in the scriptures where it is evident

that the Ithihasas and Puranas are considered to be the fifth Veda. If they were, as the Swami indicates, names of the Braahmanaas, why would they here be quoted as to be the fifth Veda and not a Braahmanaa of the other four Vedas? Also in the Atharva Veda (11.7.24) and (15.6) we find statements about the Puranas and Ithihasas. Thus the unacceptance by the Arya Samaj of the Puranas and Ithihasas is baseless. They conveniently preach against the study of these books because otherwise they would have to agree to the fact that the Supreme Personality of Godhead in not formless. And this principle is inconceivable to them. I could go on and on citing quotations from the Puranas themselves but then this book would become too long and that is not my intention here. A lot of evidence about the Vedic nature of the Puranas and the Ithihasas and the supremacy of the Bhagavad Purana are given in the book Sri Tattva Sandarbha by Srila Jiva Goswami of the 16th century. You can find a free e-copy of this book with a simple google search.

Three Aspects of God The main point of contention between the Arya Samaj and the Theosophical Society was in regards to the nature of God. While the Theosophists asserted that the highest Divinity is an impersonal Principle, Swami Dayanand maintained that the Vedas and their allied literature clearly teach that God is a personal Being in his words, the Personification of Being, Knowledge and Bliss. But at the same time he preaches that God is formless. In the dictionary the meaning of personification is as follows: 1) (n.) The act of personifying; impersonation; embodiment. It is obvious that a personification of something must have form. On page 208, Swami Dayanand says and I quote He is formless, because if He possesses a form He could never be Omnipresent, nor, therefore Omniscient, since a finite substance can possess only finite attributes, actions and nature. Besides, He could never be free from hunger and thirst, heat and cold, disease, imperfections and injuries. This proves, therefore, that God is formless, If He were to possess a body, another person would be required to make the different organs of His body, such as eyes, ears and the like, for He, who is the product of the combination of the different parts, must have an intelligent formless maker. Here if it be urged that God Himself made His own body simply by willing it, this too goes to prove that He was formless before He made His body. It is clear, therefore, that God is never embodied. Being without a body He is able to make the visible universe out of invisible causes.

By stating that God is formless and that if He did have a form He would be liable to disease, hunger, thirst and so forth, He is undermining the powers of God. God is not a mere mortal who is liable to such imperfections, God is above such imperfections. Besides, by stating that He does not posses form He is limiting Him to possessing attributes of dead matter. As is perceived, all life possesses a form, be it smaller than an atom or bigger than a tree. So if God is a living force, it is logical to accept that He also must posses form. A formless entity would logically not be capable of certain things that an entity with form would be capable of. For example, a formless entity would not be able to see, hear, taste, feel, smell and so on because a formless entity does not posses senses. In this case all the other living entities posses greater abilities than God. Of course God doesnt have senses made up of the same matter combinations as we do but that doesnt mean that He doesnt have them. It is stated in numerous scriptures that God possesses a body made up of Sac , Cid and Ananda which means it is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. We maybe cannot fathom a body made up of these elements but that doesnt mean that it is formless. It is also stated in the scriptures that any one of Gods senses can perform the duties of all the other senses. For example with His eyes he can also taste, smell etc. By this statement alone it is obvious that He does posses sense organs. In the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita (Madhya, 6.141) Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains: 6.141 'n v ' t kahe yei ut 'p t ' n kare ' p t ' st p n SYNONYMS n v impersonal; t Him; kahe say; yei whatever; ut Vedas; p t mundane; n forbidding; kare does; p t transcendental; st p n confirmation. TRANSLATION "Wherever there is an impersonal description in the Vedas, the Vedas mean to establish that everything belonging to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental and free of mundane characteristics." PURPORT There are many impersonal statements about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated in the v t v t p n (3.19): p -p o j v no t p y ty u sa oty sa vetti v y na ca t syst v tt the

tam u

pu u

nt m

Although the Supreme Lord is described as having no hands and legs, He nonetheless accepts all sacrificial offerings. He has no eyes, yet He sees everything. He has no ears, yet He hears everything. When it is stated that the Supreme Lord has no hands and legs, one should not think that He is impersonal. Rather, He has no mundane hands or legs like ours. "He has no eyes, yet He sees." This means that He does not have mundane, limited eyes like ours. Rather, He has such eyes that He can see past, present and future, everywhere, in every corner of the universe and in every corner of the heart of every living entity. Thus the impersonal descriptions in the Vedas intend to deny mundane characteristics in the Supreme Lord. They do not intend to establish the Supreme Lord as impersonal. Swami Dayanand further argues that if God had a form, someone other than Himself would have to have given Him the organs which a form possesses. Isnt it logical that if God is God and He possesses infinite and unfathomable powers He would be able to posses any form or non form that He desires at any given moment. If God could posses qualities like, in the words of Swami Dayanand, omnipresence and omniscience why wouldnt He be able to posses organs? In other words Swami Dayanand is limiting the abilities and powers of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we study the Vedas carefully we will see that God has relationships with His creation. He guides, punishes and awards, gives life and death, becomes angry, summons, leads, loves and does not love, protects, teaches, beguiles, takes care, remembers etc. Such relationships between God and living beings display His personal nature, for only a person can have such relationships. Impersonal light or power cannot love, teach, remember, become angry etc. One must be a person to have such relationships. Metaphysical philosophy defines a person as "a self-objectifying consciousness". This means that a person knows his own individuality and is aware of who he is. One who thinks, wills, feels; has senses, desires, qualities, remembrance, knowledge, relationships with others, individual existence, activities and identity is defined as a person. Since the scriptures proclaim that the Absolute Truth, God, is unlimited, then He must be simultaneously personal and impersonal, for if He is only one and not the other we impose limitation on Him. Thus we limit the unlimited. It will always remain inconceivable for us how God can simultaneously be personal and impersonal. It is possible because God is not a person in a limited mundane sense. His personality is completely spiritual, free from any material qualities, and beyond limits of time and space. He is an unlimited person with unlimited qualities and as such He can simultaneously be personal and impersonal. His personal feature is the energetic source of His impersonal feature just as the sun is the energetic source of the sunlight. Nothing is impossible for God and if He wants to be a person who can prevent Him from doing so?

Only a person can have these characteristics. One who is a person, who has individuality, can have personal feelings. No abstract light or abstract power can have individual feelings. No impersonal energy can have such variety. The Vedas and Upanishads explain that God loves and loves not, is pleased and displeased, is full of pity, shows favor, anger and wrath, takes pleasure, etc. For displaying all these feelings God must have senses, mind and intelligence. He is not less than us. Of course, the senses of God cannot be material for they would be temporary like our bodily senses. His senses must be spiritual. Unlike our very limited material senses, they are perfect, unlimited, eternal and beyond contamination and illusion. Another proof that God is a person is that He has desires. One of the characteristics of a person is that he has desires. God wishes all living beings well. He is our ever wellwisher. He desires for us eternal life, perfect knowledge and everlasting bliss. If God has desires then He is a person. Of course, His desires differ from ours. His desires are completely spiritual and transcendental. He does not need to work hard for their fulfillment like us. He just desires and it happens. (Taken from an article by Payonidhi das) In the Muktikopanisad the original size (how many verses each Veda consisted) of the Vedas has been mentioned. By this we can understand that what is to be found of the Vedas now-a-days is just a small part (6%) of the original Vedas. Swami Dayanand bases his philosophy on these incomplete parts of the Vedas. How is it possible to judge the contents of a whole book by just reading one chapter? It is said in the Muktikopanisad that the Rig Veda consists of 100,000 verses now-a-days we find only about 20,000 verses, that is only one fifth of the original. How can one claim to be an exclusive follower of the Vedas when one only follows one fifth of its teachings. In the parts of the Vedas still to be found, there is not much said about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here and there you will find a few passages stating the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, proclaiming Him as to be the Creator of the three worlds and as the maintainer of them. Even though these truths are mentioned in Rig Veda, the Swami denies them. idam visnurvi cakrame tredha ni dadhe padam samulhamasya pamsure || RV 1.22.17 || trini . vi cakrame visnurgopA adabhyah ato dharmani dharayan || RV 1.22.18 || As one can see, these verses name Vishnu as the preserver of the world, and indicate that He traversed the whole world, which is collected as the dust in His footprints. All attributes of a Supreme Deity. tad visnoh paramam padam sada pashyanti surayah diviva caksurstatam || RV 1.22.20 ||

