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Almost all people who follow one of the many Vedic traditions refer to themselves as Hindus. There is no single "Hindu" dogma or belief system. Just like the Roman Catholics, the Southern Baptists, the Mormons, the Seventh Day Adventists, the Christian Scientists, the Unitarians, the Jehovahs Witnesses, the Pentecostals, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and every thing in between; all call themselves Christian, even though they each believe a different theology and philosophy, also in the "Hindu" world there are numerous traditions and theologies and philosophies which people follow whom almost all refer to themselves as Hindu. So your statement is false because "Hindus" have diverse beliefs, there is no official "Hindu" belief system just as there is no official Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist belief system. Each of these designations refers to a body of religions, not a specific religion or ideology.
No, all is God's Shakti manifesting at different levels. That's why there is diversity. From S.B 11.13.24: Within this world, whatever is perceived by the mind, speech, eyes or other senses is Me alone and nothing besides Me. All of you please understand this by a straightforward analysis of the facts. S.B 11.28.18: Real spiritual knowledge is based on the discrimination of spirit from matter, and it is cultivated by scriptural evidence, austerity, direct perception, reception of the Puranas' historical narrations, and logical inference. The Absolute Truth, which alone was present before the creation of the universe and which alone will remain after its destruction, is also the time factor and the ultimate cause. Even in the middle stage of this creation's existence, the Absolute Truth alone is the actual reality. Here Krishna is telling us that everything is Him. The Shaktis of the Lord are not different from the Lord. From Vaishnava Siddhanta Mala by Thakura Bhaktivinoda: It is not that Bhagavan is one thing and the shakti is another; just as the burning power of the fire is inseparable from the fire, similarly Bhagavan’s shakti is inseparable from Bhagavan. From Thakura Bhaktivinoda's Jaiva Dharma: The commentary on Vedanta states, shakti-shaktimator abhedah: 'There is no difference between the potency and the possessor of potency.' This means that shakti is not a separate object. The Supreme Person who is the master of all potencies is the one truly abiding substance. Shakti is the quality, or inherent function, that is subordinate to His will. And also from Jaiva Dharma: In the Narada-pancaratra, Sri Durga Devi explains: tava vaksasi radhaham rase vrindavane vane In the forest known as Vrindavana, I am Your internal sakti, Sri Radhika, who adorns Your chest in the rasa dance. From this statement of Durga Devi, it is clear that there is only one sakti, not two. That sakti is Radhika when She manifests as the internal potency, and she is Durga when she is manifested as the external potency. In the condition of freedom from contact with the material modes of nature, visnu-maya is the cit-sakti. That same visnu-maya is the jada-sakti when it is endowed with the modes of nature. Purport from A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami C.C Madhya 22.7: The Lord has many potencies, and He is non-different from all these potencies. Because the potencies and the potent cannot be separated, they are identical. Krsna is described as the source of all potencies, and He is also identified with the external potency, the material energy. Krsna also has internal potencies, or spiritual potencies, which are always engaged in His personal service. His internal potency is different from His external potency. Krsna's internal potency and Krsna Himself, who is the potent, are always identical. So we are being told that everything is in fact God. The Acintya Bhedabheda philosophy of Sri Caitanya is telling us that God is one with or identical to everything. Yet simultaneously different from everything. The difference does not negate the oneness, it is in addition to the oneness. Just like the Sun is one with the heat it produces, yet at the same time the Sun is different then the heat because the Sun is the heat and much more then the heat. The Sun is also a giant sphere, the Sun is also light, the Sun is many things. Yet none of those characteristics of the Sun define the totality of the Sun. The Sun is identical to it's parts yet at the same time it is different from it's parts. So Sri Krishna is identical to everything in existence because everything is comprised of Krishna, yet at the same time Krishna is different from any specific aspect of Himself because Krishna is the totality of all existence. From S.B. 4.17-19: Gold and earth are originally existing as ingredients. From gold one may fashion golden ornaments such as bracelets and earrings, and from earth one may fashion clay pots and saucers. The original ingredients gold and earth exist before the products made from them, and when the products are eventually destroyed, the original ingredients, gold and earth, will remain. Thus, since the ingredients are present in the beginning and at the end, they must also be present in the middle phase, taking the form of a particular product to which we assign for