He took birth in the home of Bhaktivinoda Thåkura, who is
an eternal associate of both Srî Krsna and Srî Caitanya
Mahåprabhu. Just as the sage Bhagîratha brought the
Gangå to this world, Bhaktivinoda Thåkura was the great
personality who brought the current of bhakti to this world
in the modern era. When the so-called gosvåmîs were
making a business out of bhakti while engaging in varieties
of worldly enjoyment, when in the name of Mahåprabhu so
many kinds of bogus philosophies were prevalent, such as
sakhî-bekî, smårta-jåti, sahajiyå, etc. – at that time Srîla
Bhaktivinoda Thåkura came. After that, Prabhupåda
appeared in the form of his son, Bimalå Prasåda. If these
two great personalities had not appeared, then suddha bhakti
would not exist in the world today. And from the
time that they disappeared, society began reverting back to
its previous condition. At first there were thirteen known
sahajiyå cults, then our Guru Mahåråja, Srîla Bhakti
Prajñåna Kesava Gosvåmî, counted thirty-nine. And how
many there are now, no one knows.
I am also seeing how things are gradually changing. We
saw how renounced the devotees were before. For instance,
we never used to see socks on the feet of any Vaisnava, and
we never saw devotees wearing such sweaters and cådaras as
we do now. They only wore the bare necessities of clothing
and a cheap blanket, even as they attended mangala-årati in
the morning cold. It is only after the disappearance of
Prabhupåda that devotees can be seen to wear these other
things. They would live with such simplicity, eating only
çåk, rice and a thin dahl, but in comparison to them, just
look at the way we are living! And I speak for myself also –
their knowledge, their renunciation and their spiritual conception
were of such a high standard that in comparison to
them we are so inferior.
The period between Viwvanåtha Cakravartî Thåkura and
Bhaktivinoda Thåkura was an age of darkness for Gau∂îya
Vaisnavism. Living at that time were some real Vaisnavas
who performed real bhajana, but mostly, just as we still see
sometimes today, the so-called Vaisnavas only performed
rituals for wages. When someone would die, people would
call the Gau∂îya Vaisnava båbåjîs, who would come and
chant some ceremonial kîrtana and perform other rituals
for wages. And there was so much misconduct in their
behaviour. Seeing this, Bhaktivinoda Thåkura thought,
“These people are Vaisnavas? The conception of
Mahåprabhu has completely vanished. What can be done?”
He was very worried. Bhaktivinoda Thåkura endeavoured
to his utmost, but changes did not come about in his
lifetime to the degree that he would have liked. He went
from town to town and village to village inaugurating the
nåma-ha††a. In each village he would assemble four or five
of the religious men, form a committee and hold programmes
for harinåma-kîrtana on Sundays. Gradually it
spread from one village to the next, but overall his preaching
was limited to Navadvîpa, Calcutta and the rest of
Bengal.
He published the magazine Sajjana-tosavalî, and through
its medium he gradually published Çrî Caitanya-caritåmrta
and other books in instalments. He made a circle of
devotees, and also revealed Navadvîpa-dhåma through his
writings, although the scholars of society and the sahajiyås
didn’t accept his ideology. Then Prabhupåda appeared in
Purî. Because Bhaktivinoda Thåkura was a district magistrate,
he would be transferred here and there, but he would
always keep Bhakti-rasåmrta-sindhu and Caitanya-caritåmrta
with him and explain them to his son. Prabhupåda received
so much instruction from him, but we should understand
that Prabhupåda is an eternally liberated soul; there was no
one in the world like him. Without being educated in
school or college he learned all subjects very quickly and
became a great scholar in Sanskrit. His English was so high
that even professors of English could not understand it. I
have been told by some learned Western devotees that
when reading his Brahma-saμhitå, they must repeatedly
consult the dictionary. And his Bengali was also of such a
high standard that even eminent scholars found it difficult
to follow. He said that spiritual language should be like
that; it shouldn’t be so simple to understand. As one
progresses spiritually by remaining in the company of
Vaisnavas, he will be able to understand spiritual vernacular.
