Śrī Rājīva Uvāca:-
[Shri Rajiiv Spoke]:-

[O Divine Preacher! All the three divine preachers (Śrī Śaṅkara, Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhva) followed the meaning of the Vedas written by God and also based themselves on the three holy scriptures called the Upanishads, the Brahma Sūtras and the Bhagavad-Gītā. In such case, how did these three divine preachers speak different philosophies? Please explain.]

Śrī Datta Bhagavān Uvāca:-
[God Śrī Datta Spoke]:-

[People say that their interpretations are different even though the words and their meanings are standard in the holy scriptures. This cannot be accepted because these three Divine Preachers are the Incarnations of the same original Divine Preacher called God Datta. How will a single person, even though appearing as three persons, interpret in three contradicting ways?]

[As per the growth of age, only one student becomes a student in three types of educational institutions (School, College and University). In a single time, we can find all the three levels of students studying different levels of subjects in three types of educational institutions.]

[As the student grows, the standard of the subject grows and the student enters into higher classes. This growth of the standard of knowledge appears as if it is different from one stage to the other stage. The same human being, who grows from a born baby, a boy, a young man and an old person looks as if they are different from one stage to the other stage. By this, you should not say that they are different human beings!]

[One person appears as different persons by the change of time (one student studies at different educational institutions as his age grows) or different persons appear different by the change of place (several students study at different educational institutions at the same time) appear as different persons. Every student is only one, passing through different grades of education in different educational institutions.]

[Every soul must follow all the three Divine Preachers gradually one by one as the standard of spiritual progress grows more and more. The growth of knowledge does not mean the presence of any difference. The preacher preaches to a student as per the standard of the student. This is only the growth of knowledge, but not a difference in the knowledge.]

[If you take the study of an electron in an atom, for initial beginners, it is told as the particle moving in orbits. As you proceed to higher classes, electron is considered as a particle in detection and measurements, whereas the same electron is considered as a wave in propagation and interference showing the dual nature of particle and wave simultaneously. This higher concept is not contradicting the lower concept, but it is called as the advanced concept. The projected concept is as per the understanding capacity of the receiver.]

[Śrī Śaṅkara told to an atheist that the atheist himself is God. The atheist will not agree with anything other than this. There is no other way in his case. But, slowly Śrī Śaṅkara showed a miracle by drinking molten lead, which could not be drunk by the atheist. Now, the atheist says that Śrī Śaṅkara alone is God and not himself.]

[The disciples are different in different places. The same disciple is also different at different times. Hence, the Divine Preachers have to preach different philosophies suited to the surrounding receivers of their times. For all the differences in philosophies, the main reason is the difference in the receivers of knowledge and not the difference in the Divine Preachers.]

[All the three Divine Preachers agree that God is the controller of anything other than Himself. All the three divine preachers also agree that salvation means liberation from these temporary and illusory worldly bonds. These two are very important concepts and the three divine preachers perfectly agree on these two predominant concepts.]

[Śrī Śaṅkara said that devotion assists spiritual knowledge. Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhva said that devotion alone is sufficient for the soul to get salvation. Here, you think that there is a contradiction among the Divine Preachers. Fortunately, the Gītā says that the knower of spiritual knowledge is the highest for God (Priyo hi jñānino'tyartham…). At the same time, the Gītā says that the devotee is the highest for Him (Bhaktāste'tīva me priyāḥ). Śrī Śaṅkara told that devotion is always filled with spiritual knowledge (Paramārtha lakṣaṇa jñāna sampannāṃ bhaktim…). Śrī Śaṅkara directly told that devotion is the highest among the necessary tools to get salvation (Bhaktireva garīyasī). Hence, all the three Divine Preachers gave the highest place to devotion only and there is no contradiction among them.]

[As per the three Divine Preachers, salvation means liberation of the soul from the cycle of births and deaths based on deeds and fruits provoked by the soul’s qualities. Here, even God is taking births frequently in this world through Human Incarnations to do some welfare-work for the devotees. Does this mean that the liberated soul is greater than God since it is not involved in this cycle of births and deaths based on the deeds? The crucial point here is that God or a liberated soul is taking births and deaths in this world without being trapped by worldly bonds. Birth and death do not mean entry into this world and exit from this world respectively. Birth and death mean entanglement of the soul in these false worldly bonds from birth to death. Liberation from this cycle means not to be trapped by the false worldly bonds throughout the period of life in this world.]

[The liberated soul may stay in the family bonds, but, such a soul is not attached to the bonds like the lotus leaf is not attached by water drops, which will fall down from the leaf. An immature saint stays away from the family bonds, but such a soul is attached by the mud of the three strong worldly bonds (wife, son and wealth called Eṣaṇātrayam).]