This states that the seers see always that "Supreme Abode" where Sri Vishnu resides. tad vipraso vipanyavo jagrvamsah samindhate visnoryat paramam padam || RV 1.22.21 || Another reference to the "Supreme Abode" of Vishnu. Now here is a reference to Vishnu as the creator of the three worlds: visnornu kam viryani pra vocam yah parthivani vimamerajamsi yo askabhayaduttaram sadhastham vicakramanastredhorugayah || RV 1.154.1 || pra tad visnu stavate viryena mrgo na bhimah kucaro giristhAh yasyorusu trisu vikramanesvadhiksiyanti bhuvanani vishva || RV 1.154.2 || This says that the three worlds abide in Vishnu's three paces. So, again, we have an explicit reference describing Lord Vishnu as the maintainer of the three worlds. That hardly sounds like the function of an administrative devata. pra visnave shusametu manma giriksita urugayaya vrsne ya idam dirgham prayatam sadhasthameko vimame tribhirit padebhih || RV 1.154.3 || This is another reference to Vishnu, "who alone made, by three steps, these three worlds." yasya trii puurnaa madhunaa padaanyakshiiyamaanaa svadhayaa madanti ya u tridhaatu pr^ithiviim uta dyaam eko daadhaara bhuvanaani vishvaa || RV 1.154.4 || And yet again, Vishnu as the maintainer of the three worlds. ta vam vastunyushmasi gamadhyai yatra gavo bhurishrn^gaayasah atraha tadurugayasya vrsnah paramam padamava bhati bhuri || RV 1.154.6 || And yet again, the "Supreme station" of Vishnu.. agnirvai devanamavamo vishnuh paramah || aitareya brahmana 1.1.1 || This says that among devatas, Agni is "lowest" and Vishnu is "highest." aniravamo devatanam vishnuh paramah || taittiriya samhita 5.5.1 || That's also saying the same thing, that Vishnu is the highest devata! asya devasya milhuso vaya visnoresasya prabhrthe havirbhih vide hi rudro rudriyam mahitvam yasistam vartirashvinaviravat || RV 7.40.5 || This makes it abundantly clear that Rudra derives his power from worship of Vishnu!

(source: Vedabase) Further in the Rig Veda (10.82.6) the following verse can be found: The waters, they received that germ primeval wherein the Gods were gathered all together. It rested set upon the Unborn's navel, that One wherein abide all things existing. My question here is: What has a navel? A personified body has a navel. That Unborn person talked about here is Garbhodakshayi Vishnu, from Whom this whole material existence emanates and within Whom, in the form of the Universal Form as described in the Purusha Shukta everything resides. A worm that lives in the stomach of a person never knows that its in someones body. Whether that person travels from one side of the earth to the other, sits straight, lies down or stands up-side-down, doesnt make a difference to the worm. For the worm it is in its home and it does its daily business not ever realizing that its in a persons body. In the same way we reside in the Universal Body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The difference between us and the worm is that we have the intelligence to be able to realize this, yet we use this intelligence to proclaim that God is formless, while all this time we are residing in His Universal Form. In the Upanishads all three aspects of the Supreme, namely Bhagavan, Brahmaan and Paramatma, or The personal form of the Supreme, the omnipresent impersonal form and the locally situated Supersoul are mentioned. Yet Swami Dayanand, who does regard the Upanisads, disregards the Personal form of God. In verse 15 of the Isopanisad it is stated: O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee. And in verse 16: O my Lord, O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe, O regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well-wisher of the progenitors of mankind, please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays so that I can see Your form of bliss. You are the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, like unto the sun, as am I. (Source: Sri Isopanisad by HDG Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami) Here the effulgence of the Supreme Person is the Brahmaan aspect of the Lord, This effulgence is omnipresent and also posses the original qualities of God, just like the sunrays also possesses the qualities of the sun, heat and light. In the same way this Supreme Ray also possesses the original qualities of the Supreme Person. Furthermore, the Purusa Shukta, which can be found in the Rig Veda and which is recited regularly by the followers of Swami Dayanand, describes the universal form of the Supreme Purusha (Person). Even if God took on a form later, this still means that He has form. Sahasra sirsha purushah, sahasrakhsha sasrapaad. This means: Thousand bodied Person, with thousands of eyes and thousands of feet. That is form! In the Kena Upanishad in the 3rd khanda we come across these verses:

THIRD KHANDA . 1. Brahmaan obtained the victory for the Devas. The Devas became elated by the victory of Brahmaan, and they thought, this victory is ours only, this greatness is ours only. 2. Brahmaan perceived this and appeared to them. But they did not know it, and said: 'What sprite (yaksha or yakshya) is this?' 3. They said to Agni (fire): 'O Gatavedas, find out what sprite this is.' 'Yes,' he said. 4. He ran toward it, and Brahmaan said to him: 'Who are you?' He replied: 'I am Agni, I am Gatavedas.' 5. Brahmaan said: 'What power is in you?' Agni replied: 'I could burn all whatever there is on earth.' 6. Brahmaan put a straw before him, saying: 'Burn this.' He went towards it with all his might, but he could not burn it. Then he returned thence and said: 'I could not find out what sprite this is.' 7. Then they said to Vayu (air): 'O Vayu, find out what sprite this is.' 'Yes,' he said. 8. He ran toward it, and Brahmaan said to him: 'Who are you?' He replied: 'I am Vayu, I am Matarisvan.' 9. Brahmaan said: 'What power is in you?' Vayu replied: 'I could take up all whatever there is on earth.' 10. Brahmaan put a straw before him, saying: 'Take it up.' He went towards it with all his might, but he could not take it up. Then he returned thence and said: 'I could not find out what sprite this is.' 11. Then they said to Indra: 'O Maghavan, find out what sprite this is.' He went towards it, but it disappeared from before him. 12. Then in the same space (ether) he came towards a woman, highly adorned: it was Uma, the daughter of Himavat . He said to her: 'Who is that sprite?'.. (translation by Max Muller) In the second verse it is stated: He appeared before them and: Brahmaan said Further He put a straw before them and asked them to burn it or take it up, they could not. He disappeared from before Indra. The ability to appear before someone or to say something to someone or to put something before someone indicates that there is form, there are hands and there is a mouth. The Upanisads describe many encounters between Brahmaan and others, where it is described that they see, talk and interact with each other. These are qualities of Personified entities which have form.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita (Madhya 6.44): ' p n ,' ' b vn 6.144 ,' ' '- tina s v ei tina cihna cases; in

SYNONYMS p n ablative; instrumental; locative; tina three; b vn of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sa-v the personality; ei these; tina three; cihna symptoms.

TRANSLATION "The personal features of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are categorized in three cases namely ablative, instrumental and locative." PURPORT rla Bhaktivinoda h kura states in his Am ta-prav ha-bh ya that according to the injunction of the Upani ads ("the Supreme Absolute Truth is He from whom everything emanates"), it is understood that the whole cosmic manifestation emanated from Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth. The creation subsists by the energy of the Supreme Brahman and, after annihilation, merges into the Supreme Brahman. From this we can understand that the Absolute Truth can be categorized in three cases ablative, instrumental and locative. According to these three cases, the Absolute Truth is positively personified. In this connection, rla Bhaktisiddh nta Sarasvat quotes the Aitareya p n (1.1.1): tm v idam eka v sn nny t kicana m t sa t lo n nu s j iti. Similarly, in the v t v t p n (4.9) it is stated: n s y j kratavo v tn t b vy yac ca v vadanti y smn my s j t v v m etat t sm nyo my y s nn u b And in the T tt y p n (3.1): yato v mn b tn jy nt , yena jtni jv nt , yat p y nty b s v nt , tad v j j s sv tad brahma. This was the answer given by father u when questioned by his son u u about the Absolute Truth. In this mantra, the word y t , the Absolute Truth from which the cosmic manifestation has emanated, is in the ablative case; that Brahman by which this universal creation is maintained is in the instrumental case (yena); and that Brahman into which the whole cosmic manifestation merges is in the locative case (yat or yasmin). It is stated in m v t m (1.5.20): hi v v b vn ivetaro yato jagat-st n -nirodha-s mb v

"The entire universal creation is contained in the gigantic form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything emanates from Him, everything rests in His energy, and after annihilation everything merges into His person."