At the age of seven or eight, Prabhupåda began worshipping
a deity of Kürmadeva, and Bhaktivinoda Thåkura gave
him the mahå-mantra and other mantras for his püjå. At the
age of eighteen, all of the scholars of astronomy in Bengal
gave him the title “Sarasvatî”. After that he attended college
but quarrelled with the professors, saying, “Will I learn
from you, or teach you?” When he abandoned his studies,
Bhaktivinoda Thåkura and other family members became
concerned, so they took him to Purî where he began studying
at Satåsana Åçrama, which is where Svarüpa Dåmodara
and Raghunåtha dåsa Gosvåmî had lived. Vaisnavas used to
regularly meet there, and now Srîla Siddhåntî Mahåråja has
a ma†ha at that very place. There Prabhupåda began giving
readings from Caitanya-caritåm®ta. Present there were
some båbåjîs who considered themselves rasika, and when
they heard Prabhupåda’s explanations, they became inimical
to him. Seeing this, Bhaktivinoda Thåkura took him away
from there and had him begin teaching the son of the king
of Tripura.
Prabhupåda had a great library of Vaisnava literature, and
having read through it thoroughly, he began teaching the
son of the king in such a way that the boy accepted a chanting
målå and began wearing tilaka. He became detached
from the world, and gradually, hearing hari-kathå became
his sole interest. Seeing this, the queen became very
annoyed and said to the king, “This boy will become useless!
Then, after your demise, what will happen? Who will
make offerings to our departed souls? He will become a
renunciate, and everything will be ruined! Quickly get rid
of this teacher. Give him four hundred rupees to go – we
don’t need money, we need a son!” That was approximately
one hundred years ago, so you can imagine how much four
hundred rupees was worth then. The queen put so much
pressure on her husband that in the end he approached
Prabhupåda and very humbly said, “It is a matter of great
unhappiness that our family members are not in favour of
you; they are afraid that the boy will take up bhakti and
become a renunciate. I consider that it has been our great
good fortune to have met a person like you and had our son
educated by you, but the others don’t understand.” The
king approached Bhaktivinoda Thåkura and offered the
money to him, but without accepting it they left there.
Then Bhaktivinoda Thåkura started a homeopathic shop.
When the shop was unsuccessful, he thought, “I was not
made to run a shop anyway,” and he went and purchased
some land in Måyåpura. After locating the birthplace
of Mahåprabhu, he installed deities there of Gaura,
Visnupriyå and Lakkmîpriyå, as well as small Rådhå-Krsna
mürtis. After Bhaktivinoda Thåkura’s disappearance,
Prabhupåda was determined to follow the Navadvîpa dhåma
parikramå that his father had written, and to attract
people he invited great kîrtana performers to attend. He
set up a large tent, thousands of people came for the
parikramå, and there the kathå of suddha-bhagavad-bhakti
commenced.
Gradually, qualified youths of only sixteen, seventeen and
eighteen years, whose hearts were soft and pure, came forward,
and Prabhupåda made them into brahmacårîs and
sannyåsîs. With great ease he was able to train them, but
those who were over fifty years old, like parrots could not
be taught anything new. Then devotees like our Guru
Mahåråja, Bon Mahåråja, Bhakti Pradîpa Tîrtha Mahåråja,
Bhakti Vilåsa Tîrtha Mahåråja, Aranya Mahåråja and
Narahari Prabhu came. In the beginning there in Måyåpura,
Narahari Prabhu would offer årati while Prabhupåda played
the hand-held gong, and gradually the preaching started.
The convention of tridandi-sannyåsa was established, and
the result is that today the name and conception of Caitanya
Mahåprabhu are being vigorously preached. Within eleven
years, from 1926–37, preaching was spread everywhere, but
before that, so much time was spent in merely setting the
foundation. Prabhupåda published many magazines – daily,
weekly, monthly – in the Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi, Orissan,
English and Assamese languages, and very easily we have all
inherited the fruit of his endeavour. He established the
Gau∂îya line very strictly with great endeavour, and there
were so many difficulties in his preaching campaign that we
cannot even imagine them. There was so much opposition
to Prabhupåda’s preaching at that time that his disciples
were not even allowed to enter the mandiras in Vrndåvana
or Navadvîpa.
Prabhupåda began culturing the creeper of devotion by
cutting off all of the unnecessary branches and subbranches.
How? First of all he revised the guru-paramparå.
