By Ajit Krishna Dasa

Introduction

Who truly owns anything?

This is not a rhetorical question, nor a speculative indulgence. It is a question as ancient as civilization itself—one that emerges whenever land is claimed, borders are drawn, or wealth is distributed. Beneath every assertion of ‘mine’ lies an ontological mystery: what does it mean to own, and what legitimizes that claim?

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

The claim that God is hidden from sincere seekers has become a central objection to theism in contemporary philosophy of religion. The argument suggests that if a perfectly loving God exists, He would ensure that all non-resistant individuals are aware of Him. The absence of such awareness is thus presented as evidence against God’s existence. Yet this objection presupposes a form of spiritual neutrality that the Vaiṣṇava tradition does not accept. According to Vaiṣṇava Vedānta, God is not absent—He is actively resisted. His apparent “hiddenness” is not a flaw in His nature, but a function of His personalism, His respect for the soul’s autonomy, and the moral and ontological conditions necessary for real relationship.

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

At your next vegetarian pizza party, as you reach for the ketchup to add that extra zest to your slice, consider the profound philosophical implications hidden in this simple act. Each squeeze of the bottle is not just an expectation of ketchup but a testament to the deep-seated, often unrecognized knowledge of God’s existence embedded within us. This seemingly trivial daily routine offers a compelling proof of God, rooted in the principles of Vaisnava presuppositional apologetics. Let’s delve into how this ordinary action reveals our innate awareness of a divine order governing the universe.

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

Theists often put a lot of energy into crafting arguments for God’s existence—cosmological, teleological, moral—like they’re building a logical fortress brick by brick. But here’s the twist: the strongest argument for God isn’t built *with* logic—it’s logic itself.

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

In the contemplative journey of epistemology, doubt serves not merely as a cognitive disturbance but as a profound engagement with the metaphysical inquiry into truth. In this presentation my aim is to explore doubt within the framework of Vaisnava presuppositionalism, thereby enriching both philosophical dialogue and spiritual insight. From the Vaisnava perspective, the process of doubting inexorably leads back to the Supreme Reality, Lord Krishna. This discourse explores how the act of doubting fundamental truths, such as the existence of God, paradoxically affirms His existence through the indispensable elements of truth, logic, and the uniformity of nature—all of which are manifestations of Krishna’s divine essence.

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

Recently, I ran into someone who came up with this excuse to ditch his faith in Vaisnava philosophy:

“God is acintya, meaning inconceivable. He transcends logic—as evidenced by His being both impersonal and personal. Therefore it is impossible for us to truly know God. Therefore I’m now an acintya-vedantist!“

My response:

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

Given naturalistic evolution, the chances that our cognitive faculties are genuinely reliable for apprehending truth appear low or practically indistinguishable from unreliability. Here’s how this likelihood unfolds under naturalistic assumptions:

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

Our Vaisnava philosophy tells us that our senses and reasoning powers are limited and defective when it comes to gaining knowledge. Srila Prabhupada explains:

” … anyone born through the material energy must be subject to the four material deficiencies: bhrama (the tendency to commit mistakes), pramada (the tendency to be illusioned), vipralipsa (the tendency to cheat) and karanapatava (imperfect senses).”

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

Both the existence of truth itself and the existence of the concept of truth (i.e. the idea in our mind that statements and beliefs can express propositions that correspond to reality) cannot be accounted for in the absence of God.

Why is that?

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

When debating the existence of God atheists often claim that they do not have to lift a burden of proof. They argue that since atheism is nothing but the absence of belief in God it does not make any positive claims about the non-existence of God, and thus atheists have nothing to substantiate or justify when debating the existence of God.

Let us examine their claim carefully: