Çré Vijaya Ekadäsé Issue no:130 19th February 2020 THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE THE SCIENCE OF THE SUPREME LORD SPONTANEOUS UNAlloYED DEVotION Srila Vrindavan Das Thakura Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura THE EssENCE OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE THE GloRIES OF LORD CHAITANYA His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada MAHAPRABHU'S ARRIVAL IN GokULA Srila Jagadananda Pandita Circulaton 29, 621 Issue no 130, Page — 2 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä THE SCIENCE OF THE SUPREME LORD names of Hari. Everyone was maddened with Srila Vrindavan Thakura pride on account of their high birth, opulence, knowledge, and beauty. At that time Sri Advaita The science of the Supreme Lord and His Acharya Prabhu, along with pure devotees like various incarnations is difficult to understand. Srivasa, loudly chanted the names of Lord Hari. What to speak of ordinary living entities, even But people who were averse to the Lord con- Lord Brahma cannot fathom this science without tinually harassed and teased the non-envious the mercy of the Lord. The statement of Lord pure devotees. When the compassionate Sri Brahma in the Çrémad Bhägavatam is the evi- Advaita Prabhu saw people’s extreme aversion dence in this regard. Although the cause of the to Krishna cause great distress to the devotees, Supreme Lord’s appearance is most confidential, He began to worship Krishna with water and the statements of Bhagavad-gétä reveal that Lord tulasi with a vow to bring about the advent of Visnu appears in every millennium in order to Krishna. Before the advent of Lord Gaurahari, Sri protect the pious people, deliver the miscreants, Nityananda Prabhu—who is nondifferent from and reestablish the principles of religion. There- Lord Baladeva, the elder brother of Krishna— fore the chanting of the holy names of Krishna appeared from the womb of Padmavati, the wife is the religious principle for the Age of Kali. Sri of Hadai Pandita, in the village of Ekacakra, in Gaurahari has appeared along with His abode, Räòha-deça, on the thirteenth day of the waxing Sri Navadvipa, to propagate this yuga-dhar- moon in the month of Magha. Meanwhile, in ma. By the will of the Lord, great devotees and Navadvipa, Sri Visvarupa Prabhu, who is non- eternal associates such as Ananta, Shiva, and different from Nityananda Prabhu, appeared as Brahma appeared prior to the Lord in various the son of Saci and Jagannatha, after their many impious families and impious places where the daughters had met early deaths. A few years Ganges does not flow and the holy names are after the advent of Sri Visvarupa, Sri Gaurahari, not chanted. In this way such families and places the original Personality of Godhead, appeared were purified. After the appearance of Sri Gaura- in the hearts of Sri Saci and Jagannatha, who are hari, His associates joined Him in Navadvipa to nondifferent from Devaki and Vasudeva. Under- assist in His saìkértana movement. At the time standing this, the demigods offered prayers to of the Lord’s appearance, Sri Navadvipa was Lord Sri Gaura-Krishna, the Supreme Absolute most prosperous. Millions of people took bath Truth and source of all incarnations, who was sit- at each of the bathing ghäöas on the Ganges. uated within the womb of Saci. Sri Gauracandra, By the benedictions of Sarasvati and Laksmi, the inaugurator of the saìkértana movement, the residents of Navadvipa were absorbed in appeared during an eclipse on the full moon scholastic pursuits and material enjoyment, but night in the month of Phälguna as everyone there was ample evidence of people’s aversion engaged in the congregational chanting of the to Lord Krishna. Although it was the beginning names of Hari. of Kali-yuga, people exhibited the behavior fore- — Çré Chaitanya-bhägavata -Çréla Vrindavan däsa Öhäkura With told for the future of the age. People considered English Translation of the Gauòéya-bhäñya Commentary and Chapter their religious duty was to worship demigods Summaries of His Divine Grace Oà Visnupäda Paramahaàsa Parivrä- such as Mangalacandi, Visahari, and Vashuli. jakäcärya Çré Çrémad Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämé Mahäräja- They thought the purpose of having money was Translated by Bhumipati Däsa. to spend it for enjoying the marriage of their sons and daughters or the marriage of idols. Since the THE GloRIES OF LORD CHAITANYA so-called brähmaëas and scholars maintained Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur the asslike mentality of accepting only the gross meaning of the scriptures without understanding Long before the advent of Sripad Sankara- the actual purport, when they tried to teach their carya, the tridaëòi sannyäsa order existed students, both teachers and students were bound in the Vaisnava line of Sri Visnusvami. In the by the ropes of Yamaraja and led to hell. Even the Visnusvami Vaiñëava-sampradäya, there are so-called austere renunciates did not chant the ten different kinds of sannyäsa names and 108 Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 130, Page—3 different names for sannyäsés who accept the Sri Krishna Chaitanya. The Lord kept His brah- tridaëòa, the triple staff of sannyäsa. But at the macäré name even after accepting sannyäsa. time of Sankaracarya, who was a Vedäntist in- Those who recorded the Lord’s pastimes did clined to impersonalism and who preached the not mention that the Lord ever identified Himself philosophy of monism, the sect of païcopäsakas as Bhäraté. Although a sannyäsé in the Sanka- (those who worship five gods) had again become ra-sampradäya thinks that he has become the prominent in India. That is why Sri Chaitanya Supreme, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu considered Mahaprabhu accepted Vedic sannyäsa from the Himself the eternal servant of Lord Krishna even Sankara-sampradäya, which uses ten names after He took ekadaëòa-sannyäsa. As the friend for their sannyäsés. In Aryavarta, many Aryan of the living entities and spiritual master of the pseudo-followers of the Vedas became followers universe, He benefited the conditioned souls by of Sankaracarya known as païcopäsakas under preaching pure devotional service of Lord Krish- the guidance of that sampradäya. The ten names na among them and never exhibited the pride of the Shankara sannyäsés are Tértha, Äçrama, of an ekadaëòi-sannyäsé. The brahmacärés’ Vana, Araëya, Giri, Parvata, Sägara, Sarasvaté, only pride is their service to their spiritual master, Bhäraté, and Puré. The title and abode of each which is not unfavorable to devotional service. sannyäsé and brahmacäré is as follows: Sanny- The authentic biographies also mention that äsés with the titles Tértha and Äçrama generally when Lord Chaitanya took sannyäsa He accept- stay at Dwaraka, and their brahmacäré name ed the daëòa (rod) and begging pot, which are is Svarüpa. Those known by the names Vana symbolic of the sannyäsa order. and Araëya stay at Puruñottama, or Jagannatha The word maheçvara is found in the Çvetäç- Puré, and their brahmacäré name is Prakäça. vatara Upaniñad (4.10 and 6.7) as follows: Those with the names Giri, Parvata, and Säga- mayaà tu prakåtià vidyän mäyinaà tu maheç- ra generally stay at Badarikäçrama, and their varam—“Although maya [illusion] is false or tem- brahmacäré name is Änanda. Those with the porary, the background of maya is the supreme titles Sarasvaté, Bhäraté, and Puré usually live magician, the Personality of Godhead, who is at Srngeri in South India, and their brahmacäré Maheshvara, the supreme controller,” and tam name is Chaitanya. éçvaräëäà paramaà maheçvaraà—“You are Sripad Sankaracarya established four monas- the supreme controller of all controllers.” In his teries in India, in the four directions north, south, commentary on Çrémad Bhägavatam (11.27.23), east, and west, and he entrusted them to four Srila Sridhara Swami has quoted the following sannyäsé disciples. Now there are hundreds of verses from the Padma Puräëa: yo vedädau branch monasteries under these four principal svaraù prokto vedänte ca pratiñöhitaù tasya monasteries, and although there is an official prakåti-lénasya yaù paraù sa maheçvaraù “He symmetry among them, there are many differ- who is described in the Vedas and established ences in their dealings. The four different sects in the Vedänta, who exists after the merging of of these monasteries are known as Änandavära, prakåti, is called Maheshvara.” Bhogavära, Kéöavära, and Bhümivära, and in course of time they have developed different yo ’säv akäro vai viñëur viñëur näräyaëo hariù ideas and different slogans. sa eva puruño nityaù paramätmä maheçvaraù According to the regulation of Sankara’s sect, one who wishes to enter the renounced order “The original person, who remains after anni- in the disciplic succession must first be trained as hilation, is none other than Lord Visnu, who is a brahmacäré under a bona fide sannyäsé. The certainly nondifferent from Narayana, or Hari. He brahmacäré’s name is ascertained according to is the eternal Supersoul known as Maheshvara.” the group to which the sannyäsé belongs. This Also in the Brahma-vaivarta Puräëa (Prakå- custom is current in this sampradäya up to the ti-khaëòa, Chapter 53) it is said: present day. Lord Chaitanya superficially accepted sannyäsa viçva-sthänaà ca sarveñäà from Keshava Bhäraté and became known as mahatäméçvaraù svayam www.ibmedu.org Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya Issue no 130, Page — 4 Top left 4 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä maheçvaraà ca tenemaà tion of ancient Navadvipa began even before pravadanti manéñiëaù the time of Lord Chaitanya and have presently taken a terrible shape due to various reasons. “The wise say that maheshvara refers to the These baseless arguments have not and will not Lord of all places in the universe, which is called ever be successful. Under the order of perfect mahat.” devotees like Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji it has The city of Navadvipa is situated on the eastern again been indisputably established that a short bank of the Ganges.