He said that we are of Mahåprabhu’s line, and he removed
the names of those who were not fully perfected. After
establishing the names of Brahmå, Nårada and Vyåsa, he
went straight to Madhva. Prabhupåda accepted the names
of those from whom the people of this world would get the
most benefit, and mostly they were brahmacårîs. For the
most part he didn’t accept the names of those who had been
grhasthas for a long time. After Madhva, he recognised
some special personalities, and then he went to the name of
Mådhavendra Purî. Everyone accepts him, and then from
him there is Isvara Purî, Svarüpa Dåmodara, the Six
Gosvåmîs, and then Krsnadåsa Kaviråja Gosvåmî. At this
point some had divided into the lines of Nityånanda
Prabhu, Advaita Åcårya, Gadådhara Pandita, Vakreçvara
Pandita, Lokanåtha Gosvåmî and others, but Prabhupåda
said, “We accept in our line those who are fully perfected
souls, who know the correct siddhånta and who are rasika,
wherever they are.” In this way all of the various lines were
represented in our paramparå in one place or another.
There are so many lines of disciplic succession, but
Prabhupåda said that we will recognise the guru-paramparå,
not the disciplic succession. The guru-paramparå is composed
solely of those who were bhågavata-gurus, even if
they made no disciples and there is therefore no direct
disciplic line coming from them. Some of them may not
have initiated any disciples at all, but still they are jagadgurus.
In this way, with all-pervading vision he collected all
the mahåjanas and made what is known as the bhågavata
paramparå or guru-paramparå.
After the departure of Visvanåtha Cakravartî Thåkura, so
many familial disciplic lines arose, but Prabhupåda ignored
them and gave recognition to Baladeva Vidyåbhüsana, and
then Jagannåtha dåsa Båbåjî. He accepted only those in
whom he detected the real spiritual siddhånta. Simply
receiving the mantra in one’s ear and wearing a dhotî or
other cloth given by the guru does not qualify one as the
guru’s successor. Bhaktivinoda Thåkura did not receive any
mantra from Jagannåtha dåsa Båbåjî Mahåråja, so how was
he his disciple? He was a disciple of his conception: his
feelings towards Krsna, his conception of rasa and his
conception of tattva. This is a disciple. Most people can’t
understand this, but being able to see with such insight,
Prabhupåda declared this to be our line. Gaura-kiçora dåsa
Båbåjî Mahåråja was also not an initiated disciple of
Bhaktivinoda Êhåkura, but he embraced all of Bhaktivinoda
Êhåkura’s sentiments and conceptions, and due to this his
name appears next in the succession. At this point, all of the
båbåjîs said, “Whose disciple is Bhaktisiddhånta Sarasvatî?
Who gave him sannyåsa? Why doesn’t he wear the same
cloth as Sanåtana Gosvåmî did? In our sampradåya, after
Nityånanda Prabhu and Svarüpa Dåmodara, everyone wore
white cloth, but we see that he wears saffron cloth and has
accepted a danda. How can he do this?” But what relation
does wearing either orange or white cloth have with bhakti?
Is there any relation?
kibå vipra, kibå ny
nyåsî, çüdra kene naya
yei krsna-tattva-vettå, sei ‘guru’ haya
Srî Caitanya-caritåmrta (Madhya-lîlå 8.128)
Whether one is a bråhmana, a sannyåsî or a südra, if he
knows krsna-tattva, then he is a guru, so what to speak of
being a Vaisnava? Prabhupåda was thinking, “We are not
qualified to accept the dress that was worn by such great
personalities as Rüpa, Sanåtana, Jîva and Krsnadåsa
Kaviråja. We will remain in the ordinary dress of sannyåsîs
and will not accept the dress of paramahaμsa-båbåjîs.
Remaining within the varnasrama system as brahmacårîs
and sannyåsîs, we will keep the ideal of that paramahamsa
dress above our heads. Otherwise, if we accept that dress
and commit sinful activities, it will be aparådha at the feet
of Rüpa and Sanåtana.” Some båbåjîs criticised him for
training brahmacårîs and giving them the sacred thread, but
our Guru Mahåråja said that those båbåjîs were all fools,
like animals. They wore paramahaμsa dress and gave the
elevated gopî-mantra to anyone and everyone who came,
yet Prabhupåda was only training brahmacårîs and giving
them instructions on how to control the senses – so which is
correct? First Prabhupåda wanted us to understand what is
siddhånta, i.e. jîva-tattva, måyå-tattva and bhagavat-tattva,
and how to avoid måyå in the forms of kanaka (wealth),
kåminî (women) and pratis†hå (prestige) – these are the
beginning instructions. Gopî-bhåva is very elevated; first
we must understand that “I am krsna-dåsa” and begin
taking harinåma. But these båbåjîs immediately give their
conception of gopî-bhåva to whoever approaches them;
then they all chant “I am a gopî, I am a gopî ” and in this
way create a disturbance in society.
