r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm

translated from the hindi edition of

r rmad Bhaktivednta Nryan.a Gosvm Mahrja

crya Kesar
r rmad Bhakti Pr ajna Keava Gosvm
His Life and Teachings

r rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja

 2013 Gaudiya Vedanta Publications. Some rights reserved.

except where otherwise noted, the text ( not the design , photos , art, etc .) in this book
is licensed under the creative commons attribution - no derivative works 3.0 unported
license .

To view a copy of this license, visit

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at
www.purebhakti.com/pluslicense or write to: gvp.contactus@gmail.com
Painting on page 5 by ymar ds and photo of rla Bhaktivednta Svm
Prabhupda on page 393 Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. Used with
permission. www.krishna.com
Painting on page 274 ymar ds. Used with permission.
Translation of quoted verses that are marked with an asterisk (*)
are by rla Bhaktivednta Svm Mahrja Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.

crya Kesar r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm His Life and Teachings, 2nd Edition
First Edition:
1999
Second Edition: 2,000 copies, 2013
Printed at Samrat Offset Pvt. Ltd., Okhla Industrial Area, New Delhi (India)
ISBN 978-1-935428-03-9
Library of Congress Control Number 2013950527
Cataloging in Publication Data--DK
Courtesy: D.K. Agencies (P) Ltd. <docinfo@dkagencies.com>

Acarya Kesari Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami :

his life and teachings / [compiled by] Bhaktivedanta Narayana
Gosvami Maharaja. -- 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Translated from Hindi.
Includes index.
ISBN 9781935428039

1. Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami, 1898-1968. 2.

Vaishnavites--India--Biography. I. Bhaktivedanta Narayana,
1921-

DDC 294.5512092

23

r r guru-gaurgau jayata

crya Kesar
r rmad Bhakti Pr ajna Keava Gosvm
His Life and Teachings

by
tridai-svm

r rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja

a disciple of
the Founder of r Gauya Vednta Samiti
and the r Gauya Mahas throughout India belonging to it,
the best amongst the 10th generation of descendants
in the bhgavata-parampar from r Ka Caitanya Mahprabhu
r gauya crya kesar nitya-ll-pravia
o viupda aottara-ata r

rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja

v r indavan

ne w delhi

san f r ancisco

iv

Dedication
I am offering as bhakti-arghya into the lotus hands of
crya kesar paramahasa parivrjakcrya
aottara-ata r cid-vilsa o viupda

r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja

this supremely purifying account of his divine life and qualities,
which is endowed with tattva-siddhnta and his instructions. He is
the founder of r Gauya Vednta Samiti and the Gauya Mahas
throughout India belonging to it. He is a completely devoted follower of
r Svarpa and r Rpa, and is the best amongst the 10th generation
of descendants in the bhgavata-parampar from r Ka Caitanya
Mahprabhu.
He is my most worshipful gurudeva, and the master who fulfils all
my innermost desires.

O most beloved of Mukunda! O best of the followers of r
Svarpa and r Rpa! I am your most unqualified servant, but
whatever I am, I belong to you alone.

O best of gurus, you become pleased by the insignificant
service of your servants, considering it to be very great.

O Gurudeva! Kindly accept this bhakti-arghya from your
fallen, destitute and unworthy servitor and be pleased with it.

All glories unto you!
Aspiring for the smallest particle of the mercy of r Guru,
the destitute and fallen,
Bhaktivednta Nryaa

Table of Contents
Introduction (translated from the Hindi edition)...........................................................................................xv

Part One: Family Lineage

Bhgavata guru-parampar ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Appearance ........................................................................................................................................................................10
Childhood............................................................................................................................................................................12
Student life, protection of the properties and the beginning of spiritual life...............................14
Receiving rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrjas darana and his blessings.....................16

Part Two: A Life of Service

Leaving home.....................................................................................................................................................................23
Receiving dk and guru-mantra.........................................................................................................................27
Ideal maha life................................................................................................................................................................. 30
By the order of r Gurudeva, r Vinoda-bihr defends the property
of his previous rama...........................................................................................................................................31
Hospitality............................................................................................................................................................................32
Service to the bhad-mdaga.................................................................................................................................34
Service to r Dhma Mypura..............................................................................................................................35
Ideal service to the spiritual master......................................................................................................................35
A special contribution to the establishment of Bgbzr Gauya Maha......................................38
A Vedntic explanation of the word paramnanda supreme bliss................................................. 40
r Vinoda-bihr and the hkura Bhaktivinoda Institute....................................................................43
The title Ktiratna..........................................................................................................................................................44
Serving the Lord through court proceedings.................................................................................................44
Ideal Vaiava life............................................................................................................................................................46
First meeting with pjyapda rdhara Mahrja.........................................................................................46
Prabhupdas opinion of an ideal guru-sevaka.............................................................................................48
The transfer of rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrjas samdhi................................................49
Preaching of uddha-bhakti......................................................................................................................................51
Interest in philosophy...................................................................................................................................................52

vii

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

r mah-mantra and krtana...................................................................................................................................53

Decorated with the title Upadeaka.....................................................................................................................54
His Highness Sir John Anderson, Governor of Bengal, visits r Dhma Mypura................55
The inauguration of r Mandira and the deities at Yogapha..............................................................56
Myvda k Jvan..........................................................................................................................................................58
rla Prabhupda enters aprakaa-ll.................................................................................................................59

Part Three: The crya & His Mission

General superintendent of the Gauya Maha and Mission..................................................................65
Obtaining the mercy of rla Vadsa Bbj Mahrja.......................................................................65
Foundation of r Gauya Vednta Samiti...................................................................................................... 68
Complete dependence on Bhagavn.................................................................................................................... 69
r rmad Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Mahrja.......................................................................................................70
Accepting sannysa........................................................................................................................................................71
Preaching in Bengal.......................................................................................................................................................73
Re-establishment of r Dhma Navadvpa parikram..............................................................................75
Manifestation of crya-ll......................................................................................................................................76
r r Jaganntha-devas snna-ytr and ratha-ytr in
r Uddhraa Gauya Maha, Chuchur.............................................................................................. 77
Preaching and Vraja-maala parikram in 1944.......................................................................................79
Eighty-four kosa Ketra-maala parikram................................................................................................ 80
Parental affection for his disciples.......................................................................................................................85
rddha ceremony according to Vaiava rites in Kalyapura..........................................................87
Preaching in Bihra...................................................................................................................................................... 88
r vysa-pj celebration..........................................................................................................................................89
The departure of rla Narahari Sev-vigraha Prabhu.............................................................................89
The decision to establish a maha in Jaganntha Pur and the publishing
of a monthly transcendental magazine.........................................................................................................92
Preaching in Medinpura and Sundarvana......................................................................................................93
The self-manifestation of r Gauya-patrik on the occasion of
r Navadvpa-dhma parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava........................................................ 96
r Ayodhy-dhma, Naimiraya parikram and rj-vrata........................................................... 98
r Setubandha Rmevara parikram and rj-vrata............................................................................. 99
rla Prabhupdas viraha-utsava in nandap....................................................................................100
Preaching santana-dharma in Vasraha and the reply to
r Chaopdhyya Mahayas protest..................................................................................................101
r Navadvpa-dhma parikram, r Gaura-janmotsava and
the deities entrance into their new residence........................................................................................102
Bbj-vea conferred upon rpda Trigutta Brahmacr Prabhu.........................................103

viii

His

Life

and

T e ach i n g s

table of
contents

Preaching uddha-bhakti........................................................................................................................................103
The collecting and publishing of r Vysa-pj-paddhati..................................................................105
Awarding aottara-ata-nmi tridaa-sannysa...................................................................................105
Preaching uddha-bhakti in Assam...................................................................................................................107
Darana of r Jagannthajs ratha-ytr in r Jaganntha Pur....................................................109
r Janmam-vrata and r Nandotsava in Chuchur Maha......................................................111
r Badrikrama and Kedrantha parikram..........................................................................................112
r puruottama-vrata...............................................................................................................................................113
Re-establishing the r Gauya Vednta Catuph..............................................................................114
r Avantik (Ujjayin) and Nsika parikram.............................................................................................116
Preaching santana-dharma in r Rmapura, Hoogly.........................................................................117
Preaching uddha-bhakti in Caubs Pargan and Medinpura.........................................................118
Lecture at the eminent Sanskrit conference in Chuchur.................................................................119
r vysa-pj festival in Viupura Kamrapot of Medinpura...................................................120
Preaching santana-dharma in Assam............................................................................................................120
Establishing r Keavaj Gauya Maha in Mathur and
publishing r Bhgavata-patrik.................................................................................................................121
Installation of the deities and annaka festival
in r Keavaj Gauya Maha, Mathur...................................................................................................124
Preaching the message of r Caitanya in Assam......................................................................................126
r vysa-pj festival in Begunb..............................................................................................................126
A protest against the law controlling Hindu sdhus and sannyss................................................127
Inauguration of r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha (Assam).................................................................129
r vysa-pj celebration in r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha........................................................130
r crya Kesar at the All-Bengal Vaiava Conference..................................................................130
Observing fasting (upavsa) on r Rdham........................................................................................131
Vysa-pj at r Gaurav-Vinoda rama in Khaagpura............................................................132
r Gauya Vednta Samiti and Akaya-tty...........................................................................................134
Preaching in Goloka-gaja, Assam.....................................................................................................................134
Establishing a primary school and the method of teaching in Pichlad......................................134
The installation of the deities in r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha.................................................136
Vysa-pj and inauguration of the deities in the newly constructed temple
in r Gaurav-Vinoda rama in Khaagpura................................................................................137
Protest against r Rdh-Govindanthas Vaiava-darana...........................................................139
rla cryadeva in Assam......................................................................................................................................140
Installation of the deities at Pichlad Gauya Maha.............................................................................141
A philosophical assembly in Keavapura.......................................................................................................144
rla Bhaktivinoda hkuras disappearance festival in Chuchur............................................145
r Jaganntha-devas ratha-ytr.......................................................................................................................146

ix

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Celebration of r Janmam and r Nandotsava at

r Keavaj Gauya Maha, Mathur.........................................................................................................149
Observing krtika-vrata in r Devnanda Gauya Maha................................................................149
rla Prabhupdas viraha-utsava in Chuchur Maha........................................................................152
Sixty-two lectures of r crya Kesar in sixty-six days.....................................................................153
rla cryadeva in Muridbda.......................................................................................................................156
Preaching of uddha-bhakti in Sundaravana (Bengal)..........................................................................157
r vysa-pj celebration in Chuchur Maha........................................................................................159
In Valgaa, a large conference was held to promote dharma............................................................160
Preaching in Assam and Sundaravana............................................................................................................161
Ratha-ytr and jhlana-ytr celebrations at r Uddhraa Gauya Maha........................162
Parikram of all the trthas in India under the guidance of rla Gurudeva.............................162
rla cryadeva in Jaipura....................................................................................................................................164
Establishing a Samiti preaching centre in Orissa......................................................................................165
Preaching uddha-bhakti in Jaipura.................................................................................................................166
rla cryadevas auspicious desire for r Gauya Vednta Catuph................................168
The opinion of the Sanskrit school supervisor regarding
r Gauya Vednta Catuph....................................................................................................................169
Establishment of r Gauya Charity Clinic................................................................................................170
Installation festival of the deities in the new temple during r Navadvpa-dhma
parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava........................................................................................................171
r Navadvpa-dhma parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava............................................................ 175
r Devnanda Gauya Maha.............................................................................................................................176
r Narahari Toraa.............................................................................................................................................176
r Maha consisting of seven sections....................................................................................................178
Discussion regarding touched and untouched bhoga in r Jaganntha Mandira.................185
Preaching in Siligui and Bihra........................................................................................................................186
rla cryadeva preaching uddha-bhakti in Kolkata and Medinpura.....................................188
Preaching uddha-bhakti in r Mathur, Vndvana, Lukhnow and K................................188
rla crya Kesar in r Caitanya Gauya Maha, Kolkata..............................................................189
Inauguration of r Vsudeva Gauya Maha in Vsugrma, Assam............................................190
Lecture in the law court library and district library of Si..............................................................191
Entering aprakaa-ll................................................................................................................................................191

Part Four: His Pure Character

A hint of his internal identity ................................................................................................................................197
The inferiority of direct perception...................................................................................................................198
Discussion with the Communist Jyoti Bb................................................................................................. 200
r Gurudeva and the alms received..................................................................................................................201

His

Life

and

T e ach i n g s

table of
contents

r Gurudeva on the svarpa of the jva..........................................................................................................204

Pcartrika guru-parampar and bhgavata-parampar.................................................................210
The guru-parampar of the commentator [r Baladeva Vidybhaa].............................210
The iya-parampar of r Baladeva Vidybhaa.......................................................................211
Pcartrika-parampar and bhgavata-parampar......................................................................211
The rasika and bhvuka bhgavata...................................................................................................................217
Service to the sampradya.......................................................................................................................................221
The distinction between the smrta and Vaiava conceptions........................................................222
A subtle distinction between the ideas of rla Bhaktivinoda hkura and
rla Sarasvat hkura .....................................................................................................................................226
rla Gurupda-padmas supra-mundane character and steadfast guru-nih.....................229

Part Five: Established Conclusions

The siddhnta propagated by rla Gurupda-padma............................................................................241
Prama-tattva.......................................................................................................................................................245
The self-evident Veda is the crest jewel of evidence..........................................................................246
Only Ka is parama-tattva...........................................................................................................................247
r Ka is sarva-aktimn, the possessor of all potencies........................................................249
r Ka is akhila-rasmta-sindhu, the ocean of all ambrosial mellows..........................252
The jva is the vibhinna-tattva of r Hari......................................................................................255
Deliberation on the jva who is under the influence of my
in the conditioned stage on account of his marginal nature................................................259
The jva is free from my in the liberated state..................................................................................261
The principle of inconceivable difference and non-difference..................................................264
Deliberation on uddha-bhakti.....................................................................................................................267
Love for Ka is the ultimate objective of the jva............................................................................272

Part Six: Protecting the r Brahma-Madhva-Gauya Sampradya

Refutation of pure monism (kevaldvaita-vda)........................................................................................280
The protection of his sampradya.......................................................................................................................285
The r Gauya Vaiava sampradya is in the line of r Madhva...............................................286
Refutation of the doctrines of the smrta opponents of bhakti........................................................ 300
Eligibility for serving r lagrma.................................................................................................................305
rla Gurupda-padma on r vigraha-tattva.............................................................................................. 306
Refutation of the doctrine: there are as many paths as there are philosophies.....................311
Refutation of the sahajiy doctrine....................................................................................................................317
Bheka-pral and siddha-pral.....................................................................................................................320
(1) Bheka-dhraa the system of conferring bbj-vea.........................................................320
(2) Siddha-pral.................................................................................................................................................323

xi

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Part Seven: rla Gurudeva and Vaiava Literature

The Life History of Myvda, or the Victory of Vaiavism.............................................................331
(1) What is myvda? ........................................................................................................................................331
(2) Is this world false?..........................................................................................................................................332
(3) The means of liberation .............................................................................................................................333
(4) The history of myvda............................................................................................................................335
(5) Advaita-vda in Satya-yuga ....................................................................................................................336
(6) The evolution of nirviea advaita-vda in Treta-yuga ...........................................................336
Vaiha ..............................................................................................................................................................336
Rvaa .................................................................................................................................................................336
(7) Advaita-vda and its transformations in Dvpara-yuga .........................................................337
r ukadeva Gosvm ...............................................................................................................................337
Kasa ..................................................................................................................................................................337
(8) Advaita-vda or myvda in Kali-yuga ..........................................................................................338
crya akara...............................................................................................................................................339
(9) Nirva is a false concept ........................................................................................................................339
r r Rdh-Vinoda-bihr tattvakam....................................................................................................341
Verse 1 .................................................................................................................................................................341
Verse 2 .................................................................................................................................................................347
Verse 3..................................................................................................................................................................348
Verse 4..................................................................................................................................................................350
Verse 5 .................................................................................................................................................................352
Verse 6 .................................................................................................................................................................354
Verse 7 .................................................................................................................................................................355
Verse 8 .................................................................................................................................................................357
Verse 9..................................................................................................................................................................358
r Magala-rat..........................................................................................................................................................358
rla Prabhupda rat...............................................................................................................................................363
r Tulas parikram and rat..............................................................................................................................368
r Caitanya-pajik (r Mypura-pajik)..............................................................................................372
Statements regarding r Gauya-patrik....................................................................................................374
The nature of r Patrik...................................................................................................................................374
The circulation period of Sajjana-toa and Gauya....................................................................374
The cause of the appearance of r Gauya-patrik.......................................................................374
The purpose of r Patrik...............................................................................................................................375
The connection of various ethics with r Gauya..........................................................................375
Dharma is Indias prestige and the bestower of peace.....................................................................376
The language of r Patrik.............................................................................................................................376

xii

His

Life

and

T e ach i n g s

table of
contents

Statements about r Bhgavata-patrik, 5 June 1955............................................................................376

History.........................................................................................................................................................................376
Eternality....................................................................................................................................................................377
r and Patrik....................................................................................................................................................377
National language.................................................................................................................................................378
The Hindi language..............................................................................................................................................378
The usage of language.......................................................................................................................................378
Jurisdiction of the national language........................................................................................................378
Request........................................................................................................................................................................379
Literature on uddha-bhakti published, written or edited by o viupda
r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja..................................................................379

Part Eight: His Legacy

Disciples and god-brothers of o viupda r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava
Gosvm Mahrja to whom he bestowed tridaa-sannysa and bbj-vea.................383
Parikrams organised by rla crya Kesar ............................................................................................384
uddha-bhakti preaching centres established by rla crya Kesar..........................................384
Mahas established by the Samiti after rla crya Kesars disappearance...........................385
r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrjas Upadeval ........................................385

Appendix
r rmad Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Gosvm Mahrja......................................................................391
r rmad Bhaktivednta Svm Mahrja...................................................................................................393
r rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Gosvm Mahrja..........................................................................395
r rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Gosvm Mahrja...................................................................397
r rmad Kadsa Bbj Mahrja...........................................................................................................399
r Santana dsa Adhikr (r rmad Bhaktivednta Muni Mahrja)...................................401
r rmad Bhakti Pramoda Pur Gosvm Mahrja..............................................................................403
About the Author r rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja...............................405
Index of Quoted Verses............................................................................................................................................. 409

xiii

The Publishing Team of the Second Edition

Translation Fidelity Check: nti ds
Translation Fidelity Check Assistance: B. V. Dmodara Mahrja, Vraja-sundar ds
Translation Consultants: B. V. Trtha Mahrja, B. V. Viu-daivata Mahrja, Um Dd,
Amala-ka dsa, Mdhava-priya dsa, Prim ds, Vijaya-ka dsa
English Editors: Vaijayant-ml ds, Vicitri ds
Proofreaders: Jnak ds, Santana dsa, Sulat ds
Reader Feedback: Kastr ds, Pait ds, Vsant ds
Layout: Ka-kruya dsa
Cover design: Vasnta dsa
Acknowledgements: nit ds, Rdhik ds (Uzbekistan), Vraja-kior ds, Vndvana-vilsn ds

www.mygvp.com
We are grateful to all who kindly donated towards the printing of this book, especially
B. V. rauti Mahrja, Manohara dsa & Manmohini ds, yamohana dsa & Damayanti ds,
Rishi Kumara dsa Bhalla & Jaya r ds Bhalla, and
Jaganntha dsa (Fiji), in memory of his good wife, Ka-ll ds.

Introduction

(translated from the Hindi edition)

oday I am most pleased that we have

published the biography of paramrdhya
nitya-ll-pravia o viupda aottara-ata
r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm,
along with his tattva-siddhnta, or philosophical
conceptions, and instructions. There was a great
need for this important book to be published.
At the present, the preaching of harinmasakrtana is increasing everywhere by the
efforts of the disciples and grand-disciples of
jagad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Gosvm
Prabhupda.
r
acnandana
Gaurahari, resplendent with the bhva of r
Rdh, is the most magnanimous form of
Vrajendra-nandana r Ka. To fulfil His
long-lost desire, the Seventh Gosvm, rla
Saccidnanda Bhaktivinoda hkura, reestablished the flow of bhgrath-bhakti, just
as Bhagratha Mahrja brought Bhgrath
Gag to Earth. rla Bhaktivinoda hkura
predicted that the mahpurua rla Prabhupda
and all his followers would be responsible for
spreading r Caitanya Mahprabhus viuddhabhakti, supremely pure devotion, and harinmasakrtana throughout the entire world. My
most worshipful rla Gurupda-padma was
especially favoured by rla Prabhupda and

consequently he dedicated his every breath to

fulfil his gurus innermost desire. In this regard
he received all kinds of help from many of his
godbrothers, among whom rmad Bhaktivednta
Svm Mahrja is foremost. r rmad Bhakti
Prajna Keava Gosvm awarded sannysa to
rmad Bhaktivednta Svm Mahrja. In this
way he encouraged and inspired him to become
an outstanding world preacher of uddha-bhakti
and nma-sakrtana in modern times.
By my gurudevas causeless compassion and
inspiration, I am also making a slight endeavour
to fulfil his innermost desire by preaching the
message of Gaurasundara throughout the world.
Any success I am achieving is only due to his
unique mercy, as I am an insignificant person
in all respects. Seeing this, all faithful people,
at home and abroad, are very eager to learn
about the divine supra-mundane character,
life-story and speciality of the conceptions of
the mahpurua r rmad Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm. These people have repeatedly
requested me to publish his biography. Many of
my respectable godbrothers have also requested
me to do this, but I had to postpone the project
because I was busy with other service, and I also
had some problems with my health.

xv

Thirteen years ago, in 1985, my godbrother

pjyapda parivrjakcrya r rmad
Bhaktivednta Vmana Gosvm Mahrja, who is
the President and crya of r Gauya Vednta
Samiti and devoted to transcendental knowledge,
compiled in Bengali r rmad Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm, which is an account of his life,
tattva-siddhnta and teachings. This book is
based on paramrdhyatama rla Gurupdapadmas articles, essays, poems and writings,
which were published in the daily Nadiypraka, and the weekly and monthly r Gauya
and r Gauya-patrik. In this book he has
very briefly described rla Gurupda-padmas
supra-mundane life story and the speciality of his
conceptions. This is extremely beneficial for those
who speak Bengali, but does not benefit the vast
numbers of faithful people who speak Hindi. Its
absence has been a source of distress for a long
time. I pray at the lotus feet of my godbrothers
and especially at the lotus feet of rla Gurupdapadma, who is an ocean of compassion, to infuse
the necessary power in my heart to be able to
successfully present his life story in Hindi.
I had the grand opportunity to stay with
rla Gurupda-padma and personally perform
all kinds of sev from 1945 until 1968 when
he entered aprakaa-ll. I travelled extensively
with him and heard his lectures, his debates on
stra with opposing parties, his discussions, and
questions and answers, and kept notes on all of
these. I was never silent; I was always discussing
different topics with him and with great humility
enquiring about deep and confidential subjects. I
recorded all these in my notebook, and they have
been inscribed in my heart. These exchanges with
him proved very useful for me.
While we were living in r Uddhraa
Gauya Maha in Chuchur, we repeatedly

requested rla Gurudevas younger brother,

r Pulina Vihr Guhahkurt, to write a
booklet about rla Gurudevas life beginning
with his childhood until the time he joined the
maha. This he did, and on the request of our
godbrothers, r Yminknta dsa (MEBT),
Jraa High Schools very able principal, wrote
rla Gurudevas biography in Bengali poetry
based on this booklet. r Yminknta dsa also
included some details about rla Gurudevas life
in Caitanya Maha and the later inauguration of
r Gauya Vednta Samiti. Pjyapda Vmana
Mahrjaj took help from this for his biography
on rla Gurudeva. These books are primary
materials for this present edition, together with
my own notebook and memories. I personally
heard from rla Gurudevas mouth the many
incidents from his own life and from the lives of
rla Prabhupda, rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj
Mahrja and r Vadsa Bbj Mahrja.
I have divided rla Gurudevas biography into
eight parts. The faithful readers may carefully
read the different subject matters in this book
and judge the results for themselves.
My humble prayer at rla Gurupda-padmas
lotus feet is that he may shower abundant kindness
upon all who helped bring forward this valuable
book and engage them in his confidential service.

xvi

On the occasion of the appearance day

of r rla Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrja,
Samvat 2055 (3 February 1999)
An aspirant for a particle of mercy
of r Hari, Guru and Vaiavas,
Tridai Bhiku
r Bhaktivednta Nryaa

Part One:

Family Lineage

Bhgavata guru-parampar

or the welfare of the world, the supremely

merciful r Bhagavn and His dear
associates descend, bringing the gifts of their
instructions according to the needs of the times.
These personalities drive out all atheists and
their conceptions, which are averse to dharma,
by establishing santana-dharma in the form of
uddha-bhakti, the means for the living entities
to attain their eternal welfare.
In the present age, which is under the
powerful influence of Kali, r Gaurasundara,
the munificent incarnation of Kali-yuga, saves
the fallen souls by bestowing prema, divine love
of God, which had not been given previously.
His followers, who are directly in the line of r
Svarpa Dmodara and Rpa Gosvm, have
appeared on this Earth as r Gaurasundaras
potencies, playing the role of preceptors, or
cryas, who immerse the ignorant living
entities, intoxicated by materialism, in pure love
of God (uddha-prema-dharma).
By the desire of r Bhagavn, these
preceptors use infallible scriptural evidence
and irrefutable logic to thoroughly demolish the
non-Vedic doctrine of r akara crya. This
philosophy, which is known as brahma-vda,
describes the Supreme Absolute Truth (parabrahma) as featureless (nirviea) and without
potencies (niaktik). It is a concealed form of
Buddhism (bauddha-vda), monism (advaita-

vda) or impersonalism (myvda). In its

place, the cryas have established the authentic
and transcendental bhagavat-tattva, which
establishes para-brahma as endowed with all
transcendental qualities (saviea), possessing all
energies (sarva-aktimn), and who is the em
bodiment of all spiritual mellows (rasa-svarpa).
Foremost among these followers of r
Gaurasundara is the most worshipable crya
kesar paa-gajaika-siha o viupda
aottara-ata r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava
Gosvm Mahrja, the lion-like preceptor who
destroys the elephants of atheism.
acnandana Gaurahari, who is r Ka
Himself possessing the specialties of all the
previous incarnations and radiant with the mood
and lustre of rmat Rdhik, appeared five
hundred years ago, together with His personal
associates. In a very short time, through the pro
cess of nma-sakrtana, or the congregational
chanting of the holy names, r Gaurahari spread
bhakti-rasa, the mellows of pure devotion,
throughout the entire world. In order to fulfil the
Lords innermost desire, His dear associate, rla
Rpa Gosvm, revealed pure bhakti-rasa in his
Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, Ujjvala-nlamai and
other texts.
Recently, jagad-vareya aottara-ata r
rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm
Prabhupda, respected throughout the world as

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

extraordinary transcendental character of

Bhagavns devotees when, by their grace, they
display their character in the pure heart of a
person devoted to the service of the Lord.
yasya deve par bhaktir
yath deve tath gurau
tasyaite kathit hyarth
prakante mahtmana
vetvatara Upaniad (6.23)

All the hidden meanings of the rutis are

revealed only in the heart of that great
soul who has the highest transcendental
devotion towards r Bhagavn and also His
representative, r gurudeva.

Adhokaja-vastu (transcendental reality)

has no birth or death and no father or mother;
this is true of Vaiavas as well. They are not
subject to birth and death, nor do they belong
to any worldly family, caste or order of life. In
this world the Vaiavas material situations are
only a performance of manifest (prakaa) and
unmanifest (aprakaa) pastimes. By the desire
of r Bhagavn, Vaiavas appear in this world
in a particular family, or lineage, but the stras
forbid us to think that they have a material origin.

the crown jewel of the cryas in the line of rla

Rpa Gosvm, powerfully inundated the whole
planet with a wave of pure bhakti. O viupda
r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm is
also the foremost among the mahpuruas, or
great, perfected personalities, who sincerely and
selflessly contributed to spreading the teachings
of rla Prabhupda.
Real knowledge of transcendental matters can
never be obtained through the material senses,
for the Supreme Lord, devotion and the devotee
are all beyond the purview of sense perception.
In this world one may be able to describe the
character of literary, historic, political, munificent
or moral personalities, along with their identity
and circumstances of birth. However, it is not
possible to describe with the material senses the
character of the Supreme Lords devotees, for
they are perceived purely by their own mercy.
We can only understand something about the

arcye viau l-dhr-guruu nara-matir

vaiave jti-buddhir
vior v vaiavn kali-mala-mathane
pda-trthe mbu-buddhi
r-vior-nmni mantre sakala-kalua-he
abda-smnya-buddhir
viau sarvevaree tad-itara-sama-dhryasya v nrak sa
Padma Pura

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
one

Transcendental knowledge

which is received through the

bhgavata guru-parampar is the

real identity of the Vaiavas.

One becomes a resident of hell if he thinks

the deity to be mere stone; gurudeva to be
an ordinary human being; the Vaiavas
to belong to some caste; the water which
has washed the lotus feet of Viu or the
Vaiavas to be ordinary water; the mantra
and holy names of Viu, which destroy all
sins, to be ordinary sounds; and the Supreme
Lord Viu to be equal to the demigods.

Therefore, according to the transcendental

scriptures, those who attempt to determine a
Vaiavas birth, family, caste, etc., in the material
world are fools, hypocrites and offenders to
that Vaiava. The stvata-stras prohibit
such considerations for Vaiavas: na karmabandhana janma vaiavn ca vidyate
Vaiavas are not under the jurisdiction of birth
and karma (Padma Pura).
ruti1, Smti2 and the spotless Pura, rmadBhgavatam, state the indisputable definition of
a Vaiava family lineage: it is firmly established
in the meaning of the transcendental knowledge
of the Vedas (mnya), in other words, in the
teachings of the bhgavata guru-parampar. My
most worshipful rla Gurupda-padma, r rmad

Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja,

has personally described his own Vaiava
family succession in Gauya Gti-guccha,
the songbook that he compiled and edited. He
describes it following in the footsteps of r Kavi
Karapra, r Baladeva Vidybhaa and r
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura.
r-ka-brahma-devari
bdaryaa-sajakn
r-madhva-r-padmanbharman-nhari-mdhavn
akobhya-jayatrthar-jnasindhu daynidhn
r-vidynidhi-rjendrajayadharmn kramdvayam

1 Editor: ruti: infallible knowledge which was received

by Brahm or by the great sages in the beginning of
creation and which descends in disciplic succession
from them; the original four Vedas and the Upaniads.
2 Editor: Smti: the supplementary Vedic literature,
which includes the six Vedgas, the dharma-stras,
Puras and the Itihsas.

puruottama-brahmayavysatrth ca sastuma
tato lakmpati-rmanmdhavendraca bhaktita

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Srvabhauma rla Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Saccidnanda rla Bhaktivinoda hkura

tacchiyn r-vardvaita-nitynandn
jagad-gurn devamvaraiya
r-caitanyaca bhajmahe r-kapremadnena yena nistrita jagat

tasya priyottama
rla sevparo narottama
tadanugata-bhakta
r-vivantha saduttama

mahprabhu-svarpar-dmodara priya kara

rpa-santanau dvau ca
gosvmi-pravarau prabhu

tadsakta ca gauyavedntcrya-bhaam
vidybhaapda-rbaladevasadraya

r-jvo raghunthaca
rpapriyo mahmati
tatpriya kavirjar-kadsa-prabhurmata

vaiava-srvabhauma
r-jaganntha-prabhustath
r-mypura-dhmnastu
nirde sajjana-priya

His

Life

and

Mah-bhgavata rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja

Teachings

Part
one

Jagad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda

uddha-bhakti-pracrasya
mlbhta ihottama
r-bhakativinodo devastat
priyatvena viruta

devo sau paramo haso

matta r-gaura-krttane
pracrcrakaryeu
nirantara mahotsuka

tadabhinna-suhdavaryo
mahbhgavatottama
r-gaura-kiora skd
vairgya vigrahritam

hari-priya-janairgamya
o viupdaprvaka
r-pdo bhaktisiddhnta
sarasvat mahodaya

myvdi-kusiddhntadhvntari-nirsaka
viuddha-bhakti-siddhntai
svnta padmavikaka

sarve te gauravay ca
paramahasa-vigrah
vayaca praat
dsstaducchia grahgrah

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Bhgavata-parampar
[by r Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura]
ka haite catur-mukha, haya ka-sevonmukha,
brahm haite nradera mati
nrada haite vysa, madhva kahe vysa-dsa,
prapraja padmanbha gati
nhari-mdhava-vae, akobhya-paramahase,
iya boli agkra kare
akobyera iya jaya-trtha nme paricaya,
tra dsye jnasindhu tare
th haite daynidhi, tra dsa vidynidhi,
rjendra haila th haite
thra kikara jaya-dharma nme paricaya,
parampar jna bhla mate
jayadharma-dsye khyti, r-puruottama yati,
th hate brahmaya-trtha sri
vysatrtha tra dsa, lakmpati vysa-dsa,
th haite mdhavendra-pur

r-vrabhanav-var, sad sevya-sev-par,

thra dayita-dsa nma
ei saba harijana, gaurgera nija-jana,
tdera ucchie mora kma

mdhavendra-pur-vara, iya-vara r-vara,

nitynanda r-advaita vibhu
vara-purke dhanya, karilena r-caitanya,
jagad-guru gaura mahprabhu

auA
r Ka is the original jagad-guru of the
r
Brahma-Madhva-Gauya
Vaiava
guru-parampar. It was He who transmitted
the science of pure devotion, or uddhabhakti, to the heart of the four-headed r
Brahm. r Brahmj, in turn bestowed this
knowledge on r Nrada, who gave it to r
Vedavysa. Vedavysaj accordingly passed
on the knowledge in the line of parampar to
r Madhvcrya. It was then imparted from
guru to disciple in this order: r Padmanbha,
r Nhari, r Mdhava, r Akobhya, r
Jayatrtha, r Jnasindhu, r Daynidhi, r
Vidynidhi, r Rjendra, r Jayadharma, r
Puruottama Trtha, r Brahmaya Trtha,
r Vysa Trtha and r Lakmpati Trtha

mahprabhu r-caitanya, rdh-ka nahe anya,

rpnuga janera jvana
vivambhara priyakara, r-svarpa dmodara,
r-gosvm rpa-santana
rpa-priya mahjana, jva raghuntha hana,
tra priya kavi kadsa
kadsa-priya-vara, narottama sev-para,
jra pada vivantha a
vivantha bhakta-stha, baladeva jaganntha,
tra priya r-bhaktivinoda
mah-bhgavata-vara, r-gaura-kiora-vara,
hari-bhajanete jra moda

His

Life

and

This bhgavata guru-

Part
one

Teachings

rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura,

who flooded the entire universe with the flow
of prema-bhakti, as it was practised and taught
by r Caitanya Mahprabhu. Among Sarasvat
hkuras beloved disciples, the foremost
is jagad-guru rla Bhakti Prajna Keava
Gosvm Mahrja. These Vaiavas are all r
Hari Gaurasundaras dear associates and it is
our desire to honour their remnants.

parampar, beginning from

jagat-pit r Ka and
extending to rmad
Bhaktisiddhnta Prabhupda,
is rla Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrjas
only family lineage.

auA
This bhgavata guru-parampar, beginning
from jagat-pit r Ka and extending to
rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Prabhupda, is rla
Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrjas only
family lineage.
Our most worshipful rla Gurudeva humbly
revealed his own identity during the Navadvpadhma parikram of 1948. Grief-stricken and
crying in great separation at jagad-guru rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupdas samdhi
in Mypura, rla Gurudeva said, Svayam
Bhagavn r Ka is supremely merciful. r
Gaurasundara, non-different from r Ka, is
also supremely merciful. r Nitynanda Prabhu
is the deity of mercy personified, and rman
Mahprabhus associates, the six Gosvms,
are also causelessly merciful. These things I
have heard. Without doubt I was present in one
form or another during their time, but no one
bestowed mercy upon me, because they knew
me to be extremely heinous and sinful. But rla
Prabhupda pulled me up by my hair. I am a
fallen wretch and a staunch materialist with an
uncontrolled nature, but he has placed me as a
particle of dust at his lotus feet. He who, due to
his causeless mercy, is even more exalted than the
Lord Himself, has today made me his own.

crya, who was the guru of r Mdhavendra

Pur. r Mdhavendra Purs disciples were
r vara Pur, r Nitynanda Prabhu and
r Advaita crya. Jagad-guru r Gaurga
Mahprabhu made r vara Pur very
fortunate by accepting the shelter of his lotus
feet. r Caitanya Mahprabhus beloved r
Svarpa Dmodara followed in the line, and
was succeeded by His dear r Rpa Gosvm
and r Santana Gosvm. r Jva Gosvm
and r Raghuntha dsa Gosvm accepted
the shelter of r Rpas lotus feet. The object
of mercy of these two was r Kadsa
Kavirja Gosvm.
rla Kavirja Gosvms beloved disciple
was Narottama, and Narottama dsa hkuras
disciple was r Vivantha Cakravart
hkura. r Cakravart hkuras object of
mercy was r Baladeva Vidybhaa, who was
followed in line by srvabhauma Jaganntha
dsa Bbj Mahrja. rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura accepted the shelter of r Jaganntha
dsa Bbjs lotus feet. rla Bhaktivinoda
hkuras dear-most disciple was mahbhgavata r Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj. r
Gaura-kiora dsa Bbjs object of love was
r Vrabhnav-dayita dsa jagad-guru r

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Describing his family tree in this speech,

paramrdhya r Gurudeva refers to his
relationship with jagat-pit r Ka; r
acnandana Gaurahari; the akhaa gurutattva r Nitynanda Prabhu, who is non-

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

different from Baladeva Prabhu; and Their dearmost associate, jagad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupda. Nowhere did he mention
his material family lineage.

Appearance

viupda r rla Bhakti Prajna Keava

Gosvm Mahrja took his birth on 24
January 1898, Mgh-ka-tty, in a respected
and wealthy Vaiava family in the Guhahkurt
dynasty in the renowned village of Vnarp,
within the Varila district of East Bengal
(present-day Bagladea). This Guhahkurt
lineage was celebrated for having produced
many eminent Vaiava saints, prominent
scientists, government officials and scholars.
He appeared as a divine child, illuminating all

the directions with light. His fathers name was

ryuta aratcandra Guhahkurt and his
mothers name was ryut Bhuvana-mohindev. ryuta aratcandra Guhahkurt was
religious, truthful, munificent, humble, and
above all, a devotee of the Supreme Lord. He had
a gentle disposition and never became angry.
Although he held a high government post in the
law courts, he never once accepted a bribe. His
qualities charmed everyone in the courts, from
the highest-ranking person to the lowest.

10

His

Life

and

Some day in the future this boy

Teachings

Part
one

Everyone became happy when the transcen

dental infant mahpurua (great soul) appeared
in the home of this virtuous and prosperous
couple. The newborn child had effulgent eyes and
a beautiful physique endowed with all auspicious
signs. This vision of his beauty enchanted the
elder men and women of the neighbourhood,
inspiring them to praise and bless both the
parents and the child. Seeing the babys goldentoned limbs and splendorous, fair, moon-like
face, people started to call him Jon, which is
short for jyotsn, or moonbeam.
The renowned astrologers of the area were
amazed upon seeing the auspicious zodiac
sign (ri), lunar mansion (nakatra), lunar
day (tithi), particular time (vra) and so forth
in the chart, for the time of birth of this child.
With great attention they advised r arat Bb
to take special care of the childs upbringing.
They prophesied, Some day in the future this
boy will be a famous transcendental and brilliant
mahpurua. According to his horoscope, this
boy will become bhakti-prajna, an eminent
scholar of devotional scriptures. He will also be
a brahmacr-sannys and an crya. He will
be brave, wealthy, renounced, a conqueror of
the senses, tolerant, steady-minded, munificent
and a topmost religious mahpurua. He will
have a tall, beautiful body possessing exquisite
qualities.
Later, the predictions of those astrologers
were supported by r Vaikuhantha Mahodaya,
the famous astrologer of Narm, a village within
the Medinpura district. He was astonished to
see r Gurudevas horoscope and with delight
he wrote, This person took birth at the moment
when all the stars were in auspicious positions
(yogas). Additionally, the inner state of Jupiter
is present in the middle part, which will begin to

will be a famous transcendental

and brilliant mahpurua...

r Guhahkurtji was an initiated disciple of

the well-known saint, r Vijaya-ka Gosvm,
of the Advaita parivra3. r Vijaya-ka
Gosvm had formerly been a renowned siddhayog, but after hearing about uddha-bhakti
as preached and practised by r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, he became attracted to Vaiavism.
Thus, r Guhahkurt was also a staunch
follower of Vaiavism. He regularly studied
rmad Bhagavad-gt, rmad-Bhgavatam,
r Caitanya-caritmta and other devotional
literature, and he daily practised the various
aspects of bhakti such as harinma-krtana,
japa, pj and meditation. Municipal magistrates,
judges, eminent lawyers and respected and
learned persons in the community came to his
home to hear his explanations of the Gt and
other religious texts.
r Gurudevas mother, ryut Bhuvanamohin-dev, belonged to a family of landholders.
She was respected as a wealthy and highly learned
woman who was dedicated to morality, and was
very serious and thoughtful. She was skilled
in all kinds of work, and in her father-in-laws
house, she was responsible for housekeeping as
well as all the tasks related to the land. On the
one hand, Bhuvana-mohin-dev was a veritable
deity of motherly affection and compassion. On
the other hand, she was a strict matriarch for
her sons and subordinates. She would use her
great expertise to smooth out and solve all the
extremely complicated problems related to the
land.
3 Editor: the disciplic succession of r Advaita crya

11

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

give good results from the age of four years and

three months. After that, a rja-yoga is indicated
which denotes inexhaustible, miraculous service
to Bhagavn r Ka, the controller of Vidht
(Brahm), who controls the destiny of the living
beings. This signifies that he will be the vehicle
for the flow of inconceivable potency of pure
Vaiavas that will bring inner realizations to
the bewildered jvas. This day will come soon.
Additional reflections are not required. In a
short time countless pure Vaiavas will
come together to praise the limitless glory of

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

the unparalleled jagad-guru rla Sarasvat

Prabhupda.
The scholars and astrologers named the
baby ailendrantha Guhahkurt, but he was
popularly known as Jon. The respected r arat
Bb called his dear son Janrdana. Later on the
boy became known as Vinoda-bihr. Seeing the
astonishing transcendental beauty of her son and
thinking it too good to be true, ryut Bhuvanamohin was constantly fearful that the boy would
live a short life. She always prayed intensely to the
Lord to grant her son a long life.

Childhood

here is a proverb, Coming events cast their

shadows before them. Even from early
childhood remarkable events occurred in r
Gurudevas life. Once, his affectionate mother
was visiting Ddhal, her fathers village. She
gave the baby a full-body oil massage, put him to
sleep in the morning sunshine in the courtyard,
and then busied herself nearby with household
chores. Suddenly, a big eagle caught the tiny baby
in its talons and flew into the sky. Seeing this, the
mother screamed, neighbours started shouting,
and everyone began to chase the huge bird. Near
the village was a pond in which large pieces of
betel nut bark were floating like little boats. For
some reason who can tell why? the eagle flew
down and slowly placed the child on the boatlike bark. Seeing this, the people came running,
lifted the boy from the water, and put him in
his mothers lap. The mother, who was almost
unconscious, again returned to life. Everyone
concluded that this was not an ordinary child
and that Bhagavn had sent him for some special
purpose.

In the future, this child would become the

founder-crya of r Gauya Vednta Samiti
and would fulfil the Lords and His devotees
innermost desire. He would become renowned
throughout the world as r Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrja, a preacher of the pure
vaiava-dharma and pure bhakti as practised
and taught by rman Mahprabhu.
From his very childhood, Vinoda-bihr
began to attract everyone with his transcendental
qualities. Women and men, young and old, all
loved him dearly. r aratcandra Mahodaya took
his son to temples, ramas, religious assemblies
and any place where discourses on r Caitanyacaritmta, rmad-Bhgavatam or the Gt
were being held. Vijaya-ka Gosvm also
had an rama in the village Vnarp, and
r arat Bb was the object of love for all of
Vijaya-ka Gosvms disciples. He had the
qualities of a sdhu and was extremely goodnatured. Bhuvana-mohin-dev was truthful,
bright, altruistic, dedicated to morality, and above
all an ideal religious and learned woman. In this

12

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
one

wretched and distressed, and their organization

quickly became well-known.
One day Vinoda returned home from school late
in the evening. His anxious mother was standing
at the entrance of the house waiting for him with
a stick in her hand. Bhuvana-mohin-dev, the
forceful daughter of land barons, was strict with
her children. As soon as Vinoda-bihr entered
the house, she grabbed his hand and angrily
demanded, Where have you been? Tell me! You are
becoming independent, wandering around here
and there at night in the company of street children.
I do not want this. Where were you? Speak up!
The boy stood calm and silent, completely
without fear. When his mother again demanded
an answer, he replied in a serene voice, Some
of us students have established a charitable
organization that serves the destitute, helpless,
poor and sick in a variety of ways. You give
me money for snacks and I use it to help these
people. We also go from house to house, begging
food and clothing for them. Today a destitute,
childless woman was suffering from cholera.
After collecting money, we arranged for her to
get medical treatment and a good diet. I have
spent the whole day up until now doing this,
and I havent even bathed or eaten. Now this old
woman is beginning to recover. That is what I
have been doing the whole day. As soon as his
mother heard this, the stick fell from her hands
and her eyes filled with tears. Unable to utter a
word, she embraced her son with both arms, and
promised that in the future she would never again
try to discipline him. What mother would not feel
herself successful to have given birth to such
a child? In the future that same boy, seeing the
living entities caught in the grip of my, would
accept sannysa and make a promise to free the
jvas from that bondage forever.

way, the boys upbringing began in a religious

atmosphere.
By the time Vinoda-bihr was eight years
old, his family had moved to the district of
Noykhali and his father was employed in the
Court of Lakmpura. It was at this time that r
arat Bb left this world. He had made suitable
arrangements for his sons education while he
was present, but after he passed away, Bhuvanamohin-dev had to face the entire responsibility
of the childrens upbringing and education.
While his father was alive, Vinoda-bihr
had studied at the National School in Noykhal,
which offered both academic education and
vocational training. In addition to his textbook
studies, Vinoda-bihr took a great interest in
craftsmanship. The bench, stool and table he
made in school were used in his home for a long
time. After his fathers demise, he returned to his
paternal village of Vnarp and enrolled at the
local secondary school. During this period, the
foundation stone was laid for the development of
his learning and multifarious talents.
During those days, social service was
acknowledged as an essential element in the
building of character in a student, its ultimate
aim being human welfare through ethical
endeavours. Vinoda-bihr was an exceptionally
brilliant student with an incomparable ability for
organization. His managerial skills always reflected
high standards of religion, justice and morality.
At that time the community had no organization
to help the poor and sick. Together with many
enthusiastic youths, Vinoda-bihr established a
society which cared for the poor and the sick free
of charge, even those with contagious diseases.
Destitute people were offered various forms of
aid, including food and clothes. The young men
involved were generous and compassionate to the

13

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Student life, protection of the properties

and the beginning of spiritual life

inoda-bihrs mother gave him the full

responsibility of dealing with their tenants
while he was only in the eighth grade. Expertise
in legal matters and administration is not usually
apparent in one so young. However, Vinoda-bihr
was honoured and renowned among the tenants
for his intelligence, generosity, mercifulness and
his subtle feel for justice.
In high school, r Vinoda-bihr studied
statistics, and then went on to study science
in college. He was skilled in all kinds of sports,
especially football, and he was the captain of the
football squad as well as other teams and clubs.
While in college, Vinoda-bihr was awarded a
prize every year for outstanding social welfare
work. The headmaster of the college, observing
his organizational ability, outstanding character
and his record of social welfare work, kept him in
his own house and personally tutored him with
affection.
During this period, Vinoda-bihr worked
with other students to establish the monthly
magazine, Prasna. Everyone, students and
teachers alike, praised his poems and essays
that appeared in this magazine. Along with other
intelligent and influential fellow students, he
also established a society for the protection of
religious values. It was then that r Vinodabihr proclaimed that he would remain a
brahmacr for the rest of his life.
At that time, the non-violent civil disobedience
movement under Mahtm Gndhs leadership
was striving for Indias independence. Not
caring for their own lives, people all over India
were joining the struggle for independence. The
student community was also involved and Vinoda-

bihr, who was still in high school, became a

revolutionary leader. He took part in preparing
a revolt against the British rule, but as he was
hiding in the jungles, the police were unable to
apprehend him.
Even while this was going on, Vinoda-bihr
still passed the entrance examinations for
Uttarap College near Kolkata. After studying
there for one year, he shifted to Daulatapura
College. There, he astonished the principal and
professors with his explanations of the difficult
and complicated philosophical verses of r
Caitanya-caritmta. Sometimes he would argue
with atheistic professors about transcendental
subject matters, rendering them speechless
with his irrefutable arguments and scriptural
conclusions.
Vinoda-bihr was gradually developing
a taste for hearing Bhagavad-gt, rmadBhgavatam, r Caitanya-caritmta and
other devotional literature, and also for serving
r Bhagavn and His devotees. Consequently,
he was becoming less involved in the godless
society. He was losing his attraction for the
universitys atheistic education and for receiving
a degree, and was instead becoming extremely
eager to understand the real nature of the
Supreme Truth. A verse from r Caitanyacaritmta (di-ll 9.41) shook his heart:
bhrata-bhmite haila manuya janma yra
janma srthaka kari kara para-upakra
Anyone who has taken a human birth in the
land of India should make his life successful
by striving for the highest benefit of all
others.

14

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
one

In 1915, Vinoda-bihr went

with his two aunts for darana

of jagad-guru rla Prabhupda
at the time of r Gaura-prim...
On that occasion, Vinoda-bihr
took a firm vow to follow in the
footsteps of this mahpurua
for the rest of his life.

What is the true nature of the soul (tm)

and Supersoul (Paramtm)? How is it possible
to achieve the real success of human life? He
now began to inquire into these transcendental
subject matters.
While r Vinoda-bihr was residing in
Vnarp, he had become close to his two
learned and religious paternal aunts, ryut
Sarojavsin and Priyatam-dev. They were
respectively the first and second female
disciples of the world-renowned jagad-guru r
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda.
Both women were well-versed in bhakti-stra
and were accomplished poets and authors. Their
instructions on bhakti and their devotional lives
had a great influence on their nephew.
In 1915, Vinoda-bihr went with his two aunts
for darana of jagad-guru rla Prabhupda at
the time of r Gaura-prim. From this first
darana onward, Vinoda-bihr was drawn to
rla Prabhupda and his brilliant teachings. On
that occasion, Vinoda-bihr took a firm vow to
follow in the footsteps of this mahpurua for
the rest of his life and devote his full energy to
serving him. After taking part in the nine-day r
Navadvpa-dhma parikram and after hearing
hari-kath, he offered himself completely at the

Jagad-guru rla Prabhupda

lotus feet of rla Prabhupda on the day of r

Gaura-prim. Understanding him to be worthy,
Prabhupda accepted him as his dear disciple
and gave him harinma. Now the life of Vinoda
became exclusively dedicated to religion.
A few days after r Gaura-prim, rla
Prabhupda gave brilliant lectures to the
remaining group of devotees. It was then that
he expressed his resolve to establish mahas on
each of the nine islands of r Navadvpa-dhma,
to establish other Gauya Mahas and centres
for preaching uddha-bhakti in the prominent
cities of Bengal and throughout India, and to
establish a printing press for the printing and
distribution of transcendental periodicals, which
would propagate the philosophical conclusions
of pure devotion everywhere, in all the languages
of India.

15

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Hearing her gurudeva express this intention,

ryut Sarojavsin-dev became happy at heart,
but she inquired from rla Prabhupda, Right
now, here at Yogapha, there are not even enough
brahmacrs to play the gongs and ring the bells
at rat. How will so many mahas be taken care
of? At that time the youth Vinoda-bihr was
sitting nearby, listening with full concentration
to rla Prabhupdas hari-kath. rla
Prabhupda pointed to him and said, Vinodabihr will manage all the mahas and preaching

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

centres. This prediction later came true. By rla

Prabhupdas blessings, Vinoda-bihr became
the superintendent of the main r Gauya
Maha and all the branch mahas, and managed
them all with great expertise. Furthermore,
after rla Prabhupdas disappearance from
this world, Vinoda-bihr established the r
Gauya Vednta Samiti with Gauya Mahas and
preaching centres throughout India and around
the world and thus preached uddha-bhakti
everywhere.

Receiving rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrjas

darana and his blessings

n those days, rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj

Mahrja was renowned throughout Vrajamaala, Gaua-maala and Ketra-maala
as a siddha bbj. He had appeared in a village
in East Bengal. After his wife died, he left family
life and went to r Dhma Vndvana to perform
bhagavad-bhajana. There, at Srya-kua, he
began to perform sdhana-bhajana adopting
strict renunciation, and would hear hari-kath
in the association of vaiava-srvabhauma
r Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja, a disciple
of r Madhusdana dsa Bbj. rla Gaurakiora dsa Bbj Mahrjas renunciation was
so severe that from time to time, when he felt
hungry, he would eat mud from r Rdh-kua
or the Yamun. As a result, he became blind. Like
the six Gosvms, he would reside in one place
for only a few days Rdh-kua, r Dhma
Vndvana, Varsn, Nandagrma, Bhravana
or any of the other places associated with Kas
pastimes. He lamented intensely in feelings
of great separation from rmat Rdhik and
would sing in a loud voice:

rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja

16

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
one

kohya go premamayi rdhe rdhe

rdhe rdhe go, jaya rdhe rdhe

...sometimes at Rdh-kua, sometimes at

yma-kua

Where is She who is full of prema? All glories

to r Rdh.

(gos) ekbra ke kusumavane,

bra ke govardhane, rdhe rdhe

dekh diya pra rkha rdhe rdhe

tomra kgla tomya ke rdhe rdhe

...sometimes at Kusuma-sarovara, sometimes

at Girirja Govardhana

O Rdh, please give me Your darana and

save my life. Your wretched beggar calls out
to You, Rdhe! Rdhe!

(gos) ekabra ke tlavane,

bra ke tamlavane, rdhe rdhe
...sometimes in Tlavana, sometimes in
Tamlvana.

rdhe vndvana-vilsin rdhe rdhe

rdhe knu-manomohin rdhe rdhe

(gos) malina vasana diye gya,

vrajera dhlya gagai jya, rdhe rdhe

O Rdh, You enjoy pleasure pastimes in the

forest of Vndvana, wherein You enchant
the mind of Ka.

Raghuntha dsa wears simple cloth that

appears to be dirty because he is always
rolling on the earth crying out, Rdhe!
Rdhe!

rdhe aa-sakhra iromai rdhe rdhe

rdhe vabhnu-nandini rdhe rdhe
O Rdh, You are the crest jewel among Your
eight principal sakhs. O Rdh, daughter of
Vabhnu Bb.

(gos) mukhe rdh rdh bale,

bhse nayanera jale, rdhe rdhe
Calling out Rdhe! Rdhe! his eyes burst
with a flood of tears.

(gos) niyama kare sadi ke, rdhe rdhe

Raghuntha dsa Gosvm always calls out,
Rdhe! Rdhe!

(gos) vndvane kuli kuli kede beya

rdh bali, rdhe rdhe

(gos) ekabra ke ke-ghe,

bra ke va-vae, rdhe rdhe

He wanders throughout the lanes of

Vndvana crying out, Rdhe! Rdhe!

...sometimes at Ke-gha, sometimes at

Va-vaa

(gos) chpnna daa rtri-dine,

jne n rdh-govinda bine, rdhe rdhe

(gos) ekabra ke nidhuvane,

bra ke kujavane, rdhe rdhe
...sometimes in Nidhuvana, sometimes in
Sev-kuja

He knows nothing but Rdh-Govinda

throughout the day and night [chpnna
daa equals 56 daas; 1 daa equals
24 minutes]. Rdhe! Rdhe!

(gos) ekabra ke rdh-kue,

bra ke yma-kue, rdhe rdhe

trapara cri daa uti thke

svapne rdh-govinda dekhe, rdhe rdhe

17

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

He takes rest for only four daas [1 hr. 36

min.]. In his dreams he receives darana of
Rdh-Govinda. Rdhe! Rdhe!

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

But if one only chants with some slight

faith the holy names of Lord Caitanya and
Nitynanda, very quickly he is cleansed of all
offenses. Thus as soon as he chants the Hare
Ka mah-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of
love for God. *

When he could no longer tolerate the

separation from his worshipful deity, rmat
Rdhik, he left r Dhma Vndvana for r
Dhma Navadvpa.
According to our Gauya Vaiava cryas,
it is possible to commit apardha (offences)
against r Ka, r Kas name and r
Kas abode. Without being free from apardha,
one cannot have the genuine mercy of these three
and obtain vraja-prema, pure love of God in the
mood of the inhabitants of Vraja. However, r
Gaura, r Gauras name and r Gauras abode
are causelessly merciful, and do not consider
any offence. With intense eagerness, one can
easily obtain vraja-prema by chanting the names
of r Gaura-Nitynanda in Gaura-dhma. r
Caitanya-caritmta (di-ll 8.24, 16, 31) states:

For this very reason, r Jaganntha dsa

Bbj Mahrja and other eminent Gauya
Vaiava mahjanas came from Vndvana and
performed bhajana in r Gaua-bhmi. rla
Narottama dsa hkura confirms this siddhnta
in his song Gaurgera Du-pada:
r-gaua-maala-bhmi, jeb jne cintmai,
tra haya vraja-bhme vsa
gaura prema rasrave, se tarage jeb be,
se rdh-mdhava-antaraga
Those people who recognize the land of r
Gaua-maala as cintmai, or spiritual
touchstone, and who reside there with great
faith, quickly obtain residence in Vrajabhmi. Those who are immersed in the great
ocean of love of acnandana r Gaurahari
obtain the loving service of the lotus feet of
akhila-rasmta-mrti r r Rdh-Ka,
who are the embodiment of all nectarean
mellows, in r Vndvana. This is the
supreme secret.

ka-nma kare apardhera vicra

ka balile apardhra n haya vikra
One must consider the effect of offences
while chanting the Hare Ka mantra. It is
because of these offences that one does not
become ecstatic while chanting Hare Ka.
bahu janma kare yadi ravaa, krtana
tabhu ta n pya ka-pade prema-dhana

Considering these conclusions, r Gaurakiora dsa Bbj Mahrja began to perform

bhajana in the town of Kuliy (presently known as
Navadvpa town). Bbj Mahrjas renunciation
was of an extremely high standard, similar to
that of rla Raghuntha dsa Gosvm. Eminent
mahtms and bhajannands understood that
their lives became successful simply by having
his darana. Jagad-guru nitya-ll-pravia rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda chose this

If one is infested with the ten offences in the

chanting of the Hare Ka mah-mantra,
despite his endeavour to chant the holy
name for many births, he will not get the love
of Godhead that is the ultimate goal of this
chanting. *
caitanya-nitynande nhi esaba vicra
nma laite prema dena, bahe arudhra

18

His

Life

and

Part
one

Teachings

Eminent mahtms
and
bhajannands

understood that their

lives became successful
simply by having his
darana. Jagad-guru
nitya-ll-pravia
rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupda
chose this mahpurua
as his guru.

was known as the Seventh Gosvm. They would

always discuss the magnanimous and sweet
pastimes of r Gaurasundara and Rdh-Ka.
On one occasion, rla Bbj Mahrja, weary
of materialistic people, locked himself in the latrine
of a public dharmal (rest-house) in Kuliy and
began to perform bhajana. He found this stinking
place conducive for bhajana, as he preferred
the stench of the toilet to the bad association of
materialists. People wondered where Bbj had
gone. After two or three days, the sweeper-woman
arrived. As she was cleaning the stool underneath
the latrine, she heard a tender voice filled with
intense longing, chanting, Hare Ka, Hare
Ka, Ka Ka, Hare Hare, Hare Rma, Hare
Rma, Rma Rma, Hare Hare. Glancing upwards,
she was astonished to see rla Bbj Mahrja
fully absorbed in chanting harinma. He was not
aware of his body or of the bad smell.
The sweeper-woman immediately told the
chairman of the municipality, and the news
soon reached the ears of the district authorities,

rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja's

bhajana-ku in r Godrumadvpa

mahpurua as his guru. Like rla Lokantha

Gosvm, Bbj Mahrja was fully immersed in
the divine rapture of bhajana. By this absorption,
he was able to distance himself from worldly
entanglements, non-devotional materialists and
religious hypocrites. Like the six Gosvms,
he spent twenty-four hours a day immersed in
bhajana and, like them, he effortlessly maintained
his life by madhukar-bhik, begging from
householders to obtain just enough to survive.
It must be remembered that at that time, r
Dhma Mypura, the appearance place of r
Gaura, had not yet been completely developed.
rla Bhaktivinoda hkura was performing
bhajana in a mood of deep separation, residing
in a bhajana-ku on the bank of the Gag
in r Godrumadvpa, not far from r Dhma
Mypura. r Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja
often crossed the Gag from the town of Kuliy
to meet with rla Bhaktivinoda hkura, who

19

the police superintendent and others. Everyone

came to rla Bbj Mahrja and repeatedly
requested him to open the door of the latrine
and come out. Bbj Mahrja, they pleaded,
we have arranged a bhajana-kura for you on
the banks of Bhagavat Gag. Please stay there
and perform bhajana. But Bbj Mahrja did
not pay any attention to their talk and went on
with his ceaseless chanting of the holy names. To
the incessant requests of the high officials, rla
Bbj Mahrja only replied in a feeble voice, I
am ill and not able to open the door. The defeated
officials finally left.
A short time later, on rla Prabhupdas
instructions, r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr came
from Mypura with Sarojin-dev, Priyatamdev and r Gaura-govinda Vidybhaa
(later, tridai-svm r rmad Bhakti Vilsa
Gabhastinemi Mahrja) to have the darana
of rla Bbj Mahrja. However, despite their
repeated requests, rla Bbj Mahrja still gave
the same excuse and would not open the door.
r Gaura-govinda Prabhu then said in a very
humble voice, Bbj Mahrja, rla Sarasvat
hkura mercifully accepted us as his disciples.
We have come here on his instruction in the great
hope of having your darana. We will be very
disheartened if we cannot obtain it. When he
heard this, rla Bbj Mahrja became happy
and replied with great affection, You are the
object of Sarasvat hkuras grace. Come in.
Then he quickly opened the door.
They saw that he was completely absorbed
in chanting his harinma on a ml made of a
knotted cloth. rla Bbj Mahrja observed
r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacrs extremely
beautiful youthful form, his sincere desire to

I have taken away

all disasters and obstacles

from your life. Fearlessly
you should perform bhajana
and spread the words
of rman Mahprabhu
all over the world.

perform bhajana, his sprouting yukta-vairgya

(appropriate renunciation), and above all his
firm faith in his spiritual master (guru-nih).
rla Bbj Mahrja blessed him, saying, I have
taken away all disasters and obstacles from your
life. Fearlessly you should perform bhajana and
spread the words of rman Mahprabhu all over
the world. Hearing this blessing, r Vinodabihrs eyes overflowed with tears. Falling at
Bbj Mahrjas lotus feet, he took his foot-dust
on his head. After hearing hari-kath for some
time and worshipping Bbj Mahrjas lotus
feet, they departed for r Mypura.
Years later, when rla Gurupda-padma told
us about rla Bbj Mahrjas blessing, he
became restless like a child and started to cry,
saying, By the causeless mercy of rla Bbj
Mahrja, we are today fearlessly preaching
uddha-bhakti throughout the world. In the
course of our preaching, we have met with great
hardship and countless obstacles, and even our
lives have been endangered. But by the mercy
of rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja, our
strength never diminished, and the clouds of
hardship were quickly dispelled. Y

20

Part Two:

A Life of Service

Leaving home

fter r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr received

harinma initiation from rla Prabhupda,
he returned home and began regular studies at
Daulatpura College. From time to time, however,
he went to r Dhma Mypura to rla
Prabhupdas lotus feet, where he listened to rla
Prabhupdas powerful hari-kath with faith and
full concentration.
In those days, the college syllabus included
a study of r Caitanya-caritmta. The teacher
would try to explain the Bengali and Sanskrit
verses of r Caitanya-caritmta in class, but he
could not really fathom the text, with its difficult
philosophical points and elevated devotional
sentiments. Although r Vinoda-bihr was
just a student, he understood the profound
and complicated philosophical ideas and high
devotional sentiments of r Caitanya-caritmta
and readily explained them so that others could
also understand. His erudition fascinated the
other students as well as his teacher.
One day while studying r Caitanyacaritmta, they were discussing santana-ik,
the teachings of r Caitanya Mahprabhu to r
Santana Gosvm, and read the verse:

O Santana, please hear about r Kas

svarpa, His intrinsic form. He is the
non-dual Absolute Truth, ever existent in
Vndvana as Nanda Mahrjas son.

The teacher explained this verse according

to kevaldvaita-vda. This theory of oneness
states that the Supreme Truth (parama-tattva)
is the impersonal, undifferentiated aspect of
the Absolute (brahma-tattva). This brahmatattva is the personification of knowledge
(jna-svarpa); without variety (nirviea);
beyond the spell of illusion (nirajana);
without power (niaktik); without attributes or
qualities (nirgua); and without form (nirkra).
This is ultimate reality; there is nothing beyond
this.
He went on to say that parama-tattva is seen
in the form of vara, or Bhagavn, the Supreme
Lord endowed with personal attributes, only
due to the influence of indescribable my. The
living being is also brahma but understands itself
to be a separate entity due to being covered by
ignorance. The jva can only unite with brahma
or become brahma, when it removes itself from
ignorance and illusion. Yogs perceive this
advaya-jna nirviea-vastu (the supreme
non-dual, non-variegated substance) as vara or
Paramtm, the Supersoul. Bhakti-yogs see it as
Bhagavn, the Supreme Person who is endowed
with all attributes. Brahma is that Truth which is

kera svarpa-vicra
una, santana
advaya-jna-tattva,
vraje vrajendra-nandana
r Caitanya-caritmta (Madhya-ll 20.152)

23

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

The supreme, transcendental potency of the

Absolute Truth is manifest in three aspects:
the spiritual, internal potency (cit-akti), the
marginal potency (jva-akti) and the external
potency (my-akti). The cit-akti, by the desire
of para-tattva r Ka, manifests Vaikuha,
Goloka Vndvana, the other spiritual abodes and
everything within them. The jva-akti manifests
innumerable living entities, and my-akti
manifests millions upon millions of material
universes. The living entity, being manifested by
jva-akti, has minute consciousness and can
be covered by my. akti (the potency) and
its transformations, the living entities and the
material world, all have an eternal relationship
with the possessor of potency (aktimn). This
relationship is inconceivably non-different
and different (acintya-bhedbheda). That is to
say, potency, the living entities and matter are
simultaneously and inconceivably one with
and different from the Supreme Absolute Truth,
Vrajendra-nandana r Ka, who is the source
of all energies. Without Him, neither the living
entity nor the creation can exist. Thus, Vrajendranandana r Ka is called advaya-jna paratattva, the non-dual Absolute Truth.
This Absolute Truth is not formless, powerless,
without qualities and so on. Devotees anoint
their eyes of devotion with the salve of prema
and take darana of advaya-jna para-tattva
in the form of Vrajendra-nandana. The varietyless, characterless, formless brahma which the
dry impersonal jns perceive is only the bodily
lustre of Vrajendra-nandana r Ka. According
to Bhagavad-gt (14.27), the impersonal,
undifferentiated aspect of the Absolute (which is
the brahma-tattva of the impersonalists) is not
itself the ultimate truth because it is dependent
on Svayam Bhagavn r Ka:

devoid of any material qualities (nirupdhikatattva), but Paramtm and Vrajendra-nandana

Bhagavn is the Truth endowed with all transcen
dental qualities (sopdhika-tattva). All three are
within advaya-jna.
When r Vinoda-bihr heard his teachers
interpretation of this verse, he firmly contradicted
it with a sharp rebuttal. He explained that this
understanding is completely imaginary and
contradictory to the teachings of r Caitanyacaritmta, the spotless Pura rmadBhgavatam and Vednta-stra. He then gave
the following beautiful explanation of the verse
in r Caitanya-caritmta, with evidence from
the Vedas, Upaniads and rmad-Bhgavatam.
r Vinoda-bihr explained that r Caturmukha Brahm, Nrada, ilya, Parara,
Ka Dvaipyana Vedavysa and other great
sages are tattva-dar they have seen the
Absolute Truth. They have explained that there
is only one tattva, or Truth, and that is advayajna para-tattva, the non-dual Absolute Truth.
Although it is non-dual, it is realized in three
apparently different aspects. Dry jns (empiric
philosophers) use the process of nirvieajna, or impersonal knowledge, to understand
the Absolute Truth as the impersonal, featureless
Absolute (nirviea-brahma). Yogs realize it as
the Supersoul within the heart (Paramtm), and
pure devotees, by their practice of bhakti-yoga,
realize that same para-tattva as Vrajendranandana Bhagavn. So the non-dual Absolute is
realized first as brahma, secondly as Paramtm
and finally as Bhagavn.
He continued explaining that the meaning
of advaya-jna, or non-dual reality, is that
this Absolute Truth possesses an inconceivable
potency (acintya-akti) by which the impossible
is made possible (aghaana-ghaana-payas).

24

His

Life

and

brahmao hi pratihham
amtasyvyayasya ca
vatasya ca dharmasya
sukhasyaikntikasya ca

Teachings

Part
two

is sarva-aktimn, the possessor of all potencies,

and akhila-rasmta-mrti, the personification
of all nectarean mellows. This parama-brahma
r Ka together with all His eternal associates,
all the living entities and the material realms
is accepted as the non-dual Supreme Absolute
Truth (advaya-jna para-tattva).
The akti of Bhagavn is described in the
Vedas: parsya aktir vividhaiva ryate
svbhvik jna-bala-kriy ca the parakti, superior energy, is perceivable in different
forms (vetvatara Upaniad 6.8).
And in Viu Pura (6.7.61):

In My form as nirgua-saviea-tattva, I
have no material characteristics, but I am
full of spiritual attributes, and I am indeed
the shelter of brahma, which is the ultimate
goal of the jns. My svarpa in the form
of nirgua-saviea-tattva is the support
of immortality, imperishability, eternality,
prema (love of God, which is the nityadharma, or eternal function, of the jvas) and
vraja-rasa, the form of complete happiness.

viu-akti par prokt

ketra-jkhy tath par
avidy-karma-sajny
tty aktir iyate

r Vinoda-bihr elaborated with further

scriptural references:
yasya prabh prabhavato jagad-aa-koikov aea-vasudhdi vibhti-bhinnam
tad brahma nikalam anantam aea-bhta
govindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi

Viu-akti is of three kinds par

(transcendental), ketraj (the living entity)
and avidy (nescience). Vius par-akti
is called cit-akti, ketraj is called jvaakti, and avidy is my-akti.

Brahma-sahit (5.40)

I worship the original Personality, r Govinda.

The non-differentiated, impersonal brahma
that has been described by the Upaniads has
originated from the radiance of His limbs.
That effulgence is distinct from the majestic
opulence of billions of worlds, such as the
Earth planet, which comprise the mundane
realm, and is perceived as the indivisible,
unlimited, endless principle of truth.