convenience a particular name, such as bracelet, earring, pot or saucer. We can therefore understand that since the ingredient cause exists before the creation of a product and after the product's destruction, the same ingredient cause must be present during the manifest phase, supporting the product as the basis of its reality. A material object, itself composed of an essential ingredient, creates another material object through transformation. Thus one created object becomes the cause and basis of another created object. A particular thing may thus be called real in that it possesses the basic nature of another object that constitutes its origin and final state. The material universe may be considered real, having nature as its original ingredient and final state. Lord Maha-Visnu is the resting place of nature, which becomes manifest by the power of time. Thus nature, the almighty Visnu and time are not different from Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth From S.B 11.2.41: A devotee should not see anything as being separate from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Ether, fire, air, water, earth, the sun and other luminaries, all living beings, the directions, trees and other plants, the rivers and oceans - whatever a devotee experiences he should consider to be an expansion of Krsna. Thus seeing everything that exists within creation as the body of the Supreme Lord, Hari, the devotee should offer his sincere respects to the entire expansion of the Lord's body.
No, there are gradations. That's why the concept of swabhava is so important in Vedanta, it stresses uniqueness of the jiva and evolution based on that unique quality. The Vedas teach that every soul is pure yet covered over by the modes of materiaL nature. From S.B. 3.7.5: The pure soul is pure consciousness and is never out of consciousness, either due to circumstances, time, situations, dreams or other causes. How then does he become engaged in nescience? PURPORT The consciousness of the living being is always present and never changes under any circumstances, as above mentioned. When a living man moves from one place to another, he is conscious that he has changed his position. He is always present in the past, present and future, like electricity. One can remember incidents from his past and can conjecture about his future also on the basis of past experience. He never forgets his personal identity, even though he is placed in awkward circumstances. How then can the living entity become forgetful of his real identity as pure spirit soul and identify with matter unless influenced by something beyond himself? The conclusion is that the living entity is influenced by the avidya potency, as confirmed in both the Vishnu Purana and the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So in fact every soul is pure. Yet when the pure soul becomes influenced by avidya, the pure soul then becomes covered over by the modes of nature; sattva guna, raja guna, and tamo guna. But the soul never changes, it always remains the same. From Bhagavad Gita 14.5: Material nature consists of three modes - goodness, passion and ignorance. When the eternal living entity comes in contact with nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he becomes conditioned by these modes. PURPORT The living entity, because he is transcendental, has nothing to do with this material nature. Still, because he has become conditioned by the material world, he is acting under the spell of the three modes of material nature. Because living entities have different kinds of bodies, in terms of the different aspects of nature, they are induced to act according to that nature. This is the cause of the varieties of happiness and distress. Bhagavad Gita 13.30: One who can see that all activities are performed by the body, which is created of material nature, and sees that the self does nothing, actually sees. PURPORT This body is made by material nature under the direction of the Supersoul, and whatever activities are going on in respect to one's body are not his doing. Whatever one is supposed to do, either for happiness or for distress, one is forced to do because of the bodily constitution. The self, however, is outside all these bodily activities. This body is given according to one's past desires. To fulfill desires, one is given the body, with which he acts accordingly. Practically speaking, the body is a machine, designed by the Supreme Lord, to fulfill desires. Because of desires, one is put into difficult circumstances to suffer or to enjoy. This transcendental vision of the living entity, when developed, makes one separate from bodily activities. One who has such a vision is an actual seer. Bhagavad Gita 13.32: Those with the vision of eternity can see that the imperishable soul is transcendental, eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is entangled. PURPORT A living entity appears to be born because of the birth of the material body, but actually the living entity is eternal; he is not born, and in spite of his being situated in a material body, he is transcendental and eternal. Thus he cannot be destroyed. By nature he is full of bliss. He does not engage himself in any material activities; therefore the activities performed due to his contact with material bodies do not entangle him.
