No
Contradiction
Compiled by Syamarani dasi
In
my travels over the last two years, several devotees approached me, sad and
confused, because they’d heard that Srila Bhakti Vijnana Bharati Gosvami Maharaja differs from our Srila
Gurudeva Bhaktivedanta
Narayana Gosvami Maharaja and our guru-varga in his view on the svarupa
of the jiva. They begged for clarity, reconciliation,
or whatever it would take to free them from this obstacle to their faith in
him. Some confided that there are pockets of devotees around the world who
won’t even begin to hear from him due to this doubt. When I explained in detail
how there is no difference at all, a few of them asked me to write an article
that would include Srila Maharaja’s direct statements
alongside Srila Gurudeva’s. As I had previously written several articles responding to
challenges in relation to Srila Gurudeva’s
oneness in heart and siddhanta with our Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja, as
a service to the Vaisnava community, and especially
to Srila Maharaja and Srila
Gurudeva, I agreed.
Both
acaryas often quote this verse, which states that the
jiva’s rasa is eternally fixed in the heart:
nitya-siddha krsna-prema
‘sadhya’
kabhu naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte
karaye udaya
["Pure love for Krsna
is eternally established in the hearts of all living entities. It is not
something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by
hearing and chanting, the living entity naturally awakens." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila
22.107)]
Saying the same thing
In Jagannatha
Puri, on the mornings of July 24 and 25, 2015, Srila Bharati Maharaja held two
question/answer darsanas so that devotees could clear
their doubts. In this article, we will quote from a written translation of Srila Maharaja’s July 24th Hindi sound-file.
Question: “We hear that some pure Vaisnavas say that the svarupa of
the jiva is eternal (nitya),
or fixed. At the time of the soul’s creation, the Lord empowers the soul with
service to Him in a particular rasa [individual relationship]. The jiva’s svarupa is decided at that
time.
“There
are other pure Vaisnavas who say that the svarupa of the jiva is fixed
according to its being nitya-krsna-dasa; as Sriman Mahaprabhu has mentioned,
‘jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya-dasa
– the eternal nature of all jivas is that they are
eternal servants of Krsna.’ (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.108). They agree on this point. As
far as the topic of rasa is concerned, as a sadhaka associates with devotees of different rasas,
he develops as taste for those different rasas and
goes in that direction.
“How
can we reconcile the ideas of both valid Vaisnavas?
Who has the qualification to understand all this?”
Some
devotees present had been thinking that Srila Gurudeva holds the first view and Srila
Maharaja holds what they considered the second view, and that is why this
question was asked.
Srila
Maharaja: “In
reality, both are saying the same thing. There is no difference. This is not
easy to understand. The understanding will be based on one’s own experience or
realization.”
Srila Maharaja is, in effect, saying
that there is only one view here, not two; both Vaisnavas
are saying the same thing. With this understanding, we would like to suggest
that the following statement, the combination of the so-called two views, is
actually the one view of both pure Vaisnavas:
The
svarupa of the jiva is eternal;
it is fixed. Sriman
Mahaprabhu has mentioned, ‘jivera
svarupa haya krsnera nitya-dasa.’ This means
that the eternal svarupa of all jivas
is that of an eternal servant of Krsna. In the
conditioned stage, if the sadhaka takes the
association of a devotee whose rasa is different from his own, he may be temporarily
attracted to it and inspired to become absorbed in a rasa that is not
inherently his. When his qualification in bhakti becomes sufficient, however, he
attains the association appropriate for helping him fully realize his own rasa,
or svarupa.
Considering
our proposal that the above-mentioned siddhanta is
held by both Vaisnavas, we invite the respected
reader to review all the statements of Srila Maharaja
and Srila Gurudeva given
below.
Srila Gurudeva,
Srila Maharaja, and all our Gaudiya
acaryas are in accord with the siddhanta
that the sadhaka is influenced by his association,
and that when he gets the appropriate association, he can realize his rasa. An example
is in Srila Gurudeva’s discussion
on Vilapa-kusumanjali
[Verse Thirteen] in November, 1991.