This is also confirmed in the Vednta: aktiaktimator abheda there is no difference

between the potency (akti) and the possessor of
the potency (aktimn).
In this way, r Vinoda-bihr established that
Vrajendra-nandana ymasundara is both the
ultimate and direct manifest form of the advayajna para-tattva.
On another occasion, the teacher chose the
following verse from r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 20.108) for the class discussion:

It is important to note that when the scriptures

mention parama-brahma the word brahma
modified with the adjective parama, supreme
they are talking about Svayam Bhagavn Vrajendranandana. Therefore, parama-brahma Svayam
Bhagavn r Ka is superior to brahma. He

jvera svarpa haya

kera nitya-dsa
kera taasth-akti,
bhedbheda-praka

25

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

them to a minute degree. The constitution

(dharma) of the jva is complete because he has
a natural relationship with Ka. Hence, even in
the jva the idea of being the doer, the enjoyer and
so forth are eternally innate. Because the jva has
forgotten Bhagavn, however, my covers his
pure nature with a subtle and a gross material
body. It is only by the causeless mercy of a pure
transcendental guru or of Bhagavn Himself that
the jva can adopt the process of bhakti-yoga
and thus re-establish himself in his true spiritual
form (svarpa).
The other example is that of a blazing fire
and its sparks. Innumerable, minute conscious
jvas manifest from the taasth-akti (marginal
potency) like uncountable sparks emanating
from a blazing fire. Taasth-akti is also known
as jva-akti. Although the jvas by nature are
conscious, they are minute and therefore can be
covered by the deluding material energy, myakti. Because of their marginal nature, the jvas
are qualified to go either to the spiritual world
(Vaikuha) or to the material world. When they
gain the strength of the spiritual potency, they can
serve Bhagavn in Vaikuha. Conversely, when
they are opposed to Bhagavn, they wander within
the illusory material world. This is the profound
purport of this verse. Hearing r Vinoda-bihrs
explanation, which was based on bhakti, everyone
in his class was struck with wonder.
One day r Vinoda-bihr became absorbed
in contemplating the verses of r Caitanyacaritmta. He reflected that this human form
of life is extremely rare. Only human beings
can obtain bhagavat-tattva, knowledge of the
Absolute Truth; it is not possible in other forms
of life, such as birds animals or trees.
It is by the mercy of the Supreme Lord that one
is fortunate to attain a human body, but there

The living entitys constitutional position

is as an eternal servant of Ka. As a
manifestation of Kas marginal energy
he is simultaneously one with Ka and
different from Him.

This time, too, the teachers explanation was

contrary to the scriptures. The teacher said that
the jva is actually brahma; brahma only appears
to be the jva, as a rope falsely appears to be a
snake or as an oyster shell appears to be ivory.
He did not accept that the living entities are the
akti of brahma or that the living entities and the
material world are transformation of akti.
r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr used simple
examples to explain that it is the nature of the
jva to be an eternal servant of Bhagavn, the
Supreme Lord. According to Bhagavad-gt
(15.7): mamaivo jva-loke jva-bhta
santana the jva is a transformation of the
marginal potency (taasth-akti) of sarvaaktimn para-brahma, the Supreme Lord who
possesses all potencies.
Although one cannot find perfect examples in
this world to describe transcendental matters, r
Vinoda-bihr used two analogies to explain the
nature of the jva: the relation of the suns rays to
the sun and the connection of sparks to a blazing
fire. r Ka is like the sun, and the shimmering
particles of light in the sun rays can be compared
to the infinitesimal jvas. Just as r Ka is
complete cit-tattva, transcendental reality, so
the jvas are minute cit-tattva. Bhagavn is the
master of my and all other potencies (aktis),
and the jvas can come under the control of
my. Bhagavn is the basis of all transcendental
qualities; He is the actual doer, the enjoyer and
the transcendental ego, and He possesses these
qualities in full, whereas the jva only possesses

26

His

Life

and

is no certainty when death will come. For this

reason, before death comes, it is advisable to
adopt the process of bhakti-yoga to make ones
life successful. There is no need for an atheistic
education. Having received exclusive shelter
at the lotus feet of the supremely merciful and
omniscient r gurudeva rla Prabhupda
ones supreme duty is to perform hari-bhajana.
Thinking like this, r Vinoda-bihr left
college without taking his final exam, even though
he had paid the examination fee. In 1919, he came
to the lotus feet of r Guru, leaving the loving
ties of his affectionate mother and completely
giving up everything related to land and home.

Teachings

Part
two

His affectionate mother wept and said, I knew

that we would not be able to keep Jon at home.
My heart trembled with fear at the astounding
incidents in his life. He was no ordinary child.
Seeing Jons astounding courage, his dedication
to truth and his altruism, I could easily imagine
his future. Of all my sons, I loved him the most.
No one can understand how much I loved him.
When I watched his supra-mundane behaviour
and character, and saw his companions, I always
feared he would renounce the material world and
become a sannys. Whatever he did was good,
but I cannot stay alive without seeing him. As she
spoke, she became beside herself with grief.

Receiving dk and guru-mantra

iving up the illusory affection of his mother

and family, he arrived at r Gurudevas
lotus feet in r Dhma Mypura. rla
Prabhupda was extremely pleased upon seeing
his firm resolve to perform hari-bhajana. At that
time, r Gaura-janmotsava (the appearance of
r Caitanya Mahprabhu) was approaching and
the arrangements for the huge r Navadvpadhma parikram were under way. rla
Prabhupda appointed his dear servant to be
responsible for various arrangements for the r
Dhma parikram.
The word Navadvpa means nine islands.
Bhagavat Bhgrath (Gag) flows in a zigzag
course through rman Mahprabhus dhma,
as if she does not want to leave the dhma to
continue on her way. For this reason, Navadvpa
is divided into nine parts. Antardvpa Mypura
is situated in the middle of these islands on the
east bank of the patita-pvan Gag. Here
Vrajendra-nandana r Ka appeared as
acnandana Gaurahari, accepting the inner

rla Prabhupda

moods and bodily lustre of rmat Rdhik. Here,

also, r Gaurahari performed His transcendental
childhood and adolescent pastimes until He was
twenty-four.

27

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

r Dhma Mypura lies in the middle of eight

other islands with Smantadvpa, Godrumadvpa
and Madhyadvpa on the eastern side of the
Gag, and Koladvpa, tudvpa, Jahnudvpa,
Modadrumadvpa and Rudradvpa on the western
side. Due to the Gags meandering flow, part
of r Rudradvpa is presently situated on her
western bank and part on her eastern bank.
After r Caitanya Mahprabhus dis
appearance, r Nitynanda Prabhu, who is
non-different from r Baladeva, took rla Jva
Gosvm on parikram of these nine islands.
Some time later, na hkura led rnivsa
crya on r Dhma parikram. Since then,
Gaurasundaras dear devotees have been
performing dhma-parikram with great faith. In
Bhakti-ratnkara, r Narahari Sarkra hkura
has described the parikram in detail. However,
for various reasons, in the course of time, the
performance of Gaura-dhma parikram was
discontinued. By the influence of my, even
the birthplace of r Gaura, Mypura-dhma,
became covered under the rule of the Muslims,
who changed the name of Mypura to Miypur
and destroyed all memories of the dhma.

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

rla Bhaktivinoda hkura (right)

It was the Seventh Gosvm, rla Bhaktivinoda

hkura, who rediscovered Mypura-dhma.
rla Bhaktivinoda composed Navadvpadhma-mhtmya and Navadvpa-bhvataraga, poetic works glorifying the land of
Navadvpa. In addition, he acquired the landlordship of rman Mahprabhus birthplace and in
a small, straw-thatched temple established deities
of Gaura-Viupriy, ac-Jaganntha-Nim and
Paca-tattva. Thereafter, he entrusted the whole

28

His

Life

and

responsibility of this undertaking to jagad-guru

rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat. From that time,
rla Prabhupda started dhma-parikram
again under rla hkura Bhaktivinodas
guidance. Since then, r Navadvpa-dhma
parikram has been performed annually with
great pomp and celebration.
That same year, rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupda gave dk initiation to
Vinoda-bihr at Yogapha on r Gaura-prim
evening after the completion of the parikram.
After the dk ceremony was over, Vinoda-bihr
went to his guru, and at his lotus feet, humbly
requested the guru-mantra. Until then rla

Teachings

Part
two

Prabhupda had not given the guru-mantra to

anyone. When rla Prabhupda heard Vinodabihrs earnest request, he became silent and
began to reflect. Seeing him silent, the brahmacr
again expressed his ardent desire: Must a
disciple approach some other guru to receive
the guru-mantra and instructions on service to
guru? Hearing this, rla Prabhupda smiled,
and with great affection gave Vinoda-bihr the
guru-mantra. After this, rla Prabhupda started
to give the guru-mantra to others as well.
rla Prabhupda had a transcendental rule
that when a disciple or anyone offered him
prama, he would return the greetings by

29

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

folding his hands and saying, Dso smi I am

your servant. Seeing such humble behaviour
on the part of his gurudeva, r Vinodabihr Brahmacr always hid while offering
him prama. rla Prabhupda had another
transcendental practice: he always addressed his
disciples and others using the honorific title for

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

you [which in Bengali is apni]. But because he

was so satisfied with r Vinoda-bihrs intimate
service he would use tumi [the most intimate
way of saying you in Bengali] and other loving
words to address him. There were few among
Prabhupdas disciples who received such
fortune.

Ideal maha life

n the house of his guru, r Vinoda-bihr

became absorbed in sdhana-bhajana,
in studying devotional literature, and in his
service in the maha. Even though he was from
an educated, respected, upper class family, he
was completely devoid of pride. His life was an
example of the same strict renunciation that was
practised by rla Raghuntha dsa Gosvm.
For the service of Hari, Guru and Vaiavas he
performed even the most insignificant tasks

in the maha with great enthusiasm. In bhaktisdhana, it is absolutely essential to perform

all endeavours for the pleasure of Ka and to
give up all enjoyment for His satisfaction. His life
perfectly illustrates these two considerations.
In the early days of the r Caitanya Maha,
the maha residents were performing sdhanabhajana, but due to lack of funds, they were
sustaining themselves with great difficulty. At
that time r Vinoda-bihr was the manager

30

His

Life

and

of the maha. One day, there were only two

hundred grams of rice in the maha, so they
cooked all the rice, prepared leaves from the
drumstick tree and offered these to hkuraj.
There were four brahmacrs at the time. After
the offering, the four performed prasda-sev.
rla Prabhupda was present there and saw
that the prasda his disciples were honouring
consisted of a large amount of sg (green leaves)
with only a handful of rice. Furthermore, there
were not even leaf-plates from which to eat.
Seeing this, Prabhupda became very unhappy
and asked, Is there no rice in the storeroom?
To avoid giving their spiritual master any

Teachings

Part
two

anxiety, they humbly answered, Gurudeva, we

are just learning renunciation. Prabhupda,
however, understood everything.
When r Vinoda-bihr accepted prasda, he
would never comment on whether the vegetables
or dl had too much or too little salt, or if it was
tasty or not. He performed his prasda-sev with
great faith and affection, knowing that mahprasda is non-different from the Lord Himself.
While honouring prasda, he never engaged in
useless conversation and never criticized anyone
or took part in any other discussion. Seeing this
exemplary Vaiava behaviour, all the maha
residents revered him.

By the order of r Gurudeva, r Vinoda-bihr defends the

property of his previous rama

fter Vinoda-bihr left home, the estate of

his former household became unstable. His
mothers health began to fail due to separation
from her dear son, and the condition of the
property also deteriorated because Vinoda was
not there to manage things. rla Prabhupda
mercifully sent Vinoda-bihr to his previous
home for some time to sort out the problems.
News of his coming home spread everywhere.
With great expertise he pacified the tenants who
were uprising and soon everyone began to pay
rent regularly as before. After everything was
settled, he took his mothers permission and
returned to his gurus house.
After some time a letter came from Vinodas
home addressed to rla Prabhupda. Griefstricken and longing for her son, his mother
desperately wanted to see him in her last days, and
she beseeched Prabhupda to send Vinoda to her
quickly. Upon reading the letter, rla Prabhupda
called for Vinoda-bihr and ordered him to go.

After hearing rla Prabhupdas instruction,

Vinoda returned to his bhajana-kura and did
not come out for the whole day. The next day rla
Prabhupda summoned a brahmacr and asked,
I told Vinoda-bihr to go to his home. Did he go
or not? I have not seen him.
The brahmacr answered, Vinoda-bihr
has so far not left. He is staying in his bhajanakura chanting harinma.
rla Prabhupda then called for Vinodabihr and asked, I told you to go to your home.
You havent left yet?
Vinoda-bihr answered, Prabhu, I have not
gone home.
Why not? Prabhupda demanded.
Vinoda-bihr humbly replied, My mother
loves me so much, and that is why I have not
gone. If on her deathbed she tells me, My son,
this is my last instruction: return home and take
care of the household, how can I disobey her last
request? But if I were to do so, then my human

31

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

birth would become unsuccessful. My guru-sev,

my hearing hari-kath and my sdhana-bhajana
would all be ruined. Hari-bhajana is the ultimate
duty in life, which is only possible in human life.
You have said that human birth is rare. Moreover,
to meet a sad-guru like you in any human birth
is extremely rare: sakala janme mt-pt sabe
pya / ka guru nhi mile, bhajaha hiyya.
You have also said that a person who is
engaged in sev to guru and Bhagavn Mukunda
is not indebted to his parents, ancestors, demigods
or others. He is freed from all kinds of debts.
rla Prabhupdas eyes filled with tears when
he heard this, and he did not say another word.
The brahmacrs living in the maha were amazed

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

You have also said that

a person who is engaged in sev

to guru and Bhagavn Mukunda
is not indebted to his parents,
ancestors, demigods or others.
He is freed from all kinds

of debts.

at r Vinoda-bihrs devotion for r Gurudeva

and for bhajana.

Hospitality

rom the beginning, the residents of r

Caitanya Maha had great difficulty
maintaining themselves and performing gurusev, bhagavat-sev and all the other services
required in the maha. Now and then they were
subsisting only on sg-sabj, wild greens. In those
days it was common to sleep on the ground and
to honour prasda on leaves instead of metal
plates. Sometimes they did not even have leaves
and had to perform prasda-sev with great faith
right on the cement floor. Still, in the face of these
difficulties, the maha residents remained content
in their devotion to bhajana and sev.
One day at noon, in Jyeh (MayJune), the
hottest month of the year, two guests, Atulacandra Bandopdhyya and Atula-ka Datta,
came to have darana of Mypura-dhma. Both
were highly placed officials in the Indian Railway.
As they walked in, Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr,
the maha manager, was sitting under a jackfruit
tree, overseeing the affairs of the maha property.

Seeing the guests dry lips, he understood their

condition and sent them to a nearby pond to
bathe. The maha residents had already finished
their prasda-sev, but, by the time the two guests
returned from their bath, delicious varieties of
mah-prasda were ready and waiting for them.
With faith they honoured the mah-prasda.
Being greatly satisfied, they lavishly praised the
service mood of the maha residents.
r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr then took the
guests to have darana of rla Prabhupda. They
were deeply impressed by Prabhupdas powerful
hari-kath and expressed a desire to contribute
five rupees a month for maha-sev. When they
returned home, they did not forget their promise
and proceeded to send five rupees every month.
Gradually, they developed such a desire to hear
hari-kath that they began to come to the maha
more and more. After some time, Atula-candra
Bandopdhyya surrendered to rla Prabhupda,
completely renouncing home, wife, sons, family

32

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

After harinma-dk, Atula-candra became

Atula-candra Bandopdhyya Bhakti Sraga.
He began to raise funds among pious, wealthy
merchants in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and other
major cities. Upon hearing his hari-kath,
these people would send truckloads of rice,
dl, vegetables and so forth for maha-sev.
In addition, he established preaching centres
and ramas in those cities and was also the
editor of the weekly magazine Gauya. After
rla Prabhupdas disappearance, he accepted
sannysa and his name became r rmad
Bhakti Sraga Gosvm Mahrja. Until he
disappeared from this world, he had great faith
in our most worshipful Gurupda-padma and
considered him his close friend. It was rla
Bhakti Sraga Gosvm Mahrja who decorated
rla Prabhupdas intimate, most beloved rla
Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja
with the title paa-gajaika-siha. This title
compares paramrdhya Gurupda-padma
with a lion that tears to pieces the elephant-like
false doctrines of myvda, smrta, sahajiy
and other atheistic schools of thought, which
are opposed to bhakti. He used scriptural proof
and irrefutable arguments to destroy the view
of anyone who said anything against rla
Prabhupdas presentation of bhakti.
The other guest, Atula-ka Dattaj, also
gave up his government service and came with
his family to Caitanya Maha. After receiving
harinma-dk from rla Prabhupda, he
began to perform ekntka bhajana (exclusive
worship of the Lord). He compiled r Gauyakahahra (The Necklace of the Gauya
Devotees). This book contains a collection of
verses from the Vedas, Upaniads and other
stras, which establish the philosophical
conclusions of uddha-bhakti.

rmad Atula-candra Bandopdhyya after sannysa

(rmad Bhakti Sraga Gosvm Mahrja)

and all else. This, however, troubled the maha

residents because his monthly donation of five
rupees covered most of the maha expenses. Their
budget was that tight. How would they manage
now? Atula-candra told them not to worry.

33

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Service to the bhad-mdaga

n April 1913, jagadguru rla Prabhupda

established Bhgavata Press
in Sawnagar Lane in
Klgha, Kolkata, and began
to publish r Caitanyacaritmta, Bhagavad-gt
with the commentary of r
Cakravart hkura, as well
as other scriptures. After
rla Bhaktivinoda hkura
entered nitya-ll (eternal
pastimes), the press was
brought first to Mypura and
then to Kanagara. There
rla Prabhupda began to
publish Sajjana-toa, the
weekly Gauya and many
other devotional works. rla
Prabhupda observed r
Vinoda-bihrs literary and
philosophical
inclination,
and in 1922 he appointed
him manager of the press, as
well as printer and publisher
of the Gauya. r Atulacandra Bandopdhyya Bhakti
Sraga and r Haripada
Vidyratna (MA, BL) were
the editors of the magazine,
which presented essays and
so forth filled with correct siddhnta.
Later that year, rla Prabhupda called
for his intimate associate r Vinoda-bihr
Brahmacr to come to r Dhma Mypura,
where he appointed him manager of Caitanya
Maha. From that time, r Vinoda-bihr took

An issue of the Gauya

care of the mahas various services, especially

concentrating on managing the property.
Yogapha in r Dhma Mypura and karamaha-rja r Caitanya Maha, the original
Gauya Maha, began to develop in all respects
due to his skilful administration.

34

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

Service to r Dhma Mypura

fter the disappearance of r Caitanya

Mahprabhu, many places in Mypura
were relocated to Bhagavat Gags western
bank due to the rivers changing course. The
extensive town of Nadiy (Navadvpa), which had
previously been on the east bank, now found
itself on the high land of Gags western bank,
and the eastern bank became a deserted, desolate
place. Due to the influence of time, during the
reign of the Muslims, all the sacred places of the
Hindus were destroyed, temples were demolished,
and the names of the holy places were changed.
The temples at the birthplaces of r Rma in
Ayodhy and r Ka in Mathur were razed,
and mosques were erected on their foundations.
Their names were changed to Phaijbd and
Momnbd. Similarly, the Muslims changed the
name of rman Mahprabhus birthplace from
Mypura to Miypur. Later, rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura discovered the birthplace of r Gaura
and Jaganntha Mira-bhavana, again called it
r Dhma Mypura. In this way, the name r

Dhma Mypura once more became known to

the world.
Besides changing the name of r Dhma
Mypura, the Muslims had also made a grave
yard in the huge courtyard of Candraekharabhavana, which is very close to Jaganntha
Mira-bhavana. r Vinoda-bihr could not
tolerate this atrocity, and as r Caitanya Mahas
manager he acted fearlessly and boldly. One night
he had all the graves dug up and placed elsewhere.
On that now vacant land he had large, beautiful
trees and foliage planted and transformed it into
a beautiful park enclosed by a protective wall.
The next morning everyone was astounded at
what had taken place. The local Muslims reported
it to the police and filed a court case. Highranking police officers and government officials
inspected the place but could find no trace of the
graveyard. They saw only an old garden, and as a
result they could do nothing. For this pious act
the name of r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr will be
written in golden letters in the history of India.

Ideal service to the spiritual master

agad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat

Prabhupda was a brilliant Gauya Vaiava
crya. In a short time he spread Bhagavns holy
name and the flow of pure bhakti, as preached
and practised by r Caitanya Mahprabhu, over
the length and breadth of India, and throughout
the whole world as well. Fearlessly, he declared
that a brhmaa is not a brhmaa if he does not
worship the complete Spiritual Reality (brahma),
r Ka. One is not a jti-gosvm, temple
priest, gosvm or devotee if he is not performing
bhajana with body, mind and words like r

Rpa and the other six Gosvms, and if he is not

following the siddhnta of pure bhakti.
rla Sarasvat hkura preached that the
arrangement of society in social orders, or
varas, is based on peoples qualities rather
than on their family lineage. This is the verdict of
the Vedas, Upaniads, Bhagavad-gt and other
scriptures. The following and other verses offer
irrefutable evidence of this conclusion:
(a) ctur-varya may sa guakarma-vibhgaa... the fourfold system
of social orders was created by Me

35

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

bihr Brahmacr immediately took him to a

devotees house nearby for protection. There, r
Vinoda-bihr quickly put on rla Prabhupdas
sannysa dress and took his daa, giving his
own white clothes to rla Prabhupda to wear.
Somehow he sent rla Prabhupda, undetected,
to r Dhma Mypura in this ordinary dress.
Meanwhile, the police arrived. Some time later,
r Vinoda-bihr reached Mypura safely, still
dressed as a sannys.
The corrupt police suppressed news of this
event, but nanda Bzr, at that time a well-known
magazine, published an account of the atrocity.
The educated and respectable people were
shocked to read and hear about this outrage. All
the Vaiavas were amazed at r Vinoda-bihr
Brahmacrs remarkable guru-nih (steadfast
faith and devotion to the spiritual master), and
the incident was discussed everywhere. This is
how r Vinoda-bihr fearlessly counteracted
any injustice or atrocity that threatened rla
Prabhupda or challenged his views.
r Vinoda-bihrs behaviour in this
incident calls to mind the guru-sev of r
Rmnujcryas dear disciple r Kurea. The
aivite sampradya dominated South India.
When r Rmnujcrya used scriptural evidence
to refute their inaccurate siddhnta, evil-minded
aivaites became inflamed. The wicked aivite
king invited r Rmnujcrya to a philosophical
debate at r Ragam, but this was really a ploy
to kill him. Kurea, who was devoted to his guru,
heard a rumour of the plot. He exchanged his
white clothes with his guruj and arrived in the
town escorted by the kings soldiers, wearing r
Rmnujcryas saffron dress and carrying his
tridaa. The king and the people assumed that
Kurea was Rmnujcrya. Kurea stood alone
against hundreds of learned aivites on the other

according to divisions of quality (gua) and

work (karma) (Bhagavad-gt 4.13).
(b) yasya yal lakaa prokta puso
varbhivyajakam a person should
be considered to belong to the social order
whose characteristics he possesses, even
if he has appeared in a different caste
(rmad-Bhgavatam 7.11.35).

People became very attracted by rla

Prabhupdas fearless preaching of the truth.
However, so-called brhmaas who were devoid
of knowledge and civilized behaviour, as well
as corrupt caste gosvms, became agitated.
Unable to counteract his arguments, and having
been repeatedly defeated in debates in religious
assemblies, they now wanted to kill rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura.
In 1925, as in previous years, the sixteen
kroa r Navadvpa-dhma parikram was
held on the occasion of the appearance of
rman Mahprabhu. Thousands of devoted
pilgrims performed parikram in an enormous
sakrtana party. rla Prabhupda went on
foot in the parikram while the deities of r r
Guru-Gaurga and Gndharvik-Giridhr were
borne on the back of an elephant. At one point, the
parikram party gathered in front of the temple
of Prauhmy in Kuliy (Koladvpa), and the
devotees listened to rla Prabhupda relating the
glories of r Navadvpa-dhma. Just then, the socalled brhmaas and caste gosvms of KuliyNavadvpa attacked them with bricks, stones,
hot water, soda bottles and other implements.
The outrageous assault caused pandemonium.
The pilgrims were running here and there to
protect their lives, and no one cared for anyone
else. The violent mob was searching for rla
Prabhupda in order to kill him, but r Vinoda-

36

His

Life

and

r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr,
foremost among the disciples of

rla Prabhupda, later became wellknown by the name o viupda

r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava

Gosvm Mahrja...

side. A tumultuous debate ensued, in which the

aivites were defeated.
Nevertheless, in accordance with his plan, the
king proclaimed Kureas defeat. He removed
Kureas eyes and then let him go. Kurea did
not utter even a single word. Wandering about,
he reached a village far from that kingdom
where, by good fortune, r Rmnujcrya was
also present with his disciples. An extraordinary
meeting took place between guru and disciple.
Kurea, the guru-sevaka and disciple, threw
himself at his gurus lotus feet, and by r gurus
mercy his eyesight was restored. As he lay in
the lap of his gurudeva, crying out of love,
Rmnuja crya wiped Kureas tears with his
own outer cloth and with the other hand blessed
him to be free from fear. This same Kurea later
became r Rmnujcryas famous disciple
Kurecrya. He was a ruti-dhara (one who
commits something to memory having heard
it only once) and an crya expert in r
Rmnujcryas philosophical conclusions of
bhakti.
Similarly, guru-sevaka r Vinoda-bihr
Brahmacr, foremost among the disciples of
rla Prabhupda, later became well-known
by the name o viupda r rmad Bhakti
Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja and

37

Teachings

Part
two

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

preached the words of r Gaurasundara all over

the world, thus fulfilling rla Prabhupdas
innermost desire (mano-bha). For such gurusev, r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacrs name will
be written in gold in the annals of the Srasvata
Gauya Vaiavas.
Some Vaiavas say that the incident at Kuliy
was an excuse for rla Prabhupda to bestow
upon his dear disciple the tridaa-sannysa
dress, even though his formal sannysa cer
emony was held later in Kav, after rla
Prabhupdas disappearance.
In March 1928, during r Gaura-janmotsava,
the 34th yearly session of the r Navadvpadhma Pracri Sabh (a devotional assembly)
was held, with rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Prabhupda as the chairman. Selected people
were praised in this meeting for their different
services in r Maha, their preaching of
bhakti and other tasks. At this meeting,
r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr was honoured for

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

protecting the property of rman Mahprabhu,

for the all-round development of r Caitanya
Maha, for his tireless hard work and endeavour,
and for his intimate service in fulfilling rla
Prabhupdas innermost desire.
As manager of r Caitanya Maha, r Vinodabihr Brahmacr had two horses of excellent
breed that he used to ride while managing the
land. At that time he used to live in great pomp
just for the sake of his service to the maha. In
the midst of his devotional practices, he was
also linked to many social welfare organizations.
He was a member of the Nadiy District Board,
the Education and Finance Committee, the
Kanagara Local Board, and the Union Board
and Bench Court, and he was also the chairman
of the hkura Bhaktivinoda Institute. He gave
advice on various matters to the Divisional
Commissioner, the District Judge and other highly
posted persons. Everyone, from the highest to the
lowest, had special respect for him.

A special contribution to the establishment

of Bgbzr Gauya Maha

rla Prabhupda Sarasvat hkura

established Bgbzr Gauya Maha
and the foundation of the temple in the city
of Kolkata on 26 September 1928. r Jagadbandhu, a wealthy patron of Kolkata, donated
the land and later also met all the expenses of the
devotees quarters, the temple room, the assembly
hall and so forth.
r Jagad-bandhu was originally a resident of
the village of Vnarp in the Varila district
of East Bengal. Later he started a business in
Kolkata and became very wealthy. He used to
live in Bgbzr on the bank of the Gag in a
gorgeous, palatial house. Once, in their guru-

sev, r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr and his

godbrother Mukunda-vinoda Bbj Mahrja
were begging for alms (performing bhik)
and preaching in that area when they arrived
at r Jagad-bandhus home. The house of r
Jagad-bandhu dsa of Varila was written
on the entrance door. Vinoda-bihr suddenly
remembered that the man was a subject of his
familys protectorate. He told the gatekeeper to
say that Vinoda-bihr from Vnarp wanted
to see r Jagad-bandhu dsa.
When Jagad-bandhuj heard this, he
immediately ran barefoot to meet Vinoda-bihr.
Recognizing the brahmacr as his landlord, he

38

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

r Gauya Maha, Bgbzr, Kolkata

knelt down and offered prama. With great

respect, he honoured his guests by offering them
high seats. Listening to their bhagavat-kath, he
became very pleased, and his faith increased even
more when he heard that Vinoda-bihr had now
left home and was engaged in various kinds of
services to jagad-guru rla Prabhupda. Jagadbandhuj then expressed a desire to perform any
kind of sev to the maha. He had previously
resolved to donate land to r Gauya Maha but
now, having heard r Vinoda-bihrs hari-kath,
he said, Is it right for one person to give a plate

and someone else to serve food on it? That will not

do. I shall carry the entire financial responsibility
for the construction of both the maha and the
temple. And so it happened. In 1930, r r
Gaura-Rdh-Vinodnandaj were installed
in Their enormous temple with harinmasakrtana and much pomp and grandeur.
That is how the great endeavour of r Vinodabihr, a supremely renounced servant who was
completely dedicated to the lotus feet of his guru,
became the root cause of the establishment of the
Bgbzr r Gauya Maha.

39

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

A Vedntic explanation of the word paramnanda supreme bliss

very year on the occasion of r Gaurajanmotsava, a session of r Dhma

Pracri Sabh was held at r Mypura Yoga
pha. During these meetings, rla Prabhupda
would request the maha residents to praise and
glorify each other. In 1929, rla Prabhupda
ordered r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr to glorify
r Paramnanda Brahmacr Vidyratna. r
Paramnanda Brahmacr, an intimate and onepointed servant of rla Prabhupda, was a close
friend of r Vinoda-bihrj. They lived together,
eating, drinking, sleeping and performing sev
for rla Prabhupda.
r Vinoda-bihr stood up and first offered
praise to his guru, saying:
mkha karoti vcla
pagu laghayate girim
yat-kp tam aha vande
paramnanda-mdhavam

r Paramnanda Prabhu

to open the door. At that time, rla Prabhupda

himself will open the door of his bhajana-ku for
him. Paramnanda Prabhu is exceptionally expert
in constructing temples and mahas, in operating
the printing press, and in all aspects of running
a maha. He cannot stay alive without serving
Prabhupda. It is not possible to perform service
to r r Guru-Gaurga without the mercy of
r Paramnanda Prabhu, who has such exclusive
guru-nih. All glories to r Paramnanda
Prabhu!

I worship Mdhava, the embodiment of

supreme bliss (paramnanda), whose mercy
turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and
enables the lame to cross mountains.

r Vinoda-bihrj then began to describe all

the good qualities of Paramnanda Prabhu. The
single-minded guru-sev of r Paramnanda
Prabhu is the ideal for guru-sevakas. He is always
with rla Prabhupda like a shadow, performing
tasks such as cooking, washing his cloth,
managing travel arrangements and massaging
Prabhupdas feet at bedtime. Sometimes
Paramnanda Prabhu returns to the maha late,
when rla Prabhupda is taking rest. But even
if it is midnight he will knock on the door and
call, Prabhupda! Prabhupda! for Prabhupda

prasda paramnanda
prasda paramevara
dhi-vydhi-bhujagena
daa mm uddhara prabho
Gopla-tpan Upaniad
(1.45)

40

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

is complete, it is beyond my and it is eternal.

[Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, 1.2.231]
Furthermore, in the Taittirya Upaniad
(2.7) it is said, raso vai sa, rasa hyevya
labdhvnand bhavati, ko hyevanyt ka
pryt, yadea ka nando na syt, ea
hyevnandayti The supremely blissful
(paramnanda) Supreme Absolute Truth is the
personification of rasa (transcendental mellows).
The living entity experiences paramnanda by
obtaining this personification of rasa. If this
Absolute Truth, the personification of supreme
bliss, did not exist, then who could remain alive?
Who would endeavour to protect his life? Hence,
brahma, the personification of paramnanda
filled with rasa, gives nanda (bliss) to everyone.
We also see this established in Caturveda-ikh: naivete jyante naitem ajnabandho na mukti sarva ea hyete pr
ajar amt param paramnanda iti The
name of Bhagavn (which is abda-brahma),
Bhagavn Himself and all His incarnations
are not conditioned like the jvas, nor do
They take birth like them. They are complete,
unchanging, immortal and the personification of
paramnanda, supreme bliss.
Only by cultivating this paramnanda rasasvarpa abda-brahma, that is to say, only by
performing sakrtana of the name of Bhagavn,
can one stop our rebirth forever. The meaning
of the word anvtti [from the stra anvtti
abdd] is prevention of rebirth in this material
world.
The prva-paka or first objection, to
this statement is as follows: The meaning of
paramnanda (highest bliss) is only bhva,
or sentiment, so how is it possible for this
paramnanda to have shape or form? Therefore
the stra, arpavadeva tat-pradhnatvt in

Have mercy upon me, Paramnanda! Have

mercy upon me, Paramevara! I am bitten
by the serpent of material miseries. Prabhu,
please deliver me.

In Vednta, the concept of cultivation

of paramnanda, or supreme bliss, is also
mentioned: nandamayo bhyst (Brahmastra 1.1.12). The deep meaning of practising
paramnanda is to engage completely and
constantly in the pursuit of the personification of
paramnanda, Vrajendra-nandana r Ka, with
ones body, mind and words. rla Rpa Gosvm,
who established the mission to fulfil r Caitanya
Mahprabhus innermost desire, has instructed us
how to cultivate this paramnanda. nuklyena
knulana bhaktir uttam uttama-bhakti
is the favourable and uninterrupted cultivation
of service for Kas pleasure with body, mind
and words. Unless we cultivate paramnanda
favourably that is, unless we practise the
process of uttama-bhakti we will not obtain
paramnanda. Therefore, in the conclusion of
the Brahma-stra it is said, anvtti abdd
anvtti abdt. Here, the word abda refers to
abda-brahma, transcendental sound vibration.
The name of r Ka, the personification
of paramnanda, is that very transcendental
abda-brahma:
nma cintmai kacaitanya-rasa-vigraha
pra uddho nitya-mukto
bhinnatvn nma-nmino

This means, The transcendentally blissful

name of Ka is a wish-fulfilling gem, which
bestows all spiritual desires. Because the name
of Ka and Ka Himself are non-different, it
is the personification of transcendental rasa, it

41

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Brahma-stra, is cited. Parama-purua (the

Supreme Person), parama-tattva (the Supreme
Absolute Truth), or brahma, is na-rpavat;
in other words, not like a form. He does not
take form. The Supreme Truth is Himself
form, and it is possible to have His darana.
Therefore the next stra says, api sardhane
pratyaknumnbhym through worship
one can certainly have darana both in the heart
and directly of the Supreme Truth.
In the rutis and Vednta-stra this
paramnanda-purua, or the supremely blissful
Person, is called nanda brahma, the blissful
brahma. nanda (bliss) is a synonym of prti
(love and affection). All jvas are actually striving
to attain paramnanda. One who desires
liberation will search for liberation (moka),
thinking that to be paramnanda, the supreme
bliss. Hedonists run after enjoyment of the
senses, considering that to be nanda. The
devotees strive for sev to Ka, accepting that
as paramnanda. In other words, everyone is
simply searching for paramnanda. However,
bhagavad-bhakti is the only personification of
paramnanda, and therefore it is only through
bhakti that one can reach paramnandasvarpa Vrajendra-nandana r Ka, who is the
personification of supreme bliss.
The audience was fascinated by r Vinodabihrs lecture. rla Prabhupda was especially
pleased with his Vedntic deliberations and gave
r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr all his books
on Vednta. Study this literature with full
concentration, he said. I have not seen such
taste for Vednta in anyone else. General people
say that the term Vednta refers to nirvieajna (impersonalism), but Vednta is really
bhakti literature. You should stress this in your
preaching and preach from it.

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

He always preached uddhabhakti, the main subject of the

Vednta, and instructed others

to do the same. This is the unique

distinction of his life.

After accepting tridaa-sannysa, r

Vinoda-bihr thoroughly fulfilled this innermost
desire of rla Prabhupda. Establishing r
Gauya Vednta Samiti, he bestowed the dress
of tridaa-sannysa on qualified members of
the Samiti and added the title Bhaktivednta to
the names of initiates such as Vmana, Nryaa,
Trivikrama and others. He always preached
uddha-bhakti, the main subject of the Vednta,
and instructed others to do the same. This is the
unique distinction of his life.

42

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

r Vinoda-bihr and the hkura Bhaktivinoda Institute

n April 1931, rla Prabhupda established the

hkura Bhaktivinoda Institute in r Dhma
Mypura for education in transcendental subject
matters. rla Prabhupda was the chairman of the
managing committee of the school, rmad Bhakti
Pradpa Trtha Mahrja was the headmaster, and
among the other members of the committee, r
Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr was appointed the
director. r Vinoda-bihr changed the standards
that were established by the Englishmen. He
announced that the school would have breaks on
Pacam and Ekda instead of Sundays, and a
half-day vacation on Caturth and Daam instead
of Saturday. Ekda was chosen because it is the
day of Mdhava (mdhava-tithi) the mother of
pure devotion. Pacam-tithi is the appearance

day (tithi) of uddh-sarasvat, the goddess of

learning, and also of rla Sarasvat Prabhupda.
Previously the holiday was on Sundays, due to
worship in the churches. In addition, he also
established holidays on the different appearance
and disappearance days of distinctive Vaiava
cryas. Religious teaching was compulsory in
this school. Students who failed the exams in the
religious subjects were not allowed to enter the
next grade, even if they had passed the exams in
all the other subjects. r Vinoda-bihr defended
his emphasis on religious ethics with the argument
that the welfare of society is not possible through
atheistic education. For this work he received
special commendation and praise from the
Navadvpa-dhma Pracri Sabh.

hkura Bhaktivinoda Insitute

43

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Keava

Gosvm

The title Ktiratna

gag-prva-taastha-rnavadvpa-sthale pare
r-mypura-dhmasthayoga-pha-mahattame

n 1932, at the 38th annual session of

the r Navadvpa-dhma Pracri Sabh,
the chairman, rla Prabhupda, bestowed the
title Ktiratna (meaning, whose every act and
accomplishment is a jewel) on r Vinoda-bihr
Brahmacr. Ktiratna indicates bhakti and the
title was an embodiment of a blessing from r
Gaura. The letter of blessing read as follows:

gueu v suubhruakbde smin ubhraye

phlgua-primy rgaurvirbhva-vsare
(Signed) r Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat,
Chairman

r r mypura-candro vijayatetamm
r r navadvpa-dhma pracriy sabhy
r r gaurrvd-patram

r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr, the servitor

of the r Caitanya Maha, has protected the
land of r Dhma Mypura for the service
of r Caitanya Mahprabhu, and is expert
in protecting his dependants in every way.
He is rla Prabhupdas intimate servant
and is adorned with all the good qualities
of a Vaiava. At the auspicious time of
the appearance of r Gaura on Phlgunaprim, in 1853 akbda Era, the eminent
members of the r Dhma Pracri Sabh
have joyfully decorated him with the title
Ktiratna at Yogapha, the topmost place
of r Mypura-dhma in r Navadvpa,
situated on the eastern bank of the Gag.

r-mahprabhu-sevrtha
r-dhmni-bhmi rakaka
prajplanadako ya
r-caitanya-mahrita
r-vinoda-vihyrkhya
brahmacri-varya ca
prabhupdntaragya
sarva-sad-gua-line
dhma-pracri-sasatsabhyaistamai pradyate
ktiratna iti khytum
updhi-bhaa mud

Prajna

Serving the Lord through court proceedings

nce r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr attended

a religious assembly in Kanagara, at
which attorneys, barristers, a retired judge and
other eminent learned and respected people
were present. Many of them gave sincere and
thoughtful speeches, and one in particular spoke
with great humility and regret. I have uselessly
wasted my whole life in court proceedings, he
began. My birth has gone in vain because I have

not performed hari-bhajana, the worship of Lord

Hari. Human life can become successful only
through hari-bhakti, but I have distanced myself
from it. Now in old age my senses are becoming
weak, and there is no certainty when death will
come. I dont understand what to do now.
Speaking in this way he prayed at the lotus feet
of the Vaiavas and Bhagavn for bhagavadbhakti.

44

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

At the end of the meeting the respected souls, the opportunity to attain bhagavad-bhakti
chairman asked r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr is very remote.
Ktiratna Prabhu if he would please say some
We are in the party of the most worshipful
thing. He stood up and began to speak simply and rmat Rdhik, and our special service is to
naturally, but with very powerful language. The arrange for Her meeting with Ka. On one
hidden purport of all the
occasion, r Ka went
We are in the party of the most to meet with Candrval
scriptures is devotion to
the Supreme Lord. Of
worshipful rmat Rdhik, and in her kuja. Rdhs
all forms of bhagavadsakhs made up some
bhakti, the bhakti that our special service is to arrange for excuse to extricate Him
is imbued with prema
from there, and they
Her meeting with Ka.
(prema-may bhakti), as
brought Him to r
seen in the associates of Vrajendra-nandana r Rdhs kuja at r Rdh-kua. There, in
Ka in Vraja, is topmost. Therefore Vaiava front of Kujevar rmat Rdhik He was made
crya r Cakravart hkura has said:
to write, I am the servant of Rdhj. I will never
leave Rdhj and go elsewhere. Then He had to
rdhyo bhagavn vrajea-tanayasign this declaration. A few days later, though, r
stad-dhma vndvana
Ka, compelled by His nature, neglected this
ramy kcid upsan vraja-vadhplea and again went to Candrvals kuja. Rdhs
vargea y kalpit
sakhs, seeing that r Ka was so opposed to r
rmad-bhgavata pramam amala
Vndvanevar Rdhik, filed a court case against
prem pumartho mahn
Him. Ka was not present at the proceedings,
r-caitanya-mahprabhor matam ida
and Rdhjs sakhs, winning the case, issued a
tatrdaro na para
court decree with which He was bound to comply.
By means of a warrant they arranged His sweet
Vrajendra-nandana r Ka is the supreme
meeting with rmat Rdhik.
worshipful deity. r Vndvana-dhma is as
The lawyers, the judge and all the other
worshipful as Ka, because it is the place
people were taken aback with r Ktiratna
of His pastimes. Among all forms of worship,
Prabhus speech, which was filled with scriptural
the gops worship of Ka is supreme.
conclusions. His philosophical lecture left a deep
rmad-Bhgavatam offers the supreme,
impression in everyones heart and made them
flawless evidence of this truth. This is the
realize that the most important achievement in
teaching of r Caitanya Mahprabhu.
the human form of life is to attain the service of
In the stras there are also examples of court r r Rdh-Govinda, and nothing else. He then
proceedings. I think that the performance of court explained that a higher birth, beauty, education,
proceedings is the best sdhana in hari-bhakti. wealth, etc., are not required for r kaBesides, court proceedings are actually hari- bhajana. On the contrary, ka-bhajana is the
bhakti; it is just that people do not understand right of every human being. Thus, it is essential
how to perform them. For those unfortunate for all of us to perform hari-bhajana.

45

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Keava

Gosvm

Ideal Vaiava life

ven though r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr

was from an educated and respected family
of landowners, he did not feel any pride. In his
maha life he was tolerant, liberal and softspoken, and he would always help the poor and
distressed. The vow and purpose of his life was:
bhla n khibe ra bhla n paribe vraje
rdh-ka sev mnase karibe do not eat
rich foods and do not dress opulently. rather,
always serve Rdh and Ka in Vndvana
within your mind (r Caitanya-caritmta,
Antya-ll 6.236, 237).
r Ktiratna Prabhus sdhana was to do
anything to please Ka and to give up all kinds

Prajna

of enjoyment for himself. With great love he

honoured whatever deity mah-prasda was
served. He never had the desire to eat anything
delicious and throughout his life he never
complained if there was too little salt in the
mah-prasda or if it was not tasty. When he was
the manager of Caitanya Maha in the early days,
he and the other brahmacrs were living and
performing their sdhana-bhajana with great
difficulty because of the mahas impoverished
condition. Nonetheless, they were completely
satisfied with such a life, and their dealings with
each other were very affectionate.

First meeting with pjyapda rdhara Mahrja

nce after Navadvpa parikram, I [the

author] and a few brahmacrs went to
r Caitanya Srasvata Maha in Koleragaja
(Navadvpa) to have darana of paramapjyapda parivrjakcrya-varya rmad
Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Gosvm Mahrja1. We
will never forget his description of his first sight
of paramrdhya rla Gurudeva:
While I was a student in the last year of law
school, I went to take darana of Mypura.
First, I took darana of the deities in the temple
at Yogapha, and then rvsa-agana, Advaitabhavana, Gaddhara-bhavana and other places.
While I was taking darana at kara-maha-rja
r Caitanya Maha, I witnessed an astonishing
scene. A beautiful young brahmacr in a very
nice white dhot and kurt was sitting on a chair
beneath a jackfruit tree. He was resting his legs
on a table in front of him, the left leg on top of
the right, and was slowly swinging on the chair.

The jack-fruit tree, close to rla Prabhupdas bhajanakura, under which r Vinoda-bihr was sitting taking
care of the management and instructing the devotees.

1 Editor: see Appendix page 391

46

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

told me that his name was r Vinoda-bihr

Brahmacr Ktiratna, and that he was the maha
manager. The man said, He is the foremost
among the intimate servants of rla Prabhupda.
Although he appears common, he is actually
deeply philosophical and learned in bhaktisiddhnta. He has contributed much towards the
development of r Caitanya Maha, Yogapha
and r Dhma Mypura, and is prominent on
the managing committee of the Bhaktivinoda
Institute. I became amazed hearing this.
Shortly thereafter, I went to have darana
of rla Prabhupda. I was completely overcome
by his grave personality and powerful speech.
At that time I vowed that now I would also
leave the perishable world and perform haribhajana, because without it, life is useless. rla
Prabhupda recited one verse from the rmadBhgavatam (11.9.29) that made an indelible
imprint in my heart:

Pjyapda rdhara Mahrja

Both his eyes were closed and it seemed that he

was immersed in deep thought. Various residents
of the maha were coming before him. All of
them whether young or old, wearing white or
saffron bowed their heads to the ground and
offered prama to that brahmacr with great
respect, and then went on with their service. At one
point, a well-built, grave sannys came, offered
his prama and stood in front of him. Hearing
some noise, the brahmacr opened his eyes, sat
up and looked at the sannys. The sannys
asked something with great humility, the
brahmacr gave some answer and then the
sannys again paid his prama and went away.
Pjyapda rdhara Mahrja continued, I
watched all this very attentively, and wondered,
Everyone is respectfully paying prama to
this young man and even important sannyss
come to get advice and instructions from him.
Who is he? I asked a maha resident standing
nearby about this exceptional brahmacr. He

labdhv su-durlabham ida bahu-sambhavnte

mnuyam artha-dam anityam apha dhra
tra yateta na pated anu-mtyu yvan
nireyasya viaya khalu sarvata syt

This means, The human birth is extremely

rare and is only obtained after many births. But
although this birth is temporary, it can give the
highest benefit. Therefore an intelligent person
does not delay even for a moment to endeavour
for the ultimate auspiciousness before death.
After that I returned to my home, but very
soon I gave up household life forever and came
to Prabhupdas lotus feet. As a mahavs, I
had great affection for and friendship with r
Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr. We used to discuss
Vedntic siddhnta and the deep concepts of
bhakti, and with faith everyone would listen to
our discussions.

47

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Prabhupdas opinion of an ideal guru-sevaka

r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr was sole

manager of the maha properties. For the
service of the maha he would have go to the civil
court from time to time to meet with high officials,
and he appeared to live an extravagant lifestyle.
Seeing the externals, some uninformed maha
residents concluded that r Vinoda-bihr did
not have any special feeling for bhakti and was
only expert in material matters. They assumed
that he could not have time to follow the different
limbs of bhakti, because he was well-known in the
community at large as he was always engrossed in
mundane affairs such as overseeing the tenants
and going to the court. The issue did not stop at
the maha in Mypura; some brahmacrs in the
Delhi Gauya Maha wrote rla Prabhupda an
extensive letter about r Vinoda-bihr.
When rla Prabhupda received this letter,
he became very displeased. He wrote back,
forcefully defending Vinoda-bihr, saying that
Vinoda-bihr was an extraordinary and ideal
Vaiava with exceptional guru-nih. He is
fully learned in the difficult siddhnta of bhakti,
rla Prabhupda told the brahmacrs, and, in
particular, he has penetrated the deep concepts of
Vednta. He is extremely enthusiastic to perform
bhajana, he is exclusively endeavouring to please
r Hari, Guru and the Vaiavas, and he has
captured the mood of renunciation. Furthermore,
he is affectionate and compassionate, and on top
of that, he is a competent leader with excellent
organizational and managerial capabilities. Those
who do not consider Vinoda to be a Vaiava
are themselves not Vaiavas at all. No one can
prevent the inevitable destruction of those who
offend Vaiavas because they do not understand
their inner heart.

48

rpda Narottamnanda Brahmacr

rpda Narottamnanda Brahmacr was one

of the prominent sevakas in the Delhi Gauya
Maha at that time. He was a famous speaker
of rmad-Bhgavatam and had deep faith in
rla Prabhupda. By good fortune he read rla
Prabhupdas letter, which gave him strong
confidence in r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr.
After rla Prabhupda departed from this world,
r Narottamnanda left r Gauya Maha and
went to r Dhma Navadvpa together with his
godbrothers, r Vinoda-bihr Ktiratna Prabhu,
r Narahari Sev-vigraha Prabhu and others.
He performed sdhana-bhajana at r Gauya
Vednta Samiti and travelled around India,
preaching uddha-bhakti. While at the Gauya
Vednta Samiti, he revealed to our worshipful
gurupda-padma the contents of the letter
written by rla Prabhupda to the brahmacrs
of the Delhi Gauya Maha.

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

The transfer of rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrjas samdhi

n 1932, the Bhagavat Bhgrath inundated

the countryside and her waters flooded every
direction. The Gags strong current had cut
the western bank, which was fast disappearing
into the flood. In Kuliy, on that western bank,
the samdhi of rla Prabhupdas most beloved
r Gurudeva, rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj
Mahrja, was located. rla Prabhupda had
performed rla Bbj Mahrjas samdhi
ceremony with his own hands in 1915 on
Utthna-ekda. Now, when rla Prabhupda
came to learn that the samdhi of his r
gurudeva was about to be carried away by the
flow of the Gag, he instructed his intimate
servant r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr to rescue
the complete samdhi by some means or other,
and to re-establish it on the bank of r Rdhkua in r Dhma Mypura.

After some days and nights of intense and

ceaseless labour, r Vinoda-bihr Prabhu and
his dear godbrother and friend rpda Narahari
Sev-vigraha Prabhu were able to save the
samdhi with the help of other guru-sevakas.
Accompanied by sakrtana, they brought it well
protected and in its complete form to r Caitanya
Maha. rla Prabhupda was very pleased, and
he himself began to dig the foundation for the
samdhi on the banks of Rdh-kua, with
the help of his prominent sevakas: rpda
Kuja-bihr Vidybhaa, r Aprkta Bhakti
Sraga, r Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Mahrja,
r Narahari Sev-vigraha Prabhu and r Vinodabihr Ktiratna Prabhu. Upon completing the
samdhi, rla Prabhupda became overwhelmed
by the pain of separation from his gurudeva.
When his intimate servants saw Prabhupdas

rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrjas samdhi-mandira on the bank of r Rdh-kua at r Caitanya Maha

49

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

The lawyers and other officials

were greatly impressed by

r Vinoda-bihrs argument,
and they lavishly praised his
diverse talents. rla Prabhupda
was also very pleased and
entrusted Ktiratna Prabhu with
all the court proceedings of the

r Gauya Maha mission.

rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrjas samdhi-mrti

face, overcome as he was with feelings of

separation, tears began to flow like streams from
their eyes. Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr sat close
to the lotus feet of rla Prabhupda and washed
those feet with his tears.
When rla Prabhupdas r gurudeva, rla
Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja, entered
aprakaa-ll, Prabhupda was preparing to
perform his samdhi ceremony. At that time, the
licentious and sinful bbjs of Kuliy created
various obstacles. However, in the end they could
not stop him. Now, when the samdhi was being
transferred from Kuliy to r Dhma Mypura,
the bbjs again tried to obstruct them. When
they were unable to stop the transfer, they filed
a case in the Kanagara court, naming r
Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr as the main defendant
in the removal of the samdhi.
The case was presented in the court of a
scrupulous Christian judge, who deliberated
upon it very seriously. According to precedent in
English law of that time, it was a criminal offence
to move a tomb from its original site, and this
violation was subject to a severe penalty in the

West. When the judge had heard the arguments

from both sides, he decided to pronounce a harsh
judgment on the accused. Considering this, r
Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr gravely told the judge,
Respected Sir, you should know that we are not
followers of Christianity. We are pure Vaiavas
following the Indian Vedic tradition and rules.
According to vaiava-dharma, one is allowed to
transfer a samdhi when there are special reasons
constituting extraordinary circumstances. There
are thousands of statements testifying to this.
When the judge heard this, he reversed his
decision and passed judgment in r Vinodabihrs favour, declaring, The defendant is
released without charge. The lawyers and other
officials were greatly impressed by r Vinodabihrs argument, and they lavishly praised his
diverse talents. rla Prabhupda was also very
pleased and entrusted Ktiratna Prabhu with all
the court proceedings of the r Gauya Maha
mission. It would have been very difficult for an
ordinary person to accomplish what r Vinodabihr Brahmacr achieved in his service to
rla Prabhupda.

50

His

Life

and

Part
two

Teachings

Preaching of uddha-bhakti

n the beginning of 1933, Vinoda-bihr and

a few brahmacrs went to r Dhma Pur,
Kaaka and other places in Orissa to fulfil rla
Prabhupdas desire to spread the practice
of uddha-bhakti introduced by r Caitanya
Mahprabhu. First they went to Puruottama
Maha in r Dhma Pur, where they stayed for
a few days. r Vinoda-bihr lectured on various
topics to the maha devotees, and addressed
other audiences as well. He also resolved many
complicated problems at Puruottama Maha.
From there they went to r Saccidnanda
Maha in Kaaka. Besides helping to settle issues
there, Vinoda-bihr delivered a significant lecture
entitled, The transcendental sound in Vednta.
Hundreds of students, teachers and very educated
and respectable listeners attended the lecture,
which was given in the courtyard of a college.
One can only acquire initial knowledge of a
thing through the ear, that is, through the sense
of hearing. Therefore, hearing (ravaa) has a
special significance in the Vaiava sampradya.
The only means of ravaa is through the ear,
and not by any other knowledge-acquiring sense.
At the same time, the ear has no access to the
experience of the other senses. The eyes can see
a ripe mango, the tongue can taste it, the nose can
experience its delicious fragrance, and the skin
can determine its softness or hardness, but the
ears have no relation with the mango. Through
the ear, however, one can comprehend that which
the other senses are unable to see, taste or touch.
For this reason, the sad-guru (bona fide
spiritual master) first bestows transcendental
sound vibration, or abda-brahma, upon the
sat-iya, speaking it into the ear of the qualified
disciple. In the line of r guru-parampar, both

the transcendental name of Bhagavn and the

mantras [given at the time of dk] are called
abda-brahma. One cannot be a sad-guru unless
he has realized abda-brahma, is well versed in the
topics of the rutis, which are the manifestation of
abda-brahma, and has no attraction for material
sense objects. When ordinary people say the name
Bhagavn, it is an ordinary sound that does not
have the same transcendental power as the abdabrahma uttered by mahpuruas. Therefore, the
bona fide spiritual master purifies the ear (karasaskra) of the qualified disciple by giving him
abda-brahma in the form of Bhagavns name
and in the form of mantras, both of which are
possessed of transcendental power.
The inner mood of the original speaker of
the Veda, Vednta, Gt and rmad-Bhgavatam
is concealed in the mantras, verses and words
of the scriptures, and we cannot experience
or understand this inner mood unless we hear
from the cryas or Vaiavas in the guruparampar. This is because it is only through the
iya-parampar (disciplic succession) that one
can understand the mood of the original speaker,
whether he be r Ka, r Nryaa, r Nrada,
r Vysa or someone else. One cannot take this
mood to heart through independent intelligence.
sampradya vihn ye mantrs
te viphal mat
ata kalau bhaviyanti
catvra sampradyina
Padma Pura

A mantra is useless unless it is received

through a sampradya, and therefore, there
are four Vaiava sampradyas in Kaliyuga.

51

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

The inner mood of the

One special consideration is as follows. The

meaning of the words in rmad-Bhgavatam
and other scriptures is dependent on the accent
and pronunciation of the original speaker of
those words. The sentence Rma, where did
you go? for example, can have many meanings,
depending on the tone and emphasis with
which it is pronounced. The tone of the original
speaker, which conveys the real meaning of his
speech, can be understood only through the
guru-parampar. Consequently, in regard to
transcendence, both spiritual sound vibration
(abda-brahma) and the ear, which can capture
the essence of abda-brahma, are regarded as
particularly important.
(This we heard directly from rla Guru
Mahrja.)

original speaker of the Veda,

Vednta, Gt and rmadBhgavatam is concealed in the
mantras, verses and words
of the scriptures, and we cannot
experience or understand
this inner mood unless we hear
from the cryas or Vaiavas

in the guru-parampar.

Interest in philosophy

ometimes r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr

had to go on long journeys in the course
of managing the branch Gauya Mahas or
for preaching. At those times, he invariably
kept with him Jaiva-dharma, special issues
of r Gauya, Tattva-sandarbha and other
philosophical works. He would get especially
absorbed in studying these books while riding
on the trains. In those days, general maha
residents were prohibited from reading and
studying rla Jva Gosvms Sandarbhas, rla
Baladeva Vidybhaas Govinda-bhya,
Bhya-phaka, etc. It was also considered
inappropriate for common devotees to study
the Tenth Canto of the rmad-Bhgavatam.
Only those few devotees who possessed the
ability to understand tattva-jna (knowledge
of reality) were permitted to study these books
with a qualified Vaiava. One day, r Ananta

Vsudeva Prabhu2 was searching for rpda

Ktiratna Prabhu and unexpectedly arrived at his
bhajana-kura where he was deeply absorbed
in studying Tattva-sandarbha. At that time, r
Vsudeva Prabhu was acknowledged among
Prabhupdas disciples as a prominent authority
on bhakti-siddhnta, and everyone faithfully
accepted his explanations.
r Ananta Vsudeva immediately took the
Tattva-sandarbha from r Ktiratna Prabhus
hands. Vinoda! he exclaimed, You are studying
Tattva-sandarbha! Do you understand anything
of what you are reading or are you just turning
the pages? Dont you know that it contains deep
philosophical siddhnta? Even great scholars
can hardly understand this book. r Ktiratna
2 For some time after rla Prabhupdas aprakaa-ll, r
Ananta Vsudeva was the chairman and crya of the
Gauya Maha, but he was later removed from that post.

52

His

Life

and

Prabhu remained calm and sober, and stood

without making any reply. Observing his silence
r Vsudeva Prabhu again asked, Why dont you
speak? Do you understand anything or not?
r Vinoda-bihr answered gravely, You can
ask me any question from the book. rpda
Vsudeva Prabhu then asked extremely difficult
questions on prama-tattva, prameya-tattva,
sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana-tattva,
and r Ktiratna Prabhu answered all his
questions in simple, easy-to-understand language.
r Vsudeva Prabhu had until then
considered Ktiratna Prabhu to be an ordinary,

Teachings

Part
two

though diligent, young brahmacr who lacked

tattva-jna. He never imagined that Vinoda
would ever be able to answer such profound
philosophical questions. Now he was amazed.
This incident inspired in him a mood of respect
and honour for Vinoda. He became even more
wonder-struck when he read Vinodas essays
and articles. Vinodas literary style was extremely
deep, exhibiting refined, ornamental language.
After r Vsudeva Prabhu became crya, he
told his eminent writers and scholarly disciples
to learn the art of literary composition from r
Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr.

r mah-mantra and krtana

n 1933, rla Saccidnanda Bhaktivinoda

hkuras virahotsava (disappearance day
festival) was held at his samdhi-mandira at
Svnanda-sukhada-kuja in r Godruma. rla
Prabhupda was present at this festival with
his disciples, including his intimate servant
r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr. Pre-eminent
Vaiavas from all over Bengal assembled
together for the occasion, and rla Prabhupda
gave his dear Vinoda the responsibility of
attending to the special guests.
The honourable r Stntha Bhakti-trtha,
a disciple of rla Bhaktivinoda hkura, also
came, and was given a room with great respect.
He was considered a prominent krtana singer
in Bengal and was expert in all kinds of rgaragins, rhythms, tunes, modulations of the voice,
etc. He was also a master of harmonium, esarj,
v, mdaga, tabl and other instruments.
After the celebration, Bhakti-trtha Prabhu
seated r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr near him
with great affection and started to perform
krtana. He began to sing the mah-mantra to

various rga-ragins as he played the harmonium.

As he did this, he modulated his voice in such
a way that it took him ten or fifteen minutes to
sing the sixteen words of the Hare Ka mahmantra from the first Hare to the last. In addition,
he was trying to display deep spiritual emotion by
gesturing excessively with his hands and arms.
Some time later, when r Vinoda-bihrj
came to rla Prabhupda, Prabhupda chided,
Did you listen to the krtana? One could have
performed krtana of the whole mah-mantra fifty
times during the time it took him to pronounce
Hare Ka only once. He further instructed
r Vinoda-bihr, Those who have no taste for
r nma and their iadeva are only attached
to taurytrika krtana with different melodious
tunes for the happiness of their senses. I call
these people the tl-hok sampradya, persons
who are only interested in rhythm and not in
inner moods.
We can cast out inertia, laziness and all kinds
of anarthas by faithfully performing krtana of
the Hare Ka mah-mantra in a loud voice.

53

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

All our desires will be fulfilled when we become

absorbed in this krtana. Members of the tlhok sampradya are completely entangled in
material profit, adoration and distinction. Pure
Vaiavas always keep far away from this and
instead absorb themselves in chanting kanma with faith. The transcendental form, quality
and pastimes of nm prabhu (the Supreme Lord
who is addressed by the name) manifest in the
hearts of those who perform nma-krtana in
this way. Love of God (bhagavat-prema) only
develops through the chanting of such uddhanma. Through this incident, jagad-guru rla
Prabhupda instructed his qualified disciple on
nma-bhajana.

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Once, r Stntha Bhakti-trtha Mahodaya

stayed for some time at Yogapha in Mypura.
One day at dawn he started to sing, r jgo r
jgo in a very sweet voice, accompanying himself
on the harmonium. rla Prabhupda heard
about this and stopped the singing. First wake
up yourself, he said. That means you should
first be established in your eternal svarpa, your
spiritual form. Then it is proper to wake up R
(rmat Rdhik). rla Prabhupda told his
disciples that krtana with very esoteric verses
about unnata-ujjvala-rasa (the most elevated
relationship of divine amorous love) should not
be performed here and there, in shops, markets,
on the street or before unqualified persons.

Decorated with the title Upadeaka

fter the r Gaura-janmotsava in 1934,

the r Navadvpa-dhma Pracri Sabh
held its 40th annual session in r Caitanya
Mahas avidy-haraa3 temple hall. That year
the chairman, rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Prabhupda, adorned rpda Vinoda-bihr
Ktiratna Mahaya with the title Upadeaka
(advisor).

vneuvasuubhru-akbde magallaye
phlgua-primy r-gaurvirbhva-vsare
(Signed) r Siddhnta Sarasvat,
Chairman

Ktiratna r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr

is pure-hearted, devoted to ethical values,
magnanimous and attached to the path of
truth. He performs all kinds of service to r
guru, and is extremely dear to r gurudeva.
On this sacred day of the appearance of r
Gaurasundara on Phlguna-prima, year
1855 akbda Era, the members of the r
Navadvpa-dhma Pracri Sabh joyfully
decorated him with the title Upadeaka at
the auspicious r Yogapha, the topmost
place of r Mypura, the pinnacle of r
Navadvpa-dhma, situated on the eastern
bank of the Bhagavat Bhgrth.

r r mypura-candro vijayatetamm

r r navadvpa-dhma pracriy sabhy

r r gaurrvd-patram
sarvtman r-guru-gaura-sevsampdka uddha-matirna-yaja
sadaya sat-yapathaikarg
guru-priyo ya ktiratna-varya
r-vinoda-vihrykhy brahmacri-varo mud
upadeaka ityetad-upanmn vimaita
gag-prva-taastha r-navadvpa-sthalottame
r-mypura-dhmasthe yogphraye pare

On the second day of this same occasion

the Viva Vaiava Rja Sabh also praised

3 Editor: meaning, that which utterly destroys ignorance

54

His

Life

and

r Ktiratna Prabhu for accomplishing r

Gaurasundaras innermost desire: Upadeaka
rpda Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr Ktiratna
Mahaya has shown that he is a worthy recipient
of the affection of r r Guru-Gaurga by
performing activities to protect the property
of rman Mahprabhu; by engaging himself

Teachings

Part
two

in various services for r Dhma Mypura,

r Caitanya Maha and all its associate branch
mahas; and especially by very expertly managing
the present years r Dhma parikram. His
lectures, which are filled with philosophical
conclusions, are also extremely praiseworthy.

His Highness Sir John Anderson, Governor of Bengal,

visits r Dhma Mypura

ue to the preaching of jagad-guru rla

Prabhupda and his very qualified
disciples, many faithful persons began to come
from all over India to have darana of r Dhma
Mypura. Even prominent officials in the Indian
government came with faith and eagerness.
When news about r Dhma Mypura, the
birthplace of r Gaurasundara, reached the ears
of His Highness Sir John Anderson, who was the
Governor of Bengal at the time he also developed
a desire in his heart to have darana of this sacred
place. On 13 January 1935, he was called on
special business to the District Headquarters in
Kanagara. By the desire of rla Prabhupda,
paita rpda Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr
Upadeaka Ktiratna went with paita r
Atula-candra Bandopdhyya Bhakti Sraga
Gosvm to Kanagara to meet the Governor
and to invite him, on behalf of r Caitanya Maha
and Viva Vaiava Rja Sabh, to come to r
Dhma Mypura.
Sir John Anderson respectfully accepted the
invitation and arrived at r Dhma Mypura
the next day with an army of followers and
supporters. The Governor was welcomed at the
entrance gate of Yogapha by ryuta Rmagopla Vidybhaa (MA) from the Dhma
Pracri Sabh, and by rpda Vinoda-bihr

r Vinoda-bihr together with rla Prabhupda and

Sir John Anderson at r Yogapha, r Dhma Mypura

55

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Brahmacr Ktiratna, who was the secretary of

the hkura Bhaktivinoda Institute. Ktiratna
Prabhu and rpda Bhakti Sraga Gosvm
Prabhu then took the Governor to meet with
rla Prabhupda, after which there was a
welcoming ceremony in the assembly hall. At
rla Prabhupdas behest, r Vinoda-bihrj
arranged the Governors tour of Mypura and

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

also took care of providing mah-prasda for

the guests. After having darana of r Dhma
Mypura, the Governor expressed his heartfelt
pleasure and said, My long-cherished desire
has been fulfilled today. I will be very pleased
to arrange some governmental service for the
development of this sacred place. Later, rla
Prabhupda bade the Governor a royal farewell.

The inauguration of r Mandira and the deities at Yogapha

hile rpda Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr

Ktiratna was the manager of the r
Dhma Mypura estate, he found several
documents which provided clear evidence that
r Jaganntha Miras residence was indeed in
r Dhma Mypura, and that r acnandana
Gaurahari appeared under a neem tree there.
In those articles the name of the birthplace of
Gaurasundara was written under section 399 and
the residence was mentioned in section 265.
When Vinoda-bihrj first came to Mypura,
it was simply a forest of tulas. The Muslims had
tried to grow crops there, but no matter what seeds
they sowed, only tulas plants sprouted. Earlier,
while r Bhaktivinoda hkura was performing
bhajana at night in Godrumadvpa, he had seen
a divine light near a palm tree in Mypura. Later
rla Bhaktivinoda brought vaiava-srvabhauma
r Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja to that
place. Bbj Mahrja was extremely renowned
in Gaua-maala, Ketra-maala and Vrajamaala. When he arrived there, he jumped up
and started to dance wildly with upraised arms. [At
the time he was over one hundred years old.] This
land is the appearance place of our acnandana
Gauracandra! he exclaimed.
r Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj also used to come
to this uncultivated land. Sometimes he arrived

at midnight, and no one could understand how

he got there. When asked, he would reply, I met
some young cowherd boy on the road. He caught
me and brought me here. But upon arriving here, I
could not find that cowherd boy anywhere.
In March 1934, rla Prabhupda laid the
foundation for the construction of a temple at r
Yogapha-Mypura. The major responsibility
for the construction was entrusted to rpda
Ktiratna Prabhu. While the workers were digging
the foundation for the temple, they found an
astonishingly beautiful four-armed deity. When
r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr heard this news,
he immediately went there with rpda Narahari
Prabhu and other leading maha residents, and
they were elated to see the extraordinary deity.

The Adhokaja deity at Yogapha

56

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

A photo printed in the Gauya after the completion of the temple at Yogapha

When rla Prabhupda came some time later, he

was also very pleased to see the deity. He declared
that this was the Adhokaja deity that had been
served by r Jaganntha Mira and r ac-dev.
Today this deity is being worshiped in the tall
temple at Yogapha.
Sakhcaraa Rya Bhakti-vijaya, a disciple of
rla Prabhupda and a well-known businessman
in Kolkata, carried the entire expense of the
grand and gorgeous temple. The magnificent
temple, which is so high that it seems to kiss

the sky, was constructed in a very short time

under the supervision of r Ktiratna Prabhu
and r Revat-ramaa Brahmacr. The ruler
of independent Tripura, rmad Vravikrama
Kioradeva
arm
Mikya
Bahdura
Dharmadhurandhara Mahodaya, performed the
inauguration of the temple together with rla
Prabhupda on r Gaura-janmotsava day, 1935.
For the great service of building this temple, rla
Prabhupda adorned Sakhcaraa Rya with the
title of rea rya, the topmost Aryan.

