 states initially that no one can know Krishna, but eventually it (18.55) states that we can know Krishna by devotion.
How do we make sense of these contradictory statements?
Gita wisdom indicates that these statements are not contradictory but paradoxical. Paradoxes are statements that seem contradictory at first glance, but convey a deeper reconciling truth that is best expressed through the apparent contradictions.
Scriptural traditions sometimes use paradoxes as conceptual tools to impel, even compel, us to break free from the shackles of logic. Logic is no doubt valuable, even essential, for discerning truth at many levels. But if we insist that only the logical deserves to be called true, we deprive ourselves access to truths that lie beyond the scope of logic. To appreciate how something can be not logical yet true, we need to differentiate between the illogical and the trans-logical. Illogical refers to notions so silly that they cannot stand before the scrutiny of logic, whereas trans-logical refers to truths so lofty that the scrutiny of logic cannot stand before them.){kind=spacer}
Based on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 07, Text 26
The Bhagavad-gita (7.26) states initially that no one can know Krishna, but eventually it (18.55) states that we can know Krishna by devotion.
How do we make sense of these contradictory statements?
Gita wisdom indicates that these statements are not contradictory but paradoxical. Paradoxes are statements that seem contradictory at first glance, but convey a deeper reconciling truth that is best expressed through the apparent contradictions.
Scriptural traditions sometimes use paradoxes as conceptual tools to impel, even compel, us to break free from the shackles of logic. Logic is no doubt valuable, even essential, for discerning truth at many levels. But if we insist that only the logical deserves to be called true, we deprive ourselves access to truths that lie beyond the scope of logic. To appreciate how something can be not logical yet true, we need to differentiate between the illogical and the trans-logical. Illogical refers to notions so silly that they cannot stand before the scrutiny of logic, whereas trans-logical refers to truths so lofty that the scrutiny of logic cannot stand before them.