Srila Gurudeva: “If someone associates with Krsna’s devotees in a general way, but his actual svarupa is that of a Rama-bhakta,
then, when he reaches a certain point of progression in his service mood toward
Krsna, Krsna will arrange
that he will go to Ayodhya and get Rama-nama. The gopala-mantra is one,
and by that gopala-mantra, dasya,
sakhya, vatsalya, or madhurya will develop in accordance with one’s svarupa. Worship of Rama is in the category of dasya-rasa. It isn’t that by chanting the gopala-mantra the Rama-bhakta
will automatically get realization of Rama. Rather, by chanting the gopala-mantra, at the appropriate time in the development
of that sadhaka’s chanting, Krsna
will arrange everything for him, such as sending him to Ayodhya
and so on.”
Each
and every rasa is nitya-krsna-dasa
Srila Maharaja’s reply reveals that
his understanding of the eternality of one’s rasa does not contradict that of Srila Gurudeva or our guru-varga.
Srila
Maharaja: “Everyone
is dasa, a servant. A devotee in santa-rasa
is a servant, one in dasya-rasa is also a servant,
one in sakya-rasa is a servant, and one in madhurya-rasa is also a servant. Are a
father and mother not servants (dasas)? They
pick up the slippers of their child, wash the clothes of their child, and bathe
their child. However, even though they perform the same activities as a
servant, there is difference between them. The rasa (relationship) is
different. The love and affection of the mother is much greater and more
condensed than that of the servant. The
mother’s service is permeated with a mother’s love (vatsalya).
The mother knows exactly how much warm water or cold water she needs to use to
bathe her child, or whether she needs to bathe him simply with a damp cloth.
“Thus,
dasa, or servitude, is always present in all the rasas, but according to the intensity, or depth, of love
and affection – according to the mamata, or the sense
of possessiveness – the rasas are differently known.
“An
example may also be given of milk. Milk is milk, but to the extent that it is
cooked, or boiled, it becomes transformed into the sweets known as kheer, khoa, rubary, etc. All these
preparations are milk – the original and principle substance is milk. The names
of these milk products change, but milk remains milk. Similarly, common to
everyone is that we are all servants, eternal servants, of Krsna.
It is stated, ‘Jivera svarupa
haya krsnera nitya-dasa. The svarupa of the
living entity is that he is the eternal servant of Krsna.’
”
When
we think of the translation of this verse, we think of svarupa
as “intrinsic nature” or “constitutional form” in a general way – the jiva is by nature an eternal servant of Krsna.
Srila Maharaja is indicating here that the deep
meaning of “svarupa” is “rasa.” In accord with Srila Maharaja, the various meanings of “svarupa” given in the books of Srila
Gurudeva and our Srila Prabhupada is “transcendental nature,” “intrinsic nature,”
“constitutional position,” “form,” “ultimate essential identity,” and “feature.”
All these words indicate rasa.
It
is not that Srila Maharaja was using this milk analogy
to demonstrate that just as the milk changes from one milk product to another,
someone can be in one rasa, or svarupa, today, and in
another tomorrow, or in one rasa this lifetime and in another in the next. One’s
rasa, or svarupa is nitya, eternal. He has also not said that first one has to
be in santa-rasa, then in dasya-rasa,
and so on. Rather, the milk analogy was given to explain that dasa, or servitude, is common to
all rasas, and that all the rasas
are thus various degrees of intensity of servitorship
(dasa).
This
exact same principle of increased intensity of the rasas
is explained in elaborate detail in our Srila Prabhupada’s translations and purports of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta,
Madhya-lila 19.183-234. The idea of increasing mamata within nitya-dasa is discussed
there in the Lord’s teachings to Srila Rupa Gosvami. Srila
Gurudeva has said that this nineteenth chapter is one
of the six chapters of Caitanya-caritamrta
without reading which, one cannot advance an inch in bhakti.