Nonsense, Krishna is the source of both saguna and nirguna, he is the Purushottama beyond which there is no other. Nirguna and Saguna Brahman are used in different ways and the meanings change depending on the context. In one context the Advaitin school say that God is ultimately Nirguna Brahman; without attributes. They teach that Nirguna Brahman displays attributes in the world of Maya, that is why Brahman can incarnate as the various avatars and as all the variety found in the world of maya i.e. distinct souls and variety of manifestations of plants, animals, elements etc. They teach that all of that is an illusion caused by Maya. Ultimately when the jiva is enlightened he will see all variety of difference as an illusion, including the personality or Godhead. So in using Saguna Brahman in that context i.e. Saguna Brahman meaning Brahman with material qualities, then Vaisnavas all disagree. Some Vaisnava personalist schools teach that ultimately God is Saguna Brahman i.e. with attributes that are real, not simply an illusion of realness in the world of Maya. Ramanuja and Madhvacarya taught that God is ultimately Saguna Brahman, with attributes. They rejected the usage of Saguna Brahman by the Advaitins who taught that Saguna meant material attributes which they viewed as illusory. Ramanuja and Madhvacarya taught that God is Saguna Brahman but that those attributes or qualities are not illusory, not material, they are eternal, spiritual, and transcendental. So even though Gaudiya's don't usually speak of God as being Saguna Brahman, when they do it is in the context of God having attributes that are not material. When using the Advaitian concept of Saguna and Nirguna Brahman, Vaisnavas, including Gaudiya's teach that God is Nirguna Brahman, i.e. without material attributes. They reject the Advaitin definition Saguna Brahman i.e God with material attributes. But when the context of Nirguna and Saguna Brahman is used differently, then Vaisnavas teach that God is with spiritual transcendental attributes. In that context Saguna Brahman means God with eternal non-material attributes i.e. name, form, pastimes etc. In that context Nirguna Brahman has no meaning because God has attributes that are eternal.
God is NOT the material but the efficient cause. Shakti is different from Shaktimaan. God is in fact both the material and efficient cause of this universe. Shakti and Shaktiman are identical. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, from his foreword to Sree Krishna Chaitanya, Vol. 1, by his disciple Professor N.K. Sanyal. In the forward Srila Sarasvati Thakura gives a list of 145 attributes of Sri Krishna. Here is number 23 23) Krishna is efficient and material cause. CC Adi 6.4: Lord Advaita Acarya is the incarnation of Maha-Visnu, whose main function is to create the cosmic world through the actions of maya. CC Adi 6.5: Because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord, He is called Advaita, and because He propagates the cult of devotion, He is called Acarya. He is the Lord and the incarnation of the Lord's devotee. Therefore I take shelter of Him. CC Adi 6.6: Sri Advaita Acarya is indeed directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. His glory is beyond the conception of ordinary living beings. CC Adi 6.7: Maha-Visnu performs all the functions for the creation of the universes. Sri Advaita Acarya is His direct incarnation. CC Adi 6.8: That purusa creates and maintains with His external energy. He creates innumerable universes in His pastimes. CC Adi 6.9: By His will He manifests Himself in unlimited forms, in which He enters each and every universe. CC Adi 6.10: Sri Advaita Acarya is a plenary part of that purusa and so is not different from Him. Indeed, Sri Advaita Acarya is not separate but is another form of that purusa. CC Adi 6.11: He [Advaita Acarya] helps in the pastimes of the purusa, with whose material energy and by whose will He creates innumerable universes. CC Adi 6.13: Maha-Visnu creates the entire material world with millions of His parts, energies and incarnations. CC Adi 6.14-15: Just as the external energy consists of two parts -- the efficient cause [nimitta] and the material cause [upadana], maya being the efficient cause and pradhana the material cause -- so Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, assumes two forms to create the material world with the efficient and material causes. CC Adi 6.16: Lord Visnu Himself