What Is The Difference Between The Nimbarka And Gaudiya Sampradaya?

By Bhaktivedanta Tirtha Maharaja

Pujyapada BV Tirtha Maharaja Q&A

The philosophy of Nimbarka Sampradaya is dvaita dvaita vada and the philosophy of Gaudiya Sampradaya is TAchintya badhe abheda tattva. Their philosophy is more like a theory and the Gaudiya sampradaya's philosophy is siddhanta. Where there is the conclusion of all sastras there is siddhanta. But where there is some theory this is called vada. So there are many different Vaisnava sampradayas but each one does not have all sastric conclusions.

The Gaudiya Sampradaya worships Sri Radha Govinda in parakiya (paramour) mood, in manjari bhava. The Nimbarka sampradaya worships Radha Krsna also but in swakiya (wedded) mood, in sakhi bhava. They have sambhoga rasa (union) and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has vipralamba rasa (separation). In separation mood the gopis are remembering Krsna and having visions of Krsna and in these they experience the appearance of Krsna. So this is Vipralamba sadhana in line with the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Other Vaisnavas are also worshiping Radha Krsna but they are never following Radhika's great separation mood. They never understand what is this greatest bhava of Hers. Her prema, sneha, manna, pranaya, bhava, mahabhava, rudha adirudha, modan, madan, premvivarta, then combined rasa is mahabhava. So there are many varieties of stages of prema. Other sampradayas never understand and never feel these things. Everything is present in Srimad Bhagavatam but other sampradayas don't understand this. They will only understand these things in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Otherwise this is not possible to understand.

Other sampradayas are tasting Bhagavatam but they are not going deeply into that taste because they don't have many realized commentaries. Our Gosvamis wrote many varieties of commentaries with many different meanings. They have described in their books many of Radha Krsna's unlimited lila. Bhakti-rasamrta-sindu and Ujjvala Nilamani, by Srila Rupa Goswami, are like the grammar books of Bhakti-rasas. Other sampradayas don't know the deep meanings and deep moods of rasa.

Srimad Bhagavatam never described the person bhagavat, Vaisnavas and didn't give the names of the bona fide sampradayas, but all Vaisnavas accept Srimad Bhagavatam.

Who Actually Wrote Radha Sudhanidhi And Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi?

Radha Sudhanidhi and Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi are written by Srila Prabhodananda Saraswatipada. He was the uncle of Gopal Bhatta Gosvami. Hit Harivamsa was the name of a disciple of Gopal Bhatta Goswami. He did not write the Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi because this is a Sanskrit book. Srila Probhodananda Saraswatipada wrote many books in Sanskrit. Hit Harivamsa wrote many duha (poetic works), chanda, in the Hindi language (Vraja dialect). If he had written these books in Sanskrit then other books in Sanskrit would have been possible for him. Therefore, we can conclude that he could not have written these books.

Sri Atul Krsna Goswami and other Gaudiya Vaisnavas have said how one day Hit Harivamsa had come to see Gopal Bhatta Goswami but he had not been fasting for Ekadasi. That day he ate tambula. His Gurudeva, Gopal Bhatta Goswami, asked him why he was not fasting.

He replied; "Oh this is Maha-prasada. I had to honour it, I could not leave it. This is why I am not fasting."

Gopal Bhatta Gosvami was angry saying, "You should leave at once! I do not want to see you again!"

Hit Harivamsa was very sad.

Sometimes he would go see Srila Prabhodananda Saraswati in Kalidhana. He would pacify Hit Harivamsa somewhat. He read Sri Prabhodhananda Saraswati's books then he took the books to his disciples who were later saying, "These books are written by Gurudeva. But, our Gaudiya Sampradaya does not accept this thinking because his disciples do not accept the rules for fasting on Ekadasi, and have an opinion opposed to Srimad Bhagavatam and all sastras. Gaudiya Vaisnavas do not accept their thinking because they do not accept the rules and regulations given in sastra.

(4) Some are saying that Hit Harivamsa is an incarnation of Lalita Sakhi. But most authorities do not accept this. This is ahangraha upasana, self-proclaimed worship. Vaisnavas never accept this kind of self-declaration. If he were the incarnation of Lalita Sakhi, then why did he not accept the rules and regulations given in sastra? Always, we are serving under the guidance of our Gurus, who are all sakhis and manjaris, in the service of Radha-krsna. They never want sayuja meditation. This is not sastric praman (conclusion).

Jaya Sri Radhe!

Your servant,

Tridandiswami Bhaktivedanta Tirtha Maharaja

bvtirtha@hotmail.com

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