Svarupa does not change by association
During
the course of Srila Maharaja’s explanation, he stated
the following:
Srila
Maharaja:
“Whatever power Krsna has given the soul at the time of
the soul’s coming into existence; that is the soul’s real svarupa.”
In
illustrating that he is in accord with the tattva
that one’s rasa is eternally fixed, Srila Maharaja
gave the example of Syamananda Prabhu,
who, although an eternal associate of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna as Sri Radha’s maidservant, played the role of a conditioned soul advancing
toward perfection.
Srila
Maharaja: “Sastra
relates the history of Hrdaya Caitanya
and his disciple, Syamananda Prabhu.
Hrdaya Caitanya was in sakhya-rasa, and his disciple entered madhurya-rasa.
Was Hrdaya Caitanya sad
about this? No. If the disciple excels the guru, will the guru be unhappy? No,
he will not.”
It
is not that Srila Maharaja said here that Syamananda Prabhu would have
entered sakhya-rasa if he had stayed longer with Hrdaya Caitanya.
Srila Gurudeva
expressed this same idea in Acarya Kesari, his biography of his guru maharaja, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja:
Srila Gurudeva:
“If a pancaratrika diksa-guru in
his constitutional spiritual form (siddha-svarupa) is situated in a rasa that is lower than that of his disciple, how can he give bhajana-siksa pertaining to the more elevated rasa? In this situation, the disciple
must go elsewhere and take shelter of a Vaisnava who
is qualified to give the appropriate superior guidance. For example, Sri Hrdaya-caitanya is an associate in sakhya-rasa in krsna-lila, whereas his disciple Sri Syamananda
Prabhu (Duhkhi-Krsna dasa) is an associate in madhura-rasa. Therefore, Sri Hrdaya-caitanya
personally sent Duhkhi-Krsna dasa
to Srila Jiva Gosvami to receive higher bhajana-siksa in madhura-rasa.” (Part 1V, Srila Gurudeva on the Svarupa of the Jiva)”
In
the same Part 1V of the biography, Srila Gurudeva quotes his Guru Maharaja.
Srila
Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja: “The confidential
purport is that in the stage of practice, the sadhaka performs sadhana-bhajana according
to his association, as long as he does not realize his svarupa. However, when his anarthas have gone, his inherent mood appears
in the form of some particular taste (ruci) and begins to reveal his
identity. Sri gurudeva notices his natural taste, and merely
indicates his relationship and eleven types of bhava, thereby enabling him to make progress in bhajana.
“Sometimes a sadhaka who by nature is of a higher rasa can engage in service in a lower rasa by the association of devotees in dasya and sakhya-rasa. However, when he is not
satisfied and later comes into higher association, he will give up the previous
moods and attain his inherent bhava.”
To
illustrate that one’s svarupa does not change by
association, Srila Bharati Maharaja
also gave the example of Jambavan, the father of Krsna’s queen Jambavati. Jambavan
was a Rama-bhakta, and even though he had Sri Krsna’s own association – he was face to face with Krsna and was defeated by Him in combat – he could not even
recognize Him, what to speak of becoming a Krsna-bhakta.
Rather, Krsna ultimately revealed Himself to Jambavan as Lord Rama.
He
also gave the example of Murari Gupta:
Srila Maharaja: “Murari
Gupta came in contact with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees who were worshiping Krsna in madhurya-rasa. He was
instructed by Mahaprabhu to worship Krsna in madhurya-rasa, but he
was unable to do that. Mahaprabhu then showed Murari Gupta His form as Lord Ramacandra,
because Murari Gupta was a devotee of Lord Rama; he
was an incarnation of Hanuman. Murari Gupta had been
given the power by the Lord up to this – devotion to Lord Ramacandra
– and that is why he was unable to accept more than that.”
