Sri Krishna Kathamrita Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa( tava kathāmta tapta-jīvanam BBBiiinnndududu Issue No. 162 Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications 6 October 2007 Śrī Indirā Ekādaśī, 10 Padmanābha, 521 Gaurābda Circulation, 2,007 • CLAIMING TO BE GOD His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada • SECTARIAN PREJUDICE Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode Śrī Caitanya-śīkāmta 3.3 • FROM THE LIFE OF SRILA MADHVACHARYA • OBSTACLES ON THE PATH OF DEVOTION Śrī Hari Bhakti-sudhodaya, 10.46-50 • THE GAURA MOON PAGE ONE TOP COLLUMN TWO Highlights Highlights The Poet Jnana Das • THE CHAITANYA TREE Srila Kavi Karnapur, Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya 1.6-7 CLAIMING TO BE GOD of them falsely claim to be God themselves. This is a blasphemy declared by the asuras, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta and the demoniac followers of such asuras Swami Prabhupada also accept pretenders as God or his The conditioned life of a living being is incarnation. In the revealed scriptures there caused by his revolting against the is definite information of the incarnation of Lord. There are men called deva, God. No one should be accepted as God or or godly living beings, and there an incarnation of God unless he is confirmed are men called asuras, or by the revealed scriptures. demons, who are against the The servants of God are to be respected as authority of the Supreme Lord. God by the devotees who actually want to go In the Bhagavad-gītā (Sixteenth back to Godhead. Such servants of God are Chapter) a vivid description of the asuras is called mahātmās, or tīrthas, and they preach given in which it is said that the asuras are according to particular time and place. The put into lower and lower states of ignorance servants of God urge people to become life after life and so sink to the lower animal devotees of the Lord. They never tolerate being forms and have no information of the called God. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead. God himself according to the indication of the These asuras are gradually rectified to God revealed scriptures, but he played the part of consciousness by the mercy of the Lord’s a devotee. People who knew him to be God liberated servitors in different countries addressed him as God, but he used to block according to the supreme will. Such devotees his ears with his hands and chant the name of of God are very confidential associates of the Lord Vishnu. He strongly protested against Lord, and when they come to save human being called God, although undoubtedly he society from the dangers of godlessness, they was God himself. The Lord behaves so to warn are known as the powerful incarnations of us against unscrupulous men who take the Lord, as sons of the Lord, as servants of pleasure in being addressed as God. the Lord or as associates of the Lord. But none — Purport to Bhāg. 1.2.16 next column ))) ))) é[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu Issuetop left One 2 hundred sixty-two, Page — 2 Top right 2 lously turned into gold coins and satisfied the SECTARIAN PREJUDICE landlord completely. Other persons say that the landlord was satisfied by the simple and Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode sweet behavior of the wonderful boy and Śrī Caitanya-śīkāmta 3.3 there was no miracle. Vāsudev also killed a To be controlled by prejudice causes many demon that by mystic power had taken the problems. From prejudice arises partiality; form of a snake and had tried to attack him. from partiality comes disrespect for truth. He crushed the snake’s head under his toe Wearing the signs of the vaiava is one of and finished the demon. the methods of cultivating devotion, involv- Per custom, his parents advised Vāsudev ing the body. But to think that that is the dis- to get married, to become a sasārī, a fam- tinguishing characteristic of a vaiava is a ily man. However, Vāsudev replied that he prejudice arising from sectarianism. Con- would like to become a jagat-sasārī, a fam- trolled by such false beliefs, a person may not ily member of the whole world. Thus, at the respect a real vaiava who is not wearing tender age of about eight years, Vāsudev those marks. If a devotee has such prejudice announced to his parents his intention to and he cannot find good association within take sannyāsa in order to preach pure spiri- his own organization, he will not venture to tual knowledge and devotion of Lord Hari find good association elsewhere. Since noth- to all good people. After seeing the distress ing can be accomplished without good asso- of his parents at this pronouncement, he ciation, such a devotee falls into a dangerous promised to wait until another son was born position. Those who are bound to the to them. Finally, at the age of