is the efficient [nimitta] cause of the material world, and Narayana in the form of Sri Advaita is the material cause [upadana]. CC Adi 6.17: Lord Visnu, in His efficient aspect, glances over the material energy, and Sri Advaita, as the material cause, creates the material world. CC Adi 6.18: Although the Sankhya philosophy accepts that the material ingredients are the cause, the creation of the world never arises from dead matter. CC Adi 6.19: The Lord infuses the material ingredients with His own creative potency. Then, by the power of the Lord, creation takes place. CC Adi 6.20: In the form of Advaita He infuses the material ingredients with creative energy. Therefore, Advaita is the original cause of creation. CC Adi 6.21: Sri Advaita Acarya is the creator of millions and millions of universes, and by His expansions [as Garbhodakasayi Visnu] He maintains each and every universe. CC Adi 6.22: Sri Advaita is the principal limb [anga] of Narayana. Srimad-Bhagavatam speaks of "limb" [anga] as "a plenary portion" [amsa] of the Lord. CC Adi 6.23: "O Lord of lords, You are the seer of all creation. You are indeed everyone's dearest life. Are You not, therefore, my father, Narayana? 'Narayana' refers to one whose abode is in the water born from Nara [Garbhodakasayi Visnu], and that Narayana is Your plenary portion. All Your plenary portions are transcendental. They are absolute and are not creations of maya." CC Adi 6.24: This verse describes that the limbs and plenary portions of the Lord are all spiritual; They have no relationship with the material energy. CC Adi 6.25: Why has Sri Advaita been called a limb and not a part? The reason is that "limb" implies greater intimacy. CC Adi 6.26: Sri Advaita, who is a reservoir of virtues, is the main limb of Maha-Visnu. His full name is Advaita, for He is identical in all respects with that Lord. C.C. Adi 2.28: Narayana and Sri Krsna are the same Personality of Godhead, but although They are identical, Their bodily features are different. Purport C.C Adi 2.29: Narayana is identical to Sri Krsna. They are in fact the same person manifested differently, like a high court judge who is differently situated in his office and at home. As Narayana the Lord is manifested with four hands, but as Krsna He is manifested with two hands. Purport S.B. 4.31.17: bhumir apo nalo vayuh kham´ mano buddhir eva ca ahankara itiyam´ me bhinna prakrtir astadha "Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego - all together these eight comprise My separated material energies." Although the material, or physical, elements are the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are separate. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is therefore not affected by material conditions. The Vedanta-sutra confirms, janmady asya yatah: [SB 1.1.1] the creation, maintenance and dissolution of this cosmic manifestation are due to the existence of the Supreme Lord. Nonetheless, the Lord is unaffected by all these changes in the material elements. This is indicated by the word pravaha ("emanation"). The sun always shines brilliantly and is not affected by clouds or darkness. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always present in His spiritual energy and is not affected by the material emanations. Brahma-sam´hita (5.1) confirms: isvarah paramahh krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam "Krsna, 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." Although He is the supreme cause, the cause of all causes, He is still parama, transcendental, and His form is sac-cid-ananda, eternal, spiritual bliss. Krsna is the shelter of everything, and this is the verdict of all scripture. Krsna is the remote cause, and material nature is the immediate cause of the cosmic manifestation. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that understanding prakrti, or nature, to be the cause of everything is like understanding the nipples on the neck of a goat to be the cause of milk. Material nature is the immediate cause of the cosmic manifestation, but the original cause is Narayana, Krsna. Sometimes people think that the cause of an earthen pot is the earth. We see on a potter's wheel a sufficient amount of earth to produce many pots, and although unintelligent men will say that the earth on the wheel is the cause of the pot, those who are actually advanced will find that the original cause is the potter, who supplies the earth and moves the wheel. Material nature may be a helping factor in the creation of this cosmic manifestation, but it is not the ultimate cause. In Bhagavad-gita(9.10) the Lord therefore says: mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram "This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, and producing all moving and unmoving beings." The Supreme Lord casts His glance over material energy, and His glance agitates the three modes of nature. Creation then takes place. The conclusion is that nature is not the cause of the material manifestation. The Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes. From a lecture on C.C Adi 4.96 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.: "radha-purna-sakti, krsna-purna-saktiman dui vastu bheda nai, sastra-paramana radha-krsna aiche sadaeka-i svarupa lila-rasa asvadite dhare dui-rupa There is no difference between the energy and the energetic, sakti-saktiman abheda. Therefore there is no difference between Radha and Krsna. Radha is purna-sakti and Krsna is purna-saktiman, so there is no difference, but, lila-rasa asvadite dhare dui-rupa, to relish the mellow of pastimes two bodies are there, Radha and Krsna, otherwise they are one. So in Vraja-lila there are two bodies, Radha and Krsna, visaya and asraya. But in the form of Gauranga They are one. Radha and Krsna combined together. Krsna assuming the mood and complexion of Radharani appears and that is Gauranga. This is the tattva, and that is a very deep and confidential tattva" Purport S.B. 6.19.6 The Lord has multifarious potencies (parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate). Since mother Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, is the Lord's very precious potency, she is addressed here as maha-maye. The word maya means sakti. Lord Visnu, the Supreme, cannot exhibit His power everywhere without His principal energy. It is said, sakti saktiman abheda: the power and the powerful are identical. C.C. Madhya 22.7: Krishna is the nondual Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although He is one, He maintains different personal expansions and energies for His pastimes. PURPORT The Lord has many potencies, and He is nondifferent from all these potencies. Because the potencies and the potent cannot be separated, they are identical. Krishna is described as the source of all potencies, and He is also identified with the external potency, the material energy. Krishna also has internal potencies, or spiritual potencies, which are always engaged in His personal service. His internal potency is different from His external potency. Krishna's internal potency and Krishna Himself, who is the potent, are always identical. From Bhaktivinoda Thakura from his Sri Tattva Sutra: 7. tacchaktitastatvadhikyamiticcenna tadabhedat If someone claims, "The Lord is different from His potency", then I reply, "No. It is not so, for they are not different." If someone claims that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the creator of the worlds, is different from His potency, then this sutra is spoken to refute him. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not different from His many potencies, the potencies are not different from Him. This is described in the following words of the Nyaya-sastra: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all potencies, is not different from His potencies." In the Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.8.) it is said: "The Lord's potencies of knowledge, power and action share His own nature. They are not different from Him." In Visnu Purana (1.22.53) it is said: "Just as the illumination of a fire, which is situated in one place, is spread over, the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, are spread all over the universe."* In the Markandeya Purana, Devi-mahatmya, the sage explains: "O king, now I will describe to you the glories of the goddess. By her power she sustains the entire world. "She is the potency of Lord Visnu. From her comes transcendental knowledge. You and many others have attained transcendental knowledge by her grace." In the Narada-pancaratra, Second Night, Third Chapter, Lord Siva explains: "The Supreme Lord is one. Still, He is manifested in two forms. One form is female: the potency of Lord Visnu. The other form is male: Lord Visnu. What is Shakti and what is Shaktiman? Ultimately we are told there is no difference, they are identical. Why? Because Krishna is