One’s
eternal svarupa develops and manifests by association
Srila Maharaja
then explained that
on the other hand, unlike Murari Gupta, who was
already realized in his svarupa and thus could not be
swayed from that, even by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there are devotees who externally seem to be
fixed in a certain rasa, who are inclined toward a particular rasa and a
particular worshipful Deity because of association and family tradition. Such
devotees are then properly directed to their real relationship, or rasa, or svarupa, by appropriate association. He explained that Venkata Bhatta (the father of Gopal Bhatta Gosvami), Gopala Bhatta himself, and his uncle Prabhodananda Sarasvati were devotees of Laksmi-Narayana. By meeting with Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, they began worshiping Radha
and Krsna. Srila Maharaja
said here that when one comes into higher and higher association, one can
realize one’s own svarupa.
Srila Gurudeva is in accord
with this. Quoting the words of Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Gosvami Maharaja, Srila Gurudeva writes in the same biography: “One noteworthy point
here is that, according to our Gosvamis, Sri Prabodhananda Sarasvati is Tungavidya
Sakhi in vraja-lila and
Gopala Bhatta Gosvami is Sri Guna
Manjari. For pastime purposes, they both appeared in
South India and were performing their sadhana-bhajana after accepting initiation in the Sri
Sampradaya [and the worship of Laksmi-Narayana],
but constitutionally, they were gopis of Vraja. Although they had already been initiated into the Sri
sampradaya,
they were attracted to the service of Sri Krsna by
the influence of Sriman Mahaprabhu’s
association. From this it is evident that sadhu-sanga
assists in manifesting the svarupa of the jiva, but sadhu-sanga
cannot change his svarupa.”
No
confusion
Four months after the July 24 and 25, 2015 darsana,
while Srila Bharati
Maharaja was in Chandigarh, the same questions again arose. In order to clarify
all the points once again, Srila Maharaja spoke about this topic during his noontime house program on
December 15th. The transcription below comes from the simultaneous translation
given during the class itself, along with a written translation of the Hindi
sound-file for corroboration.
Srila
Maharaja: “Many questions come. There is one question that comes again
and again. Because we are not qualified, we are not able to comprehend or
understand; confusion arises.
“Sometimes we hear that someone absorbed in dasya-rasa
comes to madhurya rasa [as in the life of Gopala
Bhatta and his family], and sometimes we hear that the svarupa
does not transform [as in the life of Murari Gupta].
Why do these two truths sound different? It is because we don’t take darsana of the scriptures from a neutral point of view. Sometimes, even by
listening to the explanations, we cannot digest their contents.
“Bhagavan
has five rasas within Him. This is particularly seen
in Sri Krsna. Ramacandra, Nrsmhadeva, Varaha and so on do
not have all the rasas in Them.
If Bhagavan is eternal and His servant is eternal,
then the servant’s service is also eternal. If the servant is not eternal, how
can the service be eternal? Therefore, all three are eternal. It is natural
that because Krsna is the reservoir of all the rasas, He has invested different jivas
with different tastes, or rasas, and by nature, the jivas are attracted to their own rasa and nothing else. Bhagavan has created all rasas in such a way that those who have taste for a certain
rasa will not have taste to serve in any other. Depending on the rasa of
a devotee, the devotee will engage in that service only, and the Lord also has
a taste only for the devotee’s performance of that service.
“We
can see this in the example of Murari Gupta. Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him:
‘You are associating with the love-filled devotees (premi-bhaktas)
of Radha and Krsna, so you
should also become Their premi-bhakta.’
Although in front of Mahaprabhu, Murari
Gupta accepted this proposal, during the night he was thinking: ‘I will give up
my head. I have sold my head at the feet of Ramacandra.
How can I give it to someone else? At the same time, Caitanya
Mahaprabhu is requesting me to change, so how can I
refuse His request? It is better that I cut off my head and give up this body.’
Mahaprabhu, being the Supreme Supersoul,
knew everything. He came to Murari’s house and said:
‘O Murari, you have made an axe. I know for what
reason you made it, and I know where you have hidden it. Give it to Me.’ Mahaprabhu then granted Murari darsana of His form as Lord Ramacandra.
“So, Bhagavan
is eternal. His servant is eternal, and his servant’s service in a specific
rasa is eternal. The devotee will pursue that eternal service. That rasa will
be realized and relished by him, and Bhagavan also
desires to relish the devotee’s rasa with Him. Bhagavan
wants to taste all rasas.
