Tag: jews

How can Krishna and Allah be the Same Person?

How can Krishna and Allah be the same person, when so many Muslims see the followers of Krishna as “kafirs” or non-believers worthy of being put to death?

Sri Krishna with Srimati Radha
Sri Krishna with Srimati Radha
Allah, the primary name of God from the Quran, written in Arabic script

Question

Hare krishna prabhuji!
Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada and Sankarshana Das Adhikari Maharaj have said time and again that Krishna and Allah are the same. I do understand both of them have dedicated all of their time to Bhakti yoga and hence have reached this understanding, however I don’t think I am able to wrap my head around this.

The thing is, the Quran talks about how all kafirs(non muslims) should be killed and so many things. Personally, I don’t believe that those fanatics who so-call kill in the name of Allah go to Jannah. I don’t think those people who destroyed a location of ISKCON Bangladesh and harassing the devotees there will get a place even in heaven. They also talk about eternal damnation for kafirs. I don’t believe in eternal damnation just cause you don’t follow this and that. Isn’t our karma that decides the country and religion we are born in? Those people who act like this are just fanatics ( religion with no philosophy). Krishna in BG says He is our friend, well wisher and more. He even sits in our heart even if we are demons. But in Quran, Allah is someone who would rather choose a sinful muslim than a pious kafir. How can we say Krishna and Allah are same? I am just not able to find any answer that puts me at ease. Why are there different religions in this world? Sorry to say, but wouldn’t the world be a better place if there was only Sanathana Dharma? This entire Allah and Krishna topic drives me crazy..

I would like to get the answers to my questions. Kindly forgive me for my offenses that I have inadvertently done 🙏.

Your confused servant…

Answer:

Hare Krishna!

I have read the Quran. It is a delightful text. Yes, there are some verses which can cause misunderstanding, but this is true also of Vedic scriptures… so therefore we have the GPS of Guru (spiritual master in disciplic succession), Sadhu (community of saintly souls), Shaastra (scripture)… in the Abrahamic cultures, only Shaastra – scripture is remaining… the Guru (disciplic succession) and Saadhu (communities of saintly souls) pillars have been destroyed by thousands of years of violence.

We need to understand this on the level of our highest understanding… for example, someone might think that Krishna is a “Hindu god”… but we know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Similarly, we have a better understanding of Allah than most Muslims… we understand that Allah is an impersonal name for Krishna.

In general, if we are talking of a Supreme Person, and they are talking of a Supreme Person, then they must be the same person, because there cannot be 2 Supremes. Otherwise we end up with the 6 blind men situation… https://dasadas.com/2022/07/28/the-ultimate-synthesis-of-advaita-dvaita-achintya-bheda-abheda/

If someone regards the devotee of Krishna as a kafir (non-believer), then that person is in ignorance because they don’t know who is a kafir and who is not. An atheist is a kafir… but we can’t expect everyone to understand… According to the Abrahamic traditions, we see that Muslims, Christans, and Jews are all called “brothers of the book” because their scriptures are practically all the same… and still they fight like cats and dogs. This is not the fault of their respective religious traditions or scriptures but that they have lost the context and culture that comes from Parampara – disciplic succession. For example the one of the ten commandments is “Thou Shalt Not Kill” and all the Christians do morning, evening, and night is kill, kill, kill, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Simply scripture alone can be easily weaponized… “Shastra” (weapon) and “Shaastra” (scripture) can be used in similar ways. Both of these can be used to protect or to destroy… recall that a knife in the hands of a surgeon is different from a knife in the hands of a criminal.

Now, as far as the Quran (scripture followed by Muslims) is concerned, it was taught to people who were not very advanced… for example the Quran contains instructions that from this day henceforth, no Muslim shall have a sexual relationship with his mother. Why is such an instruction given? Because such things were happening back then!

But it is not that the Quran does not contain the pathway to the highest instructions… In the conversation between Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Chand Kazi (See https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/adi/17/), they argued on the basis of the respective Vedic and Islamic scriptures, and a common understanding was reached by mutual loving enlightened discussions. I have met many many advanced Muslims, who see Krishna as Allah Himself. In particular I have met at least 2 “Muslim Brahmins” in Hyderabad myself, and have interacted with many such saintly souls.

As far as Bangladesh goes, many more people have been killed in their recent riots, of all religious backgrounds, and to be honest, their sufferings are unfortunately going to be heavy… we should be compassionate upon them and not be caught up in the cycle of hatred. It is 100% sure that everyone gets their just dues. The low-class rascals who destroyed an ISKCON temple in Meherpur, Bangladesh will face the wrath of Allah, because know it or not, Lord Jagannath (Lord of the Universe) is Allah Himself, and ignorance of the law is no defense.

Also, you should know that I have met foolish so-called adherents of Sanatan Dharma also… they are no better than animals in human form… Such people, whether they called themselves Sanatan Dharmis or Muslims or Christians or Sikhs or any other designation does not matter, because they are still in animal consciousness… however, they can follow whatever they can manage to follow and gradually they will be elevated – we cannot judge the value of the tradition they are claiming to follow just by seeing that they are not very advanced.

So, in conclusion, as Srila Gurudeva has said, the perfectly Krishna Conscious person is simultaneously the best Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Jew, and whatever other bona fide system of religion exists… Sanatana Dharma is not outside of these traditions… the perfection of those traditions is in Sanatana Dharma.

Don’t think that the average “Hindu” is properly following Sanatana Dharma (The Eternal Nature), most of them don’t even understand the meaning of Sanatana Dharma! 🙂 They think Sanatana Dharma is some sectarian religion followed only by Hindus!