Every morning in our ma†ha we sing the song in which
Prabhupåda established the bhågavata-paramparå: krsna
haite catur-mukha... In his composing of this song, he
accepted all of the great, perfected personalities from
different lines and declared, “This is the line of Gaura.” If
Prabhupåda had not come, then today would the name of
Mahåprabhu and talks from Bhagavad-gîtå and Srîmad
Bhågavatam be found anywhere? Here in Mathurå, in Vraja
and everywhere else, gaura-kîrtana and hari-kathå are still
going on and have not vanished. Therefore the world will
forever remain indebted to Prabhupåda for his preaching.
He never approached wealthy people, but he would take
one paiså from each person he met. And our Guru Mahåråja
did the same. Although he was from a wealthy family, he
would take a wooden box with a slot in it into the market
and also onto the trains, trams and buses. He would speak
with people from all classes, and in this way the preaching
spread in all directions. We should also engage in such a
pure form of preaching, and not just remain idle after hearing
this. As if giving an injection, you should all encourage
others to start taking harinåma and hearing this conception,
whether you are a man or lady, married or unmarried. And
don’t think that because one is not educated he cannot do
it. Did Haridåsa Thåkura have any college degree? Did
Raghunåtha dåsa Gosvåmî and others? But their activities
were first class, and their conceptions were extremely high.
We are regularly hearing tattva from scriptures such as
Srîmad-Bhågavatam and Brhad-bhågavatåmrta, but how
will others also get the opportunity to hear it? After hearing
it we should take it to many other people, and this is the
duty of each and every one of us. With great love we should
take harinåma and encourage others to chant it. We should
hear siddhånta ourselves and then help others to understand
it; that will give Prabhupåda great pleasure. To the
very end of his life Prabhupåda said, “We are mere labourers;
we are the peons of bhagavat-kathå.” He never made
himself a permanent living situation in an opulent temple,
but always kept moving. These days we do things a little
differently, but we should always try to follow not only
Prabhupåda’s philosophical conception but the ideal he
showed through his own behaviour as well.
These ideas serve as the very foundation of bhakti, and
if this foundation is not established, then we will fall
from hearing the higher levels of kathå. For instance,
Bhaktivinoda Thåkura has written a song entitled Vibhåvarî
Sesa, which includes lines such as:
yåmuna-jîvana, keli-paråyana,
månasa-candra-cakora
nåma-sudhå-rasa, gåo krsna-yaça,
råkho vacana mana mora
Srî Krsna is the life of the Yamunå, He is always engaged in
amorous pastimes and He is the moon of the gopîs’ hearts.
Sing the glories of He whose name is pure rasa – O mind,
always remember these words.
In our ma†ha we sing this every day, and there is certainly
some benefit in it, but do we understand the complete
bhåva contained within it? Nothing remains outside these
lines – not the råsa-lîlå, not the Bhramara-gîta, not the
Venu-gîta, nothing. Everything is there, and all of the previous
lines of this song are similarly saturated with both rasa
and tattva. Phula-çara-yojaka kåma – what is the meaning?
The complete kåma-gåyatrî has come here. Çara means an
arrow, an arrow of kåma (desire) which Krsna places on His
bow. How many of these arrows does Krsna have? Five: His
sidelong glances and His eyebrows, cheeks, nose and smile.
So tell me, is there anything remaining outside these lines?
Helping the people of the world to understand these
topics is the real task of the guru-paramparå – those who
are conversant with rasa, the dîkså- and çikså-gurus. If we
examine one line of this song after another, then for so
many days so many lectures could be given, and our hearts
would become full of rasa and divine bliss upon hearing
their full meaning. So much bhåva has been put into each
word by Bhaktivinoda Thåkura, and it is the same with the
compositions of Narottama Thåkura and Visvanåtha
Cakravartî Thåkura. To understand what our åcåryas have
given, great intelligence and bhåva are required. And if we
have such a bhåva in our hearts by which we can understand
the poetry and the special characteristics of åcåryas like
Prabhupåda, then wherever we may go, it will always
remain with us.
In explaining the line paraμ vijayate srî-krsna-sa∫kîrtanam
from the first verse of Mahåprabhu’s Siksas†aka, Prabhupåda
wrote that this is the Gau∂îya Ma†ha’s mode of worship.
There are three stages: the beginning stage of sådhana, the
intermediate stage of bhåva, and the final attainment produced
by that bhåva, which is called prema. Sådhana is that
practice by which suddha-sattva-bhåva arises, and if it does
not arise, what one is practising cannot be called sådhana.
We can all examine ourselves and see if we are practising
the sådhana that makes bhåva arise or not. Are the symptoms
there, or not? We may not even have the proper aim in our
sådhana. If someone is striking a match, what is his aim? To
obtain a flame; and if after striking one match a flame is not
obtained, then he will take another match and try again.
Our endeavour to reach the sådhya (final attainment)
through the practice of sådhana is like that. Kßud-anuv®tti
(spiritual “hunger”), tu߆i (satisfaction) and pu߆i (strength)
– these three things should appear, and if they don’t, then
we are not really practising sådhana and cannot be called
real sådhakas. Whatever we do should be done with this
vision: “By performing this activity, bhåva for Krsna will
arise.” Is the match producing a flame or not? If we see that
our sådhana is producing attachment for material results
such as pratis†hå, then we are moving in the wrong direction.
Therefore we should understand this point well: the
sole aim of kîrtana is to make bhåva arise.
Ceto-darpa√a-mårjanam: in our practice of
kîrtana, have our minds become purified or not? Are our
minds going towards wealth, material enjoyment and prestige?
Do we consider material enjoyment to be poisonous
or favourable to us? Material enjoyment is poison. Haridåsa
Thåkura was taking harinåma in a solitary place when a very
beautiful woman approached him and said, “Prabhu, you
will no longer have to cook for yourself. You won’t have to
fetch water, and I will also serve your tulasî plant. You can
just chant harinåma all day and I will perform all of your
tasks. And if you become fatigued, I will massage your feet.”
But did Haridåsa Thåkura accept her?
All types of material enjoyment should be understood to
be poison, whether one is a man or a woman. If we consider
things like luxurious food and accommodation to be
favourable to us, then the mirror of the mind will not be
cleansed and the reflection of one’s own spiritual form will
not be visible. The mirror should be made pure; there
should be no dust or anything on it. We should be able to
see what is our illusory body, what is our spiritual body and
what all of our faults are; but it is our great misfortune that
instead we only see others’ faults. The first type of contamination
affecting our minds is thinking that we are the
material body. We are eternal servants of Krsna, but the
most prevalent dust on the mirror of the mind is thinking
that we are the material body. Endeavouring for the happiness
of the body is dust on the mirror, or contamination on
our minds.
There are so many anarthas: svarüpa-bhrama (bewilderment
concerning one’s actual form and nature), asat-t®ß√å
(desire for temporary things), h®daya-daurbalya (weakness
of heart) and aparådha (offences). Besides these, described
in Visvanåtha Cakravartî Thåkura’s Mådhurya-kådambinî,
are utsåhamayî (false confidence), ghanataralå (sporadic
endeavour), vyü∂ha-vikalpå (indecision), vißaya-sa∫garå
(combat with the senses), niyamåkßamå (inability to uphold
vows) and tara∫ga-ra∫gi√î (delighting in the material facilities
produced by devotion).
Then there are four types of aparådha: dußk®tottha (arising
from previous sins), suk®tottha (arising from previous
piety), aparådhottha (arising from offences in chanting) and
bhaktyuttha (arising from imperfect service). When all of
these are eradicated, then our real selves, the åtmå, will
reflect in the mirror of the mind; but for now our vision
is distorted. We consider the pain and happiness of the
material body to be our own, and our worldly relations and
worldly loss and gain to be related to our very selves.
Bhava-mahå-dåvågni-nirvåpa√aμ: this is the forest fire of
material existence in which we are time and again taking
birth.