The Supreme Person does not posses a body like yours or mine. His body comprises Sac, Cit and Ananda which means that He possesses a body which is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. Just because we mortals posses a body made of the elements doesnt mean that God also must posses a body made up of these same elements. But just because He doesnt posses a body made up of the elements doesnt mean that He doesnt posses a body. On page 205 of the same book Swami Dayanand quotes some verses from the Vedas, and I quote: "God teaches in the Veda "I, O men, lived before the whole universe came into being, I am Lord of all, I am the eternal cause of the whole creation. I am the source and giver of all wealth. Let all men look up to me alone as children do to their parents. I have appointed different foods and drinks for all creatures to give them sustenance so that they may live in happiness." RIG VEDA 10: 48, 5. I am God Almighty, I am the Light of the world like the sun. Neither defeat, nor death, can ever approach me. I am the controller of the universe, know me alone as the Creator of all. Strive ye diligently for the acquisition of power and wealth such ( as true knowledge). Ask ye of me. May ye never lose my friendship. I give true knowledge, which is real wealth, unto men who are truthful. I am the revealer of Vedas which declare my true nature. It is through the Vedas that I advance the knowledge of all. I am the prompter of the good and true. I reward those who devote themselves to the good of humanity. I am the cause, I am the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from me. May ye never accept another God in my place, nor worship him." RIG VEDA, 10:48, 5. The fact alone that God is speaking these truths indicates that God has form and a mouth. I dont think anyone has ever witnessed a non-form with the ability to speak. Also in the second verse God says: May ye never lose my friendship. Friendship is an emotion experienced between two personalities. It is not possible to have a two-sided friendly relationship with an energy. Further the Swami says that with the evidence of direct cognition we can ascertain that God exists. Well using that same evidence in the above mentioned verses, we can ascertain that God has a mouth through which He spoke those words. And if He possesses a mouth He must logically posses form. Unless of course the Swami denies that God has spoken these truths. On page 207 the question is: Is God all-pervading or does He reside in a particular locality? The answer by the Swami is that He is all-pervading because if He was in one particular locality He could never be omniscient. I wonder if it never occurred to the

Swami, that God, being God - all powerful as He is, wouldnt it be possible for Him to be in one particular locality as well as all-pervading? Gods powers can not be understood by us mortals. The same amount of God which is present in one particular atom is just as powerful as God that is all pervading. The power of God doesnt diminish. For example when you keep taking one drop of water out of a bucket the water keeps getting less, this principle does not work with God. He can expand Himself in millions and millions of unlimited parts and parcels and every single part and parcel can have the same potency as the Original. That is the power of God. On the following pages again the Swami is undermining the powers of God. He claims that if God is all pervading He is not able to take birth in a womb and manifest Himself as just one localized Person. He cunningly rejects scriptures or parts of scriptures that talk about the Personal form of the Lord and accepts only those that talk about the all pervading Brahmaan aspect of the Lord. The Vedic scriptures comprise all sorts of knowledge in order to accommodate all kinds of thinking levels. If ones brain cannot fathom all three aspects of God one is then inclined to reject all other proofs that state the contrary of ones level of thought, even though they are readily available. And again I must state: It is not possible to know all the truths just by studying one chapter of it. When one Upanishad talks solely about the Brahmaan aspect, another about the Paramaatma aspect, yet another about the Personal Form, Bhagavan, and yet others about all three aspects it is easy to reject the ones that are contrary to your thought ability and claim that they are false scriptures. We evidently see that the Swami uses quotes from scriptures which can accommodate his level of thought, whereas he rejects all quotes and scriptures talking about the Personal Form of the Lord. When reading the Svetasvatara Upanishad (3rd adhyaya) it is easy to become confused by the contradictory statements for someone who does not understand all three aspects of the Supreme Lord. In some verses it is clearly said that He sees without eyes, moves without feet etc. and in other verses it is clearly stated that He has thousands of eyes and thousands of feet and hands. Here both the personal form and the all pervading impersonal form of the Lord are described. In the Katha Upanishad (1.3.10-11) it is stated: Beyond the senses are the objects; beyond the objects is the mind; beyond the mind, the intellect; beyond the intellect, the Great Atman; beyond the Great Atman, the Unmanifest; beyond the Unmanifest, the Purusha. Beyond the Purusha there is nothing: this is the end, the Supreme Goal. And then again in the same Katha Upanishad (2.6.7-8) it is stated: Beyond the senses is the mind, beyond the mind is the highest (created) Being, higher than that Being is the Great Self, higher than the Great, the highest Undeveloped. Beyond the Undeveloped is the Person, the all-pervading and entirely imperceptible. Every creature that knows him is liberated, and obtains immortality.

Here it is more than clearly stated that the Purusha or the Person is the ultimate goal. There is nothing beyond this Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even though the Swami likes to play with words and likes to interpret them in a matter that suits his way of thinking, the words in this verse are very clear and cannot be interpreted in any other way. Here, all three aspects of God are stated and have to be accepted. Further in the Katha Upanishad (2.2.15) it is stated: The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightningsnot to speak of this fire. He shining, everything shines after Him. By His light all this is lighted. Here it is also clearly stated that He shines. It is not said that there is an all pervading light that has no source. It is stated that He is shining and by His light all else is lighted. If an object is shining it must mean that the object must have form. Otherwise the statement in the Katha Upanishad would have been The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightningsnot to speak of this fire. There is an all pervading light there and by this all pervading light everything is lighted. But no! It is clear that in His abode there is no need for the sun or moon because the effulgence emanating from the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is more than enough to illuminate His whole abode. In the Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavat Purana 1.2.11) it is stated: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate TRANSLATION Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan.

PURPORT (By Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami) The Absolute Truth is both subject and object, and there is no qualitative difference there. Therefore, Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan are qualitatively one and the same. The same substance is realized as impersonal Brahman by the students of the Upanishads, as localized Paramatma by the Hiranyagarbhas or the yogis, and as Bhagavan by the devotees. In other words, Bhagavan, or the Personality of Godhead, is the last word of the Absolute Truth. Paramatma 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. Incarnations of the Lord When talking about incarnations of God, Swami Dayanand compares incarnations of God to mere mortals. He says that God could not take on a form because that automatically means that He would be subject to the same miseries as we do. Again he is undermining the powers of God. Why wouldnt God be able to take on any form He desires, made out of any elements He desires? And being God, doesnt that make Him capable enough, in whatever body He desires, to not feel the miseries that we do? In the Svetasvatara Upanishad (6.5) it is stated: He is the beginning, producing the causes which unite (the soul with the body), and, being above the three kinds of time (past, present, future), he is seen as without parts, after we have first worshipped that adorable god, who has many forms, and who is the true source (of all things), as dwelling in our own mind. And further in the Setasvatara Upanishad (4.14) He who has known him who is more subtle than subtle, in the midst of chaos, creating all things, having many forms, alone enveloping everything , the happy one (Siva), passes into peace for ever. Here it is clearly stated: who has many forms. How can one then say that He is formless or that He doesnt take on any forms? In the Rig Veda (7.100.6) we also find the following verse: What was there to be blamed in thee, O Vishnu, when thou declarest, I am Sipivista? Hide not this form from us, nor keep it secret, since thou didst wear another shape in battle. Here again it is stated that Vishnu wore another shape in battle, clearly implying that Lord Vishnu took on another form in battle. This clearly shows that Vishnu can take on any form at any time He wants to. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami explains in his purport to Caitanya Caritamrita (Madhya 6.171): A common brain in the conditioned state cannot conceive of how these inconceivable energies abide in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, how He exists in His innumerable forms as the master of both spiritual and material energies, how He is the master of both manifest and potential powers, and how contradictory potencies can abide in Him. As long as the living entity is within this material world, in the condition of illusion, he

cannot understand the activities of the inconceivable energies of the Lord. Thus the Lord's energies, though factual, are simply beyond the power of the common brain to understand. If we accept the inconceivable potencies of the Lord, we can understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead can appear within this material world without being touched or contaminated by the three modes of material nature. From the st s we learn that there is a stone or jewel called a touchstone that can transform iron into gold. Although the touchstone turns iron into gold many times, it remains in its original condition. If such a material stone can maintain its inconceivable energy after producing volumes of gold, certainly the Supreme Personality of Godhead can remain in His original sac-cid-n n form after creating the cosmic world.

