By Negation One Does Not Realise the Absolute Truth

(From "Bhakti Tattva Viveka" - click to read more from it.
You can also read the previous page: Bhagavat-Tattva Is The Only Object Of Bhakti)

Those who try to perceive the Absolute Truth through the cultivation of jnana cannot realise anything beyond brahma-tattva.

Through such spiritual endeavour they try to cross material existence by negation of the qualities of the material world (neti-neti); thus they imagine brahma to be inconceivable, unmanifest, formless and immutable.

But merely imagining the absence of material qualities does not grant one factual realisation of the Absolute Truth.

Such spiritualists think that because the names, forms, qualities and activities in the material world are all temporary and painful, the brahma which exists beyond the contamination of matter cannot possess eternal names, forms, qualities, pastimes and so on.

They argue on the basis of evidence from the shrutis, which emphasise the absence of material attributes in the Supreme, that the Absolute Truth is beyond the purview of mind and words, and that it has no ears, bodily parts, limbs and so on.

These arguments have some place, but they can be settled by analysing the statement of Advaita Acarya found in the Sri Caitanya-candrodaya-natakam (6.67) written by Kavi Karnapura:

ya ya shrutir jalpati nirvishesham

sa savidhatte savishesham eva

vicarayoge sati hanta tasam

prayo baliyah savishesham eva

In whatever statements from the shrutis where the impersonal tattva is indicated, in the very same statements personal tattva is also mentioned.

By carefully analysing all the statements from the shrutis as a whole, we can see that the personal tattva is emphasised more.

For example, one shruti says that the Absolute Truth has no hands, no legs and no eyes, but we understand that He does everything, travels everywhere and hears everything.

The pure understanding of this statement is that He doesn’t have material hands, legs, limbs and so on as conditioned souls do.

His form is transcendental, meaning that it is beyond the twenty-four elements of material nature and purely spiritual.(from Part 1 – "The Intrinsic Nature of Devotion")

Another revelation, When the Absolute Truth is Realised Only Partially. Check out the previous page too: Bhagavat-Tattva Is The Only Object Of Bhakti. You will benefit from reading the whole work: Bhakti Tattva Viveka.

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Harih Om Tat Sat.