Page 39 - Sri Ramanujacharya Sahasrabdhi - 1000th year anniversary of Ramanujacarya
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devotees avoid quarrelling and making ar ficial boundaries based on
incomplete knowledge of the esoteric truths of spiritual life. Let us all
glorify Ramanujacarya, one of the greatest spiritual teachers of all me.
We should learn from him that all caste differences are irrelevant for
spiritual advancement as long as one listens to and follows the instruc-
ons of bona fide representa ves of Lord Krishna. Nammalvar was
bornnin a low caste family. Yet, he is considered the most prominent
Alvar saint. Ramanujacarya accepted two gurus who were born in low
caste families. We must stay glued to the instruc ons of the great acar-
yas who are sincere and honest representa ves of Lord Krishna, the
original guru and teacher who spoke the Bhagavad-gita over 500 years
ago. The Gita is the best. This is confirmed by Srila Prabhupada who
writes:
“But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures
do not a ain God consciousness; they fall down. For the doub ng soul
there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.”
Commentary:
“Out of many standard and authorita ve revealed scriptures, the Bha-
gavad-gītā is the best. Persons who are almost like animals have no
faith in, or knowledge of, the standard revealed scriptures; and some,
even though they have knowledge of, or can cite passages from, the
revealed scriptures, have actually no faith in these words. And even
though others may have faith in scriptures like Bhagavad-gītā, they do
not believe in or worship the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Such
persons cannot have any standing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They fall
down. Out of all the above-men oned persons, those who have no faith
and are always doub ul make no progress at all. Men without faith in
God and His revealed word find no good in this world, nor in the next.
For them there is no happiness whatsoever. One should therefore follow
the principles of revealed scriptures with faith and thereby be raised to
the pla orm of knowledge. Only this knowledge will help one become
promoted to the transcendental pla orm of spiritual understanding. In
other words, doub ul persons have no status whatsoever in spiritual
emancipa on. One should therefore follow in the footsteps of great
ācāryas who are in the disciplic succession and thereby a ain suc-
cess.” (Bg 4.40)
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