Origin of the Soul (jiva) and Matter (prakriti) Further on page 221 the Swami states that the soul (jiva, javatma) is not originated from God but has coexisted forever with God. I quote The soul was never created. It is beginningless like God and the material cause of the universe - primordial matter (prakriti). The body and bodily organs were made by God, but they are all under the control of the soul. Here I am not contending the fact that the soul is beginningless. The Swami indicates that the soul has coexisted with God since the beginning but he doesnt state that the soul is a part of God. Also in other writings of the Arya Samaj is it nowhere to be found that the soul is a part and parcel of God. He states that since the beginning, God, the soul, and prakriti were always there but not that the soul and prakriti originate from God. This means that even if God did not exist the soul and prakriti would still exist because they are not created or dont originate from Him. My question here is then where do the souls and prakriti come from? Of God we cannot ask this question because He is God, and we know from the scriptures that it is useless to try to understand the nature of God. But by this statement the Swami is making the position of the soul and of prakriti the same as the position of God, of course with fewer powers. We know by logic that every effect has a cause and that that cause is an effect of another cause. Because there cannot be an eternal chain of cause and effect, there must be an original cause of all causes. And that cause of all causes, as quoted above from the Katha Upanisad (1.3.10-11) is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But logic doesnt apply in these statements by the Swami, because in this case we have three origins to our chain of cause and effect. God, according to the Swami, is not the origin of the soul and prakriti. Even though he himself quoted a verse from the Rig Veda (10: 48, 5) where God states: I am the eternal cause of the whole creation the Swami states that jiva and prakriti are separate from the Supreme Lord.

On page 243 of Sathyarth Prakash, the Swami is asked the question: Has not prakriti emanated from God? His answer is: No, it is beginingless. He then goes on to quote three verses which in no manner imply that prakriti is not originated from God. In contrast to his statement that it doesnt emanate from God these verses state that God is the supreme cause of everything. "O Men, that All-pervading Being alone is the Lord of the imperishable prakriti - the material cause of the world - and of the soul and is yet distinct from both. He is the Creator of universe - the past, present and the future." YAJUR VEDA 21: 2 "That Supreme Spirit, form Whom all things proceed and in Whom they live and perish, is the All-pervading God. Aspire, O men, to know Him." TAITREYA UPANISHAD BHRIGU, 1. "That Great God should be sought after, Who is the cause of the creation, the sustenance and dissolution of the universe." VEDAANT SHAASTRA I. 1,2. In the Chandogya Upanishad (6.2) It is clearly stated that in the beginning there was nothing besides God, yet the Swami claims that the Vedas proclaim that in the beginning there was God and prakriti (nature) and the jivas (living entities). Of course we agree that prakriti and the jivas were always existent but we state that they originate from God. On page 65 of Swami Dayanands book entitled Introduction to the Vedas he states: We read in the Taittiriyopanishad that from that self (atman) sprang ether (Akasha), from ether air, from air fire, from fire water, from water earth, from earth herbs, from herbs food, from food seed, and from seed man. Man thus consists of the essence of food. Must it be clearer that he is here acknowledging the fact that prakriti (ether, air, fire, water and earth) originated from God? How can he then state that prakriti does not emanate from God? On page 233 he states: In the same way, the soul and the material objects can never be separate from God as He pervades them, nor, all, can they be one with Him as they are in nature different from Him. By stating that the soul can never be separate from God he is admitting that we must be a part and parcel of God. Because if something cannot be separated from something that means that it is a part and parcel of that something. Further, he states that we are in nature different from him. I ask myself in which way? God sees, we see, God moves, we move, God speaks we also speak, God has strength, beauty, glory, fame, desire, will etc. and we, to some extent, also posses those qualities. God creates and to some extent the living entities can also make things. We living entities, because we are eternal parts and parcels of God, have many of the same qualities

of God but we dont have them in the same quantity as God. And thats why He is God and we are His eternally separated parts and parcels which originate from Him. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (2.1.20) it is stated: As the spider comes out with its thread, or as small sparks come forth from fire, thus do all senses, all worlds, all Devas, all beings come forth from that Self The Upanishad (the true name and doctrine) of that Self is 'the True of the True.' Verily the senses are the true, and he is the true of the true. The Mundaka Upanishad (1.1.7) states: As the spider sends forth and draws in its thread, as plants grow on the earth, as from every man hairs spring forth on the head and the body, thus does everything arise here from the Indestructible. And in the next verse of the Munadaka Upanishad it is stated that matter also comes forth from Him. Thus it is clearly stated that everything comes forth from the true Self. In the scriptures different analogies are given to illustrate the position of the soul in relation to God. The relationship between fire and sparks are one of them. The sparks emanate from the fire but at the same time are not one with the fire. In essence they contain the same quality, both produce heat and light, but in quantity the spark is much less than the fire. Also the sun and sunrays analogy is common in the scriptures. Here also the rays of the sun are hot and luminous but they are not the sun and they dont have an existence independent of the sun. If there was no sun there wouldnt be any sunrays. In the same way, although the jiva and prakriti may not have been physically created by God, God is their cause. So indirectly God does create them. If God did not exist, the jiva nor prakriti would exist, we can conclude therefore that God is the origin of the jiva and of prakriti. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami explains in his purport to Caitanya Caritamrita (Madhya 6.172): The first verse of the Brahma-s t is t to brahma j j s: "We must now inquire into the Absolute Truth." The second verse immediately answers, j nm y asya y t : [SB 1.1.1] "The Absolute Truth is the original source of everything." J nm y asya y t does not suggest that the original person has been transformed. Rather, it clearly indicates that He produces this cosmic manifestation through His inconceivable energy. This is also clearly explained in the Bhagavad- t (10.8), where K a says, m tt s v pravartate: "From Me, everything emanates." This is also confirmed in the T tt y p n (3.1.1): yato v mn b tn jy nt . "The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born." Similarly, in the Mu p n (1.1.7) it is stated, y t o -nb sj t t ca: "[The Lord creates and destroys the cosmic manifestation] as a spider creates a web and draws it back within itself." All of these s t s indicate the transformation of the Lord's energy. It is not that the Lord undergoes

direct transformation, which is called p m -v . However, being very anxious to protect rla Vy sadeva from criticism, akar c rya became a pseudo gentleman and put forward his theory of illusion (vivarta-v ). akar c rya concocted this meaning of p m -v , and by word jugglery he endeavored very hard to establish p mav as vivarta-v . Here Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami makes the point clear that everything, including the jiva and prakriti emenate from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The explanation of achintya-bheda-abheda tattva is as follows: The theological tenet of achintya-bheda-abheda tattva reconciles the mystery that God is simultaneously "one with and different from His creation". In this sense Vaishnava theology is not pantheistic as in no way does it deny the separate existence of God in His own personal form. However, at the same time, creation is never separated from God. He always exercises supreme control over his creation. Sometimes directly, but most of the time indirectly through his different potencies or energies (Prakrti). Examples are given of a spider and its web; earth and plants that come forth and hair on the body of human being. "One who knows God knows that the impersonal conception and personal conception are simultaneously present in everything and that there is no contradiction. Therefore Lord Caitanya established His sublime doctrine: acintya bheda-and-abheda-tattva -simultaneous oneness and difference." The analogy often used as an explanation in this context in the relationship between the Sun and the Sunshine. For example both the sun and sunshine are part of the same reality, but there is a great difference between having a beam of sunshine in your room, and being in close proximity to the sun itself. Qualitatively the Sun and the Sunshine are not different, but as quantities they are very different. This analogy is applied to the living beings and God - the Jiva being of a similar quality to the Supreme being, but not sharing the qualities to an infinite extent, as would the Personality of Godhead himself. Thus there is a difference between the souls and the Supreme Lord. Liberation On page 283 of Sathyarth Prakash the Swami is asked Does the soul, once being emancipated, ever become subject to birth and death again? His answer is: It is not true that the emancipated soul never returns to this world because the Veda contradicts this view. He then goes on to give some quotations from the Veda and some other scriptures, which after reading a few translations thereof I cannot understand on what he bases his statements. Again here I must say that the Swami uses parts or maybe even concocts parts to suit his way of thinking and ignores other quotes from the scriptures which go against his way of thought.

