The ego we identify with in the conditioned stage of existence is our acquired, material ego. It is based on our relationship with this body-mind complex, which is temporary. Just as the body is always undergoing change, so our ego also changes and will continue to change.
The most fundamental need of a living being is love. We need food, clothing and shelter for our existence and survival, but that is... Read More
Vaidhī, Rāgānugā and Svābhāvika Bhakti: The natural function (svābhāvika vṛtti) of the senses in relationship to bhakti is of two types. The first occurs, when a person follows the injunctions of scriptures to approach a spiritual teacher, takes instructions from that teacher, and thereby practices pure devotion. By regularly practicing devotion he or she moves to the stages of niṣṭhā, ruci and āsakti, in which his or her senses become naturally devoted to the Lord, very much like how common people have a natural attraction for their spouse, children, etc. This function is an outcome of vaidhī bhakti.
This article describes the two divisions of pure devotion, known as vaidhī and rāgānugā, based on Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s explanation of Śrī Kapila’s statements in the 25th chapter of the Third Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.
One of the knotty problems in Vedānta is the relation of ātmā with the three guṇas of prakṛti. Ātmā, although conditioned by the material guṇas, never contacts them. The guṇas of prakṛti are not inherent in the ātmā and have no direct contact with it. The self does not have any type of relation with the guṇas, such as contact (saṁyoga), because ātmā is not corporeal.
Different Types of Vṛttis - All acquired knowledge, valid and invalid, is a product of the mind (mano-vṛtti). Śrī Kapila says that there are five types of vṛttis (SB 3.26.30): saṁśayo 'tha viparyāso niścayaḥ smṛtir eva ca svāpa ity ucyate buddher
Because the nature of ātmā is jñāna, it is self-luminous. The ātmā’s intrinsic “I” is called ahamartha and is not the same as the conditional “I” called ahaṅkāra, which is projected through the mind to form a knot between ātmā and a material body. Ahaṅkāra is tangible as the delusion that a material body is the true self.