57

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Myvda k Jvan

ne day, when crya Kesar (r rmad nirviea brahma-vda or myvda can

Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja) never be identical with r Vedavysas saviea
was sitting with his disciples, he told us about a brahma-vda. In ilya-stra (26), ilya
book he had written called Myvda k Jvan. i says, brahma-ka tu bhaktau tasynurla Prabhupda considered that akaras jnya smnyt the Brahma-ka
philosophy would create many obstacles for (Brahma-stra) specifically expounds bhakti, not
the preaching of uddha-bhakti, as long as it jna. In his Bhakti-stra, r Nrada i also
remained prevalent in this world. It is therefore refers to Vedavysa, who compiled Brahma-stra,
extremely important to eradicate this philosophy. and to r ilya i as authors of literature on
Kevaldvaita-vda, the philosophy of monism, bhakti, and he very clearly states that Vysa-stra
is refuted by literatures such as rman (Brahma-stra) is a treatise on bhakti.
Madhvcryas
Anubhya,
When I was living in
Anuvykhyn
and
Strar akarcryas Mypura, r Vidybhaa and
bhya, r Jayatrthas Nyyar Vidyvinoda, who were the
imaginary nirviea editors of the weekly magazine
sudh and Tattva-prakika,
and r Vysatrthas Nyymta,
Gauya, once came to me. They
brahma-vda or
which are great weapons, just
insisted that I write an essay on
myvda
can
never
like the Sudarana cakra.
myvda for a special issue of
These conclusions of rla
be identical with r the Gauya. Accordingly, I quick
Prabhupda deeply influenced
ly wrote the essay Myvda k
my heart. In addition to these Vedavysas saviea Jvan and presented it to them.
treatises, I collected ten or twelve
Later on I found out that the essay
brahma-vda.
more books on the Vednta
was too long for the special issue,
philosophy and studied them all from beginning but that Prabhupda had been extremely pleased
to end with great concentration. These books show to read it and wanted it to be published quickly
very clearly that the nirkra, nirviea, nirgua as a small book. The essay was lost, however,
brahma-vda or myvda of akara differs in during the confusion after rla Prabhupdas
all respects from the concepts of rla Vedavysa, disappearance. Fortunately, it was found in 1942
who wrote r Brahma-stra, the commentary in the house of ryut Ulat-dev, a follower of
on Vednta, and its natural commentary, rmad- rla Prabhupda, in the village of Caph. It
Bhgavatam. Nowhere in the five hundred and will be published soon.
fifty aphorisms of Brahma-stra do we find
Later on it was published in the Bengali
words like jna, nirkra, nirviea or nirgua. monthly, r Gauya-patrik, and in the Hindi
Nirgua brahma can never be worthy of worship monthly, r Bhgavata-patrik, and it has also
because it has no compassion. The brahma been published as a book both in Bengali and
of myvda is false and simply a figment of in Hindi. The seventh part of this present book
the imagination; it can never be real brahma. contains a special summary of the contents of
Consequently, r akarcryas imaginary Myvda k Jvan.

58

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

rla Prabhupda enters aprakaa-ll

rla Prabhupda travelled all over India and of r Nsiha-caturda, and observed
preached with scrupulous diligence until puruottama-vrata in Puruottama-dhma (Pur).
1936. He gave tridaa-sannysa to exception Then he returned to the Kolkata Gauya Maha.
ally qualified brahmacrs and maha residents,
During this period he often told everyone,
and through them started to preach pure bhakti All of you should perform bhajana sincerely;
everywhere, through ka-nma-sakrtana. He there are not many days left now. Early in the
first established r Caitanya Maha in Mypura, morning, on the day he entered aprakaa-ll, he
and after that, nine mahas on the nine islands gave the order to tridai-svm rmad Bhakti
of Navadvpa, and approximately sixty-four Rakaka rdhara Gosvm Mahrja to sing r
preaching centres all over India. He published the Rpa-majar-pada. rla Prabhupda praised
daily newspaper Nady Praka and the weekly rpda Narahari Brahmacr Sev-vigraha
magazine Gauya in Bengali, The
Prabhu, and told all his disciples
Harmonist in English, Bhgavata
Our ultimate that they should be honest like him,
in Hindi, and other transcendental
and that they should perform hariaspiration is
magazines as well. He also published
bhajana without other ambitions.
r Caitanya-caritmta, rmadHe then gave his last instruction to
the dust of the
Bhgavatam and other devotional
the disciples present:
lotus
feet
of
the
literature. rla Prabhupda sent
I have encouraged everyone
his expert disciples tridaito
perform bhajana and to be
Vaiavas in the
svm rmad Bhakti Hdaya Bon
indifferent to everything else.
line of r Rpa For this reason, some people are
Mahrja and tridai-svm
Bhakti Pradpa Trtha Mahrja to
dissatisfied with me. But one day
Gosvm.
the West. They brought r Gauras
they will surely understand that I
message to England, France, Germany and have said this only for the welfare of the world. All
other countries. After they returned, Aprkta of you should enthusiastically preach together
Bhakti Sraga Prabhu was sent to the Western that hari-kath which is in accordance with the
countries to continue the preaching. In this way, mood of r Rpa Gosvm and r Raghuntha
the dissemination of pure bhakti began with dsa Gosvm. Our ultimate aspiration is the
great enthusiasm.
dust of the lotus feet of the Vaiavas in the line
Amidst all this, in the beginning of 1936, rla of r Rpa Gosvm. You should stay together
Prabhupda began to display his pastime of ill under the guidance of the raya-vigraha (r
health. Despite that, during that year he inaugu- guru) to please the transcendental senses of
rated a transcendental exhibition in Prayga, advaya-jna para-tattva r r Rdh-Ka
delivered long lectures at rvsa-agana in Yugala. You should proceed on the path of hariMypura on the occasion of r vysa-pj, bhajana with determination, and maintain your
established deities in the new Suvara-vihra life in this material world only for the purpose
Maha, showered hari-kath on r Brahma of hari-kath. Never give up hari-bhajana, even
Gauya Maha in llantha on the occasion in the most difficult circumstances of countless

59

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

calamities, insults and reproaches. Do not become

discouraged to see that most people of the world
do not accept the idea of pure service to Ka.
Never give up your bhajana, your hearing and
speaking ka-kath this is your everything.
Always continue to perform hari-krtana, being
td-api sunca, more humble than a blade of
grass and more tolerant than a tree.
Having delivered these last instructions,
Vrabhnav-dayita dsa rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda, the best of
the followers of Svarpa Dmodara and Rpa
Gosvm, and rmat Rdhiks Nayana-mai,
entered the ninta-ll of r r Rdh-Govinda
in the last part of the night on 31 December 1936.
The news of rla Prabhupdas entering
aprakaa-ll (unmanifest pastimes) quickly
spread not only throughout Bengal but
throughout the whole of India. His initiated

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

disciples started to lament loudly in profound

grief. People assembled at Bgbzr Gauya
Maha from every direction, tormented by
separation.
Some supposedly very dear disciples of rla
Prabhupda wanted to cremate him at the Nmtal
cremation gha in Kolkata. However, r Vinodabihr Brahmacr, who was learned in bhaktisiddhnta, fervently opposed this proposal and
said, Let me see who has the power to cremate
the transcendental body of our Prabhu. rla
Prabhupda has clearly instructed us that his
samdhi ceremony should be performed in his
own dear dhma, r Mypura, at r Caitanya
Maha, which is non-different from Govardhana.
When those present heard his words, they
unanimously agreed with him, and rla
Prabhupdas transcendental body was brought
to r Caitanya Maha in r Dhma Mypura on a

rla Prabhupdas samdhi-mandira at r Caitanya Maha

60

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
two

special train. There, on the bank of Rdh-kua, beloved companion. Who will dare perform his
r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr and others selected preta-rddha? There is a fundamental difference
the place of the samdhi and then performed between the stvata-rddha of the Vaiavas
the samdhi ceremony according to the rules of and the preta-rddha of the smrtas. According
Sat-kriy-sra-dpik (a collection of Vaiava to the Hari-bhakti-vilsa, Sat-kriy-srapurificatory rituals). When the sacred rites of dpik and other Vaiava scriptures, the only
samdhi were completed, r Vinoda-bihr stvata-rddha for Vaiavas is the offering
Brahmacr, grief-stricken and
of bhagavat-mah-prasda.
weeping in separation from
The observance of virahaLet me see who has
rla Prabhupda, fainted.
mahotsava for Vaiava
the power to cremate
Gradually his godbrothers
cryas has been going
were able to help him regain
on since ancient times, and
the transcendental
some degree of composure.
accordingly we will present
body
of
our
Prabhu.
After this, some of
our raddh-pupjali to
rla Prabhupdas disciples
rla Prabhupdas lotus feet.
rla Prabhupda has
wanted to perform his
All of rla Prabhupdas
clearly instructed us that disciples were stunned when
rddha-saskra according
his samdhi ceremony they heard his lion-like
to the smrta tradition.
Again,
Ktiratna
Prabhu
should be performed in voice. In the end, everyone
vehemently opposed this
unanimously approved his
his own dear dhma,
proposal. According to the
views and completed the
smrta doctrine, he said,
viraha-mahotsava in the
r Mypura, at
everyone becomes a ghost
manner he proposed. The
r
Caitanya
Maha,
(preta) when they die. It is
following is a portion of
to deliver people from this
which is non-different Ktiratna Prabhus lecture at
ghostly condition that one
rla Prabhupdas virahafrom Govardhana.
has to perform their pretasabh.
rddha. However, according
Bhagavn has no birth or
to Vaiava doctrine, the sins of a person who death, and similarly His associates, the liberated
chants nmbhsa are destroyed, and he goes mahpuruas, also have no birth or death. Their
beyond birth and death, as we see in the examples bodies are composed of eternity, knowledge
of Ajmila and others. The scriptures oppose the and bliss (sac-cid-nanda-maya), and there
performance of preta-rddha for Vaiavas who is no difference between their body and their
have been devoted to one-pointed ka-bhakti, soul. Therefore, their apparent appearance and
and who have chanted uddha-nma their whole disappearance is only for the welfare of the
lives.
world. People who are ignorant of tattva, however,
rla Prabhupda, the crown jewel of liberated cannot realize this. Jagad-guru rla Prabhupda
souls, is an eternal associate of Ka. Not only is an eternal associate of r Ka in His pastimes
that, he is ka-priy r Vrabhnavs most and he has appeared here only for the welfare of

61

 His disappearance has the same

meaning as his appearance.

Because of this, we can remember

our feelings of separation
from the mahpuruas
on their appearance days
and celebrate meeting on their

disappearance days.

rla Prabhupdas samdhi-mrti

the world. In a short time he preached uddhabhakti throughout the whole world for the welfare
of all. Now he has entered the eternal ninta-ll
of Rdh-Ka and, being present in aprakaall (Rdh and Kas unmanifest pastimes),
he is still bestowing great auspiciousness to the
world. Only those who are endowed with gross
intelligence and who are shackled by ritual can
imagine performing the worldly smrta-rddha
of such a mahpurua. His disappearance has the
same meaning as his appearance. Because of this,
we can remember our feelings of separation from
the mahpuruas on their appearance days and
celebrate meeting on their disappearance days.
Some want to install rla Prabhupdas
r vigraha, his sacred body, in r mandira
according to the pcartrika system, and others
have different proposals. They are all correct
according to their own qualification. But for the
servants who have the topmost guru-nih, the
best service is to preach the innermost desire of
r Gurupda-padma. Mahprabhus innermost
desire, which is also rla Prabhupdas, is to
preach vaikuha-nma and vaikuha-kath
everywhere in the world.

The sacred body of rla Prabhupda is

sac-cid-nanda-maya. His birth, death, etc., are
only a play on the worldly stage for our gross
vision, and his eternal form remains intact and
unchanged throughout. If there is no meeting, the
intense and dire suffering of separation will not
end. Therefore, after rla Prabhupda entered
aprakaa-ll, he instantly displayed prakaall to bestow mercy on his dependent disciples
and to console the devotees grief-stricken in
separation from him. How did he do this? After
a short time, being decorated with various kinds
of flowers, garlands, sandal paste, etc., as one of
r r Rdh-Madana-mohanas most beloveds,
he became eternally present in samdhi in Sevkuja on the banks of r Rdh-kua in r
Dhma Mypura, to give instructions on serving
the Divine Couple under his guidance.
At this assembly in which his disappearance
festival was observed, many subjects were
discussed, such as rla Prabhupdas tran
scendental body, the reasons for his entering
aprakaa-ll, the cryas bhakta-vtsalya
(parental kindness to the devotees) and the
appearance of the crya in a holy place.Y

62

Part Three:

The crya & His Mission

General superintendent of the Gauya Maha and Mission

fter rla Prabhupda entered aprakaall, a governing committee was formed

to oversee the r Gauya Maha and Mission.
Mah-mahopadeaka rpda Nryaa dsa
Adhikr Bhakti-sudhkara Bhakti-str was
appointed the committee secretary and rpda
Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr Ktiratna the general
superintendent. For some time all the activities
of the maha and mission were carried out
enthusiastically, and the preaching of uddhabhakti continued everywhere, just like before.
However, after some time the chairman of
the governing committee, who was also the
crya, abandoned the behaviour and ethics
of the rpnugas, the followers of r Rpa
Gosvm, and engaged unrestrictedly in practices
unfavourable to bhakti. This deviation led to
chaos throughout the mission. It was a dark
period for the Srasvata Gauya Vaiavas.
Some maha residents returned to their ghastha

life due to this. Many left r Gauya Maha to

establish their own ramas, mahas and so
forth, and continued their sdhana-bhajana
there. The publishing of bhakti literature, in
cluding the daily, weekly and monthly magazines
in different languages, stopped. Gradually
preaching activities, r Navadvpa-dhma
parikram, krtika-vrata, r vysa-pj and
other observances also stopped.
Under these circumstances, r Vinoda-bihr
Brahmacr Ktiratna Prabhu left Mypura for
Navadvpa town with some of his godbrothers,
such as pjyapda rla Bhakti Rakaka rdhara
Mahrja, rpda Narahari Brahmacr Sevvigraha, r Mahnanda Brahmacr Sevniketana, r Vracanda Brahmacr and r
Narottamnanda Brahmacr Bhakti-kamala
Prabhu. They rented a house in Tegharp and
established r Devnanda Gauya Maha. From
there, they began to preach uddha-bhakti.

Obtaining the mercy of rla Vadsa Bbj Mahrja

n those days, bhajannand rla Vadsa

Bbj Mahrja was performing bhajana in a
solitary place on the bank of the sacred Gag near
Navadvpa town in Koladvpa. Bbj Mahrja
was always absorbed in serving r r RdhGovinda in his heart, with deep, transcendental
emotion (bhva-may sev). He also performed
bhva-may sev to his r r Gaura-Nitynanda
deities, with whom he would sometimes have

loving quarrels (prema-kalaha). It is extremely

difficult even for prominent mahtms to
understand rla Vadsas strange behaviour,
which resulted from his inner bhvas. rla
Sarasvat Prabhupda was acquainted with this
mahtm through rla Bhaktivinoda hkura.
rla Vadsa Bbj Mahrja used to chase
away many people who came for his darana,
insulting them with abusive language. From time

65

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

It is not advisable

for common people to

imitate mahpuruas,
who are endowed with
transcendental power.
Our duty is to constantly
practise their
instructions, which
bring auspiciousness
to the jvas.

was frying eggplant on a griddle and turning the

pieces over with his hand. When he asked Bbj
if a spatula should not be used, Bbj gave the
answer, Let me see what Nit-Gaura are doing.
His renunciation and uncommon activities were
very astonishing.
Sometimes, to deceive the public, Bbj would
prepare a hookah with tobacco, and say, Today
no fire, today no tobacco. Nonetheless, he used
to keep the hookah in front of his r Gaura-Nit
deities and ask Them to make it prasda. Then
immediately he would get the answer and say, My
Gaura-Nit do not smoke tobacco. It is extremely
difficult for ordinary people to understand what
kind of bhva is arising and when, in the heart of
a transcendental mahjana.
One day Ktiratna Prabhu brought his
intimate friend r Narahari Prabhu to have
darana of Bbj. They saw that the distribution
of tea prasda was going on. r Ktiratna
Prabhu told r Narahari Prabhu, If we take this

rla Vadsa Bbj Mahrja

to time he would keep fish bones and other dirty

things near his bhajana-kura so that the public
would think he was fallen. In this way he kept bad
association at a distance. Such people were thus
deprived of his darana and pure hari-kath, but
he affectionately instructed the faithful who were
inclined towards bhajana and averse to worldly
things.
Once, r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr Ktiratna
Prabhu went to the bhajana-kura of r Bbj,
who seated Vinoda next to him with great respect.
r Bbj had a special affection for the disciples
of his intimate friend and best of godbrothers, r
rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda.
rpda Ktiratna Prabhu noticed that Bbj

66

His

Life

and

prasda, we will go to hell. Bbj Mahrja is

like Nlakaha Mahdeva (Lord iva); only he
can digest this. We ordinary people will die if we
take this. Tejya na doya vahne sarvabhujo yath.1 It is not advisable for common
people to imitate mahpuruas, who are
endowed with transcendental power. Our duty is
to constantly practise their instructions, which
bring auspiciousness to the jvas.
Another day, r Ktiratna Prabhu saw Bbj
Mahrja in his bhajana-ku deeply absorbed
in bhajana. Many devotees who were taking his
darana were also offering donations, and one
of them started to gather up the coins. Bbbj
at once scolded him, saying, Tho, pais tho.
Jekhnakra pais sekhna tho. Utptera kau
citpte jaya Dont touch the money. Leave it
wherever it is. Corrupt money is the reason one
falls down. All the actions of a mahpurua are
for the welfare of the world, and their instructions
are extremely important for true practitioners of
bhakti. Those who act in accordance with their
instructions will gradually progress in bhajana.
Their lives will become blissful and they will
achieve perfection in their sdhana-bhajana.
On one occasion, a new trida-sannys
arrived to take Bbjs darana. Seeing him
offering his prama, Bbj said, Fresh bamboo
wrapped in cloth does not constitute a daa, and
one does not become a trida by holding it. The
significance of carrying a tridaa is to utilize the
body, mind and words completely in the service
of Bhagavn. The new sannys was very simple
and could extract the essence of the instruction.
He became very happy when he heard Bbjs

Teachings

Part
three

words and said: Ki kj sannyse, mora prema

prayojana, dsa kari vetana mora deha premadhana What is the need of my sannysa? My
goal is to achieve prema. Please make me your
servant and give me the wealth of prema as my
salary.
Another time, a few devotees came to rla
Bbj Mahrja for his darana. They offered
reverential greetings at his lotus feet, and with
great respect started singing, je nila premadhana karu pracura, a song composed by r
Narottama dsa hkura. At the end of the krtana
they repeated the last lines again and again
pe kubo mth, anale paibo, gaurga
guera nidhi koth gele pbo. This virahakrtana is filled with lamentation. The purport is
as follows: Where has acnandana r Gaurahari
gone He who, by His causeless mercy, freely and
indiscriminately distributed here on earth kaprema, which is difficult even for Brahm, iva
and others to attain? Where are His associates
such as rla Advaita crya, Svarpa Dmodara,
Rya Rmnanda, r Rpa and r Raghuntha?
Without them I cannot stay alive. Where will I go?
Where will I obtain the dust from their lotus feet?
If I cannot get their darana, I will smash my head
on a stone or enter into burning fire.
After hearing this krtana, Bbj Mahrja
stood up and said, You sang a song, only.
Whose heart is torn apart? You have no idea of
his heart. When the author wrote this krtana, he
was deeply experiencing the pain of separation.
Have you endeavoured to attain that? How can
feelings of separation come before meeting? Has
sambandha-jna appeared in your heart?
It cannot be said whether or not the devotees
performing the krtana understood the sig
nificance of r Bbjs words, nevertheless, the
purport of those words was sublime.

1 Editor: Spiritually powerful personalities are not

harmed by apparent moral transgression. They are
like fire, which devours everything and remains pure
(rmad-Bhgavatam 10.33.29).

67

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Foundation of r Gauya Vednta Samiti

fter establishing r Devnanda Gauya

Maha in r Navadvpa-dhma, r Ktiratna
Prabhu began to consider how to best re-establish
the service that would fulfil the innermost desire
(mano-bha sev) of his most worshipful rla
Prabhupda. It was crucial to re-institute the
publishing of rla Prabhupdas transcendental
magazines and devotional literature. Without
this, the world would be bereft of auspiciousness.
Indeed, this was the way to serve his innermost
desire. r Ktiratna Prabhu thought, The devo
tees dependent on rla Prabhupdas lotus feet
are now roaming here and there, uncertain of
what to do because they have no place in Caitanya
Maha. Our sole duty is to organize them and
again preach rla Prabhupdas instructions far
and wide with the same enthusiasm as before.
With this aim in mind, he rented a house at
32/2 Bosp Lane, in Bgbzr, Kolkata, and
also bought a small press. After a short time,
r Triguantha Mukharj Mahodaya donated
his business, Gaurga Printing Works, to him.
Encouraged by this, Ktiratna Prabhu began
printing devotional literature. Unfortunately,
when thirty-two pages of ik-daamlam were
composed, the complete manuscript was stolen.
Despite the setback, r Ktiratna Prabhu did not
become discouraged.
r Ktiratna Prabhu and some of his
godbrothers established r Gauya Vednta
Samiti in that rented house in Bgbzr, on
the auspicious day of Akaya-tty in the
month of Vaikha (AprilMay) 1940. Among
the godbrothers who were present were r
Abhaya Caraa Bhaktivednta Prabhu (later r
rmad Bhaktivednta Svm Mahrja)2, r
Nsihnanda Brahmacr and r Sajjana-sevaka

2 Editor: see Appendix page 393

68

Brahmacr (rla Gurupda-padmas dk

disciple, now r rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana
Mahrja, the present crya and president of r
Gauya Vednta Samiti [at the time of writing]).
In his lectures, r Gurupda-padma often
mentioned his internal mood when he named
the Samiti. It reflected his understanding that
to nurture transcendental life it is absolutely
necessary to adopt the pure teachings of the
mahjanas. These pure teachings were presented
by r Vedavysaj, who compiled Vednta-stra
for the ultimate welfare of the jvas. The Vednta
is the distillation of the Upaniads, which are in
turn the essence of the Vedas. There are more than
eleven hundred Upaniads, and their established
subject is the worship of sarva-aktimn, the
possessor of all potencies and the shelter of
all transcendental qualities, who is the blissful
para-brahma. In other words, the Upaniads
teach the practice of bhakti. Only through this
practice can the jva become forever free from
birth, death and the threefold miseries, and attain
the loving service of the supremely blissful
complete Reality (pra-brahma), r Ka. All
the mantras really have one meaning, although
some seem to be contradictory. The omniscient
r Vedavysa composed five hundred and fifty
stras, or aphorisms, to clarify the very deep
and difficult philosophical conclusions of the
Upaniads. These stras are variously known as
Brahma-stra, Vednta-stra or rraka-stra.
Another name is Bhakti-stra.
Our Indian cryas have written commentaries
on Vednta-stra according to their particular
bias, in order to strengthen their own doctrines.
The omniscient Vedavysa understood that this
would happen in the future. Accordingly, he
wrote his own commentary on these stras, and

His

Life

and

this is known as rmad-Bhgavatam. He has

clearly confirmed this in his Puras:

anvtti abdt. Additionally, in rmadBhgavatam, which is the commentary on Vednta,

bhakti is established through verses such as
sa vai pus paro dharmo yato bhaktir
adhokaje (1.2.6), mayi bhaktir hi bhtnm
amtatvya kalpate (10.82.44), yasy
vai ryamy ke parama-purue,
bhaktirutpadyate (1.7.7) and bhaktyham ekay
grhya (11.14.21). r Jva Gosvm, the crown
jewel of those learned in Vednta, and gauyavedntcrya r Baladeva Vidybhaa have
used scriptural evidence and irrefutable argu
ments to prove that the subject established in
Vednta-stra is bhakti and bhakti alone.
Some modern learned persons have tried to
prove that Vednta establishes jna and mukti,
but this attempt is based on pure imagination.
Actually, the words jna and mukti are not
mentioned anywhere in the five hundred
and fifty stras of Vednta-stra. According
to vaiavn yath ambhu [rmadBhgavatam 12.13.16] crya akara (an
expansion of Lord iva) is a supreme Vaiava,
but, for some special reason he preached
kevaldvaita-vda, or myvda, a false
doctrine which is opposed to stra.
This society was named r Gauya Vednta
Samiti in order for it to strongly preach
throughout the world this deep secret regarding
bhakti for the welfare of all the jvas.

artho ya brahma-str
bhratrtha-viniraya
gyatr-bhya-rpo sau
vedrtha-paribhita
Garua Pura

rmad-Bhgavatam explains the meaning

of Brahma-stra and is the purport of the
Mahbhrata. It is also the commentary on
gyatr and the essence and explanation of
all the Vedas.
sarva-vednta-sra hi
rmad-bhgavatam-iyate
tad-rasmta-tptasya
nnyatra syd rati kvacit
rmad-Bhgavatam (12.13.15)

The essence of all the Vedas is rmadBhgavatam. Whoever has tasted the nectar
of rmad-Bhgavatam is fully satiated and
cannot be attracted to any other Pura or
stra.

In Vednta-stra, r Vedavysa has clearly

established bhagavad-bhakti, loving devotion
to Bhagavn, through stras such as
nandamayo bhyst, api sardhane
pratyaknumnbhym and anvtti abdd

Teachings

Part
three

Complete dependence on Bhagavn

r Ktiratna Prabhu was a fully akicana

and nikicana Vaiava.3 Throughout his

life he acted only for the pleasure of Ka, and

never collected one pais for his own happiness
or self-interest, having full trust in r Gurudeva
and his worshipful Lord. Therefore, when he
left r Dhma Mypura he was empty-handed.
Many godbrothers, also completely penniless,
joined him in the new r Gauya Vednta Samiti

3 Editor: Akicana a devotee who is free from

possessiveness and is not eager to enjoy or renounce
anything, since he considers everything to be r
Kas property. Nikicana one who is free from
all material possessions; a renunciant.

69

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Keava

G o s vm

At that time, the postman brought r Vinodabihr Prabhu a money order for one hundred
rupees from his godbrother and good friend
tridai-svm r rmad Bhakti Sarvasva
Giri Mahrja of Knpura. Ktiratna Prabhus
eyes overflowed with tears as he recognized the
causeless mercy of r Gurudeva and Bhagavn.
Bhagavn r Ka says in Bhagavad-gt 9.22
that He will Himself carry the burden of the
maintenance and protection of those singlepointed devotees who exclusively meditate upon
His transcendental form and who worship Him
with devotional sentiments:

maha at Bosp Lane. They were devoted to

sdhana-bhajana, and somehow their lives were
maintained by the mercy of Bhagavn.
One Ekda morning, r Ktiratna Prabhu
was chanting r harinma, his grave face
revealing his absorption in a profound mood.
Just then, a brahmacr brought the news that his
godbrother rpda Nryaa Mukharj had come
to meet with him. rla Gurudeva instructed the
brahmacr to seat their guest respectfully. It was
natural for Ktiratna Prabhu to honour guests,
but on this day, he did not have even a pais with
which to serve his godbrother, and this disturbed
him. Just then, by divine desire, he noticed a
chirping sparrow flying from the house to its
nest and back again. Suddenly, the bird dropped
from its beak a small packet, which clanged as
it hit the ground close to Ktiratna Prabhu. Out
of curiosity he opened the small packet and was
happy to find six-and-a-half annas [one anna
equals one sixteenth of a rupee] inside. With this
money he was able to buy fruits and sweets, offer
them to Bhagavn, and thus serve his godbrother.
rpda Nryaa Mukharj became most pleased
by his godbrothers affectionate behaviour, and
they soon began prema-may hari-kath, a
discussion on divine love for r Hari.

Prajna

anany cintayanto m
ye jan paryupsate
te nitybhiyuktn
yoga-kema vahmy aham

Why, then, will the Supreme Lord not fulfil the

desire of a devotee who is completely dependent
upon Him, loving with guests, protective of
dependents and endowed with ideal gurunih? Can r Ka, the ocean of compassion,
not make His name Bhakta-vatsala (brimming
with affection for His devotees) meaningful by
sending money through a small bird?

r rmad Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Mahrja

t would not be out of place to introduce rmad

Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Mahrja at this point.
He was one of the foremost of rla Prabhupdas
dk and sannys disciples. A brahmacr
from boyhood, he was soft-spoken, simple,
honest and endowed with other qualities befitting
a Vaiava. Notably, he was an influential speaker
in Hindi, Bengali and English. He impressed
everyone, common men as well as educated and
respectable people, including governors and
chief ministers from many states. One of his

main strengths was his ability to create faith in

r harinma and bhakti in the community at
large by cultivating friendly relationships. He
preached bhakti in Mumbai, Pune, Kolhpura,
Knpura and other prominent cities of India,
as well as outside India in Rangoon [in Burma]
and other places. In accordance with rla
Prabhupdas desire, during a special session of
the Navadvpa-dhma Pracri Sabh, rmad
Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Mahrja was praised for
his outstanding Vaiava qualities.

70

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

Accepting sannysa

fter the establishment of r Gauya

Vednta Samiti, the scholar in Vednta,
mahopadeaka r Ktiratna Prabhu started
to travel throughout Bengal and prominent
cities of India to preach uddha-bhakti and
r nma. r ymnanda Gauya Maha in
Medinpura (Bengal) was established on r
Ka-janmam 1940. The leading sannyss
and brahmacrs present included rpda
Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Mahrja, rpda
Bhakti Bhdeva raut Mahrja, rpda Bhakti
Vicra Yyvara Mahrja, rpda Aprkta
Bhakti-sraga Gosvm, rpda Vinoda-bihr
Ktiratna Prabhu, mahopadeaka rpda
Hayagrva Brahmacr, rpda Svdhikrnanda
Brahmacr, rpda Bhtabhta Brahmacr
and rpda Rdh-Ramaa Brahmacr (later,
rmad Bhakti Kumuda Santa Mahrja).
Hundreds of maha residents also participated
in the celebration. About ten thousand pious
people attended the festival. At this gathering, a
plan was presented to protect rla Prabhupdas
bhakti-dhr and an outline of the future preach
ing of bhakti. In addition, it was announced that
there would be a Vraja-maala parikram on
foot during the observance of the Krtika vow
the following year. After this Janmam festival,
r Ktiratna Prabhu started to preach in Uttar
Pradesh and in areas of Eastern Bengal.
At this time, during the last part of the
night, r Ktiratna Prabhu dreamed that rla
Prabhupda laid his hand on his right shoulder
and spoke to him in a grave voice: Until now you
have not taken sannysa. Today I am giving you
sannysa. The complete sannysa ceremony
then took place in his dream. When it was over,
rla Prabhupda instructed rmad Bhakti
Sraga Gosvm Mahrja to call out Keava

Mahrja k jaya! The jaya-dhvani was so loud

that Ktiratna Prabhu woke up. He told his senior
godbrothers about the dream and they were elated
to find Keava among the one hundred and eight
sannysa names.
When rla Prabhupda had been personally
present, he had on several occasions expressed
his desire to give sannysa to his intimate, dear
servant, r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr. He used
to say, Vinoda is sannys by body, mind and
words. It only remains to change his outer dress.
On one occasion, rla Prabhupda had desired
to give him sannysa. or-kaupna (loin-cloth),
daa and all the requirements were prepared
and all the arrangements were completed, but
rpda Kuja-bihr Vidybhaa Prabhu, who
was the secretary of the Gauya Mission, made
a humble submission at the lotus feet of rla
Prabhupda: If r Vinoda-bihr is given
sannysa now, it will jeopardize the protection
of the maha and mission. Please, postpone his
sannysa. Because of that intervention, r
Vinoda-bihr was not given sannysa. On
another occasion, the arrangement for Vinodabihrs sannysa was made again at the
Bgbzr Gauya Maha. This time, due to the
special petition of Bhgavata-ratna Prabhu,
rla Prabhupda did not award sannysa. On a
third occasion, rla Prabhupda came to Vinodabihr in a dream and ordered him to take
sannysa: Vinoda, because you have not yet
taken sannysa, my entire preaching work is
being ruined. Finally, for the fourth time, rla
Prabhupda instructed him to take sannysa,
again in a dream, and Ktiratna Prabhu actually
saw himself accepting sannysa from him.
Ktiratna Prabhu took this matter very seriously
and vowed to accept the renounced order of life

71

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Thus the sannysa dress

and sannysa name given by

rla Prabhupda in the dream

became a complete reality.

on the upcoming holy day of Bhdraprim in Kav, where r Mahprabhu

accepted sannysa.
Accordingly, on Prim, r Vinodabihr Brahmacr accepted sannysa
in Kav, from rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupdas dear disciple, rla
Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Gosvm, the
transcendental writer, poet and philoso
pher, in accordance with the pcartrika
method as described in Saskra-dpik.
His sannysa name was then announced:
tridai-svm r rmad Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrja. Pjyapda
rmad Bhakti Bhdeva raut Mahrja
performed the priestly duties and instructed
the brahmacr how to put on the kaupna
and outer cloth. And rla rdhara
Mahrja recited the sannysa-mantra.
Thus the sannysa dress and sannysa
name given by rla Prabhupda in the
dream became a complete reality.
Many of rla Gurudevas sannys
and brahmacr godbrothers were present
for the ceremony that day in r Kavdhma. The entire responsibility for the
expenses of the great festival was borne by
r Vinayabhaa Banarj Bhakti-ketana
Mahodaya, a disciple of rla Prabhupda.
In the evening, everyone returned to r
Devnanda Gauya Maha.

72

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

Preaching in Bengal

hen the personification of mercy,

acnandana r Gaurahari, sent rla
Rpa and rla Santana Gosvms to r Dhma
Vndvana, He instructed them to fulfil His
innermost desires by composing bhakti litera
ture, by explaining the regulations for Vaiava
procedures and conduct (vaiava-smti), by
restoring lost pastime places of Ka in Vraja,
and by establishing service to deities of the Lord.
r Rpa, r Santana and the other
Gosvms completely fulfilled r Caitanya
Mahprabhus inner desire. They composed r
Bhad-bhgavatmta, Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu,
Ujjvala-nlamai, the a-sandarbhas and other
authentic bhakti literature. They also composed
vaiava-smtis like Hari-bhakti-vilsa, Satkriy-sra-dpik and Saskra-dpik delin
eating proper conduct for Vaiavas. They reestablished all the places of Kas pastimes in
the twelve primary forests, the secondary forests
and others.
They established temples for r Madanamohana, r Govindaj, r Gopnthaj, r
Rdh-Ramaaj, r Gopevara Mahdeva, r
Rdh-Dmodara and r Rdh-Vinoda in r
Dhma Vndvana, for Kmevara Mahdeva in
Kmyavana and for other deities as well. Thus
the Gosvms fulfilled rman Mahprabhus
innermost desire.
In the same way, jagad-guru r rmad
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda
fulfilled the innermost desire of r Bhaktivinoda
hkura. He established a printing press (bhadmdaga) for publishing and distributing
bhakti literature to spread the message of r
Gaurasundara. He revived r Navadvpa-dhma
parikram and restored lost places of pilgrimage.

He also protected and encouraged proper con

duct in bhakti. Thus, by these and other projects,
he fulfilled his gurudevas innermost desire.
In the same way, after him, trida-yati
rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm
Mahrja, rla Prabhupdas dear and intimate
disciple, fulfilled rla Prabhupdas innermost
desires. After rla Prabhupdas departure from
this world, r Navadvpa-dhma parikram, the
publishing of bhakti literature, the accepting
of tridaa-sannysa and other activities in
this line almost disappeared. But crya Kesar
[r Bhakti Prajna Keava Mahrja] again
propagated bhakti throughout the world with his
broad expertise and strong preaching.
With irrepressible enthusiasm, o viupda
r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm
Mahrja devoted himself to serving rla
Prabhupdas innermost desire to preach r
Gaurasundaras message of uddha-bhakti
everywhere. He began by arranging large
religious assemblies, with recitation of the
rmad-Bhgavatam, lectures and so forth in
Candana-nagara, Vaidyav, Sevaphul, r
Rmapura and other nearby towns on the holy
banks of the Bhagavat Bhgrath. The chairmen
of the municipality, as well as well-known lawyers,
judges and respected members of the community,
started to cooperate with great respect. After
attentively hearing rla Gurudevas lectures
with great veneration, these people became so
impressed they asked him to establish r Gauya
Mahas in their different districts.
In Chuchur, a town very close to Kolkata,
faithful local gentlemen strongly desired that
rla Gurudeva should establish a Gauya Maha
in a temple named rvsa-Mahprabhura V,

73

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

which they were willing to donate without terms

and conditions. The ancient deities of that temple
had once been worshipped by rvsa Paita,
an associate of r Caitanya Mahprabhu. rla
Gurudeva could not turn down this offer. In April
1943, he accepted this temple and established
r Uddhraa Gauya Maha. Even today, the
worship of those deities is continuing according

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

to Vaiava tradition. The main office of r

Gauya Vednta Samiti and the Gauya Printing
Press were relocated to this maha from Bosp
Lane. rla Gurupda-padma based himself at
the Chuchur maha along with some of his
godbrothers and brahmacrs, and from there
began travelling extensively to preach uddhabhakti.

The ancient deities in r Uddhraa Gauya Maha

74

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

Re-establishment of r Dhma Navadvpa parikram

ue to the expansive preaching of bhakti,

an increasing number of faithful and
virtuous people were now becoming attracted
to crya Kesar. Many ghastha disciples of
rla Prabhupda had been disturbed by the bad
behaviour and impious activities of the managers
of the Gauya Maha at the time. Gradually, many
of them became drawn by rla Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrjas sweet manner
and his strong preaching of uddha-bhakti.
They started to perform bhajana again with
new enthusiasm. Aiming at this resurgence of
interest, in 1942 rla Gurudeva again started the
weeklong r Navadvpa-dhma parikram and
festival to commemorate the appearance of r
Gaurasundara. The enthusiasm of the members

Devotees assembled for hearing hari-kath

of the Samiti was amplified by the participation

of many pious people, tygs, brahmacrs,
sannyss and ghastha Vaiavas.

75

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

The main purpose of fes

tivals such as r Navadvpadhma parikram is to give an
opportunity for the inhabitants
of the world to obtain uddha
sat-saga, the pure association
of saintly persons. Through this
sat-saga, one has a golden
opportunity to nourish various
aspects of bhakti. These include
hearing uddha hari-kath
(pure topics pertaining to the
Lord); abstaining from alcohol,
meat and other prohibited food;
Devotees honouring prasda during parikram
having darana of the deity of
r Bhagavn and of His pastime places; and Prabhu fulfil all the cherished desires and give
hearing and chanting the glories of those places permanent engagement in prema-may sev,
in good association. In addition, one is afforded the loving service of r r Rdh-Ka Yugala,
an unparalleled opportunity to serve r Hari, to those who complete the sixteen kosa r
Guru and Vaiavas. In Navadvpa-dhma- Navadvpa-dhma parikram and take darana
mhtmya, rla Bhaktivinoda hkura writes of r Dhma Mypura under the guidance of
that r Caitanya Mahprabhu and Nitynanda Vaiavas.

Manifestation of crya-ll

year later, in March 1943, the weeklong

r Dhma parikram and r Gaurajanmotsava culminated in huge celebrations at
r Devnanda Gauya Maha in Navadvpa.
The number of sannyss, brahmacrs and
ghastha devotees had increased considerably
from the previous year. The r Dhma
parikram ended with wonderful enthusiasm
as rman Mahprabhus palanquin returned
with a splendid sakrtana festival. This time, on
repeated requests from his godbrothers, crya
Kesar manifested his crya-ll on the day of
r Gaura-janmotsava by giving harinma
initiation to r Rdhntha Kumra, rmat

Mnad Sundar (of Varila) and rmat

Hemgin-dev. Later, after r Rdhntha
Kumra accepted sannysa, he was to
become known as tridai-svm r rmad
Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrja.
After r Dhma parikram, rla Gurudeva
travelled and preached uddha-bhakti. He
observed dmodara-vrata (vows undertaken in
the month of Krtika) in r Uddhraa Gauya
Maha, Chuchur. Then he spent some time at
r Devnanda Gauya Maha. This was followed
by a tour of East Bengal, where he preached along
with Dr. Kapada Vrajavs, Sajjana-sevaka
Brahmacr and other maha residents.

76

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

r r Jaganntha-devas snna-ytr and ratha-ytr in

r Uddhraa Gauya Maha, Chuchur

n Tuesday, 6 June 1944, the snna-ytr

of r Jaganntha-deva took place in r
Uddhraa Gauya Maha in Chuchur. rla
Gurudeva was personally present at this great
festival. In an exultant atmosphere resounding
with sakrtana and the blowing of conch-shells,
r Jaganntha-devas abhieka (sacred bathing
ceremony) was performed with one hundred and
eight earthen pots full of scented water sanctified
by mantras. At the assembly in the evening, rla
Gurudeva explained the underlying meaning and
glories of the snna-ytr, as explained in r
Caitanya-caritmta.
The ten-day festival of r Jaganntha-devas
ratha-ytr began on 20 June 1944. Hundreds
of ghastha devotees from Khuln, Medinpura,
Vaich, Velaghariy and many other places
participated. On the first day of the festival, which
was the disappearance day of rla Saccidnanda
Bhaktivinoda hkura, rla Gurudeva delivered
a profound address on the philosophy of viraha
(separation) as understood in Vaiava literature.
The essence of that lecture is as follows.
The meaning of the word viraha is vi, spe
cial, and raha, meeting, in other words a special
meeting. acnandana r Gaurahari is the
personification of vipralambha-rasa (the mellow
of separation). The pastimes r Gaurahari
exhibited when He resided in the Gambhr in
r Jaganntha Pur are brilliant examples of
viraha (also known as vipralambha). In the
solitude of the night, Mahprabhu tasted with
His intimate associates, r Svarpa Dmodara
and Rya Rmnanda, the different kinds of
bhvas in separation from Ka. In His internal
state of consciousness, He was deeply absorbed

in the mood of viraha which rmat Rdhik,

the embodiment of mahbhva, felt after Ka
left for Mathur. Absorbed in this mood, r
Gaurahari would lament bitterly and lose external
consciousness. Svarpa Dmodara and Rya
Rmnanda would try to console Him, singing
verses favourable to His moods. At times they
would sing verses from rmad-Bhgavatam,
and at other times from Gta-govinda or Kakarmta, or they would sing the verses of
Vidypati, Cadsa and others. Sometimes r
Caitanya Mahprabhu would faint, absorbed
in rdh-bhva, remembering in His heart
a particular pastime of Ka in Vraja. This
deep absorption of Caitanya Mahprabhu in
remembrance of Rdh and Ka is called
vipralambha or viraha.
On the viraha-tithi (disappearance day) of
the guru or previous cryas, the true disciple
(sat-iya) meditates upon the transcendental
qualities of these mahpuruas and vows to
employ their instructions in his life as far as
possible. If there is no such contemplation, and
if one is only busy with arranging for different
kinds of nice mah-prasda, then it is not a pure
viraha-mahotsava.
After r Rmacandrajs victory over Lak,
He ruled Ayodhy for a long time. For a special
reason, He renounced His consort, St, eleven
thousand years after ascending the throne.
Lamenting, St arrived at the rama of Vlmki
i, who gave her shelter. There, Lava and Kua
(St and Rmas twin sons) were born. The
boys became expert singers and sang Vlmkis
Rmyaa in the assembly of r Rma. Through
Vlmki, r Rma then called Stj to the royal

77

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

assembly in order for her to prove her purity. At

that time Stj lamented and called her mother,
Pthv-dev, O Pthv-dev, if I am pure, and if no
thought of any man other than r Rma has ever
touched my inner heart, then open up and take
me on your lap. Hearing this prayer, the earth
broke open and Pthv-dev appeared. She took
Stj on her lap and again entered Ptla. Rma
Himself, His brothers, His mothers and all the
people in the assembly started to cry.
Once, the play, St Entering Ptla was
performed at a theatre. The next day, the play
changed venues, and the crowd was even larger
than the day before. If sorrow is the only feeling
in transcendental separation, why did such a large
number of people gather? To experience pain?
Clearly there is also a feeling of transcendental
happiness in such separation. r Bhagavn and
His associates are full of eternity, knowledge and
bliss (sac-cid-nanda) so it is not possible for
their birth, death and apparent suffering to be
worldly. Therefore, even though externally there
may be a feeling of sorrow in separation from
the worshipful deity or the devotees of Bhagavn,
simultaneously there is an internal feeling of
divine and inexpressible happiness. This is the
hidden secret of viraha. Therefore, in Vaiava
literature an occasion of separation is known
as a viraha-utsava. Utsava means a festival or
celebration that gives happiness.
Listening to this deep exposition, the entire
audience was captivated and left speechless.
rla Gurudevas lecture was praised everywhere,
and pure devotees wove it into a garland to wear
around their necks.
On Thursday, 21 June, according to r
Jaganntha Pur tradition, the pastime of cleaning
the Guic Temple (guic-mrjana-ll) was
observed. Under rla Gurudevas guidance,

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

everyone went to r ymasundara temple some

distance away with glorious sakrtana, carrying
brooms and earthen water-pots. The temple was
swept and washed clean for r Jaganntha-deva.
r Gurudeva then told the story of guicmrjana from r Caitanya-caritmta.
The inner meaning of r guic-mrjana,
the cleansing of the Guic temple, is that it
represents the sdhaka removing different types
of unwanted desires (anarthas), offences and
worldly attachments from his heart, to establish
his worshipful r r Rdh-Govinda there. If
the sdhaka does not make any effort to throw
out the dirt, which is opposed to bhakti, pure love
for Bhagavn will not appear in his impure heart,
even if he performs ravaa and krtana for a
long time. Such ravaa-krtana is sometimes a
mere semblance, or bhsa, and is always based
on offences (apardhas). Therefore, sdhakas
should try very carefully to remove these
anarthas. That is the purport of the cleaning of
the Guic temple.
The third day of the festival was the day of
ratha-ytr. Under r Gurudevas guidance,
r Jaganntha-deva was seated splendidly on
His cart, and taken through the different streets
of Chuchur to r ymasundara temple with
nagara-sakrtana. From that day until the return
ytr, Jagannthaj resided in r ymasundara
temple. During this time, r Gurudeva deliberated
upon and explained the topic of ratha-ytr
from r Caitanya-caritmta every evening. On
the day of her-pacam, rla Guru Mahrja
also revealed the secrets of the deeply hidden
philosophical truths of this festival.
On Friday, 1 July, r Jagannthaj returned
from Sundarcala (r ymasundara temple)
to Nlcala (r Uddhraa Gauya Maha).
Once again, the procession was accompanied

78

His

Life

and

by nagara-sakrtana. On the day of the return

ytr, r Gurudeva gave an explanation of this
from the point of view of the rpnuga Gauya
Vaiavas, sei ta para-ntha pinu, yh
lgi madana-dahane jhuri genu Now I have
obtained prantha r Ka, for Him I was
burning in the flames of Cupid (r Caitanyacaritmta, Madhya-ll 13.113), and ka la

Teachings

Part
three

vraje yi I am taking Ka [from Kuruketra]

to Vraja (r Caitanya-caritmta, Madhyall 1.56). In other words, We are returning to
Vndvana with our prantha, the Lord of our
life, r Ka. This is the hidden secret of rathaytr. On the evening of this last day there was a
grand festival and wonderful mah-prasda was
distributed to all the local people.

Preaching and Vraja-maala parikram in 1944

ecause
of
rla
Gurudevas
itinerant
preaching, r Navadvpadhma parikram and other
programs, the number of
maha residents gradually
increased.
Paramrdhya
rla Gurudeva now entrusted
individual maha residents
with the responsibility of
travelling and preaching. They
included rmad Bhakti Kuala
Nrasiha Mahrja, rpda
Narottamnanda Brahmacr
Bhakti-kamala, r Dnrtihara
Brahmacr, r Rdhntha dsa and r
Viupada dsa. These devotees began to preach
in Bhgalpura and other places of Bihra. rla
Gurudeva himself went with Mukunda-gopla
Vrajavs Bhakti-madhu, r Sajjana-sevaka
Brahmacr and Bhakta Anila, and preached pure
bhakti in Jayanagara, Majilapura, Viupura,
Kacandrapura, Ambuliga, Cakratrtha and
other places in West Bengal, after which they
returned to r Dhma Navadvpa.
In 1944, rla Gurudeva organized the
eighty-four kosa Vraja-maala parikram
during r niyama-sev krtika-vrata (the vows
and regulations observed during the month

of Krtika). Tridai-svm Bhakti Kuala

Nrasiha Mahrja, rmad Bhakti Sarvasva
Giri Mahrja, rmad Bhakti Praka Araya
Mahrja, r Narottamnanda Brahmacr
Bhakti-kamala and other leading sannyss and
brahmacrs participated in this parikram.
Many tents were provided for the convenience
of the pilgrims while they travelled through the
forests. The deity of rman Mahprabhu was
worshipped daily with offerings of bhoga, along
with krtana and the narration of the glories of
the places of r Kas pastimes. The parikram
was completed in about forty days and everyone
returned to their respective places fully satisfied.

79

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Eighty-four kosa Ketra-maala parikram

fter the r Navadvpa-dhma parikram

in 1945, rla Gurudeva travelled with
r Dnadayla Brahmacr, Sajjana-sevaka
Brahmacr,
Anaga-mohana
Brahmacr
and others to different places in Orissa, to
enthusiastically preach uddha-bhakti and to
plan a r Ketra-maala parikram. They
visited Blevara, r Jaganntha Pur, Kaaka,
Bsulh, llantha, Vorkud on the banks of
the Cilk-hrada, Klp-gha, Raapurgaha
state, Sonval (a site of rman Mahprabhus
footprints), Nayaragaha, Khaap, Kal
(r Nla-mdhava), Narasihapura, Khurd Road
and various other places. rman Mahprabhu
passed through all these places when He went to
South India. Single-pointed devotees of rman
Mahprabhu have the heartfelt desire to travel
to all those places that He and His associates
visited, while He was overwhelmed in bhva.

rla Gurudeva wanted to do parikram of those

places along with pure devotees to awaken the
memory of rman Mahprabhu. After preparing
an outline for the future parikram, he returned
to Uddhraa Gauya Maha in Chuchur.
On 16 October 1945, when all the arrange
ments had been completed, rla Gurudeva started
the journey from Howrah station to r Purdhma in a reserved railway coach, accompanied
by pilgrims, sannyss and brahmacrs from
all over India. The party reached Pur the next
day, and rested there. Then, under the shelter of
r Caitanya Mahprabhus vijaya-vigraha (the
small deity that is taken out on parikram), they
had darana of rla Prabhupdas appearance
place
Bhakti-kura
(rla
Bhaktivinoda
hkuras place of bhajana). They also visited
rla Haridsa hkuras place of bhajana,
Siddha-bakula; his samdhi; Puruottama Maha;

80

His

Life

and

o Gopntha and the temple of r Jaganntha.

At r Jaganntha Mandira, they had darana of
r Jaganntha, Baladeva and Subhadr.
In the evening rla Guru Mahrja
narrated the glories of the dhma. He said that
Puruottama-ketra is not limited to the city of
Jaganntha Pur, which is five kosas. Rather, its
circumference is ten yojanas (approximately
eighty miles) and the ketra, which is eighty-four
kosas in area, has the shape of a conch shell. If
anyone within these eighty-four kosas leaves
his body thinking of Jaganntha, he will not take
birth in the womb of a mother again, but will go
to Vaikuha.
One Satya-yuga, Indradyumna Mahrja
came here with his wife and subjects. He
constructed a huge temple and, pleasing r Nlamdhava by his worship, he installed r Nlamdhava in the form of the four deities, r r
Jaganntha, Baladeva, Subhadr and Sudarana.
The arrangements he instituted for offering
bhoga are followed to this day.
After rman Mahprabhu took sannysa,
He resided in the Gambhr in Jaganntha Pur
on His mothers request. There He fulfilled His
three inner desires with His intimate associates.
Only those who are fortunate get the opportunity
to visit the places marked by r Gaurasundaras
lotus feet.
The next day, the parikram party had
darana of Caaka Parvata, o Gopntha,
Yamevara o, Lokantha iva, Pur Gosvms
well, Mrkaeya-sarovara, Narendra-sarovara,
Indradyumna-sarovara, Guic Mandira, Cakratrtha and Svargadvra.
On the third day, the party visited Govardhana
Maha, which had been established by r
akarcrya, Stalahariy Maha established
by r Rmnuja, Jaganntha Vik and other

Teachings

Part
three

various famous places. After this, they arrived

at the celebrated abode of llantha. The
deity at llantha is named r Alvarantha or
llantha because He is served by the lvrs of
the r sampradya. rman Mahprabhu would
go there when He was feeling intense separation
from r Jaganntha during anavasara, the time
after snna-ytr when Jaganntha does not give
darana. When Mahprabhu offered sgaprama (prostrate obeisances) in the temple
in this state of separation, the stones under Him
melted, leaving an impression of His entire body.
To this day, the impression of His transcendental
body is present on one stone. The pilgrims had
darana of this il and also worshipped it with
great faith. In a village nearby are the houses and
bhajana-kuras of Mahprabhus associates,
r Rya Rmnanda, ikhi Mhiti and his sister
Mdhav. These places are worth visiting even
today.
On the banks of Cilk-hrada there is a village
where the footprints of r Caitanya Mahprabhu
can be seen. This village has a famous history.
It had been arranged that Puruottama Jn,
the father of Mahrja Pratparudra, would
marry the daughter of the king of Vidynagara
here. However, when the king of Vidynagara
came to know that Jn swept the street in front
of r Jagannthas cart during ratha-ytr,
he cancelled the wedding. Puruottama Jn
attacked Vidynagara with his army, but returned
badly defeated. Very upset by the turn of events,
he prayed to r Jaganntha and r Baladeva for
victory in the next war. He received an auspicious
indication from r Jagannthaj that his prayer
had been accepted and therefore he proceeded
with great enthusiasm with his entire army.
To help Their dear servant, Jaganntha and
Baladeva went ahead dressed as young soldiers

81

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

intelligence. After becoming expert in Sanskrit,

he went for specialized education to Up,
rla Madhvcryas place in South India, where
he concentrated his studies on Au-bhya
(Madhvcryas commentary on Vednta-stra) as
well as other well-known writings of the Madhva
sampradya. He also studied r Rmnujas
r-bhya. Afterward, in Pur, Baladeva
Vidybhaa met r Rdh-Dmodara Gosvm,
a follower of Nayannanda in the disciplic line
of r ymnanda. Baladeva Vidybhaa was
so impressed by r Rdh-Dmodara Gosvms
teachings that he took dk from him. He then
travelled to r Dhma Vndvana, where he met
the learned and topmost rasika Vaiava rla
Vivantha Cakravart hkura, who taught him
how to enter into the philosophical conclusions
of the Gauya Vaiavas.
r Baladeva Vidybhaa spent the
remaining part of his life dedicated to the
service of rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura,
studying the literature of the six Gosvms and
other famous Vaiava treatises. Seeing his
qualification, r Cakravart hkura sent him
to Galt-gadd in Jaipura, where an assembly
had gathered for philosophical debate. There
he defeated the Rmnands and other scholars
who were opposed to the Gauya Vaiavas,
and he established the Gauya philosophical
conclusions. It was at this time that he wrote
Govinda-bhya, his commentary on Brahmastra, which established the prestige of the
Gauya sampradya in every direction.
rla Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu, a solid
pillar of the r Gauya sampradya, is promi
nent among the rpnuga Vaiava cryas.
Nowadays, some modern so-called Gauya
Vaiavas do not accept him as a Gauya
Vaiava crya. That is their great misfortune.

riding on two horses, one red and one white. On

the way, They met an old woman carrying a pot
of yoghurt on her head. Being thirsty, They asked
the woman to give Them some yoghurt to drink.
When the old woman asked for money, one of the
horsemen gave His golden ring to her and said,
We are the kings soldiers. He is coming behind
with the army. Show him this ring and ask him
for money. Saying this, They again went ahead.
A short while later, when the king came with his
army, the old lady showed him the ring and asked
for money for her yoghurt. On that ring, which the
king had himself offered to r Jaganntha, were
marked the words r Jaganntha. The kings eyes
overflowed with tears, and he became convinced
that his worshipful Jaganntha and Baladeva
were in the forefront of his army to help him in
the war, which he indeed won. The king gave the
old lady ownership of a whole village, and even
today her descendants are enjoying that property.
From there the parikram party reached the
very beautiful Vorkud on one side of Cilkhrada. The pilgrims then crossed Cilk-hrada
on many boats and reached Raapuragaha.
All of these pilgrimage places in Orissa were
surrounded by deep, thick jungle, where tigers
and other dangerous animals were a real threat.
The pilgrims were under protection, but still
they went by foot with great care. In spite of the
dangers, worship of the deity, offerings of bhoga,
recitations and lectures went on daily as a matter
of course.
r Baladeva Vidybhaa appeared in a
village near Cilk-hrada. One evening before the
assembled Vaiavas, rla Gurudeva explained
about Baladeva Vidybhaas transcendental
qualities. [The following is the story he related.]
From his boyhood, Baladeva Vidybhaa
was a brilliant person endowed with transcendental

82

His

Life

and

rla Bhaktivinoda hkura calls such ignorant

people the spies of Kali.
rla Gurudeva also explained, The stra,
ekam evdvityam the Absolute Truth is one
without a second (Chndogya Upaniad 6.2.1),
does not refer to a nirkra nirviea-brahma
(brahma without any form and qualities). The
word advitya here means, among many He is
the one unparalleled, supreme Truth. We do not
perceive one or the number 1 in the word ekam,
because the word one has three letters, and
when we write the number 1, it is composed of
millions of dots. The one mentioned in this stra
refers to an all-inclusive one brahma which is
second to none. In other words, it can be called
unity in diversity. Bhagavn is seen as one in
His feature of sarva-aktimn, possessed of all
potencies, together with the special features of
His holy name (r nma), His qualities (gua),
His pastimes (ll) and His associates (parikra).
To illustrate this unity in diversity, we can
give two examples. The first is that of the human
body, which is made up of a conglomeration of
parts. If even one part is omitted, the body cannot
be accepted as complete. The eyes, nose, ears,
tongue and other parts have special features. For
example, the left and right eyes are not the same,
and they act differently. An eye also has many
different parts, such as the eyelids and eye
lashes. The inner eye, too, has a pupil and many
component parts. In the same way, the other parts
of the body have individual distinctive features.
The second example is that of a mile post.
One mile is made up of eight furlongs, and
roads are marked with seven posts indicating
distances from one to seven furlongs, after which
a milestone appears. Then there are seven more
posts at one-furlong intervals, and then a second
milestone is seen. One can think that a mile

Teachings

Part
three

comes after six or seven furlongs, but really it

is eight furlongs, which make one mile. The
important point is that the idea of eight fur
longs is relevant only in that it is equal to one
mile; it does not exist separately. Similarly, llpuruottama r Bhagavn is one when He is
together with the complete variety of His tran
scendental pastimes. In this material world, a
wonderful manifestation of transcendental pas
times, there is no other well-wisher and friend
like Him. The stra ekam evdvityam is used to
explain this siddhnta.
From Raapuragaha, the parikram party
reached the Naygaha state, where the pilgrims
were given a royal welcome. r Govardhana-pj
and the annaka festival were performed there.
The king of that area, Rj Bahdura, participated
in the annaka festival along with his family.
Then the parikram party went to Kal (Nlamdhava) via Khaapr. There, on top of the
mountain, they had darana of Nla-mdhava.
The Puras tell the following story about Nlamdhava.
In Satya-yuga, Indradyumna, the king of Avant,
heard from some pilgrims about the glories of
r Nla-mdhava, the deity who presided in the
area adjacent to Nla-samudra. He was quite
impressed and sent his special envoys to find
the exact location of r Nla-mdhava. One of
the envoys was Vidypati, the son of his priest.
In the course of the young brhmaas search,
he reached the shore of Mah-sgara which
was close to r Nla-mdhavas mountain. One
evening he came upon the house of the chief of
the village, a man named Vivvasu, who belonged
to the abara caste. After some investigation,
Vidypati guessed that this Vivvasu was
Nla-mdhavas pujr. Vidypati then married
Vivvasus young daughter. Some time later, to

83

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

confirm his suspicions about Nla-mdhava, he

asked his wife where her father would go and
who he was worshipping. He appealed to her
to arrange that he might have darana of those
deities. Vivvasu consented to his daughters
wishes, and fulfilled the desire of Vidypati.
Vivvasu covered Vidypatis eyes with a
strip of black cloth and did not remove it until they
reached r Nla-mdhavas temple on top of the
mountain. Vivvasu went to the temple garden to
pick flowers. Vidypati then saw an astonishing
incident. A drowsy crow was sitting on a branch
of a tree, which hung over a lake in front of the
temple. The crow fell into the water and drowned.
The crows soul immediately took a four-armed,
spiritual form, mounted a transcendental airplane
and departed for Vaikuha. When Vidypati saw
this scene, he also wanted to jump into the lake,
but a grave voice from the sky announced, You
have many things to do. Now you must wait.
Later, Vidypati had darana of Nla-mdhava
and then went home with Vivvasu. Thereafter,
Vidypati returned to his king in the town of
Avant with news of Nla-mdhava.
[Upon hearing that the Lord had been located,]
Mahrja Indradyumna departed with his family
members and his entire army for Nla-mdhavas
darana. But when he arrived, he only saw a sand
mountain; Nla-mdhavas whereabouts were not
to be known. Feeling utterly helpless, the king
went to the shore of the ocean to perform worship
in order to attain Nla-mdhavas darana. There,
Nla-mdhava appeared to him and said, At this
time I will not take this form of Nla-mdhava.
Instead, I will appear as r Jaganntha, Baladeva,
Subhadr and Sudarana, to accept your service
and give darana to the people of the world.
The pilgrims had darana of the pratibhvigraha of Nla-mdhava, and Guru Mahrja

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

described the history of the famous Nlamdhava as described in the scriptures.

From Kal, rla Gurudeva and the
parikram party returned to Pur-dhma. Along
the way, they visited Kaaka, Bhuvanevara
and other places. Bhuvanevara, also known as
Ekmra Knana, is one of the principal places
of pilgrimage in India and is situated within r
Ketra.
Prvatj had heard all about the glories of
r Jaganntha-ketra, and performed rigid
austerities in Ekmra Knana to obtain darana
of Bhagavn. Because of her devotion, Bhagavn
r Hari appeared before her in the form of
Vsudeva Ka. When the Lord saw Prvats
austere worship, one teardrop (bindu) fell from
His eyes, and this formed a huge lake (sarovara),
which became known as Bindu-sarovara. It is
said that the word Hindu, signifying the ryan
inhabitants of the area between the Himlayas in
the north and Bindu-sarovara in the south, comes
from the first syllable hi in Himlaya and the last
syllable ndu of bindu.
In Bhuvanevara is a huge iva liga, which
is famous as Bhuvanevara. Nearby is the temple
of r Ananta Vsudeva. Formerly, the bhoga
offered in this Vsudeva temple was offered
as mah-prasda to Bhuvanevara Mahdeva,
and Vaiavas accepted the prasda from r
Bhuvanevara, although they do not accept the
prasda from r Mahdeva anywhere else. (This
custom of first offering bhoga to Viu has
been stopped, so Vaiavas no longer accept r
Mahdevas mah-prasda; they only accept it
from the temple of Ananta Vsudeva.)
On 19 November, the parikram of
Puruottama-ketra was completed and everyone
returned to their respective places.

84

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

Parental affection for his disciples

n 1946, to observe the month-long Krtika

rj-vrata niyama-sev, our most worshipful
rla Gurudeva performed bhat (great)
parikram and paca-kos parikram of
K-dhma together with many sannyss,
brahmacrs and ghastha-bhaktas. As in
previous years, r nma-sakrtana, lectures,
readings of bhakti literature and other devotional
activities took place regularly. After this, rla
Gurudeva returned to r Devnanda Gauya
Maha in Navadvpa. From there he travelled
with r Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacr, r Anagamohana Brahmacr and other brahmacrs and
preached pure bhakti throughout the Medinpura
district, in places such as Jhinukkhal, Prvacaka,
Begunv and Kalyapura.
In Kalyapura, r Anaga-mohana
Brahmacr suddenly became ill. r Anagamohana was fully dedicated to serving his
guru. His voice was very sweet and he used
to sing beautifully in krtana. He was also
expert in playing mdaga. In addition, he was
extraordinarily skilful in cooking offerings and
in the personal service of Gurudeva. Because
of his excellent Vaiava qualities, everyone had
great affection for him.
After Anaga-mohana became ill, rla
Gurudeva returned with him to Kolkata. While
there, Anaga-mohana started homeopathic
treatment with the famous doctor, Captain
D. L. Sarkra. Following Dr. Sarkras advice, r
Anaga-mohana Brahmacr went to Sidhv,
an isolated but charming and healthy place on the
border of Bengal and Bihra, and rla Gurudeva
himself went with him. When the brahmacrs
health did not improve, rla Guru Mahrja took
him to Devaghara in Vaidyantha-dhma which

was reputed to be good for health. They went there

with Trigutta dsa Brahmacr, r Gauranryaa dsa Adhikr [the author], r Sajjanasevaka Brahmacr, r Govardhana Brahmacr
and others. However, r Anaga-mohanas health
did not improve there either. The brahmacr
was then brought back to Sidhv, and he was
finally admitted in the ambaram TB Sanatorium
in Chennai. After making all arrangements for
Anaga-mohanas treatment, Gurudeva returned
to the maha in Kolkata, leaving r Trigutta
Brahmacr and I [the author] to take care of
the sick brahmacr in the ambaram hospital.
Despite all these arrangements, however, r
Anaga-mohana could not be saved and he left
this world on 2 March 1950.
I was with r Anaga-mohana when he left this
world. While there, I never saw his face disturbed.
During the whole period of his stay in the hospital,
he happily chanted the names of Bhagavn or
listened lovingly to rmad-Bhgavatam and
r Caitanya-caritmta, which we read to him
regularly. All the doctors, junior and senior, were
very attracted by his gentle behaviour. On the day
of his passing, he suddenly said, r r RdhKa are calling me to Vndvana. Jaya r Rdhe!
Jaya r Ka! H Gauracandra! H Nitynanda
Prabhu! H Gurudeva!
With folded hands, I requested him, Prabhu,
please bestow your mercy upon me and in
Vndvana, call me also. Upon learning that r
Anaga-mohana was to depart, the whole team of
doctors arrived and proceeded to examine him.
He made a gesture to indicate that the women
present in the room should leave. All the doctors
and visitors were struck with wonder as he took
his last breath saying, H Rdhe! H Ka!

85

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

r Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm (back right) with r Anaga-mohana Brahmacr (front left)

... his service to his guru bore

I meditated on this incident very seriously.

Ajmila became free from the sufferings of birth
and death and attained Vaikuha-dhma simply
by the performance of nmbhsa when he
uttered the name Nryaa to call his son. What
then can be said of someone who has supreme
faith in his guru and who is always chanting
the name of Ka free from offences and with
sambandha-jna? In his last moment he was in
such good consciousness that he was chanting,
H Rdhe! H Ka! and telling us, Rdh and
Ka are calling me to Vndvana. What will be
the destiny of such a high-class guru-sevaka?
Surely he will attain Vraja-dhma. We were never
able to imagine the glories of this devotee earlier.
His life is blessed; his service to his guru bore
fruit. I understood that this was possible only
by the causeless mercy of r Gurudeva, and
not by any special sdhana-bhajana. My faith

fruit. I understood that this was

possible only by the causeless mercy
of r Gurudeva, and not by any
special sdhana-bhajana.

in our worshipful r Gurudeva was intensified

and when I returned from ambaram, I devoted
myself to serving my guru with even greater faith.
Paramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva estab
lished Siddhv Gauya Maha in Sidhv in
the memory of his dear servant Anaga-mohana
Brahmacr. Even today, daily worship of the
deity as well as lectures and krtana are going on,
and every year a viraha-utsava is held in memory
of this brahmacr.

86

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

rddha ceremony according to Vaiava rites in Kalyapura

r Rsa-bihr dsa Adhikr Bhakti-str

Bhiag-ratna Mahaya, an inhabitant of
Kalyapur (in Medinpura district), zealously
endeavoured to invite rla Gurudeva to partici
pate in the observance of the rddha ceremony of
his mother. rla Gurudeva attended the program
with many of his associates. The priestly duties
at this ceremony were performed by pjyapda
r Bhakti Bhdeva raut Mahrja, who was
a favourite of rla Prabhupda and who had
a close relationship with rla Guru Mahrja.
He was a special preacher expert in Sanskrit,
Bengali, Hindi, English and other languages, and
had preached pure bhakti in K, Prayga, Pan,
Medinpura and other regions under the guid
ance of rla Prabhupda. He had also managed
the monthly Hindi magazine Bhgavata-patrik
during rla Prabhupdas time.
Here it must be particularly noted that rla
Gurudeva was very firm in the philosophical
conclusions of bhakti and fearlessly spoke the
impartial truth. He was never reluctant to speak
bhakti-siddhnta, regardless of whether his
words pleased others or not. Although pjyapda
raut Mahrja was his godbrother and close
friend, rla Gurudeva still strongly objected to
the errors he made in conducting this Vaiava
rddha ceremony. He has made a signed
statement to this effect in his notebook. The
following points are taken from his notes.
(1) rla raut Mahrja chose Brahm as
the object of worship in this Vaiava rddha.
(r r Rdh-Ka, rman Mahprabhu and
r gurudeva were not chosen as the worshipful
objects.) rla raut Mahrja said that it is
proper to worship Brahm in Vaiava rddha,
because r Vaikhnas Mahrja has written this

in his paddhati. Yet the arrangement of choosing

the object of worship is given in Sat-kriy-sradpik, Hari-bhakti-vilsa and other Smtis.
(2)
In this ceremony, unboiled paddy
rice (arv rice) with ghee was sanctified by
mantras and given to a smrta brhmaa (r
Rsa-bihrs family guru) first, and tridasannyss were given donations after this. This
practice is also contrary to vaiava-smtis
which state that substances offered to Bhagavn
should be given to r gurudeva and Vaiavas.
(3) In regard to establishing the presiding
deity (brahma-sthpana) of the rddha, rpda
raut Mahrja stated that this is not a duty,
because Sat-kriy-sra-dpik mentions that in
the absence of a presiding deity, a deity made of
kua can be established. He also said that Satkriy-sra-dpik was composed by Vaikuha
Vcaspati and not by r Gopla Bhaa, which
is not true. rla Bhaktivinoda hkura collected
an old copy of the text by r Gopla Bhaa from
the famous royal library in Jaipura and published
it, and the gosvms of r Rdh-Ramaa still
have an old copy of the manuscript by r Gopla
Bhaa.
(4) Adhivsa (preliminary rites) was per
formed with some smrta mantras rather than in
accordance with Sat-kriy-sra-dpik.
(5) At this ceremony, giving of charity was
performed first, instead of after Vaiava homa,
as stipulated in Sat-kriy-sra-dpik.
rpda raut Mahrja called the smrta
guru-brhmaa inside the sacrificial altar and
gave a begging bowl, eating plate, wooden shoes,
umbrella, bedding and other things in charity to
him. This custom is completely opposed to Haribhakti-vilsa (9.103), where it is clearly written:

87

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Keava

G o s vm

(9) Unoffered uncooked rice, dl, salt,

potatoes, green bananas and ghee were kept
in two separate pots, and both were offered in
the name of the expired mother of Rsa-bihr.
One of these was given directly to the smrtabrhmaa, the family guru, who accepted it
sitting on a separate sana in the sacrificial altar.
This is improper in every respect.
(10) In this ceremony there was no worship
even of r Vsudeva as given in Sat-kriy-sradpik.
(11) nti-homa, circumambulation and other
Vaiava customs were omitted in this ceremony.
(12) Offering of pia and bhoga was also
not performed in accordance with the rules.
(13) It seems that the mantras used in this
ceremony were also different [from those in
vaiava-smti].
(14) camana, etc., also, was not performed.
(15) Prasda was served facing south. This is
not proper.
(Please see page 133 in the first Hindi edition
of Sat-kriy-sra-dpik.)

svabhvasthai karmajan
vacayan dravidibhi
harer-naivedya-sambhrn
vaiavebhya samarpayet
One should deceive those who are grossly
involved in karma, i.e. the non-Vaiavas,
by giving them unoffered items or wealth,
but one should give the Vaiavas the items
which have been offered to Bhagavn.

