52.1 In the Samvat year 1876, on Mahã vad 3 [2nd February, 1820], Shreeji Mahãrãj was having kathã read on the veranda outside Dãdã Khãchar’s medi in Gadhadã. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. A sabhã of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
52.2 During the kathã, a reference was made to the fact that a person who understands Bhagvãn’s svarup through the four sets of shãstras – Sãnkhya, Yog, Vedãnt, and Panch-Rãtra – should be known to be completely enlightened.
52.3 Hearing this, Muktãnand Swãmi asked, “Mahãrãj, please explain how a person can realise Bhagvãn through those four sets of shãstras? Also, what deficiency remains in a person who does not realise Bhagvãn in that way?”
52.4 Shreeji Mahãrãj replied, “The Sãnkhya shãstras propose Bhagvãn as being the twenty-fifth tattva. Also, just as the twenty-four tattvas are incapable of doing anything without Bhagvãn, jeev and ishvar are also incapable of doing anything without Bhagvãn. Therefore, jeev and ishvar are also included in the twenty-four tattvas. These twenty-four tattvas, which include jeev and ishvar, are called kshetra. Bhagvãn, the twenty-fifth tattva, is called kshetragna.
52.5 “The Yog shãstras propose Bhagvãn as being the twenty-sixth tattva, and as possessing a definite murti. They describe jeev and ishvar as the twenty-fifth tattva, and describe the twenty-four tattvas as being distinct from them. They prescribe that a person should perform dhyãn upon Bhagvãn, realising his ãtmã to be distinct from those tattvas.
52.6 “The Vedãnt shãstras describe Bhagvãn as pervading all, as being the cause of all, as the supporter of all, as nirgun, advait, and niranjan, and as the non-doer despite being the all-doer. They also describe Him as possessing only divya qualities and not any worldly qualities.
52.7 “The Panch-Rãtra shãstras describe that there is only one Bhagvãn, who is Shree Krishna Purushottam Nãrãyan. He incarnates into the four svarups of Vãsudev, Sankarshan, Aniruddha, and Pradyumna. It is also He who assumes an avatãr on this earth. A person who offers the nine types of bhakti to Him, attains kalyãn.
52.8 “These are the various descriptions of Bhagvãn as given in those four scriptures. A person who thoroughly understands them, should be known to be completely enlightened.
52.9 “However, a discrepancy would arise if a person were to try to understand Bhagvãn’s svarup using only the Sãnkhya shãstras, while leaving the other three shãstras aside. The Sãnkhya shãstras do not describe jeev and ishvar as being distinct from the twenty-four tattvas. Therefore, when the followers of Sãnkhya reject the twenty-four tattvas and believe their jeevãtmã to be distinct from them, they would understand their jeevãtmã as the twenty-fifth tattva, but not Bhagvãn.
52.10 “There is a weakness in trying to understand Bhagvãn’s svarup from the Yog shãstras alone. They believe that Bhagvãn possesses a definite murti, but the followers of Yog consider Him to have limitations. They do not understand Him to be the antaryãmi of all, and absolutely perfect.
52.11 “There is also a weakness in trying to understand Bhagvãn’s svarup from the Vedãnt shãstra alone. They believe that Bhagvãn – who is the cause of all, pervades all, and is nirgun – is nirãkãr. They do not realise that Bhagvãn’s eternal svarup possesses divya limbs, not mãyik arms and legs.
52.12 “There is also a weakness in trying to understand Bhagvãn’s svarup from the Panch-Rãtra shãstras alone. They offer bhakti to Bhagvãn, but they see Bhagvãn’s avatãrs with human traits. Also, they understand Bhagvãn to be present in only one place at any one time, and not as being the antaryãmi of all and absolutely perfect.
52.13 “These are the types of weaknesses that arise when a person does not realise Bhagvãn using a combination of all four sets of shãstras. However, if a person attempts to realise Bhagvãn using all four sets of shãstras together, then the weakness raised from the understanding of one set of shãstras, is corrected by the understanding of another. Therefore, a person who understands Bhagvãn using all four sets of shãstras, is known as being completely enlightened.
52.14 “If he ignores one set of shãstras, he is known as being three-quarters enlightened. If he ignores two sets of shãstras, he is known as being half-enlightened. If ignores three sets of scriptures, he is known as being a quarter enlightened. If he acts according to his own fictional interpretations of the shãstras while ignoring all four sets of shãstras, then even if he is a vedãnti or a person with upãsanã, he is lost. He cannot be said to have found the path of kalyãn. Therefore, such a vedãnti’s gnãn is hypocritical, and a person with such upãsanã is a hypocritical bhakta.”
End of Vachanãmrut Gadhadã I || 52 || 52 ||