The Career and Teachings of the
Supreme Lord Sree Krishna-Chaitanya
by Sri Narayan Das Bhakti
Sadhukar
VI. HISTORY OF THEISM
There is a certain class of people who
have the temerity to regard the religion preached by Sree Chaitanyadeva as of recent
origin and an original and new conception. The fact, however, is quite
otherwise. It is no other than Sree Chaitanya Whom all the Scriptures of every
Age and country have been eager to proclaim but have failed to adequately
express. The Truth Who is no other than Sree Chaitanyadeva Himself, is the Same
Who manifested Himself in the heart of Brahma at the beginning of material
creation. The Word, Who, beginning with Brahma, made Himself manifest to a
succession of persons, was gradually confused in many ways by the influence of time. The absolute Truth made
available by Brahma in the form of the Word although He appeared in subsequent
times in the community of the Rishis being handed down by the process of verbal
transmission to the ear from preceptor to disciple has been variously
transformed due to the intrusion, into the process, of the triple qualities of
this material world. At those periods when the perverted version of the
communication manifested to the ear threatens to completely mask and distort
the real Truth that Lord Vishnu the Divine Personality Himself Who is both
Source and the first Link in the chain of the line of preceptorial succession
through whom the Divine Logos manifests Himself as articulated Sound to the
ear, causes the Appearance of Himself in this world in different Forms in
conformity with particular lines of activities appropriate for the particular
requirements of the times. These Plenary Divine Manifestations constitute the
series of the Leela-Avataras of
Vishnu.
In this manner Truth manifested Himself
successively in different forms in the seven different lives of Brahma. The
first four births of Brahma took place during the Age of Truth (Satya Yuga), the first of the four
Yugas that form a complete cycle of the Ages. In the first birth of Brahma,
which was mental, the Fenapas learnt
the Absolute Truth from Sree Narayana. From Fenapas He was heard by the Baikhanasas and from them by Chandra. In
Brahma’s second birth, which was ocular, by the grace of Narayana, Brahma and
Rudra and, from Rudra, the Ba1a-khilyas attained
to the Truth. In the third birth of Brahma, which was oral, from Narayana,
Suparna received the super-mental root-formula (mantram) of the Rig Veda. At
the same time the Bighashasi sampradaya obtained
the same from Vayu and from the Bighashasis,
Mahodadhi received the experience of the exclusive spiritual function. In
the fourth auricular birth of Brahma the eternal function (satvata dharma) was
promulgated in the Vedas along with the Aranyakas. At this time from Brahma, Svarochisha
Manu, from him, his son Samkhapada and, from Samkhapada, Subarnabha Manu, the
son of Samkhapada, learnt the eternal function (satvata dharma). In the Age of Truth the religion was thus spread by the
fourfold manifestation in the form of the mental, ocular, oral and auricular
births of Brahma.
At this time there had not yet begun the
promulgation of the varnashrama dharma of
the Vedic Karmakanda which was
instituted in the next Age, viz., the
Treta Yuga. Fenapa; Baikhanasa, Soma,
Rudra, Balakhilya, Suparna, Vayu, Mahodadhi, Svarochisha Manu, Samkhapada,
Subarnabha and other devotees of Hari of this pre-historic age, all belonged to
the ‘one-path’ branch (the Ekayana Sakha) of the Vedic Tree. At that time there
being yet no divisions of the Vedic School the Vedic Rishis are designated as
having belonged to the one-path branch. Fenapa, Baikhanasa, Balakhilya and
later the Audumbaras, in accordance with the four pre-historic divisions,
formed a separate branch of those belonging to the vanaprastha stage even as early as the time when the varnashrama dharma was established. The varnashrama dharma , a classification of society into a fourfold
division according to the twofold principle of quality and work, was introduced
at the beginning of the Second Age (Treta) to which also belong three
additional births of Brahma. At the beginning of the Treta Age in the fifth nasatya birth of Brahma from Narayana,
Sanat Kumara received admission into the one-path religion. By Sanat Kumara,
Birona, by Birona, Raibhya, by Raibhya, Kukshi were successively admitted into
the same one-path religion (aikantika
dharma). While in the sixth birth of Brahma from the egg, from Brahma,
Barhisat and his elder brother Abikampana, etc., obtained entry into the one
path eternal religion. The chant of the Sama Veda first appeared in this sixth birth of Brahma. It is in the seventh
birth of Brahma from the lotus that, from Narayana, Brahma, from Brahma,
Dakshya, Aditya, Bibasvan, Manu and Ikshvaku, etc., being established in the Bhagavata
religion, attained to great fame.
The Sree community (sampradaya) sprang from Ratnakara. Ratnakara obtained the religion
from the ancient Bighashasi comnunity
and this last again from Vayu who belonged to the time of the third oral birth
of Brahma. The Brahma and Rudra communities received the mercy of Sree Narayana
in the fourth ocular birth of Brahma. Their successors, the Balakhilyas, maintained the lines of
Brahma and Rudra. Sanat Kumara received the one-path religion from Sree Narayana
in the fifth nasatya (nasal) birth of Brahma.
The activities of the series of the
Plenary Divine Manifestations of this world (Avataras) of the lotus period, are
narrated in the Scriptures. The practices of the different communities of the
eternal religion who accepted the ten Appearances in this world of Vishnu in
the Forms of Fish, Tortoise, Boar, Man-Lion, Dwarf, Rama son of Bhrigu, Rama
son of Dasaratha, Baladeva, Buddha and Kalki as their Objects of worship, are
recorded in such works as the Puranas, the
Mahabharata, etc. Although these
books happen to be written in Sanskrit we notice in them mention of the eternal
(satvata) religion of the
pre-historic Age in the form of hints and also in the shape of a certain amount
of descriptive matter. The worshippers of the Divinity in the Forms of His ten
Avataras have acquired the designations of bhakta, (devotee), ‘bhagavata’
(godly) or ‘satvata’ ( eternal) .
Wherever there arises the consciousness
of transitory, changeable, finite time and of mundane personality conformably
to our worldly judgment there appear two qualitative manifestations of the
Godhead, Who are also classed in the category of Divinity. Although the transcendental
knowledge is always manifest in the heart of Brahma, among his successors, due
to their sensuous predilections, various temporary experiences have been
wrongly assigned to the category of the eternal Truth. Whence there are to be
found in this world in regard to Godhead a great variety of mutually
conflicting views. We find accordingly at different places the cults of the
village-god, of ghosts, mesmerism, the process of pancha-pakshi, the cult of the followers of energy, immersed in the
enjoyment of the five pleasures making for a material objective, the creed of
the worshippers of the Sun imbued with a mixture of cognitive and active
qualities and the system of the worshippers of Ganapati, a product of the
cognitive in association with benumbing qualities. These cults setting
themselves up as its rivals have been trying by their loud clamours to disturb
the eternal religion. The desire of his successors for other things than the
spiritual service of Godhead by disregarding the method of service of the
Transcendental that had appeared in the mind of Brahma, drove them into the
paths of fruitive work and empiricism of the elevationists and the
liberationists respectively. These temporarily excited mental tendencies are
checked by the power of Rudra who is adored by the (material) negative or
nihilistic quality. The various faces of Brahma, the Avatara in active quality of the Transcendental Vishnu in this
material world, have been imagined, synthesized and made manifest by persons
possessed of corresponding natures and, up to the time when those active
tendencies are not absorbed in the negative, the worship of qualified Vishnu
manifests its potency in this phenomenal world. As a matter of fact the
conceptions of qualified and non-qualified worship are correlatives in the
mundane apprehension.
Sree Chaitanyadeva occupying the seat of
the world-Teacher, has uprooted many kinds of perverse and abstruse
speculations of the stubborn race of sophists. The contemplation of Vishnu in
the Age of Truth, the sacrifice for Vishnu in the following Age (Treta), the ritualistic worship of
Vishnu in the third (Dvapara) Age,
and the chanting (kirtana) of the Name of Godhead in the fourth (Kali) Age, are
specially suitable for the bound jiva for
the attainment of the Sight of Godhead and His service. But the eternal
Scriptures (satvata shastra) declare
that in the seventh regime of the lotus-born Brahma the desire to establish the
equality of the gods exercising delegated power, with Vishnu will continue to
produce the delusion of the sojourners in the domain of fruitive works for the
space of twenty five hundred years. The belief that the Feet-wash of Vishnu is
only ordinary water will continue up to the five-thousandth year, the belief
that Vishnu is the equal of the other gods of the hierarchy of gods will be
accepted as certain truth by those journeying on the path of misfortune. The
spiritual Scriptures (satvata shastra) say
that despite hundreds of defects of Kali,—the fourth Age, it possesses one
supremely redeeming feature, viz.,
that in this Age the bound soul (jiva) obtains deliverance from the clutches of
worldly judgment by listening to the chant (kirtana)
instituted by Sree Gaursundar. The individual soul in the Kali Age is freed
from the vagaries of conflicting views by the power of the chant (kirtana) of Krishna to the exclusion of
the narrow consideration of the controversialists of the schools of empiric
knowledge and fruitive works. It is for this reason that the writer of Sree Chaitanya Charitamrita in the very
beginning of that work, in the second chapter, has declared in the form of an
emphatic glorification of the chant, the message of the super-mundane and
all-pervasive mercy of Sree Chaitanyadeva. Those who follow Sree Chaitanyadeva
are alone freed from the clutches of error by the abandonment of all evil
association. Those who are so deluded as not to avail the mercy of Sree
Chaitanya will remain confined to the worldly point of view within the narrow
hole of error by the logic of the frog in the well. They will never obtain the
privilege of being employed in the service of the Super-sensuous.
The following brief review of the
historical development of the theistic thought will further elucidate the
Scriptural position outlined above.
The pursuit of the summum bonum is the proper and natural function of the individual
soul (jiva). The co-eternal
associated existence of this eternal function with the soul since his
appearance needs must be admitted. This natural function was at first latent
and had the form of the conception of his own identity, with the Brahman as the
manifestation of himself. There was not ,yet any discussion of the bond of the
highest love that united the two by the establishment of definite difference
between the individual soul (jiva)
and the Brahman. This religious
doctrine of the intellectual realization of the identity of the individual soul
with the Brahman, continued to
prevail for a long time. The Rishis tried to find out the proper occupation of
the soul by formulating from time to time various methods such as sacrifice (yajna), asceticism (tapasya), ijya, sama, dama, patience (titiksha), dana, etc. A long period passed in this quest of a
vocation in the domain of works essentially materialistic on abandonment of the
thought, ‘I am the Brahman’ When
subsequently the reward attainable in the domain of fruitive works was judged
to be trivial and harmful, the mind of the Aryas applied itself to the question
of liberation (moksha). Sanaka, Sanatana
and several others had altogether ignored the path pointed by desire for
sensuous enjoyment. But Prajapati, Manu and Indra and other devas hoped to
please Godhead by sacrifices (yajna)
leading to worldly improvement. In regard to the fruit of such activities the
ideas of heaven and hell were conceived to be final. The pure essence of the
soul and the quest for emancipation and final attainment of the highest
satisfaction, none of these were at all realized. In the Sreemad Bhagavatam is found
an exhaustive discussion of these three subjects and the conclusions are
clearly stated.
The most merciful Sree Ramanujacharya,
the disciple of the illustrious Sathakopa, was the first to bring together the
fundamentals of the Vaishnava thought. Some time before him Sankaracharya by
his commentary of the Vedanta sutra gave
such a strong impetus to the pursuit of the empiric knowledge that the goddess
of devotion was taken by surprise and was checked and remained for a long time
hid inside the hearts of her devotees. Sankaracharya cannot be held to be
responsible for this untoward result. Far from blaming him we should rather
regard him as the ideal of a patriot because there was in that Age a special
reason for undertaking such a task for the indirect service of the Truth. It is
well known that a great person bearing the name of Gautama who was sprung from
the Sakva clan of Kapilavastu five hundred years before Christ instituted such
a vigorous movement of empiric knowledge that in consequence of it the
previously established system of varnashrama
dharma was in imminent danger of
being wholly obliterated. The Buddhist religion preached by Gautama became a
thorn in the side of the whole ancient inheritance of the Aryas. Buddhism soon
spread beyond the Punjab, under the patronage of kings such as Kanishka,
Huvishka, Vasudeva, etc., of the Scythian dynasty, into the trans-Himalayan
regions of Tibet, Tartary, China and other countries In another direction the
Buddhist religion was firmly implanted in Burma, Ceylon and many other places
by the efforts of Emperors like Asokavardhana, etc. The ancient holy places (tirthas) of the Aryas were changed into
centres of Buddhism and became almost wholly Buddhistic in outward appearance.
It even appeared possible that all traces of the religion of the Brahmanas
might be destroyed. When this undesirable disturbance assumed the most
dangerous proportions, in the seventh century of the Christian era, the Brahmanas
becoming furiously indignant began a steady and organized attempt for the
destruction of Buddhism. In this crisis Sreemad Sankaracharya eventually became
the leader of the Brahmanas with their headquarters at Benares.
From the early Christian epoch onwards
the vigour and keenness of intellect that is found in the south of India, is
not so much in evidence in other parts of the country From this time there
arose in the southern firmament, like stars of the first magnitude, such
extraordinary personalities as those of Sankara, Sathakopa, Yamunacharya, Ramanuja,
Vishnuswami and Madhvacharya and a host of eminent scholars. Sankaracharya
failing to achieve much success with the help of his Brahmanized following,
having adopted the ten orders of sannyasins
bearing the designations of Giri, Puri, Bharati, etc., winning over the Brahmanas
fond of materialistic activities, by the physical and controversial prowess of
those sannyasins, set about to effect
the destruction of the Buddhists. In those places where he failed to bring over
the Buddhists to his side Sankara did not scruple to obtain even the assistance
of the Naga sannyasins for his purpose. And, finally, by the compilation of the
commentary of the Vedanta sutra, by mixing up therein the doctrine
of fruitive works of the Brahmanas with the principle of empiric knowledge of
the Buddhists, he effected the unification of the views of Brahmanas and
Buddhists. After this he changed the names of the Buddhist shrines and idols
and made them conform to the religion of the Vedas. The Buddhists, partly through fear of violence and partly in
view of the partial retention of their own creed, submitted to the Brahmanas
from necessity. Those Buddhists to whom such a procedure appeared to be hateful
fled either to Burma or Ceylon, carrying with them the relics of Buddha. It was
at this time that the Buddhist pandits made their way to Ceylon from Puri with
the tooth-relic of the Buddha Avatara. In the fifth century A D the Chinese
savant Fa Hian visiting Puri wrote with great joy that in that place Buddhism
existed in an unalloyed form and there was no oppression by the Brahmanas.
Subsequently, after the change noticed above in the seventh century A.D., the
next Chinese scholar Hiuen Tsang wrote from Puri that the tooth of Buddha had
been carried to Ceylon and the holy place had been utterly desecrated by the Brahmanas.
On a consideration of these events the
activities of Sankara would appear to be really wonderful By divesting the
country of the nomenclature of Buddhism, he effected to a certain extent the
welfare of India in the national sense in as much as it prevented the further
attenuation of the old society of the Arayas, a process which had been in
progress Especially did he change the mentality of the Aryas by introducing
into Arayan books the controversial method. The impetus which was thus imported
by him enabled the Arvan intellect to investigate even subjects the
consideration of which had been hitherto unattempted by them. By the force of
the controversial current of Sankara, the flower of devotion, afloat on the
stream of the mind of the devotee, was in a state of flutter. But Ramanujacharya,
by the vigour of argumentation imparted by Sankara and by the grace of God, by
composition of a fresh commentary of the Vedanta
sutra, resuscitated the vigour of the Vaishnava thought. Within a short
time Vishnuswami III, Nimbaditya and Madhvaswami, establishing the Vaishnava
view in slightly different forms, also wrote commentaries of the Brahma sutra in accordance with their
respective opinions. All of them after the manner of Sankaracharya, wrote a
commentary on the Geeta, a bhashya of the thousand Names and a commentary on
the Upanishads. From this time the
opinion, viz., that for the
recognition of a school it was necessary for it to possess its own commentaries
on the four aforesaid books, established its hold on the minds of the people.
From the above four Vaishnava Acharyas the four current schools of Vaishnavism,
viz.those of Sree, Brahma, Rudra and
Sanaka, have had their historical origin.