(6) There was no performance of achidravcana, the chanting of mantras to allay faults,
as described in Sat-kriy-sra-dpik, for the
defects in the pryacitta homa. (Uddicya,
concluding activities, were also left out.)
(7) In the Vaiava sacrifice, no sacrifice was
performed to the guru-parampar.
(8) Some portion of the ghee of the Vaiava
homa was offered in the fire for each person
alitys name, and a portion was kept in a separate
pot, which was mixed with mah-prasda and
was given as pia at the time of offering pia.
(This process has not been mentioned in any
vaiava-smti.)

Prajna

(Signed) B. P. Keshab 10.11.47

Preaching in Bihra

n 1945, rla Gurudeva sent pjyapda

Bhakti Kuala Nrasiha Mahrja, r
Narottamnanda Bhakti-kamala, r Rdhntha
dsa Adhikr, Prema-prayojana Brahmacr
and others to preach pure bhakti in Dumk,
Shibagaja, Rjmahal and Bhgalpur in the
state of Bihra. While r Narottamnanda
Bhakti-kamala was preaching in Shibagaja,
I [then rman Nryaa Tivr, the author]
became acquainted with him. At that time, I
was working in the office of the police station.

Upon hearing brahmacrjs extremely sweet

hari-kath, I became eager to renounce this
material world. Nonetheless, I remained in my
service for some time. In December 1946, how
ever, I retired from the police service and left
home to join r Gauya Maha in Navadvpadhma. The following year, 1947, on the day of
Gaura-janmotsava after the Navadvpa-dhma
parikram, paramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva
gave me r harinma and dk. I then became
known as r Gaura-nryaa Bhakta-bndhava.

88

His

Life

and

r vysa-pj celebration

n 27 February 1948, r vysa-pj was

celebrated at r Uddhraa Gauya
Maha to commemorate fifty years from the day
r Gurupda-padma appeared. On the first
day of this occasion there was an elaborate
observation of r vysa-pj, including the
worship of ka-pacaka, vysa-pacaka,
crya-pacaka, sanakdi-pacaka, gurupacaka, upsya-pacaka and paca-tattvapacaka. Then pupjali and a fire sacrifice
concluded the morning ceremony. In the evening
program, rla Gurudeva lectured from rmadBhgavatam and explained the episode in which

Teachings

Part
three

Ka Dvaipyana Vedavysa obtains realization

of the Absolute Truth while in samdhi. On
the third day of the festival, on jagad-guru
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupdas
auspicious appearance day (avirbhva-tithi),
rla Gurudeva worshipped the nicely decorated
deity of rla Prabhupda. rat took place
during the singing of rla Prabhupda rat,
a song composed by rla Gurudeva, and then
pupjali was offered to rla Prabhupdas
lotus feet. Every year after that, r Gauya
Vednta Samiti observed r vysa-pj in this
elaborate way.

The departure of rla Narahari Sev-vigraha Prabhu

n 30 January 1948, Nthrma Gose

shot Mahtma Gndh at the Delhi prayer
assembly. On that very same day, ajtaatru
pjyapda r Narahari Brahmacr Sevvigraha Prabhu disappeared from this world in
r Navadvpa-dhma, during the brahmamuhrta hour. At that time, rla Gurudeva was
preaching in the Medinpura area. When he
returned to Chuchur on 1 February, he received
a telegram from r Mahnanda Brahmacr with
this heartbreaking news, and became stunned
like a stone. When his external consciousness
returned a short time later, he began to cry,
overwhelmed by the piercing separation.
r Sev-vigraha Prabhu was one of the
foremost disciples and intimate servants of
jagad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Gosvm Prabhupda. Our most worshipful rla
Gurupda-padma had a very close friendship
with him; they lived together for a long time
and served r Dhma Mypura in countless
ways. rla Prabhupda turned over the entire

responsibility for r Dhma Mypura to this

dear servant and could then preach uddhabhakti everywhere with a peaceful mind. [After
rla Prabhupdas disappearance,] r Sevvigraha Prabhu and rla Gurudeva left Caitanya
Maha together and established r Devnanda
Gauya Maha in r Dhma Navadvpa. Like
rla Prabhupda, rla Gurudeva entrusted the
whole responsibility of r Devnanda Gauya
Maha to r Sev-vigraha Prabhu and could
thus preach peacefully everywhere.
In the first issue of r Gauya-patrik, the
main magazine of the Samiti, rla Gurudeva
wrote an essay entitled Viraha-mgalya, about
Sev-vigraha Prabhu. The torment I feel by
not being able to see r Gurupda-padma and
hkura Narahari Sev-vigraha Prabhu, who was
devoted solely to serving him, mingles with my
pen, causing it to falter at every step and proceed
so slowly across the page.
rla Prabhupda was very pleased to discover
his intimate servitor, pjyapda r Narahari

89

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

O Narahari D! Your

uninterrupted service to Hari, Guru

and Vaiavas will manifest of its
own accord in the memory of anyone
who takes your auspicious name.
... You have performed the ideal
service in a way that is supremely
blissful and free from anger.
This is the sole aim and objective of
r Gauya Vednta Samiti.

Prabandhvali, which was presented on rla

Bhaktivinoda hkuras disappearance day. In
that preface he described him as a brilliant star
of the Gauya Vednta Samiti who is eternally
immersed in the flow of nectar coming from rla
Bhaktivinoda hkura.
rla Narahari Sev-vigraha Prabhu appeared
in the famous Vasu dynasty of the village of
Dey in the Yaohara district of East Bengal.
In his early life he and his family were initiated
with the akti-mantra, but he and the majority
of his family members were later influenced by
Vaiava association and were initiated into
the ka-mantra, and all began to perform
sdhana-bhajana. When his elder brother left
this world, r Narahari renounced his family and
this material world, and took shelter at the lotus
feet of jagad-guru o viupda r rmad
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda. rla
Prabhupda was pleased with r Naraharis
versatile abilities and service mentality, and
appointed him manager of r Caitanya Maha.
r Narahari was like a mother in nurturing
the young boys who lived in the maha. Every

r Narahari Brahmacr Sev-vigraha Prabhu

Brahmacr Sev-vigraha. He handed over the

whole responsibility of his beloved kara-maharja, r Caitanya Maha, to him and happily
went to far distant places to preach pure bhakti
with full concentration. O Narahari D! Your
uninterrupted service to Hari, Guru and Vaiavas
will manifest of its own accord in the memory of
anyone who takes your auspicious name. You are
the embodiment of rla Prabhupdas dear-most
r Caitanya Maha; when we lived with you, we all
thought that we were living in the Caitanya Maha.
You have performed the ideal service in a way
that is supremely blissful and free from anger.
This is the sole aim and objective of r Gauya
Vednta Samiti.
rla Gurudeva also glorified his best
friend, rla Narahari hkura, in his preface to

90

His

Life

and

day he would wake them up, feed them and take

care of them. Because of this sweet, affectionate
behaviour, the maha residents referred to him as
the mother of the Gauya Maha. But everyone,
young and old, addressed him as Narahari D.
He was always chanting r harinma and was
totally absorbed in the various services of the
maha. No one knew when he slept and when
he woke. Sometimes in the deep night, when
everyone else was sleeping, he would sit in his
secluded bhajana-ku and chant r harinma
with vipralambha-bhva (feelings of separation
from r r Rdh-Ka). We have heard that
he sometimes used to tie his ikh to a wooden
handle high on the wall to force himself to stay
awake while he chanted harinma. No maha
resident ever saw him become angry. Even if
someone needed to be chided for some special
reason, he would scold them sweetly while smiling
with great affection.
The following incident took place when I
[the author] was new in the maha. I was young
then, and very energetic. In the morning, the
local farmers would bring vegetables, milk and
other products from their neighbourhoods to
the vegetable market on the street just outside
the maha. r Sev-vigraha Prabhu and rla
Narottamnanda Brahmacr went outside on
the side of the road and began to bargain for
vegetables for the maha. The farmers were an
unruly lot, and they quarrelled about everything.
One time one of them struck Narottamnanda
Prabhu on the head, drawing blood. Hearing
the tumult, I came out, and when I saw the blood
on Prabhujs head, I lost all self-control. I took
a piece of bamboo from the courtyard of the
maha and hit that insolent farmer on his back so
hard that the bamboo broke and the farmer fell
to the ground. In a moment, hundreds of farmers

Teachings

Part
three

assembled and began to create an uproar,

threatening to attack the maha. However, pjya
pda rman Sev-vigraha Prabhu calmly and
peacefully settled this difficult situation with
great expertise. First, he caught me and locked me
up in a room in the maha. Then he confronted
the crowd alone, and pacified them all.
Sev-vigraha Prabhu had a very affectionate
manner. He went to the home of all sorts of people
and spoke hari-kath. He took an interest in
peoples happiness and distress, and they endured
their difficulties because of his sweet words.
rla Gurudeva could never forget his dear
godbrother. Whenever he remembered r Sevvigraha Prabhu, he became overwhelmed with
feelings of separation. rla Gurudeva named the
huge entrance gate of r Devnanda Gauya
Maha r Narahari Toraa in r Sev-vigrahas
memory. This can still be seen today.

r Narahari Toraa

91

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

The decision to establish a maha in Jaganntha Pur and the

publishing of a monthly transcendental magazine

fter the r Ketra-maala parikram,

Khuiyj, the respected pa of Pur,
as well as many godbrothers, implored rla
Gurudeva to establish a branch maha of r
Gauya Vednta Samiti in r Jaganntha Pur.
rla Gurudeva liked the idea. In 1948, after the
week-long r Navadvpa-dhma parikram and
Gaura-janmotsava, the prominent members of
the Samiti made these decisions at an assembly in
the Kolkata maha:
(1) Gauya Vednta Samiti will establish a
branch maha in r Jaganntha Pur.
(2) r Dvrak-dhma parikram will be
performed in the upcoming month of Krtika.
(3) A transcendental monthly magazine,
r Gauya-patrik, will be published for the
next Gaura-prim, and this will be the main
magazine of the Gauya Vednta Samiti.
That very day, rla Gurudeva began work
to fulfil these resolves. He gave instructions to
collect a block, a rubber stamp, a three-coloured
picture of rla Prabhupda, a sign board for the
Gauya-patriks office and other items.
During rj-vrata niyama-sev, approxi
mately one hundred and fifty pilgrims, sannyss,
brahmacrs and ghastha-bhaktas participated
in the pilgrimage to Dvrak. The parikram
party first took darana of the pastime places
in Mathur and Vndvana, then of r Govinda,
Gopntha and Madana-mohana in Jaipura and
of Galt nearby. Formerly, vedntcrya r
Baladeva Vidybhaa defeated the Vaiavas
of the r sampradya in a major philosophical
debate in Galt and waved the victory banner
of the Gauya Vaiavas. In Galt, rla Guru
Mahrja gave a brilliant lecture on r Baladeva

Galt-gadd

Vidybhaa and his commentary on Brahmastra. He said that r Baladeva Vidybhaa

Prabhu defeated the opposition by the inspi
ration of rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura,
and on the strength of Cakravart hkuras
arguments. The mahanta of the r sampradya
at Galt-gadd was extremely impressed by
crya Kesars personality and by his discourse,
and had r hkurajs mah-prasda served
to the entire parikram party.
From there the pilgrims reached Porbandara
via Pukara, Ajmer, Mehasn, Mramgon,

92

His

Life

and

Surendranagara and hol. In Porbandara they

had darana of the temple of r Sudm Vipra.
They then travelled by ship to Vea Dvrak
and visited the temples of r Dvrakeaj, Dj
and Rukmij. The next day, they took the boat

Teachings

Part
three

Sonavati to Gop-tlba and Ngevara iva,

and finally reached Gomat Dvrak, where
the pilgrims had darana of r Dvrakdha,
Totdr Maha and Gomat Gag. After that, the
pilgrims returned home via Mehasn and gr.

Preaching in Medinpura and Sundarvana

n January 1949, rla Guru Mahrja, r

Dnrtihara Brahmacr, r Sajjana-sevaka
Brahmacr and r Gaura-nryaa dsa
Adhikr [the author] blessed the house of Haricaraa dsa Adhikr in Jukhiy in the district of
Medinpura. They stayed there for some time and
rla Gurudeva gave philosophical lectures on
santana-dharma, the eternal occupation of the
soul, at religious assemblies in the nearby villages.
Early one morning during rla Guru
Mahrjas sojourn in Jukhiy, Kroda-candra
Bhuy, a retired judge from Moh Grma,
came for a visit. rla Gurudeva was inside the
house chanting harinma on his beads, while
I [the author] was studying a book in the sweet
rays of the winter sun on the veranda outside. r
Kroda Bb, who was sitting on a mat nearby,
asked, What are you reading?
I answered, I am reading Hari-bhakti-vilsa.
Kroda Bb inquired, Who is the author?
Jagad-guru rla Santana Gosvm.
Why are you not studying kara-bhya
by jagad-guru r akara crya?
Because rla Santana Gosvm is much
more authoritative than r akara crya.
Kroda Bb exclaimed, What did you say?
The very recent Santana Gosvm is a greater
authority than crya akara? crya akara
is the direct incarnation of akara (Lord iva).
He is the author of the commentary on Brahmastra and he vanquished all the contemporary
cryas of India.

I replied, Without a doubt, crya akara is

an avatra of devdhdeva akara, who is one of
the Supreme Lord's guvataras (an incarnation
who embodies one of the characteristics of the
Lord), and he is one of the vibhtis (opulences) of
Bhagavn. According to the verse, vaiavn
yath ambhu (rmad-Bhgavatam 12.13.16),
akara is the topmost Vaiava and devotee of
Bhagavn. Nonetheless, r Santana Gosvm is
one of Svayam Bhagavn r acnandanas most
beloved associates, and he is also the dear-most r
Lavaga Majar of r r Rdh-Ka. Therefore,
Santana Gosvms superiority is self-evident.
r Kroda Bb was somewhat taken aback
by this answer. In the meantime, crya Kesar
had heard the voices while he was chanting
harinma inside the house and had listened
attentively to the discussion. He quickly appeared
on the scene, and a philosophical battle started
between Kroda Bb and himself.
Kroda Bb asked, Why dont you have
the brahmacrs study kara-bhya of the
Brahma-stra?
Gurudeva explained, We have them study
r-bhya, u-bhya, Govinda-bhya and
other commentaries of Vysas Brahma-stra,
but not the commentary of crya akara.
Why not? You do not study crya akaras
commentary, even though he is an incarnation of
akara?
Even though he is an incarnation of akara,
the views in his commentary are completely

93

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

fabricated. This false philosophy is in reality

covered Buddhism only, and akara took shelter
of it by the order of Bhagavn, in order to control
the Buddhists who were opposed to the Vedas and
the Supreme Lord. This is clearly mentioned in
Padma Pura, myvdam asat-stram.
But dont you accept the four mah-vkyas
of the Vedas: aha brahmsmi, prajna
brahma, tat tvam asi and ekam evdvityam, and
the other clauses that akara has established?
It is not written in the Vedas or Upaniads
that these four statements (vkyas) are mahvkyas. If what you are claiming is true, then
please support it with evidence.
Kroda Bb was unable to answer, and sat
quietly for some time.
Gurudeva went on, The only mah-vkya in
the Vedas is o; all other clauses are secondary.
Alternatively, you can say that all the clauses in
the Vedas are mah-vkyas. Do you consider that
the nirkra, nirviea, nirgua and nirajana
brahma, which akara has established, is the
same as saviea, sarva-aktimn and nandamaya brahma, the shelter of all transcendental
qualities, established by rla Vedavysa?
Why not? All the eminent scholars of India
corroborate the doctrine of akara.
crya r Rmnuja, Madhva crya,
Nimbnditya, Viusvm, Vallabha crya,
Kumrila Bhaa and other learned persons have
completely annihilated the doctrine of akara.
The nirviea, niaktik, nirkara brahma can
never be nanda-svarpa or nanda-maya. This
philosophy is just a kind of hidden Buddhism.
Kroda Bb said, Your statement is
thoroughly confusing. crya akara clearly
established the doctrine, brahma satya
jaganmithy jva brahmaiva n para.
Additionally, he uses the term nanda-svarpa

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

to indicate brahma. When the jva attains lib

eration from my it becomes one with brahma
and perceives nanda-svarpa brahma.
Gurudeva explained further, This siddhnta
is only crya akaras fabrication. It is against
stra. I can destroy crya akaras bogus idea
that brahma is nanda-svarpa, simply on the
basis of its inference. Later on, I will demolish
the statement that the jva becomes brahma by
merging into brahma and that the world is false.
First, can you explain why you want to merge into
the nirviea-brahma?
Because brahma is nanda-svarpa, the
embodiment of bliss, so the jva who merges
into this brahma also becomes nanda-svarpa
brahma.
I say that crya akaras nirviea-brahma
is an embodiment of stool. Do you have any
objection to that? If a jva is able to merge into
nanda-svarpa brahma, then he cannot have a
separate experience of it. So how, being brahma,
is the jva able to experience bliss, if by desiring
to merge with nirviea-brahma it cannot be
realized? It is only possible to experience bliss
when ones existence is separate from it. For
example, anyone who tastes sugar is able to say
that sugar is sweet. But if the person is turned into
sugar, how can he experience his own sweetness?
Similarly, how can anyone who is turned into
stool experience his own bad smell? Therefore,
it doesnt make any difference whether you call
nirviea-brahma the embodiment of bliss or
the embodiment of stool. They are one and the
same thing, because there is no separate taster.
Kroda Bb became completely silent. He
offered respects to r Gurudeva, lowered his
head and returned to his home.
While we were staying with rla Gurupdapadma, we observed him discussing siddhnta

94

His

Life

and

with prominent impersonalists (advaita-vds)

in this way. In the face of his deep personality,
his brilliant language, his wealth of scriptural
evidence and his strong arguments, all were
humbled. We will present some of these doctrinal
debates in the course of this book.
In the evening rla Gurudeva gave a brilliant
lecture on santana-dharma to a huge public
audience nearby. For almost two-and-a-half
hours, ten to fifteen thousand people sat quietly
like wooden dolls, reverentially listening to his
speech. The following is the essence of that
lecture.
According to the Vedas, Upaniads, Vedntastra, rmad-Bhgavatam, Bhagavad-gt and
other scriptures, the root cause of creation and
annihilation and the ultimate supreme Truth is
Svayam Bhagavn. He is not subject to birth, death
or destruction. He is the complete eternal Truth
because He exists in the past, present and future.
The meaning of the word santana (eternal) is
sad (always) and tan (to continue), and refers
to one who exists in the past, present and future.
Thus the meaning of santana-dharma is the
constitutional function of someone who is everexisting. In rmad-Bhgavatam (10.14.32) it is
said:

Teachings

Part
three

Here, Ka is called the eternal, complete

brahma. The jvtm is also acknowledged to be
this eternal truth (santana-tattva) because the
uncountable souls are eternal parts of the eternal
supreme brahma r Ka. r Ka Himself
calls them His eternal parts in rmad Bhagavadgt (15.7):
mamaivo jva-loke
jva-bhta santana
mana ahnndriyi
prakti-sthni karati
O Arjuna, I am Sarvevara (the Lord of all).
All jvas are My parts and they are eternal.
Like the empty space inside a water pot, they
are not fabricated or false. Due to being
conditioned and opposed to Me, they are
struggling intensely with the mind and the
five senses in this material world.

And also, nitya sarva-gata sthur acalo

ya santana (Bhagavad-gt 2.24). This
jvtm is changeless and immortal. It cannot be
cut by any weapon, burnt by fire, moistened by
water or dried by air. It is eternal, all-pervasive,
unchanging, steadfast and ever-existing
(santana).
Thus, according to the Vedic scriptures
there are two santana-tattvas, or eternal
principles: one is Svayam Bhagavn r Ka,
the undivided, complete santana-tattva; and
the other is the jva, the divided and tiny
santana-tattva. The nature of r Ka, bhatcaitanya-svarpa (the embodiment of complete
consciousness), is unchangeable, but if the jva
is opposed to Bhagavn, his pure nature can be
covered due to his being eternal but atomic in
size (au-santana-tattva). But by nature, the
jvas constitutional nature (dharma) is pure
and eternal. Prema is the only santana-dharma

aho bhgyam aho bhgya

nanda-gopa-vrajaukasm
yan-mitra paramnanda
pra brahma santanam
Oh, how greatly fortunate are Nanda Bb,
Yaod-maiy and all the other gopas and
gops of Vraja! There is factually no limit to
their good fortune, because r Ka, who is
the abode of supreme bliss (paramnanda),
and the eternal and complete form of
brahma, is their relative and friend.

95

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

of the jva. The eternal, pure prema is service

to Ka; therefore the svarpa-dharma or
santana-dharma of the jva is service to Ka.
The pure santana-dharma of the condi
tioned living being is distorted by my. In
such circumstances, the living entity considers
the dharma of the gross and the subtle body to
be his dharma, because he only understands
the gross and the subtle body. But the dharma
of these two bodies is not santana-dharma,
because it is perishable and prone to change. I
am Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and
I am a brhmaa or katriya are identifications
of the gross body, so this gross dharma is not
perpetual. Nowadays, pure santana-dharma
is rarely preached due to a lack of pure under
standing of the Absolute Truth. Actually the
relationship of servant and master between the

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

jva and the Supreme Lord is eternal and everexisting (santana). This relationship is what is
known as santana-dharma. In different places
in the scriptures santana-dharma is referred to
as bhgavata-dharma or vaiava-dharma.
After this, rla Gurudeva extensively
preached pure santana-dharma, which is also
known as pure bhakti-dharma. Accompanied
by r Nagendra-govardhana Brahmacr and
r Gaea dsa, he preached in the towns of
Kulab, Hascau, Pichlad, Jhnukkhl,
Naraghaa and Terapekhy. From there they
travelled by boat with a party of devotees from
Pr to Gadmathur Sector 7, Gadmathur
Sector 5, 6 and 8, pla Sector 1, Kedrpura,
pla Sector 2, Sryapura and various other
places. He returned to the maha in Chuchur a
month-and-a-half later.

The self-manifestation of r Gauya-patrik on the occasion of

r Navadvpa-dhma parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava

n March 1949, the parikram and r

Gaura-janmotsava were celebrated with great

festivities at r Devnanda Gauya Maha in
Navadvpa. On Gaura-prim day, r Gauyapatrik, the transcendental monthly magazine
of r Gauya Vednta Samiti, manifested itself.
On the masthead of the front cover of this first
issue, the name of r Patrik was written above
a mdaga and karatlas, surrounded by a lotus,
club, conch shell and disc. Below this was a
picture of rla Sarasvat Prabhupda.
The founder and editor-in-chief (niymaka)
of r Patrik was parivrjakcrya tridaisvm rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Mahrja,
the editor was r Mahnanda Brahmacr
Bhakti-str Bhaktyloka, and the Patrik
preaching managers were tridai-svm rmad

r Mahnanda Brahmacr Bhakti-str Bhaktyloka

96

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

kruya Brahmacr Bhakti-maapa.

The magazine was published by r
Uddhraa Gauya Maha, Caumth,
Chuchur (Hoogly) by r Sajjana-sevaka
Brahmacr and printed by nti Press. The
auspicious invocation (magalcaraa) of
r Patrik contained prayers to r Hari,
Guru and Vaiavas.
The essay Viraha-mgalya (Auspi
ciousness of Separation) was written with
a desire to attain the svrasik-sev, the
natural rasa-filled service inherent to ones
svarpa, of r r Rdh-Vinoda-bihr,
under the guidance of vipralambha-rasamaya vigraha r rman Mahprabhu,
the embodiment of one saturated with
the rich moods of separation, along with
the eternally liberated, most munificent
paramahasas who are immersed in His
moods. In addition, the magazine included
philosophical dissertations by jagadguru rla Prabhupda, r Bhaktivinoda
hkura, an article about r Gauyapatrik and rla Gurudevas article entitled
r Gauya Vedntcrya r Baladeva
Vidybhaa. There were many other
essays which enhanced the splendour of
r Patrik, having been well researched
and containing an explanation of premabhakti. The first issue was dedicated at the
lotus feet of r Nsihadeva, the destroyer of all
obstacles, whose temple in Devapall was visited
on the first day of the r Dhma parikram,
and it was placed in the lotus hands of rla
Prabhupda in his samdhi-mandira in r
Dhma Mypura, when the pilgrims visited it
on the last day of the parikram. The Vaiavas
enthusiastically began to sign up for a yearly
subscription of the Patrik.

The first issue of r Gauya-patrik

Bhakti Kuala Nrasiha Mahrja and paita

rmad Jaganntha-ballabha Bbj Mahrja.
The contributing editors were mahopadeaka
paita rpda Narottamnanda Brahmacr
Bhakti-kamala Bhakti-str, paita ryuta
Nma-vaikuha dsa Adhikr, paita ryuta
Rdhntha dsa Adhikr and paita ryuta
Gaura-nryaa dsa Adhikr [the author].
The office manager was paita Ka-

97

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

r Ayodhy-dhma, Naimiraya parikram and rj-vrata

n April 1949, r Gauya Vednta Samitis

founder and president, parivrjakcrya
tridai-svm rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava
Gosvm Mahrja, was invited to r Gaurga
Maha in Kesiy in the district of Medinpura
by the mahas founder and president, tridaisvm rmad Bhakti Kumuda Santa Mahrja.
rla Gurudeva accepted the invitation and
went with many of his associates. rmad Bhakti
Sarvasva Giri Mahrja, rmad Bhakti Gaurava
Vaikhnasa Mahrja and other sannyss,
brahmacrs and ghastha Vaiavas were
also present. rla Gurudeva then returned to
r Uddhraa Gauya Maha in Chuchur
and celebrated rla Bhaktivinoda hkuras
disappearance day and the ratha-ytr festival
with great pomp and splendour.
Later that year, in the month of Krtika, rla
Gurudeva organized a parikram to r Ayodhy
and Naimiraya. There, rj-vrata niyamasev was observed. The pilgrims carried the deity
of rman Mahprabhu on the parikram, and
they stopped at Ayodhys famous Lakmaa-kil
(Lakmaas fort). This is a charming place on
the banks of the sacred river Sarayu, which even
today reveals ancient traditions. rla Gurudeva,
who was managing the entire parikram, lectured
on the glories of the dhma. Mahopadeaka
rpda Narottamnanda Brahmacr Bhaktistr Bhakti-kamala Prabhu attracted an audience
to hear the hari-kath by using black-and-white
slides to illustrate his rmad-Bhgavatam
lectures. Under rla Gurudevas guidance, the
pilgrims took darana of r Rmacandrajs
birthplace, r Rma-darbra, Kanaka-bhavana,
Hanumna-gah, Dvdaa Mandira, Vlmkibhavana, Daranevarntha iva, Ppamocana-

gha, Svargadvra, Ngevara Mahdeva,

Brahma-gha, r Srya-kua, Goptra-gha
and other famous places in Ayodhy-dhma.
After staying twenty days in Ayodhy, the
parikram party went to Naimiraya via
Blmu Junction. Upon entering Naimiraya,
they walked in a grand procession accompanied
by sakrtana to Paramahasa Gauya Maha,
which had been established by rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda. After
wards they went to a large, local dharmal
where their residence had been arranged.
At the dharmal, rla Gurudeva read from
Mahprabhus teachings to r Santana Gosvm
in r Caitanya-caritmta. He explained that it is
detrimental for an unqualified person to perform
bhajana in a secluded place, for unless the sdhaka
has the association of a superior tattva-dar
Vaiava (a self-realized soul), the name uttered
in solitary bhajana is always full of offences. Lack
of pure association also makes one unable to
understand the nature of uddha-bhakti. Bhajana
in the association of elevated Vaiavas is actually
real solitary bhajana. Bhaktis tu bhagavadbhakta-sagena parijyate one attains pure
ka-bhakti by the elevated association of a pure
Vaiava (Bhan-nradya Pura 4.33).
Neither a gohnand, a devotee who
preaches, nor a viviktnand (bhajannand),
a devotee who engages exclusively in hearing
and chanting, performs solitary bhajana. This is
because even though the viviktnand performs
solitary bhajana, he assists in the gohnands
preaching of r nma-prema by nourishing a
favourable mood.
rman Mahprabhus instructions to
restore lost places of pilgrimage, to establish

98

His

Life

and

At r Vysa-gadd in Naimiraya, rla

Guru Mahrja gave a profound lecture which
delved deeply into bhagavat-tattva. He explained
this tattva directly and indirectly as he described
the bhgavata guru-parampar and the glories
of r Ka Dvaipyana Vedavysa. rmadBhgavatam, rla Vedavysas foremost literary
composition, is the actual commentary on the
Brahma-stra, the conclusion of Mahbhrata,
the commentary on gyatr, and the ripened,
nectarean fruit of the Veda, which is like a desire
tree. One who has already tasted this nectar can
never become attracted to any other scripture.
This treatise contains astonishing solutions to all
problems pertaining to all people, in all countries,
throughout all time. rla Vysadeva entered into
samdhi through bhakti-yoga, and in his pure
heart he realized the rmad-Bhgavatam. It is
not just a book, but rather it is r Kas literary
incarnation.
In Naimiraya the pilgrims took darana of
Brahma-kua, Gagotr, Davamedha-gha,
Gomat Gag, Yajavaraha-kpa, r LakmNsihadeva, Cakra-trtha and other places. In
Mirika-trtha they took darana of St-kua,
Vlmki-rama, the place were St-dev entered
Ptla, Dadhci Munis rama and other places.
When the niyama-sev krtika-vrata was
completed, the pilgrims returned to their homes.

rman Mahprabhus
instructions to restore lost places
of pilgrimage, to establish deity
worship, to compose bhakti literature
and to preach nma-prema are
not only for r Santana Gosvm;
rather, they are clear directions for
all bhakti-sdhakas. ... Nowadays,
many sdhakas with weak faith
imitate solitary bhajana, but they
soon stray from the path and fall
down from the realm of bhajana.

deity worship, to compose bhakti literature

and to preach nma-prema are not only for
r Santana Gosvm; rather, they are clear
directions for all bhakti-sdhakas. Therefore,
r Rpa Gosvm, r Santana Gosvm and
other elevated Vaiavas would meet together to
discuss how to accomplish these tasks. Nowadays,
many sdhakas with weak faith imitate solitary
bhajana, but they soon stray from the path and
fall down from the realm of bhajana.

Teachings

Part
three

r Setubandha Rmevara parikram and rj-vrata

he following year, 1950, rla Gurudeva, the

founder of the Samiti, arranged for approxi
mately two hundred faithful devotees to observe
krtika-vrata in South India. Under his guidance,
they had the good fortune to visit Setubandha
Rmevara and other holy places which had been
purified by the footprints of r Gaura.

The devotees began their journey from Howrah

station in Kolkata and made their first stop in
Pur-dhma. Then the pilgrims had darana of
Sihcalam, Magalagiri, Chennai (Madras),
Cigalpu, Kajvaram, Cidambaram, Syli,
Mybharam, Trumemru, Kummakoam,
Ppnanam, Tnjor, Rmevaram, Dhanuko,

99

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

r Vaikuham, Terucar, Kany-kumr,

Sucindram, Truvantar, Trivendrum, Varkal,
akara-nryaakail, r Milputtar, Madur,
Pln, r Ragam, Vddhcalam, Tiruminnmala,
Tirupati, Tirumala, Tirucur and Kalahas.
Finally they arrived at Gunr Junction, and
from there returned to Howrah station. After
observing krtika-vrata with a month of sdhusaga, sakrtana, hari-kath and darana of

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

innumerable and incomparably delightful places

of pilgrimage that are almost unattainable, all
the devotees returned home, overwhelmed with
gratitude for r Guru Mahrja. At the time of
departure, they fell at his lotus feet, their eyes
brimming with tears, and begged for his blessings:
Please bestow your mercy on us so that we can
quickly obtain the association of Vaiavas and
gradually progress on the path of uddha-bhakti.

rla Prabhupdas viraha-utsava in nandap

n the occasion of jagad-guru rla

Prabhupdas disappearance day, 26
December 1950, rla Guru Mahrja and
some fifteen maha residents preached the
message of rman Mahprabhu for seven
days in arathpall in nandap, in the
district of Chaubsa Paragan. The pious
people living in the area were very impressed
with paramrdhyatama rla Gurudevas
exceptional hari-kath. The following is the
essence of one of his lectures.

The majority of you have left East Bengal and

have come here to India to protect your dharma.
The rule of Bhagavn is to always give good for
tune to the jvas. The purpose of human life is not
simply to arrange for food and clothing. Someone
may adopt the behaviour, dress, mannerisms,
ways of thinking and ideology of the Yavanas,
and then say I am a Hindu, but this does not
mean that he is really a Hindu. We can only be
Hindus by genuinely observing the behaviour
and views of the Hindu santana-dharma. The

100

His

Life

and

Each persons house is an rama.

We live there to practise devotion
to the Supreme Lord. If we are
merely absorbed in eating, sleeping,
defending and mating, then staying
at home is like residing in hell.

real reason for the misery of Hindu society today

is peoples lack of faith in and devotion to their
own dharma. Modern Hindu society has forgotten
its culture and is giving up its own personality
because of Western education and contact with
Westerners. That is the main reason for peoples
misery today. We Hindus have forgotten to devote
our life to dharma, so the degradation of Hinduism
is inevitable. We have forgotten the instructions
and teachings of r Rma and r Ka and
instead we are going in the opposite direction.

Teachings

Part
three

Dharma is a matter of conduct; it is not to be

acknowledged only by mouth, but by our actions.
Troubled days are before us. If we are indifferent
to our dharma, we will suffer the consequences.
Each persons house is an rama. We live
there to practise devotion to the Supreme Lord.
If we are merely absorbed in eating, sleeping,
defending and mating, then staying at home is
like residing in hell. Living in such a situation
and being addicted to foods such as onions,
garlic, meat and fish, as well as alcohol, smoking,
etc., that promote ignorance, the jva will become
more opposed to Bhagavn. Therefore, the
one and only duty is to reject these things. It is
necessary to construct new settlements or villages
on the foundation of dharma. Without dharma
the human being becomes like a four-legged
animal. Only by means of dharma can human
beings have both worldly and transcendental
happiness.

Preaching santana-dharma in Vasraha and the reply to

r Chaopdhyya Mahayas protest

hroughout 1950, rla Guru Mahrja

extensively preached r santana-dharma
in Medinpura, Naragha, talapura, Haldiy,
Tamaluk, Bjpura in Chaubsa Paragan, Vasrha
and other places. In the large religious assembly
of Vasrha, crya Kesar established with a
lion-like voice the philosophical conclusions
of santana-dharma and refuted the worthless,
non-Vedic kevaldvaita-vda put forward by
the hidden Buddhist, crya akara, as well
as the modern conclusions opposed to the Veda.
r Gurudeva said that bhagavad-bhakti,
devotion to the Supreme Lord, is santanadharma. The constitutional position of the jva is
to be a servant of Bhagavn. Therefore, service

of Bhagavn is santana-dharma in the past,

present and future. It is also known as Vedic
dharma, bhgavata-dharma and vaiavadharma. The jva and the material world are
never false. The jva is eternally a part of
Bhagavn, and the material world, which is
manifested by Bhagavns inferior potency
(apar-prakti), is also true although changeable
and perishable. The world is not false or illusory
like a dream, or like a rope resembling a snake.
The ideas of akara, which are illusory and
contrary to logic, are only respected by extremely
dull-witted people. [r Gurudeva concluded his
talk by saying,] This is what we are teaching the
young men of the Vednta Samiti.

101

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

In r Gauya-patriks fourth issue, during its

second year of publication, a synopsis of the above
lecture given by rla Guru Mahrja was published.
After reading the article, r Satyabhaa
Chaopdhyya Mahodaya of nagara wrote a
letter of protest. rla Guru Mahrja replied to his
letter using scriptural logic and siddhnta. rla
Guru Mahrjas letter is cited below.
To summon the well-educated community
of the world to attain real realization of the
Absolute (tattva-darana) is not to challenge
anyone in any way. Careful consideration and
comparison has established that the Gauya
Vaiavas philosophy of simultaneous oneness
and difference (acintya-bhedbheda-siddhnta)
is superior to crya akaras advaita-vda or
myvda (impersonalism). Pure Vaiavas do
not have even the slightest trace of faith in crya

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

r akaras views, although we see that some

proud, mixed Vaiavas have faith in myvda.
We are Vaiava sannyss, and we consider the
refinement of society to be part of the purification
process of dharma. It is our right to present the
truth of any subject to the educated community
for their welfare. Some people may become
disturbed when we preach truth, because they
accept non-truth as the truth; but we do not want
to agitate anyone. We only want to say that r
Caitanya Mahprabhus teachings and practice
are the foremost in the entire world. We do not
blaspheme crya akara, but we are not about
to praise his opinions and doctrines in any way.
rla Gurudevas answers to r Chaopdhyya
Mahayas many questions about myvda
were published in instalments in r Gauyapatrik.

r Navadvpa-dhma parikram, r Gaura-janmotsava and

the deities entrance into their new residence

n March 1951, the week-long r Navadvpadhma parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava

were performed with great pomp. Faithful
pilgrims came, not only from Bengal but from
all over India. Thanks to rla Guru Mahrjas
excellent management, all the pilgrims engaged
in harinma-sakrtana, listened to hari-kath,
took darana of the places of r Caitanya
Mahprabhus pastimes, and had the good
fortune to perform parikram.
Until that time r Devnanda Gauya Maha,
which is r Gauya Vednta Samitis original
maha, was located in a small rented building.
This served as a temple where the deities were
worshipped and also as headquarters for the
management of the entire r Navadvpa-dhma
parikram. The pilgrims would stay in tents erect

ed in a nearby field. That year the Samiti enclosed

the extensive area where the arrangements for
the parikram were made with a huge fence. A
temple for the deities, quarters for the sevakas
and a storage place for bhoga were constructed.
In another part of the field, tents were set up for
lodging the many pilgrims. Before the parikram,
the deities were brought in a grand procession
accompanied by sakrtana to their new temple.
The elevated devotee ryuta Haripada dsa
Adhikr of r Rmapura in the Hoogly district
and his devout wife, rmat Jnad-sundardev, generously financed the construction of the
high fences and the temple in the huge field. For
their contribution, rla Guru Mahrja showered
them with profuse blessings. Their ideal service is
an inspiration for other virtuous people.

102

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

Bbj-vea conferred upon rpda Trigutta Brahmacr Prabhu

rpda Trigutta Brahmacr Prabhu, the

manager of r Devnanda Gauya Maha,
went to the town of Sdhv in the Barddhamn
district, to arrange for the construction of
brahmacr quarters, etc. in the Siddhav
Gauya Maha. After r Gaura-janmotsava
1951, rla Guru Mahrja went there himself,
and on 11 May, the auspicious opening day of
the newly built maha, rla Guru Mahrja gave
bbj-vea to rpda Brahmacrj.
rpda Trigutta Brahmacr was a learned
and respected member of the famous Mukharaj
family (Sir utoa Mukharaj) from the village
of Jira-Blgaha in the district of Hoogly.
His previous name was r Triguantha
Mukhopdhyya and after accepting bbj-vea

he became known as rmad Trigutta dsa

Bbj Mahrja. A brahmacr since boyhood,
he was one of the foremost of jagad-guru rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
s initiated, singlepointed servants. All the service that he faithfully
performed to rla Prabhupda and his r
Gauya Maha Mission was outstanding. It is
most worthwhile to sincerely emulate his renun
ciation, detachment and service attitude. When the
ekaniha guru-sevaka rpda Anaga-mohana
Brahmacr was sick, r Trigutta affectionately
nursed him in a way that is exemplary for all
Vaiavas, and that is also extremely rare in
the world of the Vaiavas. It has already been
mentioned how he donated r Gaurga Press,
including all its equipment, to the Samiti.

Preaching uddha-bhakti

hile r Guru Mahrja was staying at r

Siddhav Gauya Maha, he vigorously
preached bhakti for three days in Pnjanygrma on the special request of ryuta Bhgavat
dsa Adhikr, a resident of the village. After that,
rla Gurudeva preached r santana vaiavadharma extensively in Kkadvpa, Kalracaka,
Sarbeiy, Ekatr, Daimond Harbour, Cndananagara, Mathurpur, Knagara and other
places in the district of Chaubsa Paragan.
That same year, during the month of Krtika,
rla Gurudeva performed the eighty-four kosa
Vraja-maala parikram and rj-vrata for
the second time with two hundred sannyss,
brahmacrs and ghastha-bhaktas. The
pilgrims left from Howrah station, and after
having darana of Gay, K, Prayga and other
holy places, they arrived in Mathur-dhma. In
Gay they had darana of r Gaddhara-pda-

padma (the lotus feet of r Gaddhara), Phalgutrtha, Bodhagay and the r Gauya Maha. In
K they went to r Santana ik-sthal, r
Vivantha Mandira, Ve-mdhava, Annapr,
Davamedha-gha and Manikarik-gha.
Then in Prayga they visited r Rpa Gauya
Maha, Trive-sagama, r Bindu-mdhava,
r Rpa ik-sthal, Davamedha-gha and
other places.
In Mathur, the parikram party stayed at the
large Helanagajavl Dharmal for a few days.
During that time they had darana of the famous
Virma-gha, Dvrikdha, Gatarama-l,
Dhruva-l, Pippalevara Mahdeva, Ragevara
Mahdeva, Bhtevara Mahdeva, Gokarevara
Mahdeva, veta-varha, Ka-varha, Saptai-l, Drgha-viu, r Padmanbha, Kajanmabhmi (Kas birthplace), Kasa-krgra
(Kasas prison house) and other places.

103

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

After that, following in the footsteps of

rla Prabhupda, they started Vraja-maala
parikram, visiting the twelve forests and the
places in these forests where Ka performed
His pastimes. They had darana of the forests
on the western bank of the Yamun, namely,
(1) Vndvana, (2) Madhuvana, (3) Tlavana,
(4) Kumudavana, (5) Bahulvana, (6) Kmyavana
and (7) Khadravana; and the forests on the
eastern bank: (8) Bhadravana, (9) Bhravana,
(10) Belvana, (11) Lohavana and (12) Mahvana.

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

At r Govardhana, a huge annaka

ceremony was performed, and the pilgrims
separately circumambulated r Girirja, r
Rdh-kua, r yma-kua, Vndvana,
Nandagrma and Varsn. The Samiti arranged
prasda and accommodation for all the pilgrims
so that their minds would be free to concentrate
on hearing classes on the glories of the dhma
and on bhakti. At the end of the parikram and
vrata, the pilgrims returned to their respective
homes with tears in their eyes.

104

His

Life

and

The collecting and publishing of r Vysa-pj-paddhati

n February 1952, r r vysa-pj was

celebrated with great festivities for three days,
from Mgh-k-tty to Mghi-pacam, at
r Uddhraa Gauya Maha in Chuchur. On
rla Guru Mahrjas appearance day, he gave
valuable instructions in response to the greetings
and pupjali of the Vaiavas. He said,
Trida-sannyss should perform r gurupj [of their own guru] on their appearance
days. In conjunction with this guru-pj it is
also necessary to worship the guru-parampar,
r r Rdh-Ka Yugala and acnandana r
Gaurahari and His associates. Vysa-pj, gurupj, crya-pj and upsya-pj are different
names for the same principle (tattva). The word
ka-pacaka does not mean five types of
ka-pj; rather it is a pj whose objects are
Kas five manifestations (prakas or vilsas).
crya r akaras vysa-pj is not a
true vysa-pj; it is only for show. Vysas

Teachings

Part
three

sampradya is the foremost in India; India

and the Indians are indebted to him. But at the
present time the countrys educated community
is not showing Vysa proper respect. This is
a very painful matter. Therefore, the Gauya
Vednta Samiti is celebrating r vysa-pj very
enthusiastically in different places of India.
rla Sarasvat Prabhupda collected the book
Vysa-pj-paddhati from [r akaras] r
Govardhana Maha in Pur. rla Guru Mahrja
also collected the same paddhati from Brahma
Maha in Pukara and rad Maha of Gomati
Dvrak. He published rla Bhaktivinoda
hkuras revised and modified edition in the
third issue of the fourth year of r Gauyapatrik. To this day, all mahas of r Gauya
Vednta Samiti, and especially the original
maha, r Devnanda Gauya Maha in
Navadvpa, celebrate r vysa-pj according to
this paddhati.

Awarding aottara-ata-nmi tridaa-sannysa

n 1952, the week-long r Navadvpa-dhma

parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava took
place with great festivity, from 6 March to
12 March. On Gaura-prim day (Monday,
11 March) at r Devnanda Gauya Maha,
the founder and president of the Samiti,
parivrjakcrya aottara-ata r rmad
Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja,
gave Vedic tridaa-sannysa dress to r
Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacr, the publisher of
r Gauya-patrik; to r Rdhntha dsa
Adhikr, the Patrikas office manager; and to r
Gaura-nryaa dsa Adhikr Bhakta-bndhava
[the author], the Patriks preaching manager.
The aottara-ata-nm tridaa-sannysa

dress was given according to the accepted

regulations for Vaiava practice (vaiavasttvata-smti). Their sannysa names were
tridai-svm rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana
Mahrja4, tridai-svm rmad Bhaktivednta
Trivikrama Mahrja5 and tridai-svm rmad
Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja6, respectively.
The sannysa title Bhaktivednta preceding
each of the sannysa names was completely
unheard of until that day. The president of Gauya
Vednta Samiti whose nature is identical to that
of r Baladeva Vidybhaa, who composed
4 Editor: see Appendix page 395
5 Editor: see Appendix page 397
6 Editor: see About the Author page 405

105

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

the Govinda-bhya on Brahma-stra

inundated the earth with the flow of gauyavednta. Gauya-vednta is non-different from
bhakti-vednta. Its purport is established in the
pramahas sahit, rmad-Bhgavatam,
which is the authentic commentary on Brahmastra. Non-envious, knowledgeable Vaiavas,
expert in extracting the essence, realize the very
deep secrets regarding the fundamental truths
about bhakti through rmad-Bhgavatam.
On Phlguna-prim, the appearance day
of r Gaura, the devotees fasted from morning
onward. The entire r Caitanya-bhgavata was
read throughout the day, and sakrtana was
performed. Sometimes local Navadvpa residents
entered the maha compound, stained with
the bright colours of Holi, singing Holi songs

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

accompanied by holak and small cymbals, and

throwing showers of coloured powder. Joining
the sakrtana, they performed parikram of the
deities, took darana of r r Guru-Gaurga
Rdh-Vinoda-bihr and r Koladeva and
then left. The maha pilgrims had bathed in the
Gag and were dressed in new clothes. Carrying
coloured powder in their hands, they first offered
it to r Mandira, then they offered prama to
guru and Vaiavas, and with great love they met
with each other.
Mid-morning, the rituals of or-kaupna
and daa were performed, followed by the
giving of sannysa, a fire sacrifice and other
rituals. These were all done according to the
rules of the vaiava-smti, Saskra-dpik.
The sky was filled with the sound of sakrtana

r crya Kesars first sannys disciples:

rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa, rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana, rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama

106

His

Life

and

and jaya-dhvan (jubilant cries of Jaya!),

and the atmosphere was beautified by the
deep reverberation of the conch shells and the
auspicious ul sounds made by the ladies. On this
glorious occasion, tridai-svm rla Keava
Gosvm Mahrja gave the sannysa-mantra
and the aottara-ata sannys names, names
indicative of bhakti, to his three initiated servants
in front of an audience of thousands of faithful
people. After the ceremony, on the order of rla

Teachings

Part
three

Guru Mahrja, the new tridai-yatis went out

to beg alms, as befitting one in the sannysarama. Following the rules of that rama, they
offered everything they received grains, money,
flowers and fruits to the lotus feet of their guru.
In the evening, in an assembly filled with
innumerable pilgrims, the three new sannyss
astonished their audience by explaining the
profound truths and philosophical conclusions
of uddha-bhakti.

Preaching uddha-bhakti in Assam

n April 1952, paramrdhyatama crya

Kesar travelled to the state of Assam to preach
rman Mahprabhus prema-dharma in various
places. He was accompanied by tridai-svm
rmad Bhakti Kuala Nrasiha Mahrja,
rmad Dmodara Mahrja, rmad Trivikrama
Mahrja, rmad Vmana Mahrja, rmad
Nryaa Mahrja [the author], r Paramevara
Brahmacr, r Satya-vigraha dsa Adhikr, r
Sudma Sakh dsa Adhikr, r Dhra-ka
Brahmacr and others. rla Guru Mahrja
and the preaching party first visited the house
of rmat Sucitra Bl-dev in Goloka-gaja.
Then they preached very strongly in the town of
Dhva, where they stayed at the residence of the
late pjyapda Nimnanda Sev-trtha Prabhu.
Afterwards, on the special invitation of respected
r G. N. Niyog Mahodaya, the chief minister of
the kingdom of Abhaypur, rla Gurudeva gave
an impressive lecture on Hindu dharma in the
Bijan royal palace of Abhayapur. From there,
rla Gurudeva went to the village of Bhp
on the entreaty of the members of the Assam
Vaiava Assembly. Thereafter he delivered a
very powerful lecture on santana-dharma and
Mahprabhus philosophy at a huge gathering at
Gndh Maidan in the village of Bog.

After this, rla Gurudeva went to Mlgaon,

a large, important township in Assam, on
the insistence of r Ydavendra dsa and
Premnanda dsa. Mlgaon is the stronghold
of a community which is completely against the
philosophy of r Caitanya. The majority of the
people there worship Ka as niaktik (without
potencies), and do not accept His deity form. They
do not acknowledge r Vysadevas rmadBhgavatam as authoritative but rather favour
the modern Bhagavatpoth, written in Assamese
by Hakaradeva. They eat fish, meat, onions
and garlic and drink alcohol. They are against
r Caitanya Mahprabhus philosophy of pure
bhakti and are antagonistic to pure Vaiavas.
One evening, a huge public assembly was
arranged for rla crya Kesar and his group
of followers. The grounds were packed with
ten to twelve thousand people waiting for rla
Gurudevas lecture. rla Gurudeva began to
speak on pure santana-dharma, with a brilliant
command of words typical of him.
Vrajendra-nandana r Ka is the complete,
eternal brahma in His features of sarva-aktimn
(being the possessor of all potencies), saviea
(possessing all transcendental qualities) and
akhila-rasmta-mrti (being the personification

107

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

of all rasas). The pure bhakti that r Caitanya

Mahprabhu preached and practised is actually
santana-dharma in its complete form. The
supreme duty of human life is to completely give
up onions, garlic, meat, intoxication, etc., and follow
the path of santana-dharma, which is uddhabhakti. The life of those who go against this highest
duty and take meat, intoxication and other impure
substances is like that of an animal dharmea
hn paubhi samn (Hitopadea 25). Upon
hearing this, one person in the middle of the
gathering stood up and loudly declared, We dont
believe in the philosophy of Caitanya Mahprabhu.
Gurudeva replied, Not only r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, but the Vedas, Upaniads, Puras
and all other stras say the same thing. No
authentic scripture gives a concession for meateating and intoxication. Bhagavn is not nirkara,
formless. His beautiful form is unprecedented.
Despite having a form, He is still all-pervading
and omnipotent.
One listener said, That is not written in
Hakaradevas Bhgavata. We do not accept
this siddhnta; we consider Hakaradevas
Bhgavata to be authoritative.
Gurudeva
explained,
Hakaradevas
Bhgavata is a modern literature, written only
two hundred or two hundred and fifty years ago.
The Vedas, Upaniads, Puras and other stras
are divine, eternal and ever-existing. That is why
they are actual evidence.
The listener asked, rman Mahprabhu is a
recent personality, and r Caitanya-caritmta
is also modern literature. Is r Caitanya
Mahprabhus name mentioned in the Vedas?
Is there supporting evidence in the Vedas that
r Caitanya Mahprabhu is Bhagavn?
Gurudeva said, Yes, there is evidence. Not
only one but thousands of examples are there.

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Listen carefully. He looked at rla Vmana

Mahrja, indicating that he should present
the evidence. rpda Vmana Mahrja had
written in his notebook forty to fifty scriptural
statements that r Caitanya Mahprabhu is
Bhagavn, and he gave this to rpda Trivikrama
Mahrja who, on rla Gurudevas order,
started to read the examples of evidence loudly.
However, the opposition was not interested in
hearing proof but, wanting to instigate chaos
in the gathering instead, they started throwing
stones. Other members of the audience objected
to such behaviour. Guruj fearlessly continued
with his lecture throughout this disruption. He
said, We sannyss and brahmacrs are not
afraid of death. We are followers of r Prahlda
Mahrja and r Haridsa hkura. After the
scriptural proofs had been read, the gathering
came to an end. r Gurudevas fearlessness was
discussed everywhere for many days. Such a
fearless speaker of the impartial truth is rare in
this world.
After preaching in Mlgaon, rla Guru
Mahrja was requested to speak by the pious
members of a religious assembly in the village
of Bsv. He gave a penetrating talk about
the philosophical concepts that distinguish
Gauya vaiava-dharma from the different
apasampradyas, or unauthorized philosophical
schools. Thereafter he and the preaching party
travelled to Gauh. At various places in the
town, rla Gurudeva gave lectures filled with
scriptural explanations of rman Mahprabhus
prema-dharma and the subject matter established
in Vednta. While preaching in Gauh, very
praiseworthy services were rendered by r
Gaur-akara Chaopdhyya (a Divisional
Medical Officer of Assams Railway), by r M.
Sala (a lecturer at Gauh College) and others.

108

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

Darana of r Jagannthajs ratha-ytr in r Jaganntha Pur

ater that year, during the month of ha

(JuneJuly), almost two hundred and
fifty pilgrims under the leadership of r Guru
Mahrja left Howrah station in a reserved coach
and headed first for the Blevara railway station
and from there to r Remun. In Remun they
took darana of r Kra-cor Gopnthaj. rla
Guru Mahrja recounted the pastime of r
Mdhavendra Pur and Kra-cor Gopntha as
told in r Caitanya-caritmta.
r Mdhavendra Pur is the first sprout of
the desire tree of bhakti-rasa. r Nthaj was
so satisfied with r Mdhavendra Purs service
that He appeared on the slopes of r Govardhana
near the village of nyora. r Mdhavendra Pur
fulfilled r Nthajs desire by worshipping Him
for one month with abhieka and annaka
festival with extensive offerings of bhoga.
Thereafter, also by the desire of r Goplaj,
Mdhavendra Pur walked from Vndvana to
Jaganntha Pur to procure Malayan candana

(sandalwood) to offer to r Nthaj. On the way

to Pur, he arrived here in Remun in the late
evening. Bhoga had been offered to hkuraj.
The curtain opened and he had darana of the
astonishing deity of r Gopnthaj. In front of
the deity were pots of kra-prasda, condensed
milk. Such a wonderful fragrance was coming
from the kra offered to hkuraj that r
Mdhavendra Purs mind became attracted. He
thought, If I could taste only a little of the prasda,
I could prepare such a delicious kra for my r
Nthaj. Meanwhile, the curtain closed. r Pur
Gosvm then went to some place in the nearby
market to perform bhajana. At night he heard a
voice calling out, Who is Mdhavendra Pur?
r Gopnthajs pujr was calling him in a loud
voice. r Mdhavendra Pur stood up and said,
I am Mdhavendra. Why are you calling me?
With great humility, the pujr placed a pot
of kra in Mdhavendra Purs hands and said,
Great soul, after I put r Gopnthaj to bed, I

109

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

closed the curtain and went to sleep in my small

room. At midnight r hkuraj came to me in
a dream and said, My devotee is performing
bhajana somewhere in the market. I wanted him
to taste some of My prasda, but he never asks
anyone for anything. He is a topmost nikicana
Vaiava who never begs for his living. I have
hidden one of the twelve pots of kra for him
under My clothes. Take it and give it to him now.
After this dream I woke up, opened up the curtain
and went inside the temple. It is most amazing!
One pot was there inside hkurajs clothes. I had
removed the offered pots and purified the altar
with my own hands. How could one pot remain in
spite of this? I closed hkurajs door again and
brought the pot here to you. Never before have I
experienced such a thing as this.
r Mdhavendra Pur also became very
joyful and happy when he heard this, but he
thought, Everyone will know about this incident
in the morning and a crowd will come here for
my darana. Fearing this fame, he fled Remun
in the dark for Jaganntha Pur. In this world such
a devotee is exceptional and blessed. From that
time, the name of r Gopnthaj was changed to
r Kra-cor Gopntha Gopntha who steals
the condensed milk.
Mdhavendra Purj reached r Purdhma and took darana of r Jaganntha. He
then obtained the Malayan sandalwood for his
Goplaj, put it [in a basket] on his head and started
walking back towards r Vndvana-dhma.
On the way, he came to Kra-cor Gopnthas
Remun again. It was night and he soon dozed
off. Goplaj came to him in a dream and told him,
Stay in Remun and rub the Malayan candana
on Gopnthas whole body. If you perform this
service, the heat of My body will also be removed,
because I am that same Gopntha. r Pur

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Gosvm did so, and after receiving r Goplas

permission he again returned to Vndvana.
Bhagavn is conscious of the hardships that His
devotees undergo to serve Him, and He performs
such transcendental pastimes to increase the
glory of His devotees in this world.
The pilgrims were fascinated by this pastime.
After listening to the story, they took darana of
r Rasiknandajs samdhi nearby. Then they
visited Bhubanevara, where they took darana
of r Ligarja, r Ananta Vsudeva, Bindusarovara and other places. Finally they reached
r Pur-dhma. They stayed in Pur for fifteen
days and took darana of llantha, Skgopla, Korka and other places. On rla
Bhaktivinoda hkuras disappearance day
they were invited to a large assembly in the r
Jaganntha-vallabha garden. rla Gurudeva, the
president of r Gauya Vednta Samiti, gave
a splendid philosophical lecture full of tattva
concerning Bhaktivinoda hkuras transcen
dental character, his erudition and the bhaktistras that he composed. The learned scholars
of Pur were very impressed by this lecture.
The next day was r guic-mrjana,
after which came r ratha-ytr, r herpacam, r Jagannthas return ytr and so
on. Everything was observed with krtana and
lectures. The pilgrims also had the opportunity
to have darana of r Jaganntha, Gambhr,
Siddha-bakula, Haridsa hkuras samdhi,
o Gopntha, Caaka-parvata, Yamevara o,
Lokantha iva, Pur Gosvms well, Narendrasarovara,
Indradyumna-sarovara,
Guic
Mandira, Cakra-trtha, Svargadvra and various
other places. In the end, everyone returned home
fully satisfied with the wonderful hari-kath they
had heard and the beautiful daranas they had
received.

110

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

r Janmam-vrata and r Nandotsava in Chuchur Maha

ome time later, in August (rvaa), r we understand it to mean Nanda-tanuja, the son
Janmam was celebrated with great of Nanda. Vsudeva Ka appeared in Mathur;
festivities at the Samitis preaching centre, r He did not take birth. He appeared in Kasas
Uddhraa Gauya Maha. All the devotees in the prison before Devak and Vasudeva fully dressed
maha, both renunciants and
and decorated, holding His
r Gauya Vaiava conch, disc, club and lotus.
householders, observed fasting
without water (nirjala upavsa)
literature distinguishes Therefore r Ka is not
the whole day until midnight.
addressed as Vasudevabetween r Bhagavns tanuja, the son of Vasudeva.
The Tenth Canto of rmadBhgavatam was read during
The cutting of the umbilical
janma (birth) and His
the entire day. At midnight, the
cord and other ceremonies
time of r Kas appearance, virbhva (appearance). of childbirth were not per
mahbhieka of the deities
formed in Mathur, but
The word virbhva is
was performed, bhoga was
rather in Gokula. There,
filled with opulence,
offered and then arcana
Ka took birth from the
according to tradition. rla
womb of Yaod-maiy, and
but janma is filled
Guru Mahrja gave a lecture
we worship r Kas birthwith sweetness.
on r Janmam filled with
pastime.
philosophical conclusions, to
kera yateka khel, sarvottama nara-ll,
the assembled audience. The essence of his
nara-vapu thra svarpa
lecture is as follows.

r Gauya Vaiava literature distinguishes

between r Bhagavns janma (birth) and His
virbhva (appearance). The word virbhva
is filled with opulence, but janma is filled with
sweetness (mdhurya). We are related to r
Ka who is Vrajendra-nandana (the son of
the king of Vraja), Nanda-tanuja (the son of
Nanda), Nandtmaja (the offspring of Nanda)
and Paupgaja (the son of the king of the
cowherds). rla Cakravart hkura has ad
dressed r Ka, rdhyo bhagavn vrajeatanaya Bhagavn Vrajendra-nandana r
Ka is my worshipful object, and r Caitanya
Mahprabhu has said in His ikaka, ayi
nanda-tanuja. Also by the name r Vsudeva

r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 21.101)

Lord Ka has many pastimes, of which

His pastimes as a human being are the best.
His form as a human being is the supreme
transcendental form. *

Only r rpnuga Vaiavas are able to

take to heart this distinctive aspect filled with
mdhurya of birth (janma) and appearance
(virbhva). We are praying to Nanda-nandana
r Ka under the guidance of the r rpnuga
Vaiavas. The audience was very impressed
when they heard r Guru Mahrjas profound
discussion of bhakti.

111

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

r Badrikrama and Kedrantha parikram

he next month, r Gurudeva led yet another

parikram, this time to r Badrikrama.
On 4 September 1952, a group of one hundred
pilgrims departed from Howrah station in a
reserved coach. At first they stopped in Haridvra
for a few days and had darana of the local places
of pilgrimage, such as Harak Pau, Kanakhala
and Sat-dha-sthala (the place where Sat gave
up her body). From there they went to ikea and
stayed in the Bb Kl Kamalvl Dharmal.
They organized the walking pilgrimage to Kedra
and Badr, and arranged for all the supplies,
including luggage, food, water and bedding, to be
carried by local porters. After that, they began their
pilgrimage on foot. r Gaurasundara led the way
on a handsomely decorated palanquin. After Him
came the sakrtana party with sannyss and
brahmacrs. Ghastha-bhaktas, both men and
women, followed, walking with krtana. Those who
could not walk rode on hired horses. The local
people had never before seen such a big parikram
party. They glorified the beautiful procession and
praised the partys orderly management.
The pilgrims walked for almost forty-five days.
They had darana of ikea, Lakmaa-jhl,
Vysa-gha, Deva-prayga, Krtinagara, rnagara, Rudra-prayga, Agastamuni, Candrapur,
Gupta-k, Ukh Maha, Maikha, Rmapura,
Triyug-nryaa, Sona-prayga, Mandkin,
Muak-gaea, Gaur-kua, Kedrantha,
Tugantha, ka-gag, Gopevara, Vaitarikua, Ppalkoh, Garua-gag, Ptla-gag,
Jo Maha, Pacabadr, Pacail, Viu-prayga,
Pukevara, Hanumn Ca, r Badr-nryaa,
Tapta-kua, Vasudhr, Cmol, Nanda-prayga,
dibadr and other places, which were all very
difficult to reach.

Nowadays, the sacred trthas in the mountains

above ikea are accessible by bus or car, but at
that time there were no sealed roads, and it was
impossible to reach them except on foot. From
time to time there was danger that boulders would
fall on the narrow, winding paths. A few times
during our pilgrimage, this actually happened. All
of a sudden a rock would drop from the cliffs into
the middle of the group, but by r Bhagavns
mercy no accident happened. Disregarding these
incidents, the walking pilgrims, with the sympathy
and help of the local people, had the unparalleled
opportunity to view the beautiful nature and take
bath in the pure, sacred waters of the kuas at
the places of pilgrimage. None of this is possible
on todays bus pilgrimages.
Deva-prayga is the confluence of the
Bhgrth and the Alaknand. The current of
these two rivers is so swift that it breaks a straw
into many pieces. From Deva-prayga, Bhagavat
Gag slowly begins her descent to the plains. By
the time she reaches Haridvra, she is flowing on
level ground. Krtinagara and rnagara are two
charming towns in valleys between arms of the
mountains. Here, there are big dharmals and
resting places for pilgrims. Triyug-nryaa and
Tugantha are two almost inaccessible places
that are always covered with snow. The sacrificial
fire that was lit for the wedding of Prvat and
akara is still burning at Gaur-kua to this day,
and the pilgrims offered oblations into it. The path
to Kedrntha was almost impassable, although it
is more accessible today.
It was evening when we reached r
Kedrantha with r Guruj. Snow was falling
like cotton from the sky. The pilgrims were
shivering from cold, but we had a magnificent

112

His

Life

and

view of Kedaranthaj. On our return, fires

were made and everyone warmed up. There was
concern about the cold affecting the health of
some of the pilgrims, but the fires protected
them. Everyone took prasda and then fell asleep
covered with three or four quilts. In the morning,
the party took bath, performed sandhy-ahnika,
honoured some prasda, and then departed for
Badr-nryaa.
Jo Maha, a famous maha established by
di akara crya, is a charming place situated in
a valley surrounded by many mountains. Camol
is a significant town through which pilgrims go
to Badr-nryaa or pass on the trek from Badrnryaa to Kedrnthaj. Some pilgrims go
directly from ikea to Kedranthajs darana,
and from there pass through Camol on the way
to Badr-nryaa. They then return to Camol,
and from there to ikea.
The best and safest time for the KedraBadr pilgrimage is the month of Bhdra. On our
pilgrimage, the parikram party generally stayed
overnight at Bb Kl Kamalvl dharmals.
Most of the places worth seeing are on the banks
of Alaknand.
rla Gurudeva orchestrated the entire
parikram. Every day he went to sleep after every

Teachings

Part
three

one else, woke everyone up, made the arrange

ments for the coming day and was ready before
everyone else. rmad Bhakti Kuala Nrasiha
Mahrja took the pilgrims for darana, etc.
rpda Svdhikrnanda Brahmacr (rmad
Kadsa Bbj)7 performed krtana with
mdaga right behind hkurajs palanquin and
also made others perform krtana. I [the author]
made the preparations for the daily worship of
r Gaurasundara, managed the facilities for the
pilgrims, and supervised the porters who carried
the luggage and supplies from one place to
another. rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja
took care of the lamps, and Sudma Sakh
Brahmacr was in charge of prasda and making
other comfortable arrangements for the pilgrims.
After staying in the lap of the Himlayas for
forty-five long days, performing krtana and
hearing the glories of r Badr-nryaa and
other sacred places, the pilgrims returned to
Howrah and from there to their own places. No
one is ever being able to forget the scenic beauty
of the Himlayas, so how can these faithful
pilgrims ever cease to remember their experi
ence? At the time of parting, everyone offered
prayers at the lotus feet of rla Gurudeva with
grateful hearts and tear-filled eyes.

r puruottama-vrata

ccording to the instruction of Vaiava

crya rla hkura Bhaktivinoda,
members and followers of the r Gauya
Vednta Samiti observe puruottama-vrata like
krtika-vrata. Two essays regarding the month
of Puruottama are published in r Gauyapatriks fourth and fifth issues in the second year.
One is about the greatness of the Puruottama
month and the other gives instructions on how

to observe it. Unfortunately, the smrta calendar

completely disregards this observance.
The two essays mentioned describe two
kinds of literature: smrta and transcendental
(pramrthika). According to the smrta stra,
karma is the predominating factor, and the
special month of Puruottama is a leap month
7 Editor: see Appendix page 399

113

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

when no religious activities should be observed.

Therefore it is also called malms, an impure
month. But in transcendental scriptures, this
leap month is described as being topmost in all
respects and supremely helpful for hari-bhajana.
These two essays relate many significant
stories and give much important information
regarding this leap month, such as the eminence
of the leap month; the reason for calling it
Puruottama; the history of Draupad in the section
describing the greatness of the month; the story of
King Dhdhav narrated by Vlmki; the rules for
bathing in the month of Puruottama; the injunction
that the only observance for Puruottama is worship
of r r Rdh-Ka; proper and improper
things to do during the vrata; the transcendental
observances for devotees who are svaniha (who
follow rules and prohibitions of varrama and
endeavour to please Hari), paraniha (who follow
Vaiava standards only, discarding varrama
rules), and nirapeka (renounced); single-pointed
Vaiavas natural interest in the month and what

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

is proper to do; the revelation that the leap month

is dear to the devotees because it is free from the
miseries of karma-ka; what is haviynna8;
what is prohibited and what is proper conduct
during the vrata; what mia (non-vegetarian)
is; the result of hearing rmad-Bhgavatam and
observing the vrata; the offering of lamps and its
greatness; what is appropriate to do on Caturda,
Aam, Navam of ka-paka; arghya-mantra
and namaskra-mantra; nrjana-, dhyna- and
pupjali-mantra; and the last observances of the
vrata and rules for breaking the vow.
This year, the majority of the Vaiavas
observed puruottama-vrata from the first day
of Vaikha until the thirtieth day of Vaikha, in
accordance with the rules and regulations in line
with the r Mypura-pajikr Caitanyapajik published by r Gauya Vednta
Samiti. It was especially observed like this in
Siddhav Gauya Maha. Ghastha-bhaktas
and their families from various places in Bihra
also participated in this vrata.

Re-establishing the r Gauya Vednta Catuph

r Madana-mohana dsa Adhikr was a rich,

respected, gifted and very religious person
from Vaicgrma, Hoogly district. He repeatedly
requested rla Guru Mahrja to come to his
home, since he wanted pure bhakti to be preached
in that area. Satisfying him, Gurudeva arrived there
in June 1953, together with rmad Nrasiha
Mahrja (the editor of r Gauya-patrik),
rmad Nryaa Mahrja (Patriks preaching
manager) [the author], rmad Paramrth
Mahrja, rmad Trivikrama Mahrja and some
brahmacrs. For five days various speakers
gave lectures on rmad-Bhgavatam and
uddha-bhakti in large religious assemblies. Dr.