I have written many articles on this subject matter, in general:

Allah is not your God? Krishna is not your God?
Satan as Competitor to God, what an absurdity!
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?
Taj Bibi – Mughal Queen, Pure Devotee of Krishna
God has no shortage of sons (and daughters)
Dear Pope Francis, how many apologies to go?
Muslim Brahmin in Hyderabad
What do we call persons who don’t recognize their own suffering?
Enrollment alone will not help us progress to perfection
No eternal damnation

My humble request to you is to get fully immersed in Krishna Consciousness, so that we all can have the same vision as Srila Gurudeva Sankarshan Prabhu and Srila Prabhupada have. Are you already initiated in the disciplic succession of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and grand-disciples? If not, what is your personal plan to get to that point?

Make full use of the context and culture which we still do have available!

I hope this helps.

Muslim Brahmin in Hyderabad

Can a Muslim be a Brahmin? Can a Vaishnava be as good as a Mullah or Rabbi or Christian priest? Here are some great insights from a Maulvi in Hyderabad!

Not long ago, I was out on the street distributing the Bhagavad Gita in the South Central Indian City of Hyderabad. Hyderabad, like most cities in India, is a beautiful confluence of many cultures. Specifically, in Hyderabad, there is a significant mix of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian populations, and the history of the city has a strong Muslim flavour. For the most part, people have lived in harmony for hundreds of years. There have been flash-points and incidents of hatred, but relatively rare.

One day, as I stood on the street, I saw an elderly gentlemen, clearly Muslim from his long white beard with moustache shaved off, a baggy light-coloured Salwar Kameez, and a distinctive skull cap. He walked slowly, with a walker, that he gently placed in front of him, and then moved his legs closer to the walker, shuffling by slowly. I respectfully made way for this gentleman and greeted him with a little bow.

He passed back-and-forth a few times, and seeing his friendly countenance, I asked him if he would read the Bhagavad Gita. He said he most certainly would, if I had a Hindi version available. He then told me that he had been to the ISKCON Radha Madan Mohan temple in Abids, Hyderabad several times for the Sunday feast program, and had participated in Harinam Sankirtan, and taken Prasad many times at the temple. The surprise must have been clear on my face, because he then said “Do you know that I am a Brahmin?”.

He then explained “I am the Maulvi of this mosque around this corner. I have dedicated my life to Allah. I don’t eat meat and I don’t drink alcohol. I teach the scripture. So how am I not a Brahmin?”. He then added “The Gita was spoken by Allah and the Q’uran was spoken by Allah, so why would I read one but not the other?“. I was very much gladdened by his mature understanding. This is exactly our Vaishnava understanding too.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna describes the qualities of a Brahmin…

शमो दमस्तप: शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च ।
ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् ॥ ४२ ॥

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ
brahma-karma svabhāva-jam

Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness – these are the natural qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/42/

So, if we see any living entity from any cultural background or any religious orientation who has these qualities, we must accept them as good as Brahmins. Of course, Krishna also says that Brahmin is not only by quality, but also by the work they do…

चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ॥ १३ ॥

cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ
viddhy akartāram avyayam

According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/4/13/

Srila Prabhupada describes the 6 duties of a Brahmin…

Brāhmaṇas are supposed to acquire six kinds of auspicious qualifications: they become very learned scholars (paṭhana) and very qualified teachers (pāṭhana); they become expert in worshiping the Lord or the demigods (yajana), and they teach others how to execute this worship (yājana); they qualify themselves as bona fide persons to receive alms from others (pratigraha), and they distribute the wealth in charity (dāna).

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/5/17/11/

Based on instructions from the Vaishnava Acharyas, the great saintly teachers, we accept that Prophet Muhammad is an empowered messenger sent directly by God, practically, speaking a “shaktyavesha avataar” or a living entity but with the power to act in a way empowered by God. We accept that Jesus Christ is the son of God, a pure devotee fully dovetailed with the desire of God. We accept that there is only one God, known by different names and different degrees of understanding, as an impersonal spirit (Brahman), as a localized supersoul (Paramatma), and as the Personality of Godhead (Bhagavan).

When our constitutional position, or dharma, is deteriorated due to the contaminations of matter, the Lord Himself comes as an incarnation or sends some of His confidential servitors. Lord Jesus Christ called himself the “son of God,” and so is a representative of the Supreme. Similarly, Mohammed identified himself as a servant of the Supreme Lord. Thus whenever there is a discrepancy in our constitutional position, the Supreme Lord either comes Himself or sends His representative to inform us of the real position of the living entity.

On the Way to Krishna, Chapter 2

I offered my deepest respects to that great Maulvi, that Muslim priest, who has realized the essence of Allah Consciousness in principle. Surely, he is very very close to Allah. By speaking his sweet realized words, he gave me hope that this world can be rectified from its current sectarian path.

In the same way, all the Muslims should accept the advanced Vaishnavas as good as their own Maulvis and Hazrats.

The Christians should accept the advanced Vaishnavas as good as their own nuns, monks, and priests.

The Jews should accept the advanced Vaishnavas as good as their own Rabbis.

This is the principle. One God. Many scriptures according to time, place, and circumstance.

So, what was our conclusion as we parted ways? We concluded that the genuine mature follower of any genuine faith tradition is very similar, they love God, and they love all of God’s creation. They see God everywhere, and see everyone as God’s children, to be loved and served. But the follower-in-name, a materialist or religion-politician of any faith is equally sectarian or in many cases, inhuman, and unfortunately, also evil.