Sree Chaitanya appeared at Nabadwip in
the fifteenth century of the Christian era. At first as house-holder and
subsequently as sannyasin Sree
Chaitanya elaborated the full knowledge of the two ultimate principles of the
Vaishnava religion. That the real significance of the land of Gauda (Bengal) is
attainable with difficulty even y the
devas, admits of no doubt by the testimony of the Scriptures. Appearing in this
chosen land, the Darling of Sachi Devi, the Most Highly Revered of the
Vaishnavas, has given away freely to all the people the boundless wealth of
spiritual Truth, that can be compared with nothing else. This is well known to
all persons. By rare good fortune it has chanced that we have been born in this
unique land. For a long time to come those Vaishnavas who will appear in this
land, will also regard themselves glorified by such birth as we have obtained.
Sree Chaitanya, with the help of Nityananda
and Advaita, encompassed by Rupa, Sanatana, Jiva, Gopala Bhatta, the two Raghunathas,
Ramananda, Svarupa, Sarbabhauma, etc., has expounded clearly the true
relationship of the individual soul (jiva)
with Godhead, has shortened our work in regard to spiritual method
demonstrating the superiority of chanting the name (Kirtana), and, in regard to the goal of spiritual endeavour, has
laid down the extremely simple end
of lasting mellowing quality (rasa)
to be met with on the Path of complete spiritual endeavour (Braja).
The reader will find, if he considers the
subject with special care, that the principle of the summum bonum has been steadily gaining in clearness, simplicity and
consciousness from primitive times on to the present day in proportion as all
impurities, deposited by Age and clime, are being expelled, and its beauty,
waxing in brilliancy, is appearing within the ken of our direct view. The
Highest Object of spiritual endeavour first appeared on the soil, overgrown
with the kusa grass, on the bank of the Sarasvati. Slowly gathering strength it
played out its childish pastimes on the ice-bound settlement of Badarikasrama.
Its adolescence was nursed in the forest land of Nimisha on the bank of the
Gomati. Its youthful activities are observed in the Dravida country on the
beautiful bank of the Kaveri. The maturity is manifested to our view on the
bank of the stream of the Jahnabi, that sanctifies the world, in the town of
Nabadwip.
If we consider the history of the whole
world we are confirmed in our view that the acme in the progressive quest of
the summum bonum, has been reached at
Nabadwip. The Supreme Soul is the only Object of the love of the plurality of
separate individual souls (jivas). If
the Supreme Soul, Who is the Integer, is not served with love, He Call never be
easy of access to the separate fractional souls. He is not easy of attainment
even if He is constantly meditated upon by abandonment of all other attachments
that bind individual souls to this world. He is captivated by a mellow quality
(rasa) of the appropriate kind, and
by leaving this out He cannot be obtained. This mellow quality (rasa) is of five specifications, viz.,
(1) tranquil (santa), (2) as of the
servant (dasya),(3) as of the friend (sakhya), (4) as of parents (batsalya), and (5) as of the wife or
mistress (madhura) . The mellow
quality whose specific characteristic is tranquillity is the one to appear
initially by reference to the Brahman, or, in other words, it is equivalent to
the merely continued existence of the fractional individual soul in the Greater
Principle, on the cessation of the miseries due to the worldly connection. In
this state, with the exception of a slight measure of negative bliss, there is
no other freedom. At this stage there has not yet been established any
reciprocal relationship of the spiritual novice with the Super-soul. The mellow
quality characterized by servitude (dasya
rasa) is the next in order of manifestation. It possesses all the treasures
of tranquil mellowness (santa rasa) and
something more. This new factor is affection, i e , a sense that an object
belongs to me (mamata). In this
specific quality (rasa) there is
found relationship with Godhead which may be expressed thus, ‘Godhead is my
Master and I am His eternal servant’. However excellent a person may be in
himself one does not feel any particular concern for him unless there exists
also a definite personal relationship between him and oneself. Therefore the
mellowness of personal servitude (dasya
rasa ) is very much superior to that of impersonal tranquillity (santa rasa). As servitude (dasya) is superior to the state of
perfect unconcern (santa), so also is
friendship (sakhya) very much
superior to servitude (dasya). Because in servitude (dasya) there is a thorn in
the shape of distant reverence. But in friendship (sakhya) there is present a great jewel in the form of confidential
relationship. Can there be any doubt that he is the greatest among servants who
possesses the confidence and is, therefore, as it were, a friend, of his
Master? In the mellowness of friendship (sakhya
rasa) there are present all the values of the mellowness of unconcern and
servitude (santa and dasya rasas). Just
as friendship (sakhya) is higher than
servitude (dasya), in like manner
parental affection (batsalya) is
superior to friendship (sakhya). This
is self-evident. Of all friends the son is the most liked and is a source of
far greater happiness In the mellowness of parental affection (batsalya rasa) the constituent values
of all the four mellownesses (rasas)
are combined. Although the mellowness of parental affection (batsalya rasa) appears to be so
superior to all the other mellow qualities (rasas),
it appears very insignificant by the side of the mellowness of the sweetness of
amorous love (madhura rasa) There are
many things that have to be kept outside the relationship of parent and child,
but not between husband and wife Therefore, if the subject is very closely
considered, all the preceding mellownesses (rasas)
will be found to have attained their perfection in that of amorous love, as
between husband and wife (madhura rasa).