Siddevara Bhacrya (MA), who was the viceprincipal of Viva Bhrat University and who had
been a lecturer at the School of Oriental Studies in
London, discussed akara Vednta or myvda
philosophy with r Gurudeva for two hours.
rla Guru Mahrja used scriptural evidence
and irrefutable logic to show that the myvda
philosophy which crya akara established
is insubstantial and is opposed to stra. At the
same time he established that crya akaras
liberation (mukti) is false and that crya akara
8 Editor: a special preparation for observing vratas,
made of rice, milk and ghee, and without any salt or
spices

114

His

Life

and

Teachings

rla crya Kesar explaining Vednta

was not able to obtain such mukti himself. When

the honourable vice-principal heard crya
Kesars deep views supported by stra, he was
astonished and became speechless. After that,
rla Gurudeva preached in nearby Puy,
Muukpura and other places and afterwards
returned to Chuchur Maha.
On 29 September 1953, rla Gurudeva reestablished r Gauya Vednta Catuph in
r Uddhraa Gauya Maha. This Sanskrit
Catuph had been run previously by r
Gauya Vednta Samiti at 32/2 Bosp Lane,
Bgbzr, Kolkata. It had taught Harinmmtavykaraa (Sanskrit grammar system composed
by rla Jva Gosvm) and kvya (poetry), and
many students had passed their examinations with
distinction. rla Gurudeva gave a brief lecture.
In the present age, Sanskrit education is being
disrespected, but without Sanskrit the welfare

115

r Gauya Vednta Catuph

Part
three

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

of the people is impossible. The word Sanskrit

means refined. People who do not know Sanskrit
are not qualified to study Vedic knowledge; they
are also unqualified for higher education. Higher
education means the worship of Bhagavn. In
this worship, the language, dk, mantras, the
mah-mantra and so on are all in Sanskrit. r
Gauya Vednta Catuph is open to all for the
eternal liberation of the conditioned souls and
for the expression of transcendental moods in
most refined language.
Jagad-guru rla Jva Gosvm composed
a transcendental Sanskrit grammar called r
Harinmmta-vykaraa to educate young
people. Reading and studying r Harinmmtavykaraa is provided to awaken the memory
of rla Gosvmpda in the heart of all jvas.
An important aphorism in this vykaraa is
nryadudbhto ya varakrama all
varas are born from Nryaa. There is no

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

difference between the vara (letter) of a word

and the vara (caste) of the jvas. Therefore,
creation, destruction and so forth are explained
by nmvd or sphovd words. In the viuddha
Srasvata line (coming from rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupda), even those who are born
in low and untouchable families can become
qualified to perform transcendental service for
rman Mahprabhu.
The prkta-sahajiy9 sampradya is an
offender at r Jva Gosvms lotus feet and is
also a great enemy of rman Mahprabhu. r
Gauya Vednta Samiti will drive the outcaste
and demoniac conceptions of these pretenders
far away through the education given by r
Gauya Vednta Catuph.
On the very first day of the inauguration of the
Catuph, nine jewels nine brilliant students
were singled out, who in the future would be
revealed as the real preachers of navadh-bhakti.

r Avantik (Ujjayin) and Nsika parikram

n 20 October 1953, rla Gurudeva left from

Howrah station with sannys, brahmacr
and ghastha devotees to observe krtika-vrata
niyama-sev in r Avantik, Nsika and other
famous pilgrimage places. rmad Bhaktivednta
Nryaa Mahrja [the author], Sudma Sakh
Brahmacr and others went with him to take care
of the pilgrims. r Caitanya Mahprabhu had
previously travelled through all these places.
The parikram party first took darana of r
Kurmadeva in Kurmcalam. This is the very place
where r Jagannthaj placed the sleeping r
Rmnujcrya when He removed him from Pur.
While r Rmnuja crya was staying in Pur, he
had prohibited the pujrs of Pur from serving
r Jagannthaj because of their chewing of betel,

smoking and other bad habits. The pujrs fasted

for several days and prayed to r Jagannthaj
in a distressed mood, He Jagannthaj! You are
our everything. We have surrendered unto You.
Without serving You we cannot stay alive. Hearing
their prayers r Jagannthaj removed the mental
agony of the pujrs by transporting the sleeping
r Rmnuja crya along with his bed at night
and put him here in Kurmcalam. When r
Rmnuja crya woke up in the morning, he
9 Editor: The prkta-sahajiys, while pretending to
espouse the conception of transcendental reality, are
actually absorbed in the material realm, since they
consider the transcendental reality to be born of the
mundane and behave with the Transcendental Entity
as they behave with the mundane.

116

His

Life

and

thought he was in a iva temple and became very

sad.10 But r Krmadeva consoled him saying, I
am not a iva liga, but Krmadeva. Hearing this
voice from the sky, r Rmnuja crya felt great
relief and performed pj of Krmadeva.
Next the pilgrims reached Kabr (Vidynagara) on the banks of Godvar. This is where
the transcendental dialogue took place between
r Caitanya Mahprabhu and Rya Rmnanda,
as described in r Caitanya-caritmta. After
that they visited Panharpur, the site of the
famous Panharntha temple. r Vivarpa
Prabhu came here after taking sannysa, and
entered aprakaa-ll on the banks of the nearby
river Bhm. Later, r Caitanya Mahprabhu also
came here in search of r Vivarpa Prabhu.

Teachings

Part
three

From here the pilgrims went on to Nsika via

Kolhpur, Mumb-dev (Mumbai) and Nsika
Road. In Nsika they took bath in Godvar
and had darana of Pacava, the place where
Srpaakhs nose was cut off, the place where
Mrci was killed, and various other places, and
then they reached Avantik. There they bathed
in the river Chipr and took darana of various
different temples, as well as Sandpan Munis
rama, where r Baladeva and Ka together
with Sudm Vipra, learned all arts. From here the
parikram party went via korj, Nthadvr,
Pukara, Jaipur, Karaul, Vndvana, Citraka
and Prayga, and reached Howrah after a total of
thirty-eight days. Then the pilgrims returned to
their respective places.

Preaching santana-dharma in r Rmapura, Hoogly

n 15 December 1953, r crya Kesar

visited the home of Haripda dsa Adhikr,
a resident of r Rmapura, upon his earnest
request. rla Gurudeva was accompanied by
rmad Bhakti Kuala Nrasiha Mahrja (the
editor of the Patrik), rmad Bhaktivednta
Nryaa Mahrja (preaching manager) [the
author], rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama
Mahrja (office-in-charge), as well as four
or five brahmacrs. rla Guru Mahrja
preached uddha-bhakti at different places in
r Rmapura in the fifteen day duration of his
stay there. Sometimes he lectured on rmadBhgavatam; in large religious assemblies he
spoke on the particular virtue of santanadharma; and at other places he talked on
various other subjects, such as the superiority
of vaiava-dharma. His philosophical views,
complete with tattva and irrefutable logic,
10 Editor: No one from the r sampradya will ever enter
a iva temple.

attracted the local teachers, intellectuals, lawyers,

judges, businessmen and highly educated people
of all various classes. Klpada Gagopdhyya,
the most qualified manager of the well-known
r Rmapura Dharma-sabh, was particularly
helpful in facilitating the preaching.
A huge Gt-jayant program was arranged
by him at the local school in Ballabhapura. rla
Gurudeva was the chairman of the program and
gave a brilliant lecture on the teachings of Gt
that lasted for almost one-and-a-half hours. He
said that bhakta Arjuna was a liberated soul,
and a friend and an eternal associate of Ka.
Ka was apparently instructing Arjuna when He
spoke rmad Bhagavad-gt, but the teachings
of Gt are actually for ordinary living entities,
and not for Arjuna. Gt is the primary teaching
and rmad-Bhgavatam is the topmost postgraduate textbook in the kingdom of dharma.
Those who wish to enter the kingdom of dharma
should carefully adopt these teachings.

117

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

The local Ramana Hall was the venue for a huge

religious conference on the topic, The problems of
the present age and their solutions. The audience
included eminent and highly qualified people of
the town and rla cryadeva gave a very moving
and philosophical lecture for one-and-a-half
hours. He said that all problems, whether political,
social or economic, will be solved when we follow
i-nti (the regulations given by saints and sages).
All these problems existed in India five hundred
years ago. At that time, rla Santana Gosvm was
the prime minister of Hussain Shah, the ruler of
Bengal. rla Santana Gosvms intelligence was
very sharp, and when r Caitanya Mahprabhu
transmitted His akti into his heart, he was able
to leave all material attachments and take shelter
at rman Mahprabhus lotus feet. He enquired
from r Caitanya Mahprabhu about the
solution to all the problems of all mankind, at all
times and in all places. The answers that rman
Mahprabhu gave to these questions are called

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

... all problems, whether

political, social or economic,

will be solved when we follow
i-nti (the regulations

given by saints and sages).

santana-ik. The best, natural and simple

way indeed the only way for the educated class
in Bengal to solve all their problems is to follow
these teachings. i-nti indicates the principles of
the sages (is) described in bona fide scriptures
(sat-stras) like the Upaniads, Vednta-stra
and rmad-Bhgavatam. In order to receive
these teachings, it is therefore necessary to study
the ancient Sanskrit scriptures. How unfortunate
it is that the Ministry of Education shows so little
enthusiasm for this essential aspect of education.

Preaching uddha-bhakti in Caubs Pargan and Medinpura

n 4 January 1954, paramrdhya rla

Gurudeva visited Aoka-nagara Colony
in Howrah, at the request of the devotees there.
He explained rmad-Bhgavatam for five days,
giving a clear analysis of the specialty of Vaiava
philosophy compared to other philosophies,
especially Crvka philosophy11 and the Bolshevik
doctrine from Russia. Then, at the huge assembly
at the local college in Mahidal in Medinpura
district, lectured on the necessity of religious
life. After that, at the religious assembly in front
of r Ananta Kumra dsas temple in Ntala,
close to Gehkhal, he gave a deep lecture filled
11 Editor: an atheistic and hedonistic philosophy

with tattva on the reconciliation of all different

religions.
Later on, in the premises of the higher second
ary English medium school of Magalmo
village, rla Guru Mahrja gave a lecture on
r Mahprabhus prema-dharma. On this topic,
he said, Harinma-sakrtana as preached and
followed by r Caitanya Mahprabhu is the only
path for the jvas welfare in Kali-yuga. Certain
pseudo-devotional sects (apasampradyas) have
sanctioned drinking alcohol and eating meat and
fish. They also put forward the philosophy of yata
mata tata patha (whatever your opinion may
be is the true way), but these can never ever be
accepted as santana-dharma. Scriptures such

118

His

Life

and

as the Gt have clearly refuted these doctrines.

The saint and the thief have different paths, and
their destinations can never be the same.
One cannot attain r Bhagavn by
worshipping different demigods. The supreme
way of attaining Bhagavn is to worship Him
by chanting His names (r nma-sakrtana).
Apasampradya doctrines are opposed to the
scriptures and are filled with faulty conclusions.
Pure Vaiavas are the gurus of the four varas.
Unfortunately, the modern class of so-called
Vaiavas is full of bad qualities and is a degraded
apasampradya. One cannot gain any benefit by

Teachings

Part
three

following it. Vaiavas must perform the topmost

bhakti to Viu and must follow the rules of
proper Vaiava conduct and etiquette.
After rla Gurudevas lectures at Sarveiy,
ho,
Ekatr,
Nkui,
Maluvasna,
Pichlad, Golav, Magalmo and other
places, tridai-svm rmad Bhaktivednta
Trivikrama Mahrja and tridai-svm rmad
Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja [the author]
delivered lectures on the pastimes of r Gaura,
Ka and Rma illustrated with slides. After
preaching strongly in this way wherever he went,
rla Gurudeva returned to Chuchur Maha.

Lecture at the eminent Sanskrit conference in Chuchur

n 6 February 1954, prominent Sanskrit

scholars of India assembled at the local
Sanskrit school in Chuchur for a huge Sanskrit
conference. The assembly unanimously accepted
mahmahopdhyya r Yogendranth (tarkasakhya, vednta-trtha) as chairman, and then the
talks began. At the special request of the members
of the assembly, rla Gurudeva spoke for an hour
on Hindu dharma and Vaiava philosophy. He
began his lecture, which was extremely brilliant and
full of deep philosophy, by especially emphasizing
the need to revive Indian culture and Sanskrit edu
cation. He also stressed the necessity to organize
institutions such as eminent Sanskrit conferences
to develop Sanskrit education throughout India.
None of the ancient scriptures such as the Vedas,
Vednta, the Puras and the Itihsas (histories)
have mentioned the word Hindu, rla Gurudeva
pointed out. Nevertheless, those who live between
Hindukua or the Himlayan mountains in the
North and Bindu-sarovara in the South, and
who follow santana-dharma are called Hindus.
Therefore, we should understand that the term
Hindu dharma refers to santana-dharma.

The vaiava-dharma described in rmadBhgavatam and other scriptures is simply

santana-dharma and nothing else.
rla Gurudeva then used scriptural logic
and irrefutable arguments to establish
that akarcryas kevaldvaita-vda, or
myvda, is opposed to stra and is a
completely imaginary and illusory doctrine.
This created a commotion in the assembly, and
some people stood up and started to protest. But
crya Kesar displayed his expertise in all
stras by wonderfully refuting their arguments
and establishing the tenets of vaiava-dharma.
The assembled Vaiavas became very joyful
upon seeing his unprecedented erudition, but
some advaita-vd scholars became disturbed.
After rla Gurudeva left, other members
of the assembly gave lectures. These included
mahmahopdhyya r Yogendrantha (tarkaskhya, vednta-trtha), r Jva (nyaya-trtha,
MA), Dr. Mahmnavrata Brahmacr (MA, PhD),
a teacher from Hoogly College (MA, kvya-trtha)
and many expert Sanskrit scholars from Kolkatas
Sanskrit College.

119

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

r vysa-pj festival in Viupura Kamrapot of Medinpura

n 20 February 1954, the founder-crya

and president of the Samiti visited the
home of r Rdhntha dsa Adhikr, a
resident of Kamrapot Viupura, at his earnest
request. rla cryadevas appearance day,
r vysa-pj, was celebrated splendidly with
pj-pacaka (the worship of five groups of
venerable personalities) in accordance with r
Vysa-pj-paddhati, which was compiled by
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda
and revised by rla Bhaktivinoda hkura. After
that, rla cryadevas sannys, brahmacr
and ghastha disciples offered pupjali at his
lotus feet.

Mgh-ka-pacam was the appearance

day of rla cryadevas most worshipful r
Gurudeva, o viupda r Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupda. On that day, rla
Gurudeva, together with his disciples and
followers, performed arcana-pjana and offered
raddh-pupjali at Prabhupdas holy feet.
After various sannyss had given their lectures at
the religious assembly that day, rla cryadeva
gave a very significant lecture on rla Sarasvat
hkuras transcendental character and teachings.
r Rdhntha dsa Adhikr became the Samitis
special object of affection for taking care of all the
expenses for this vysa-pj celebration.

Preaching santana-dharma in Assam

n 14 May 1954, rla cryadeva set

out for Assam to preach uddha-bhakti
together with tridai-svms r Nrasiha
Mahrja, r Trivikrama Mahrja, r Vmana
Mahrja, r Nryaa Mahrja [the author],
r Paramrth Mahrja, r Paramdharmevara
Brahmacr, r nanda Brahmacr, r
Gajendra-mocana Brahmacr and some ten to
twelve residents of the maha. On 16 May they
reached Goloka-gaja station. r Sanata Kumra
Bhakti-str Bhgavat-bhaa and other
leading devotees then brought them with nagarasakrtana to r Divyajna dsa Adhikrs
home, where rla Gurudevas pj-arcana was
performed. For several days, at large religious
assemblies, rla Gurudeva spoke on uddhabhakti and the glories of r harinma. After
that, he went with his party to Dhva. There he
stayed at the Prapannrama of his godbrother,
rpda Nimnanda Sev-trtha Prabhu, and
lectured continuously for seven days on

rmad-Bhgavatam. He used logic and stric

evidence to establish that Vednta philosophy
(vednta-darana) stands supreme amongst the
six philosophical systems [associated with the
Vedic scriptures]12 and that bhakti is the ultimate
subject matter of Vednta-stra.
After this, rla Gurudeva preached bhakti in
Kacaharha, Khkasiyl and other places, and
then accepted the hospitality of r Praktacandra
Baru Bahdura, the prince of the Gaurpura
kingdom. rla Guru Mahrja stayed there for
some days and extensively preached santanadharma. Every day he lectured on the Eleventh
Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam at the Sanskrit
school run by the local king. The principal of the
school came there regularly to hear Bhgavatam,
12 Editor: There are six systems of philosophy (adarana) associated with the Vedic scriptures: nyya
(logic), vaieika (atomic theory), skhya (analysis
of matter and spirit), yoga (the discipline of selfrealization), karma-mms (the science of fruitive
work) and Vednta (the science of God realization).

120

His

Life

and

along with other teachers and many students. The

minister Bahdura of Gaurpura state and many
officials came as well. After that rla Gurudeva
preached in Kumr village and other places and
arrived at the famous village Cpara. There, on the
excellent premises of the local higher secondary
English medium school, an extensive religious
assembly was organized with an audience of
some ten to twelve thousand people. rla Guru
Mahrja gave a deep and probing lecture on
santana-dharma, which very much impressed
the educated, respected and faithful listeners.
In those days, a so-called guru called Ketramohana Cakravart was living in Cpara. Posing
as a Vaiava, he preached many doctrines that
were opposed to vaiava-dharma, and his
moral character was also not very pure. The
locals invited him and his followers to a debate
with crya Kesar. rla Gurudeva asked him
some questions regarding uddha-bhakti, but
Cakravart could not answer them. rla Gurudeva

Teachings

Part
three

proved in front of the audience that Cakravarts

doctrines were against stra and were not in
accordance with any sampradya. Cakravart
became ashamed. Begging for forgiveness at
rla Gurujs lotus feet, he left the assembly.
After this, at the request of the honourable
minister Bahdura of the Abhaypur state,
rla Gurudeva and his preaching party visited
Abhypur. They stayed there for three days and
rla Gurudeva gave very impressive lectures on
santana-dharma on the premises of the local
girls school. Mahrja Bahdura of Abhaypur
was very impressed by his lectures and with great
faith offered prayers at rla cryadevas lotus
feet. Mahrja Bahduras meek and humble
behaviour, his unpretentious way of life, his
truthfulness, generosity, and his sincere faith in
religion and in the Lord are all very praiseworthy.
After preaching in Cokp and Bog village,
rla Gurudeva returned to Uddhraa Gauya
Maha in Chuchur.

Establishing r Keavaj Gauya Maha in Mathur and

publishing r Bhgavata-patrik

he eighty-four kosa Vraja-maala

parikram in 1954 took place with
great festivities in the month of Krtika under
the guidance of rla Guru Mahrja. After
the pilgrims left, rla Gurudeva along with
rpda Santana dsa Adhikr13, rmad
Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja [the author]
and other disciples, stayed in Mathur for some
days. rla Gurudeva wanted to establish a
preaching centre of r Gauya Vednta Samiti
in r Mathur-dhma and from there spread
r Caitanya Mahprabhus pure bhakti to the
whole of North India. rla Gurudeva was a
13 Editor: see Appendix page 401

perfect nikicana Vaiava with no financial

means whatsoever. Nonetheless, for seven
days he and his followers kept searching for a
suitable place. On the seventh day they saw an
old dharmal on the south side of the famous
Kasa-l and in front of the big hospital in
Mathur. It was a dilapidated building but the
location was excellent central to Holi Gate, the
Imperial Bank, the State Bank of India, the Head
Post Office, the State bus stand and the main
market. It was a solid building made of bricks
and stone, and it had thirty-six rooms. The
party discussed the price with the owner of the
dharmal, but Guruj did not have even one

121

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

r cryadeva established

r Keavaj Gauya Maha on the

disappearance day of jagad-guru
o viupda r Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda,
13 December 1954.

Old r Keavaj Gauya Maha, 1954

pais, so what could be done? Guruj returned

to his residence with his party.
The next day, rla Gurudeva was ready to see
another place, but r Santana Prabhu declared,
Today I am very tired. I like the place we saw
yesterday. I dont want to see anything else. Guruj
said, It is not possible to collect forty to fifty
thousand rupees at once. At least we would have to
put down some money as an advance payment and
I dont even have enough for that. r Santana
Prabhu then took seven thousand rupees from the
belt around his waist and gave the money to r
Gurudeva. Everyone stared at Santana Prabhus
face in amazement, their eyes open wide. I have
known your desire for a long time, r Santana
Prabhu told Guruj. That is why I have been

roaming about with this money around my waist

for a month or a month-and-a-half. Now I do not
want to see anything else. Please arrange to buy
the dharmal we saw yesterday. Guruj said,
We need at least twelve thousand rupees as an
advance payment to get the written agreement on
this place. On hearing this, r Santana Prabhu
sent a telegram to his son r Nryaa dsa, to
quickly send the rest of the money. The deed was
registered in the Mathur Registration Office.
r cryadeva established r Keavaj
Gauya Maha on the disappearance day of
jagad-guru o viupda r Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda, 13 December
1954. In accordance with rla cryadevas
desire, preaching of pure bhakti-dharma

122

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

Present r Keavaj Gauya Maha, 2013

throughout the whole of North India started from

there. Besides this, also according to his desire,
the publication of r Bhgavata-patrik, the
Samitis transcendental monthly Hindi magazine,
was inaugurated there. rla Gurudeva appointed
me [the author] as the editor of this magazine.
It quickly became very popular in the local
educated community, because of its sentiments,
language and its philosophy, which was full of
siddhnta. r Bhgavata-patrik introduced
eminent Mathur scholars to the supremacy of
the philosophical views of the Gauya Vaiavas
bhakti-dharma, and they lavishly glorified it.
In 1955, krtika-vrata niyama-sev was
organized at r Keavaj Gauya Maha under the
guidance of paramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva.

Under the auspices of r Gauya Vednta Samiti,

the pilgrimage began from Howrah station on the
auspicious day 29 October. The parikram party
reached Mathur via K and Prayga, and arrived
at Keavaj Gauya Maha on 2 November. From
there they started Vraja-maala parikram.
rmad Bhakti Bhdeva raut Mahrja, rmad
Bhakti Vijna rama Mahrja, rmad Bhakti
Jvana Janrdana Mahrja, rmad Bhaktivednta
Trivikrama Mahrja and rmad Bhaktivednta
Nryaa Mahrja [the author] glorified the
dhma, performed krtana and spoke hari-kath.
rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja (editor
of r Bhgavat-patrik), Rasarja Vrajavs
(publisher and manager of the Patrik), r
Sudma Sakh Brahmacr and r Prabuddha

123

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Keava

G o s vm

Ka Brahmacr were especially active in

arranging suitable transportation, lodging and so
on for the pilgrims.
At the time of govardhana-pj, the annaka
festival was completed with great celebration. The
large assembly hall (nya-mandira) was filled
with preparations for offering. The Mathurvss
had never before seen such a big annaka
festival. Ordinarily in Vraja, chappan bhoga (an
offering of fifty-six preparations) is outstanding,
but r Gauya Vednta Samiti offered three
hundred and sixty-five different preparations
at this huge annaka. All around r Girirja
Mahrja were pyramids of rice as well as large
and small plates of khicr, sweet rice, different
kinds of sweets, vegetables, pickles, chutneys,
halvah, las, prs, fruits, roots, green leafy
vegetables, etc., all with tulas-majars on top.
Faithful people came from great distances to
have darana, and about five thousand people
accepted mah-prasda. When krtika-vrata
was completed, all the pilgrims returned to their
respective places.

First issue of r Bhgavata-patrik

Prajna

Installation of the deities and annaka festival in

r Keavaj Gauya Maha, Mathur

n 3 November 1956, the day of r

govardhana-pj
and
annaka,
paramrdhya rla cryadeva established his
worshipful r r Guru-Gaurga and RdhVinoda-bihrj in r Keavaj Gauya Maha. In
this way he gave his followers and the Vrajavss
a golden opportunity to serve the deities. The
deities darana is very sweet and attractive.
Those who see Them feel in their hearts that the
deities have been attracted by the unparalleled
prema of araya-vigraha (rla gurudeva) and
have manifested Their own prema-maya vigraha
(Their form imbued with prema).

There was a great celebration when the deities

were installed. Pjyapda r Bhakti Bhdeva
rauti Mahrja performed the abhieka, arcana
and other aspects of the installation, along with
r Trivikrama Mahrja and Rasarja Vrajavs.
rmad Bhakti Kuala Nrasiha Mahrja,
rmad Bhakti Deika crya Mahrja, r
Paramrth Mahrja, r Nryaa Mahrja
[the author] and other prominent sannyss
performed vaiava-homa and other ceremonies.
After the abhieka, the deities were installed in
the altar room, and there r cryadeva himself
consecrated Them. He quoted a verse that he

124

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

The deities in r Keavaj Gauya Maha r Caitanya Mahprabhu and r r Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj

had personally composed, to explain the tattvasiddhnta regarding the white complexion of the
deity r Vinoda-bihrj:
rdh-cint-niveena
yasya kntir vilopit
r-ka-caraa vande
rdhligita-vigraham
I worship that Vrajendra-nandana r Ka,
who is tightly embraced by rmat Rdhik.
His dark complexion has disappeared and
He has become resplendent with a golden
complexion, due to being thoroughly
immersed in separation from Her.

r Mohin-mohan Rgabhaa Prabhu and

r Satya-vigraha Prabhu charmed the listeners

125

r govardhana-pj and annaka

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

with their r nma-krtana at this ceremony. In the

nya-mandira in front of the altar, r Girirjaj
was offered a mountain of las, prs, kacauris,
rice, sweet rice, pupnna, khicr, different kinds
of vegetables, fruits, roots, curd, milk, paneer and
other preparations. Many people participated in
this ceremony, including professors from various
colleges in Mathur-dhma, school teachers,
lawyers, judges and other educated and respected
gentlemen. They were all very impressed to hear
from rla cryadeva about bhakti-tattva in the

Keava

G o s vm

Gauya tradition. And after that, they became very

blissful to have darana of the deities and honour
delicious mah-prasda, which was distributed to
almost three thousand people that day.
Giricandra dsa from Prvacaka in
Medinpura district bore all the expenses for the
annaka. Gajendra-mohan dsa Adhikr and
ryukta Kamalabl-dev from Kalyaapura
donated the deities, Their clothes, ornaments
and so on. r Gauya Vednta Samiti greatly
appreciated their ideal service.

Preaching the message of r Caitanya in Assam

n December 1955, paramrdhyatama r

Gurudeva, accompanied by his initiated
sannyss and brahmacrs, extensively preached
r Caitanyas message in various places in
Assam. This time he went to most of the places in
pjyapda r Nimnanda Sev-trtha Prabhus
preaching area. rla Gurudeva spoke on

Prajna

santana-dharma, bhgavata-dharma, uddhabhakti and other subjects in prominent religious

assemblies in Goloka-gaja, Dhba, Bichanda,
Khnur, Rmapura, Bong Grma, Chakp,
Khagarpura, Skom, Calantpa, Abhayapur
and other places. He returned to Chuchur
Maha after about one month of preaching.

r vysa-pj festival in Begunb

r Gauya Vednta Samiti has for many

years observed r vysa-pj according
to the r Vysa-pj-paddhati compiled by
rla Sarasvat Prabhupda and revised by r
Bhaktivinoda hkura. The original inception of
r vysa-pj took place in rvsa-gana in
r Dhma Mypura about five hundred years
ago. Under the guidance of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, r Nitynanda Prabhu worshipped
r Caitanya Mahprabhu on the seat of r
Vysa. On this occasion, rvsa Paita brought
up the topic of a r vysa-pj-paddhati to
rman Mahprabhu. For this reason, rla
Sarasvat hkura took great pains to collect
this ancient paddhati from [r akarcryas]
Govardhana Maha in Pur. rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura then revised and developed it to make it

suitable for his sampradya. Paramrdhyatama

rla Gurudeva found this paddhati and intro
duced the observance of r vysa-pj combined
with pj-pacaka. This ceremony is observed in
various places every year, with great celebration.
This year r vysa-pj was organized in
the vast courtyard of the school at Begunb
in Medinpura district and was celebrated in a
grand way for three days, from Mgh-katty to Pacam. Ten or twelve thousand people
participated every day in this festival, and on the
last day, mah-prasda was distributed to a crowd
too large to count. Gircandra dsa Adhikr from
Prvacaka received special praise from the Samiti
for shouldering the entire expenses for the festival.
r Gircandraj and his wife both received
hari-nma mantra and dk from r cryadeva

126

His

Life

and

on the first day of the festival. At that time he was

eighty-four years old. As a wealthy landowner, he
had previously spent his life in a grandiose way
with pomp and show. He would order fragrant
tobacco from France and other foreign countries,
and used to sit on his bed smoking his golden
hukka through a long pipe. But during the last
eighty-four kosa Vraja-maala parikram, he
had spent one month hearing pure hari-kath
and his heart changed. Now he was free from
worldly attachments and had taken a vow to
perform bhajana. Before shaving his head on the
day of dk, he did a last prama to his dearmost hukka and threw it away. Everyone was
amazed to see his conviction and determination.
On the first day of r vysa-pj our most
worshipful rla Gurudeva offered arcana-

Teachings

Part
three

pjan and pupjali at the lotus feet of his

paramrdhyatama rla Prabhupda, after
which rla cryadevas sannys, brahmacr
and ghastha disciples offered pupjali at his
lotus feet. r Trivikrama Mahrja gave a lecture
about r guru-pj and our most worshipful
r Gurudeva spoke about r vysa-pj. At the
religious assembly in the evening, rla Guru
Mahrja read the section in r Caitanyabhgavata about vysa-pj. On the second day,
letters of commemoration in various languages
were read and r cryadeva gave a lecture. On
the third day, rla cryadeva instructed r
Nryaa Mahrja [the author] and r Rasarja
Vrajavs to perform r vysa-pj according to
the Vysa-pj-paddhati with pj-pacaka of
sixteen articles.

A protest against the law controlling Hindu sdhus and sannyss

ince ancient times, India has predominantly

been a religious country. All aspects of
Indian culture such as tradition, morality, social
structure, politics and administration have
been determined and conducted from a religious
perspective since Vedic times. The supremacy of
dharma in the Indian society was protected even
during the rule of the Muslims and the British.
However, after India attained independence,
dharma has declined very rapidly, to an extent
that has not been seen for thousands of years.
On 27 July 1956, a proposal to control Hindu
sdhus and sannyss was brought to the Lokasabh14 of the Indian parliament. The rationale
behind this legislation was that the behaviour of
sdhus and sannyss was becoming more sinful,
and that their lifestyle was becoming increasingly
contrary to the interests of society at large.

14 Editor: the lower house of the Indian parliament

Furthermore, there was an increase in incidences

of begging. It was thought necessary to control this,
and the intention was to use legislation to protect
the reputation of true sdhus and purify society.
At that time, paramrdhyatama crya
Kesar was residing in r Keavaj Gauya Maha
in Mathur. When he was informed about this
legislation, he protested with a lion-like voice.
The Indian Penal Code has ample regulations to
suppress sinful behaviour and activities opposed
to society, he said. What is the need for this
separate law? And why not pass a law on Muslim
mullahs, Christian popes and ministers, Buddhist
mendicants and Jain mendicants? Why cause an
uproar about Hindus and no one else? Before
any legislation against Hindu sdhus is presented
in the Loka-sabh, it should be publicized
throughout the whole country. Only then should
the debate be conducted in the Loka-sabh. It is

127

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

improper in all respects to neglect this procedure

and make some law secretly.
crya Kesar started a forceful campaign,
protesting strongly against this legislation. He
wrote a letter of protest, printed it in Hindi, Bengali
and English, and sent it to prominent politicians,
social leaders and leaders of religious societies.
A copy of the letter was sent to r Nehruj, who
was the prime minister at the time, and also to the
members of the Loka-sabh. The result was that
the people became so awake to the situation that
the Loka-sabh quickly rejected the legislation.
The following is a copy of the protest he wrote.
The laws, rules and regulations of India are
all defined according to stric law; no legislation
can be accepted in India which is separate from
stric law. No person or society can control
sdhus and sannyss; they are only controlled
by stra. We find evidence to support this
statement in all the Puras and other stras. In
rmad-Bhgavatam (4.21.12) it is said:
sarvatrskhalitdea
sapta-dvpaika-daa-dhk
anyatra brhmaa-kuld
anyatrcyuta-gotrata
Mahrja Pthu, who was the sole emperor
of the entire world, very firmly applied his
system of law and punishment to everyone
except for is, brhmaas and acyutagotrya viu-bhaktas (Vaiavas).

Saints are Indias pride and charming beauty.

People from all over the world are attracted to
this beautiful ornament of India and are ready
to construct their own spiritual and social lives
in accordance with them. Indian sdhus and
sannyss are very peace-loving. That is why
the whole world looks to India for peace. It is

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

extremely improper and completely illegal to

check religious conduct by politics.
It was declared in the Indian constitution that
India is primarily a secular state. This attempt
by the Indian Loka-sabh to try to restrict one
religion and not others is therefore completely
against the constitutional law. If this legislation
were passed, the Penal Code, Criminal Procedure
Code and other laws would also have to be
changed and revised in many fields.
There is no need to make a new law to control
misbehaviour separately. If it is necessary to
prepare a separate law to control the misconduct
of so-called sdhus, then it is also necessary to
prepare a separate law to control the misconduct,
sinful behaviour and anti-social activities of the
Congress party and other political parties. It is
more essential to control the political agents than
it is to control the cryas, the most prominent,
of the sdhus and sannyss. Another point is
that so far there are no laws prepared to control
the black market and other anomalies in society.
Only sdhus and sannyss can understand
the activities of other sdhus and sannyss. How
can anyone recognize a sdhu if he is not a sdhu
himself, and has never had the association of
sdhus and sannyss, or even been near them?
How can he judge who is a sdhu and who is not?
We need laws which apply to everyone. At present
there is no arrangement to control non-sdhus,
yet non-sdhus are tightening their waist-belts
and jumping to their feet to control sdhus. This is
the age of voting, and there are more non-sdhus
than sdhus; that is why they can present laws to
condone atrocities against sdhus. The majority
is creating an atrocity against the minority. We
can never call this a good rule.
Nowadays sdhus are the object of malice
and violence. Non-sdhus are becoming degraded

128

His

Life

and

and ashamed because of their misconduct in

society. They feel abandoned and disrespected
by sdhus, and in revenge are presenting bills
to control them. This is befitting the age of Kali.
The proposal to register sdhus will give all the
non-sdhus of India a golden opportunity; they
will be able to validate their immoral character
by entering their names in the register of sdhus.
Actual sdhus do not want to be called sdhu and
would feel ashamed to be identified as a registered
or licensed sdhu. Some sdhus will not even
register their names at the government office.
Besides, if the licensing officer is anti-Hindu,
how can one rely on him to judge who is and who
is not a sdhu according to Hindu scripture?
Here is another point. Is a householder
(ghastha) considered a sdhu or not, according
to the proposed definition? If they are excluded
from the sdhu category then householders who
are actually very elevated will be called nonsdhus. This will be an offence under Section 352
of Indian Penal Code, or else a case of defamation
under Section 500 of the same. If some ghastha
wants to adopt a virtuous way of life or to become

Teachings

Part
three

a sdhu, then he will also have to take a license

or get his name registered. Suppose a highly
posted official in an office or a law court wants to
lead a religious life. Must he certify his goodness
with some district magistrate who may be immoral
or even vicious? And will that district magistrate
have the power to cancel the licence and punish
that virtuous official?
The constitution of India has passed the
Widow Marriage Act and the rada Child
Marriage Act proposed by the honourable varacandra Vidysgara, but the Indian public has
not accepted them. These laws are lying in some
corner of the library of the Indian constitution.
This present law will certainly face the same
sorry plight if it is forced on the general public
against their wishes. We are totally against such
a law. We humbly request the members of the
Loka-sabh to reject this bill. We also request all
Indian newspapers and their readers to oppose
this blind law with all their power. Indeed, we
request the entire society, especially the sdhus
and sannyss of India, to unite and raise their
voices against this law.

Inauguration of r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha (Assam)

agad-guru r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta

Sarasvat Gosvm hkura preached uddhabhakti strongly outside West Bengal, in Assam,
Bihar, Orissa, Chennai (Madras), Uttara Pradesh
and elsewhere. There were many ghastha devotees
in these different states who were very expert in
the philosophical conclusions of uddha-bhakti
and who preached in their own local languages.
One of the foremost of these was rpda
Nimnanda Sev-trtha Prabhu from Dhba in
Assam, who preached r Caitanya Mahprabhus
message in Assamese all over Assam, under rla

Prabhupdas guidance. But very shortly after rla

Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda entered
aprakaa-ll, rpda Sev-trtha Prabhu also
left this world. Before he left, he instructed his
disciples to continue their spiritual life under the
guidance of the most worshipful r rmad Bhakti
Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja.
rpda Sev-trtha Prabhu had one
very outstanding ghastha disciple, rmat
Sucitrbl-dev, who was greatly intelligent and
able to understand the subtle concepts of bhaktidharma. In the scriptures (Raghuvaa 14.46)

129

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

it is stated, j gur hy avicray

the gurus orders should be followed without
consideration. Sucitr-dev, therefore, was most
insistent in her invitation to crya r rmad
Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja to
come to Assam to preach uddha-bhakti. On
her repeated requests, rla Gurudeva arrived in
Goloka-gaja with twelve followers, and preached
bhakti strongly in various places. The public
was very impressed to see the special quality of
rla Guru Mahrjas preaching and to hear the
hidden siddhntas of bhakti, and they resolved to
take up spiritual life and follow his teachings.
The devoted Sucitr-dev unconditionally
donated her land and newly built residence for
the purpose of establishing a Gauya Maha in
Goloka-gaja. This donation was duly registered
at the Registration Office in the main town
of Gvlap district, Dhba. Her husband,

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

ryuta Devendracandra dsa (initiated as r

Divya-jna dsa Adhikr), stood by his wifes
side in this transcendental task.
At r Surendrantha dsas request, rla
Gurudeva came with his preaching party to
Devn village in Gvlap district on 1112
February 1957. An extensive festival took place
here for r Nitynanda Prabhus appearance
day and for r Nimnanda Sev-trtha Prabhus
disappearance day. At the local religious assembly,
rla cryadeva gave a brilliant lecture on the
life history of r Nitynanda Prabhu and r
Nimnanda Prabhu. Trida-svm Bhaktivednta
Nryaa Mahrja [the author] explained gaurall with the aid of a slide-show. Paita r Sanat
Kumra dsa Adhikr and paita r Vndvana
dsa Adhikr also delivered lectures displaying
a brilliant command of language. Honourable r
Suren dsa met all the expenses for the festival.

r vysa-pj celebration in r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha

n 1719 February 1957, there was a

great celebration of r vysa-pj at
r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha for three
days, while rla cryadeva was present there
with his disciples. r vysa-pj was carried
out under his guidance with pj-pacaka
according to rla Sarasvat Prabhupdas
paddhati. An extensive religious assembly was
held in the courtyard of the maha, and rla

Gurupda-padma submitted an analytical and

philosophical lecture on following r Vysadeva
and r vysa-pj. Afterwards, mah-prasda
was distributed to two to three thousand guests,
both invited and uninvited. rmat Sucitrbldev and her family aided greatly in facilitating
the festival, as did r Sudma Sakh Brahmacr
and Dhanytidhanya Brahmacr, who worked
tirelessly.

r crya Kesar at the All-Bengal Vaiava Conference

rpa Mahea is a well-known place adjacent

to r Rmapura in Hoogly district in Bengal.
The ratha-ytr that is held there is like the
one in Jaganntha Pur. Previously, r Caitanya
Mahprabhus associate r Kamalkara Pippall
stayed there and performed sdhana-bhajana.

On the occasion of the anniversary of his disap

pearance day an All-Bengal Vaiava Conference
was organized for three days, 1214 March
1957, under the auspices of the Sinthi Vaiava
Society and the r Rmapura Dharma-sabh.
r Gauya Vednta Samitis founder-crya,

130

His

Life

and

rla Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm, was

selected as the chairman of this conference. r
Gopendrabhaa (skhya-trtha), paita
Surendrantha (paca-trtha), r Nagendrantha
str (teacher), paita r Phandrantha
str (MABL) and other famous scholars of
Navadvpa were all present there.
r Vinoda-Kiora Gosvm (pura-trtha)
addressed the assembly. The main guest, advocate
r Patita-pvana Caopdhyya, gave a speech
on r Kamalkara Pippalls life history, and
the scholars mentioned earlier also spoke.
Tridai-svm rpda Bhaktivednta Trivikrama
Mahrja made some critical comments about r

Teachings

Part
three

Phandrantha strs statements. After that,

the chairman, rla Keava Gosvm Mahrja,
gave a lecture with many references from stra
on r Kamalkara Pippall. In a serious voice,
he strongly opposed to views contrary to stra
that prkta-sahajiys had written in unauthentic
literature. r Caitanya-caritmta mentions r
Pippallj, whose life was actually full of pure
bhakti. However, the recorded life history about
him includes some impure and avaiava views,
which are actually against bhakti. At the end of the
assembly, the audience brought up many questions
regarding r Pippall, which rla Gurudeva
resolved.

Observing fasting (upavsa) on r Rdham

r Rdham has a special significance

in the society of r Gauya Vaiavas,
and they honour this day very deeply. rmat
Rdhik is Kas most complete akti. She is
Herself var and all other aktis manifest from
Her. For this reason, some people want to regard
Rdham as a jayant and observe fasting
without water, as they do on Ka-janmam. In
reality, though, even though Hari-bhakti-vilsa
refers to the r Rdham tithi as a vrata, it does
not prescribe any fasting for this day. Thus the
sahajiy sampradya, which observes fasting on
this day, is actually exhibiting excessive devotion
(ati-bhakti) towards r Rdhr. Hari-bhaktivilsa is the only Smti for the Gauya Vaiavas,
and it records in a splendid way, with scriptural
references, the system by which Vaiavas should
observe vratas and fasting. Sat-kriya-sradpik is another prominent text concerning
activities prescribed by stra. It is improper
for a pure Vaiava to create new vratas and
transgress vratas and other rules recorded in
these books. Nowadays the Gauya Mission,

which is supported by Congress Company, has

changed the pure Vaiava line and has begun
to observe r Rdham vrata according to the
doctrine of the sahajiys.
Observance of vrata and fasting is prescribed
in the stras only for the appearance days of
aktimn para-tattva (the Supreme Truth who
possesses all potencies) or His incarnations. If
fasting were observed for the appearance of aktitattva, then one would have to observe fasting
on all 365 days of the year. This is because, in
addition to bhagavat-aktis, all the cryas and
gurus in the guru-parampar are included in
akti-tattva, and it is impossible to observe a
vrata and fasting on all of the appearance and
disappearance days.
All the mahas under the jurisdiction of r
Gauya Vednta Samiti observed r Rdham
vrata on Sunday, 1 September 1957, as prescribed
by r Santana Gosvm. On this day there was
abhieka of r r Rdh-Ka, with special
offerings of bhoga, lectures on r rdh-tattva,
sakrtana and so on.

131

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

On Rdham day, rla Bhakti Prajna

Keava Gosvm Mahrja visited r Caitanya
Srasvata Maha, which parama-pjyapda rla
Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Gosvm Mahrja had
established in Koleragaja, Navadvpa. There,

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

the crya of r Gauya Vednta Samiti gave

a deeply philosophical lecture on rdh-tattva.
Other speakers also offered pupjali at the
lotus feet of rmat Rdhik by revealing their
own understanding.

Vysa-pj at r Gaurav-Vinoda rama in Khaagpura

n 8 February 1958, r vysa-pj was

celebrated in a grand way on jagadguru rla Prabhupdas appearance day at
r Gaurav-Vinoda rama in Khaagpura.
This was made possible by the irrepressible
enthusiasm of tridai-svm rmad Bhakti
Jvana Janrdana Mahrja, the president of the
rama. In the previous year, vysa-pj had
been celebrated with great festivity in r Golokagaja Gauya Maha in Assam, according to the
method initiated by rla Sarasvat Prabhupda.
In 1956, the celebrations had been held in
Begunab, Prvacaka, near Medinpura.
O viupda rla Bhakti Prajna Keava
Mahrja attended this vysa-pj with his
disciples and officiated at the ceremony. On
the second day of the festival, mah-prasda
was distributed to about five thousand faithful
people. A dharma-sabh was arranged, and rla
cryadeva addressed the assembly as follows:
Not only we Indians but the whole world is
eternally indebted to r Ka Dvaipyana Vysa.
He divided the Vedas into four parts to help general
people who are trying to study them. He compiled
Vednta-stra, or Brahma-stra, in order to recon
cile apparent contradictions between Vednta and
Upaniads, the essence of the Vedas. He composed
the different Puras and the Mahbhrata and
finally, in order to make Vednta-stra easily
understandable, he manifested the spotless mahpura, rmad-Bhgavatam, as the commentary
on Vednta-stra.

All the religious societies in India believe

somehow or other that they are followers of Vysa.
However, when we carefully study the literature
composed by r Vysadeva, we can clearly see
that bhagavad-bhakti is the main subject matter
in his literature. He has not mentioned the words
jna or mukti anywhere in the five hundred
and fifty aphorisms of his famous Brahmastra. On the contrary, he has established bhakti
everywhere in the genuine commentary on his
Brahma-stra, namely, pramahas sahit
rmad-Bhgavatam.
Although the r akara sampradya
gives prominence to vysa-pj, their so-called
vysa-pj is a mockery. In crya akaras
commentary on Brahma-stra, he has accused
Ka Dvaipyana r Vedavysa of being mis
taken. r akara has written that brahma is the
embodiment of bliss (nanda-svarpa), and can
never be blissful (nanda-maya). But r Vysaj
has called brahma nanda-maya in Vedntastra. In this way, crya akara has attempted
to refute rla Vysadevas opinion. Therefore,
crya akaras vysa-pj is only for show.
r Vysadeva is worshipped properly in the
Vaiava sampradya. All trida-sannyss
should accept the example of the vysa-pj
celebrated by rpda Janrdana Mahrja.
Nowadays, we see that, in the name of vysa-pj,
so-called gurus everywhere accept pupjali
and arcjali offered to their own feet and they
hear and accept praise given to them by their

132

His

Life

and

On vysa-pj day, an crya will

worship guru, guru-parampar and

upsya. ... It is the supreme duty of
r Gauya Srasvata Vaiavas to
follow the Vysa-pj-paddhati

used by rla Prabhupda.

own disciples. However, those who only accept

pupjali and arcjali offered to their own
feet and do not follow r Vysa-pj-paddhati
(which was collected by rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupda and edited and developed
by rla Bhaktivinoda hkura) are not actually
performing vysa-pj. On vysa-pj day,
an crya will worship guru, guru-parampar
and upsya (the object of worship). According
to this pj-paddhati, on that day one should
worship guru-pacaka, crya-pacaka, vysapacaka, sanakdi-pacaka, ka-pacaka,
upsya-pacaka and paca-tattva-pacaka.15
It is the supreme duty of r Gauya Srasvata
Vaiavas to follow the Vysa-pj-paddhati
used by rla Prabhupda.
On this occasion, when the disciples of
rpda Janrdana Mahrja went to him to offer

Teachings

Part
three

pupjali at his feet, he instructed them to offer

pupjali first at the feet of their ik-guru, rla
Keava Mahrja. When, on their gurus order,
all the disciples came to rla Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrja to offer pupjali,
he in turn explained that a disciple should first
worship his own gurus feet and then other gurus.
For this he gave examples and proofs from stra.
rpda Janrdana Mahrja could not reject the
instruction from his senior godbrother and ikguru. Accordingly, his disciples worshipped their
own gurudeva and then offered pupjali to
rla Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja.
Pjyapda Janrdana Mahrja did not forget
this event for his whole life. He used to say that he
had watched all his godbrothers very closely, but
had never seen anyone who was so generous, so
learned in siddhnta, and such a fearless speaker
of truth as rla Keava Mahrja. When he spoke
like this, tears would come to his eyes.

15 (1) guru-pacaka: r guru, parama-guru, paramehguru, partpara-guru and parama-partpara-guru;

(2) crya-pacaka: r ukadeva, Rmnuja, Madhva,
Viusvm and Nimbditya;
(3) vysa-pacaka: r Vedavysa, Paila, Vaiamapyana,
Jaimin and Sumanta;
(4) sanakdi-pacaka: r Sanaka, Sanat-kumra
Santana, Sanandana and Vivaksena;
(5) ka-pacaka: r Ka, Vsudeva, Sakaraa,
Pradyumna and Aniruddha;
(6) upsya-pacaka: r Rdh, Ka, Gaura,
Gaddhara and r gurudeva;
(7) paca-tattva-pacaka: r Ka Caitanya,
Nitynanda, Advaita crya, Gaddhara and rvsa.

133

Pjyapda Bhakti Jvana Janrdana Mahrja

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

r Gauya Vednta Samiti and Akaya-tty

n 22 April 1958, a special festival was

observed for Akaya-tty and for the
anniversary of the inauguration of r Gauya
Vednta Samiti. Besides the lecture and krtana, a
special religious assembly was organized that day
in r Uddhraa Gauya Maha in Chuchur.
Paramrdhya rla Gurudeva addressed the
assembly as follows.
Akaya-tty is the first day of Satya-yuga. It
is on this day that the road to r Badr-nryaa
is opened every year, and on Akaya-tty, r
candana-ytr also takes place in r Jaganntha
Pur. r Jagannthajs whole body is smeared
with Malayan candana and r Madana-mohanaj,
the vijaya-vigraha of r Jaganntha-deva, is
seated in a well-decorated boat in r Narendrasarovara to perform His boat-pastimes.

r Gauya Vednta Samiti was inaugurated

on this very day in 1940. Paramrdhya rla
Gurudeva established rmad-Bhgavatam
as Gauya Vednta, following the verse from
Garua Pura, artho ya brahma-strm
rmad-Bhgavatam is the purport of the
Vednta-stra. Gauya-vedntcrya rla
Baladeva Vidybhaa also composed Govindabhya following this same verse.
rla Gurudeva went on to point out by
comparative study that r Govinda-bhya is
the topmost commentary on Vednta, and that
after Govinda-bhya, r Madhva cryas
commentary, Au-bhya, is superior to all the
other commentaries. He further established that
kara Vednta is insubstantial and useless.

Preaching in Goloka-gaja, Assam

n 1 May 1958, paramrdhya rla

Gurudeva went with a preaching party from
r Uddhraa Gauya Maha to r Golokagaja Gauya Maha in Assam. He stayed with his
sannyss and brahmacrs in antinagara Pall
of Dhba city at the house of r Advaitacaraa
dsa Adhikr, a prominent servant of the Samiti.
From there he went to Klv and other places
in Dhba to lecture on rmad-Bhgavatam.
In the hari-sabh-maapa he gave three
lectures: The solution to the problems of today,

The necessity of a religious (dharmika) life and

Santana-dharma. The audience was highly
impressed by his deep and powerful discourses.
In addition to rla Gurudevas lectures,
tridai-svm r Bhaktivednta Trivikrama
Mahrja and tridai-svm r Bhaktivednta
Nryaa Mahrja [the author] also gave
lectures in various places that were illustrated
with slide-shows. Very educated and respectful
people aided the preaching party with their body,
mind, words and wealth.

Establishing a primary school and the method of teaching in Pichlad

ithin the Medinpura district there is

a small village named Pichlad, which
r Caitanya Mahprabhu visited on his way to
r Jaganntha Pur. After receiving repeated

requests by the village people, rla Gurudeva

established rman Mahprabhus pda-pha
(an altar with the imprint of r Mahprabhus
lotus feet) and r Pichlad Gauya Maha.

134

His

Life

and

Later, the villagers wanted to open a primary

school in the village. For this purpose they formed
a school board, which they duly registered.
To run the school they needed a hall. On 23
December 1958, they sent a written request to
rla Gurudeva, who was at that time in r
Keavaj Gauya Maha in Mathur, requesting
him to donate the old house of the pda-pha
for use as a school. After reading their letter, rla
Gurudeva gave his ideas to the village people in
the following letter:
(1) r Gauya Vednta Samiti does not have
even the slightest faith in the education
provided by the present universities. I do not
accept education which is opposed to rman
Mahprabhus teachings.
(2) I am not prepared to give up religious
teachings (dharma-ik) for rupees.
(3) Pichlad has become important by the touch
of rman Mahprabhus lotus feet. The vil
lagers should therefore live a life favourable
for the sev of rman Mahprabhu, and they
should make this the focus of education.
(4) Pichlad pda-pha is not an atheistic
monument and Vednta Samiti will not
approve of the teaching of atheistic princi
ples on its premises.
(5) I have no objection to signing the deed if
the school board is willing to educate the
students as per the prospectus provided by
Vednta Samiti.
(6) The village people should remember the
strong reproach against the activities of the
Kolkata University in the essay on acintyabhedbheda in r Gauya-patriks 10th
issue of the 10th year.
(7) In r Dhma Mypura, I established a
high school which was sanctioned by the
university. The law of the university was

Teachings

Part
three

broken when priority was given to religious

education. This example should also be
followed here.
(8) It is impossible for the country to receive any
kind of benefit from disobedient students.
Religious ethics are the principal policy.
(9) Our government recognizes many Christian
missionary schools. There is no doubt, then,
that the primary school in Pichlad should
make religious education its main priority
and still be recognized.
(10) There should be no interference of any sort
that is contrary to the spiritual objectives of
r Gauya Vednta Samiti.
(11) r Gauya Vednta Samiti will approve
the establishment of any college, school or
Sanskrit school for expanding the field of
education. Such a school would be managed
by the Samitis committee, which would
exclude any atheistic line of thought of the
department of education.
(12) The demon Hirayakaipu sent his son r
Prahlda Mahrja to be educated at aa
and Amarkas school, where the education
was controlled by ukrcrya. However,
Prahlda Mahrja stressed education in
viu-bhakti, thus violating the orders of
the emperor, his father, and the headmaster,
ukrcrya. This is our ideal in expanding
the field of education.
(13) rman Mahprabhu instructed the jvas
of the world about education in r Rya
Rmnanda Savda in r Caitanyacaritmta. We accept these instructions and
not any kind of demoniac ideals.
(14) According to the universitys rules and regu
lations, every college must observe Satur
day as a half-day and Sunday as a full-day
holiday. However, the hkura Bhaktivinoda

135

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Institute in r Dhma Mypura observed

the holidays on Ekda and Pacam. This
is contrary to the university rules. When
local Christians and Muslims opposed this,
the departmental inspector of the university
came and issued an order against me, which
I refused to accept. As a result, the financial
support given by the university was stopped.
In spite of this, the school in r Dhma
Mypura is still running today, and is still
recognized by the government.

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

(15) This letter should be read to the villagers. I am

establishing and organizing more schools,
Sanskrit schools and colleges, so I am well
experienced in this area. We are not at all
obliged to follow government statutes. People
in an independent country are not bound to
follow the rules in that country. The school
should be established in an impeccable
manner and become an ideal for the whole
Medinpura district. Please explain this to
everyone.

The installation of the deities in r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha

n 29 January 1959, the president of the

Samiti, crya r rmad Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrja, imparted endless
benefit to the world by installing the deities of
r r Guru-Gaurga Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj
in r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha in Golokagaja, Assam. The daily sev began in a splendid
way. r Bhagavn, the Supreme Absolute Truth
who resides in the devotees heart, mercifully
appears in the outside world in His deity form.
The spiritual sentiments in rla cryadevas
heart have been expressed in the mood of the
deity form of r Ka, who is adorned with
unprecedented sweetness because of embracing
Rdh and accepting Her lustre.

yaja, installation activities, arcana-pj and

the bhoga offering. Mah-prasda was served
to invited and uninvited guests until eleven
at night. The Samitis trida-sannyss and
learned members spoke at a religious assembly
in the evening between 4 to 7 p.m. Finally, rla
cryadeva gave a deep lecture filled with many
emotional sentiments on r vigraha-tattva, the
principle of the deity. He quoted a verse from r
Caitanya-caritmta (Madhya-ll 5.1):
padbhy calan ya pratim-svarpo
brahmaya-devo hi atha-gamyam
dea yayau vipra-kte dbhute ha
ta ski-goplam aha nato smi
I offer my prama to Sk-gopla, the
performer of transcendental activities, who
appeared as brahmaya-deva (the Supreme
Lord of brahminical culture) in deity form
and walked for one hundred days to reach
a distant place, only for the benefit of a
brhmaa.

rdh-cint-niveena
yasya kntir vilopit
r-ka-caraa vande
rdhligita-vigraham
r Rdh-Vinoda-bihr-tattvakam

Morning krtana and nagara-sakrtana were

performed from the early morning until 8 a.m.;
from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. there was abhieka of the
deities, reading from stras, vaiava homa-

Citing this verse, rla Gurudeva said that

the deity is Svayam Bhagavn, directly the Lord
Himself. Pratim naha tumi,skt vrajendra-

136

His

Life

and

nandana You are not an image; You are directly

Vrajendra-nandana (r Caitanya-caritmta,
Madhya-ll 5.96). rman Mahprabhu also
expressed the same sentiments when taking
darana of Jaganntha-deva.
According to r akarcryas doctrines,
the imaginary form of nirviea-brahma is
created for the benefit of sdhakas. There are
five different imaginary forms of nirvieabrahma Viu, iva, akti, Srya and Gaea
and the worshipper of these forms is called
paca-upsaka. akarcryas conception is
opposed to stra and is only a figment of his
imagination. Imaginary images of stone, etc., can
neither walk nor talk. The deity form of the Lord,
however, is cinmaya (conscious) and prabrahma-svarpa (the complete personification
of brahma). Bhagavn is not formless (nirkra),

Teachings

Part
three

without potency (niaktik) or without attributes

(nirviea). Arpavadeva tat-pradhnatvt, na
pratke na hi sa, nandamayo bhyst and
other aphorisms of Vednta-stra prove that
Bhagavn has an eternal form, is the possessor
of all potencies and is full of all transcendental
qualities.
rla Gurudeva refuted idol worship
(pratkopsan) and nirkra-vda with
irrefutable logic and stric evidence. His
wonderful lecture on r vigraha-tattva, filled
with fundamental truths and philosophical con
clusions, left deep impressions in the hearts of the
audience. He pointed out the difference between
idols and deities, and announced very seriously
that nirkra-vds and nirviea-vds, who
are inimical to the eternal deity, have neither
the right nor the qualification to install deities.

Vysa-pj and inauguration of the deities in the newly constructed

temple in r Gaurav-Vinoda rama in Khaagpura

rom 27 February to 1 March 1959, there

was a grand celebration of r vysa-pj
and the inauguration of the deities in the newly
constructed temple in r Gaurava-Vinoda
rama, Khaagpura. Trida-svm rmad
Bhakti Jvana Janrdana Mahrja, the president
of the rama, insisted that parivrjakcrya
aottara-ata r rmad Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrja attend the festival.
rla cryadeva stayed there for four days and
performed the priestly duties for this grand
occasion. Many sannyss and brahmacrs
under his shelter also participated in the function.
27 February, Mgh-tty, was the appearance
day of rla cryadeva. On that day he personally
performed the pj of his gurudeva, rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda.

By the order of rla Gurudeva, r Nitynanda

Brahmacr, who arrived from Ganjm (Orissa),
performed the rat of rla Prabhupda.
During the rat, devotees sang the krtana rla
Prabhupda rat16, which rla cryadeva
himself had composed.
Trida-svm
rmad
Bhaktivednta
Nryaa Mahrja [the author] read for two
days from the part of r Caitanya-bhgavata
that describes the vysa-pj performed in the
house of rvsa. In addition to this, he per
formed krtana during these days at the homes
of respectable people in the town.
At the religious assembly in the evening of
the next day, rla cryadeva spoke about r
16 Editor: song, translation and explanation are found on
page 263 in Part Seven

137

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

ka-ll and gave a substantial lecture on the

importance of religious life. He said, Dharmea
hn paubhi samn a life devoid of
religion is the same as animal life (Hitopadea
25). Eating, sleeping, fear and reproducing can
be seen everywhere, even amongst the animals.
If we are entrapped in these four activities, what
is the advantage of gaining a human form of life,
and how is human life superior to animal life?
Therefore, it is written in rmad-Bhgavatam
(11.9.29):
labdhv su-durlabham ida bahu sambhvnte
mnuyam artha-dam anityam apha dhra
tra yateta na pated anumtyu yvan
nireyasya viaya khalu sarvata syt
This rare human life is attained only after
many, many births. Although temporary,
it provides opportunity for achieving the
highest benefit, which is available only
through association of devotees (sdhusaga). And only in the human form can
one easily attain association of devotees.
Therefore, an intelligent person should
immediately, without wasting even a moment,
endeavour for his ultimate good fortune
before death overtakes him. And what is that
ultimate good fortune? It is the cultivation of
r ka-bhakti.
sa vai pus paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokaje
ahaituky apratihat
yaytm suprasdati
rmad-Bhgavatam (1.2.6)

The topmost duty of human life is r kabhakti. And this bhakti should also be devoid
of selfish motive, regular and uninterrupted.

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

When one performs bhakti in this manner,

the heart, perceiving the blissful form of
Paramtm, is gratified.

There are many limbs of bhagavad-bhakti.

Amongst them harinma-sakrtana is the
topmost for human beings in Kali-yuga:
harer nma harer nma harer nmaiva kevalam
kalau nsty eva nsty eva nsty eva gatir anyath

In r harinma-sakrtana, faith is the

only consideration. Only a faithful person is
competent to perform nma-sakrtana. By
attaining faith, anyone can perform harinmasakrtana in any situation. Even a person with
no faith can get liberation without any difficulty
by chanting Bhagavns name. Considering that
harinma japa and sakrtana are so easy to
practise, why are people indifferent towards
them? This is answered by the Vedic injunction
nyam tm bala-hnena labhya and the verse
from rmad-Bhgavatam (11.2.37), bhaya
dvitybhiniveata syt. We can clearly
understand from these references that only a
courageous and brave person can accept spiritual
life and perform harinma. A cowardly person
is only involved in material activities like eating,
sleeping, fearing and mating. These scriptural
references explain that those who are engrossed
in statesmanship, financial policies, social welfare
and so forth, are fearful and cowardly. Crushed
by fear of my and ignorance, they uselessly
ruin their lives flattering my. They do not have
the courage to get free from mys prison and
the agony of illusion.
On rla Prabhupdas appearance day,
the devotees performed his arcana-pj and
offered pupjali at his lotus feet. After that, the
deities, auspiciously installed and worshipped

138

His

Life

and

by rpda Janrdana Mahrja, entered Their

newly constructed palatial temple, graced with
nine domes. This function was performed
according to the pacartrika method, and was
accompanied by r nma-sakrtana. On the
same day, guru-pacaka, crya-pacaka,

Teachings

Part
three

ka-pacaka, upsya-pacaka, etc., and

vaiava-homa were performed according to
Vysa-pj-paddhati. This vysa-pj remained
the topic of discussion for a long time afterwards,
not only in Khaagpura, but also throughout the
entire Medinpura district.

Protest against r Rdh-Govindanthas Vaiava-darana

crya kesar o viupda aottaraata r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava

Gosvm Mahrja strongly protested against
the book Acintya-bhedbheda-vda published
by Bgbzr Gauya Mission in Kolkata. All
learned and respectable persons in the society
were familiar with crya Kesars protest. ryuta
Rdh-Govindantha had composed a large book,
Vaiava-darana, which is based on Acintyabhedbheda-vda, the ideas of both books being
one and the same. rla crya Kesar protested
against Vaiava-darana in the r Gauyapatrik (4th issue, 11th year, pgs 159160). The
pure Gauya Vaiava sampradya, as followed
and preached by rman Mahprabhu, is within
the Madhva sampradya. In my essay Acintyabhedbheda (published in Gauya-patrik,
9th and 10th years), I have presented elaborate
evidence protesting against the book Acintyabhedbheda-vda by r Vidyvinoda. In the same
essay I have also voiced my objections to Ntha
Mahayas book Vaiava-darana. The readers
will understand my protest by reading this essay.
Nowadays different assemblies are protesting
against r Rdh-Govindantha as a result of this
essay being published. I hope that all the religious
bodies in India will speak out against this book.
rla Gurudeva wrote further on this subject
matter. We are happy to note that renowned
gosvms and bbj mahrjas, etc., belonging
to ordinary Vaiava groups from Rdh-

kua, Vndvana, Govardhana, Mathur and

other places have unanimously and vehemently
protested against r Rdh-Govindanthas
book, Vaiava-darana. On 22 April 1959, in
r Amiya Nim Gaurga temple in Vndvana,
a huge assembly was arranged in which this book
was evaluated. We are presenting a few points of
our conclusions to the readers.
First of all, the Gauya Vaiavas in this
assembly pointed out that r Ntha Mahaya
is not initiated into any Vaiava sampradya.
Moreover, Gauya Vaiavas have since rman
Mahprabhus time considered themselves as
belonging to the Madhva Gauyas or the r
Brahm-Madhva-Gauya sampradya. The
chairman of the assembly affirmed, with the
consent of all the members present, that all
Gauya Vaiavas belong to the r Madhvcrya
sampradya. Ntha Mahaya, however, rejects
this conception. This shows how ignorant he is of
the philosophical tradition. Vaiavas should not
waste their time studying any book that attempts
to contradict this truth.
Secondly, the chairman affirmed that rla
Baladeva Vidybhaa, the protector of the
Gauya Vaiava sampradya, is greatly revered
by Gauya Vaiavas. He is a genuine sevakacrya of rman Mahprabhu and is acclaimed
the topmost philosophical scholar in the r
Madhva-Gauya sampradya. There is not even
a shadow of doubt in this regard. Ntha Mahaya

139

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

does not accept rla Baladeva Vidybhaa as

an crya of the Gauya Vaiava sampradya,
and is therefore a great offender at rla Baladeva
Vidybhaas lotus feet.
The chairmans third point is that the views
expressed by Ntha Mahaya in connection
with acintya-bhedbheda-vda are irrelevant.
Consequently, if pure Vaiavas hear from or
read his large book Vaiava-darana, it will

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

lead to their total destruction. That is to say,

they will fall forever from the realm of authentic
Gauya Vaiavism. This assembly determined,
following the previous mahjanas, that the
Gauya Vaiava community is accepted as a
legitimate part of the Brahm-Madhva-Gauya
sampradya and that Ntha Mahayas
Vaiava-darana is worthless, and should be
shunned by r Gauya Vaiavas.

rla cryadeva in Assam

n 21 May 1959, paramrdhya rla

cryadeva travelled from r Dhma
Navadvpa to r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha
in Assam, after receiving an urgent letter from
r Paramnanda dsa Adhikr (r Pala
Candraghha) of Dhba. The train was delayed
for nearly twelve hours due to an accident at
Kaihra Junction. Having heard the news of r
cryadevas arrival by telegram, the residents
of the maha welcomed him at Goloka-gaja
railway station and respectfully accompanied
him to the maha in the midst of sakrtana
with mdaga and karatlas. At the maha, the
renounced and householder devotees performed
r cryadevas pj and rat, and had darana
of the exquisitely beautiful deities of r r
Guru-Gaurga Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj. They
praised the devotee who had donated the deities,
saying, The unparalleled, transcendental beauty
of these deities is not to be found anywhere else
in Assam.
r cryadeva addressed the assembled
devotees saying, One should not take darana
of the deities with the eyes. Proper darana is
through the ears. This is because darana
through the eyes is material and full of faults, so
there is always the possibility of delusion. There
is much less possibility of error and delusion

in darana through the ears, by hearing. That is

why the mantra is given through the ears at the
time of dk. r gurudeva gives divya-jna,
transcendental knowledge, through the ears. All
our senses are instruments for our gratification,
and our eyes enable us to enjoy beauty. However,
darana of the deities is not meant to satisfy
our sense of vision, but rather to remove to a far
distant place our greed to enjoy with the eyes.
Instead of thinking I am very blissfully having
darana of the deities, we should think, The
deities will give me a merciful glance. It is with
this attitude that we will achieve our supreme
welfare. Bhagavn and His deity form are not
objects of sense perception. We cannot accept
Them through any of our senses, because
whatever we accept through our senses is all
material and intended for our enjoyment. But r
Bhagavn actually is the only enjoyer; we are all
meant to be enjoyed by Him. That means that we
are not the seer, but rather the one who is seen.
rla cryadeva then explained this subject
in a way that was easier to understand. Suppose
there is a ripe mango in front of us. The eyes can
see it, the skin can touch it, the nose can smell
it and the tongue can taste it, but the ears have
no connection with these four senses. Whatever
subject matter the ears comprehend is completely

140

His

Life

and

The ears comprehend words with

which the other senses have no
connection. That is why the
sad-guru gives transcendental
sound vibration, abda-brahma,
in the ear of the bona fide
disciple. ... This is why, amongst
all the senses, the ear is the most
beneficial for us.

beyond the perception of the remaining four

knowledge-acquiring senses (jnendriyas). In
other words, in regard to that subject matter, these
four senses are helpless and have no connection
with it. The ears comprehend words with which the
other senses have no connection. That is why the
sad-guru gives transcendental sound vibration,
abda-brahma, in the ear of the bona fide
disciple, sat-iya. Before giving abda-brahma,
gurudeva purifies the disciple with hari-kath.
Then he gives abda-brahma in the form of r
harinma and the dk-mantras. You should try
to realize this essential truth. This is why, amongst
all the senses, the ear is the most beneficial for
us. The whole audience was fascinated to hear

Teachings

Part
three

rla Gurudevas new and unprecedented view,

and they unanimously agreed that they had never
heard such a beautiful siddhnta before.
r cryadeva stayed at Goloka-gaja Maha
for three days, and then went to Dhba town
with his associates, at r Paramnanda dsa
Adhikrs request. r Paramnanda Prabhus
wife, Tri-dev, had left this world some time
before. rla cryadeva now supervised her
rddha-saskra according to the stvata
vaiava-smti, Sat-kriy-sra-dpik. r
Sanat Kumra Bhakti-str Bhgavat-bhaa
performed the priestly duties at this rddha
ceremony, following rla Gurudevas order.
Afterwards everyone was served mah-prasda.
The honourable Paramnanda Prabhu (Pala
Bb) was very impressed with rla Gurudevas
preaching, and repeatedly requested rla
Gurudeva to establish a bhakti preaching centre
in Dhba. For this purpose he offered his house
in the district of Vidyp in Dhba town, and
also gave some money. He formally registered the
centre in r cryadevas name on 29 May 1959.
After this, rla cryadeva travelled with his
associates to Amypura by bus via Rangiy.
There he visited the homes of r Ka Govinda
dsa Adhikr, ryuta Prevara dsa Adhikr
(Saudgara Prabhu) and Vevara dsa Adhikr.
After preaching uddh-bhakti there he returned
to r Uddhraa Gauya Maha, Chuchur.

Installation of the deities at Pichlad Gauya Maha

aramrdhyatama
rla
Gurudeva
preached uddha-bhakti extensively for
several years in Pichlad and in Assam, and the
faithful people in the area repeatedly requested
him to establish a r Vednta Samiti preaching
centre there. Moved by their strong insistence,
rla Gurudeva agreed to open a preaching centre

near Pichlad pda-pha. A short time before

snna-ytr, he sent trida-svm rmad
Bhaktivednta Paramrth Mahrja with a few
brahmacrs to arrange for the installation of
the deities. He himself arrived in Pichlad village
with many of his sannyss and brahmacrs.
Trida-svm
rmad
Bhaktivednta

141

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Trivikrama Mahrja also reached Pichlad one

day before Snna-prim.
r Pichlad Gauya Maha was established
on r Jaganntha-devas Snna-prim, 20 June
1959 and the deities of r r Guru, NitynandaGaurga and Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj were also
installed on that day.
On the day of the installation, after early
morning krtana and adhivsa-krtana (krtana
before a ceremony starts), the temple and
maha premises were decorated with mango
leaves, flower garlands, flags, banners and other
auspicious items. In accordance with the rules of
Hari-bhakti-vilsa, twelve banana trees, twelve
pipal trees and twelve glara (wild fig) trees were
placed on the four sides of the temple. Twelve
water pots marked with svastikas were placed in
front of the banana trees, and mango leaves and
coconuts were placed on top of the water pots.
Another five water pots were filled with sacred
water that had been collected from a holy river
some distance away with nagara-sakrtana and
a band party. These five pots were placed in the
bathing chamber, or snna-maapa, of r r
Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj.
After the arrival of the deities on the altar of
the snna-maapa, the priests performed mahabhieka of r lagrma ila (the representative
form of r r Gaura-Nitynanda) with milk,
yoghurt, ghee, honey, sugar and one hundred and
eight pots of fragrant water sanctified by mantras.
During the abhieka the sound of the krtana with
mdaga and karatlas mixed with the sound
of conch shells, the jaya-dhvani and the ladies
ululating reverberated in every direction. At the
same time, prasthnatraya (i.e., Veda, Upaniad,
Viu-sahasra-nma,
rmad-Bhgavatam,
Gopla-sahasra-nma and rmad Bhagavadgt) were recited with loud voices on all sides of

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

the temple. After the abhieka, while the atmos

phere was resounding with the transcendental
sounds of the sakrtana-yaja and the recitation
of the Vedas and other scriptures, the deities
were taken to the altar. rla cryadeva himself
performed the consecration of the deities with
Vedic mantras. Afterwards the altar doors opened
and thousands of assembled faithful people took
Their darana accompanied by loud jaya-dhvani.
After pj-arcana and bhoga-rat, supremely
delicious mah-prasda was distributed to about
five thousand faithful people.
After evening rat and tulas-parikram,
there was a large assembly at which rmad
Bhaktivednta Paramrth Mahrja, rmad
Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrja and others
spoke. After that, r cryadeva lectured
vigorously for two hours. His very substantial
discourse was filled with siddhnta concerning
the deity and the maha and temples. He talked
about the situation in modern India and about
the village of Pichlad and its residents. He also
spoke about r vigraha-tattva, explaining what
a maha actually is and how the maha-mandira
is factually beyond the three modes of material
nature. He went on to discuss personalism
(skra-vda) and impersonalism (nirkravda); Christianitys personalism, impersonalism
and fruitive mentality (karma-vda); Islams
personalism and impersonalism; Buddhist
and Jain personalism; and crya akaras
personalism and impersonalism. He then made
a critical study of different Indian doctrines and
sects, including the personalismimpersonalism
of Hakaradeva of Assam, and the impersonalism
of Kabr, Nnak and others. After that he talked
about the progressive development of atheistic
society in India, the necessity for mahas and
temples, and other subjects.

142

His

Life

and

Dharma does not have a

supreme place in the present
independent India. Adharma is
manifest under the cover of
peoples indifference to dharma.
As a result, an indescribable
violent dance of immorality,
licentiousness and bad thought is
running rampant in our country.

rla Gurudeva said, Dharma does not have

a supreme place in the present independent
India. Adharma is manifest under the cover of
peoples indifference to dharma. As a result,
an indescribable violent dance of immorality,
licentiousness and bad thought is running
rampant in our country.
Nowadays, under the guise of communism, we
see very forceful efforts to drag elevated people
down and make them equal to inferior people.
However, nowhere do we see any corresponding
effort to elevate inferior people so they become
equal to the superior class. This trend is clearly
visible in all fields, such as politics, social
movements, economics and education.
India is a pure and religious land, which
is why Gt calls the great battlefield dharmaketra, the field of religion. In our country we
can see many impersonal religious societies. In
reality impersonalists cannot at all abandon the
ideology of personalism. They want to absorb
themselves in an imaginary impersonal meditation
while keeping a personal form in the centre. It is
this imaginary, impersonal meditation which has

Teachings

Part
three

given birth to atheism in our country. The doctrine

that the Lord has no form, no character, no quality
and no power is completely false and imaginary. It
is also the origin of the Buddhists voidism (nyavda), or atheism, which is opposed to the Vedas.
This philosophy is completely contradicted by the
Vedas and by all other stras, which consistently
acknowledge the Lords eternal form, or svarpa.
To acknowledge this is theism. Persons who do
not accept the eternal form of Bhagavn are
atheists. The audience was very impressed by
his lecture, which was full of deep siddhnta and
logic, supported by proofs from stras.
At this ceremony, r Sudma Sakh Brahmacr
became a special object of mercy because of his
efforts in collecting ornaments, clothes, pots and
other items in Navadvpa-dhma and Kolkata
and bringing them to Pichlad, and for his great
endeavour in other services for the installation
of the deities. The pious r Prabodhacandra
Pay Mahaya from Kimpura district
donated the r r Rdh-Vinoda-bihr deities
and Their sihsana and covered most of the
festival expenses. He deserves appreciation for
this service and is the special object of the mercy
of the r Gauya Vednta Samiti. The Samiti is
grateful to the honourable r Gajendra-mokaa
dsa Adhikr for donating the deity of rman
Mahprabhu and for rice and other items for the
festival. He provided almost forty maund (about
sixteen hundred kilograms) of rice ever year for
the r Dhma Navadvpa parikram. His ideal
service is praiseworthy in all respects. Above
all, r Govinda dsa Adhikr of Pichlad is an
object of mercy for his endeavour with his life,
wealth and intelligence to establish the maha.
The endeavours and service of r Kokila Rakita,
r Govinda dsa, Nirpada Miti and r Murr
Mohana are also specially notable.

143

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

A philosophical assembly in Keavapura

r Ayodhyntha dsa Adhikr, from

Keavapura village in the Medinpura district,
was a one-pointed Vaiava, initiated by r
Gauya Vednta Samitis founder-crya and
president. Although he took birth in a lowerclass poor family, he had firm faith in rman
Mahprabhus pure bhakti-dharma. He was a
ghastha Vaiava, yet he regularly performed
arcana-pjna and sdhana-bhajana. He always
abstained from eating meat and fish, from smoking,
from illicit association with women and so on.
One year previously, in 1958, some important
people in the village were collecting donations
for the public worship of tal Mt which was
to take place in his village, and they insisted that
r Ayodhyntha dsa Adhikr donate two
rupees for the pj. r Ayodhyntha, however,
very politely replied, We are initiated into the
Gauya vaiava-dharma proclaimed by rman
Mahprabhu, and we are fully under the shelter
of r Gauya Vednta Samiti. Pure devotees are
not allowed to perform demigod worship, which
is prohibited in Gt and other scriptures. For
this reason, I am unable to give any donation for
this pj. The villagers became disturbed when
they heard this, and they said, Demigod worship
has been going on since ancient times, and the
scriptures confirm this. Lets call an assembly,
and when we have heard the arguments on both
sides, we will decide whether demigod worship is
proper or not. It was agreed to call an assembly in
the coming month of rvaa (JulyAugust), but
severe floods prevented this from taking place.
During the month of rvaa in the following
year, 1959, a philosophical assembly was
arranged in Keavapura village and eminent
smrta paitas were called to support the

villagers side. r Ayodhyntha went to rla

crya Kesars lotus feet in Chuchur Maha
and in a very moving voice repeatedly requested
him to take part in the assembly. If you do not
go there and refute the arguments of the opposite
side, he said, it will be impossible for me to stay
in that village. They will simply throw me out.
Before this occurrence, it had been decided
that rla cryadeva would go to Pichlad for the
installation of the deities, which was to take place at
the same time as the assembly in Keavapura. But
when rla Gurudeva heard r Ayodhynthas
distress-filled prayers, he decided to go to
Keavapura with rpda Trivikrama Mahrja
and other leading sannyss and brahmacrs.
In the assembly, the smrta paitas raised
this objection on behalf of the villagers: Demigod
worship is described in our Indian scriptures and
has been going on since ancient times. We find
many proofs of this in the Skanda and Padma
Puras. The worship of Ktyyan, Yogamy,
Durg, Kl, iva and others is even seen in
rmad-Bhgavatam, so why do Vaiavas not
worship demigods?
On paramrdhya rla Gurudevas order,
rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrja
replied first. He used evidence from rmadBhgavatam, Gt and other stras to show that
the results of demigod worship are temporary.
Materialistic people worship demigods to fulfil
different material desires. However, all the results
are of a temporary nature. Indeed, even those
who have attained Svarga will fall down again
to the material world after enjoying the results
of their pious activities. Vaiavas, however, are
exclusively devoted to r ka-bhajana and do
not have any material desires in their hearts.

144

His

Life

and

After this, rla cryadeva explained very

clearly that r Ayodhyntha had not done any
thing wrong. On the contrary, all stras approve
of his action. If the gops were worshipping
Ktyyan, then why did r Ka have to come
personally to give the benediction? The reason
is that Ka and His svarpa-akti Yogamy
(Ktyyan) are non-different: akti-aktimator
abheda. Therefore, in this case, ktyyan-pj
is the same as the pj of r Ka. r Ka
Himself put an end to the worship of Indra and
other demigods, and He also says in the Gt, ynti
deva-vrat devn pitn ynti pit-vrat (9.25)
and kmais tais tair hta-jn prapadyante
nya-devat (7.20). Evidence that the results of
demigod worship are temporary is also found
in Padma Pura
: yas tu nryaa deva
brahma-rudrdi-daivatai / samatvenaiva vketa
sa pa bhaved dhruvam. The demigods cannot
relieve us from the vicious circle of birth and death
nor can they give us ka-bhakti.
The second point is that in Padma Pura
demigod worship is prohibited for one-pointed

Teachings

Part
three

Vaiavas. The performance of demigod worship

is considered to be an offence to the holy name.
Statements from stra are even cited in Satkriy-sra-dpik prohibiting one-pointed
Vaiavas from performing demigod worship.
When the opposite side heard rla Gurudevas
vigorous lecture, they became speechless.
The next day, another religious assembly was
arranged on the village school premises. There
rla cryadeva emphasized the importance
of leading a religious life and said that the only
duty of human beings is to devout themselves to
spiritual life. A life devoid of spiritual practices is
simply animal life. The main religion in Kali-yuga
is the chanting of Bhagavns names. Krtana of
Bhagavns names and hearing hari-kath, in
accordance with Vaiava etiquette, are the only
means to make human life successful.
After preaching uddha-bhakti in this way,
through a comparative study of different subject
matters, rla Gurudeva and his party returned to
r Uddhraa Gauya Maha in Chuchur.

rla Bhaktivinoda hkuras disappearance festival in Chuchur

n 6 July 1959, the disappearance day of

rla Saccidnanda Bhaktivinoda hkura
was celebrated in r Uddhraa Gauya Maha
with hearing (ravaa) and chanting (krtana).
rla Bhaktivinoda hkura is the best of the
followers of r Svarpa Dmodara and r Rpa
Gosvm and is non-different from r gauraakti r Gaddhara. Krtana started from early
morning with songs glorifying r Hari, Guru
and Vaiavas and the mahjanas songs of
viraha, separation. Later there was a discussion
of r Bhaktivinoda hkuras transcendental
character, the significance of his appearance
in the present age and other subjects. rat was

performed at noon, after arcana-pj of the

deities and offering of rja-bhoga. After that
wonderful delicious mah-prasda was served
to the assembled devotees.
In the religious assembly in the evening,
rla Guru Mahrja said in his lecture, Today
is the disappearance day of gaura-akti
Saccidnanda Bhaktivinoda hkura and of
gaura-akti Gaddhara Paita Gosvm. Both
mahpuruas appeared in this world to fulfil the
innermost desire (mano-bha sev) of rman
Mahprabhu. After completing this sev, they
entered nitya-ll on this day. This auspicious day
comes every year to shower us with mercy and to

145

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

demonstrate the supremacy of vipralambha-rasa.

Although r Vabhnu-nandin is insulted and
abused in hundreds and hundreds of ways, She
does not abandon r Kas vipralambha-sev.
This sacred day auspiciously arrives every year to
teach us devotion to the service of r r RdhGovinda, and so that we can reject the association
of people who are unfavourable to the happiness
enjoyed by r r Rdh-Govinda in Their meeting.
Hence, this day is called the adhivsa-tithi (the
eve before a function begins) of the ratha-ytr
of r Nlcalantha, who is non-different from
r Vrajendra-nandana r Ka.
r Jaganntha-devas dhma, Nlcala, is
called Mathur or Dvrak, and Sundarcala
(Guic) is known as Vndvana. Nlcala
is full of aivarya and Sundarcala is full of
mdhurya. r Ka desires to leave Nlcala
and go to Sundarcala (Vndvana) to meet the
gops. When He proceeds to Vndvana, Rukmi
and other Lakms try their level best to prevent
Him from going there. Seeing this, Kamala
Majar, who takes the side of rmat Rdhik
the shelter of the pure rasa of magnanimity
(audrya) and sweetness (mdhurya) becomes

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

restless and abandons this manifest ll. Situated

in her eternally perfected form (nitya-siddhadeha) she enters r r Rdh-Govindas midday
pastimes. Saccidnanda Vinoda-v-vaibhava
(Bhaktivinoda hkura) appointed r Rdhs
Nayana Mai uddh-sarasvat (Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat hkura) as a preacher established in
siddhnta, to verify the supremacy of audryamdhurya-rasa. This is the special mystery of
this day.
A huge assembly was held at 5 p.m. on
the same day. A picture of rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura was seated on a beautiful sihsana.
Afterwards, there was krtana with prayers to
r guru, r Godruma-candra-bhajanopadea
(Instructions for Worshipping r Caitanya, the
Moon of Godrumadvpa, by rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura) and Vaiavas songs of separation
(viraha). The assembly started after the arrival
of paramrdhyatama rla cryadeva. On
his instruction the brahmacrs, trida-svm
Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja and finally
rla cryadeva himself gave lectures filled
with beautiful siddhnta and deep philosophical
truths.

r Jaganntha-devas ratha-ytr

n 617 July 1959, the r ratha-ytr festival

was celebrated grandly for twelve days at
r Uddhraa Gauya Maha. r Jagannthaj
ascended a beautifully decorated chariot and was
brought to Guic Mandira (r ymasundara
temple) accompanied by a royal nagarasakrtana. Even the stony hearts of the atheists
melted when they heard the krtana, which was
filled with deep affection for r Jaganntha-deva,
and saw the devotees dancing along the road. Many
people crowded the street to take darana of r
Jaganntha-deva and to pull the rope of His chariot.

Faithful people offered bhoga to r Jaganntha

on the street, and the pujr then distributed it to
the crowd. It was wonderful to see how eager the
people were to have darana of r Jaganntha
and to take His prasda. The whole atmosphere
resounded with r Jagannthas jaya-dhvani.
Sometimes the chariot stopped for awhile, and
sometimes it went on slowly, until it finally reached
r ymasundara temple, where r Jagannthadeva stayed for nine days, sporting in Vndvana.
On the day of r guic-mrjana and herpacam, rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama

146

His

Life

and

Mahrja read from r Caitanya-caritmta at

r Guic (r ymasundara temple). At the
maha, rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja
read about ratha-ytr from r Caitanyacaritmta. They also gave lectures illustrated
with slides on r gaura-ll and r kall. Beginning on the ratha-ytr day, rla
cryadeva gave a series of discourses filled
with many different instructions and siddhntas.
He spoke on r Caitanya-caritmta for four
days, and spent another four days on rmadBhgavatam. Here is a summary of the essence
of his talks.
On snna-ytr day a very festive mahbhieka
of r Jaganntha, Baladeva and Subhadr-dev
is performed according to rules and regulations.
Brahm and all the other demigods participate in
this ceremony without being seen. Afterwards, the
curtain of the Jaganntha temple is closed and
there is no darana for fifteen days, because r
Jaganntha becomes sick from bathing too much.
This period is called anavasara, and Lakmj
serves Him alone at that time. During that period,
r Caitanya Mahprabhu, the embodiment of
vipralambha-rasa, used to go to llantha,
because He was so restless in separation from
Jaganntha. After anavasara, on the second day of
ukla-paka, the waxing moon, from the day after
the dark moon till the full moon, r Jaganntha,
Baladeva and Subhadr ascend three different
chariots and start their journey for Sundarcala
(Guic). But r Jaganntha-deva does not tell His
wife Lakmj that He is going to Vndvana. After
sporting for nine days in Vndvana (Sundarcala),
He returns to r Mandira in Nlcala. Going to
Sundarcala is called ratha-ytr, the day they
come back from there is called the return ytr,
and the fifth day from the beginning of the rathaytr is called her-pacam.

Teachings

Part
three

There is a special meaning of her-pacam.

The day after r Jagannthas departure r
Lakmj is eagerly waiting for her Lord to
return, and when He does not return after four
days, she becomes very anxious. In an angry and
sulky mood she climbs her beautifully decorated
chariot and goes searching for r Jagannthaj
in the night with her maidservants. Somehow she
reaches Vndvana, and there she quarrels with
r Ka and His beloved gops and makes Him
promise that He will return quickly. After that
she returns to Nlcala temple. Her means to
search, and because this pastime takes place on
the fifth day (Pacam) it is called her-pacam.
One day before the ratha-ytr the Guic
temple is washed clean so that r Jaganntha,
Baladeva and Subhadr can reside there happily.
The temple is first swept to remove dust and
stones, and then it is washed with water and
wiped dry with cloths. rman Mahprabhu also
used to clean r Guic temple together with
His associates while performing hari-sakrtana.
The purpose of this pastime is to wash and dust
ones heart, which should become like a spotless
temple fit for the Supreme Lord. He will never
live in the heart of a devotee who still has desires
for material enjoyment, heavenly happiness and
liberation. This is one of the main aspects of the
r ratha-ytr festival.
Ordinary people cannot easily understand
the meaning of the ratha-ytr celebration.
However, the r rpnuga Gauya Vaiavas
understanding of this subject matter is full
of excellent siddhnta. They are very dear to
r acnandana Gaurahari, who is Himself
resplendent with the moods and lustre of rmat
Rdhik. The vraja-ramas were in deep distress
because of separation from Ka after He left
for Mathur. While they were taking their beloved

147

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Ka from Kuruketra (Dvrak) to r Dhma

Vndvana, they thought, sei ta para-ntha
pinu, yh lgi' madana-dahane jhuri' genu
today we are meeting with our beloved
prantha, after suffering for a long time in
separation from Him (r Caitanya-caritmta,
Madhya-ll 13.113). The vraja-ramas are
doing this only to serve and please Ka, not for
their own happiness. Those who have not realized
this deep understanding of the r rpnuga
Gauya Vaiavas are not qualified to participate
in this great ceremony. They cannot serve r
Jaganntha because they are attached to material
enjoyment. As long as attachment for the material
world is strong in the heart, then there can be no
attraction or taste for darana of transcendental
Jaganntha. The main object of ratha-ytr is
to engage the whole world in the service of r
Jaganntha.

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

As long as attachment for

the material world is strong in

the heart, then there can be no
attraction or taste for darana of
transcendental Jaganntha. The
main object of ratha-ytr is to
engage the whole world in the
service of r Jaganntha.

r Gaurahari, who is non-different from r

Vrajendra-nandana, instructed the whole world by
performing the pastime of cleansing r Guic
with His associates. r Gauya Vednta Samiti
organizes this festival every year to give everyone
a golden opportunity to participate.

148

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

Celebration of r Janmam and r Nandotsava at

r Keavaj Gauya Maha, Mathur

959 was a particularly noteworthy year

for r Keavaj Gauya Maha, as
paramrdhya rla Gurudeva, the Samitis
founder-crya, arrived there with some disciples
a week before Janmam. This year, the servants
of the maha enthusiastically observed r
Janmam by fasting for the whole day, performing
sakrtana, reading rmad-Bhgavatam, offering
bhoga and so on. At midnight the deities abhieka
was performed with sakrtana, the blowing of
conch shells and the jaya-dhvani of thousands of
faithful people. That evening rla cryadeva gave
a deep philosophical lecture filled with scriptural
conclusions. By quoting the following verses, he

established that Ka is the non-dual Supreme

Absolute Truth (advaya-jna para-tattva): ete
ca-kal pusa kas tu bhagavn svayam
(rmad-Bhgavatam 1.3.28), aho bhgyam aho
bhgya nanda-gopa-vrajaukasm / yan-mitra
paramnanda pra brahma santanam
(rmad-Bhgavatam 10.14.32), vara parama
ka sac-cid-nanda-vigraha / andir dir
govinda sarva-kraa-kraam (Brahmasahita 5.1) and matta paratara nnyat
kicid asti dhanajaya (Bhagavad-gt 7.7).
Apart from this, he also established the distinctive
characteristics of r Yaod-nandana in relation
to r Devak-nandana.

Observing krtika-vrata in r Devnanda Gauya Maha

ll the mahas under the jurisdiction of r

Gauya Vednta Samiti observed krtikavrata, dmodara-vrata and niyama-sev
from 16 October to 15 November 1959. This
year, krtika-vrata was celebrated with special
festivities and great enthusiasm because of the
presence of paramrdhya rla Gurudeva
himself. For the whole month, everyone observed
the many regular, distinctive aspects of this
great vrata, such as r magala-rat, morning
krtana, reading from r Caitanya-caritmta,
reading from Brahma-stra (or Vednta-stra),
tulas-parikram, hnika and other duties,
discussions of bhakti literature, bhoga-rat,
iagoh, mah-prasda sev, sandhy-rat
and so forth. The devotees also followed ideals
such as moderation in eating and drinking,
sleeping on the floor and taking prasda on leaf
plates instead of metal plates.

During r dmodara-vrata, Chidghannanda

Brahmacr gave discourses on r Caitanyacaritmta every morning; in the evenings
tridai-svm r Bhaktivednta Trivikrama
Mahrja explained the Nimi-Navayogendra
dialogue in rmad-Bhgavatam. In the
afternoons, from 35 p.m., paramrdhya o
viupda aottara-ata r rmad Bhakti
Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja himself gave
elaborate commentaries on Vednta-darana and
Govinda-bhya. He completed explanations up
to the first and second lines of the eleventh stra
of the first chapter of Govinda-bhya.
During his discourse, rla Gurudeva
summarized eight other authentic commentaries
on Vednta and established the supremacy of the
Govinda-bhya among them. He read regularly
from the commentaries of r akara, Bhskara,
Rmnuja, Madhva, Vijna Bhiku, Vallabha and

149

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Nimbditya, as well as from gauya vedntacrya r Baladeva Vidybhaas r Govindabhya. rla cryadeva also emphasized
mah-mahopdhyya
ryuta
Haridsa
Siddhnta-vga Mahayas Bhgavat-bhya
at many points in the discussion. Along with the
sannyss and brahmacrs from the Samiti,
educated, respected and eminent scholars from
r Navadvpa-dhma were also present in the
audience during the discourse on Govindabhya. Among them were r Kumuda Kamala
Nga (BA, BL), r Mkhana Ll Sh (BA, assis
tant headmaster of Navadvpa ik-mandira),
paita ryuta Navna-candra Cakravart (smtivykaraa-trtha) and r Vardknta Datta
worth mentioning. The respectable Varad Bb, a
great scholar of r akarcryas kevaldvaitavda, was also present as an opponent, and this
gave the audience a rare opportunity to hear a
comparative discussion on Govinda-bhya by
rla cryadeva.
Even after the completion of r dmodaravrata, the study of Govinda-bhya continued
for another five days, due to the special request
of the elderly Varad Bb and r Kumuda
Kamala Nga. During these last days there was an
elaborate and detailed discussion of aphorisms
such as athto brahma-jijs, janmdy asya
yata and stra-yonitvt. While explaining
these stras, rla cryadeva specifically
established r Bhagavns name, form, qualities
and pastimes and at the same time used logic and
scriptural evidence to refute akarcryas view
that brahma is nirviea (without personality),
niaktik (without power), arpa (formless) and
nirgua (without attributes). He also established
that bhakti, not jna or mukti, is the subject
matter expounded in Vednta-stra. The words
jna and mukti are not mentioned anywhere in

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

the five hundred and fifty aphorisms of Vedntastra. Rather, it is only r Vrajendra-nandana
Govinda who is established, along with His premamay bhakti, in Vednta-stras aphorisms:
nandamayo bhyst, api sardhane
pratyaknumnbhym, etc. Finally, harinmasakrtana is clearly specified by the aphorism
anvtti abdd anvtti abdt, and this is
made clearer still by the confirmation of harer
nma harer nma harer nmaiva kevalam
and r Caitanya Mahprabhus words para
vijayate r-ka-sakrtanam.
Vednta-stra establishes that advayajna para-tattva r Ka and His akti
rmat Rdhik are non-different, and thus
clearly indicates the worship of r Yugala. The
Upaniads show that para-tattva can never be
nirviea, niaktik, arpa and nirgua, without
transcendental qualities. Taittirya Upaniad (3.1)
states: yato v imni bhtni jyante, yena
jtni jvanti, yat prayanty abhisavianti, tad
vijijsasva tad brahma One should know that
brahma is He from whom all living beings are born,
by whose power they remain alive, and into whom
they enter at the end. He is the one about whom you
should inquire, He is brahma. In this verse three
cases are used, namely the ablative case (apdna),
the instrumental case (karaa) and the locative
case (adhikaraa). How, then, can brahma be
impersonal, without potencies or form?17
rla Gurudevas explanation of all these
subject matters was ever-fresh and very
remarkable. On the last day, Varad Bb said,
People would benefit if the reading of Govindabhya continued for another few days. I have
never before heard such a beautiful discussion
on Vednta in my Navadvpa town. rla
17 Editor: for more clarity regarding this verse, see Jaivadharma, Chapter 18

150

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

Fully mature bhakti,

which is the fruit of observing

cturmsya-vrata, will not develop
if one only honours rj-vrata
and not the full four months.
In fact, this negligence actually
reveals disrespect for cturmsyavrata. r Caitanya Mahprabhu
and His associates observed
cturmsya-vrata with great
conviction and devotion, and in this
way they instructed sdhakas in the
whole Vaiava community as to
the means of attaining bhakti.

Observing cturmsya-vrata

cryadeva jokingly told him, If you faithfully

hear Govinda-bhya for another few days, then
you can become liberated from crya akaras
advaita philosophy. Hearing this, Varad Bb
laughingly agreed.
On the first day of rj-vrata rla cryadeva
instructed the audience as follows. Krtika-vrata
niyama-sev is a part of cturmsya-vrata. Fully
mature bhakti, which is the fruit of observing
cturmsya-vrata, will not develop if one only
honours rj-vrata and not the full four months.
In fact, this negligence actually reveals disrespect
for cturmsya-vrata. r Caitanya Mahprabhu
and His associates observed cturmsya-vrata
with great conviction and devotion, and in this
way they instructed sdhakas in the whole

Vaiava community as to the means of attaining

bhakti. Only those who do not generally accept
difficulties in their performance of service to
r Hari or who are averse to renunciation will
abandon cturmsya-vrata as a whole and have
faith only in krtika-vrata.
What to speak of only observing krtikavrata, nowadays people in modern pseudodevotional sects (apasampradyas) do not even
do that. Under the pretext of dharma, the purpose
of life for such people is eating, sleeping and
sexual enjoyment. The phrase from stra, tapoveopajvina18, refers to these kinds of people.
18 Editor: Earning their living by shows of austerity
and by dressing as mendicants (rmad-Bhgavatam
12.3.38).

151

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

They do not respect rman Mahprabhus

teaching in r Caitanya-caritmta (Antya-ll
6.236), bhla n khibe ra bhla n paribe
do not eat very palatable food and do not dress
opulently. These people are counted among
inferior and undisciplined sampradyas, insofar
as they also deviate from the glorious statement,
mahprabhura
bhakta-gaera
vairgya
pradhna renunciation is the basic principle
of r Caitanya Mahprabhus devotees (r
Caitanya-caritmta, Antya-ll 6.220).
It is not that the observance of cturmsyavrata is only meant for Vaiavas. It should be

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

observed by the followers of every religion, and

also by karms, jns, tapasvs and all other
classes of people. Even the sampradyas of
akara, the smrtas and others observe this
vrata. All kinds of sdhakas have observed
krtika-vrata since ancient times, because it is
a principal part of the cturmsya-vrata. r
Gauya Vednta Samiti instructs and encourages
their followers to observe this vrata fully. Those
who are following Gauya Vednta Samiti are
well versed in this subject matter and will
remember this even in the future.

rla Prabhupdas viraha-utsava in Chuchur Maha

ll the mahas under the jurisdiction of r

Gauya Vednta Samiti celebrated rla
Prabhupdas disappearance day (viraha-utsava)
lavishly in December 1959. With great faith it was
celebrated in r Dhma Navadvpa, Mathur,
Goloka-gaja and other mahas.
Paramrdhya rla cryadeva was
personally present at r Uddhraa Gauya
Maha in Chuchur, so the disappearance day
was celebrated there with special devotion. After
the lecture and krtana, the manager of the maha,
tridai-svm Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja,
strongly requested to the maha devotees and r
Samitis initiated devotees to first offer pupjali
at paramrdhya rla Gurudevas lotus feet and
then at rla Prabhupdas lotus feet. After that,
rat of rla Prabhupdas picture (paa-vigraha)
was performed with the rat-krtana composed
by rla Gurupda-padma. In the evening assembly
rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja read
rla Prabhupdas collection of letters, essays
and instructions from Gauya-patrik.
In his lecture, rla cryadeva gave very
useful instructions. Every year on this special

day we place special emphasis on hari-kath.

rla Prabhupda Siddhnta Sarasvat was
hari-krtana personified. Those who had his
association definitely experienced this. During
his discourses it seemed as if he was speaking
with thousands of mouths, not just one. We
count twenty-four hours as one day, but in
rla Prabhupdas hari-kath one day would
be converted into a thousand days. There are
no words to describe the bliss he experienced
when he spoke bhagavad-krtana. Generally
people leave aside all other duties and become
enraptured in mundane occupations, such as
eating and sleeping, because that is the only
time they feel happy. They do not understand
that there are other, superior types of happiness.
rla Prabhupda gave up eating and sleeping
for engaging in hari-kath krtana, because that
is how he gained the greatest pleasure.
rla cryadeva discussed various topics in
specific connection with Prabhupdas teachings.
He talked about ignorance and my and about
ancient and modern views on impersonalism. He
pointed out that history and the Ultimate Truth

152

His

Life

and

(tattva-vastu) are not the same, and discussed

rla Sarasvat hkuras contribution to the
living entities welfare. He also talked about
the difference between various philosophical
views, the oneness of para-tattva and so forth.
In addition to this he expressed deep thoughts,
full of profound truths, on the three features of

Teachings

Part
three

para-tattva brahma, Paramtm and Bhagavn.

He showed that only theism (vara-vda) can
control my, and he also spoke about the
inconceivable, all-powerful r Ka, Svayam
Bhagavn r Kas inconceivable pastimes,
the eternality of r Kas pastimes, the jvas
eternality and other subject matters.

Sixty-two lectures of r crya Kesar in sixty-six days

n 19 April 1960, rla crya Kesar

went with a preaching party and visited
about thirty villages in Medinpura and Caubsa
Paragan, where he promoted santana-dharma
with great vigour. With the power of a lion, he
delivered brilliant lectures at sixty-two religious
assemblies in sixty-six days. Santana-dharma
started to blow like a strong whirlwind wherever
he addressed the religious assemblies. Thousands
of people assembled to hear his lectures. In some
places as many as fifteen or twenty thousand
people came and listened to his speeches and
became transfixed, not moving or talking for two
hours. At times the audience asked questions,
which crya Kesar answered on the strength
of stric evidence and irrefutable logic. This
dialogue increased the audiences curiosity and
eagerness. Not only those who asked the ques
tions but also the entire audience became ecstatic
when they heard rla Gurudevas answers.
Everyone was impatient to touch the dust of rla
cryadevas lotus feet at the end of the assembly,
and even after he returned to his residence, a
crowd from the audience gathered there as well.
Nearby villages appealed to crya Kesar to hold
religious gatherings in their places also, but it was
not possible to go everywhere. rla Saccidnanda
Bhaktivinoda hkuras disappearance day was
on 24 June and r Jaganntha-devas rathaytr would begin on another day. Consequently,

rla crya Kesar was obliged to return to r

Uddhraa Gauya Maha, Chuchur, together
with the preaching party.
crya Kesars daily preaching schedule
during this time:
(1) 19 April 1960, Tuesday, in the courtyard of
r Yogendra-ntha Smanta dsas home in
Keavapura Jalp village (Medinpura): Who
is called a human being?
(2) 20 April, in the courtyard of r Ayodhyntha
dsas home in the same village: Vaiava
etiquette and the symptoms of bhakti.
(3) 21 April, in the courtyard of r Bhuvanamohana Jns home in ktal village:
Santana-dharma.
(4) 22 April, at the same place: The duty of
human life.
(5) 23 April, in the courtyard of r Arua-candra
dsas home in the same village: The solution
to various problems.
(6) 24 April, in the Durga Maapa of r
Jnakntha Mandira in Nandgrma: The
solution to various problems.
(7) 25 April, in the field of r Vraja-mohana
Tivr ik-niketan in the same village: The
necessity of religion.
(8) 26 April, in the courtyard of r Stpraka
dsa Adhikrs home in Bheuriy village:
The difference between service to the living
entity and service to the Supreme Lord.

153

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

(9) 27 April, in the huge courtyard of Kodmv

High School from 911 a.m.: The necessity
for religion.
(10) 27 April, in the courtyard of r Nan-gopla
dsa Adhikrs home in Bheuriy village,
from 8.3010.30 p.m.: Humanity of mankind.
(11) 28 April, at the same place: Santanadharma.
(12) 29 April, at the huge field of r Gagancandra
Hjr Higher Secondary School in Siv
village: r Caitanyadeva and the Gauya
Vaiava sampradya.
(13) 30 April, at the same place: The duty of
human life.
(14) 2 May, in the field of Vegunv Junior High
School in Prvacaka village: The duty of
human life.
(15) 3 May, in the courtyard of r Giridhr dsa
Adhikrs home in Prvacaka village: The
difference between Vaiava philosophy and
akaras philosophy.
(16) 4 May, in the huge courtyard of the local
iva temple in Moh village, at the request
of bhakta abhaa Bhu: The duty of
human life.
(17) 5 May, in the field of the high school in
Simuliy village: Santana-dharma.
(18) 6 May, at the same place, at 9 a.m.: The
necessity of religion in student life.
(19) 6 May, at the same place at 8 p.m.: The
superiority of vaiava-dharma.
(20) 7 May, in the courtyard of r Hare-ka
dsa Adhikrs home in Ela village: Pure
(uddh) and mixed (biddh) ekda-tattva.
(21) 8 May, at the same place: Is Vaiavism a
caste or a religion?
(22) 9 May, in the courtyard of r Jitajna dsa
Adhikrs home in the same village: What is
the living entitys dharma?

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

(23) 10 May, in the courtyard of r hkura temple

in Kulav village: What is humanity?
(24) 12 May, in the courtyard of r Gauya
Vednta Samitis r Pichlad pda-pha in
Pichlad village: The purpose of human life.
(25) 13 May, at Pichlad Gauya Maha: Disciplic
succession (the bona fide sampradya) vs. a
mix of everything (all paths are the same).
(26) 14 May, in the courtyard of the local primary
school in Nar-Ckanna village, at the
request of bhakta Hrdhana: The speciality
of r Caitanyadevas great contribution.
(27) 15 May, at Terpekhy Bzr: The subject
established in Vednta.
(28) 16 May, at the same place: The subject
established in Vednta.
(29)
17 May, at the same place: rmadBhgavatam lecture.
(30) 19 May, in the courtyard of r Mandira in
Kalypura village: The necessity of religious
life.
(31) 20 May, at the same place: Solutions to
problems of the present time.
(32) 21 May, in r Madana-mohana Gauya Maha
in Kalypura village: Vaiava-dharma.
(33) 22 May, in the courtyard of r Revat-bhaa
Pls home in Maluvsna village: r nmatattva.
(34) 23 May, in the courtyard of r Harinma
Pracri Sabh in the city of Tamaluka: r
nma-tattva.
(35) 24 May, at the same place: Santana-dharma.
(36) 25 May, at the same place: The subject
established in Vednta.
(37) 26 May, at the same place: rla Gurudeva read
from and commented on rmad-Bhgavatam.
(38) 28 May, in the school ground in Cakagupot
village: Santana-dharma and the worship
of demigods and demigoddesses.

154

His

Life

and

(39) 29 May, at the same place: Paca-rasa-tattva,

the five mellows, and Bhgavatam. On this
occasion there were arguments with people
from the rya Samja concerning rmadBhgavatam, but they left speechless when
they heard rla crya Kesars irrefutable
logic and scriptural evidence.
(40) 30 May, in the courtyard of r Narendra
Paus home in the same village: Proper
Vaiava conduct.
(41) 31 May, at the same place: The problems of
the present age. Here on behalf of the audi
ence the question was raised whether or not
Vaiavas can engage in agriculture. rla
crya Kesar gave scriptural evidence and
examples that Vaiavas can do so. rmadBhgavatam mentions this in the section
describing varrama-dharma. During r
Kas time there were two categories of the
gopa community: gopas engaged in cow
grazing and gopas engaged in agriculture; both
are Vaiavas. During rman Mahprabhus
time, too, there were many ghastha Vaiavas
engaged in agriculture. The audience was very
satisfied to receive such a good reply.
(42) 2 June, in the courtyard of ailendrantha
Ghoas home in Daimond Harbour (in
Caubs Pargan district): rla cryadeva
read from rmad-Bhgavatam.
(43) 3 June, in the courtyard of r Vilkm
Mandira in Kkadvpa: Santana-dharma.
(44) 4 June, at the same place: The duty and
dharma of human life.
(45) 6 June, at the local Hari-sabh: Santanadharma.
(46) 7 June, in Knagara Bzr: The duty of
human life.
(47) 8 June, at the same place: Santana-dharma.
(48) 9 June, in Gilrchaa village: Vaiava-dharma.

Teachings

Part
three

(49) 10 June, at the same place: r nma-tattva.

(50) 11 June, in Knagara Bzr: Vaiava
etiquette and eternal dharma.
(51) 12 June, on the college ground in Kacandrapura village: Jva-tattva and how the
living being can become qualified to serve
the Supreme Lord.
(52) 13 June, in the courtyard of r Dvijottama
dsa Adhikrs home in Sarveiy village:
Adhokaja-tattva (the transcendental reality).
(53) 15 June, in the courtyard of the primary school
in Ektr village: The duty of human life.
(54) 16 June, at the same place: Santana-dharma.
(55) 17 June, in the Hari-sabh Bhavana in
Hadugaja village: The duty of human life
and vaiava-dharma.
(56) 18 June, in the courtyard of r Vasanta
Kumra Ghoas home in Cndanagara
village: r nma-tattva.
(57) 19 June, in the courtyard of r Nlamai
Ghoas home in the same village: rla
Gurudeva read The conversation between
Nimi and the Nava-yogendras from rmadBhgavatam.
(58) 20 June, in the courtyard of r Kapda
Ghoas home in the same village: rla
Gurudeva read from the same part of rmadBhgavatam.
(59) 20 June, in the courtyard of r Rajanknta
Ghoas home in the same village at 8 p.m.:
rla cryadeva read from the same part of
rmad-Bhgavatam again.
(60) 21 June, in the courtyard of the Court in
Daimond Harbour: Santana-dharma.
(61) 22 June, at the same place: Santanadharma.
(62) 23 June, at the same place: rla Gurudeva
read from the Eleventh Canto of rmadBhgavatam.

155

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

rla cryadeva in Muridbda

n 23 December 1960, paramrdhya rla

Gurudeva arrived with his associates at Howrah
Baharampura city in the district of Muridbda,
having received a special invitation from the dis
tinguished residents of that city. rla Gurudevas
childhood friend r Kadeva Mukhopadhyya
and many local people were anxiously waiting
to welcome him at the Baharampura Court
Station. When he arrived they enthusiastically
greeted him with garlands, sandalwood and other
paraphernalia, and then brought him and his party
by car to r Haripada Shs temple in the city of
Howrah, where he was to stay.
The next evening, rla cryadeva gave a
powerful lecture on the duty of human life to a
huge congregation in the large courtyard of the
temple. On the third day, 25 December, rla
cryadeva delivered another profound lecture
at the same place. The subject was The original
nature of vaiava-dharma. Lawyers, teachers
and other educated people of the city were
fascinated by his lecture, which was replete with
the truths of Vednta. On the special request
of these people, rla cryadeva extended his
stay for three days and spoke on mukti-tattva
and acintya-bhedbheda, analyzing very deep
philosophical principles. The general public
became enchanted when they heard his powerful
discourses. At the end of the program, rmad
Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrja gave a
lecture cum slide show on r gaura-ka-ll.
After preaching uddha-bhakti for five days
in Howrah Baharampura, rla cryadeva
accepted the special invitation of the respected
Rya Bahdura Surendra Nryaa Singh, a very
religious and learned person, and went to Jiygaja
with his preaching party. On the first day, Rya
Bahdura organized a large religious assembly

in the extensive courtyard of the local Camaapa. At his special request rla cryadeva
gave a lecture full of deep truths regarding the
philosophy of acintya-bhedbheda.
He said, Para-brahma r Ka, the Lord of
all lords, who creates all the material universes, is
advaya-jna para-tattva, the non-dual Supreme
Absolute Truth. He is the unparalleled Truth. He is
not formless (nirkra), without power (niaktik)
and without attributes (nirviea); rather, He is the
inconceivable possessor of all energies (sarvaaktimn). Actually, the Supreme Absolute Truth,
r Bhagavn, has one akti, which is called parakti or antaraga-akti. However, this par-akti
is known by different names because it performs
many kinds of functions. Amongst these names,
three are principal, namely cit-akti, jva-akti and
my-akti. The spiritual world manifests from
cit-akti, innumerable living entities from jvaakti (also called taasth-akti), and innumerable
material worlds from my-akti (also called
bahirag-akti). When we say manifest it is to
be understood to mean the transformation of the
different aktis, or energies, of the Lord.
The aktis of para-tattva (the Absolute
Truth) are simultaneously one with and different
from the transformations of those same aktis,
but this oneness and difference is beyond the
petty reasoning, logic and comprehension of the
jvas. In this sense, it is inconceivable. At the same
time, it is conceivable or accessible through the
medium of transcendental sound. Therefore, this
oneness (bheda) and difference (abheda) is called
acintya-bhedbheda.
Now, what do we mean when we say that it is
accessible through the medium of transcendental
sound? This should be understood very carefully.
When we say transcendental sound, we mean

156

His

Life

and

When we say transcendental

sound, we mean the words of the

scriptures ... which are accepted by
the genuine guru-parampar. This
specific relationship of simultaneous
oneness and difference (bheda and
abheda) can be understood only by
the authority of this transcendental
sound; otherwise it remains
inconceivable.

the words of the scriptures such as the Vedas, the

Upaniads, Vednta-stra, the Puras, Rmyaa,
Mahbhrata and rmad-Bhgavatam, which are
accepted by the genuine guru-parampar. This
specific relationship of simultaneous oneness and
difference (bheda and abheda) can be understood
only by the authority of this transcendental sound;
otherwise it remains inconceivable. r Caitanya
Mahprabhu taught this acintya-bhedbhedatattva to Srvabhauma Bhacrya, and it has

Teachings

Part
three

been very thoroughly discussed by rla Jva

Gosvm in the a-sandharbhas and by gauya
vedntcrya rla Baladeva Vidybhaa in his
Govinda-bhya.
This lecture was so full of very deep
philosophical thoughts that even learned and
educated people what to speak of the general
audience could not understand it easily. They all
told r crya Kesar that, since the lecture had
been so difficult to understand, they wanted to hear
a simple and easy talk about the duty of human
life. rla Gurudeva therefore spoke the following
day on Dharma and the duties of human life. He
refuted the views of the modern apasampradyas
and upasampradyas and extensively discussed
pure santana-dharma, bhagavad-bhakti. Every
day after rla Gurudevas lectures, tridaisvm Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrja gave
a lecture, with the help of slides, on rman
Mahprabhus teachings. Prayers were also
offered to r Hari, Guru and Vaiavas at the
beginning and end of the lecture every day, and
the songs of the mahjanas (spiritual authorities)
and the harinma mah-mantra were sung.

Preaching of uddha-bhakti in Sundaravana (Bengal)

n 24 January 1961, on the special invitation

of the Dharma Sammelana, r cryadeva
arrived at Rjanagara near Kkadvpa, along with
his associates. Among them was tridai-svm
Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja [the author],
the editor of the Hindi r Bhagavat-patrik,
published in r Dhma Mathur.
For the evening, a very large religious confer
ence was organized in the extensive courtyard of
Rjanagara High School, and rla cryadeva
was unanimously selected as chairman. Speakers
from other sampradyas gave lectures, after
which rla cryadeva called upon tridaipda

rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja and

r Cidghannanda Brahmacr, who were the
chief guests of the assembly and in favour
of vaiava-dharma, to speak. Finally, rla
cryadeva gave a very interesting lecture on
the difference between Bhagavn Kapila and the
skhya philosopher Kapila, who appeared later.
He asserted that Hindus are the only followers
of skra-vda (the principle substantiating
Bhagavns form), whereas all non-Hindus are
impersonalists (nirkra-vds).
rla cryadeva explained that Kapiladeva i
is the original founder of skhya philosophy.

157

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

There are two Kapilas. The first Kapila appeared

in Satya-yuga as the son of Mahari Kardama and
Manus daughter Devahuti. He is an incarnation of
Bhagavn and is famous for being the founder of
skhya philosophy. Although he did not compose
the book named Skhya-darana, the doctrine of
skhya that he established is very clearly found
in rmad-Bhgavatam and other scriptures. It
was the second Kapila Muni (who destroyed the
dynasty of Sagara) and who appeared in Treta-yuga
who composed the book Skhya-darana. Even
though this Skhya-darana is a compilation of
the essence of the original Kapiladevas philosophy
of skhya and contains excellent explanations
of tma-tattva, the reality of the soul, it contains
some specific features that are completely against
the conclusion of the rutis. (For instance, Kapila
Muni says that vara is incomplete, and that
the non-sentient material nature, prakti, is the
original creator of the material world.) According
to vednta-stra this is against the opinions of
rutis, and therefore, the society of sdhus have
no respect for the modern Skhya-darana.
There is no mention of the word Hindu in the
ancient scriptures, yet all the followers of santanadharma are to be understood as Hindus. All
Hindus accept that Bhagavn has a form (skravda), and they worship the transcendental deity
of the Lord. Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Jains
and followers of religions other than Hinduism all
believe in a formless Absolute (nirkra-vda).
The followers of santana-dharma are followers
of eternal dharma. All religions other than this
santana-dharma have a beginning and an end.
Even though their followers do formally believe
that God has no form, they are forced to accept
a form or shape in one aspect or another. Their
scriptures also contain descriptions of God, such
as the shape and form of Khud. In the Buddhist

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

and Jain temples huge deities are worshipped.

If vara has no form, then what is the need of
temples, mosques, churches and Buddhist stupas?
For whom are they required? If there is no form
and nobody actually exists, then for whom are the
temples and mosques intended?
cryadeva was also elected chairman on the
second day of the religious conference. After
members of other sampradyas had spoken,
rla cryadeva instructed me [the author] to
lecture on the Absolute Truth (para-tattva), the
identity of the worshipful object (upsya-vastu)
and worship of Him. I established that Vrajendranandana r Ka is solely advaya-jna
para-tattva, the Supreme Absolute Truth who is
beyond all dualities. In support of this, I presented
scriptural evidence such as ete ca-kal
pusa kas tu bhagavn svayam (rmadBhgavatam 1.3.28), vara parama ka
sac-cid-nanda-vigraha / andir dir govinda
sarva-kraa-kraam (Brahma-sahita 5.1),
and rdhyo bhagavn vrajea-tanayas-taddhma vndvana ... na para. I also strongly
emphasized rman Mahprabhus opinion that
the topmost aim for the living beings is to attain
r ka-prema and that the highest worship of
r Ka is that of the vraja-ramas.
After that, r Vivantha Rya, r Sudarana
Brahmacr and r Cidghannanda Brahmacr
spoke about vaiava-dharma. At the end, rla
cryadeva nicely explained to the whole audience
that the vaiava-dharma established by Caitanya
Mahprabhu is actually santana-dharma.
The organizers of the conference, especially
the teacher Surendrantha Bhacrya (MA triple)
and r Dvijendrantha Ptra Mahodaya, highly
praised r cryadevas style of lecturing, his
mood and his thought. At the end of the conference
they discussed dharma with rla Guru Mahrja.

158

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

r vysa-pj celebration in Chuchur Maha

n 36 February 1961, r vysa-pj

celebrations were held in all the mahas
of r Gauya Vednta Samiti for four days. The
celebration at r Uddhraa Gauya Maha
was especially successful because of rla
cryadevas personal presence there.
The appearance day of rla cryadeva
was on Mgh-k-tty (3 February), and
prayers and krtana glorifying r Hari, Guru
and Vaiavas were performed from brhmamuhrta, very early morning. After that, pj
of guru-pacaka, crya-pacaka, vysapacaka, ka-pacaka, upsya-pacaka,
paca-tattva-pacaka, etc., and vaiavahoma (fire sacrifice) were performed according
to r Vysa-pj-paddhati. rla cryadeva
very kindly arrived at the place of worship and
all his sannys, brahmacr and ghastha
followers offered their raddh-pupjali
at his lotus feet. After the noon offering of
bhoga and rat, wonderful mah-prasda was
distributed to all the guests, both invited and
uninvited. At the religious assembly that evening,
rmad Bhaktivednta Muni Mahrja, rmad
Bhaktivednta Paramrth Mahrja, rmad
Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja and others
lectured on r guru-tattva.
The next day, 4 February, the homages sent by
the devotees from different places were read in
the evening assembly. Finally, rla cryadeva
gave special instructions on the need of taking
shelter at the lotus feet of a bona fide guru
(sad-guru-padraya) and the duties of the bona
fide disciple (sat-iya).
6 February was Govinda-pacam (Mghk-pacam) and the appearance day of
jagad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat

Gosvm Prabhupda. Prayers and krtana were

performed continuously from the early morning,
and then tridai-svm Bhaktivednta Vmana
Mahrja read rla Prabhupdas conceptions
of r vysa-pj, from Prabhupdas lectures.
After the deities were given arcana-pjana and
rla Prabhupda was offered pupjali, bhoga
was offered and at noon rat was performed.
Afterwards all the assembled guests were served
mah-prasda.
That evening at five a large assembly was
organized, at which the homages sent by devotees
for rla cryadeva and rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda were read first.
r Cidghannanda Brahmacr spoke on rla
Prabhupdas personality and instructions, after
which paramrdhya rla Gurudeva gave a very
instructive and substantial lecture regarding the
speciality of rla Prabhupdas teachings. He
said that r guru-pj is also known as vysapj. Gurus are of two kinds: dk-guru, who
first gives the mantras, and ika-guru, who gives
further instructions. rla Vysadeva is giving
instructions (ik) and is therefore ik-guru.
In the arcana process, the rule is to worship the
dk-guru first. According to tattva, the ikguru is non-different from the dk-guru.
Furthermore, all scriptures declare that since
they are the same, both are to be served. Both
are manifestations of r Ka. r Caitanyacaritmta (di-ll 1.45, 47) also states:

159

guru ka-rpa hana stera prame

guru-rpe ka kp karena bhakta-gae
ik-guruke ta jni kera svarpa
antarym, bhakta-reha,ei dui rpa

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

According to stra, the guru (dk-guru)

is the form of r Ka (ka-rpa),
because it is in the form of guru, that Ka
bestows mercy on the devotees. One should
know the ik-guru to be Ka Himself
(ka-svarpa). In the form of the guru
in the heart (caitya-guru) Ka gives
encouragement, and as the topmost devotee
He gives association and instruction.

In other scriptures, the following are accepted

as ik-gurus: the six Gosvms, Gaurahari
endowed with r Rdhs sentiments and bodily
complexion, and Ka wearing a peacockfeather crown. Even then, it is the disciples duty
to worship the dk-guru first. The guru who
gives the mantras, the dk-guru, has a prominent
special feature. The transcendental sound vibra
tion (abda-brahma) which protects us from the
mental platform is called mantra, and he who
saves the disciple from the mental platform is
called the mantra-giving guru. The guru who gives
mantras is therefore the topmost, and should be
worshipped first. r Vedavysa imparts all kinds
of instructions, and since he is ik-guru, his
importance or speciality is an unavoidable fact.
It is rare to find a bona fide guru, in this
present time. Disputes are often seen among

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

dk- and ik-gurus because they are actually

unqualified. Therefore the real ik-guru is one
who is non-envious, who gives instructions for
bhakti-sdhana, and who instructs the disciple
to serve the dk-guru. stras say that one
should give proper respect to him. One who does
not teach the disciple to serve the dk-guru is
not a real ik-guru. In fact, a so-called ikguru who cannot honour the dk-guru is not a
pure Vaiava. What kind of behaviour does such
a preceptor demonstrate towards his own dkguru? Those immersed in monism disrespect
the guru or disseminate disrespect to the guru
following r akara cryas belief that the guru
does not know theory fully (anavagatasyta).
They also consider the guru to be aguru, or
insignificant. If the guru is ignorant or has not
realized tattva, then how can the disciple respect
his status? A qualified disciple does not think, I
shall get all types of benefits by performing gurusev. It will enable me to spend my life lazily and
comfortably in the name of being bhajannandi,
one absorbed exclusively in bhajana, and I shall
be able to lord it over other devotees. Gurura
sevaka haya mnya panra.19 Devotees and
disciples who have taken shelter of a sad-guru
always give respect to all other servants of guru.
Only one who teaches guru-sev is ik-guru.

In Valgaa, a large conference was held to promote dharma

325 February 1961, Saccidnanda

Sevrama of Valgaa in the Hoogly district,
organized an extensive three-day dharma-sabh.
O viupda r rmad Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrja, the president-crya
of r Gauya Vednta Samiti, received a special
invitation, and attended this great dharmika
function along with his sannyss and twenty
brahmacrs. The Sevrama had made very nice

arrangements for the participants lodging and

prasda.
The large conference started at four oclock
in the afternoon. Different speakers and guests
arrived first, and then rla crya Kesar was
brought to the platform to the resounding of
19 Editor: This is a popular adaptation of r Caitanyacaritmta, Madhya-ll 10.142 gurura kikara haya
mnya panra.

160

His

Life

and

conch shells and sakrtana. He was respectfully

seated as the chairman by the son of Sir utoa
Mukhopdhyya (the first Indian governor of
Bengal) and r Vm Prasda Mukherj (the
brother of ympada Mukherj), the retired
chief justice of Kolkata High Court. Svm
Samdhipraka Araya and r Jva Nyyatrtha were selected as the main guests. The
speaker Mahsthavra Dharmakrti, rmatlla
Dsa (retired district judge), r Sudhndrantha
Mukhopdhyya, sannyss of the Samiti,
brahmacrs and other distinguished persons
took their seats and then the program started.
After the inaugural music of r Jitendrantha
Caudhar, r Trakagati Mustaf spoke about
the aim of the conference on behalf of Svm
Bhpnanda Pur Mahrja, the president of
Saccidnanda Sevrama. After that, at the
request of the chairman rla crya Kesar, Dr.
Motlla Dsa lectured on dharma, presenting
evidence from the Vedas and Upaniads. Later,
Mahsthavra from the Mahbodhi Society

Teachings

Part
three

spoke on moral behaviour (dharma-nti) and

the religious preaching of Buddhadeva. r Jva
Nyya-trtha spoke on The necessity of dharma
and Svm Samdhipraka Araya Mahrja
followed with a wonderful lecture on The
condition of the present religious world.
Finally, rla cryadeva gave a very brilliant
lecture, which the audience liked above all others.
It was full of sentiments about the national leaders
lack of concern for dharma, the opposition to
dharma in society, and the degrading influence
of modern education on Indian culture. After 8
p.m. the secretary of the convention requested
the chairman, rla cryadeva, to open and
announce the exhibition arranged by the
conference. However, the enthusiastic audience
repeatedly requested rla cryadeva to
continue his lecture. He did so and gave very
impressive instructions on the theme Following
dharma is the foremost duty of human life. After
the conference, the organizers and the audience
lavishly praised rla cryadevas views.

Preaching in Assam and Sundaravana

n 1 April 1961, upon the

repeated and insistent
request of the devotees in
Assam, rla cryadeva
came to preach santanadharma (pure vaiavadharma) very strongly for
one month in Goloka-gaja
Gauya Maha, Caakhol,
okre
Cha,
iig,
Dhba, ntinagara and
many other places. A large
religious conference took
place in the courtyard of the
iig village Junior High

161

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

School. Hindus, Muslims and Christians were

all present in great numbers at this conference,
and everybody praised rla cryadevas views,
which strongly appealed to the heart.
After returning from Assam, on 16 June,
our most worshipful rla Gurudeva travelled

Keava

G o s vm

with some sannyss and brahmacrs to

Sundaravana. The party preached uddha-bhakti
extensively in Kacandra-pura, Kmgaha,
Lakm Janrdana-pura, plaa and other places
and returned to the Chuchur maha on 24 June.

Ratha-ytr and jhlana-ytr celebrations at

r Uddhraa Gauya Maha

n 12 July 1961, a special celebration of rla

Bhaktivinoda hkuras disappearance
day took place at r Uddhraa Gauya
Maha in Chuchur. rla cryadeva was the
chairman, and there were many lectures on rla
Bhaktivinoda hkuras transcendental life and
on his teaching and practise of vaiava-dharma.
Speakers included rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana
Mahrja, rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama
Mahrja, rmad Viu-daivata Mahrja and
other principal sannyss, as well as r Hari
Brahmacr, r Bhagavn dsa Brahmacr, r
Bhgavata dsa Brahmacr, r Gajendra-mokaa
Brahmacr, r Vam-vadannanda Brahmacr,

Prajna

r Cidghannanda Brahmacr, r Yaduvara dsa

Adhikr (MAVT), r Jitka dsa Adhikr and
other Vaiavas. rla cryadeva concluded with
very educational instructions on the same subject.
The next day began the ten-day ratha-ytr
festival, which was celebrated with great pomp.
rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrjas
great service on this occasion was most laudable.
Later on, in the month of rvaa, a splendid
celebration was organized for r r RdhGovindas jhlana-ytr and r Baladevas
appearance day (Prim). Our most worshipful
rla Gurudeva disclosed some very deep tattva
and secrets regarding the lls on these occasions.

Parikram of all the trthas in India

under the guidance of rla Gurudeva

he parikram of all the sacred places in

India, including three dhmas and seven
purs, was successfully completed during Krtika
niyama-sev of 1961, under the guidance of
parivrjakcrya o viupda aottara-ata
r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm
Mahrja, and in his direct presence. One hundred
and eighteen pilgrims joined rla Gurudeva
on this pilgrimage, including sannyss,
brahmacrs, vnaprasths and ghasthas. On
3 October 1961, the two-month journey began
from Howrah station, with devotees travelling in
a reserved tourist railway coach.

First of all the pilgrims took darana of r

Madana-mohanaj in Viupura. Once, when
Viupura was attacked by its enemies, Madanamohanaj chased them out Himself by firing a
cannon. The pilgrims also took darana of the
cannon. Under rla Gurudevas guidance, the
parikram party proceeded on to Jaganntha
Pur, where they had darana of r Jagannthadeva, o Gopntha, rla Prabhupdas place
of appearance and bhajana, Gambhr, rla
Haridsa hkuras place of bhajana and his
samdhi, Guic Mandira and other places. On
8 October, they climbed the nine hundred and

162

His

Life

and

rla cryadeva in South India

eighty-seven steps up a hill in Sihcalam, and

received the good fortune of having darana of
Jiyaa-nsihadeva. On 10 October, they had
darana of Pn-nsiha and the next day they
visited the Madras Gauya Maha, Prtha-srathi
temple and other noteworthy places. In Chennai
(Madras) they changed from the Eastern Railway
train to a Southern Railway train and the journey
continued.
The party reached Pak-trtha on 13 October
and had darana of Veda-girvara Mahdeva
and Hara (iva) and Prvat, who come to this
temple in the form of birds. On 14 October, the
pilgrims took darana of r Vsudeva and r
Naarja in Cidambaram, and of Prvat-dev in
the form of a peahen in Mybharam, reaching
Kumbhakoam the same night. Next day
they visited Moka-kua, Kumbhevaram, r

Teachings

Part
three

Rja-gopala Cakrapi and other sacred places

in Kumbhakoam.
rla Gurudeva narrated a story about
Moka-kua, which is a very large, deep pond.
The Pavas came here during their exile, and
while they were taking bath in this sacred place,
Devari Nrada arrived there. Nrada asked
Bhmasena, who was very proud of his strength,
Do you know what sacred place this is and what
its glories are? The very powerful Bhmasena
respectfully greeted Devari Nrada and said,
O Devari, we dont know much about this.
Please tell us. Nradaj said, First take bath,
and then I will tell you. After they had bathed,
Nradaj explained that the pond in which
they had taken bath is situated in the skull of
Kumbhakara. r Rmacandra killed that great
warrior and, throwing Kumbhakaras skull to
this place with his arrows, created this pond.
Kumbhakaras skull became purified by the
touch of r Rmacandras arrows, and anyone
who takes bath in this pond attains the dhma
of r Rmacandra. When Bhmasena heard this
from Devari Nrada, his pride in his strength
vanished, and he fell down at Devaris feet. This
big city received its name Kumbhakaram, or
Kumbhakoam, from the name of Kumbhakara.
On 16 October, the pilgrims took darana of
r Vhadevara Mahdeva in Tanjora in one of
the largest temples of India. On the top of this
extensive temple is a round, eighty ton stone
carved with fine designs. Modern scientists and
archaeologists wonder how such a large stone
could have been placed at such height before the
invention of modern cranes.
There is also another wonder here. r Nandj,
Lord ivas carrier, has been carved out of a
stone weighing twenty-five tons and sits in front
of the door of the main temple, facing iva. The

163

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

pilgrims were very happy to have darana of the

temple and r Nand. On 18 October, the pilgrims
reached Dhanukot at the extreme southern point
of India, where they took bath. They then visited
r Rmevara, where they had darana of the
huge iva temple that r Rmacandra established.
Nearby they visited a mrti brought by Hanumn.
On 20 October, they visited the temple of
Mnk-dev in Maduri and the next day
visited the deity of Kany-kumr in Kanykumr. On 23 October, they took darana of
r Raganthaj in r Ragam, where rman
Mahprabhu observed cturmsya-vrata. This
is considered the largest temple in India, with
each wall accommodating a whole city. r
Yamuncrya and r Rmnujcrya lived in
this famous temple and from here preached
throughout India. Raganthaj is present there
as eay with Lakmj. After having darana
of Viuknc and ivaknc on 25 October, the
party reached Anakoam Junction, where they
changed the Southern Railway tourist coach for
an Eastern Railway coach. Travelling from here
the pilgrims had darana of Tirupati Blj, which
is the richest temple in South India, situated on
the Tirumala Hills.

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

On 29 October in Nsika Pacava, the pilgrims

took darana of the place where Srpanakhs nose
was cut off, the place where r Rma, Lakmaa
and St stayed on the bank of the Godvar, and
other places. On 31 October, they took darana of
Mumb-dev in Mumbai. On 1 November in Broca,
they had darana of the place where Vmanadeva
begged from Bal Mahrja. After that the pilgrims
travelled to Prabhsa, Sudmpur, Vea-dvrak,
Gomat-dvrak, koraj (Raachoaj), Ujjayan,
r Nthadvr, Pukara and Svitr. In Jaipura they
took darana of r Rdh-Govinda, r RdhGopntha, r Rdh-Dmodara, r RdhMdhava and r Caitanya Mahprabhu. They
visited Galt-gadd and other places and finally
reached Mathur-dhma.
Starting from Mathur on 17 November, they
had darana of Gokula, Vndvana, Govardhana,
Rdh-kua, Varsn, Nandagrma and other
places. Then they visited Indraprastha in Delhi,
Bhadrakl in Kuruketra, Haridvra, ikea
and Lakmana-jhl, and after that they went
to Naimiraya, Ayodhy, K Vivantha in
Vras and Gaddhara Pda-padma in Gy.
The parikram party returned to Kolkata after the
two-month journey.

rla cryadeva in Jaipura

n 4 January 1962, paramrdhya rla

Gurudeva came with his associates to the
Samitis branch maha in Mathur. There he
preached rman Mahprabhus message exten
sively for a week. He then proceeded to Jaipura,
the capital of Rjasthn, at the repeated request
of some distinguished residents of that city. For a
week he lectured in Hindi and English in different
assemblies, associations and temples, speaking
about the spotless vaiava-dharma and
santana-dharma that r Caitanya Mahprabhu

had taught and practised. He explained very

clearly to the general public that r harinmasakrtana is easy and simple, and is the only way
to attain Bhagavn, especially in Kali-yuga.
A huge assembly was organized in the
local r Rdh-Ka temple. The citys
distinguished scholars and masters of literature
attended, and rla Gurudeva gave a brilliant
lecture on r nma-tattva. The famous Hindi
scholars, r Kamalkara Kamala and paita
r Kacandraj (kvya-vykaraa-trtha,

164

His

Life

and

shitycrya) were greatly impressed by rla

cryadevas lecture. Even though both were
initiated cryas in r Vallabhcryas puimrga, they came to hear vaiava-tattva from
rla cryadeva. rla Gurudeva told them that
r Vallabhcrya met r Caitanya Mahprabhu
twice. The first time was in Aaila-grma near
Prayga, and the second time was in r Purdhma. r Vallabhcryas son, r Vihaldeva,
had a close and affectionate friendship with r
Rpa, Raghuntha and the other Gosvms.

Teachings

Part
three

Both r Kamalkara Kamala and r

Kacandraj maintained a connection with r
Keavaj Gauya Maha throughout their life.
They kept an affectionate friendship with me
[the author], and their poems and essays were
published in r Bhgavata-patrik.
After preaching vaiava-dharma exten
sively like this for a month in Mathur and
Jaipura, crya Kesar returned to r Uddhraa
Gauya Maha, Chuchur, on 9 February.

Establishing a Samiti preaching centre in Orissa

hadraka is a famous place within the

Blevara district in Orissa. Nearby, on the
bank of the river Slind, is the sacred village
Korana, where the majority of the residents are
highly educated and prominent governmental
officials. In this village, there is a temple of r

Goplaj whose priest was r Lla Mohana

Mahptra. Unable to perform the temple sev, he
offered the temple and its adjoining agricultural
land to the Samitis president, rla cryadeva,
and it was duly registered in the court. rla
cryadeva named this new branch r Goplaj

rla cryadeva in Orissa

165

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Gauya Preaching Centre. After some time r

Goplaj was moved from inside the village to an
extensive temple, which was constructed on a large
piece of land on the main road. An assembly hall
and residential quarters for the sevakas were also
built. r Goplaj is now worshipped in this temple.
Korana village is situated two-and-a-half
miles north of Bhadraka town. r Bhaktivinoda
hkura composed his famous r Ka-sahita
here while serving as sub-divisional officer (SDO)
in Bhadraka. He has mentioned in his poetic work
Vijana-grma: kimv n rahili kena slindra
kle, yathya pathika-gaa avatthera mule,
kya tapa-tpa nicinta antare On the
bank of Slind there is a pipal tree, under whose

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

shade travellers get relief from the scorching

heat of the sun. When the preaching centre was
established there, rla cryadeva said, We will
reside in r Goplaj Gauya Preaching Centre
and have the good opportunity to remember
rla Bhaktivinoda hkuras pure character and
devotional instructions.
This maha is situated only two furlongs
from Vudapura station, the next station after
Bhadraka railway station. The road for vehicles
there is also very good. The atmosphere is very
captivating. The Samiti offers its heartily thanks
to r Mahptra Mahaya and his family
for establishing this preaching centre for the
propagation of uddha-bhakti.

Preaching uddha-bhakti in Jaipura

n 29 August 1962, rmad Bhakti Prajna

Keava Gosvm Mahrja arrived with
some brahmacrs at r Keavaj Gauya
Maha in Mathur, where they stayed for fifteen
days. Local educated people came to hear rla
cryadeva, as did several research scholars
from the universities at Aligarha and gr. All
were very pleased to hear his philosophical
conceptions. rla cryadeva had established an
extensive library in r Keavaj Gauya Maha
and from time to time these scholars borrowed
books favourable for their research.
Paramrdhyatama
rla
cryadeva
also gave lectures in the temple room (nyamandira) at r Keavaj Gauya Maha. When the
Mathurvss heard his impressive philosophical
conceptions on uddha-bhakti, they gradually
became his followers. Tridai-svm rmad
Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja [the author],
the manager of the maha, devoted himself to
caring for paramrdhyatama rla Gurupdapadma and the brahmacrs accompanying him.

On 4 September 1962, rla Gurudeva arrived

in Jaipura with his group of followers and stayed at
the main office of the Jaipura Halv Samiti, at the
special request of the president, Seha Somllaj.
Paita r Kacandra str Mahodaya (kavyatrtha, shitya-ratna) organized an eminent
assembly on the premises of his r Rdh-Kaj
temple on r Rdham evening. Paramrdhya
rla Gurudeva gave a Hindi lecture which was
full of siddhnta, establishing the usefulness
of abda-brahma, transcendental sound, as
compared to useless mundane sound. The Vedas
establish that only r harinma is abda-brahma.
And in all Vedas and other scriptures the sad-guru,
the expert who has realized Bhagavn, bestows the
transcendental abda-brahma in the pure ear of
the sat-iya. This abda-brahma is not created
by air interacting with the throat or palate. Rather,
ata r-ka-nmdi na bhaved grhyam-indriyai
sevonmukhe hi jihvdau svayam eva sphuratyada

166

Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.2.232)

His

Life

and

The human material senses cannot perceive

r harinma because it is a transcendental
sound. It will appear by itself on the pure
senses of the sevon-mukha sdhaka, the
practitioner in whose heart the desire to
serve r Ka has arisen.

In Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.2.231) the

nature of r nma is described thus:
nma cintmai kacaitanya-rasa-vigraha
pra uddho nitya-mukto
bhinnatvn nma-nmio
r ka-nma is a transcendental wishfulfilling gem (cintmai), because kanma (Kas name) and nm (Ka
Himself) are non-different. This name is
the very form of transcendental mellows
(caitanya-rasa-svarpa). It is complete,
beyond illusion and eternally liberated.

Sac-cid-nanda rasa-maya tattva, the

transcendental nectar-filled Truth, is non-dual,
but this advaya-tattva has appeared in two
forms, vigraha and nma. Only through service
to abda-brahma, that is, through pure nmasakrtana, can the living being be established
in his real svarpa and remain eternally devoted
serving the Divine Couple.
Ordinary sound is that which appears as a
result of air interacting with the throat, palate,
teeth, etc. It is uttered by one who does not have
the shelter of a bona fide guru or the guidance
of transcendental literature. This ordinary sound
cannot bring about any good fortune for the
conditioned souls (baddha-jvas). The genuine
stras have profusely glorified abda-brahma.
rla cryadeva used Vednta-darana and
other evidence to establish the speciality and
super-excellence of abda-brahma.

