Parishads: Sri Ramachandra Puri

tam vande krishna-caitanyam ramacandra-puri-bhayat
laukikaharatah svam yo bhikshannam samakocayat

(1) Faultfinding, especially finding fault in Vishnu and the Vaishnavas, is extremely detrimental to one’s spiritual advancement. A devotional practitioner should look at his own faults rather than at others’. By correcting his own faults, he will be able to make some advancement. Anyone who sincerely seeks to achieve pure devotional service should always remember the following verse from Mahaprabhu’s teachings to Rupa Goswami:

yadi vaishnava aparadha uthe hati mata
uparie va chinde tara shukhi jaya pata

(2) All the disciples who take initiation from the same guru are not to be considered equal. Though superficially all may have taken shelter of the spiritual master and received the mantra from him, they cannot all be considered true or sincere disciples. The spiritual master rewards the disciple who dedicates himself to affectionate service of the master; such a disciple is furthermore able to recognize the mercy of his spiritual master. A disciple seeking his own perfection will bear in mind that of the sixty-four limbs of devotional service, one of the most important is vishrambhena guroh seva, the service of the spiritual master in reverence and respect. The sincere disciple recognizes that the spiritual master’s instructions are beneficial both for himself and for others.

(3) To show disrespect to one’s spiritual master and to other Vaishnavas has a pernicious effect on one’s spiritual life. One should remember that the Lord cannot tolerate the transgression of the rules of etiquette. (Caitanya-caritamrita 3.4.166). Due to whatever misfortune, some conditioned souls come under the influence of the illusory energy and are so bewildered by a pride in their own knowledge or self-worth that they arrogantly try to correct or to instruct the Vaishnava or the guru.

(4) Those who want to increase in devotion should associate with and serve other devotees who are affectionate and who have similar spiritual goals. The tendency to serve Vishnu and the Vaishnavas is increased by associating with those who possess this tendency in greater quantities.

(5) Because of his relation to the guru, the guru’s godbrother is as worshipable as the guru himself. One must always show him the proper respect. Even if one thinks that his instructions are not correct, one should still maintain the outer decorum and not use direct critical speech with him. Mahaprabhu taught this kind of behavior by his own actions.

gorara ami, gorara ami mukhe balile nahi cale
gorara acara gorara vicara la+ile phala phale

One day, Jagadananda Pandit saw the Lord, Paramananda and Ramachandra paying obeisances to each other, embracing each other and engaging in conversation. He decided to invite the three of them to eat a meal together. He arranged for copious amounts of Jagannath prasad to be brought for them and fed them very well. When they had finished, Ramachandra Puri himself told Jagadananda to sit down and take prasad. He took special care of him, personally serving him with the Lord’s remnants. After Jagadananda had finished eating, however, he criticized Mahaprabhu’s followers saying:

I had heard that Caitanya’s followers were big eaters. Now I have seen with my own eyes that this is true. To feed a sannyasi excessively leads to the destruction of religious principles. A renunciate who eats this much will find that his vows will dissipate. (*Caitanya-charitamrita 3.8.15-16)

ayi dinadayardra natha he, mathuranatha kadavalokyase
hridayam tvad-aloka-kataram dayita bhramyati kim karomy aham

Both Ishvara Puri and Ramachandra Puri were present at this time. Ramachandra had no understanding of his spiritual master’s mood and treating him like an ordinary human being, arrogantly began to give him instruction. He said, “Remember that you are completely full of the bliss of Brahman. Why are you crying like this despite being knowledgeable of your own Brahma-nature?”

When Madhavendra Puri heard these words so full of ignorance and effrontery, he became angry and began to rebuke Ramachandra, saying,

"Get away from me, you most sinful rascal! I am dying from the distress of not having received Krishna’s mercy, of not having attained Mathura, and you come to add to my misery! Don’t show your face to me again, go wherever you like! If I see you while I am dying I will take a lower birth. I am dying from the distress of not having attained Krishna and this lowly fool is teaching me about Brahman."
(Caitanya-caritamrita 3.8.22-5)

As a result of his offenses, Madhavendra Puri withdrew his blessings from Ramachandra Puri who thenceforth started to develop material desires. He became a dry philosopher without any interest in Krishna. Not only that but he became critical of everyone, exclusively devoting himself to faultfinding.

In this connection, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has written, "Even though Ramachandra Puri saw his own guru suffering of separation from Krishna, he was incapable of recognizing the transcendental nature of this transport of emotions. He judged his guru to be an ordinary man and took his mood to be material, the result of some material insufficiency. As a result he tried to explain to him the value of experiencing the oneness of Brahman. Madhavendra Puri reacted to his disciple’s stupidity and disregard for his instructions and thus stopped wishing for his well-being. He abandoned him and drove him away."

On the other hand, Ishvara Puri not only adhered to his guru’s teaching but served him physically and thus received his mercy, so becoming immersed in love of Krishna.

"Ishvara Puri received his spiritual master’s mercy, while Ramachandra Puri received his enmity. For the edification of the world, these two served as examples of the guru’s blessings and his punishment."
(Caitanya-caritamrita 2.8.32)

Unable to appreciate the Lord’s glories and thinking of him as an ordinary man, Ramachandra Puri concerned himself with gathering all sorts of information about his lodgings, his habits, how much he ate and slept and his comings and goings. He was interested only in finding faults and finally he found one. He criticized those in the renounced order for eating sweetmeats, saying that it made it difficult to control the senses. Though his only goal was to find fault with the Lord, Ramachandra Puri nevertheless he came regularly to see him. When they met, the Lord would offer him respectful obeisances, considering him a godbrother of his spiritual master.