If we consider the history of these five
distinctive mellow qualities (rasas),
it is clearly perceived that the mellowness of the tranquil state (santa rasa), first appeared in this
world in India. When the soul was not satisfied by sacrificial rites by means
of material objects those who professed the doctrine of the highest spiritual
good, such as Sanaka, Sanatana, Sananda, Sanatkumara, Narada, Mahadeva, etc.,
renouncing all attachment for the material world, experienced the mellowness of
tranquillity (santa rasa) by being
thereby established in the Super-soul. Long after this the mellowness of
servitorship (dasya rasa) appeared as
in Hanuman, the ruler of the Kapis. The mellow quality of tranquil spiritual
servitude (dasya rasa) spreading
gradually, was most beautifully manifested in the south-western part of the
continent of Asia in a great personage, viz.,
Moses. Uddhaba and Arjuna, who followed the king of the Kapis by a long interval, attained to the
privilege of the mellowness of tranquil serving spiritual friendship with
Godhead (sakhya rasa) and preached it
to the world. By slowly spreading to other countries this mellow quality of the
love of a friend for Godhead touched the heart of a religious preacher of
Arabia, Muhammad The mellowness of parental affection (batsalya rasa) appeared in India at intervals in different forms.
Of this the variety of love for Godhead, as of a son for his father, but
regarded as the most High and Mighty Ruler of the world (aisvaryagata), spreading beyond India, fully manifested itself in
Jesus, the saviour of the Jews. The mellowness of amorous love (madhura rasa), on its first appearance,
irradiated the region of Braja. The permeation of the heart of the individual
soul under the thraldom of worldliness, by the mellowness of tranquil, serving,
friendly, affectionate, amorous spiritual devotion to Godhead, is supremely
difficult to attain, because it is confined only to specially elected and
perfectly pure souls (jivas). The Moon
of Nabadwip, Darling of Sachi, with His own associates, promulgated this most
subtle of all mellownesses (rasas).
The exquisite sweetness of this relationship with Godhead has not yet spread
beyond India.
Not long ago a Western scholar, Newman,
realizing this mellowness (rasa) to a
slight extent, gave publicity to it in England by writing a book on the
subject. The nations of Europe and America have not up till now been satiated
with the sweetness of their filial love for Godhead characterized by reverence,
promulgated by Jesus. It is hoped that by the grace of Godhead, and at no very
distant date, they will begin to taste of the wine of the mellowness of
spiritual amour (madhura rasa), with
even greater ardour. It will have appeared that a particular state of the
mellow quality (rasa) first of all
makes its appearance in India and spreads from here to the Western countries,
generally after the lapse of a long period. There is, therefore, according to
precedent, still a short period to run before the mellowness of amorous
devotion (madhura rasa) is fully
preached to all parts of the world. Just as the Sun rising first of all in
India gradually illuminates all the countries of the West, in like manner the
incomparable rays of the highest good, at intervals making their first
appearance in India, suffuse the West before many days have passed.
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