everything. Krishna is energy and the controller of energy; Shakti and Shaktiman. Therefore the material energy is also identical to Krishna. Everything is both identical and different to Krishna. Krishna is all substance and the controller of all substance. Krishna's energy and Krishna are identical. But Krishna's energy is also different from Krishna in various ways. Krishna's energy is divided into 3 main categories. Internal energy or Cit or Antaranga Shakti The individual souls or Tatastha or Jiva Shakti The Illusory energy or Bahiranga or Maya Shakti C.C. Madhya 20.109,111: suryamsu kirana yaiche agni-jalaya svabhavika krsnera tina prakara sakti haya krsnera svabhavika-tina-sakti-parinati cic-chakti jiva-sakti ara maya-sakti The living entity is a manifestation simultaneously one and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Krsna has three varieties of energy. Lord Krsna naturally has three energetic transformations, and these are known as the spiritual energy, the living entity energy, and the illusory energy C.C. Madhya 8.150-152: krsnera ananta-sakti, ta'te tina pradhana cic-chakti, mayasakti, jiva-sakti-nama antaranga,bahiranga, tatastha kahi yare antaranga svarupa-sakti sabara upare Krsna has unlimited potencies, which can be divided into three main parts. These are the spiritual energy, the material energy and the marginal energy, which is known as the living entities. In other words, these are all potencies of God - internal, external, and marginal. However, the internal energy is the Lord's personal energy and stands over the other two. Why does the Internal or Cit or Antaranga Shakti stand over the other two? From Bhaktivinoda's The Bhagavat: Antaranga-shakti Antaranga is that which pertains to the proper Entity of the Absolute Person. It is also called Swarupa-shakti for this reason. The literal meaning of the word antaranga is "that which belongs to the inner body." Shakti is rendered as "power." From Bhaktivinoda's Jaiva Dharma: Krsna is self-effulgent, like a blazing fire or the sun. Krsna is like a blazing fire. In the centre of the fire is the cit-sakti (svarupa sakti), it is present in fullness. In addition to the centre there is also a great expanse illuminated by the fire. The same way the Krsna-sun illumines a great area with sunlight. The rays of sunlight are particles of His internal potency (svarupa sakti). Those atomic particles that constitute those rays of sunlight are the individual spirit souls. The internal potency (svarupa sakti) manifests the Krsna-sun planet itself. The sunlight emanating from that planet is manifested by the cit-sakti (svarupa sakti) and the individual particles of light are manifested by the jiva-sakti. Therefore the individual spirit souls are manifested by the jiva-sakti. Cit Shakti, the Internal energy, is Krishna proper. If we take into account the totality of reality, the totality of God, we have Bhagavan, the Internal energy, External energy, and Jiva. The Internal energy is God proper. Also from Jaiva Dharma: Srila Jiva Gosvami describes the Supreme Person in these words: "The Absolute Truth is one. Still, by His inconceivable potency He is manifested in four ways: 1. svarupa (His original form), 2. tad-rupa-vaibhava (His incarnations), 3. jiva (the individual spirit souls), and 4. pradhana (the material energy). These four features are like: 1. the interior of the sun planet, 2. the sun's surface, 3. the sunlight, and 4. the reflection of the sun." This example of course, explains only a small part of the Lord's nature. His svarupa (original form) is His form of eternity, knowledge and bliss. His svarupa-vaibhava (manifestations of His form) are His spiritual abode, name, associates and paraphernalia. The jiva-sakti is the abode of the numberless eternally liberated and conditioned individual souls, who are tiny particles of spirit. Jiva Goswami explains the personal incarnations and spiritual abode, name, associates (personal expansions) and paraphernalia of the Lord to be like the sun's surface and the Lord to be like the sun's interior. What this means is that when you look at the sun you only see the surface, but underneath is the sun. So when you look at a personal expansion of the Lord or the Lord's abode, etc, they may display a great variety of forms, personas, pastimes, etc. But underneath they are all the same Supreme Lord. That is the Antaranga or Cit Sakti which is always completely identical to the Lord.
