The following Gadhada from "Shree Vachanamrita" (Shree SwamiNarayan Sampraday) is one of the most precious masterpieces of Katha, I have ever encountered in Vaishnava-Granthas.
Shree Shreemad Swami Narayan, "Realising Bhagvan Through The Four Shastras"
52.1
In the Samvat year 1876, on Maha vad 3 [2 nd February, 1820], Shreeji Maharaj was having katha read on the veranda outside Dada Khachar’s medi in Gadhada.
He was dressed entirely in white clothes.
A sabha of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
52.2
During the katha, a reference was made to the fact that a person who understands Bhagvan’s svarup through the four sets of shastras – Sankhya, Yog, Vedant, and Panch-Ratra – should be known to be completely enlightened.
52.3
Hearing this, Muktanand Swami asked, “Maharaj, please explain how a person can realise Bhagvan through those four sets of shastras? Also, what deficiency remains in a person who does not realise Bhagvan in that way?”
52.4
“The Sankhya shastras propose Bhagvan as being the twenty-fifth tattva. Also, just as the twenty-four tattvas are incapable of doing anything without Bhagvan, jeev and ishvar are also incapable of doing anything without Bhagvan.
Therefore, jeev and ishvar are also included in the twenty-four tattvas.
These twenty-four tattvas, which include jeev and ishvar, are called kshetra. Bhagvan, the twenty-fifth tattva, is called kshetragna.
52.5
“The Yog shastras propose Bhagvan 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 dhyan upon Bhagvan, realising his atma to be distinct from those tattvas.
52.6
“The Vedant shastras describe Bhagvan 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-Ratra shastras describe that there is only one Bhagvan, who is Shree Krishna Purushottam Narayan.
He incarnates into the four svarups of Vasudev, Sankarshan, Aniruddha, and Pradyumna.
It is also He who assumes an avatar on this earth. A person who offers the nine types of bhakti to Him, attains kalyan.
52.8
“These are the various descriptions of Bhagvan 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 Bhagvan’s svarup using only the Sankhya shastras, while leaving the other three shastras aside.
The Sankhya shastras do not describe jeev and ishvar as being distinct from the twenty-four tattvas.
Therefore, when the followers of Sankhya reject the twenty-four tattvas and believe their jeevatma to be distinct from them, they would understand their jeevatma as the twenty-fifth tattva, but not Bhagvan.
52.10
“There is a weakness in trying to understand Bhagvan’s svarup from the Yog shastras alone.
They believe that Bhagvan possesses a definite murti, but the followers of Yog consider Him to have limitations.
They do not understand Him to be the antaryami of all, and absolutely perfect.
52.11
“There is also a weakness in trying to understand Bhagvan’s svarup from the Vedant shastra alone. They believe that Bhagvan – who is the cause of all, pervades all, and is nirgun – is nirakar. They do not realise that Bhagvan’s eternal svarup possesses divya limbs, not mayik arms and legs.
52.12
“There is also a weakness in trying to understand Bhagvan’s svarup from the Panch-Ratra shastras alone.
They offer bhakti to Bhagvan, but they see Bhagvan’s avatars with human traits.
Also, they understand Bhagvan to be present in only one place at any one time, and not as being the antaryami of all and absolutely perfect.
52.13
“These are the types of weaknesses that arise when a person does not realise Bhagvan using a combination of all four sets of shastras.
However, if a person attempts to realise Bhagvan using all four sets of shastras together, then the weakness raised from the understanding of one set of shastras, is corrected by the understanding of another.
Therefore, a person who understands Bhagvan using all four sets of shastras, is known as being completely enlightened.
52.14
“If he ignores one set of shastras, he is known as being three-quarters enlightened.
If he ignores two sets of shastras, 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 shastras while ignoring all four sets of shastras, then even if he is a vedanti or a person with upasana, he is lost.
He cannot be said to have found the path of kalyan.
Therefore, such a vedanti’s gnan is hypocritical, and a person with such upasana is a hypocritical bhakta.”