Teachings

Part
three

After that, the honourable head (mahantaj)

of the famous r Govindadeva temple in Jaipura
organized a scholarly assembly there and rla
Gurudeva delivered a brilliant lecture on r
rdh-tattva, r ka-tattva and the astonishing
nature of r r Rdh-Ka Yugalas
pastimes. The audience was very attracted to
rla cryadevas unprecedented stric and
siddhntic conceptions. They could understand
something of the deep philosophy of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu and the Vaiava cryas in His
line.
Gradually it became known throughout
the whole of Jaipura that a Gauya Vaiava
crya, who was an erudite philosopher and
most knowledgeable in siddhnta, was visiting
the city from r Navadvpa-dhma. The current
principal of Jaipuras Mahrj Sanskrit College
was mahmahopdhyya r Candraekhara
Dvived Vykaraa-crya (snkhya-yogavednta-trtha). He later accepted sannysa
in the akara sampradya and was given the
post of akarcrya, the person in charge of
the maha in the akara sampradya, in r
Govardhana Maha in Pur. He very respectfully
invited rla cryadeva to preside at a huge
scholastic assembly that he organized at his
college. The assembly was attended by various
college professors, students and honourable
and faithful citizens. In his erudite lecture rla
cryadeva quoted evidence from the Vedas and
other scriptures to establish Vrajendra-nandana
r Ka as akara-brahma, the imperishable
Supreme Truth.
After that he spoke on The duty of human
life. He compared modern democracy wherein
everyone, whether intelligent or foolish, can vote,
and also be elected minister to Gaea, who is
considered foolish because he does not know

167

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

who his father is. Quoting arpavadeva tatpradhnatvt and other aphorisms from Vedntastra, he refuted nirkra-vda and established
the Lord as skra, having form. He also impressed
his audience by revealing the conclusion that
bhakta (the devotee) and Bhagavn exist eternally,
being beyond the limit of time and place.
The honourable principal of the college
praised rla cryadevas Vedntic viewpoints
and thanked him profusely. He also advised
the students and society at large to accept rla

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

cryadevas spiritual instructions. He said that

he would like to organize a conference for all
sampradyas, which would facilitate a discussion
comparing the Gauya Vednta commentary
with other commentaries on Vednta.
The Samiti gave special thanks to Seha
Somllaj, r Opraka Vrajavs Shityaratna and r Jagada Prasdaj Gupt, the
director of Lakm Motor Company, for all the
service rendered while rla cryadeva was
preaching uddha-bhakti in Jaipura.

rla cryadevas auspicious desire for

r Gauya Vednta Catuph

n 1957, r Gauya Vednta Samiti established

a Sanskrit school called r Gauya Vednta
Catuph in Bosp Lane, Bgbzr, Kolkata.
Modern universities do not attach proper
significance to the Sanskrit language, and as
a result, students are not learning it. If such an
ignorant attitude towards Sanskrit (deva-bh,
the language of the gods) persists, the bhagavat
ideology, which is the life of Indian culture, will
undoubtedly soon disappear.
The Bengali language has been respected as
pre-eminent among all languages in India, because
its literature is derived from Sanskrit literature
exclusively. Unfortunately, nowadays, Bengali is
becoming disconnected from its relationship with
Sanskrit. The present atheistic society in Bengal
wants to eradicate Hindu dharma, but they know
very well that Hindu dharma cannot be destroyed
while Bengali is connected to Sanskrit. Therefore
the managers of the modern universities want to
make Bengali a rvindrya-karaa language (i.e.
a language as simple as that used by Rvindra
Tagore), by separating Bengali from Sanskrit
literature and grammar. In this way, by removing
the combined letters [typical of Sanskrit], which

are difficult to read, a very simple language is

created, but it is a common mans language and
low-class. One should understand that this is
disrespectful of Sanskrit and ignorant of the line
of thought presented in Indias Vedas, Upaniads,
Puras and other traditional, spiritual teachings.
The devotees of r Gauya Vednta Samiti
reflected for a long time on this deplorable
situation in Bengal, and indeed in the whole of
India. To disseminate Sanskrit education they
established the r Gauya Vednta Catuph
in Chuchur. Later this was transferred to
r Devnanda Gauya Maha in r Dhma
Navadvpa. r Gauya Vednta Samiti formed
a committee to satisfactorily manage the
catuph20. The committee members are as
follows:
(1) Chairman: o viupda paramahasasvm parivrjakcrya-varya r rmad
Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm
(2) Secretary: tridai-svm r rmad
Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja
20 Editor: a school for teaching Sanskrit, particularly the
four Vedas or grammar, along with poetry, laws and
philosophy

168

His

Life

and

(3) Member: tridai-svm r rmad

Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrja
(4) Member: tridai-svm r rmad
Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja [the
author]
(5) Member: ryuta acndra Mohananand
(chairman of the Navadvpa City Council)
(6) Member: ryuta Jitendrantha (paca-trtha)
(7) Member: paita r Nimi Caraa
(vykaraa-trtha)
(8) Member: paita ryuta Sureacandra Rya
(vykaraa-trtha)
(9) Member: paita r Vrajnanda Vrajavs
In previous years, many catuph students
passed the examination of the Bengal Sanskrit
Literature Association (Bagya Sanskta Shitya
Pariad) with great distinction. This year, 1963,
the honourable r Jitendrantha Paca-trtha
(kvya-vykaraa-pura-vednta-vaiavadarana-trtha) is managing the Catuph very

Teachings

Part
three

earnestly and enthusiastically. In a short time, r

Gauya Vednta Catuph has become glorious
throughout Navadvpa.
This year, a new teacher, paita Nimi
Caraa Vykaraa-trtha Mahaya, has been
appointed because the number of students has
increased. The students read and study poetry
(kvya), grammar (vykaraa) and Vednta, and
this year, seven of them have taken examinations
at primary, medium and degree level. We
respectfully offer Sanskrit students an education
by qualified teachers in this exemplary catuph.
I am also humbly informing you that this Sanskrit
school particularly emphasizes classes in r
Harinmmta-vykaraa. Facility for boarding
and lodging is also available for students of r
Harinmmta-vykaraa. Such students may
send their application forms together with their
credentials to the secretary of the catuph,
tridai-svm Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja.

The opinion of the Sanskrit school supervisor regarding

r Gauya Vednta Catuph

he inspection of r Gauya Vednta

Catuph took place today. Two
teachers, the secretary and ten students were
present. Currently there are twelve students
enrolled in the catuph, which teaches
poetry (kvya, the Gosvms writings), r
Harinmmta-vykaraa (rla Jva Gosvms
book teaching Sanskrit grammar), Vednta,
vaiava-darana and other stras. The
respected principal is a paca-trtha (master of
these five subjects), and a very diligent teacher.
An assistant teacher has been appointed because
the number of students has increased.
According to the register, the catuph
has twelve or thirteen resident students. This is

something to be happy about and proud of. The

managing committee applied for government
approval a long time ago, but to this day, approval
has not been given.
The catuphs examination result is not
lower than the previous years, and the records
are being accurately kept as before. I wish this
catuph all prosperity and progress.

169

(Signed)
r Nalin-knta
(tarkasmti-trtha),
(additional) inspector of West
Bengal Sanskrit school system
19 December 1963

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Establishment of r Gauya Charity Clinic

n 15 December 1962, the r Gauya

Charity Clinic was established at r
Devnanda Gauya Maha, Navadvpa, to
provide homeopathic, biochemic and allopathic
treatment. A sub-committee was formed to
manage the clinic, which is under the supervision
of r Gauya Vednta Samiti.
The selected members of the committee were
as follows:
(1) Chairman: o viupda paramahasasvm parivrjakcrya r rmad Bhakti
Prajna Keava Gosvm
(2) Tridai-svm
rmad
Bhaktivednta
Vmana Mahrja
(3) Tridai-svm
rmad
Bhaktivednta
Trivikrama Mahrja

(4) Tridai-svm
rmad
Bhaktivednta
Nryaa Mahrja [the author]
(5) Tridai-svm
rmad
Bhaktivednta
Harijana Mahrja
(6) Tridai-svm
rmad
Bhaktivednta
Viu-daivata Mahrja
(7) Sectretary: ryuta Vrajnanda dsa Vrajavs
(LMF) (Regd. No. 8134 Cal.)
(8) ryuta Advaita dsa Vrajavs
(9) r Gauya Charity Clinics doctor: r
Kabandhu Bhaumika (HMBHTC)
At the inauguration of the Charity Clinic,
paramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva was selected
chairman. He requested the secretary of the subcommittee, Dr. ryuta Vrajnanda Vrajavs
(LMF), to read the article Gauya Clinic, after

r Gauya Charity Clinic

170

His

Life

and

which rla Gurudeva gave an attractive lecture

full of deep thoughts about this clinic.
rla cryadeva said, The r Gauya
Charity Clinic is not the same as the clinics of the
Rmaka Mission and the Bhrata Sevrama
Association. It may look the same from the
external point of view of distributing medicine to
patients, but there is a tremendous difference in
the purpose. If we endeavour to give material help

Teachings

Part
three

and sympathy to human beings, it will cause their

bondage. Contrary to this, if we provide aide to the
jvas for their progress in bhagavat-bhajana, this
will remove their material bondage and help them
to enter the spiritual realm. We are very happy
to point out that this Charity Clinic has quickly
become very famous throughout Navadvpa.
Every day many patients come from far away to
be treated by our qualified and skilled doctors.

Installation festival of the deities in the new temple during

r Navadvpa-dhma parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava

n March 1963, r Gauya Vednta Samiti

organized the extensive celebration of r
Navadvpa-dhma parikram and r Gaurajanmotsava. On the third day of the parikram
(7 March), the atmosphere of the entire maha
was filled with unprecedented joy, because of the
inauguration of the temple and the installation of
the deities. The nya-mandira (the temple room)
and especially the deities altar were beautifully
decorated with flower garlands, festoons of
mango leaves and flowers, and trunks of banana
trees. There was no parikram that day, and
during brhma-muhrta the days auspicious
ceremony was heralded by magala-rat,
sakrtana, an instrumental band and the sweet
sound of the sehnai.
When rla cryadeva himself was ready
with a water pot in his hands to bring water from
the Bhagavat Bhgrath for the installation and
abhieka, the maha sannyss, brahmacrs and
thousands of devoted pilgrims also assembled
with their water pots. The procession made its way
to the holy bank of the Bhagavat Bhgrath with
a band playing in the front, followed by the maha
devotees sakrtana group, then paramrdhya
rla Gurudeva with the water pot on his head, and
finally thousands of devoted pilgrims performing

krtana with great joy. The devotees worshipped

r Jhnav-dev (Gag) with sixteen articles. They
then filled up their water pots with sacred Gag
water and returned in the same manner they came,
to the maha premises and the yaja altar.
rla cryadeva requested tridai-svm
r rmad Bhakti Bhdeva raut Mahrjaj
to officiate at this ceremony, with the help
of tridai-svm Bhaktivednta Nryaa
Mahrja [the author]. rmad Bhaktivednta
Trivikrama Mahrja arranged for the deity
installation and rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana
Mahrja looked after the main guests.
The deities were placed on the bathing platform.
First of all, They were bathed with milk, yoghurt,
ghee, honey and sugar sanctified by mantras.
After that, Their abhieka was performed with one
hundred and eight pots containing fragrant water
from all the trthas, water flavoured from herbs
(sarvauadhi), water flavoured from jewels, etc.
During the abhieka, Vedic scholars recited the
Purua-skta. Around the altar, rmad Bhakti
Jvana Janrdana Mahrja and other prominent
sannyss melodiously recited different dharmastras, such as Veda-chatuya (the four Vedas),
Upaniads, Vednta-darana (Govinda-bhya),
rmad-Bhgavatam, Gt, Viu-sahasra-nma

171

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

and r Caitanya-caritmta. In addition, the

sounds of mah-sakrtana conch shells and the
ladies ululating resounded throughout the sky.
Nearby, at the sacrificial altar, amidst the chanting
of Vedic mantras, tridai-svm Bhakti Pramoda
Pur Mahrja21 and others offered oblations
into the fire. All directions were purified by the
fragrant, sacred smoke of the vaiava-homa and
the very impressive sound of the loud sakrtana.
Altogether, the occasion was surcharged with
transcendental potency and life.
No one could count how many people filled
up the nya-mandira and the mandira, taking
darana of the mahbhieka with wide eyes.
After the abhieka the deities were taken to the
altar and rla cryadeva himself completed
the installation.
21 Editor: see Appendix page 403

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

At that time, yatirja rla Bhakti Rakaka

rdhara Mahrja, tridai-svm rmad Bhakti
Vicra Yyvara Mahrja and other sannyss
arrived. They were welcomed with garlands and
sandal paste and seated on the well-decorated
stage in the nya-mandira. Thus brilliant
lectures commenced in Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali,
Assamese, Oriya and other languages by the
cryas, tridai-sannyss and scholars learned
in siddhnta, from various mahas. Pjyapda
rla rdhara Mahrja gave a significant
lecture on the great contribution of r Gauya
Maha and the superiority of its philosophical
views. rla cryadeva then respectfully escorted
his guests to the entrance of the altar to inaugurate
the opening. At that time, the assembled
multitude vibrated their jaya-dhvani, haridhvani and the ladies ululating. This mixed with

r crya Kesar together with some sannyss at the inauguration festival of the deities

172

His

Life

and

the auspicious sound of conch shells and the

mdagas and karatlas from the sakrtana, and
filled all directions. rmad Bhakti Saudha rama
Mahrja and rmad Bhakti Vika Hkea
Mahrja came with their entire parikram
parties at the time of the inauguration, and in
the evening they were joined by tridai-svm
rmad Bhakti Sraga Gosvm Mahrja and
tridai-svm rmad Bhakti Dayita Mdhava
Gosvm Mahrja and their respective parties.
rman Mahprabhu and r r RdhVinoda-bihr were installed in the middle
chamber. In the chamber to Their right is
dhmevara r Koladeva (Varhadeva) and
Lakm-dev, and on Their left is the deity of
jagad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Prabhupda. rla cryadeva bestowed darana
of Them upon the whole world.

Teachings

Part
three

After the installation, tridai-svm Bhakti

Deika crya Mahrja performed arcana,
and offered bhoga and rat to the deities. After
bhoga-rat, mah-prasda was distributed to
thousands and thousands of people. The audience
was enchanted by the deities unprecedented
sweetness, and unanimously declared that they
had never before seen such beautiful deities.
Paramrdhya rla cryadeva declared at
the occasion, r Gauya Vednta Samiti has
taken a vow to destroy irreligiosity (adharma),
corrupt activities (kudharma), that which opposes
religion (vidharma), heresy (apadharma), deceit
ful religion (chaladharma) and so on. To this
end, we have installed r Koladeva (Varhadeva)
who is the Lord of the dhma (dhmevara) of
Koladvpa, together with r r Guru-Gaurga
and Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj, in this huge and

The deities in r Devnanda Gauya Maha

173

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

We have not established this

prominent temple and huge temple

room in r Dhma Navadvpa only
for deity worship. ... The purpose of
the mandira is to preach siddhntav through the transcendental
sound of r nma-sakrtana
blended with the nectar flowing
from my r Gurudevas mouth.

r Koladeva (Varhadeva)

prominent temple in r Navadvpa-dhma. But

constructing large temples is not the sole purpose
of preaching; it is a limb of arcana. The foremost
purpose of preaching is krtana-sev under the
guidance of r Rpa. We have not established
this prominent temple and huge temple room
in r Dhma Navadvpa only for deity worship.
Rather, the topmost perfection of Vednta is the
symbol of bhaktisiddhnta-v, the preaching
of krtana-bhakti. Within my heart, I followed the
path of the mahjanas and have thus established
the foundation of this maha-mandira. The
purpose of the mandira is to preach siddhntav through the transcendental sound of r
nma-sakrtana blended with the nectar flowing
from my r Gurudevas mouth. The construction
of the temple, the auspicious task of installing
the deities and other work has been completed by
means of r nma-sakrtana.

One of the godbrothers of our most

worshipful rla cryadeva was attracted by
rla cryadevas qualities and wrote an essay
in r Gauya-patrik, which included the
following commendation:
According to rla Prabhupdas commentary
on yra mantre sakala mrtite vaise pra (r
Caitanya-bhgavata, Antya-khaa 2.305), in
the r Gauya sampradya, as prescribed by
r Gaurahari, the deity is installed by chanting
the mah-mantra. Only nma-sakrtana can
remove the misconception that the deity is stone.
The verse ka varam tvikam shows
that r Ka Caitanyadeva has prescribed the
chanting of the mah-mantra as the appropriate
and affectionate worship of the deity. Worship
and darana of the deities are lifeless where
Bhagavn is not served by the worshippers inner
love and affection, but instead by mere wealth or
as a ritual. No matter what system one is following,
worship has life if performed with the Hare Ka
mah-mantra as chanted by r Gaurasundara.
r Devnanda Gauya Maha in Koladvpa
has today assumed a new splendour, for it is

174

His

Life

and

now decorated with a new temple crowned with

nine prominent sky-high domes, a huge nyamandira, living quarters for devotees, a building
for the printing press, a school for spiritual
education and a charitable dispensary. The
devotees of this place have dedicated themselves
to serving the instructions of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, as explained by r hkura
Bhaktivinoda. The disciples of parivrjakcrya
tridai-svm rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava
Mahrja, who are expert in bhajana, jointly
performed the inauguration ceremony of r
Guru-Gaurga-Gndharvik-Vinoda-bihrj
and r Varhadeva in the new temple, in
accordance with the procedure of our r
rpnuga-guru-parampar. This has created a
new atmosphere in r Navadvpa-dhma.
A large dharma-sabh (religious assembly)
was arranged in the r Hari-krtana N
yamandira on the evening of the third day of r

Teachings

Part
three

Dhma parikram. At rla cryadevas request,

yati-pravara tridai-svm rmad Bhakti
Sarvasva Giri Mahrja accepted the chairmans
seat. Tridai-svm rmad Bhakti Bhdeva
raut Mahrja and tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Saurabha Bhaktisra Mahrja addressed
the assembly after which rla cryadeva
spoke on the difference between Vaiava and
myvda philosophies in regard to r vigrahatattva. He then recited r Rdh-Vinoda-bihrtattvakam and explained why the deity of r
Vinoda-bihr does not have r Kas dark
complexion. He concluded by glorifying the late
r Giridhr dsa Adhikr for his outstanding
service of constructing the temple, and r
Haripada dsa Adhikr, who covered all the
expenses for constructing the nya-mandira.
Finally, the chairman of the assembly, rmad
Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Mahrja, closed the evening
with an enchanting lecture.

r Navadvpa-dhma parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava

n the first day of r Dhma parikram, the

pilgrims took darana of rla Bhaktivinoda
hkuras place of bhajana in Godrumadvpa,
Suvara-vihra, Nsihapall, Harihara-ketra,
Hasavhana and other places. On the second
day, they visited Samudragaha, Champakahaa, Vidynagara and Modadrumadvpa and
then returned to the maha. On the fourth day
they completed parikram of Prauhmy, r
Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrjas samdhi
and Rudradvpa. That day, a special assembly
was arranged for the evening. rla cryadeva
was selected as chairman, and paita-pravara
(the best of scholars) ryuta Gopendra Bhaa
Skhya-trtha Mahodaya was selected as chief
guest. Upon rla Gurudevas request, tridai-

svm Bhakti Deika crya Mahrja opened the

assembly with an attractive lecture in Sanskrit,
using stric evidences to show that rman
Mahprabhu is Svayam Bhagavn, the original
Personality of Godhead. Paita-pravara ryuta
Nitynanda Paca-trtha Mahodaya also spoke in
Sanskrit, glorifying the greatness of sdhu-saga.
The honourable chief guest Skhya-trtha
Mahodaya said that r Keava Mahrjaj had
in fact fully established Koladvpa by installing
the deity of r Koladeva: Today, the memory
of ancient Koladeva has awakened in my heart.
He then praised and glorified rla Sarasvat
Prabhupda.
On the fifth day of parikram, the pilgrims
had darana at r odyna in Antardvpa,

175

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

r Yogapha r Caitanya Mahprabhus

appearance place, r Caitanya Maha, the
samdhis of rla Prabhupda and rla Gaurakiora dsa Bbj Mahrja, Chand Kazis
samdhi, Smantadvpa (Simuliy Grma) and
other places. Mah-prasda was served at noon
at r Jayadeva-pa and the parikram party
then returned to r Devnanda Gauya Maha.
Tridai-svm r Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Mahrja
was the chairman of the religious assembly that
evening, and tridai-svm rmad Bhakti
Vicra Yyvara Mahrja, tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Jvana Janrdana Mahrja and tridaisvm rmad Bhakti Vridhi Pur Mahrja gave
lectures. At the end of the program, tridaisvm rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja
[the author] gave a beautiful lecture in Hindi.
The sixth day of the parikram was the
appearance day of r Gaurasundara. The
devotees fasted, r Caitanya-bhgavata was
read in full, and ravaa-krtana was joyfully
performed. In the evening, after celebrating r
Gauras appearance, tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Jvana Janrdana Mahrja chaired the
assembly. Tridai-svm rmad Bhaktivednta
Vmana Mahrja, tridai-svm rmad
Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrja, tridai-

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

svm rmad Bhaktivednta uddhdvait

Mahrja and other sannyss lectured on
the distinctive characteristics of r Caitanya
Mahprabhus great contribution.
At noon on the seventh day, yaj-homa
and other rituals were performed for those who
had accepted dk, sannysa and bbj-vea.
After that, wonderful mah-prasda was served
to twenty or twenty-five thousand invited and
uninvited faithful guests.
rla cryadeva was chairman of the religious
assembly that evening. First of all were lectures
by those who had accepted sannysa and
bbj-vea the previous day, namely tridaisvm rmad Bhaktivednta rddhvamanth
Mahrja, tridai-svm rmad Bhaktivednta
Rddhnti Mahrja and rmad Raghuntha dsa
Bbj Mahrja. After that, r Rasika-mohana
Vrajavs, paita Nim Caraa Vykaraa-trtha
spoke, and r Haridsa Vrajavs gave a lecture in
Hindi. Finally, the main guest, rla Prabhupdas
accomplished sannys tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Praka Araya Mahrja delivered an
attractive discourse. In this way, the sublimely
joyful, week-long celebration of r Navadvpadhma parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava took
place smoothly and was concluded successfully.

r Devnanda Gauya Maha

ur supremely worshipful r crya Kesar

established r Gauya Vednta Samiti
(r Devnanda Gauya Maha) in Kuliy-nagara
(present day Navadvpa town) to nourish the
service of the innermost desires of his gurupdapadma, rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm
Prabhupda. Today, inside the vast boundary wall
of the temple grounds, there is a divine temple with
nine huge domes. rla Gurudevas construction
of this maha-mandira was meticulous and based

on philosophical conclusions. Below is a short

description of the maha.

r Narahari Toraa
We enter the courtyard of the maha via the main
entrance gate, r Narahari Toraa. The words
para vijayate r-ka-sakrtanam and
krtanya sad hari are carved over this gate.
Here rla Gurudeva is waving the victory flag
of rman Mahprabhus ultimate instruction

176

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

r Narahari Toraa
(r Devnanda Gauya Mahas main entrance)

r Madana-mohana Toraa
(r Devnanda Gauya Mahas back gate)

in His ikaka, namely, to perform r nmasakrtana. Chanting r harinma has been

declared as the life of sdhana-bhajana. In
order to enter into the divine temple of bhakti,
one should first sing the glory of r dhma
(tad-rpa vaibhava) and the worshipful deity.
Also on the gate is a glorification [of Navadvpa]
spoken by rla Vndvana dsa hkura (r
Caitanya-bhgavata, Madhya-khaa 5.1),
who is the Vysadeva of r caitanya-ll: jaya
navadvpa-nava-pradpa-prabhva paagajaika-siha All glories to the new light of
Navadvpa, who is just like a lion, unparalleled in
subduing the elephants of heresy and atheism.
We may mention in this context that one of rla
cryadevas intimate godbrothers, r Bhakti
Sraga Gosvm Mahrja, gave him the title
paa-gajaika-siha, the lion who defeats the
elephants of heresy and atheism.

The name r Narahari Toraa, as given by

rla Gurudeva, refers both to the tattva of raya
or sev-vigraha (r Narahari Brahmacr, who
is the personification of service) and to viaya
or sevya-vigraha (r Nsihadeva, who is the
object of service).
Above this arched gateway on each side are
two very powerful lions on the heads of two mad
elephants. The mad elephants signify offences
to the Vaiavas (vaiava-apardha). r Jag
and r Madh stand on each side below as
doorkeepers, and on the inside of the gateway are
r Devnanda Paita and r Vsudeva Vipra,
who proclaim the glory of Kuliy Apardhabhajana-pa, the place where offences are
nullified. r Devnanda Paita had committed
an offence to the lotus feet of rvsa Paita,
but later repented by the mercy of Puarka
Vidynidhi. He begged for forgiveness at

177

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

rvsa Paitas feet, whereupon r Caitanya

Mahprabhu also forgave him. By the mercy of
r Nitynanda Prabhu, such extremely wicked
and godless persons as Jag and Madh also
became great devotees. Vsudeva Vipra obtained
darana of r Gaurasundara here by the mercy
of Dhmevara r Koladeva.

r Maha consisting of seven sections

Amongst the nine islands (dvpas) of r
Navadvpa-dhma, r Koladvpa, which is situated
on the west bank of the Gag, is very important.
According to r Bhakti-ratnkara and rla
Bhaktivinoda hkuras r Navadvpa-dhmamahtmya (Parikram-khaa) and Navadvpabhva-taraga, the twelve forests of Vndvana
are situated in a somewhat different order on r
Navadvpas nine islands. This Koladvpa is said
to be Girirja Govardhana himself, and rasika
bhaktas take darana of the banks of the nearby
Bhgrath as the place of rsa-ll (the rsasthal) on the banks of the Yamun. Adjacent to
this rsa-sthal and to the south is tudvpa, which
is non-different from Rdh-kua and ymakua. Bahulvana is situated to the north. Our
supremely worshipful rla Gurudeva, the crest
jewel of the community of cryas, established
this maha here only after considering everything
written in the stras about this place.
When we enter the courtyard of the maha
through r Narahari Toraa, we have darana
of r maha, enclosed within the vast boundary
walls. rla Gurudeva divided this maha into
seven sections (khaas) and named them
according to philosophical conclusions.
(1) Paramrtha-khaa In this section, which
is the location of the printing press, etc., the Vedas,
Upaniads, Gt, Bhgavatam and other bhakti
texts are published. These bhakti scriptures are

r Gauya-patrik Press

the literary incarnation of Bhagavn. Bhagavadbhakti is preached all over the world through the
medium of these books, and for this reason rla
Prabhupda Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat called the
printing press the bhad-mdaga. He also said
that the tridai-sannyss preaching uddhabhakti are the living (jvanta) mdaga and they
preach rman Mahprabhus message of pure
prema-dharma at home and abroad, according
to their ability. This is why our worshipful
master, o viupda aottara-ata r rmad
Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja,
displayed special enthusiasm for preaching and
publishing Vaikuha Vrtvaha, r Gauyapatrik and r Bhgavata-patrik, as well as
the original literature of r bhakti-siddhntav, instructions on the conclusions of pure
devotional service, such as Vednta, Bhgavatam

178

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
three

rla cryadeva performing yaja at the Krtana-khaa (r nya-mandira)

and the writings of the Gosvms, with the help

of bhad-mdaga and jvanta-mdaga. With
this intention he also established r Gauya
Vednta Catuph and r Gauya Charitable
Dispensary.
(2) Krtana-khaa In r nya-mandira, the
temple room, hari-sakrtana and krtana of
rmad-Bhgavatam, r Caitanya-caritmta
and other literatures are always going on. Great
personalities give classes and speeches in the
large religious assemblies held here.
(3) Upsya-khaa rla cryadeva has named
the temple building, crowned with nine distinctive
domes, navadh-bhakti-mandira. The names
of these nine domes are respectively ravaam,
krtanam, smaraam, pda-sevanam, arcanam,
vandanam, dsyam, sakhyam, and the highest
centre dome, tma-nivedanam. On the top of

this dome, in the middle of the Sudarana cakra,

is a flute which proclaims to all the inhabitants
of the world, krtanya sad hari constantly
chant the holy name of r Hari. The profound
meaning is that the inhabitants of the world
should assemble in r hari-krtana-mandira for
r nma-sakrtana-yaja, which is comprised
of seven tongues22. gacchantu mahbhg
22 Editor: The Vedic scriptures describe fire as having
seven tongues, each of a different colour according
to its intensity. ... In the same way r Gaurasundara
has sung the glories of the fire of sakrtana, which
also has seven tongues. They are ceto-darpaamrjana and so forth. Unless the fire of sakrtana is
kindled and blazes, ones material existence will not
be destroyed at the root, and salvations highest goal,
prema, will never be achieved. (from Vijayate r Kasakrtanam by r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
hkura Prabhupda, Rays of The Harmonist, No. 16,
Krtika 2006)

179

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Upsya-khaa navadh-bhakti-mandira

Jagad-guru rla Sarasvat Prabhupdas mrti

nitya krtana-mandire Welcome; you are very

fortunate to come to the krtana-mandira.
On every dome is the r Brahma-MadhvaGauya vaiava-tilaka, which attracts the faith
of travellers, directing it towards pure Gauya
Vaiavism, even from far away. The original
founders of the four bona fide sampradyas r
Lakm, r Brahm, r Rudra and r Catusana
are situated inside the four domes of the first
floor. Near them, the four cryas of those
sampradyas are seated and duly worshipped,
namely, r Rmnuja, r Madhvcrya, r
Viusvm and r Nimbditya. They thus
instruct people who are serious about sdhanabhajana that it is absolutely necessary to accept a
bona fide sampradya.
On the four walls of the first floor of the temple
are pictures of the ten incarnations (davatras).

These ten incarnations of Bhagavn correspond

to the gradual development of consciousness and
indicate the progressive development of theistic
philosophy. In the eastern portion of the first floor,
the vidhi-mrga and rga-mrga, or pcartrika
and bhgavatya sdhana-mrga, have been
exhibited in accordance with the instructions of
the Gauya guru-varga. In the eastern area of
the second floor, the Surabh cow and Indradeva
beg for forgiveness at r Govindas lotus feet.
Along with this is the destroyer of all obstacles,
r Nsihadeva, whose killing of Hirayakaipu
declares victory over demonic people and
proclaims the glory of Apardha-bhajana-pa,
the place which destroys all offences.
rla Gurudeva exhibited his ideal of
ekntika-nih, single-pointed unflinching faith,
in his guru-sev by installing jagad-guru rla

180

His

Life

and

There is an absolute necessity in

this world to worship and serve
this mahpurua. If the worship of
him is stopped, bhakti-dharma will
disappear from this world.

Sarasvat Prabhupdas mrti and arranging for

his daily worship. He has written, I have installed
my gurupda-padma, rmad Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda, in r
mandira of this maha. We see many so-called
paramahasas in the world today, but upon
consideration, we find that they are not equal to
a fragment of this mahpurua, or even to those
who have obtained only a particle of dust from
his lotus feet. Still, these so-called paramahasas
are being honoured by worldly people who are
devoid of knowledge of the Truth. Many people
call rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm
Prabhupda the crest jewel of the community of
paramahasas. I do not object to this, but my
personal statement is that he is the master or
lord of the community of paramahasas. He is
empowered to give instructions even to them. For
this reason he is called jagad-guru.
This mahpurua, who is rdh-pak
(partial towards Rdh), is famous in England,
Germany and all other countries as rla
Prabhupda. Here, first of all, we perform his
rat. There is an absolute necessity in this
world to worship and serve this mahpurua. If
the worship of him is stopped, bhakti-dharma
will disappear from this world. It will thus be
destroyed and go to Rastala, the lowest hellish
region. For this reason the people of this world
address him as Prabhupda.

Teachings

Part
three

In the first chamber, Koladeva (Lord Varha)

is installed. Since Satya-yuga He has been
bestowing His mercy on devotees such as His
exclusive devotee r Vsudeva Vipra. The glories
of Koladvpa are announced by daily worship of
Him and service to Him, in the temple. The name
Kuliy has originated from the word kola, as in
Koladeva. Places such as Kuliydaha, Kolergaja,
Koler md, Gada Khlira Kol, Tegharir Kol and
Kuliy-nagara (present Navadvpa town) are all
part of ancient Kuliy. This place is also called
Kuliy-pahapura, because this land is high
like a paha, or mountain. In Satya-yuga rla
Varhadeva gave darana to His great devotee
r Vsudeva Vipra and said that in the coming
Kali-yuga He would accept the bodily lustre and

181

Koladeva (Lord Varha)

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

internal mood of rmat Rdhik, and in this

very place would manifest His greatly munificent
pastimes as r Gaurga Mahprabhu. To attain
the mercy of this Koladvpa, which is the island of
pda-sevanam and non-different from Girirja
Govardhana, it is essential to pray first of all
for the mercy of Dhmevara (Koladeva). Only
by His mercy can one achieve the qualification
to enter into the munificent pastimes of rman
Mahprabhu.
In the second chamber, r Gaura-RdhVinoda-bihrj are installed. Here the supremely
wonderful and mysterious white lustre of r
Vinoda-bihrj, who is absorbed in thinking of
r Rdh, eludes even the bhajana secrets of the
bhajannandis. rla cryadeva has personally
explained it: rman Mahprabhu is Himself

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Rdh-Ka Yugala, and r Rdh-Ka are

worshipped by r gaura-mantra. People may ask
why the three deities in this temple r Ka,
rmat Rdhr and r Gaurasundara are all
white in colour. The answer is that They are not
white, but rather have the golden lustre of rmat
Rdhj. By accepting rmat Rdhiks bodily
lustre, r Ka has taken on a golden (gaura)
complexion. The bodily lustre of r Gaurasundara
is as fair as pure gold, which is why these three
have the same complexion. Here we must
understand that the apparently white complexion
is actually gaura (golden). Why did r Ka take
on r Rdhs gaura complexion? The answer
is that we are rdh-pak, partial towards r
Rdh. By nature, rmat Rdhiks mood towards
r Ka is contrary (vmya-bhva), but is only

r r Gaura-Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj

182

His

Life

and

Teachings

so to increase the ever-fresh variety of service

to Him. Once, rmatj became angry with Ka
and exhibited mna, Her indignant contrariness.
At that time, Ka became so absorbed in
meditating on Her that His yma complexion
changed and became like Hers.

tabe hsi tre prabhu dekhila svarpa

rasa-rja, mahbhvadui eka rpa
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 8.268, 269, 282)

r Rya Rmnanda asked r Caitanya

Mahprabhu, At first I saw Your form as a
sannys, and now I am seeing Your darkcomplexioned form as a cowherd boy (r
ymasundara). At the same time I am seeing
a golden-complexioned dev in front of You,
whose golden lustre fully covers Your dark
lustre. ... Upon hearing this, r Caitanya
Mahprabhu laughed and gave darana of
Ka in His distinctive golden complexion
as Rasarja-mahbhva combined. r Rya
Rmnanda fainted in bliss when he saw this
unprecedented sweet form.

rdh-cint-niveena
yasya kntir vilopit
r-ka-caraa vande
rdhligita-vigraham

We refer to this deep mystery in the first verse

of r Rdh-Vinoda-bihr-tattvakam. The
word rdhligita has two meanings: (1) rdhay
ligita and (2) rdhay ligita.
The word ligita means having the appear
ance of. r Ka lost His own complexion and
assumed rmat Rdhiks due to being very
absorbed in thinking of Her in separation. This
is the deep meaning of rdhligita-vigraha.
It is this deity that has been brought to light
here. The meaning of this deep tattva has been
illuminated by the crest jewel of rasika Vaiavas,
rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura, in his r
Svapna-vilsmta. And this fundamental truth
has manifested to the world by my rla gurupdapadma, rla Prabhupda, having come from the
core of his heart.
The second meaning of rdhligita is
rdhay ligita, or embraced by Rdh. The
confidential meaning of this has been spoken by
r Rya Rmnanda to rman Mahprabhu on
the banks of the Godvar:
pahile dekhilu tomra sannysi-svarpa
ebe tom dekhi mui yma-gopa-rpa
tomra sammukhe dekhi kcana-paclik
tra gaura-kntye tomra sarva aga hk

Part
three

So this is another explanation of the deep

mystery of r Kas golden complexion.
Kas yma complexion has been completely
covered by rmat Rdhiks embrace, and He is
manifesting Her bodily brilliance.
Among people who serve on the path of
the most advanced vipralambha-bhajana
(meditation in a mood of separation), nearly
all remember (perform smaraa of
) rmat
Rdhiks feelings of separation from r Ka.
However, our r gurudeva, rla Prabhupda, is
a sakh of rmat Rdhik, and therefore he used
to remember the moods of separation that r
Ka experienced in regard to rmat Rdhik.
My gurudeva was partial towards r Rdh, so
he was more inclined to see r Ka experience
separation from rmat Rdhik, rather than
the other way around. rmat Rdhik is griefstricken in separation from Ka this is the
perfection of vipralambha-bhva prayed for by

183

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

ordinary sdhakas. However, rla Prabhupdas

viewpoint is completely the opposite. When r
Ka was completely engrossed in the mood of
rmat Rdhik, He lost His yma complexion
and manifested as rdhligita-vigraha. In
other words, He attained the colour of rmat
Rdhik. rman Mahprabhu preached this
very vipralambha-rasa and gave instructions on
it. r Ka is anxious for r Rdhr this
is the ideal of r Gauya Vednta Samiti.
(4) Sevaka-khaa The place where all the
sevakas of r r Gaurasundara and r r
Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj live, perform service and
take rest has been called sevaka-khaa. This
section has also been separated into two parts:
(a) the bhajana-ku of rla Gurupda-padma,
and (b) the living quarters, or bhajana-kus, of
rla Gurudevas sevakas. Among these rooms
are the kuis of rla Gurudevas sannyss and
brahmacrs.

r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrjas

bhajana-kura

Sevaka-khaa

(5) Bhoga-khaa The storage room and the

kitchen are called the bhoga-khaa. This section,
adjacent to rla Gurudevas bhajana-kura, is
also divided into two: (a) the kitchen for the daily
cooking, and (b) the kitchen for Navadvpa-dhma
parikram and other special festivals. This large
kitchen has permanently fixed massive stoves,
on which gigantic pots are placed for cooking
sixteen to twenty maunds (one maund equals
about forty kilograms) of rice or forty maunds
of sabji, at one time. About twenty very ablebodied cooks prepare the bhoga for hkuraj.
Between fifteen and twenty thousand pilgrims all
sit together in the huge courtyard of the maha to
honour prasda. The serving of mah-prasda at
that time is a wonderful sight, unseen anywhere
else in the world.
(6) Govardhana-khaa The place where the
cows live is known as the gol or govardhana-

184

His

Life

and

khaa. The cows here are very beautiful. Yoghurt,

ghee, khra, paramnna, etc., are made from their
milk and offered to hkuraj.
(7) Jna-khaa The lavatory for the residents
and the pilgrims is called jna-khaa, the
section about knowledge. The principal limb of
aragati is to give up objects and moods that
are unfavourable for bhakti. Nirviea-jna and
activities that are not performed for Bhagavn
are opposed to bhakti. For this reason rmadBhgavatam (5.14.43) instructs us to give up
such knowledge and activities, just as one gives
up stool after passing:

Teachings

to bhakti, devotees of Bhagavn abandon them

like stool.
Also, r Caitanya-caritmta (Madhya-ll
22.87) tells us:
asat-saga-tyga,ei vaiava-cra
str-sageka asdhu, kbhakta ra
Giving up bad association (asat-saga) is
a primary aspect of Vaiava conduct. Bad
association is of two types: (a) persons who
have illicit association with women, or who
associate with such people and who are
materially attached to them, and (b) nondevotees who are intent on knowledge of the
formless aspect of the Absolute (nirvieajna). Sdhakas striving for bhakti should
carefully reject these two types of bad
association.

yo dustyajn dra-sutn
suhd rjya hdi-spa
jahau yuvaiva malavad
uttamaloka-llasa
Mahrja Bharata entered the forest to
perform bhajana, leaving his wife, son,
relatives, friends and kingdom, just as one
gives up stool after evacuating.

In r Prema-bhakti-candrika (8.8) it is also

said: karma-ka jna-ka kevala viera
bha Both karma-ka (fruitive activities)
and jna-ka (mental speculations) are like
pots of poison. Knowing these two to be opposed

Part
three

Of these seven sections of the maha, the

first six are favourable to bhakti and are to be
respected, because they are directly the svarpa
of bhakti. The seventh section signifies nirvieajna and is to be rejected because it is opposed
to bhakti. rla Gurupda-padma has divided r
maha into these seven sections and named them
in this way in accordance with the viewpoint of
this bhakti-siddhnta.

Discussion regarding touched and untouched bhoga

in r Jaganntha Mandira

n 3 November 1963, an article was

published in the Bengali daily newspaper
Yugnantara regarding bhoga worth thousands
of rupees being thrown away in Pur. Today, 1
November, a person who was not engaged in deity
service touched the bhoga by sight before it was
offered to r Jagannthaj in the evening. This
resulted in an uprising among the cooks, and

the police had to intervene. In accordance with

temple procedure, thousands of rupees worth of
bhoga was disposed of and buried in the ground.
(VNI 1.11.1963)
Paramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva com
mented on this incident as follows: We are
attracting the attention of the public by this
incident, which r Jaganntha-deva Himself

185

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

has arranged. Some people try to disregard

the offence of touch in bhagavat-sev, and
want to dismiss as insignificant the distinction
between touched and untouched. Such people
are hypocrites and are opposed to the path of
dharma. We should accept this teaching of r
Jaganntha-deva and always remain on the
path of distinguishing between touched and
untouched bhoga, according to scriptural rules.
We should also instruct others to stay on this path.
This deceitful concept is atheistic, and we should
never let it enter into the worship of Bhagavn,
whether it comes from Western atheists or
native atheists. Even today the conception of
food as lawful or unlawful is observed in r
Jaganntha temple and exists in different systems
all over India. We consider those who do not
acknowledge the offence of touch (spara-doa)
to be untouchables.
It is not an offence to touch the preparation
after it has been offered to r Jagannthadeva, for the bhoga prepared by the cooks then
becomes mah-prasda. But no one has the right
to touch the bhoga before it is offered, apart from
r Jaganntha-devas servants who are qualified

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

to prepare and offer it. No offering (naivedya)

that has been touched by an unqualified person
can ever be offered to r Jagannthaj. This is the
correct understanding.
Human beings should only accept r
Bhagavns remnants, and it is improper to give
anyone anything that r Jagannthaj has not
accepted. r Jagannthaj is using this incident
to teach us that Bhagavn does not want to accept
any unofferable substances. There is another
instruction within this one. Meat, fish, eggs,
tobacco, tea, bs, cigarettes, chewing tobacco,
alcohol, coffee, onion, garlic and so on cannot be
included in an offering to Bhagavn. Therefore,
all these substances are to be rejected. Those
who make use of these unlawful substances
in service to the deity belong to non-bona fide
sampradyas and have no connection with
Hindu santana-dharma. The stras call such
people outcastes (mlecchas) or those born in the
lowest caste (antyaja).
The servants of r Jaganntha-deva, along
with virtuous men following Hindu dharma, were
very pleased with rla Gurudevas argument.

Preaching in Siligui and Bihra

fter r Dhma Navadvpa parikram

and r Gaura-janmotsava in 1963,
paramrdhya rla Gurudeva went preaching
for a week with his associates to various places
in the Sundaravana region, including MaphaVinodapura, Damakala and Knagara. From
there, he went all around Siligui and preached
santana-dharma (uddha-bhakti) extensively
for almost a month, from 21 April to 18 May.
During the same period in the following
year, 1964, he preached vaiava-dharma
with sannyss and sixteen maha residents

in Srasjola, sanavan, Rjavandha, Pal,

Bramsiy, Dhdik, Kumavda, Dumak town
and other places in the Dumak district of Bihra.
Accompanying rla Gurudeva at that time were
rpda Trivikrama Mahrja, rpda Nryaa
Mahrja [the author], rpda Ka-kp
Brahmacr, r Gajendra-mokaa Brahmacr,
r Rohi-nandana Vrajavs, r Bhagavn dsa
Brahmacr, r Vndvana-vihr Brahmacr,
r Cidghannada Brahmacr, r Vabhnu
Brahmacr and other leading sannyss and
brahmacrs.

186

His

Life

and

Srasjola is a well-known and prosperous

village in the Dumak district. rla Gurudeva
stayed in r Madhusdana Vidynidhis home in
Srasjola and preached uddha-bhakti there for
seven days. All the leading villagers there accepted
vaiava-dharma along with their families.
Srasjola became like Kulna-grma, whose
inhabitants were all great Vaiava devotees
during rman Mahprabhus time. In those days,
there were only Vaiavas in the village of Kulnagrma; even the village dogs were devotees who
observed Ekda and other vratas. Similarly,
Srasjola became blessed by rla Gurupdapadmas auspicious arrival there. He lectured
for six days there on the following six different
subjects:
(1) What is stra?
(2) The distinction between demigods (suras) and
demons (asuras).
(3) Krtana is the only beneficial sdhana.
(4) To merge with brahma, or to become brahma,
is a curse for the jva.
(5) vara is saviea (with a personal feature) and
skra (with form), not nirkra (formless).
(6) Nirkra-vda (the doctrine stating that God
is formless) is only an atheistic heretical
concept (pkhaa-vda).
Among the other speakers were rpda
Trivikrama Mahrja, rpda Nryaa Mahrja
[the author], r Cidghannada Brahmacr and
r Rohi-nandana Vrajavs.
rla cryadeva gave brilliant discourses
in Dumak town for three days at the Popular
Club, r Rdh-Mdhava temple and the District
Council House. rla Gurudeva lectured on
subjects such as a-darana and vedntavijna, The worthlessness of nirkravda and
Dharma-sev is the only perfection of society.

Teachings

Part
three

At his request, rpda Trivikrama Mahrja

and rpda Nryaa Mahrja lectured on r
gaura-ll and r rma-ll. They illustrated these
talks, full of bhakti-siddhnta, with slide shows.
The preaching of uddha-bhakti in these parts
of the Dumk district inspired the people to have
unsurpassed faith in vaiava-dharma. Whole
groups of them gave up alcohol, meat, fish, smoking
and so on, and were initiated into uddha-bhakti.
rla cryadeva and his associates returned to
r Devnanda Gauya Maha after preaching in
this way for about a month.
In August 1964, rla Gurudeva was at r
Devnanda Gauya Maha during the grand and
festive celebration of r r Janmam and
r Nandotsava. Many educational exhibitions
were organized on the mahas premises, and
the devotees eagerly requested rla Gurupdapadma to open the exhibition. In the religious
assembly in the nya-mandira, he delivered a
lecture on r Janmam which was filled with
profound siddhnta.
rla cryadeva said that it is a mistake to
observe r Janmam and fasting for other
vratas in accordance with the views of the smrta
Raghunandana. According to Hari-bhakti-vilsa,
when Vaiavas observe these vratas, they should
abandon mixed tithis and observe uddha-vrata.
r Ka did not take birth on saptam-biddhaam (Aam mixed with Saptam), but rather
on navam-biddh-aam (which is also called
Um-Mhevar tithi). Navam combined with
Aam tithi is therefore the tithi to be observed
for the vrata. Abhijita-muhrta (the eighth
muhrta of the day, a very powerful muhrta at
about midday), the Rohi constellation and other
considerations are also of special importance for
this vrata.

187

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Keava

G o s vm

rla cryadeva preaching uddha-bhakti

in Kolkata and Medinpura

n 1964, upon the insistent entreaty of r

Sudhra Kumra Sh, the owner of the
famous Bhavn Paper Concern in Kolkata, r
Gauya Vednta Samitis founder-crya, along
with many sannyss and brahmacrs, observed
rja-vrata niyama-sev for one month, at his
Kening Street residence. For that month, his home
was transformed into r Vaikuha-dhma. Every
day magala-rat; sakrtana; reading from r
Caitanya-caritmta, rmad-Bhgavatam and
other bhakti literatures; sandhy-rat and other
devotional activities took place. Many educated,
respected and prosperous persons from Kolkata
participated. rla Gurudeva regularly explained
the dialogue between Vasudeva and Nrada in the
Eleventh Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam. Teachers,
lawyers, educationalists, highly posted officials
and many others were very attracted when they
heard his Bhgavatam lectures, which were full
of excellent siddhnta. From time to time, rpda

Prajna

Trivikrama Mahrja, rpda Vmana Mahrja

and rpda Nryaa Mahrja [the author] also
spoke on rmad-Bhgavatam.
rla Gurudeva returned to r Devnanda
Gauya Maha and from there preached in
different regions of Medinpura and inaugurated
the temple in Kalyapura. He also preached
santana-dharma in Sbavee Jalp and other
places. r vysa-pj was held with great pomp
and ceremony in his presence in Khma-grma.
In the next year, 1965, after r Dhma
parikram and r Gaura-janmotsava, rla
cryadeva went to r Siddhav Gauya
Maha with many sannyss and brahmacrs
and there he laid the foundation stone for r
mandira. After returning, he preached for a month
in Goloka-gaja, Bagoi-grma, Mthbhg,
tala Kuci, Siligui and other places in Assam,
and then returned to r Uddhraa Gauya
Maha, Chuchur.

Preaching uddha-bhakti in r Mathur, Vndvana,

Lukhnow and K

uring krtika-vrata niyama-sev in

September and October 1966, rla
cryadeva performed the eighty-four krosa r
Vraja-maala parikram with many pilgrims.
First of all, rla crayadeva went to r Keavaj
Gauya Maha, where r Bhaktivednta Nryaa
Mahrja [the author] and r Bhaktivednta
Muni Mahrja offered him garlands and sandal
paste in a grand reception. rla Gurupda-padma
entrusted the responsibility of the parikram to
rpd Harijana Mahrja and took rest in r
Keavaj Gauya Maha for a month. Afterwards
he went to preach in Lukhnow, Prayga, Vras

and Gy with rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa

Mahrja [the author] and a few brahmacrs,
and then returned to Chuchur.
While rla Gurupda-padma was staying in
r Keavaj Gauya Maha in Mathur, many
educated people of the city came to hear his
hari-kath. Among them, the principal of r
Mthura Caturveda College, r Gay Prasda
Saksen (Employment Exchange Officer) and
r Ptmbara Pantha (SDOMES) are particularly
worth mentioning. In Lukhnow rla cryadeva
accepted r Ptmbara Panthas special invitation
and for three days stayed at his residence with

188

His

Life

and

some sannyss and brahmacrs, and then left

for K. While there he collected the Veda (the
original scripture of the science of transcendental
sound vibrations), some rare sacred literatures

Teachings

Part
three

and a large brass bell weighing two maunds

(about eighty kilos) for the maha in Navadvpa.
After staying in K for three days, he returned
to r Devnanda Gauya Maha.

rla crya Kesar in r Caitanya Gauya Maha, Kolkata

rom 26 January to 1 February 1967, there

was a large annual week-long festival at
r Caitanya Gauya Maha in Kolkata. The
new temple and temple room were inaugurated
with a great celebration during this time. Nityall-pravia r rla Bhakti Dayita Mdhava
Gosvm Mahrja was the president and foundercrya of r Caitanya Gauya Maha and its
branches in India. He personally went to invite
our worshipful rla Gurudeva and other Gauya
cryas to participate in this big therefore, many
of jagad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Prabhupdas sannyss took part. Some of the
prominent sannyss among them are mentioned
here:
(1) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Mahrja;
(2) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Prajna Keava Mahrja;
(3) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Bhdeva raut Mahrja;
(4) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Mahrja;
(5) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Pramoda Pur Mahrja;
(6) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Kamala Madhusdana Mahrja;
(7) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti loka Paramahasa Mahrja;
(8) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Vika Hkea Mahrja;
(9) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Prpana Dmodara Mahrja;

(10) Parivrjakcrya tridai-svm

rmad Bhakti Kumuda Santa Mahrja.
Paramapjya tridai-svm rmad Bhakti
Rakaka rdhara Mahrja performed the
inauguration of the newly constructed temple and
temple room. Pjyapda tridai-svm rmad
Bhakti Bhdeva raut Mahrja and pjyapda
Bhakti Pramoda Pur Mahrja performed the
installation of the deities, the Vaiava homayaja and other ceremonies.
Every evening for three days, religious
assemblies were held which were attended by
learned audiences. Paramrdhya rla Gurudeva
gave three lectures filled with tattva-siddhnta
on The necessity of maha and mandira, The
teachings of the Gt, and Yuga-dharma. Each
day a different dignitary chaired the assembly: the
honourable ryuta Dpanryaa Simha (Kolkata
High Courts main judge), r ambhuntha Banarj
(Kolkata Universitys former vice-chancellor) and
judge ryuta Pareantha Mukharaj.
rla cryadeva said in one of his lectures,
The leading judge of the High Court of Bengal is
present here at this religious conference. The fact
that he is present in the maha and mandira is proof
of the necessity for their existence. The authors of
our smti-stras say that it is not proper to reside
where there are no maha-mandiras.
Nowadays many people question whether
one will get food just by calling out to Ka.
This country can never be prosperous as long as
this materialistic point of view persists. Modern
politics are devoid of siddhnta and religious

189

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

belief. In ancient times, the country was ruled

according to the codes and rules drawn up by the
sages. Today our country disregards these rules
and has taken up western teachings. It is very sad
that society allows the slaughter of cows and other
animals and the consumption of alcohol, and that
dharma has no place in the constitution of the
nation. It is also unfortunate that this constitution
makes no provision for religious people. On the
contrary, religious people are faced with anxiety
and inconvenience for no reason.
It is easy for anyone to understand that
the sdhus renunciation is a great help to the
country. The government has not yet been able to
solve the problem of unemployment. No one can
tell how many more thousands of unemployed
people there would be if all the highly educated
persons presently residing in mahas were to
move back into society and seek employment,

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

whether in service, business or agriculture. If

they wanted to take up farming, there would not
be enough land to accommodate them.
These days the suicidal and self-destructive
teaching, aha brahmsmi I am brahma, the
Supreme Absolute, is being disseminated in many
mahas, mandiras, missions and sevramas.
This is turning the public into atheists opposed
to dharma.
The audience listened very eagerly as rla
cryadeva, a fearless speaker of the impartial
truth, expressed his revolutionary views. His
brilliant lecture went on for almost one hour, after
which other speakers also presented their views.
When the assembly ended, all the sannyss and
brahmacrs of r Caitanya Gauya Maha
came to rla cryadevas lotus feet praising
his views and asking questions concerning the
philosophical conclusions of bhakti.

Inauguration of r Vsudeva Gauya Maha

in Vsugrma, Assam

r Prvatcaraa Rya, a prominent gentleman

from Vsugrma in the Gvlap district,
Assam, repeatedly requested r Gurupda-padma
to establish a preaching centre of the r Gauya
Vednta Samiti in Vsugrma. For this purpose,
he also donated some land near his residence in
the centre of the market. On 21 May 1967, rla
cryadeva went there with rmad Bhaktivednta
Vmana Mahrja, r Mukunda Gopla Brahma
cr and six other sevakas. A large assembly
was organized on the second day, which was r
Nimnanda Sev-trtha Prabhus appearance day.
rla cryadeva was the chairman, and on his
request rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja,
rmad Bhaktivednta Urddhavamanth Mahrja,
r Gajendra Mokaa Brahmacr and others
gave very heartfelt lectures on this mahpuruas

great contribution to the preaching of r gauravinoda-srasvata-v the teachings of rman

Mahprabhu, rla Bhaktivinoda hkura and
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura. After
wards rla Guru Mahrja gave an attractive
lecture full of siddhnta about Sev-trtha Prabhu.
After preaching uddha-bhakti for some
days in Goloka-gaja, rla cryadeva came to
Vsugrma with his followers. There r Vsudeva
Gauya Maha was established on the land
given by r Prvat Bb by the extraordinary
endeavour of r Vivarpa Brahmacr (BA),
the headmaster of the local high school. After
seeing r Vivarpa Prabhus unwearying
service endeavours and enthusiasm during the
establishment of the maha, rla cryadeva
appointed him the maha president. rmad

190

His

Life

and

Urddhvamanth Mahrja and r Srath Ka

Brahmacr stayed in this new maha to carry
on the preaching. Religious assemblies were
organized for three days. rla cryadeva
lectured, as did rmad Vmana Mahrja, rmad

Teachings

Part
three

Urddhvamanth Mahrja and others. After some

time, r r Gaura-Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj were
installed, with parama-pjyapda rla Bhakti
Bhudeva raut Mahrja as the officiating priest.

Lecture in the law court library and district library of Si

n 21 June 1967, rla Gurudeva, along with

his associates, made his auspicious arrival in
Si and stayed for some days at ryuta Umpada
Sdhus (r Urukrama dsa Adhikrs) residence,
where rla Gurudeva preached uddha-bhakti.
One day he lectured at the law courts library and the
next day at the local district library on The modern
situation and santana-dharma. On the other days
r Urukrama dsa Adhikr gave brilliant lectures
on Vaiava literature and culture in r mandira.
On 17 February 1968, a huge vysa-pj
festival took place in Rmanagara bdagrma.
Upon the special request of rmat Nrya-

dev, tridai-svm r rmad Bhaktivednta

Vmana Mahrja came there with several
sannyss and brahmacrs and observed a
great vysa-pj celebration. Extensive religious
assemblies went on for three days. Pjyapda r
Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja, the chairman
of these assemblies, delivered scholarly lectures
on vysa-pj and santana-dharma.
The vysa-pj celebration observed for
three days at r Devnanda Gauya Maha in r
Dhma Navadvpa was particularly wonderful,
because paramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva was
personally present.

Entering aprakaa-ll

fter vysa-pj, r Dhma Navadvpa

parikram took place with great
pomp and ceremony. It was at this time that
paramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva began his
pastime of illness. He stayed for some days at the
home of ryuta Rdheyma Sh and for a few
more days with r Ka-gopla Vasu Mahodaya
in Kolkata for medical treatment. The service
rendered by these two gentlemen during that time
was most praiseworthy.
On 3 October 1968, rla cryadeva was
brought back from Kolkata to his bhajana-ku at
r Devnanda Gauya Maha. Finally, on Sunday,
6 October 1968 (19 vina 1375 Bagbda), the
radya-rsa Prima, during sandhy-rat
(6.15 p.m.), paramrdhyatama rla gurupdapadma o viupda aottara-ata r rmad

Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja left

us all drowning in an ocean of separation and
entered r Yugala-Kioras syana-nity-ll,
Their evening pastimes.
The following description was written by
someone suffering pangs of separation from his
master. It was published in r Gauya-patrik,
Year 20, Issue 5:
crya kesar o viupda paramahasa
aottara-ata r rmad Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrja is the founder of
r Gauya Vednta Samiti. He is also the dear
and intimate associate of r Brahma-MadhvaGauya sampradyas guardian cryabhskara paramahasa mukua-mai nityall-pravia jagad-guru o viupda aottaraata r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat

191

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Samdhi-mandira at
r Devnanda Gauya Maha

The samdhi-mrti of crya kesar

r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja

Gosvm Prabhupda. Sunday, 6 October 1968,

was the auspicious day of radya-prim and
the first day of r dmodara-vrata. That evening,
at the time of the lunar eclipse, at r Devnanda
Gauya Maha in r Dhma Navadvpa, crya
kesar r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava
Gosvm Mahrja was surrounded by his
servants who had taken shelter of his lotus feet,
his sannys and crya godbrothers, renunciant
and householder devotees, and gentlemen who
had become charmed by his qualities. Leaving
them all drowning in an ocean of separation,
he, of his own free will, entered nitya-dhma r
Goloka Vndvana and the syana-ll of his
worshipful r r Rdh-Vinoda-bihr.
Renunciant and householder devotees from
all over India had assembled at r Devnanda

Gauya Maha that day. From early morning,

eminent sannyss and sevakas had been
tenderly singing krtanas such as jaya rdhe jaya
ka, je nila prema-dhana, r-rpa-majarpada, and rdhe jaya jaya mdhava dayite by
r Narottama hkura, Bhaktivinoda hkura
and other mahjanas. Sandhy-rat was going
on in the temple, and here, Gurudeva, together
with the devotees, was thoroughly absorbed
in performing krtana in a faint voice. He then
entered nitya-ll, uttering Hare Ka Hare
Ka Ka Ka Hare Hare, Hare Rma Hare
Rma Rma Rma Hare Hare, holding the picture
of his most worshipful gurudeva to his breast.
Just as this happened, an astonishing event
occurred. The head pujr of r mandira came
there with rmat Rdhiks garland in his hands

192

His

Life

and

and tearfully said, Right at the end of sandhyrat, rmat Rdhiks garland broke by itself
and fell from Her neck. I have never seen this
before. Everyone present understood this to
mean that rmat Rdhik, out of mercy, had
called Her beloved sahacar, companion and
attendant, to syana-ll-vilsa.
In a moment the news that rla Gurudeva had
entered aprakaa-ll spread to all the Gauya
Mahas on both banks of Bhagavat Bhgrath.
Thousands of faithful people assembled to

Teachings

Part
three

offer pupjali to paramrdhyatama r

Gurudevas lotus feet, and the samdhi ceremony
was performed under the guidance of prapjyacaraa rmad Bhakti rrpa Siddhnt
Mahrja, according to the method of Samskradpik. As the assembled multitude performed
hari-krtana, rla cryadeva was given samdhi
in front of r r Guru-Gauraga-Rdh-Vinodabihrjs temple, whose high domes seemed to
kiss the sky. Y

193

Part Four:

His Pure Character

A hint of his internal identity

t r Devnanda Gauya Maha in r

Dhma Navadvpa, fresh construction work
was in progress on the grand temple, replete with
nine domes. In the altar room (garbha-mandira)
a platform was being prepared for the deities.
Paramrdhya rla Gurudeva came into the
garbha-mandira to decide on the shape of the
altar and the number and colour of its steps.
rpda Bhaktivednta Muni Mahrja and I [the
author] were with him. rla Gurudeva surveyed
the area, decided on the length, width and height
of the altar, and then became immersed in
thought. After a while he turned to us and said,
There will be three steps below the altar. The
highest step will be blue, the second step yellow
and the bottom step will be arua-vara, the
reddish-pink at dawn.
rpda Muni Mahrja asked, Why should it
be so?
rla Gurudeva replied, The highest step will
symbolize the sapphire-like lustre of Vrajendranandana r Ka. The second step will represent
the golden radiance of rmat Rdhik, the crest
jewel of Kas sweethearts. Then he remained
silent for a few moments. Assuming an extremely
grave countenance, he continued, The third step
will be the colour of a sakh (here refers to a
majar) who brings all kinds of delight (vinoda)
to Yugala-Kiora, the divine Youthful Couple.
She is depicted by arua-vara.

As he was speaking, his voice faltered,

his throat choked, and he became completely
motionless. Seeing his extraordinary bhva, we
were both struck with wonder.
At that time we could not understand
anything, nor could we muster up the courage to
ask him. But after he entered aprakaa-ll, the
unmanifest pastimes, we realized the meaning of
that hint. The lowest step symbolizes r Vinoda
Majar, r Yugala-Kioras eternally playful
maidservant. rla Gurudeva had given a hint of

197

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

his own siddha-deha, his eternal spiritual form,

in a very hidden way.
It was around that same time that I inquired
from him in private, Did your gurudeva reveal the
identity of the siddha-deha of any of his disciples?
Solemnly, rla Gurudeva replied, He has
certainly done so. rla Prabhupda has given
the identity of the siddha-deha and instructions

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

in the method of bhajana (bhajana-pral) to

some of his qualified disciples; otherwise the r
rpnuga line would come to an end. He also
mercifully gave this pral to me.
I again asked, Will you bestow your mercy
and reveal the name of your siddha-deha?
rla Gurudeva replied, Not just now. At the
appropriate time it will be disclosed.

The inferiority of direct perception

nce paramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva

was returning to r Dhma Navadvpa
from r Keavaj Gauya Maha by train. Four or
five brahmacrs, including me [the author], were
all sitting with him in a reserved compartment.
When the train pulled out of Mathur Junction,
a railway magistrate accompanied by a few
soldiers came to check our compartment. Having
done so, he sat down in a vacant seat right next
to rla Gurudeva, and immediately asked him,
Mahtmj, where are you coming from?
Guruj: We have just come from Mathur. We
have an rama called Keavaj Gauya Maha
opposite the district hospital.
Magistrate: And where are you going?
Guruj: We are going to our headquarters in
r Dhma Navadvpa.
Magistrate: What is the aim of your
organization?
Guruj: We preach pure santana-dharma
throughout the world. Specifically, following
in the footsteps of r Caitanya Mahprabhu,
we preach and practise harinma-sakrtana
and uddha-bhakti as described in rmadBhgavatam and other scriptures. The only aim
of our organization is to attract the living entities
to this auspicious path.
Magistrate: What do you mean by bhakti?

Guruj: The creator and conductor of the

universe is the one supremely merciful, allpowerful Truth. This ultimate Truth is known as
vara, Paramtm or Bhagavn. Although we are
all His parts and servants, we have forgotten this,
and we have thus been subjected to the threefold
miseries in various species of life in this material
world since time immemorial. Without the mercy
of Bhagavn we cannot be released from the
bondage of material existence. Bhakti means
to observe the injunctions described in the
scriptures for the sake of pleasing Bhagavn.
Magistrate: You people believe in God, but I do
not believe in the existence of any God. I do not
put any faith in anything which does not appear
before these eyes. Is Bhagavn visible to the eyes?
Guruj: Although you speak like this, you are
obliged to accept the existence of many things
that you cannot see.
Magistrate: You may say that. Nevertheless,
the fact is that I have no faith in anything I cannot
see directly with my eyes.
Guruj: That is not true. Are your mother and
father still alive?
Magistrate: Yes, they are still living.
Guruj: Can you say for certain that the person
you call Father is actually your genuine father?
If so, then what evidence is there? Is it visible to

198

His

Life

and

If you can put your faith in so

Part
four

T e ach i n g s

If you can put your faith in so many different

fault-ridden textbooks or in your own defective
and limited sense perception, then why not
put faith in the Vedas and other authoritative
scriptures, which are beyond human origin,
devoid of all kinds of defects, and not subject to
faults such as illusion and negligence. The Vedic
scriptures are even more reliable and trustworthy
than your mother.
In the Vedas it is stated:

many different fault-ridden

textbooks or in your own defective
and limited sense perception,
then why not put faith in the Vedas
and other authoritative scriptures,
which are beyond human origin,
devoid of all kinds of defects,
and not subject to faults such as
illusion and negligence.

yato v imni bhtni jyante

yena jtni jvanti
yat prayanty abhisavianti
tad vijijsasva tad brahma

Taittirya Upaniad (3.1)

your own eyes that he is the man who impregnated

your mother when she conceived you?
When the honourable magistrate heard this
question, he became embarrassed and could not
answer.
Guruj: No. You did not witness this incident
which occurred prior to your birth, so you
do have faith in the unseen. You accept with
confidence that he is your father just on the word
of your mother and family members.
Magistrate: What you have said is absolutely
correct. I have come to know the identity of my
father by putting faith in the words of my mother
and family members.
Guruj: In the same way all the scriptures
are like a mother in the sense that they are
authoritative evidence. They include the Vedas,
which are not of human origin, and literatures
such as the Gt, rmad-Bhgavatam and
Rmyaa, which support the Vedic version.
They say repeatedly that the creator and director
of the universe is vara, or God. He is referred to
as brahma, Paramtm and Bhagavn.

One should inquire about that brahma

from whom all living entities emanate, who
maintains their existence and into whom
they all ultimately enter.

Furthermore in Brahma-stra (1.1.2) it is

said, janmdy asya yata brahma is He from
whom the creation, maintenance and destruction
of the universe arises. In Bhagavad-gt (10.8),
Bhagavn r Ka has also said:
aha sarvasya prabhavo
matta sarva pravartate
iti matv bhajante m
budh bhva-samanvit
I am the source of both mundane and spiritual
worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise
who know this well engage in bhajana of Me,
with transcendental emotion in their hearts.

The Vedic scriptures are the unerring illu

minator of the Supreme Truth. These literatures
are not created by any human being of limited
intelligence. From time immemorial, Manu and

199

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

all the great sages headed by Nrada, Vysa and

Vlmki have tested and realized the validity of
this fact. Highly intelligent people and cryas
such as r akara crya, r Rmnuja crya
and r Madhva crya have also acknowledged
the evidence presented in the Vedic scriptures
and accepted the existence of God. Therefore it is
quite appropriate and in your own best interest
to accept this conclusion.
Magistrate: You have opened my eyes. I under
stand that I have been quite wrong up till now.

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

In the meantime, the train reached gr

Cantonment. He touched Gurujs lotus feet
with great faith, and said, I have to get off here,
but in the future I will visit r Keavaj Gauya
Maha.
Other passengers had sat down around us,
eager to hear the magistrates conversation
with Guruj. They were truly impressed by the
exchange and went on discussing the subject of
dharma with Guruj for the rest of the journey.

Discussion with the Communist Jyoti Bb

n 1951 or 1952, paramrdhya rla

Gurudeva had gone to the border region
of Sundaravana in Bengal before r Dhma
Navadvpa parikram to preach uddha-bhakti,
to invite faithful people to join the parikram, and
to collect provisions for the parikram. One day
r Gurudeva was taking us with him to the house
of a faithful devotee when he encountered Jyoti
Bb with some of his followers. Jyoti Bb, who
later became the chief minister of Bengal, was at
that time the main chairman of the Communist
party of Bengal. As a leader of the opposition
party, he had come to investigate the condition of
the flooded land in the border region. When he
saw r Gurudeva dressed in saffron cloth and
carrying his tridaa, he stopped and asked in a
very arrogant way, From where are you coming?
r Gurudeva replied politely, We are from r
Gauya Vednta Samiti in r Navadvpa-dhma.
Jyoti Bb: Have you come to inspect the state
of the flooded area and show sympathy for the
people?
Gurudeva: We have come to preach pure
vaiava-dharma for the eternal welfare of the
living entities, and to collect some provisions for
r Navadvpa-dhma parikram.

Jyoti Bb: Cant you see that the lives of these

people have been thrown into turmoil by the
terrible flood? Their crops have been ruined, and
village after village has been submerged. They are
expecting help from others for food and clothing,
yet you have come to beg alms from these very
people?
Gurudeva: The flood has come? Where is it?
So far the cigarette at your lips has not been
extinguished, so where is the flood? Dear Sir, this
flood is not the real flood. We have come here to
extinguish the fire of devastation that is afflicting
the jvas birth after birth, and to protect the living
beings from the real flood waters, which come at
the time of the universal inundation.
We have come here so that those jvas who
are averse to Ka may attain their natural
condition of everlasting happiness. A living entity
can never be happy as long as he does not adopt
the principles of dharma in his life and as long
as he does not worship Bhagavn. Atheistic life
is animal life. You are going to ruin Bengal and
India completely by accepting the conception of
Western civilization.
Jyoti Bb: We do not believe in the Vedic
scriptures. We believe in hard work. Work (karma)

200

His

Life

and

is life, work is God. It is because of people like

you that this country has gone to hell. You people
should do some work yourselves and then give
instructions about work. Begging alms is the
occupation of cowards.
Gurudeva: It is atheists like you who have
caused the devastation of India. India was
happier and more civilized than the other
countries of the world as long as her politics were
governed by dharma and her people were faithful
and religious. In ancient times stalwarts like
Hirayakaipu, Rvaa, Duryodhana and Kasa
were far greater advocates of karma than you are,
but the scriptures recount how they all came to
an abominable end. More recently, we have heard
of Alexander the Great and Napoleon and in

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

modern times champions of karma like Hitler,

Mussolini and Lenin. Have you not observed
their miserable fate? There is no place in India
for atheists like Crvka and others. India is
the country of santana-dharma. No one can
vanquish this santana-dharma, no matter how
influential he may be. A day will come when you
will not even have the opportunity to repent.
When Jyoti Bb heard Gurudevas answer, he
was at a loss for words. He promptly departed in a
tantrum, accompanied by his followers.
r Gurudeva was a fearless speaker of the
impartial truth. Before his powerful arguments,
even the most proficient logicians used to bow
their heads in defeat.

r Gurudeva and the alms received

nce (in around 1951) rla Gurudeva stayed

at r Uddhraa Gauya Maha, which
was the headquarters of r Gauya Vednta
Samiti at that time. From there he went out and
preached uddha-bhakti everywhere. The sev
and pj in the Maha, as well as r Navadvpadhma parikram and other activities, used to
run on whatever alms came from madhukar.
Before r Dhma Navadvpa parikram, I [the
author] went with parama-pjyapda r rmad
Nrasiha Mahrja to r Rmapura and other
towns near Kolkata to preach and beg alms.
After preaching and performing bhik
for fifteen days we returned to r Uddhraa
Gauya Maha, having collected a total of two
hundred and fifty rupees, which at that time was
a large sum of money. As soon as I arrived, I
offered my prama at paramrdhyatama rla
Gurudevas lotus feet. After giving his blessings,
he asked, How was the preaching?