Wrong, the effect merges into the material cause which is prakriti, and since God is the efficient cause, his nature never changes and there is eternal duality between God and man. That is Tattvavada philosophy of Sri Madhvacarya. Gaudiya's reject the Dwaita or dualistic paradigm preached by Sri Madhava. We accept the teachings of the Bhagavat Purana which is explicit in it's teaching that Krishna is simultaneously one with the Jiva and different from the Jiva. Just like the molecule of oxygen is part of the singular atmosphere of the earth, yet at the same time you can see it is a distinct particle. In that way the Bhagavat teaches that since everything ultimately has it's existence within and part of Hari, yet retains a distinct identity from Hari, therefore we are all amsa's or limbs of the body of Hari. We are called Vibhinnamsa, whereas the various incarnations and personal expansions of the Supreme Lord are called Swamsa. As Jiva Goswami has said in his Krsna Sandarbha where he quotes from the Varaha Purana: The two kinds of expansions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead are : 1. svamsa (personal expansions) and 2. vibhinnamsa (separate persons). The svamsa expansions are unlimitedly powerful. Their form and personality are the same as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. There is not the slightest difference between the svamsa expansions and the Original Personality of Godhead. The vibhinnamsa expansions are very weak in comparison to Them. We are expansions of Krishna. That means that Krishna manifests Himself as a different type of living entity from His own infinite omniscient omnipresent being, giving a unique sense of self to each one of us. But we are not totally separate entities from Krishna, we are two persons in one. We are Krishna and a unique individual, together we make up "me". We exist as a part of Krishna's consciousness, like a limb or amsa of God's infinite body of consciousness. Our consciousness is part of a much larger conscious being. From Bhagavad Gita 13.16: The Supreme Truth exists outside and inside of all living beings, the moving and the nonmoving. Because He is subtle, He is beyond the power of the material senses to see or to know. Although far, far away, He is also near to all. PURPORT In Vedic literature we understand that Narayana, the Supreme Person, is residing both outside and inside of every living entity. He is present in both the spiritual and material worlds. Although He is far, far away, still He is near to us. These are the statements of Vedic literature. Asino duram vrajati sayano yati sarvatah (Katha Upanishad 1.2.21). And because He is always engaged in transcendental bliss, we cannot understand how He is enjoying His full opulence. We cannot see or understand with these material senses. Therefore in the Vedic language it is said that to understand Him our material mind and senses cannot act. But one who has purified his mind and senses by practicing Krishna consciousness in devotional service can see Him constantly. It is confirmed in Brahma-samhita that the devotee who has developed love for the Supreme God can see Him always, without cessation. And it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (11.54) that He can be seen and understood only by devotional service. Bhaktya tv ananyaya sakyah. Bhagavad Gita 13.17: Although the Supersoul appears to be divided among all beings, He is never divided. He is situated as one. Although He is the maintainer of every living entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops all. Bhagavad Gita 13.18: One who sees the Supersoul equally present everywhere, in every living being, does not degrade himself by his mind. Thus he approaches the transcendental destination.
Total nonsense, names are irrelevant in the temporal world. But in the transcendental world, name IS the form. So Krishna is the name as well as the form, and other Vedic names such as Visnu, Narayana are acceptable. But Allah, Jesus have nothing to do with our God. Hence, Hindus stop saying . like god is one but his names are many. Because then, a Muslim could worship God as Bin Laden and a Christian as Bush. After all, names are irrelevant, right? Why do "Hindus" say that? I know Srila Prabhupada A.C. Bhaktivedanta used to say that at various times, why? Because they seek to present an inviting openhearted non egotistic presentation to people of other faiths. It's called getting along with your neighbors. Make peace not war. Give respect; you get respect, give disrespect; get back disrespect.
It works at all times, that's why Vedanta is called Sanatana Dharma or Eternal philosophy. Who are the rulers at the moment? They're not kshatriya material, they are Sudras and that's why there is chaos in politics. As one can see, Varnasrama would've solved this problem by electing Kshatriyas to perform that particular dharma, and not sudras in the name of equality and all. Hence, varna system is important now more than ever. Varnashrama was not a democracy, there was no voting, it was monarchical. Varnashrama was a society wide phenomena in the Vedic age. It didn't just pop up one day in the middle of a totally different type of society and culture. Varnashrama was organic to the culture it operated within. In modern times Varnashrama only has relevance as a sanctuary, as a way to live apart from the modern world wide culture. Varnashrama spiritual communities may be able to exist in pockets here and there, where like minded souls can come together to make an endeavor to advance spiritually in each other's association, but thinking that the Vedic Varnashrama society can overtake or replace modern materialistic society? That is absurd. It is not going to happen or even come anywhere near happening. Forget about fantasizing about the changing of modern society into a Vedic monarachy, or at least run on Varnashrama and Vedic principles, it's a waste of your time. A pipe dream. The best we can affect the world in a big way is if we can influence some of the very powerful to take to Vaisnavism. Then they could in turn use their power to better society. But society as a whole will not turn to Varnashrama or the Vedic path, it's just not feasible.