In the Katha Upanishad (1.3.7-9) it is stated: 7. He who has no understanding, who is unmindful and always impure, never reaches that place, but enters into the round of births.'8. 'But he who has understanding, who is mindful and always pure, reaches indeed that place, from whence he is not born again.'9. 'But he who has understanding for his charioteer, and who holds the reins of the mind, he reaches the end of his journey, and that is the highest place of Vishnu. Here it is clearly stated from whence he is not born again. How can the swami then claim that the emancipated soul returns to the cycle of birth and death. And in the Svetasvatara Upanishad it is stated: He who has known Him Who is more subtle than subtle, in the midst of chaos, creating all things, having many forms, alone enveloping everything, the happy one (Siva), passes into peace for ever. Here it is also clearly stated: Passes into peace forever. In the Chandogya Upanishad (8.15) it is stated he who behaves thus all his life, reaches the world of Brahman, and does not return, yea, he does not return. And I can go on and on. The point is that it is stated that once the soul reaches liberation it does not return. The questions that now arise are: What is liberation? What is the liberation talked about here from where there is no point of return? Are there different kinds or stages of liberation? As we know there are different planets in this material world, as described in the Vedic scriptures. There are heavenly planets, earthly planets and hellish planets. Coming from the hellish planets into the earthly planets is also a kind of liberation from those regions. In the same way, going from earth to the heavenly planets is also a stage of liberation. Also going into the Brahmajyoti, where one experiences total bliss for millions and millions of years, is a form of liberation. But, as explained in the Vedic scriptures, these kinds of liberation are temporary. It may last for a million years, but because the soul is still in this material world it is subject to the miseries thereof, and eventually the soul will fall back down to the earthly or hellish planets. But what is evident from the scriptures is that there is an abode beyond this material world. The abode where God resides. The abode from where, after having reached it, there is no return. An abode that is beyond matter and the influences thereof. In the Mundaka Upanishad (1.2.5-13) we find the following statemants: 5. If a man performs his sacred works when these flames are shining, and the oblations follow at the right time, then they lead him as sun-rays to where the one Lord of the Devas dwells.

6. Come hither, come hither! the brilliant oblations say to him, and carry the performer of sacrifice on the rays of the sun, while they utter pleasant speech and praise him, saying: 'This is thy holy Brahma-world (Svarga), gained by thy good works.' 7. But frail, in truth, are those boats, the sacrifices, the eighteen, in which this lower ceremonial has been told. Fools who praise this as the highest good, are subject again and again to old age and death. 8. Fools dwelling in darkness, wise in their own conceit, and puffed up with vain knowledge, go round and round staggering to and fro, like blind men led by the blind. 9. Children, when they have long lived in ignorance, consider themselves happy. Because those who depend on their good works are, owing to their passions, improvident, they fall and become miserable when their life (in the world which they had gained by their good works) is finished. 10. Considering sacrifice and good works as the best, these fools know no higher good, and having enjoyed (their reward) on the height of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one. 11. But those who practice penance and faith in the forest, tranquil, wise, and living on alms, depart free from passion through the sun to where that immortal Person dwells whose nature is imperishable. 12. Let a Brhmana, after he has examined all these worlds which are gained by works, acquire freedom from all desires. Nothing that is eternal (not made) can be gained by what is not eternal (made). Let him, in order to understand this, take fuel in his hand and approach a Guru who is learned and dwells entirely in Brahmaan. 13. To that pupil who has approached him respectfully, whose thoughts are not troubled by any desires, and who has obtained perfect peace, the wise teacher truly told that knowledge of Brahman through which he knows the eternal and true Person. In these texts it is clearly stated that there is an abode where the Lord of the devas dwells. It is also made clear that this abode is higher than the heavenly planets, which one attains after doing good deeds. Further in the Mundaka Upanishad (3.2.1-8) it is stated: 1. He (the knower of the Self) knows that highest home of Brahmaan, in which all is contained and shines brightly. The wise who, without desiring happiness, worship that Person, transcend this seed, (they are not born again.) 2. He who forms desires in his mind, is born again through his desires here and there. But to him whose desires are fulfilled and who is conscious of the true Self (within himself) all desires vanish, even here on earth. 3. That Self cannot be gained by the Veda, nor by understanding, nor by much learning. He whom the Self chooses, by him the Self can be gained. The Self chooses him (his body) as his own. 4. Nor is that Self to be gained by one who is destitute of strength, or without earnestness, or without right meditation. But if a wise man strives after it by those means (by strength, earnestness, and right meditation), then his Self enters the home of Brahmaan. 5. When they have reached him (the Self), the sages become satisfied through knowledge, they are conscious of their Self, their passions have passed away, and they are tranquil.

The wise, having reached Him who is omnipresent everywhere, devoted to the Self, enter into him wholly. 6. Having well ascertained the object of the knowledge of the Vednta, and having purified their nature by the Yoga of renunciation, all anchorites, enjoying the highest immortality, become free at the time of the great end (death) in the worlds of Brahm. Here again we see word of the highest home of God and that the self enters that highest home. Again I will quote some verses previously quoted from the scriptures: tad visnoh paramam padam sada pashyanti surayah diviva caksurstatam || RV 1.22.20 || This states that the seers see always that "Supreme Abode" where Sri Vishnu resides. tad vipraso vipanyavo jagrvamsah samindhate visnoryat paramam padam || RV 1.22.21 || Another reference to the "Supreme Abode" of Vishnu. The list can go on, but I think that the reader gets the point and is able to see the truth already. The conclusion is that there is no more falling down into the cycle of birth and death once the soul reaches that highest abode of God, which is the highest form of liberation.

Astrology and ghosts On page 73 of Sathyarth Prakash, it is stated that the science of astrology must be disregarded, because it is fraud and no one should ever teach or learn about this subject. A meteorologist can predict what the weather will be in three days by observing the movement of the clouds and the wind etc. In the same way an astrologer observes the positions of the planets and the stars, and can predict what the fate a person born under a certain formation of stars will be, when that person is under the influence of another formation of planets and stars. Why is it then fraud? He also says that ghosts and spirits dont exist. I dont really want to go too deep into the study hereof but by the stories that we hear from so many people everyday we must conclude that ghosts and spirits do exist. The swami strongly supports the evidence of cognition. So by the evidence of so many thousands of people everyday we must accept the existence of ghosts and spirits. There are also many stories in the Puranas supporting this fact, but as I said earlier I dont wish to go too deep on this topic. More Contradictions

