Sri Krishna Kathamrita Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa( tava kathämåtaà tapta-jévanam Bindu Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications Issue No. 225. Çré Padminé Ekädaçé 25 April 2010 Circulation 2,950 • Preface to Sri Vedanta-Sutra i. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada • The GoSwami'S PrayerS for Book diStriBution Srila Narahari Chakravarti atchleSS auranGa Highlights • M G The Poet Ray Shekhar PAGE ONE TOP COLLUMN TWO Preface to Sri Vedanta-Sutra Part i His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada In approximately 1968, while staying in Montreal, Srila Prabhupada wrote a preface to a planned com- mentary on Vedänta-sütra After writing the preface, Srila Prabhupada started some other translating work and nothing more was done. To our knowledge it has never been printed. All Glories to Guru and Gauranga! oà namo bhagavate väsudeväya. His Divine Grace A. C. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Su- Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada preme Personality of Godhead, Väsudev. Let us talk about the Brahma-sütra or Vedänta- First of all let me offer my respectful obeisances to sütra. There are many comments on the Vedanta- my spiritual master Om Vishnupad Srimad Bhakti- sütra. In India the system is that anyone who is the siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, then my head of a religious institution must be well conversed respectful obeisances to the Supreme Personality of with the Vedänta-sütras, and is expected to write Godhead Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is associ- comments on the Vedänta-sütra, without which one ated with Sri Adwaita Prabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Ga- is not accepted as an äcärya. Äcärya means one who dadhar Prabhu, Srivas Prabhu, their eternal assistants knows the purpose of Vedic knowledge. He person- the Six Goswamis — Srila Rupa Goswami, Sanatan ally practices as well as teaches to his disciples the Goswami, Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Gopal Bhatta system of Vedic knowledge. Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Raghunath Das There are many äcäryas in the four vaiñëava- Goswami, as well as his private secretary Sri Svarup sampradäyas: Ramanuja-sampradaya, Madhvacha- Damodar Das, and his eternal attendant Govinda. rya-sampradaya, Vishnuswami-sampradaya, and next column Issue Two Hundred Twenty-five, Page — 2 Top right 2 é[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu Nimbarka-sampradaya. Our sampradäya is called the and accepted by all the vaiñëava-sampradäyas. Gaudiya-sampradaya, or the vaiñëavas who are in the The present commentary, which may be known as disciplic succession of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Bhaktivedanta-bhäñya, follows the footprints of The Gaudiya-sampradaya actually belongs to the Govinda-bhäñya. Madhva-sampradaya and the Madhva-sampradaya The necessity of presenting the Bhaktivedanta- belongs to the Brahma-sampradaya. bhäñya commentary on Vedänta-sütra should Besides these four vaiñëava-äcärya-sampradäyas, also be explained herein. My spiritual master, there are also non-vaiñëava-sampradäyas, especially Om Vishnupad Paramhamsa Sri Srimad Bhakti- the impersonalist school headed by Shankaracharya. siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaja, ordered Shankaracharya has written a commentary on the me to present the Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy Vedanta-sütras, known as Çäréraka-bhäñya. Shanka- in English as far as possible, and for this purpose, racharya’s Çäréraka-bhäñya is generally very popular since 1965 I have been in the western countries with modern Indians who are influenced by material- with my three books of the first canto of Çrémad- istic activities. But there are other, different bhäñyas, Bhägavatam. Then I presented my commentary commentaries, made by various vaiñëava äcäryas, on the Çrémad Bhagavad-gétä known as Bhaga- as well as those available in the Gaudiya-sampradaya vad-gétä As It Is, and similarly I have presented headed by Rupa Goswami. The Teachings of Lord Caitanya. Now, on the request of my many Western disciples, especially In the beginning there was no commentary on the the worthy Sriman Hansadutta Das Adhikari and Vedänta-sütra because, according to Çrémad-Bhäga- vatam, the real commentary on the Vedänta-sütra is Çrémad-Bhägavatam itself, as presented by the author himself, Sri Vyasadev. In our English commentary on the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, first canto, first chapter, we Näma-tattva have explained this fact that Çrémad-Bhägavatam is PaSt, PreSent and future the natural commentary on Vedänta-sütra. As such, Laghu-Bhägavata, as quoted in the Gaudiya-vaishnava-sampradaya did not feel a Çré Hari-bhakti-viläsa 11.339-340 need to present a commentary on Vedänta-sütra. vartamänaà tu yat päpaà yad bhütaà yad bhaviñyati About 200 years ago there was a meeting in the tat sarvaà nirdahaty äçu govinda-näma-kértanät Gulta district in Jaipur wherein the followers of Chanting the holy name of Lord Govinda at other