One day Ramachandra Puri came in the morning to Mahaprabhu’s residence. Seeing many ants in the Lord’s room, he began to criticize him, saying, "Last night there was molasses made from sugar cane in here. This is why there are so many ants. Alas, how sad to see such an attachment to sense gratification amongst those in the renounced order of life!" After saying this, he got up and left.

Though ants quite naturally roam about everywhere, Mahaprabhu became apprehensive as a result of his accusations. He called Govinda and instructed him to reduce his daily consumption of prasad to one-fourth of a pot and five gandas worth of vegetables. He warned him that if Govinda brought him more than this amount, he would leave Puri.

When the devotees heard about Mahaprabhu’s reduction in prasad consumption, they were thunderstruck. They condemned Ramachandra Puri and themselves stopped eating. When Ramachandra Puri heard that Mahaprabhu and his devotees had all reduced the amount of food they were taking, he went to see him and impudently said:

"A sannyasi is not supposed to gratify his senses. He should fill his belly with the bare minimum. I see that you have become thin. Indeed, I have heard that you have cut your eating in half. But this kind of dry renunciation is not the religion of a sannyasi, either. A sannyasi eats as much as is necessary to maintain his body, but without engaging in sense gratification. By so doing, he becomes perfect in the discipline of knowledge."

natyashnato 'pi yogo 'sti na caikantam anashnatah
na cati-svapna-shilasya jagrato naiva carjuna

yuktahara-viharasya yukta-ceshtasya karmasu
yukta-svapnavabodhasya yogo bhavati duhkha-ha

"O Arjuna, yoga practice is impossible for anyone who overeats, under-eats, oversleeps, or under-sleeps. For a person who eats, relaxes and exerts himself in all duties in a regulated way, and who keeps regular hours in proper measure, the practice of yoga brings about the end of all worldly suffering."
(Bhagavad-gita 6.16-17)

para-svabhava-karmani na prashamsen na garhayet
vishvam ekatmakam pashyan prakritya purushena ca

"One should neither praise nor criticize the activities of others which result from their nature, because everything in the universe is a combination of the material nature and the living souls, and is thus one sole entity.
(SB 11.28.1)

"Of the two rules, Ramachandra Puri obeys the first by abandoning praise, but although he knows that the second is more prominent, he neglects it by criticizing others."

Paramananda Puri continued: "Ramachandra Puri does not praise even a person who has hundreds of good qualities; he rather finds some way of calling these qualities a fault. You should not give up eating properly because of his criticism; you should rather accept invitations as before."

Mahaprabhu replied, "There is no reason to get angry at Ramachandra Puri. A sannyasi should not be lusty after the pleasures of the tongue, but only eat in order to keep body and soul together."

When the devotees continued to press the Lord to abandon his new principle, he would not do so. Finally, he responded to their request by accepting half of the original amount of prasad (rather than a quarter as he was then doing). Thus the cost for the food needed to invite him was fixed at two panas of cowries (160 conch shells), and that food would be taken by two men and sometimes three.

Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami writes:

"When a Brahmin at whose home an invitation could not be accepted invited the Lord, he would pay two panas of conch shells to purchase the prasad. When a Brahmin at whose home an invitation could be accepted invited him, the Brahmin would purchase part of the prasad and cook the rest at home.
(Caitanya-caritamrita 3.8.89-90)

Mahaprabhu sometimes treated Ramachandra Puri according to worldly etiquette, and sometimes he would ignorer him as though he were of no more significance than straw. All the Lord’s activities are auspicious and beautiful, in all times and circumstances.

"Sometimes the Lord acted almost like a servant to Ramachandra Puri. At other times, he treated him like straw. The Lord’s activities are beyond human comprehension. Whatever he does, to whomever, is always enchanting."
(Caitanya-caritamrita 3.8.94-5)

Ramachandra Puri stayed in Jagannath Puri for a short while longer before leaving to visit various holy places of pilgrimage. When he left, the devotees felt extremely happy, as if a great load of stones had suddenly fallen from their heads to the ground. Mahaprabhu once again began to accept invitations as before and the devotees were able to serve him without hindrance.

Thus, if one commits an offense to one’s spiritual master, that offense eventually arrives at the feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead himself.

"This is the result of being rejected by one’s spiritual master. Eventually, the offense reaches as far as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even though the Lord did not consider the offenses of Ramachandra Puri, considering him to be a senior, he instructed through his behavior about the result of offending the spiritual master."
(Caitanya-caritamrita 3.8.99-100)

Mahaprabhu remained hidden for two months in Ramachandra Puri’s matha.
(Caitanya Bhagavat 2.19.105)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur writes in his Gaudiya-bhashya, "Gaurasundara stayed in the house of Chandrasekhara while in Benares. Chandrasekhara was a shudra of the vaidya caste. Vrindavan Das Thakur says that he stayed with Ramachandra Puri, who is known as a pretentious disciple of Madhavendra Puri who had a strong preference for the Mayavada philosophy. He told people in Benares that he was staying with Ramachandra Puri while in fact he preferred to spend his time with devotees. Ramachandra Puri was a sannyasi in one of the ten Shankarite orders, therefore Mahaprabhu stayed with him to avoid criticism from the non-devotees."

[Excerpted from "Sri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates" by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]