Although Swami Dayanand invested years of his life trying to find the truth and trying to preach the truth, it seems that he didnt understand the whole truth. The swami was born in a well off family to parents who accepted the form of God. Yet what the swami saw going on around him, how worship was being done in temples, how badly the deities in the temples were being treated, and how much his family suffered after the death of his sister, compelled him to start his search for the truth. Sadly enough he never found the whole truth. The contradictory statements made in his book, Sathyarth Prakash, prove this. Besides the topics spoken about earlier, there are also other contradictory statements made by the swami of which I shall briefly state a few. On page 206 he is asked: How can you prove His existence? He answers: By the evidences of direct cognition, Inference, Testimony and History. And again on page 217 he is asked: Can the existence of God be proven by Direct Cognizance? His answer here is: No. He also states that God cannot create new souls (page 266) because if He were to create new souls the substance out of which they were made would run dry, but at the same time (page 213) he admits that God stands in need of nobodys least help and He accomplishes all of His work out of His own infinite power. If God wouldnt be able to create new souls, then the swami must think that God does not posses infinite powers. We know that God doesnt create souls because souls are His parts and parcels, but may He entertain the desire to create souls wouldnt He certainly be able to. Otherwise He wouldnt be God. On page 224 he states that the soul is very subtle and that God is even subtler and pervades the soul. In this case, at the end of time, how can the more subtle soul then go into rest in the less subtle God? Here again is evidence that the swami doesnt realize the three aspects of God. And by stating that the one is subtler than the other the swami is also admitting that both have form, however subtle that form may be. Also that fact that the swami states that God, the souls and matter always existed makes that God is not the creator! He should then be compared to a potter who takes already existent matter (clay) and makes a pot out of it. God should then be qualified as the shaper of the universe and not the creator. Because according to the swami God did not create these things. On page 279 he is asked: Where does the soul live when its emancipated? His answer is: In god. Yet elsewhere in his book he states that the soul falls back down from the stage of emancipation, and one of the reasons he states is, because otherwise, according to him, heaven will become over-crowded, there will be arrivals and no departures. But if the soul lives in God when he is emancipated, and God is unlimited, then there must be enough room in Him for an unlimited number of souls to live in. Or not?

Another major contradiction is the fact that the Arya Samaj claims that God is everywhere, which I totally agree with! But this means that we are currently in Him. Now Im wondering whether it has occurred to them that if we are presently already situated within God, then where do we go to when we are liberated. Is it another part of God? And if it is another part of God, then they have to admit that He has form, because only something with form can have parts. And if they claim that we are not in Him, then they are admitting that He is at a distance from us, which means that He has boundaries, and that His boundary stops at some distance from us. This again is also admitting that He has form, because only something with form, however subtle it may be, has boundaries. An all pervading energy has no boundaries, because it is all pervading. This same point brings another contradiction with it. Swami Dayanand has also said in his books that at the time of destruction everything again goes into God, but if we are already within God then where is it that we go? The fact alone that they claim that when one is liberated one goes into God is admitting that God has form. And stating that at the time of destruction everything goes back into God also admits this fact. If He didnt have form how could everything go into Him? How would a formless God be able to hold all of his creations within Him if He didnt posses form? How could something go into a formless something? When one says that he is going into something, it means that that something has boundaries, at present you are outside of those boundaries and when you go into it its boundaries you are in it. Anything that has boundaries has form, and that form ends at its boundaries. Even outer space has its boundaries and that which is in its boundaries is called outer space, anything outside of those boundaries is not outer space. So even outer space has form.

Conclusion There was once a frog living in a well, going about his daily activities and thinking that there was nothing else in existence beyond the well. One day another frog accidentally fell into that same well and became friends with the first frog. The second frog told the first frog about the grandness of the world outside of the well. He told him about the vast oceans and seas where there is no end to the water. He told him about the forests and jungles, the towns and cities, the houses and skyscrapers, the cars, buses, trains, boats and airplanes. The first frog sat quietly listening to the second frog and thought to himself that the other frog was totally crazy and had an extra-ordinary imagination. This story illustrates the fact the there is much more out there than we can perceive. Being stuck in the well, the frog was unable to ever get out of it to see for himself that the stories of the second frog werent just fiction. Being stuck in his ignorance and not willing to accept the authority of the second frog, the first frog spent the rest of his life thinking that his small well was all that existed, and because he didnt believe the stories

of the second frog he never even tried to come out of the well to experience the grandeur of the world outside of his well. When God Himself, through His scriptures and through Guru tells us about what is beyond this material creation, we must accept these facts and we must try to jump out of our well, however high the walls may be, so that we may experience the grandeur of Gods realm. We can jump out of this well -the cycle of birth and death- not just by doing good deeds and leading honest lives, but by developing our relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The questions that now arise are: Who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead? What is our relationship with Him? And how do we develop our relationship with Him. I shall now attempt, with the mercy of my Gurudeva, to answer these questions with the limited knowledge I posses. It is obvious that we need to understand and accept the three aspects of God. But at the same time as my dearmost gurudeva, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja, always stresses we must be one-pointed in our devotion to God All other aspects of God are His energies. What we need find is the energetic, the source of all other energies, the cause of all other causes, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. The Supreme Personality of Godhead

isvarah paramah krishna sac-cid-ananda vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva karana karanam K a who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes. Brahma Samhita, Chapter 5, Verse 1 So according to the first created being Brahma, Sri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of God. As stated earlier in this book, there are three aspects of God. Why is then Bhagavan, the personal aspect of God superior to the impersonal Brahmajyoti and the localized Paramatma ? Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur states in his Vivriti-commentary on Sri Siksastakam: "Learned scholars of the absolute truth have described the supreme non-dual substance known as advaya-jnana-vastu in three different stages. When that non-dual substance is realized exclusively by knowledge, or in others words through the function of the cit potency, it is referred to as Brahman. When realized through the combined functions of the sat and cit potencies, it is referred to as Paramatma, and when realized through the

functions of all potencies sat, cit, and ananda, that supreme truth is referred to as Bhagavan." HG Stephen Knapp writes: Brahman is the passive aspect of the non-dual substance of the Absolute Truth. It is the realization of the Supreme Being without any of His potencies or qualities. If one goes no further, he will naturally conclude that realization of the Brahman is the ultimate perception and understanding of the Absolute. By realizing this impersonal Brahman, one only realizes the bodily effulgence of the Absolute. In other words, the all-pervading spiritual force has a source. This is clearly described in the Caitanya-caritamrita, (Adi.2, 5 & 15): "What the Upanishads describe as the impersonal Brahman is but the effulgence of His body, and the Lord known as the Supersoul is but His localized plenary portion. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna Himself, full with six opulences. He is the Absolute Truth, and no other truth is greater than or equal to Him. . . The opulences of the impersonal Brahman spread throughout the millions and millions of universes. That Brahman is but the bodily effulgence of Govinda [another name of Krishna]."

The Paramatma realization is to perceive the Supersoul within all material forms, within all living entities and even all material elements. Paramatma is the partial expansion of the Lord in the material world. To go further and attain the Bhagavan realization, one needs to attain a totally spiritual vision without any material conceptions or conditionings to perceive the completely transcendental form of the Supreme Lord, Bhagavan--as He is. The formless aspect of the Supreme Person is Brahman. But when that Supreme Brahman is endowed with His natural potencies and qualities, then the Brahman aspect is transformed into the more complete Bhagavan aspect. Therefore, Bhagavan is the original nature of the Absolute Truth with full qualities and potencies, while the Brahman is merely the impersonal, transcendental bodily effulgence. Many times there are so-called gurus or saints who say that the Absolute Truth, especially in referring to the void or Brahman effulgence, cannot be described with words. Of course, if that were actually the case, why would they expect people to attend their lectures when they spoke about the Absolute? But the Vedanta-sutras (1.1.5) point out that, "Brahman is not inexpressible by words, because it is seen that He is so expressly taught in the Vedas." The Absolute may not be completely expressible and understood by words alone, but there is a great deal that one can learn by this means. Beyond this, one can learn by practical experience and realization for which the various yoga practices are described. This is what the Vedic texts teach. If the Brahman had no personality or characteristics, then, obviously, Brahman would be very difficult to describe. But the Vedanta-sutras correct this viewpoint in the very second verse: "He, from whom proceeds the creation, preservation and reconstruction of the universe, is Brahman." This is further substantiated in the Mundaka Upanishad (1.1.9) where it states that the Brahman comes from Him who knows all: "From Him

who perceives all and who knows all, whose penance consists of knowledge, from Him (the highest Brahman) is born that Brahman, name, form and matter." Therefore, Brahman ultimately means a person. The conclusion, according to the Vedic texts, is that the Absolute Truth is that source from which everything emanates, and that source is, ultimately, the Supreme Person. Since the Brahman effulgence is considered to be but one of the opulences of the Supreme, it should be understood that whenever the Vedic texts speak of Brahman, they are indicating the Supreme Personality of God. In fact, it is stated that in the Vedic literature the word Brahman means, "in whom all the attributes reach to the infinity." In this way, it is clear that Brahman primarily means the Supreme Person, of whom the Vedic literature is full of descriptions of various aspects of His infinite qualities and characteristics. The Caitanya-caritamrita clearly states: "The word 'Brahman' indicates the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is Sri Krishna. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature." (Cc.Madhya-lila, 6.147) The Caitanya-caritamrita (Adi.7.112) also explains that, "Everything about the Supreme Personality of Godhead is spiritual, including His body, opulence and paraphernalia. Mayavadi philosophy, however, covering His spiritual opulence, advocates the theory of impersonalism." The Mayavadi impersonalists say that God is formless and has no attributes other than eternity and knowledge. But the truth of the matter is that God has no material form because He is completely spiritual. He is a transcendental Person. Just as we are individuals, God is also an individual and has His form. If He were formless only, then He would be less than that which has form. Therefore, God, the complete whole, must have that which is formless as well as that which has form. Otherwise, He would not be complete. In this way, the Supreme has immense potencies, including everything within as well as beyond our experience. Krishna says: "I am the origin of everything. Everything emanates from Me." (Bg.10.8) Thus, the Supreme expands Himself into everything but does not lose His original form. This is also confirmed in the first verse of Isa Upanishad where it says: "Because He is the complete whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance." Another point is that if God is impersonal, then it puts the process of the creation of the universe in a different light. If God were simply a mass of energy, it would not be possible for God to create the material manifestation and then watch over and control it. Thus, the way the world was created might have happened in any number of different ways. This is the point of view many people have, especially the scientists who try to piece together proof to show that the theory of evolution is truth and the world started from some miraculous big bang. The idea that God is simply an impersonal force or does not exist at all is the one factor which gives theories like evolution and the big bang some potential for credibility. But in spite of the popularity of these theories, no one has yet proved them to be true. These various impersonalist beliefs, as briefly described above, are not supported by the Vedas. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says, purnam idam purnat purnam udacyate: "Although He expands in many ways, He keeps His original personality. His original

spiritual body remains as it is." Thus, we can understand that God can expand His energies in many ways, but is not affected or diminished in His potency. The Svetasvatara Upanishad (6.6) also states: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original person, has multifarious energies. He is the origin of material creation, and it is due to Him only that everything changes. He is the protector of religion and annihilator of all sinful activities. He is the master of all opulences." This verse specifically points out that only due to God's multi-potencies does the world continue to change and be maintained. He also protects religion, which could not be done if He were impersonal. This is only logical since it takes a person to watch over, protect, or maintain anything. In the Katha Upanishad (2.2.13) there is the important verse; nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: "He is the supreme eternally conscious person who maintains all other living entities." From these descriptions in the Vedic texts, we can clearly understand that God is the Supreme Person who is the source of everything and controller of all. This Supreme Person is the Absolute Truth, as confirmed in the Caitanya-caritamrita (Adi.7.111): "According to direct understanding, the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has all spiritual opulences. No one can be equal to or greater than Him." Since it is established in the Vedic texts that the Absolute is a person, then meditating on the personal form of God rather than the impersonal feature is the highest form of meditation. This is verified in Bhagavad-gita (12.2): "The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: 'He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be the most perfect.'" Herein, we can understand that realizing the Absolute Truth in the form of the Supreme Person is much easier and much more attractive than struggling to merge into the great white light of the brahmajyoti. By understanding the Supreme Personality, all other aspects of the Absolute, such as the Brahman effulgence and Paramatma or Supersoul, are also understood. In fact, those who are absorbed in Brahman realization can easily become attracted to understanding the Supreme Personality as did such sages as Sukadeva Gosvami and the Kumaras, as noted in Srimad-Bhagavatam: "Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the son of Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami. It is he who defeats all inauspicious things within this universe. Although in the beginning he was absorbed in the happiness of Brahman realization and was living in a secluded place, giving up all other types of consciousness, he became attracted by the most melodious pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna. He therefore mercifully spoke the supreme Purana, known as Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the bright light of the Absolute Truth and which describes the activities of Lord Krishna." (Bhag.12.12.68) "When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasi leaves and saffron from the lotus feet of the lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead entered through the nostrils into the hearts of those sages [the Kumaras], they experienced a change in both body and mind, even though they were attracted to impersonal Brahman understanding." (Bhag.3.15.43) How the jnani and other yogis absorbed in the impersonal realization of the Absolute become attracted to the personal form of God is further described in the Caitanya-

caritamrita (Madhya-lila, 17.137,139-140): "The mellows of Lord Krishna's pastimes, which are full of bliss, attract the jnani from the pleasure of Brahman realization and conquer him. . . The transcendental qualities of Sri Krishna are completely blissful and relishable. Consequently Lord Krishna's qualities attract even the minds of self-realized persons from the bliss of self-realization. Those who are self-satisfied and unattracted by external material desires are also attracted to the loving service of Sri Krishna, whose qualities are transcendental and whose activities are wonderful. Hari, the Personality of Godhead, is called Krishna because He has such transcendentally attractive features." Many of the Gosvamis of Vrindavan who had personally realized the attractive features of the Supreme wrote many books about the transcendental personality of God. One of the greatest of these saints was Rupa Gosvami (1489-1564 A.D.) who wrote a list of Krishna's characteristics in his book, Bhakti rasamrita-sindhu. This list describes 64 different qualities of God that are mentioned in the Vedic literature. Some of these are; beautiful bodily features, strong, ever-youthful, effulgent, highly learned and intelligent, artistic, grave, gentle, heroic, happy, expert in joking, talks pleasingly, source of all other incarnations, giver of salvation, performs wonderful pastimes, attracts everyone by His flute playing, and so on. All of these qualities are those of someone who has a highly developed form and personality. Obviously, there is no more elevated truth or higher bliss than the personal form of the Supreme. As Sri Krishna says: "O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no truth superior to Me." (Bg.7.7) Many great transcendental scholars have accepted this fact, including Lord Brahma, who, after performing many austerities for spiritual purification, became perfectly self-realized and, getting a glimpse of the Lord's spiritual nature, composed the Brahma-samhita many thousands of years ago and described what his confidential realizations were. (Taken from an article by Stephen Knapp) So, as is made clear in the above text, we see that the Personal Form is the highest form of God. If He were formless only, then He would be less than that which has form. Therefore, God, the complete whole, must have that which is formless as well as that which has form. Otherwise, He would not be complete. Krishna Why is it that Krishna, and not other forms or incarnations, is supreme? God has many forms, but as is stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam (1.3.28): All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead... And Krishna Himself says in the Bhagavad Gita (10.8): I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts. Also as stated earlier Brahma says in the Brahma Samhita Krishna is the cause of all causes.

Does this then mean that other forms of Krishna are less? No. The example of a candle is given in the scriptures. As the flame of one candle can light thousands of other candles which shine just as bright and give just as much heat as the first original candle, in the same way Krishna can expand Himself in thousands of forms and manifest the same amount of qualities and attributes in them all. But this still means that there is one original flame, which is the cause of all the other flames. The scriptures teach us that some forms of God may project more of a certain quality than the other. For example, the form of Narayan is very opulent whereas the form of Lord Krishna is very sweet and attractive. So the devotees who are attracted to opulence will naturally serve the opulent Narayan and the devotees who are attracted to the beautiful, sweet, loving, playful and compassionate qualities of Krishna will naturally serve Him. Relationship between the soul and God and liberation In the Sri Chaitanya Charatamrita (Madhya.20.108-109) we find the following statement: jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa krsnera tatastha sakti bhehabeda prakasa suryamsu kirana yena agni jvalacaya svabhavika krsnera tina-prakara 'sakti' haya It is the living entity's (souls) constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Krsna because he is the marginal energy of Krsna and a manifestation simultaneously one and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. In verse 16 of Sri Tattva Sutra by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur it is stated: vicararagau cetana dharmau svarupa pravrtti bhavat The essential nature of the jiva is consciousness. The natural tendency of the conscious jiva is to feel love. As stated earlier in this book, we (the soul) are eternally separated parts and parcels of God. By the above verses, it is clear that our constitutional position is being an eternal servant of God and that the natural tendency of the soul is to feel love. We see that every living entity is searching for love and happiness. Even when you treat a dog with love and affection you can see that it becomes very happy and reciprocates that love. The problem is that no one finds eternal love in this material world. Even if we do find love that lasts for a whole lifetime, for example a relationship between a parent and child, it is often tainted with disappointment. This causes the love and happiness for which we hankered so much to become a source of grief. When this love and happiness does last a whole lifetime it is then abruptly ended by disease or death, which again is a great source of sorrow. Eternal loving relationships do not exist in this material world.