“Mahaprabhu
told Sanatana Gosvami:
yahara komala-sraddha,
se ‘kanistha’ jana
krame krame tenho bhakta ha-ibe ‘uttama’
[One
who has preliminary faith is called a kanistha -adhikari, or a neophyte. The neophyte, however, can become
an advanced devotee if he strictly follows the regulative principles set down
by the spiritual master.]
“A kanistha-adhikari’s
faith is very soft and pliable – he may go here and there – but slowly, slowly,
step by step, he will advance to the stage of an uttama-adhikari.
“Without the mercy of Nityananda
Prabhu, we cannot have darsana
of Vrndavana. How will we come to reside in Vrndavana? ‘Nitaiyera karuna habe, vraje
radha-krsna pabe – by the
mercy of Nityananda Prabhu,
one can attain the service of Radha-Krsna in Vrndavana’ [Srila Narottama dasa Thakura - Sri Nityananda Nistha - Nitai pada kamala, Verse 3].
Nityananda Prabhu
is of sakhya-rasa and Radha-Krsna
are of madhurya-rasa, so how
is it that by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu we can get madhurya-rasa?
If it is not possible, then why has Srila Narottama dasa Thakura written this? The answer is that when Nityananda Prabhu gives madhurya-rasa, He does so as a manjari.
He is manifest as Ananga Manjari,
the younger sister of Radharani, and serves in that
way.
“Subal is a friend of
the Lord, a sakha of Krsna.
He is in sakhya-rasa, and he is also there to nourish
madhura-rasa.
“We are the lowest of poor beggars,
and yet we are asking questions about the price of a ship. When we become
qualified by sadhana, then we can understand all
these truths. This is not so easy to understand. Once we follow, we become more
and more qualified, and these truths become easy to understand.”
The famous seed
Srila Maharaja (in a room conversation on the same day as the December
15th house program):
nitya-siddha krsna-prema
‘sadhya’ kabhu
naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte
karaye udaya
[“Pure
love for Krsna is eternally established in the hearts
of all living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source.
When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, the living entity naturally
awakens.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila
22.107)]
“In this verse, it is clearly
mentioned that the svarupa of the jiva
is fixed; it doesn’t change. When it is sometimes stated that one’s svarupa may change by association, this is external; it
simply means that one’s inclination towards a particular svarupa
may change, not the eternal svarupa itself. Syamananda Prabhu is an example
of this.”
Srila Gurudeva speaks similarly: “We are all eternal
servants of Sri Krsna. The
soul is perfect in itself. Its relation
with Krsna, its particular name, qualities and specialities are already present within it. This
perfection is not brought from outside; rather, it is within each soul in a
dormant state. Unfortunately, maya, the Lord’s
deluding potency, covers the soul. Sri
Guru removes that maya, and the soul’s perfect, true,
constitutional form, qualities, services and so on manifest automatically.”
(Gaura-vani Pracarine,
chapter 7)
Reconciling
the fact that the bhakti-lata-bija
is given by Sri Guru and the fact that our svarupa is
eternal and already latent in seed-form in the soul, Srila
Bharati Maharaja is fully in accord with our Srila Gurudeva and guru-parampara. He spoke this hari-katha
in a darsana in Jagannatha Puri, on July 17, 2015,
and it was later published in his book, Visuddha Caitanya-vani, as follows:
Question: “Although we have heard that sri guru gives the seed of
bhakti at the time of diksa [Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila
19.151, 152], we have also heard
that the jiva is nitya-krsna-dasa,
an eternal servant of the Lord. Is the seed actually given by guru, or is it
already present within the jiva?”
Srila
Maharaja: “While it is correct to
say that sri gurudeva gives the seed of
bhakti, the true purport of this statement is that the seed is already present,
but it has been kept in a place where it can never grow. For example, if we
keep a bag of seeds in a cupboard, can we expect them to grow? Certainly not. But if someone reminds us about the seeds, we
can take them out from the cupboard, place them in soil, provide them with
sunlight and water, and they will eventually turn into enormous trees and bear
fruit.
