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Gaudiya Vaisnava Sub Forum?

atmarama

Struggling Spiritualist
I'm just wondering why there is not a Gaudiya Vaisnava dedicated sub forum here? Anyone know why?
 

Riverwolf

Amateur Rambler / Proud Ergi
Premium Member
I think this would be better off in Site Feedback, so you can talk directly with the staff. Want me to move it there?
 
Do we need a subforum? :D

Generally the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, which seem to be many of us although in hiding, hang out in this Hindu forum here. :) I mean, scholarly speaking, we are Hindus... of the fundamentalist Vaishnava kind. :D
 

atmarama

Struggling Spiritualist
Do we need a subforum? :D

Generally the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, which seem to be many of us although in hiding, hang out in this Hindu forum here. :) I mean, scholarly speaking, we are Hindus... of the fundamentalist Vaishnava kind. :D

I just don't find the word hindu to be accurate prabhu... A Gaudiya Vaisnava forum would allow us to churn much nectar don't you think? Although my Guru Maharaja has referred to us as "orthodox" hindu's before though :)
 

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
I just don't find the word hindu to be accurate prabhu... A Gaudiya Vaisnava forum would allow us to churn much nectar don't you think? Although my Guru Maharaja has referred to us as "orthodox" hindu's before though :)

I am neither here nor there about it. For instance if I want to discuss something specifically GV I will specify that in the title. But if a few people want a sub-forum, definitely take the matter to the Site Feedback area.
 
I just don't find the word hindu to be accurate prabhu... A Gaudiya Vaisnava forum would allow us to churn much nectar don't you think? Although my Guru Maharaja has referred to us as "orthodox" hindu's before though :)

Perhaps a 'Vaishnava' forum in general would be more pleasing if a subforum is indeed necessary, along with those who have tastes in Shaiva or Shakta siddhanta as well.

I really desire to learn more about Vaishnavism outside the Gaudiya fold from other fellow believers, but unless there are more of such Vaishnavas in the English-speaking world, I would be hard-pressed. :p
 

kaisersose

Active Member
I just don't find the word hindu to be accurate prabhu... A Gaudiya Vaisnava forum would allow us to churn much nectar don't you think? Although my Guru Maharaja has referred to us as "orthodox" hindu's before though

Would this proposed forum be a sibling forum of HInduism or a child forum like Vedanta?

In my opinion, instead of opening up a new forum, it would be simpler if you spent some time researching the words Hindu/Sanatana Dharma (beyond the Hindu/Sindu etymology talked about in ISKCON) and what they actually mean in today's world. You will find there is no need for a new forum.
 
Would this proposed forum be a sibling forum of HInduism or a child forum like Vedanta?

In my opinion, instead of opening up a new forum, it would be simpler if you spent some time researching the words Hindu/Sanatana Dharma (beyond the Hindu/Sindu etymology talked about in ISKCON) and what they actually mean in today's world. You will find there is no need for a new forum.

Yes, I agree. I do not understand why we can not be known as fundamentalist Hindus... :D

Besides, I see 'Hinduism' as a cultural term, meaning anyone who believes in the Vedas. Besides, under the 'banner of Hinduism' is also Shaivism, Shaktism, Smartism, and Vaishnavism, as well as a plethora of other religions like the Brahma Kumaris, Arya Samaj and Lingayatism... so despite the unity of a term, in reality they are different religions under the cultural flag of 'Hinduism.'

Although I have to disagree with the existence of a 'Hindu Dharma.'
 

atmarama

Struggling Spiritualist
Hey Prabhus,

I am thinking it would be very nice to have a Gaudiya sub-forum. We could churn such nice nectar without always going back over the basics... Obviously we would steer well clear of politics - actually that should be one of the rulios... Anyone in agreement?
 

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
Atmarama, I suggest making a request to the staff at Site Feedback. I am happy to support a sub-forum.

My thinking is that if we have a Gaudiya forum, others will probably want sub-forums for all the different sects and things could get cluttered. It might be easier just to address a thread to Gaudiya Vaishnavas when you wish to discuss something specifically related to it with other devotees.

But like I said, if you and others are interested I will support it.
 
Perhaps just a 'Vaishnava' subforum would be nice. After all, we do have a Advaita Vedanta forum.

Although I seem to be slowly going away from the Gaudiya tradition, I still call and cling to Vaishnavism as my own personal Dharma, and I would like to associate with others who have similar beliefs to mine! :D

Especially when there are other people who dislike the 'high and mighty' feeling of Vaishnavism, it is why I classify these traditional denominational Hinduisms as separate religions rather than the same.
 

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
Perhaps just a 'Vaishnava' subforum would be nice. After all, we do have a Advaita Vedanta forum.

Although I seem to be slowly going away from the Gaudiya tradition, I still call and cling to Vaishnavism as my own personal Dharma, and I would like to associate with others who have similar beliefs to mine! :D

Especially when there are other people who dislike the 'high and mighty' feeling of Vaishnavism, it is why I classify these traditional denominational Hinduisms as separate religions rather than the same.

I'm similar. I grew up as a Hare Krishna but no longer completely associate myself with that sect anymore. I like the idea of Vaishvana sub-forum. Or what about the main sampradayas? So the Gaudiyas would be part of the Brahma sampradaya forum.
 
I'm similar. I grew up as a Hare Krishna but no longer completely associate myself with that sect anymore. I like the idea of Vaishvana sub-forum. Or what about the main sampradayas? So the Gaudiyas would be part of the Brahma sampradaya forum.

Under Vaishnavism, you would have the Hare Krishnas, the Swaminarayanis, the Pushtimargis, the Srivaishnavas, etc.