When the mirror of the mind is purified, then this great
fire will be extinguished and we will progress along the path
of sådhana for uttama-bhakti, that devotion which is free
from any tendencies towards karma or jñåna. That devotion
will be kleça-ghnî, that which burns away so many types of
difficulties. It will not happen all at once, but gradually.
First there is sraddhå, then nis†hå, and then we will move
towards ruci and åsakti when our anarthas will have been
mostly eradicated. However, those anarthas may still exist
in root form. One may shave his head, but has even one hair
completely disappeared? Its roots are still there, and hair
will again appear after a couple of days. In the same way,
when we have reached the stage of åsakti, only the roots of
anarthas will remain; externally they will not be visible. If a
favourable environment is given to them – that is, if we
keep bad company or offend a Vaisnava – then they will
reappear. But upon reaching the stage of bhåva, they will be
finished forever.
Then there is subhadå, which is of many varieties. In the
worldly sense, çubha means having wealth, good progeny,
position, fame and knowledge, and keeping the body healthy
so that the effects of old age will not come prematurely. But
what is real subha? Having ruci for the name and lîlå-kathå
of Bhagavån and for the limbs of bhagavad-bhajanasådhana.
Having eagerness for these things is çubha, and
that çubha is the lotus flower described by the words
çreya˙-kairava-candrikå-vitaranam. If the rays of the moon
fall upon it, it will bloom purely and without blemishes.
How will such pure bhakti arise in the heart? The sakti of
harinåma is like the rays of the moon which make the lotus
of the heart gradually bloom, taking it through the stages of
nis†hå, ruci, åsakti and bhåva. When it fully blossoms, that
is the stage of prema. But for the sakti of harinåma to act in
this way, our interest must be drawn away from material
life. In the same way as two swords will not remain together
in one scabbard, måyå and bhakti will not remain together
in one’s heart.
Vidyå-vadhü-jîvanam: nåma-sa∫kîrtana is the very life of
vidyå-vadhü. Vidyå is that by which we can know jîvatattva,
måyå-tattva, and ultimately Krsna; it does not mean
knowledge of mundane science or how to make money.
Real vidyå is bhakti and ultimately assumes the form of the
vadhü, or consort, of Krsna. First there is sådhana-bhakti,
then bhåva-bhakti, and finally prema-bhakti. After entering
prema-bhakti, one’s devotion develops through the stages
of sneha, måna, prayaya, råga, anuråga, bhåva and finally
mahåbhåva. The embodiment of mahåbhåva is Srîmatî
Rådhikå, who is the vadhü, or consort, of Krsna. Over and
above the sandhinî-sakti, the samvit- and hlådinî-saktis fully
manifest as rådhå-bhåva. This is vidyå-vadhü, and if even
one ray of this transcendental potency enters into our
hearts, it is called bhåva.
Ånandåmbudhi-vardhanaμ prati-padam: if we are chanting
harinåma with this bhåva, then with every step we will
experience increasing ånanda, divine joy. In the mahåmantra,
there is krsna-nåma and also Hare, which means
She who attracts Krsna away to the kuñja, Srîmatî Rådhikå.
This bhåva is so deep that it has no end, and this is the
nåma, so saturated with rasa, that Caitanya Mahåprabhu
brought to this world. When we chant the mahå-mantra
with this bhåva, then every step will submerge us deeper
into the ocean of divine bliss. Pürnåmrtåsvådanam – what is
pürrnåm®ta, the complete nectar? Prema, and one will perpetually
relish it. Absorbed in chanting the name in this
way, our åcåryas such as Jayadeva Gosvåmî, Sanåtana
Gosvåmî and Bhaktivinoda Thåkura could envision divine
pastimes and compose such nectarean literatures. And
sarvåtma-snapanam – one will never desire to resurface
from that ocean of nectar where there is not even a trace of
måyå, meaning that they have entered into svarüpa-siddhi.
This is the explanation of the first verse of Mahåprabhu’s
Siksas†aka given by Srîla Bhaktisiddhånta Sarasvatî
Prabhupåda, whose return to Srî Rådhå-Krsna’s eternal
pastimes we are commemorating on this day.
-Srila Narayana Goswami Maharaja
See purebhakti.com/