Eternal loving relationships can only be experienced by eternal beings which live in an eternal place where there is no such thing as disappointment, grief, pain, and sorrow. Liberation is when we re-establish this loving relationship with God. In the scriptures we find mention of a few kinds of liberation, like svarupya mukti which is as having the same form as God. Also salokya mukti is mentioned, which is residing in the same realm as the lord. I will not go too deeply into these subjects otherwise there will be no end to this book. I refer the reader to books as the Bhagavad Gita as it is and to the Srimad Bhagavatam, which, as stated by Sri Vyasadeva himself (the author of all the Vedic scriptures), is the crown jewel of all Vedic literature. The only way to develop our relationship with God is by making God the centerpiece of our lives. Everything we do must evolve around the fact that we are eternal servants of God. This is much easier said than done. But still we have to at least try. In the Katha Upanishad (2.23) it is said that God cannot be attained by studying the Vedas and in the Bhagavad Gita (10.42) Krishna says: But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge?. It is thus clear that we dont need to spend our lives studying and reading. So how do we develop our relationship with God? In the 18th chapter, verse 66 of the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. But how do we surrender unto God? Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita (18.65): Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. In the Kali Santaran Upanishad the process in this age of kaliyuga for attaining the highest liberation is by chanting the name of God. Also in the Srimad Bhagavatam we find the following verses. kalerdoshanidhe rajannasti hyeko mahan gunah | kirtanadeva krshnasya muktasangah param vrajet || 12.3.51 "In the repository of faults/evils that is Kali Yuga, O King (Parikshit), there is one great virtue. Simply by singing the praises of Krishna, one becomes free from all material attachments, and attains the Supreme." krte yad dhyayato vishnum tretayam yajato makhaih | dvapare paricaryayam kalau taddharikirtanad || 12.3.52 "The result one obtained in the Krita (Satya) Yuga by meditating on Vishnu, in

the Treta Yuga by performing Yajnas for the sake of Vishnu, in the Dvapara Yuga by serving Him, is obtained in the Kali Yuga by singing the glories of Hari." Also in the Brihan Naradiya Purana (38.126) it is stated: harer nama harer nama, harer namaiva kevalam; kalau nasty eva nasty eva, nasty eva gatir anyatha. For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali which is full of quarrel and hypocrisy, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, and there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami explains that it doesnt really matter what names of God we chant, because just as the Lord is unlimited he has unlimited names. The point is that we chant His name. By constantly chanting His name we are constantly thinking about Him, worshipping Him and offering homage unto Him, which is the process that God Himself gives in the Bhagavad Gita. He further explains that the name of Krishna is the highest name of God, because within this name, which means all attractive, all other names are present. If someone is all attractive, this means that this person must posses all opulence, all good qualities and that this name is higher than a name that only describes one quality. For example the name Vishnu means all pervading. But as Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami explains this all pervading is also within all attractive. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami further explains that the name of God is non-different from God Himself. In the realm of God there is no duality. God and His body are one. There is no distinction to body and soul like here in the material world. There our body and soul are one. In the same way God and His name are also one. So when one calls out the name of God, He is personally present there, because there is no difference between Him and His name. So the conclusion to his words is that the perfect way is to chant the highest name of God which is Krishna. In the Veda the name of God is Om, but there are rules and regulations to chanting and meditating on this name. Thats why the Kali Santaran Upanishad says that there are no rules and regulations to chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. It can be chanted anywhere and by anyone. I would like to close this book with the verses and translations of the Kali Santaran Upanishad of the Krishna Yajur Veda. hari om. dvaparante narada brahmanam jagama katham bhagavan gam paryatana kalim santareyam iti. [1] "Hari Om! After traveling all over the world, Shrila Narada Muni approached Lord Brahma (his own father and guru) during the time when Dvapara yuga was about to end. He asked him, O Lord! How will all the living entities be able to deliver themselves from the most degraded age of Kali which is about to begin.

ov . b m s u p s tosm sarva shruti rahasyam gopyam tac chrinu yena kali samsaram tarishyasi.[2] Lord Brahma replied, You have asked the most important and relevant question for the benefit of humanity. I will tell you now the most concealed secret of the Vedic literatures, with the help of which everyone can easily cross this most dangerous age of Kali. bhagavata adi purushasya narayanasya namoccharana matrena nirdhta kalir bhavati [3] Simply by chanting the transcendental names of the original enjoyer and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Narayana, all the sins will be cleansed in Kali yuga. narada punah papraccha tan nama kim iti.[4] Narada Muni again asked,Which are those specific names of the Lord which are most effective in Kali yuga? sa hovaca hiranyagarbah hare krishna hare krishna, krishna krishna hare hare. hare rama hare rama, rama rama hare hare; [5] iti shodashakam namnam, kali-kalmasha-nashanam; natah parataropayah, sarva-vedeshu drishyate. [6] Lord Brahma replied, The sixteen words-Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare; Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-are especially meant for completely destroying all the contamination of Kali. To save oneself from the contamination of Kali yuga, there is no alternative in all the Vedas except the chanting of this sixteen-word mantra. iti shodasha kalasya jivasyavarana vinashanam; tatah prakashate para brahma medhapaye ravi rashmi mandali veti. [7] This mahamantra consisting of sixteen names of Krishna is the destroyer of the (16layered) illusory covering of all the living entities. Only when the coverings are destroyed, Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear in the heart of the living entities, just like the sun appears with full intensity when the clouds are removed.

punar narada prapaccha bhagavan kasya vidhi-riti [8]

Shrila Narada again inquired from Lord Brahma-What are the procedures and rules for chanting this mahamantra? tam hovaca nasya vidhi-riti sarvada shuci-ashucira va pathan brahmanam salokya samipya sarupatam sayujyatam eti. [9] Lord Brahma replied, There are no rules and regulations to chant this mahamantra. It should be chanted always irrespective of whether one is in a pure or impure condition. yadasya shodashikasya sardha trikotir japati. tada brahma hatyam tarati vira hatyam. svarna steyat puto bhavati. pitrideva manushyanam apakarat puto bhavati. [10] When one chants the 16 names of the mahamantra 35 million times (sardha trikotir), he absolves himself of the sins of killing a brahmana or a kshatriya, stealing of gold or engaging in harmful activities towards ones forefathers or other living entities. sarva dharma parityaga papat sadyah sucitamapnuyat. sadyo mucyate sadyo mucyate ity upanishat. [11] By chanting the mahamantra, one becomes quickly purified from all sins accumulated due to rejecting all of ones duties in our past lives. Thus the Hare Krishna mahamantra, is the only means, the only means, the only means of thoroughly and immediately purifying oneself in Kali-yuga. Thus ends the Kali-santarana Upanishad. This Mahamantra is also mentioned in various other scriptures like the Agni Purana, the Padma purana, the Sri Chaitanya Upanishad of the Atharva Veda, the Narada Pancaratra, the Vayu Purana and the Ananta Samhita. My request to all the readers is to chant this Mahamantra daily, with faith, love and devotion. Thus we can all be on the right path to re-establishing our loving relationship with Sri Krishna. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.