“Similarly, sri guru reminds us that we have the wonderful seed of krsna-bhakti in our hearts, and he teaches us how to
nourish it by engaging our entire body in seva; he
instructs us to hear hari-katha with our ears, to
clean the Lord’s temple with our hands, to speak the Lord’s glories with our
tongue, and so on. By properly and sincerely following the process given by sri guru, the seed of bhakti will sprout, grow, strengthen,
and eventually bear the most wonderful, sweet fruit of krsna-prema.”
Srila Gurudeva spoke similarly at
an informal meeting at the airport in Hong Kong, on April 16, 2008:
Question: “Srila Gurudeva,
you say that only a pure Vaisnava guru can give the
seed of bhakti to the conditioned soul. At the same time, it is said that the
seed of bhakti is already within each soul. How can we reconcile this?”
Srila
Gurudeva: “The seed of bhakti is present in each soul, but there is
something more to be given. A seed alone will not suffice. If some water, air,
soil, and sunrays are given to the seed, then it will sprout. Do you
understand?”
Question: “I remember you saying that bhakti or pure devotion is the
sentiment for Radha and Krsna
– the special feeling or love and affection for Radha
and Krsna. Does this mean that the Guru gives this
sentiment? Is that correct?”
Srila Gurudeva: “First he gives a seed – the desire to serve Sri Radha and Krsna. Though the seed
is already in the heart of the soul, guru makes an environment for that seed to
sprout. So he gives something.”
Srila Maharaja (during hari-katha
of July 21, 2015): “Because of our karma, we are stuck in this
material world. Therefore, we need to do sadhana,
under guidance, in order to be released from here. By doing sadhana,
we can go towards our goal. We can only achieve our goal by the association of
devotees. Whatever rasa we are attracted to by our constitutional nature, we
should associate with that type of devotee. We should associate with a sajatiya devotee, meaning a devotee who is an ocean of the
mood for which we aspire. If we
associate with devotees in dasya-rasa, we will
acquire their mood; if in sakhya-rasa, we will acquire
their mood. If we associate with devotees in vatsalya-rasa,
we acquire their mood.”
Srila Gurudeva presented
the same understanding: “A sadhaka should take association of
those devotees who are of the same spiritual disposition (sajatiya).
In other words, one should associate with those devotees who worship the same
particular form of the Lord and who possess the same internal spiritual mood as
oneself. Those who are sadhakas in the mood of dasya-bhava should associate with devotees in dasya-bhava, and those who are sadhakas
in the mood of sakhya-bhava should associate with
devotees in sakhya-bhava. Similarly, those who are sadhakas in the moods of vatsalya-
and madhurya-bhava should associate with devotees
situated in moods that are favorable to their own respective bhavas.” (Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu, verse 4.62)
Question (in the room conversation of December 15, 2015): “You
mentioned that although it is true that a mango seed can only produce a mango
tree, an apple seed can only produce an apple tree, etc., sometimes a fruit may
at first turn out sour. For example, a grape tree is supposed to produce sweet
grapes, but it may produce sour grapes at first. An expert gardener may then
come and, by some process, turn those sour grapes into sweet grapes. What do you really mean by that?”
Srila Maharaja: “Syamananda Prabhu
was first in the state of a sour grape, meaning that in the association of Sri Hrdaya Caitanya, his inclination
was towards sakhya-rasa. That same personality, who
was supposed to be in madhurya-rasa, later on met
with a devotee of madhurya-rasa who turned the sour
grape to a sweet grape.”
