My answer down ⬇

Dear Guru Maharaja,

in continuation from here:

https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/16465/

••••••

Thank you for your reply. I understand that you are making a distinction between Śrīla Prabhupāda's books and his letters, considering letters to be less precise.

I also understand your reference to the gradation of completeness: Brahman as complete, Paramātmā as more complete, and Bhagavān as most complete. In this sense, the word complete can be understood within a particular context and does not necessarily mean the absolute or ultimate degree of completeness.

You also point out that this may be a characteristic of Śrīla Prabhupāda's rhetoric, and perhaps of his community.

I find this helpful, although I am still thinking about the implications (the conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated), particularly when such expressions are used to describe individual devotees. Other devotees may naturally take these descriptions as precise statements about a person's spiritual attainment and consequently place considerable trust in that person.

You mentioned that you hope to write more later. I would be happy to hear anything further you might wish to share.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Your servant,

Namacarya Das anu das anu das

HpS - Any specific topics? Questions not dealt with the above post? Details, examples?

ND - I wonder whether this might be an overextension of the gradation of completeness used to describe the three aspects of the nondual Absolute Truth — Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān — to the spiritual qualification of an individual sādhaka, a practitioner of bhakti-yoga.

I am also aware that a similar gradation describes Kṛṣṇa's manifestations in Vaikuṇṭha, Mathurā, Dvārakā, and Vṛndāvana (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 20.398–401) in terms of pūrṇa, pūrṇatara, and pūrṇatama.

However, I wonder whether extending this theological framework to describe an individual sādhaka as completely Kṛṣṇa conscious is justified, or whether we (Srila Prabhupada) might be applying the concept beyond its intended context.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this distinction.

HpS - ASA -- Hare Krsna. Srila Prabhupada Tiro-bhava-mahotsava ki jai.

I think we would have to talk about this individually to go into any more specific detail than the general points discussed above, no?

This letter media is a little to slow, limited for more detail.

We remember one big Ista-gosthi in Saranagati, Vancouver Canada rural project, like 300-acres.

Fifty plus devotees present.

Hrdayananda Goswami was leading.

He commented at one point that Srila Prabhupada was seldom a lawyer in his writings, preaching. We thought about that and it seemed to be correct. SPs persepctive and the perspective of the SB seems to be that we will discuss the same topic again and again from different persepectives, contexts, personal idiom and then the concept and information will become very clear.

That we try to do it precisely in one pass seems to be the German mentality.

(I am grandson of German immigrants).