If you want to go uber-traditional, the four main sampradayas in Vaishnavism is Brahma (Madhvacharya), Kumara (Nimbarkacharya), Rudra (Vishnuswami), and Lakshmi (Ramanujacharya), as apparently these divine personalities revealed the teachings on those sampradayas to those great philosophers.

I don't think there is any need to go further than to have the umbrella of 'Vaishnavism' being that most of the philosophy is the same. Whenever I look at Ramanujacharya's Vishishtadvaita, Madhvacharya's Dvaita, Vallabhacharya's Shuddhadvaita, Nimbarkacharya's Dvaitadvaita, or Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabrabhu's Achintya-Bheda-Abheda, they all speak of the same thing with very very minute differences: that God, Ishvara, and the soul, the jiva, are both different, and that although God (Vishnu/Krishna) has both impersonal and personal characteristics, His personality and personage take precedence.
 

atmarama

Struggling Spiritualist
Haribol! I am in agreement fellow vaisnava's! Let us beg for a vaisnava sub-form :) Where to begin, Im very new here...

Gauranga!
 

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
It would be good if we could figure out which sub-forums we would like to appear under Hinduism and change it all at once- unless nobody cares to have more than a Vaishnava forum.

It would probably be nice to have more than that though.
 

bhaktajan

Active Member
No its just a Vedanta forum not Advaita Vedanta. It is for all Vedantians.

Who about 3 Sub-Forums:
kanishtha,
madhyama, and
uttama.

But I love when arm-chair Hindu scholars post contending opinions.

Madanbhakta, Is that a picture of Madhva acraya, in your avatar Photo, it is so awesome? Hurray for Bollywood!
 

bhaktajan

Active Member
No its just a Vedanta forum not Advaita Vedanta. It is for all Vedantians.

Yes. Just a Primer by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami:

The Vedas are considered to be the mother, and Brahmā is called the grandfather, the forefather, because he was the first to be instructed in the Vedic knowledge. In the beginning the first living creature was Brahmā. He received this Vedic knowledge and imparted it to Nārada and other disciples and sons, and they also distributed it to their disciples. In this way, the Vedic knowledge comes down by disciplic succession.

Vedic knowledge is called śabda-pramāṇa. Another name is śruti. Śruti means that this knowledge has to be received simply by aural reception. The Vedas instruct that in order to understand transcendental knowledge, we have to hear from the authority.

Originally there was only one Veda, and there was no necessity of reading it. People were so intelligent and had such sharp memories that by once hearing from the lips of the spiritual master they would understand. They would immediately grasp the whole purport. But five thousand years ago Vyāsadeva put the Vedas in writing for the people in this age, Kali-yuga.

He knew that eventually the people would be short-lived, their memories would be very poor, and their intelligence would not be very sharp. "Therefore, let me teach this Vedic knowledge in writing." He divided the Vedas into four: Ṛg, Sāma, Atharva and Yajur. Then he gave the charge of these Vedas to his different disciples.

He then thought of the less intelligent class of men-strī, śūdra and dvija-bandhu. He considered the woman class and śūdra class (worker class) and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu refers to those who are born in a high family but who are not properly qualified. A man who is born in the family of a brāhmaṇa but is not qualified as a brāhmaṇa is called dvija-bandhu.

For these persons he compiled the Mahābhārata, called the history of India, and the eighteen Purāṇas. These are all part of the Vedic literature: the Purāṇas, the Mahābhārata, the four Vedas and the Upaniṣads. The Upaniṣads are part of the Vedas. Then Vyāsadeva summarized all Vedic knowledge for scholars and philosophers in what is called the Vedānta-sūtra. This is the last word of the Vedas.

Vyāsadeva personally wrote the Vedānta-sūtra under the instructions of Nārada, his Guru Mahārāja (spiritual master), but still he was not satisfied. That is a long story, described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vedavyāsa was not very satisfied even after compiling many Purāṇas and Upaniṣads, and even after writing the Vedānta-sūtra.

Then his spiritual master, Nārada, instructed him, "You explain the Vedānta-sūtra." Vedānta means "ultimate knowledge," and the ultimate knowledge is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says that throughout all the Vedas one has to understand Him: vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the compiler of the Vedānta-sūtra, and I am the knower of the Vedas." Therefore the ultimate objective is Kṛṣṇa.

That is explained in all the Vaiṣṇava commentaries on Vedānta philosophy. We Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas have our commentary on Vedānta philosophy, called Govinda-bhāṣya, by Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa. Similarly, Rāmānujācārya has a commentary, and Madhvācārya has one. The version of Śańkarācārya is not the only commentary. There are many Vedānta commentaries, but because the Vaiṣṇavas did not present the first Vedānta commentary, people are under the wrong impression that Śańkarācārya's is the only Vedānta commentary.

Besides that, Vyāsadeva himself wrote the perfect Vedānta commentary, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins with the first words of the Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. And that janmādy asya yataḥ is fully explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Vedānta-sūtra simply hints at what is Brahman, the Absolute Truth: "The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything emanates."

This is a summary, but it is explained in detail in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If everything is emanating from the Absolute Truth, then what is the nature of the Absolute Truth? That is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Absolute Truth must be consciousness. He is self-effulgent (sva-rāṭ). We develop our consciousness and knowledge by receiving knowledge from others, but for Him it is said that He is self-effulgent.

The whole summary of Vedic knowledge is the Vedānta-sūtra, and the Vedānta-sūtra is explained by the writer himself in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We finally request those who are actually after Vedic knowledge to try to understand the explanation of all Vedic knowledge from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-gītā.
 
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