Srila Gurudeva presented the same understanding: “If a pancaratrika diksa-guru in
his constitutional spiritual form (siddha-svarupa) is situated in a rasa that is lower than that of his disciple, how can he give bhajana-siksa pertaining to the more elevated rasa? In this situation, the disciple
must go elsewhere and take shelter of a Vaisnava who
is qualified to give the appropriate superior guidance. For example, Sri Hrdaya-caitanya is an associate in sakhya-rasa in krsna-lila, whereas his disciple Sri Syamananda
Prabhu (Duhkhi-Krsna dasa) is an associate in madhura-rasa. Therefore, Sri Hrdaya-caitanya
personally sent Duhkhi-Krsna dasa
to Srila Jiva Gosvami to receive higher bhajana-siksa in madhura-rasa.” (Acarya Kesari, Sri Srimad
Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami, His Life and Teachings, Part 1V)
Thus, both acaryas
concur that (1) the svarupa is inherent in the soul,
and (2) qualification and sadhu-sanga are required
for the inherent svarupa to manifest.
The
seed of madhurya-rasa
Srila
Maharaja (in
his book, Visuddha Caitanya-vani):
“Srila Rupa Gosvamipada has prayed to Sriman Mahaprabhu (Vidagdha-madhava 1.2):
anarpita-carim cirat
karunayavatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala
rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam
[May the son of Srimati Saci-devi, Sri Gaurahari, forever manifest within
the innermost core of your heart. Adorned with the radiant splendor of molten
gold, He has descended in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow upon
the world that which has not been given for a long time – the beauty of His own
brilliantly radiant ujjvala-prema-rasa
bhakti – service in the highest mellow of amorous love.]
“In this verse, he has mentioned that Sriman
Mahaprabhu has appeared in this world to give
something that has not been given in a long time: unnatojjvala-rasa,
which is the property of Srimati Radhika and the vraja-gopis. This is a very high object.”
(Also from Visuddha Caitanya-vani) “In the first verse of
Sri Siksastakam, Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu has specifically instructed us to perform sri krsna-sankirtanam, and not
merely krsna-sankirtanam. The term sri krsna-sankirtanam means to
perform kirtana of the names of Krsna
together with those of Sri. Here, the name ‘Sri’ refers to sarva-laksmimayi
Sri Radhika. It is only when Srimati Radhika is by
the side of Sri Krsna that He can correctly be called ‘Krsna.’ Without Her, He
is merely ‘Bakari,’ the killer of the demon Bakasura. This has been mentioned by our purva-acarya Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in his Sri Vilapa-kusumanjali
(102): ‘O Srimati Radhika! It
is only for the hope of obtaining the nectarean ocean of seva to You and having darsana of Your pastimes that I have, with great struggle,
maintained my life. But if you do not bestow Your
mercy upon me even now, what use is this life, the land of Vraja,
and even Bakari (the enemy of Bakasura)’?”…
“Srila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura has echoed Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s sentiments in his Gitavali (Sri Radhastaka 8.1 and 8.3):
radha-bhajane jadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana
gela
[If the desire to
worship Sri Radha does not arise in your heart, then
your worship of Krsna goes in vain.]
kevala madhava pujaye,
so ajnani
radha-anadara karoi abhimani
[One who worships only
Madhava is ignorant and one who disrespects Sri Radha is simply conceited.”]
I think there is no need to quote Srila
Gurudeva confirming that he is in accord with Srila Maharaja’s statements in this connection. Srila Gurudeva’s disciples and
followers already know how numerous these statements are.
I pray that this article will assist the honored reader in
clarifying the oneness in siddhanta of these acaryas. May we all be blessed by their combined mercy. Please excuse any inadequacy in this presentation.
If there are any further questions, I can be contacted at
syamarani@gmail.com.
Credits:
Several devotees have kindly contributed to the fruition of this article, in
the realms of sound-file recordings, transcription, editorial, written and
spoken translations, consultation, coordination, research, and so on. Special
thanks to prabhus Madhava-priya,
Sundara-gopala, Nava-kisora,
Pankaja Vasisth, Kesava, Ananga-mohana, Ramacandra, and Venu-gopal, and
to didis Bakula, Vasanti, Lalita, Jagat-mohini, Raga-lekha and her
assistant, Vraja-kisori, Vaijayanti-mala,
Krsna dasi, and Nagari.