sampradäyas challenged the Gaudiya-vaish- once burns to ashes all sins in the past, pres- nava-sampradaya that it has no commentary on the ent, and future. Vedänta-sütra. At that time, Sri Viswanath Chakra- sadä droha-paro yas tu saj-janänäà mahé-tale varti Thakur was living in Vrindavan, but as he was jäyate pävano dhanyo harer nämänukértanät very old, when the Gaudiya Vaishnavas approached Even a person who habitually disturbs the saintly him to present a commentary on the Vedänta-sütra, devotees in this world becomes purified and glori- he asked his disciple Sri Baladev Vidyabhushan to ous by chanting the holy name of Lord Hari. · write. As vaiñëavas are generally very humble and Bibliography meek, Sri Baladev Vidyabhushan thought himself — Sanatan Goswami. Çré Hari-bhakti-viläsa. Sanskrit with Bengali translation by Kanailal Adhikari. Sri Chaitanya unfit to write an authorized commentary on the Gaudiya Math. Mayapur. 2000. Vedänta-sütra. So he approached Lord Govinda — Sanatan Goswami. Çré Hari-bhakti-viläsa. English translation by Bhumipati Das. Rasbiharilal & Sons. in the temple of Jaipur. When he placed himself Vrindavan. 2005. before Lord Govinda to take permission, so that on — Sanatan Goswami. Çré Çré Hari-bhakti-viläsa. English translation by Sri Kusakratha Das. Krishna Library. Culver City, the Lord’s authority he could begin writing such a California. 1992. commentary, he was assured by Govinda that he could do so. With this inspiration, he wrote the Vedänta-sütra commentary known as Govinda- bhäñya. This Govinda-bhäñya is very authorized Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu top rightIssue 3 Two Hundred Twenty-five, Page — 3 Top left 3 Janardana Das Adhikari who are in charge of the the GoSwami’S PrayerS Montreal center, I am trying to present an English or ook iStriBution commentary on the Vedänta-sütra. f B d At the present moment all over the world there are Adapted from Srila Narahari Chakravarti’s mostly godless persons. In general, people are very Çré Bhakti-ratnäkara 6.215-231 attached to the void philosophy presented by Lord Gathering together, all the gosvämés of Vrinda- Buddha or the impersonal philosophy presented by van decided in their hearts that Srinivas should at Shankaracharya. In other words, people are becom- once be sent to Gaudadesh. Everywhere in Vraja ing very atheistic. To say that there is no God, as the the news spread, “Srinivas will carry the books to atheists declare, is rather bold. But to say that there Gaudadesh.He will distribute the jewel-like books is a supreme cause that is void, or there is God but in place after place.” he has no form, is more dangerous than the simple As Srinivas prepared for the journey, tears flowed declaration that there is no God. from their eyes and everyone said, “How will we re- Our society, known as the International Society main peaceful at heart?” The wise vrajaväsés could not for Krishna Consciousness, has now started the remain peaceful. Srinivas Acharya was everyone’s very movement for Krishna Consciousness, and it is very life. Who was not delighted by Srinivas’s activities? Even gratifying that the younger generation of the Western wretched and fallen people honored him. part of the world, in America, Canada, and Europe, Seeing how Srinivas walked on the path of devo- are taking interest in this great movement. We already tional service, Srila Jiva Goswami always felt limitless have branches in almost every important city of the joy in his heart. One day, with joyful hearts, Srila Jiva United States and Canada, and have also started Goswami and the other devotees assembled at Sri centers in London and Hamburg. We hope that our Govinda’s temple. Krishna Consciousness movement will gradually in- çré govinda-deve kahe sumadhura bhäñe crease, as predicted by Lord Chaitanya, who said that grantha-vitaraëa-çakti deha çréniväse his missionary activities — the Krishna Consciousness With sweet words they prayed to Sri Govindadev, “Please give Srinivas the power to distribute the holy movement — will be preached all over the world, in books.” (text 224) every village in every country. Taking into consid- As the devotees spoke this prayer, the garland eration the present activities of this movement, it is around Sri Govinda’s neck broke and fell to the ground. hoped that the prediction of Lord Chaitanya will soon be fulfilled and the people of the world will be very happy, having Krishna Consciousness. As referred to above, generally the commentary known as Çäréraka-bhäñya is taken as the ultimate purport of Vedänta. One of the prominent followers of Shankaracharya, Sadananda Yogindra, has com- piled a book named Vedänta-sära, in which he tries to prove that Shankaracharya’s Çäréraka-bhäñya is the only way to understand the Upanishads and Vedänta- sütra. In this way the mäyäväda school tries to claim monopoly over the Vedänta-sütra. And besides the Çäréraka-bhäñya of Shankaracharya there are many other atheistic schools preaching Vedänta on the basis of godlessness. Actually, however, Vedänta-sütra has many commentaries that are not based on the princi- pal of monism or impersonalism.