Radhanath Swami on ‘Oneness in the Bhakti tradition’

24-Oneness-in-Bhakti-traditionEvery living being is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord Krishna, like a sunray to the sun. Qualitatively a sunray gives heat and light like the sun, but quantitatively the sunray is always just part of the sun; it’s never the sun. And the sunray is always coming from the sun; the sun never comes from the sunray. So simultaneously it is one and different. That is our relationship with the Lord; we are one in quality but different in quantity.In the Bhakti tradition, the highest oneness is realized when our hearts, through love, merge eternally, infinitely with Krishna’s will, when we taste Krishna’s infinite love and Krishna tastes our love. But still, for the purpose of rasa, for the purpose of relationship we remain individuals.

– Radhanath Swami

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74 comments

  1. we are one in quality but different in quantity. This is an important clarification told here BY Radhanath Swami for this matter is very much misunderstood and misapplied in general by variety of people.

  2. Wonderful article by wonderful soul HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj Ji..

  3. Such a complicated and deep and confusing point – Whether one merges with the Lord or remains as individual after attaining liberation!! But HH Radhanath Swami has made it so simple through this most easy to understand analogy of sun and sunrays. I have clealry understood now that a living entity does not become one physically with the Lord even after liberation but becomes one with the interest of the Lord. Heartfelt thanks to you for publishing this. Could you please provide more such analogies from Radahanath Swami’s teachings?

  4. Thanks Radhanath swami maharaj ..This article clarifies nicely how we are simultaneously one and different.

  5. We are qualitatively one with the Lord but different quantitatively. If only we can understand this equation!

  6. Very wonderful analogy which brings out the true relationship between the Lord and the living entity.

  7. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Vibhu and we the soul are the part and parcel of the Supreme Whole called as anu. Therefore we can never be equal to Him and we are separated individuals.

  8. That taste for which we are living and endeavoring so long life after life…! Thanks for the gentle reminder Radhanath Swami…. It is so blissful that we can sit anywhere in the World and hear realisations through these websites!

  9. The uniqueness of acintyabheda abheda tattva distinguishes the bhakti tradition from all other yoga systems.

  10. By the process of Bhakti, one can achieve Love of God or Krishna Prema and can undergo this paradigm shift from self centered life to God centered life.! So explicitly explained by H H Radhanath Maharaj….!

  11. The uniqueness of the bhakti tradition is the oneness and difference from the Lord.

  12. Radhanath Swami has used a perfectly apt analogy to explain the concept of oneness in bhakti.

  13. Thank you Radhanath Swami for sharing such a beautiful explanation of Krishna conscious philosophy.

  14. Amazing comparison of Sun-ray & Sun to illustrate this most misunderstood point.

    Thank you Radhanath Swami !!

  15. Wonderful article !!!

    Maharaj wonderfully explained ‘Achintya beda abeda tatva’ i.e simultaneously oneness and different’ philosaphy in simple example.

    Thank you so much maharaj

    All Glrories to HH Radhanath swami maharaj

  16. Very beautifully Radhanath Maharaj explains how one can understand ones position with respect to the Lord.

  17. In the Bhakti tradition, the highest oneness is realized when our hearts, through love, merge eternally, infinitely with Krishna’s will, when we taste Krishna’s infinite love and Krishna tastes our love.

  18. HH Radhanath Swami is very expert in explaining deep philosophical truths with examples that a layman can understand. This is a very important quality not so often seen in the outside world where people always want to make things complicate to understand.

  19. We are the servitors of the Lord. Maharaj has so nicely described this in such a lucid form. Thank you Swamiji.

  20. Thank you Radhanath Swami for reminding us we are all part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, Krsna.

  21. One can understand the real meaning of oneness with supreme from this article from Radhanth swami.

  22. The little independence not allowing one to merge his will with that of God. The consequence is suffering. If the independence made dependence on the mercy of Krsna, then we are blissful like Krsna. All glories to HH Radhanatha Svami Maharaja.

  23. “We are one in quality but different in quantity.In the Bhakti tradition, the highest oneness is realized when our hearts, through love, merge eternally, infinitely with Krishna’s will, when we taste Krishna’s infinite love and Krishna tastes our love. But still, for the purpose of rasa, for the purpose of relationship we remain individuals.” Krishna is so merciful.

  24. How deep and profound is the understanding of Radhanath Swami of the bhakti principles !!

  25. This concept of inconceivably and simultaneously one and difference between us and God can only be fathomed by the grace of great saints like HH Radhanath Swami.

  26. Radhanath Swami carrying the compassion of his Gurudev HDG Srila Prabhupada, has taught this principle of achintya bhed bhedabhed to every nook and corner of this world in order to remove impersonal calamity. We must be grateful to him.

  27. As HH Radhanath Swami nicely explains in this article, to have a relationship we need to be individuals to reciprocate with our supremely loving Lord and can never have one when aspire for oneness with Him.

  28. HH Radhanath swami has nicely explained the process of Bhakti.
    Thank you maharaj for sharing…

  29. Very beautifully Radhanath Swami explains the difference between being simultaneously one & different with the Lord.

  30. yet again Radhanath Swami clarifies the subtle aspects of bhakti traditions in a lucid language.

  31. Radhanath Swami is excellent in expressing the thoughts in a way which we can understand very easily, that is the beauty of this article, we can clearly understand that we are GOD’s but not gods. Thank you very much for sharing.

  32. One with God is oneness in quality, but our eternal position cannot be merged with God.
    Thanks Radhanath Swami for sharing your wonderful thoughts.

  33. Very simple and lucid example of Sun and Sunrays–how we are all individuals…the mayavadis philosophy that we all are God is really a bogus philosophy- we are part & parcel of lord and our eternal duty is to serve the lord

  34. Very substantial explanation is given for soul and super soul. Really crystal clear analogy is presented here.

  35. HH Radhanath Swami very nicely brought about in this article regarding the unique positions of us and God. Elsewhere he mentions, at the most we can become godly.

  36. Thanks for sharing. Liked the concept of oneness through making our will one with Krishna’s.

  37. Radhanath swami so nicely explained the wonderful concept given in Srimad Bhagavat Gita to defeat mayavadi philosophy. Mayavad philosophy says everything is one & we merge into GOD & become GOD after leaving our body, which is not true. Radhanath swami nicely mentioned the example of Sun ray & Sun though they are qualitatively one but quantitatily they are different. Thank you maharaj.

  38. Thank you for making us understand the process of Bhakti with such a nice example, how we as individuals are one in quality and at the same time different in quantity.

  39. Radhanath Swami nicely explained with the example of Sun how we are one in quality but different in quantity from the Lord.

  40. HH Radhanath Swami, in this article, very lucidly explains the simaltaneous oneness and difference between us and God.

  41. the analogy given by Radhanath Swami about the sun and sunray to explain the difference between living entity and God is very apt. It clarifies nicely how we are simultaneously one and different.

  42. Wonderful description on how we are same but still separate and part & parcel of supreme lord.

  43. Nice explanation of how living entities are one and different from the God. Thank you very much Radhanath Swami for this clear definition.

  44. Radhanath Swami has very expertly clarified this easily misunderstood topic of simultaneous oneness and difference.

  45. Thank you Radhanath Swami for this wonderful definition of oneness with the Supreme Lord!

  46. Real oneness is that when we act as Krishnas will.Such a powerful statement by Radhanath Swami.

  47. In the Bhakti tradition, the highest oneness is realized when our hearts, through love, merge eternally, infinitely with Krishna’s will, when we taste Krishna’s infinite love and Krishna tastes our love..
    -Very heart touching. Thank you Radhanath Swami for sharing this…

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