eleven, upon varnāśrama system by prejudice also fail to the birth of a younger brother (who many develop a taste for a higher level of bhakti. years later joined his sannyāsa order as Sometimes hatred, which degrades a person Vishnu Tirtha), he took sanyāsa. His initiat- even more, may also appear. ing guru, Achyutaprajna Tirtha, gave him Bibliography the name Ananda Tirtha. Shortly after, Achyutaprajna attempted to educate the — Bhaktivinode Thakur. Śrī Caitanya-śikāmta. Sri Chaitanya Math. Mayapur. Bengali. Gaurabdha 420. young sannyāsi, but was astonished to see — Bhaktivinode Thakur. Śrī Caitanya-śikāmta. English trans- his inborn knowledge. For example, lation by Sri Bhanu Swami. Vrindavan Institute for Higher Ananda Tirtha pointed out that there were Education. thirty errors in the very first line of the FROM THE LIFE OF philosophical text named I a-siddhi. Madhva thus began to fulfill his mission SRILA MADHVACHARYA of refuting the false māyāvada philosophy, Sri Madhvacharya was born in the small which propounds wrong theories such as village called Pajaka kshetra, near Udupi in that God is impersonal Brahman, that the Karnataka state of India. This holy place there is no difference between the soul and is intimately connected with the pastimes of the Supersoul, and that the mortal world Lord Parshuram. The surrounding area on is unreal phantasmagoria. Madhva pre- the west coast of India is called Parshuram- sented his conclusive vaiava philosophy srishti, “the creation of Lord Parshuram”. in a seed form in his Dvādaśa Stotras, Madhva’s father was a saintly Śivalli brahmin, which totally defeat the illusory māyāvāda who named his son “Vāsudev”. concept. Initially, his guru Achyutapreksha, Even as a child, Madhva was extraordinary being a follower of traditional monism, in every respect. He repeatedly astounded his was disappointed with what he saw as the teachers by exhibiting superhuman intelli- unusual philosophical interpretations of gence. He performed several miracles in his his disciple. Gradually, however, by hear- youth, the most notable of which was free- ing the infallible argumentation and super- ing his father from a debt to a local landlord. human perception of Ananda Tirtha, he The small boy gave a handful of tamarind also became convinced, converted to the seeds as payment, and those seeds miracu- Dvaita Vaishnava faith and took the ))) ))) TopSri Krishna-kathamritaleft 3 Bindutop right 3 Issue One hundred sixty-two, Page — 3 Vaishnava name “Purusottama Tirtha”. of Dvādaśa Stotra of Śrīman Madhvācārya. Published by Vidhwan Soon thereafter, Ananda Tirtha was hon- Vittalacharya Trust. Udupi, India. 2006 ored by his guru with the title “pūra-prajña”, OBSTACLES ON which means, “the possessor of complete THE ATH OF EVOTION wisdom”, “all knowing saint and pure devo- P D tee”, and “one who has full realization of the Śrī Hari Bhakti-sudhodaya 10.46-50 Supreme Lord Krishna”. After a minister of Hiranyakasipu preached to Madhva toured extensively all over India Bhakta Prahlad to give up the worship of Lord several times to propagate his teaching of Vishnu, Prahlad replied: ka-bhakti. He defeated rivals belonging to vtāni vighnai śreyāsi prabho sarvāi sarvadā various schools of thought, and by his con- śreyastamā kathā siddhyen nivirghnā hari-bhāvanā vincing arguments converted earnest truth- O my master, there is no doubt that when- seekers to his Vaishnava faith. ever one does good, one meets obstacles. It is Sri Madhva was famous for his skill in de- a fact that in order to perform any auspicious bate, which were amply evident when he act there will be many difficulties to overcome. trounced all opponents who dared to oppose So how can the most auspicious hari-bhajan him. One early convert to his school was be performed without facing obstacles? (47) Sobhana Bhatta. After losing to Madhva in debate, he accepted Madhva as guru and was kadācit kasya cid vio ramate cañcala mana given sannyāsa under the name Padmanabha drāvayanty atha tad vighnā śārdulā haria yathā Tirtha. Two other notable opponents whom Some unsteady persons with polluted hearts Purna Prajna defeated in debate and con- pretend to be devotees of Lord Narayan. But verted to ardent devotees were Trivikram when they meet obstacles they give up hari- Pandit, and Syama Sastri. The latter accepted bhajan and flee like a deer from a tiger. (48) sanyāsa as Narahari Tirtha. sarveśa-bhāvanā-ni ha lobhayantī adā surā By his own example, Sri Madhva trained rakāsi vā bhīayanti guravo vārayanti vā many disciples to preach Vaishnava philoso- Even if the gods offer them temptations, if phy. He installed the deity of Lord Sri demons place them in fearful situations, or if Krishna in Udupi and instituted eight ma has elders advise them otherwise, devotees can- for the worship of Krishna. To this day, these not be swayed from the path.