Scriptural Debate

Scriptural Debate Complicated the Tatvgyan of Supreme God

How was a scriptural debate conducted?

Scriptural debates were traditionally held between two scholars, attracting large audiences eager to witness the discourse. The outcome—victory or defeat—was determined by the audience, many of whom lacked a true understanding of the subject matter. The scholar who could recite more Sanskrit continuously often won the audience's applause, leading to a verdict that favored rhetoric over substance. Consequently, the resolution of these debates rested in the hands of the illiterate, complicating the pursuit of genuine Tatvgyan regarding the Supreme God.

The above excerpt clearly illustrates that the victory or defeat of learned scholars was determined by illiterates. Swami Dayanand Ji continuously recited Sanskrit, leading the audience to laugh and declare him the winner, thereby accepting the concept of a formless God. However, Yajurved Adhyay 1 Mantra 15 and Yajurved Adhyay 5 Mantra 1 affirm that God possesses a body and has a form.

The evidence that Swami Dayanand Ji delivered discourses in Sanskrit is found in the introduction of Satyarth Prakash, where he mentions that the text was published for the first time when he was not well-versed in Hindi. Until 1822 CE. (Samvat 1939), he exclusively gave speeches in Sanskrit, indicating that his scriptural debates were conducted in that language. In 1882, just one year before his death in 1883, Satyarth Prakash was re-published, confirming that he learned Hindi only shortly before he passed away. As a result, the audience, largely unfamiliar with Sanskrit, was left to decide the victory and defeat of the learned scholars.

A Story:

A merchant had two sons, one aged sixteen and the other eighteen. After their father's passing, their mother handed them some laals covered in cloth and said, "Sons, take these laals to your paternal uncle (your father's elder brother) and tell him we don't have any money. Ask him to keep the laals and make us partners in his business, as we cannot manage on our own."

The brothers went to their uncle and conveyed their mother’s request. The uncle examined the laals and replied, "Sons, give these to your mother; she will keep them safe. Come with me to the other city. I can acquire a lot of materials on credit, and we will use these laals once we return."

The two boys accompanied their paternal uncle to another city. One day, the uncle handed one laal to the boys and said, "Sons, take this laal to the merchant from whom we borrowed materials worth fifty thousand rupees on credit yesterday. Tell him to keep this laal as collateral until we return to pay off our debt and reclaim it."

The boys relayed the message to the merchant, who then called a jeweller for an appraisal. The jeweller examined the laal and declared, "This is not a laal; it’s a laaldi, worth less than a hundred rupees. A real laal is valued at nine lakh rupees." Enraged, the merchant threw the laaldi into the street.

The boys picked up the laaldi and returned to their paternal uncle, tears in their eyes, and recounted the entire incident, explaining how the jeweller had revealed the truth about the laal.

The paternal uncle replied, "Sons, the jeweler was correct; this is indeed a laaldi and not worth even a hundred rupees. I made a mistake by giving you laaldi instead of laal. Now, go back to the merchant and explain that our paternal uncle is not a fraud; he simply made an error."

The brothers returned to the merchant and said, "Seth Ji, our paternal uncle is not a fraud. He accidentally gave us laaldi instead of laal; please accept this laal." The jeweler confirmed, "This is indeed a laal, while the previous one was just a laaldi."

After collecting the materials, the paternal uncle said, "Sons, bring the laals from your mother. The credit is substantial." The boys returned with the laals from their mother, only to discover that they were actually laaldis—not a single laal among them. The paternal uncle had taught them the difference between laal and laaldi.

The boys told their mother, "Mother, these are laaldis, not laals." They then returned to their paternal uncle and explained, "Our mother is very innocent; she doesn’t know the difference between laal and laaldi. She mistakenly thinks they are laals."

The merchant replied, "Sons, even when you brought them to me, they were laaldis. If I had said so, your mother would have claimed I was trying to deceive her since your father passed away. Today, I have helped you learn to differentiate between laal and laaldi; you have judged for yourselves."

Important:

Similarly, I aim to impart Tatvgyan (True Spiritual Knowledge) to everyone. By examining the scriptures, you will become capable of distinguishing between true saints and false ones. Learned individuals often engaged in scriptural debates, with decisions of victory and defeat resting in the hands of the uneducated. I wish for God-loving souls to first understand the scriptures, enabling them to recognize the teachings of these saints and Maharishi Ji.