Another politically correct statement. Respect cannot be given away for free. People should earn it. If people from other 'faiths' want respect, they're not gonna get it by following non-Vedic paths. If you want to respect everyone and project a nice guy image, join politics and leave Vedanta alone. From Kapiladev S.B. 3.29.23-27: One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behaviour towards other living entities. My dear mother, even if he worships with proper rituals and paraphernalia, a person who is ignorant of My presence in all living entities never pleases Me by the worship of My Deities in the temple. Performing his prescribed duties, one should worship the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead until one realises My presence in his own heart and in the hearts of all other living entities as well. As the blazing fire of death, I cause great fear to whoever makes the least discrimination between himself and other living entities because of a differential outlook. Therefore, through charitable gifts and attention, as well as through friendly behaviour and by viewing all to be alike, one should propitiate Me, who abide in all creatures as their very self.
No wonder, Hindus have been slaves forever! Peace is a relative idea and the relative should never be confused with the Absolute. So to reduce all our activities, ideas and aspirations to just ONE relative principle is absurd. There are many more absurdities that the Hindus believe in, but this is all I could think of at the moment. Anyhow, the point is, Hindus are dull people who believe in these comforting myths to project the 'nice guy' image. They aren't interested in the truth, they are used car salesmen and nothing more. So I wonder why we should call ourselves Vaishnavas when the word is commonly associated with Hinduism. Wouldn't Vedanta be a better term to separate ourselves from Hinduism? I've never heard "peace is the highest ideal" spoken or written anywhere by any "Hindu". Krishna spoke this in the Gita chapter 16 though: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Fearlessness; purification of one's existence; cultivation of spiritual knowledge; charity; self-control; performance of sacrifice; study of the Vedas; austerity; simplicity; nonviolence; truthfulness; freedom from anger; renunciation; tranquillity; aversion to faultfinding; compassion for all living entities; freedom from covetousness; gentleness; modesty; steady determination; vigor; forgiveness; fortitude; cleanliness; and freedom from envy and from the passion for honor - these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature. Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance -these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Prtha. The Supreme Lord is manifesting all and guiding the path everyone is taking, after all Sri Krishna has said: The Supersoul alone is the ultimate controller and creator of this world, and thus He alone is also the created. Similarly, the Soul of all existence Himself both maintains and is maintained, withdraws and is withdrawn. No other entity can be properly ascertained as separate from Him, the Supreme Soul, who nonetheless is distinct from everything and everyone else. The appearance of the threefold material nature, which is perceived within Him, has no actual basis. Rather, you should understand that this material nature, composed of the three modes, is simply the product of His illusory potency. Within this world, whatever is perceived by the mind, speech, eyes or other senses is Me alone and nothing besides Me. All of you please understand this by a straightforward analysis of the facts. According to My instructions, one should fix the mind on Me alone. If, however, one continues to see many different values and goals in life rather than seeing everything within Me, then although apparently awake, one is actually dreaming due to incomplete knowledge, just as one may dream that one has wakened from a dream. Those states of existence that are conceived of as separate from the Supreme Personality of Godhead have no actual existence, although they create a sense of separation from the Absolute Truth. Just as the seer of a dream imagines many different activities and rewards, similarly, because of the sense of an existence separate from the Lord's existence, the living entity falsely performs fruitive activities, thinking them to be the cause of future rewards and destinations.
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