The preaching went very well, I replied. We

collected about two hundred and fifty rupees.
Guruj was very pleased. Some time later pjyapda
Nrasiha Mahrja came before Guruj, offered
his prama and put the donation in Gurujs
hand. r Gurudeva asked, How much is it?
Two hundred and twenty-five rupees, replied
pjyapda Nrasiha Mahrja.
Where are the remaining twenty-five rupees?
asked rla Gurudeva.
I have kept some rupees for my personal
expenses, replied Mahrja.
Bring those donated rupees right now and
give them to me, said r Gurudeva.
rpda Nrasiha Mahrja was somewhat
angry and said, Cant we keep even a few rupees
for our immediate expenses?
First please kindly give them to me.
Pjyapda Mahrja somewhat resentfully
went to his bhajana-ku, brought back the

201

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

The lesson to be learned from

this is that one should never at

any time utilize for ones own
enjoyment money or commodities
received from worldly people.
One should offer them at the
divine feet of gurudeva ...

202

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

His

Life

and

remaining twenty-five rupees, and threw them

down in front of rla Gurudeva. Guruj picked
up the money, counted it and then returned
those very same rupees.
If you are just going to return them, then what
was the point in taking them in the first place?
asked rpda Nrasiha Mahrja.
r Gurudeva became quite grave and said,
The food and wealth of sensuous people
contains poison which ordinary people cannot
digest. It has been written in stra that when
a sdhaka eats food from a sense enjoyer, his
heart becomes wicked and it is not possible to
remember Bhagavn with such a disturbed mind.
Therefore sdhakas should always be careful.
r Raghuntha dsa Gosvm is direct proof of
this. He did not accept the money sent by his own
father, because although his father appeared to
be a Vaiava, he was actually not (vaiavaprya). Even advanced sdhakas have been
deviated and have fallen from the realm of
bhajana due to eating the food of sensuous
people. That is why I have taken this money from
you. It was acquired from sense enjoyers, and
therefore it was mixed with poison. Now I have
purified it and I am giving it back to you. There is
no danger in it any more.
Disaster is guaranteed if even one paisa that
has been collected in the name of r Hari, Guru
and Vaiavas is used in ones own service. I do
not use even a single paisa from donations for my
own purposes. Who can engage donated wealth
in the service of Hari, Guru and Vaiavas? Only
a highly qualified Vaiava who has offered his
body, mind, words and everything at the feet of
rla gurudeva and the Supreme Lord, who is
unconditionally surrendered at the lotus feet of
Bhagavn, and who is empowered in bhajana.
Ordinary temple devotees cannot.

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

When pjyapda Nrasiha Mahrja heard

this, he became thoroughly ashamed and all
misgivings were dispelled from his heart. Bowing
his head, he said with complete humility, Please
forgive me. I never took this matter so seriously.
Whatever you are saying is completely correct. I
will follow this instruction the rest of my life.
The lesson to be learned from this is that
one should never at any time utilize for ones
own enjoyment money or commodities received
from worldly people. One should offer them at
the divine feet of gurudeva or equally elevated
Vaiavas, because such Vaiavas can engage
these commodities in the service of Bhagavn.
Otherwise, their poison is deadly for the sdhaka.
rman Mahprabhu has said:

203

viayra anna khile malina haya mana

malina mana haile, nahe kera smaraa
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Antya-ll 6.278)

When one eats food offered by sensuous

or worldly people, the mind becomes
contaminated, and in that state one cannot
remember Ka.
pratigraha kabhu n karibe rja-dhana
viayra anna khile dua haya mana
mana dua haile nahe kera smaraa
ka-smrti vin haya niphala jvana
r Caitanya-caritmta
(di-ll 12.5051)

One should never accept alms from royalty

or wealthy people because when one eats
such food the mind becomes polluted. A
polluted mind cannot remember Ka, and
without remembrance of Ka ones whole
life is a failure.

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

r Gurudeva on the svarpa of the jva

n 1955, krtika-vrata niyama-sev and the

eighty-four kosa Vraja-maala parikram
were brought to a successful conclusion under
the guidance of r Gauya Vednta Samiti. Some
of rla Prabhupdas most learned sannys
disciples came from other Gauya Mahas after
the parikram and assembled at r Keavaj
Gauya Maha in Mathur to meet with r
Gurudeva. In addition, some of rla Prabhupdas
senior sannyss and brahmacrs had already
been with r Gurudeva during the parikram.
Consequently, since so many godbrothers had
come together in one place, a special iagoh
took place in which many prominent sannyss
and brahmacrs were present, along with r
Gurudeva. They included prapjya-caraa
r rmad Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Mahrja,
r rmad Bhakti Bhdeva rauti Mahrja, r
rmad Bhakti Vicra Yyvara Mahrja,
r rmad Bhakti Dayita Mdhava Mahrja,
r Narottamnanda Brahmacr (r rmad
Bhakti Kamala Madhusdana Mahrja), r
Mahnanda Brahmacr (r rmad Bhakti loka
Paramahasa Mahrja), r rmad Bhakti Vika
Hikea Mahrja, r rmad Bhakti Vijna
rama Mahrja, r rmad Bhakti Prpaa
Dmodara Mahrja and r rmad Bhakti Jvana
Janrdana Mahrja.
The youngest in that assembly, rpda Bhakti
Vika Hikea Mahrja, was very inquisitive
about tattva. Full of humility, he folded his
hands and said, For a long time I have had
a doubt about the svarpa of the jva. I have
scrutinized many Gosvm literatures, and I have
also asked my senior godbrothers, but so far
my doubt has not been dispelled. In Santanaik in r Caitanya-caritmta (Madhya-

ll 20.108) it is stated that the jva is Kas

nitya-dsa and has manifested from Kas
taasth-akti:
jvera svarpa hayakera nitya-dsa
kera taasth-akti, bhedbheda-praka

From this verse it seems that the quality of

being the servant of Ka is eternally latent
in the very constitution of the living being.
Consequently his service, his name, his form and
so on must be present in some form or other in
his constitutional nature, which is now covered
by my. However, it can also be said that, since
the jva is a transformation of taasth-akti, his
svarpa should also be taasth: guru-kaprasde pya bhakti-lat-bja by the mercy
of guru and Ka the living being receives
the seed of the bhakti creeper (r Caitanyacaritmta, Madhya-ll 19.151). From this point
of view it seems that the jva is constitutionally
an infinitesimal particle of consciousness who
obtains the bhakti-lat-bja by the mercy of guru
and Ka. In that case, the nature of his perfected
condition will be in accordance with the nature of
the seed he receives.
rla Narottama dsa hkura also supports
this idea in r Prema-bhakti-candrik: sdhane
bhbiba jh siddha-dehe pba th, rga
pathera ei se upya. This verse informs us that
perfection will be in accordance with whichever
type of sdhana is practised.
Superficially, it seems that there are two
contradictory points of view. Is it that some
specific service tendency is eternally present in
the eternal form of the jva, and that perfection is
attained accordingly? Or is it that ones method
of devotional practice determines the perfected

204

His

Life

and

It is inconsistent to suppose that

the svarpa of the jva manifests

according to the type of sdhusaga one has. For example, not
even the association of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu and His associates
could change the hearts of Anupama
Gosvm and Murri Gupta.

condition that one finally attains? Please, kindly

clear up my confusion in this matter.
When prapjya-caraa Yyvara Mahrjaj
heard this question, he became overjoyed
and humbly requested pjyapda r rmad
Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Mahrja to answer.
Prapjya-caraa rdhara Mahrja was highly
knowledgeable in the Vaiava scriptures and
was an erudite philosopher. He began to answer
this profound question.
The nature of the living entity is compared to
an atomic conscious particle of the spiritual sun,
r Ka. The living being has been described
in the Gosvm literatures as the vibhinnatattva of brahma. The meaning of vibhinnatattva is that when Bhagavn, who possesses
the potency to make the impossible possible
(aghaana-ghaana-payas akti), is equipped
only with His atomic conscious jva-akti, then
His expansion (aa) is called a vibhinnajva. However, when that same Bhagavn is replete
with all of His potencies, then His expansion
is called sva. Thus the vibhinna jvas
are eternal. It is certain that their methods of
bhagavat-sev, and their names, forms and so
on are inherent. Yet the jvas transcendental form

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

and characteristics remain concealed because he

is covered by my. By the grace of Bhagavn,
ones inherent svarpa becomes manifest as
one performs bhajana in the company of saintly
persons (sdhus) and becomes freed from my.
It is also certain that, unless one has sdhusaga, release from my and the manifestation
of the svarpa are both quite impossible. For this
reason, sdhu-saga is absolutely essential.
It is inconsistent to suppose that the svarpa
of the jva manifests according to the type of
sdhu-saga one has. For example, not even the
association of r Caitanya Mahprabhu and His
associates could change the hearts of Anupama
Gosvm and Murri Gupta. Murri Gupta is
considered to be Hanumn, r Rmacandras
associate. rman Mahprabhu pointed out
to him that r Ka is adorned with more
sweetness than r Rmacandra, and furthermore
that r Ka is also the origin of all incarnations
(avatr). After hearing from Mahprabhu,
Murri Gupta vowed to give up r Rmacandra
and to perform ka-bhajana.
But when he came before r Mahprabhu
the next day he began to cry, saying, I took a vow
before You to worship r Ka, but I could not
sleep the whole night. On the one hand, I have
offered my head at the feet of r Rmacandra
and I cannot leave Him. On the other hand I
cannot transgress Your order. Either way, I
cannot continue living. As he spoke he fell down
at r Mahprabhus feet. rman Mahprabhu
lifted him up and embraced him, saying, You are
so fortunate; you are an eternal associate of r
Rmacandra. The way in which you are serving
Him is auspicious for you. I am overflowing with
joy to see your ecstatic sentiments.
Later on, when r Caitanya Mahprabhu was
in r Ragam during His tour of South India, He met

205

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

with r Vyekaa Bhaa, r Trimalla Bhaa, r

Prabodhnanda Sarasvat and Vyekaa Bhaas
son Gopla Bhaa. rman Mahprabhu quoted
from rmad-Bhgavatam and other scriptures
regarding the supremacy of the sweetness of r
Kas form and other attributes. He proved the
pre-eminence of Vrajendra-nandana r Kas
loveliness, and consequently their hearts were
changed. They accepted initiation in the kamantra and they all became engaged in serving
Ka, following the sentiments of Vraja.
One noteworthy point here is that, according
to our Gosvms, r Prabodhnanda Sarasvat
is Tugavidy Sakh in vraja-ll and Gopla
Bhaa Gosvm is r Gua Majar. For pastime
purposes, they both appeared in South India
and were performing their sdhana-bhajana
after accepting initiation in the r sampradya,
but constitutionally, they were gops of Vraja.
Although they had already been initiated into
the r sampradya, they were attracted to the
service of r Ka by the influence of rman
Mahprabhus association.
r Rpa and Santana similarly told their
younger brother r Vallabha, also known as
Anupama, about the beauty and sweetness of r
Kas svarpa and the ultimate superiority of
His loving dalliances, His prema-vilsa. They also
advised him to perform ka-bhajana. Anupama
was very much influenced by his brothers words
and took dk in the ka-mantra, expressing
the desire to perform ka-bhajana. However,
early the next morning he fell crying at their feet
and said:
raghunthera pda-padma chna n yya
chibra mana haile pra phi yya
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Antya-ll 4.42)

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

I have sold my head at the feet of r

Raghunthaj. Please be merciful to me so
that I may serve His lotus feet birth after
birth. My heart breaks simply at the thought
of giving up His lotus feet.

r Rpa and Santana were very happy to

hear the words of their younger brother. Praising
and congratulating him, they took him in their
arms and embraced him.
From this it is evident that sdhu-saga
assists in manifesting the svarpa of the jva, but
sdhu-saga cannot change his svarpa.
Having said this, prapjya-caraa rdhara
Mahrja requested our gurupda-padma
r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm
Mahrja to say something on this subject. rla
Gurudeva said, Whatever we have deliberated
upon, and whatever we have seen in Gauya
Vaiava literature definitely supports your
conclusion. The jva has his own siddha-svarpa;
his inherent name, form and so on, are all eternal.
Each of the innumerable individual jvas has his
own separate svarpa, but the jva has forgotten
this due to being covered by my.
When by good fortune the jva attains pure
sdhu-saga and the mercy of guru, my
gradually begins to go away and his svarpa
begins to manifest. We can give a material example
to illustrate this. If different types of seeds such as
mango and jackfruit are sown in the same piece
of land on the bank of a river, different types of
plants or trees will come from the different types
of seeds, even though the river gives the same
water to each of them, the same wind blows on
them, and the same sunlight shines on them all.
When they mature, each will produce a different
type of fruit. This testifies that different types of
seeds manifest their inherent natures as different

206

His

Life

and

Their particular features are not

directly manifest in the seed, but

still the seedling and the tree with its
leaves, branches, fruits, flowers and
flavour are present in the seed in
an unmanifest form. ... In the very
same way, everything the jvas
constitutional name, form, bodily
limbs and nature are present in an
unmanifest form within him.

types of trees with their own particular fruits and

flavours, even when they are all exposed to the
same natural elements. It is also true that without
the water, air, sunshine, etc., they cannot sprout
and attain their mature form. Furthermore, it is
true that even though they all associate with the
natural elements in the same way, they manifest
different trees with different fruits and flavour.
Their particular features are not directly manifest
in the seed, but still the seedling and the tree with
its leaves, branches, fruits, flowers and flavour
are present in the seed in an unmanifest form. We
never see a deviation from this.
In the very same way, everything the jvas
constitutional name, form, bodily limbs and
nature are present in an unmanifest form within
him. When the essence of hldin and savit
arises in the heart of the jva by the association
of bona fide guru and Vaiavas, then the jvas
constitutional form, whatever it may be, gradually
begins to manifest.
We can give another material example. At the
time of the stellar constellation known as Svti,

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

raindrops falling on an oyster produce a pearl; on

a banana tree, camphor; on a snake, a precious
jewel; on an elephant, the gaja-mukta, or elephant
pearl; and when they fall on the hoof of a cow,
gorocan, a bright yellow pigment, is produced.
One type of water causes different substances
to manifest because of the different receptacles.
Similarly, when different disciples are influenced
by the association of one guru or Vaiava,
they manifest service moods in different rasas
and varieties of spiritual perfection. In Jaivadharma, r Vrajantha and Vijaya Kumra heard
everything from the same guru, Raghuntha dsa
Bbj. Still their respective tastes manifested
differently. They both attained perfection, but for
Vrajantha it was in sakhya-rasa and for Vijaya
Kumra it was in madhura-rasa.
According to r Bhad-bhgavatmta,
when r Nrada Gosvm and r Uddhava
saw Gopa Kumra, they ascertained that he was
constitutionally an associate in sakhya-rasa.
He had the association of r Nrada Gosvm,
Uddhavaj, Hanumnj and others, but no ones
influence changed his natural sakhya-bhva.
If association could change ones inherent
service, then why didnt the gops association
change Uddhavas svarpa? rmat Yaod
also associated with the gops, but her svarpa
did not change. The confidential purport is that
in the stage of practice, the sdhaka performs
sdhana-bhajana according to his association,
as long as he does not realize his svarpa.
However, when his anarthas have gone, his
inherent mood appears in the form of some
particular taste (ruci) and begins to reveal his
identity. r gurudeva notices his natural taste,
and merely indicates his relationship and eleven
types of bhva, thereby enabling him to make
progress in bhajana.

207

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Sometimes a sdhaka who by nature is of

a higher rasa can engage in service in a lower
rasa by the association of devotees in dsya and
sakhya-rasa. However, when he is not satisfied and
later comes into higher association, he will give up
the previous moods and attain his inherent bhva.
The opinion of r Bhaktivinoda hkura,
the Seventh Gosvm, is quite clear on this matter.
In his explanation of the verse ceto-darpaamrjanam (r ikaka 1) he has written:
ceto-darpaa-mrjana itydin jvasya
svarpa-tattva vivtam. tath rmajjvava
carajvkhya-samaa-akti
viiasya
parama-tattvasya khalvaa eko jva. tath
rmad-vedntabhyakro pivibhu-caitanya
mvaro u-caitanya jva, nitya jndi
guakatva asmadartha tva cobhayatra
jnasypi jttva prakasya rave
prakakatvavadaviruddham. etena jvasy
utva cit-svarpa tva uddhhakrauddha-citta-uddha-deha-viiatva
ca
jpitam.
pareavaimukhyt
bahiragabhvviatvcca uddhhakragata uddhacittasyvidymaladaamapi scitam.
The correct conception of svarpa-tattva of the
jva has been given in the verse ceto-darpaamrjanam. rla Jva Gosvms conclusion on
this subject is that when the Supreme Absolute
Truth is equipped with the sum total of the jvaakti, His minute expansion is known as a jva.
r Baladeva Vidybhaa, who compiled the r
Govinda-bhya on Vednta-stra, is of the same
opinion: vara is the supremely conscious Being
(vibhu-caitanya), whereas the jva is a minutely
conscious being (au-caitanya). vara is eter
nally radiant with all auspicious and unlimited,
transcendental qualities. He has a completely pure
ego. He is both the knower and the embodiment
of knowledge. Similarly, the jva also has his own

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

pure svarpa. Most of the qualities of vara are

also partially present in the jva and he has a pure
ego. This conception is not opposed to logic, for
the qualities of the sun are also seen in the atomic
particles of sunshine, and similarly the qualities
of the Supreme Truth are also observed to be
partially present in the jvas. But, because the living
being is averse to the Supreme Controller, his
pure svarpa is concealed by my. Conversely,
when he becomes inclined towards the Supreme,
the curtain of the covering potency my is with
drawn, and the jvas pure svarpa and qualities
are then uncovered. Immediately thereafter he has
the direct perception of his own svarpa.

From this conclusion it is evident that

the jva is an infinitesimal atomic particle of
consciousness. He has an inherent spiritual
identity, cinmaya-svarpa, in which his pure
ego, pure consciousness, pure form, method of
service and so on are definitely present.
ravaa-krtandi-sdhana-samaye yad
uddh-bhaktir udeti tad svasy vidyatva
parihtya vidyay cidetara vitjanan spi
jvasya
sthla-ligamaya-saupdhika-deha
dvaya vinya tasya svarpagata uddha-ciddeha adhikrabhedena madhura-rassvdan
yatana gopik-deham api prakaayati.
As the sdhaka jva goes on hearing and
chanting, pure bhakti appears in his heart, and
the function of the essence of hldin and savit,
known as Bhakti-dev, removes all desires and
aspirations except for the service of Bhagavn.
After all ignorance is dispelled, the jvas gross
and subtle coverings are both destroyed by
the vidy-vtti, the function of the knowledge
potency. At once the jvas pure, constitutional,
transcendental body appears. Those who are
eligible to taste madhura-rasa attain the purely
spiritual body of a gop.

208

His

Life

and

Now it is necessary to reconcile two

considerations. In r Prema-bhakti-candrik
we read: sdhane bhbibe jh siddha-dehe
pba th Whatever one contemplates during
the practice of devotional service will certainly
be achieved upon attaining ones perfected
spiritual body. Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (8.51)
states: yasya yat-sagati puso maivat syt
sa tad guna According to the living entitys
association, he takes on certain qualities, just
like a jewel reflects those objects close to it. This
does not mean that the svarpa of the jva is
like spotlessly clear crystal and that his siddhasvarpa appears according to association.
Rather, when the conditioned soul performs
the activities of uddha-bhakti such as hearing
and chanting in the association of a pure bona
fide guru and Vaiavas, the contamination
of ignorance, anarthas and so on is cleared by
the influence of that svarpa-siddha-bhakti,
and a semblance, an bhsa, of the natural
characteristics of the soul begins to manifest.
Only for such a sdhaka has rla Rpa
Gosvm given the instruction to associate with
Vaiavas who are svajtya-saya-snigdha
who are affectionately disposed (snigdha) towards
one, and who are svajtiya-saya, established in
the same mood of loving service for which one
aspires. At that time, the dk-guru, ravaaguru or ik-guru sees the sdhakas internal
characteristics and, for his advancement on the
path of bhajana, gives the ekdaa-bhvas, the
eleven features of the svarpa, as expounded
in r rgnuga-mrga. In this way the sdhaka
performs bhva-bhajana by this internally
conceived siddha-deha to bring about the
manifestation of his siddha-svarpa. rmadBhgavatam (7.1.28) illustrates this point with
an apt example:

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

ka peaskt ruddha
kuyy tam anusmaran
sarambha-bhaya-yogena
vindate tat-svarpatm
A wasp will forcibly confine a caterpillar to
his hole in a wall. Overwhelmed with fear,
the caterpillar continuously thinks of the
wasp and thereby transforms into a wasp.

The same principle applies in relation to

the rgnuga-bhakti sdhakas. At the time of
sdhana, they go on continuously thinking about
serving r Ka and His pastime associates in
their internally conceived bodies. Thus they also
become totally absorbed. Finally, giving up their
gross and subtle material bodies, they take a
birth in Vraja that corresponds to their internally
conceived siddha-deha, and attain the very same
service that they were previously contemplating.
Thus the constitutional appearance, name
and mood of the jva are present even in the
conditioned stage, during which time it remains
unmanifest. That svarpa is simply manifested by
the mercy of svarpa-akti, and specifically by the
action of the essence of hldin and savit. Nityasiddhasya bhvasya prkaya hdi sdhyat
(Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.2.2). It is not that
sdhana produces something entirely new. Rather,
sdhana is performed exclusively to bring about
the manifestation of that eternally perfect bhva
which is intrinsic to the svarpa of the jva.
The assembled Vaiavas were extremely
delighted to hear such an elaborate presen
tation. rpda Hikea Mahrja especially
expressed his gratitude and said, I am eternally
indebted to you because today you have
dispelled a doubt that I have harboured for a
long time.

209

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Pcartrika guru-parampar and bhgavata-parampar

owadays, people are constantly concocting

new objections to the lineage being
presented by the Gauya Vaiava sampradya
as their authentic guru-parampar. Some believe
that since r Baladeva Vidybhaa was initiated
into the Madhva sampradya, he was not actually
a Gauya Vaiava. They assert that, although
he had the association of Gauya Vaiavas, the
influence of the Madhva sampradya was strong.
In his own writings, he stubbornly included r
Caitanya Mahprabhu and His Gauya Vaiava
sampradya as part of the Madhva sampradya.
Therefore, they conclude that r Baladeva
Vidybhaa cannot be accepted as an crya of
the Gauya Vaiava sampradya.
Another group of ignorant people say that
jagad-guru r Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Prabhupda created a completely new concept
which he called the bhgavata-parampar1.
According to them, he has explained in this sup
posedly new doctrine that rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura is a disciple of vaiava-srvabhauma
rla Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja, and
that r Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja is
a disciple of rla Bhaktivinoda hkura. Some
so-called Vaiavas (sahajiys) also present
the doubt that r Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvats
guru-parampar cannot be considered bona
fide because he conferred the renounced order
(sannysa) upon himself. Paramrdhya rla
Gurudeva shattered all these accusations with
powerful logic and solid scriptural evidence. His
analysis of the subject is presented below.
The disciples and grand-disciples of r
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda are cur
1 Editor: the succession of bona fide gurus rooted in
receiving and following transcendental instructions
from their predecessors

rently preaching r Caitanya Mahprabhus

pure ka-bhakti and r harinma throughout
the world. Because they have preached so exten
sively, in prominent countries such as America,
England, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Canada,
Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore,
the streets and avenues in every city and even
in every town and village are resounding with
the holy name, and young men and women
are very enthusiastically applying them
selves
to the cultivation of pure bhakti. They are
meeting Vaiavas from India, and performing
harinma-sakrtana and preaching pure bhakti
with them. A few ignorant, so-called Vaiavas
of the sahajiy community are agitated by this
and are trying to mislead the common people
by presenting fraudulent accusations against
the Srasvata Gauya Vaiava lineage. rla
Gurudeva has established the rational and perfect
conclusion on this matter in his essay entitled
Gauya Vedntcrya r Baladeva. Here, we
present some extracts from that essay.

The guru-parampar of the commen

tator [r Baladeva Vidybhaa]
The historical truth regarding the guruparampar of the commentator, r Baladeva
Vidybhaa, is as follows. He first acquired
specific expertise in the bhakti-stra under
the guidance of Ptmbara dsa, the crest jewel
of renounced sdhus. After that, he accepted
pcartrik-dk from a Vaiava named r
Rdh-Dmodara dsa, who appeared in a dynasty
of Knya-kubjya brhmaas. Rdh-Dmodara
dsa, the grandson of Rasiknanda Murri,
accepted dk from another Knya-kubjya
brhmaa, r Nayannanda-deva Gosvm.

210

His

Life

and

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

Rasiknanda Prabhu, a disciple of r

ymnanda Prabhu, is the fourth guru before
the commentator r Baladeva Vidybhana
in the pcartrika guru-parampar2, and his
son was the aforementioned Nayannanda-deva
Gosvm. The guru of r ymnanda was r
Hdaya-caitanya, whose guru was Gaurdsa
Paita upon whom rman Nitynanda Prabhu
bestowed His mercy. Even though ymnanda
Prabhu was a disciple of crya Hdaya-caitanya,
he afterwards accepted discipleship under r
Jva Gosvm. r Jva Gosvm was a disciple
of r Rpa Gosvm, who was a disciple of r
Santana Gosvm, and r Santana Gosvm was
a follower and associate of rman Mahprabhu.

Bbj Mahrja that rla Bhaktivinoda hkura

discovered the birthplace of rman Mahprabhu
at r Dhma Mypura. rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura was the ik-guru, or bhajana-guru,
of rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja. rla
Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja accepted
my gurupda-padma, o viupda aottaraata r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Prabhupda, as his disciple and gave him the
dk-mantras and so on. Whoever is unable to
accept this parampar is to be counted amongst
one of the thirteen types of apasampradyas
mentioned in writing by r Totarma Bbj
Mahrja. Alternatively, he may be regarded as the
creator of a fourteenth apasampradya.

The iya-parampar of r Baladeva

Vidybhaa

Pcartrika-parampar and
bhgavata-parampar

We have given an account of the pcartrikaparampar from rman Mahprabhu down to

r Baladeva Vidybhaa. Now we will give an
account of his iya-parampar. r Uddhara
dsa, referred to in some places as Uddhava dsa,
was a disciple of the commentator r Baladeva
Vidybhaa. Some think that these are two
different people, but in any case Uddhava dsa
had a disciple named r Madhusdana dsa.
Jaganntha dsa Bbj was a disciple of this very
r Madhusdana dsa. Previously, as vaiavasrvabhauma, or the prominent leader of the
Vaiava community in Mathur-maala, Ketramaala and Gaua-maala, he became famous
by the name of Siddha Jaganntha dsa. rla
Bhaktivinoda hkura accepted this very Siddha
Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja as his bhajanaik-guru, in accordance with the system of
bhgavata-parampar. It was under the direction
of vaiava-srvabhauma rla Jaganntha dsa

From this guru-parampar we can easily under

stand that r Baladeva Vidybhaa is a follower
of rman Mahprabhu within the spiritual family
lineage (parivra) of r ymnanda Prabhu. r
ymnanda accepted the guidance of r Jva
Gosvm, and because Jva Gosvm is exclusively
rpnuga, a follower of r Rpa Gosvm, it
therefore follows that r Baladeva Vidybhaa
is also a rpnuga Vaiava. There are those who
acknowledge that r Baladeva Vidybhaa is in
the line of r ymnanda, and yet deny that he is a
rpnuga Vaiava, and therefore not qualified for
the topmost service mood of unnata-ujjvala-rasa.
Such people are certainly only deluded offenders.
Although r Baladeva Vidybhaa accepted
pcartrik-dk from r Rdh-Dmodara
dsa, he also accepted instructions in rmadBhgavatam and the literature of the Gosvms.
The system of bhgavata-parampar is
superior to that of pcartrika-parampar,
and is founded on the degree of proficiency

2 Editor: the disciplic line based on receiving formal mantras

211

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

in bhajana (bhajana-nih). The charm and

superiority of bhgavata-parampar is that
pcartrika-parampar is included within it. In
bhgavata-parampar there is no obstruction in
regard to time. From the viewpoint of pure bhakti,
the doctrines of pcartrika and of bhgavata
both explain the same teachings with the same
objective. In r Caitanya-caritmta (Madhyall 19.169) it is said, pacartre, bhgavate ei
lakaa kaya these symptoms are described
in Vedic literatures such as the Pacartras and
rmad-Bhgavatam. The prkta-sahajiy
sampradya, while claiming to be followers of r
Rpa Gosvm, accumulate offences to the lotus
feet of r Jva Gosvm. Similarly, nowadays
the jti-gosvms and those who accept their
remnants and follow in their footsteps such
as several members of the sahajiy, kartbhaj,
kiorbhaj and bhajankhj sampradyas
proudly conceive of themselves as followers of
Cakravart hkura, but cast calumnies against
the commentator r Baladeva Vidybhaa. In
this way, they are growing excessively hateful and
progressing towards hell.
Both diagrams are of the pcartrika guruparampar and the bhgavata-parampar.
It will enable readers to properly appreciate
the speciality of bhgavata-parampar, and
also understand how pcartrika guru-

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

parampar is included within it. With the aid of

these diagrams, we will give an account of the
pcartrika guru-parampar and bhgavataparampar of r ymnanda Prabhu, r
Narottama dsa hkura, r Raghuntha dsa
Gosvm, r Baladeva Vidybhaa, rla
Bhaktivinoda hkura, rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat hkura and other Vaiava cryas.
r ymnanda Prabhu: In pcartrika
guru-parampar r Nitynanda Prabhus
disciple is Gaurdsa Paita, and his disciple
Hdaya-caitanya is the dk-guru of r
ymnanda Prabhu. In bhgavata-parampar
r Caitanya Mahprabhus disciple is r
Santana Gosvm, the disciple of Santana
is r Rpa Gosvm, and Rpas disciple is r
Jva Gosvm. r ymnanda Prabhu is the
ik disciple of this same r Jva Gosvm. It
is no exaggeration to say that r Jva Gosvm
was superior to r Hdaya-caitanya in tattva,
rasa, bhajana and indeed in all respects. For
this reason, r Hdaya-caitanya personally sent
r ymnanda Prabhu to r Jva Gosvm for
advanced instruction in the practice of bhajana,
and r ymnanda Prabhu accepted the
guidance of r Jva Gosvm. Thus the serious
question which deserves our consideration here
is this: which is superior pcartrika guruparampar or bhgavata-parampar?

r Mdhavendra Pur
r vara Pur
r Advaita crya

r Caitanya Mahprabhu

Yadunandana crya
(dk-guru)

r Svarpa Dmodara, r Rpa Gosvm

(ik-guru)

r Raghuntha dsa Gosvm

212

His

Life

and

Part
four

T e ach i n g s

Pcartrika guru-parampar and bhgavata-parampar

r Mdhavendra Pur
(ik-guru) (dk-guru)
r vara Pur
r Caitanya Mahprabhu

r Nitynanda Prabhu

r Santana Gosvm
r Gaurdsa Paita

r Lokantha Gosvm
(dk-guru)

r Rpa Gosvm

r Hdaya Caitanya
(dk-guru)

r Jva Gosvm
(ik-guru)

r ymnanda Prabhu

r Narottama hkura

r Rasiknanda

r Gag-nryaa Cakravart

r Nayannanda

r Ka-caraa Cakravart

r Rdh-Dmodara
(dk-guru)

r Rdhramaa Cakravart
r Vivantha Cakravart
(ik-guru)

r Baladeva Vidybhaa
r Uddhara or Uddhava dsa

r Jhnav hkurn
(in her parampar)

r Madhusdana dsa

r Vipina-bihr Gosvm
(dk-guru)

r Jaganntha dsa
r Bhgavata dsa
r Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj
(dk-guru)

r Bhaktivinoda hkura
(ik-guru)

r Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm

r Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm

213

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

r Narottama dsa hkura: According

to the pcartrika guru-parampar, r
Narottama dsa hkuras guru is r Lokantha
dsa Gosvm. However, there is no record
anywhere of r Lokantha dsa Gosvms
pcartrika dk-guru. Texts such as r
Gauya-vaiava-abhidhna have stated that
r Ka Caitanya Mahprabhu is r Lokantha
dsa Gosvms guru, but it is a well-known fact
that rman Mahprabhu did not accept anyone
as His disciple according to the pcartrika
method. That means that if rman Mahprabhu
is actually the guru of r Lokantha Gosvm, it
is only on the basis of bhgavata-parampar. In
any case, r Narottama dsa hkura, besides
being the pcartrika disciple of r Lokantha
Gosvm, is also the disciple of r Jva Gosvm
in the bhgavata-parampar. It was under the
guidance of r Jva Gosvm that r Narottama
dsa hkura became steeped in bhajana-ik.
r Raghuntha dsa Gosvm: In the
pcartrika-parampar, r Raghuntha dsa
Gosvm is the disciple of r Yadunandana
crya, who is situated in the pcartrika branch
of r Advaita crya. However, if we deeply
consider r Raghuntha dsa Gosvms life
history from another viewpoint, we find the very
clear and indelible influence of the bhajana-ik
of r Svarpa Dmodara and r Rpa Gosvm,
who are his gurus in the bhgavata-parampar.
Here, too, if we compare pcartrikaparampar with bhgavata-parampar, we find
that the superiority of the bhgavata-parampar
shines as radiantly as the sun.
r Baladeva Vidybhaa: According to
the pcartrika guru-parampar, r Baladeva
Vidybhaa is a pcartrika disciple of r
Rdh-Dmodara in the line of r ymnanda
Prabhu. At the same time, in bhgavata-

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

parampar he is a disciple of r Vivantha

Cakravart hkura, under whom he studied
rmad-Bhgavatam and all the various Gosvm
literatures, and from whom he received advanced
instruction in bhajana. r Rdh-Dmodara
himself sent r Baladeva Vidybhaa to r
Vivantha Cakravart hkura. The guidance
of r Vivantha Cakravart hkura in the life
of r Baladeva Vidybhaa is widely known.
Only under this guidance did he defeat the r
sampradya Vaiavas at Galt-gadd and kept
intact the service and worship of r r RdhGovindaj. It was after attaining the mercy of r
Govindadeva, r Rpa Gosvms worshipful
deity, that r Baladeva Vidybhaa composed
r Govinda-bhya. There is no doubt about
r Baladeva Vidybhaa being a rpnuga
Vaiava, because he is under the guidance
of r Vivantha Cakravart hkura, who is
himself most assuredly a rpnuga Vaiava.
Furthermore, it is a well-known fact that r
Baladeva Vidybhaa attained the mercy of
r Govindadeva, the treasured life-breath of r
Rpa Gosvm, and ensured the continuation of
service to Him. From this perspective, also, since
he attained the mercy of rla Rpa Gosvm
and his worshipful Lord, r Govindaj, what
doubt could possibly remain about his being a
rpnuga Vaiava?
r Bhaktivinoda hkura: According to
the pcartrika guru-parampar, the dkguru of r Bhaktivinoda hkura is r Vipinabihr Gosvm, who comes in the pcartrikaparampar of r Jhnav hkurn. From
another viewpoint, vaiava-srvabhauma rla
Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja is the bhajanaik-guru of r Bhaktivinoda hkura in
bhgavata-parampar. Vaiava-srvabhauma
rla Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja is a

214

His

Life

and

disciple of the famous Madhusdana dsa Bbj

Mahrja in the parampar of r Baladeva
Vidybhaa. It is not even necessary to say that
vaiava-srvabhauma rla Jaganntha dsa
Bbj Mahrja is superior to r Vipina-bihr
Gosvm in tattva-jna, bhajana-ik, etc. No
one can deny that r Bhaktivinoda hkuras life
is imprinted with the stamp of rla Jaganntha
dsa Bbj Mahrjas guidance.
r Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura:
According to the pcartrika guru-parampar
r Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkuras dkguru is r Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj Mahrja,
who descends from r Jhnav hkurn in
the pcartrika guru-parampar. rla Bbj
Mahrja accepted the attire of a renunciant
from a disciple of vaiava-srvabhauma
rla Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja named
r Bhgavata dsa Bbj Mahrja. Thus
by bhgavata-parampar, r Gaura-kiora
dsa Bbj Mahrja is in the branch of rla
Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja. According
to this analysis, by pcartrika-parampar
rla Sarasvat hkura is in the parampar
of r Jhnav hkurn, and in bhgavataparampar he has been connected with rla
Jaganntha dsa Bbj Mahrja.
It is clear from rla Sarasvat Prabhupdas
life history that r Bhaktivinoda hkuras
practices, precepts and bhajana-pral were
his very life and soul, and that he made the
fulfilment of the hkuras aspirations the
sole aim and object of his life. Thus his guru in
bhgavata-parampar was r Bhaktivinoda
hkura, whose guru was rla Jaganntha dsa
Bbj Mahrja. Therefore, there is not even
the slightest justification to point a finger at the
guru-parampar of rla Sarasvat hkura, the
founder-crya of the r Gauya Maha.

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

Several additional facts are worthy of our

consideration on the subject of pcartrika
guru-parampar and bhgavata-parampar:
(1) If a pcartrika dk-guru in his consti
tutional spiritual form (siddha-svarpa) is situ
ated in a rasa that is lower than that of his disciple,
how can he give bhajana-ik pertaining to the
more elevated rasa? In this situation, the disciple
must go elsewhere and take shelter of a Vaiava
who is qualified to give the appropriate superior
guidance. For example, r Hdaya-caitanya is an
associate in sakhya-rasa in ka-ll, whereas
his disciple r ymnanda Prabhu (DukhKa dsa) is an associate in madhura-rasa.
Therefore r Hdaya-caitanya personally sent
Dukh-Ka dsa to rla Jva Gosvm to
receive higher bhajana-ik in madhura-rasa.
(2) It may happen that guru and disciple in
pcartrika guru-parampar are in the same
rasa, but that the guru is not as highly qualified
as the disciple. Under such circumstances, the
disciple must go and take shelter of an uttama
Vaiava for higher bhajana-ik and this
Vaiava will be called his guru in bhgavataparampar.
We can see from these two considerations
that the pcartrika process has some inherent
defects, whereas the bhgavata-parampar is
completely free from these defects, and is flawless
in all respects.
(3) All members of the Gauya sampradya
accept r Caitanya Mahprabhu as jagad-guru,
and consider themselves to be His followers.
However, on what basis do they maintain this
conviction? There is no recorded account
anywhere of rman Mahprabhu giving dkmantra to anyone. This means that rman
Mahprabhu is not anyones guru in the
pcartrika-parampar, although He Himself

215

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

is a disciple of r vara Pur. Therefore, if

the Gauya Vaiava community accepts the
guidance and discipleship of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, it can only be on one basis, and
that basis is bhgavata-parampar.
(4) Each and every Gauya Vaiava is proud
to call himself rpnuga. But the point to consider
is this: how many disciples did r Rpa Gosvm
initiate by the pcartrika method? The fact is
that r Jva Gosvm is his one and only dk
disciple, and r Rpa is not actually a dk
disciple of r Caitanya Mahprabhu. So on what
basis do members of the Gauya Vaiava com
munity accept r Rpa Gosvm as their guru?
How is it possible to be a follower of r Rpa
Gosvm and at the same time a follower of r
Caitanya Mahprabhu? Even Santana Gosvm,
who is the ik-guru of r Rpa Gosvm,
has not a second thought about calling himself
rpnuga. The basis of all these examples is
one bhgavata-parampar. It is only on the basis
of bhgavata-parampar that r Rpa Gosvm
is the disciple of r Caitanya Mahprabhu, and
that the Gauya Vaiava community considers
r Rpa Gosvm to be their guru.
Who is the pcartrika dk-guru of
rla Kadsa Kavirja Gosvm? We cannot
say, because he has not mentioned the name
of his pcartrika dk-guru in any of his
writings, but he has named his ik-gurus in r
Caitanya-caritmta (di-ll 1.37):
ei chaya guruik-guru ye mra
t-sabra pda-padme koi namaskra
These six gurus [the six Gosvms of
Vndvana] are my ik-gurus and I offer
countless obeisances at their lotus feet.

At the end of each chapter of r Caitanyacaritmta he has written:

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

It is only on the basis of

bhgavata-parampar that
r Rpa Gosvm is the disciple
of r Caitanya Mahprabhu,
and that the Gauya Vaiava
community considers r Rpa
Gosvm to be their guru.

r-rpa-raghuntha-pade yra a
caitanya-caritmta kahe kadsa
Praying at the lotus feet of r Rpa and r
Raghuntha, always desiring their mercy, I,
Kadsa, narrate r Caitanya-caritmta,
following in their footsteps. *

In these statements he has specifically

accepted r Rpa Gosvm and r Raghuntha
dsa Gosvm as his ik-gurus on the basis of
bhgavata guru-parampar.
From these facts it becomes thoroughly
obvious that the bhgavata-parampar, which
includes pcartrika-parampar, always shines
forth brilliantly. Those who ignore these facts
and who cast aspersions on the guru-pral of
r Baladeva Vidybhaa, rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura and rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
hkura, doubting that they are rpnuga
Vaiavas, are certainly staunch opponents of r
Caitanya Mahprabhu and secret agents of Kali.
Thus, whatever opinion paramrdhyatama
rla crya Kesar has written on the subject of
the guru-pral of r Baladeva Vidybhaa,
and also in regard to pcartrika guruparampar and bhgavata-parampar, is both
logical and fully in agreement with the estab
lished conclusions of the scriptures.

216

His

Life

and

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

The rasika and bhvuka bhgavata

aramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva was pro

foundly grave and sometimes harder than a

thunderbolt, but he was also softer than a flower.
He was highly expert in tasting spiritual mellows
(rasika) and always deeply immersed in ecstatic
sentiments (bhvuka). He was harder than a
thunderbolt towards those who were opposed to
bhakti, such as the impersonal monists and the
followers of pseudo-devotional sects, such as
smrtas, jti-gosvms, jti-vaiavas and prktasahajiys. Yet to sincere godbrothers and disciples
who were steadily engaged in guru-sev without
duplicity, he was much softer then a flower.
After rla Prabhupdas entrance into
aprakaa-ll, [Ananta Vsudeva] Vidybhuaa
and [Sundarnanda] Vidyvinoda were influenced
by undesirable association and became staunch
opponents of rla Prabhupda. rla Gurudevas
blood brother rmad Bhakti Kevala Auulomi
Mahrja followed in their footsteps, but rla
Gurudeva vehemently opposed their ideas.
Although rmad Auulomi Mahrja was his
brother and godbrother, rla Gurudeva objected
to his ideas without compromise and said, I do
not want to see the face of anyone who is opposed
to rla Gurupda-padma. Auulomi Mahrja
is my brother from my previous rama and in
spiritual life he is my godbrother. Even so, from
now on I have no relationship or connection with
him whatsoever.
Whenever anyone opposed jagad-guru rla
Siddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupdas conceptions,
rla Gurudeva would smash their objections to
pieces by the strength of undisputed logic and
steadfast scriptural evidence.
We will now present a few examples of how he
was also bhvuka and rasika.

(a) During his manifest presence, rla Guru

Mahrja used to go to r Dhma Mypura
every year at the time of r Navadvpa-dhma
parikram. He would begin to describe the
glories of his most worshipful gurudeva at the
place of his gurudevas samdhi, in the presence
of thousands and thousands of faithful pilgrims.
On recollecting rla Prabhupdas glorious and
transcendental qualities, he would become so
emotional that his throat would become choked,
he would burst into tears, and all aa-sttvika
bhvas would be clearly visible on his body.
Incapable of speaking any further, he would
somehow indicate that we should say something.
(b) Once rla Gurudeva was sitting on the
veranda of his bhajana-ku at r Uddhraa
Gauya Maha in Chuchur, chanting harinma. A few mahavss were sitting near him
and he was explaining to us about the madhurabhakti of Vraja. He said that only the vrajaramas are actually associates (parikras) of
madhura-rasa, and they are all in parakyabhva. Although there are many varieties of
vraja-ramas defined according to their
different moods still, they are all parakyanyiks (paramour heroines) in madhura-rasa.
The mahis, or queens, of Dvrak-pur, r
Rmacandrajs wife St-dev, and Mah-lakm
of Vaikuha are not heroines in madhura-rasa.
They are all maidservants in dsya-rasa.
In the course of this explanation I [the author]
posed a question: Rascrya rla Rpa Gosvm
has described three types of nyiks in Ujjvalanlamai, namely sdhra, samajas and
samarth. Kubj of Mathur is in the category
of sdhra; the queens of Dvrak such as
Rukmi and Satyabhm are known as

217

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

samajas; and the vraja-gops are called

samarth. Among these heroines, the queens of
Dvrak have been called associates in the svakya
aspect of madhura-rasa, and the vraja-ramas
have been called associates in the parakya
aspect of madhura-rasa. So what harm is there
in accepting St-dev and the queens of Dvrak
to be associates of svakya madhura-rasa?
rla Gurudeva replied, You do not have the
capacity to assimilate these profound conceptions
at present. This will not be accessible to you now,
even if I tell you. Wherever there is affection
imbued with aivarya-bhva, a mood of awe
and reverence, only dsya-prema predominates.
Pure mdhurya-prema is completely bereft of
aivarya-bhva and appears to resemble the
love between bosom friends in this world (laukika
sadbandhu-vat). The affection of Lakm, Stj
and the queens of Dvrak for their respective
iadevas is imbued with the highest aivaryabhva. They have no pure mdhurya-prema and
are always in sambhrama-bhva, a mood of awe
and reverence. Thus, although the affection (prti)
of the mahis is somewhat more elevated than
that of dsya-bhaktas such as Hanumn, Arjuna
and Uddhava, their bhva cannot be called pure
mdhurya-bhva. rla Jva Gosvm and rla
Vivantha Cakravart hkura have presented
a beautiful assessment of this subject in their
respective commentaries.
This is why r Caitanya-caritmta has
emphasized the special importance of gopprema. Only when one has performed bhajana
for some time under the guidance of pure
Vaiavas can one realize these profound subject
matters by their mercy.
(c) Once, during the month of Krtika,
rla Gurupda-padma had brought his noble
presence to r Keavaj Gauya Maha. One day,

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

he was sitting in his bhajana-ku and chanting

harinma, absorbed in transcendental emotions.
I had sat down nearby and was silently reading
the chapter on r dmodara-bandhana from
r Gopla-camp. I became so attracted to Jva
Gosvms ideas that I could not check myself.
Taking the book in my hand, I came right in front
of rla Gurudeva and said, In his time, r Jva
Gosvm was a great mahpurua with immense
knowledge of all philosophical principles. Yet
at the same time he was also a transcendental
rasika poet. The combination of vast spiritual
erudition with poetic artistry is extremely rare
in this world. But when we read the episode of
dmodara-bandhana-ll in Gopla-camp, we
can see how r Jva Gosvm combined these two
attributes in an astonishing way. Then I began
to read aloud from Gopla-camp for rla
Gurudeva to hear:
Yaod-maiy ran very quickly after
Bla-ka, who had fled onto the main
road. She caught Him with one hand, took
a small stick in the other, and began to scold
Him. Ill give You such a beating! I know You
go from house to house stealing. You are a
thief (cora)!
Ka: O Maiy, dont beat Me! No Cora3
has ever appeared in My fathers dynasty.
They only appear in your fathers dynasty.
Im not a thief.
Maiy (smiling): How was the churning
pot of yoghurt broken, then?
Ka: Well, that is the punishment given
by the Supreme Lord.
3 Editor: In the dynasty of r Yaods father, there was
a gopa named Cora Ghoa. The literal meaning of
cora is thief. Thus r Ka denounced r Yaods
dynasty, considering Himself to belong exclusively to
His fathers dynasty.

218

His

Life

and

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

and when Yaod-maiy saw her son

between the two fallen trees, she became
speechless. Nanda Bb was struck with
wonder. He approached his son and took
Him in his lap. Seeing His father, Ka
began to weep loudly. Nanda Bb gently
caressed Kas head and limbs with his
hands. Patting Him and kissing His face
he said, Ll, who bound you like this?
Ka was crying and did not answer.
Nanda Bb asked again and again. Finally,
Ka whispered in Bbs ear, Maiy did
it. Nanda Bb became very grave. Maiy
did it? Your mother is so cruel! He then
fell silent.
Nanda Bb then took both Ka and
Balad in his arms and went to take bath
in the Yamun. He employed brhmaas to
recite auspicious mantras (svasti-vcana),
distributed cows, etc. in charity, and then
returned home. Somehow Rohi-maiy
engaged some gops in cooking and serving
food to Rma, Ka and Nanda Bb. After
honouring prasda in silence, Nanda Bb
went with his two sons to take his seat in
the community council. In the evening,
he came to the gol where he fed Ka
and Baladeva with rock candy and squirted
warm milk into Their mouths, directly
from the udder of a cow until Their bellies
were full.
When Vrajarja had finished taking his
evening meal in the company of his two sons,
the older gops of the community all came
before him, bringing Rohij with them. The
two children were sitting in Bbs lap.
Rohij said, O King, Kas mother
has not taken her meal. She is sitting in a

Maiy: And who fed the butter to the

monkeys?
Ka: He who has made the monkeys
feeds the monkeys.
Maiy (angry, but laughing): Now tell me
the truth. How did the butter pot break?
Ka (crying): You jumped up in a hurry
to pacify the milk that was boiling over,
and you were so flustered that your heavy
anklets struck the pot and it broke. So tell
Me, how am I to blame for this?
Maiy: Okay. In that case, tell me how
You come to have butter on Your face.
Ka: O Maiy, every day a monkey
comes and puts his hand in the pot to eat
the butter, but today I caught him. He pulled
out his hand and began to run away, but the
butter on his hand got smeared on My face.
Tell Me honestly, am I at fault in this? But
still, you call Me a thief and want to beat Me.
Maiy: O You who are the king of those
skilled in argument! O friend of the monkeys!
Now I shall punish You by binding You and
Your ally, the grinding mortar, together.
After a great deal of endeavour, by the
mercy of Bhagavn, she tied Ka to the
grinding mortar and went inside to get
on with her household duties. Dragging
the grinding mortar with His little friends,
Bla-ka began to crawl through the gap
between the twin arjuna trees, which stood
before the entrance of the house. At the
mere touch of the grinding mortar, both
trees came crashing down with the most
terrific thundering sound.
All the Vrajavss, wherever they were,
heard the sound and came running. Nanda
Bb and Yaod-maiy also arrived there,

219

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

corner as silent as a stone. All the gops in

the house are so sad. They are also sitting
silently without eating or drinking.
With mixed feelings of sorrow and
amusement, Vrajarja said, What can I do?
She should realize that this is the fruit of
anger.
Tears flowed from the eyes of the older
gops as they said, Oh, no, Yaod is so soft,
inside and out. You should not call her cruel.
Its not right to use a word like that for her.
Hearing this Vrajarja became even more
emotional. Smiling, he asked, Ll, will You
go to Maiy?
No, no! I will only stay with you, replied
Ka.
Upnandas wife laughed and said, You
may stay with Bb, but who will breastfeed
You?
Ka: Bb will squirt warm milk into
My mouth from the udder of the cows and
feed Me miri.
Who will You play with?
Ill play with Father and My elder
brother.
Vrajarja said, Why dont You go to
Rohi-maiy?
Ka sobbed and said angrily, I was
calling out to My elder Maiy to save Me, but
even she didnt come.
Hearing this, Rohi-maiy said softly
with tears flowing down her face, Ll,
dont be so cruel-hearted. Your mother is
crying for You.
Kas eyes, too, brimmed with tears
when He heard this. He turned around
and looked at His father. At the same time,
Rohi-maiy gestured to Baladeva to bring
Ka to His mother. Baladeva caught hold

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

of Ka with both hands and began to drag

Him towards Rohi-maiy, but Ka shook
Him off with a jerk and wrapped His arms
tightly around Bbs neck. A shower of
tears began to fall from Bbs eyes as well.
Raising his hands he said, Ll, should I
slap Your mother?
Bla-ka could not tolerate this and
caught hold of His fathers hands tightly.
At that moment, Bb remembered the
anguish within Yaods heart, and said to
Ka, Ll, what if Your mother should
He paused and motioned with his hand,
meaning if she should die, then what will
You do?
As soon as He heard this, Ka loudly
cried, Maiy! Maiy! Maiy! He stretched
out His arms in the direction of His elder
mother [Rohi-maiy], and of His own
accord He ran to sit on her lap.
Rohi-maiy was in tears. She picked up
Ka, who was also crying, and entering the
ladies inner chamber of the house, she put
Him down in Yaod-maiys lap. Yaodmaiy covered Ka with her veil and began
to weep like a kurar bird. Ka, also, began
to shed floods of tears. All the gops who
had assembled in the ladies quarters began
to cry as well, and Nanda Bb was crying
in the meeting room. The whole atmosphere
became submerged in vtsalya-rasa.

As soon as rla Gurudeva heard this

narration, he began weeping. An incessant flow
of tears flowed from his eyes and other bodily
transformations (aa-sttvika bhvas) were
also clearly visible. I have only seen such an
expression of extraordinary spiritual emotions
once or twice in my life.

220

His

Life

and

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

Service to the sampradya

ome time in 1956, rla Gurudeva came

to Mathur to visit r Keavaj Gauya
Maha. At that time, the followers of the Nimbrka
sampradya in Vndvana were publishing a
spiritual journal called r Sudarana. In one issue,
they cast aspersions on r Caitanya Mahprabhu,
saying that He was a disciple of Keava Kamr.
In other issues they insolently dared to claim
that Gauya Vaiava cryas such as rla
Vivantha Cakravart hkura were in the
Nimbrka sampradya. When I [the author]
showed these issues to rla Gurudeva, he became
extremely angry and immediately had a short essay
written for r Bhgavata-patrik. The headline was r Nimbditya and Nimbrka are not the
same person. The gist of the essay is as follows:
Nowhere in the scriptures is there any mention
of a Nimbrka sampradya. The Puras mention
a Vaiava crya called r Nimbditya, and the
Catusana (the four Kumras) have accepted this
Nimbditya crya as their samprdaya-crya
in the age of Kali. However, Nimbrka Svm is a
completely different person. Nimbditya was a
disciple of Nradaj at the end of Dvpara-yuga
and the beginning of Kali-yuga, but Nimbrka
crya appeared much more recently. Great
and eminent authors of bona fide scriptures,
such as rla Jva Gosvm, have mentioned the
names of the prominent cryas of all the other
sampradyas, but they have not mentioned the
name of Nimbrka crya anywhere.
The Nimbrka sampradya currently
uses the Prijta-bhya, which was written
not by Nimbditya crya, but rather by two
of his disciples rnivsa crya and Keava
Kamr, who then presented it as having been
written by their guru. The scriptures of the six
Gosvms mention the names of cryas such

as r Rmnuja, r Madhva, r Viusvm,

r Nimbditya and r Vallabha crya. If the
Nimbrka sampradya had existed even to a slight
extent at that time, then they would most certainly
have mentioned the name of Nimbrka crya as
well. None of the other samprdaya cryas, such
as r Rmnuja, r Madhva and r Viusvm,
have mentioned Nimbrka cryas name in any
of the scriptures that they have written.
When this essay appeared in r Bhgavatapatrik, the publishers of the Sudarana journal
announced that they were making arrangements
to prosecute for slander. rla Gurudeva replied
firmly, We will prove each and every word that we
have written on the basis of evidence supported by
stra. When the prosecution party heard about
rla Gurudevas immense scriptural knowledge
and profound personality, they became absolutely
silent, and from that day onward they did not dare
to write any more nonsense.
On another occasion, followers of the
sahajiys of Bengal wrote essays rife with
apasiddhnta, opposing rla Bhaktisiddhnta.
rla Gurudeva argued with them in a similar way,
using sharp words. The opposition party actually
filed a lawsuit in court against rla Gurudeva
and other devotees, including the editor of r
Gauya-patrik. However, when they were faced
with rla Gurudevas train of thought, they also
had to bow their heads in defeat. They begged
him for forgiveness in the court and thereafter
avoided him. For these reasons, o viupda
r rmad Bhakti Sraga Gosvm Mahrja,
who was rla Gurudevas dear godbrother and a
leader of the Gauya community, decorated rla
Gurupda-padma with the title paa-gajaikasiha the lion who vanquishes the elephants
of heresy.

221

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

The distinction between the smrta and Vaiava conceptions

n the sub-division Mthbhga in West

Bengals Kchibihra district there lived a
ghastha Vaiava named r Nitya-gaura dsa
Adhikr, who was initiated into the ka-mantra
by jagad-guru rla Bhakti Prajna Keava
Gosvm Mahrja. Once, when one of his family
members died, he followed vaiava-sadcra,
the approved Vaiava custom, and did not
observe the non-Vaiava smrta regulations
concerning impurity. Instead, he went on reading
and teaching bhakti literature, such as r
Caitanya-caritmta, and chanting harinma.
After twelve days, he invited the Vaiavas of the
maha to his home. At that time, following the
injunctions of the vaiava-smti-stras, Haribhakti-vilsa and Sat-kriy-sra-dpik, he of
fered the prasda grain remnants of Viu to the
soul of the deceased relative. He also requested
the Vaiavas to perform the vaiava-homa for
the sake of the ultimate transcendental auspi
ciousness of the deceased. Mah-prasda was
then distributed to all the assembled Vaiavas.
The other members of his community, who
were not Vaiavas, particularly emphasized the
performance of rddha, a ceremony for the
benefit of a deceased relative, according to the
smrta conceptions of Raghunandana, prevalent
in the smrta community of Bengal. They were
not at all satisfied with Nitya-gaura Prabhus
Vaiava rddha and boycotted the ceremony
altogether. Despite this, Nitya-gaura Prabhu
was so steadfast in vaiava-sadcra that he
neglected the orders and directives of the village
society. The villagers then became extremely
angry with him. They stopped the barber, the
washerman and others from going to his house;
they severed all social connections with him, like

eating, drinking and meeting with him; and they

even prohibited him from drawing water from the
same well. Nitya-gaura Prabhu became acutely
intimidated by this oppressive social harassment
and sent a letter to Gurudeva, informing him how
the community was atrociously tyrannizing him.
At that time, rla Gurudeva was at r Uddhraa
Gauya Maha in Chuchur. As soon as he
received the letter, he immediately wrote back.
The essence of his reply is given here.

222

Dear Nitya-gaura,

I have received your letter informing me

of the outrageous transgressions committed
by the smrta community. There is no need
to be afraid in the slightest. The community
in your village is utterly fallen, and they
have no knowledge of what is referred to
as asauca, or impure. They do not have any
sdhu-saga, and consequently they do
not have even the slightest understanding
of proper etiquette given in stra. These
people are constantly absorbed in nothing
but the five ms madya, msa, matsya,
mudr and maithuna (wine, meat, fish,
money and sex). They eat abominable
foodstuffs like onion, garlic and eggs and
they are always drinking tea and bhga,
and smoking tobacco and gj. This means
that they are low-class people immersed in
the modes of passion and ignorance. Such
people are in the majority these days; there
are very few saintly people established in
proper behaviour and knowledge of the
fundamental truths. Since misbehaved, lowclass people are in the majority, they commit
atrocities against the moral minority. I will

His

Life

and

give a simple example to illustrate what I

mean by this.
There was one village where everyone
was addicted to gj. There was no one
young, old, man or woman who did not
take it, with the sole exception of a small
child in one particular family. This boy had
abstained from gj from an early age,
and as soon as he smelled the rank fumes
of gj, he would flee far away from there.
As he grew older, his mother and father,
relatives and community members tried in
various ways to make him smoke gj, but
he would never yield. His parents and all the
villagers were struck with wonder to see this
boys nature. In the end, they came to the
conclusion that he must be afflicted by some
terrible disease, and they called the village
doctor to arrange for some compulsory
medical treatment.
This is the deplorable condition of our
village societies today. They cannot tolerate
anyone performing bhagavad-bhajana and
practising saintly behaviour. They inflict
inhumane atrocities on those who do, and
even expel them from the village. Such lowclass people are in the majority, and that is
why they commit various types of grievous
offences against the moral minority.

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

the beginning, but they are defeated in the

end. In ancient times, those who adhered to
demonic ideologies were always defeated
in the struggles between the demigods and
the demons, in the war between Rma and
Rvaa, and in the conflict between the
Pavas and the Kauravas. Hirayakaipu
was immensely powerful but he could not
stand before his five-year-old devotee
son Prahlda, and Bhagavn Nsihadeva
annihilated him in a second. Always chant
harinma. You are always pure. Bhagavn
Nsihadeva will protect you.
You should always remember that the
Vaiavas and devotees of Bhagavn are
unfailingly pure. Impurity never touches
them, even during birth and death. What
to speak of Vaiavas, anyone who takes
shelter of harinma is relieved of the
reactions of all past, present and future
sinful activities, even if they have murdered
their parents, committed adultery or
perpetrated the most grievous sins. It is
quite clear in rmad-Bhgavatam that
when the greatly sinful Ajmila called out
the name Nryaa at the time of death,
he was calling his son. Therefore, this was
nmbhsa, not uddha-nma. Even so,
Ajmilas sinful reactions were all dispelled
simply by the influence of this nmbhsa.
Death retreated from him, and afterwards,
when he chanted pure harinma in the
association of saintly persons, he attained
Vaikuha as his destination.
You are eternally pure, because you
have taken shelter of harinma and you
are always observing the limbs of bhakti.
It is not necessary for you to observe any
regulations at all for so-called impurity due

rla Gurudeva continued:

Nitya-gaura, are there no educated, wellbehaved, persons in the mood of goodness in
your village? If there are, then show them my
letter. I am firmly convinced that the modes
of passion and ignorance will always be
defeated. Victory always belongs to the mode
of goodness, even if it seems slow in coming.
Demonic people may appear to be strong in

223

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

this doctrine, they can never be pure at any

time in their lives and there are no means
by which they can become purified again.
If it supposed that they become purified
by the recitation of mantras at the time of
the rddha ceremony, then how do they
become impure again? A brhmaa daily
chants the gytr-mantra at the three
junctions (sandhyas) of the day. Is the
gytr-mantra not capable of purifying
him? Obviously, they have no faith in the
potency of the mantra. Their conceptions
are all erroneous and contrary to stra.
It is necessary to say something further
on the subject of smrta-brhmaas. One
who knows the smti-stras is called
smrta as are his followers. There are two
types of smti-stra: laukika, or worldly,
and pramrthika, or transcendental. The
principal subject matter established by the
Vedas, Upaniads and Puras is bhagavadbhakti, and those smti-stras that describe
the rules and regulations of bhagavadbhakti are called pramrthika-smti. Those
smti-stras which neglect this confidential
purport of the Vedas and instead emphasize
the rules and regulations for maintaining
the gross social shackles are called laukika
smti-stra.
Smti is basically one, but there are
divisions of Smti because of the differences
between those sages who are inclined to
the service of Bhagavn and those sages
who are averse. The brahminical nature of
worldly brhmaas who only follow laukika
smtis is not perfect. Birth in a brhmaa
dynasty is not enough in itself, because
one who performs no brahminical activities
and has no brahminical qualities is not a

to a death in the family. Those who are not

initiated into the viu-mantra and who do
not chant the name of Bhagavn are impure
throughout their whole lives and observe
lifelong impurity. They have no right to
enter the temples of Hari.
The preaching of smrta Raghunandanas
smti (named Aviati-tattva) is limited
only to Bengal. Throughout the rest of India,
people use the vaiava-smtis called Haribhakti-vilsa and Sat-kriy-sra-dpika.
These vaiava-smtis have been prevalent
in Bihar, Orissa, Uttara Pradesh and else
where for approximately five hundred years.
Aaviati-tattva has only been popular for
two hundred and fifty years.
There
are
many
defects
in
Raghunandanas smti. For instance, no
one, even those who have taken birth
in a brhmaa family can ever be pure
throughout their whole life. According to
Raghunandana, when anyone appears in a
household of brhmaas, seven generations
of ancestors in the dynasties of both the
mother and the father become untouchable
for ten days. Similarly, seven generations
of the dynasties of both the father and the
mother, whether male or female, become
untouchable for ten days when anyone
dies. Now, the number of present-day
descendants of ancestors from seven
previous generations will be very large,
and if any birth or death takes place in this
vast population, then the complete dynasty
is supposed to become untouchable. That
means that if just thirty-six births or deaths
occur in one year among this huge number
of people, then their whole year will be
spent in an impure condition. According to

224

His

Life

and

brhmaa, even if he happens to have taken

birth in a dynasty of brhmaas. Ones
social caste whether brhmaa, nonbrhmaa or untouchable is determined
by ones qualities and activities. This subject
is completely clear in authoritative stras
such as Gt and rmad-Bhgavatam.

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

are householders who are established in

vaiava-sadcra and initiated into the
viu-mantra. Therefore you are always
pure. You should never associate with fallen
people, otherwise you will also become
fallen. I never approve of heretical doctrines.
That village community which is bereft of
proper conduct is composed of common
people, not the Supreme Lord. You should
stay on the path of bhakti with very firm
resolve and not be slightly fearful. There is
another matter which should be properly
understood. It is forbidden in all respects
for pure Vaiavas to do kua-dhraa and
nndmukha-rddha. The meaning of the
word rddha comes from raddh (faith)
raddh hetutvenstyasya a. The word
rddha can only properly refer to those
activities that are performed with raddh
towards Hari, Guru and Vaiavas.
According to the smrtas, everyone becomes
a ghost in his next life, even those who are
greatly dedicated to religion (dharmtms)
and have taken shelter of harinma. On the
basis of this notion, smrta priests make
everyone call out the mantra, ete pretatarpaa-kle bhavanti iha may the ghost
be present here and accept this pia. Here
the belief is that although ones mother or
father or anyone else may have engaged
in bhagavad-bhajana throughout their
entire life and always have adhered to pure
conduct, as soon as they died they became
ghosts. Then at the time of rddha they are
offered pia composed of meat, fish, burnt
bananas and rice and they are addressed,
O pitdeva, you have become a ghost. May
you accept this ghost-food and be satisfied.
Is this a qualified sons expression of faith

ctur-varya may sta

gua-karma vibhgaa
Bhagavad-gt (4.13)

The fourfold system of varas was created

by Me according to divisions of quality
(gua) and work (karma).
yasya yal lakaa prokta
puso varbhivyajakam
rmad-Bhgavatam (7.11.35)

If one exhibits the characteristic symptoms

of a brhmaa, katriya, vaiya or dra,
he should be accepted as a member of that
vara, even if he has taken birth in another.

Now suppose someone performs a

rddha ceremony by engaging a priest
who may have taken birth in a dynasty of
brhmaas but who is averse to Bhagavn
and has the temperament of a demon. Then
that rddha ceremony will also be demonic.
Can there be any doubt about this? The
performance of such a rddha can bring no
auspiciousness whatsoever to the soul of a
deceased person. The atheistic villagers and
laukika smrta-brhmaas who are averse
to Hari may follow this supposed observance
of impurity. However, people who are
initiated into the viu-mantra and who are
established in vaiava-sadcra will never
follow it. You, your wife and your children

225

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

(raddh) in his qualified father? This is why

Vaiavas boycott such ghostly rddha
ceremonies.
You should also boycott a society that
performs or makes one perform such ghost
rddha. Show my letter to the members of

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

your village community and tell them that

we are prepared to debate on this subject
anywhere in any religious assembly. If
they want to debate, then we will always be
ready to come to your village to discuss the
scriptures.

A subtle distinction between the ideas of

rla Bhaktivinoda hkura and rla Sarasvat hkura

fter paramrdhya rla Gurudeva accepted

sannysa, following every Gaura-prim,
he invariably went to meet with pjyapda rmad
Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Mahrja, from whom
he had received his sannysa-vea. When he
went to r Caitanya Srasvata Maha in 1952,
he took some of us maha residents with him.
All the Vaiavas offered daavat-prama
to each other upon arrival and then began an
iagoh. The participating devotees, besides
our gurupda-padma, included rmad Bhakti
Rakaka rdhara Mahrja, rmad Bhakti
Vicra Yyvara Mahrja, rmad Bhakti loka
Paramahasa Mahrja, rmad Bhakti Kamala
Madhusdana Mahrja and rmad Bhakti
Vika Hikea Mahrja. Many sannyss and
qualified brahmacrs were present.
In this iagoh, someone very politely
posed the question, There is a slight difference
between the commentaries of rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura and rla Sarasvat hkura on the fifth
verse of rla Rpa Gosvms r Upademta:
keti yasya giri ta manasdriyeta, dksti
cet praatibhi ca bhajantam am. How may
this difference be reconciled?
Venerable rmad Bhakti Vicra Yyvara
Mahrja asked, What seems to you to be the
difference between the two commentaries?
The enquirer clarified his question. rla

Bhaktivinoda hkura has written in his

commentary that the madhyama-adhikr who
properly understands his responsibility towards
kaniha-adhikrs will offer them respect from
the core of his heart. He can hear ka-nma
from their mouth, providing they are free from the
faults of associating with women and myvds,
even though such kaniha-adhikrs may be of
meagre intelligence and bereft of sambandhajna. If such kaniha-adhikrs have received
dk-mantra from a bona fide guru and are
engaged in hari-bhajana, upon hearing kanma from their mouth, the madhyama-adhikr
will respect them by offering daavat-prama.
However, rla Sarasvat hkura has
explained it a little differently, on the basis of
the words dksti cet, which refers to those
who have accepted dk. He says that the
madhyama-adhikr who properly understands
his responsibility towards the kaniha-adhikrs
will offer respect from the core of his heart to
those who are chanting Kas name, provided
they have been initiated into the ka-mantra
by a bona fide guru, have understood that
Ka and His name are non-different, and have
accepted the transcendental name of Ka to
be the only sdhana. The madhyama-adhikr
will show respect by physically offering his
daavat-prama to those initiated Vaiavas

226

His

Life

and

who continuously chant ka-nma with great

affection, who have attained their own svarpa
by nma-bhajana, and are established in
madhyama-adhikra; and he will also offer them
respect in his mind.
Thus it seems that there is some difference
between these two commentaries. Which of the
two explanations should we accept? Alternatively,
how do we reconcile the apparent difference
between them? How can they be harmonized?
On hearing this, all of the Vaiavas requested
prapjya-caraa rmad Bhakti Rakaka
rdhara Mahrja to solve the apparently
problematic question. Pjyapda rdhara
Mahrja became very thoughtful and began
his reply. Ordinarily, the commentaries of two
members of our guru-varga have the same
meaning. Nevertheless, the explanation of
Bhaktivinoda hkura is supported by stra.
According to the verse, no dk na ca satkriym from rla Rpa Gosvms Padyval
(29), ka-nma is so powerful that it bestows
results even up to the point of liberation, as soon
as it touches the tongue of dog-eaters and other
untouchables. It does not even wait for pious
activities, preparatory rituals and so on. In stra
there are many statements to substantiate the
unprecedented effect of ka-nma:
(a) yan nmadheya ravannukrtand ... vdo
pi sadya savanya kalpate
(b) aho bata vapaco to garyn yad vartate
jihvgre nma tubhyam
(c) yan nma sakcchravat pukkao pi
vimucyate sasrt
(d) sakd api parigta raddhay helay v
bhguvara naramtram trayet ka-nma
(e) sketya prihsyam ... hara vidu
(f) yadbhso pyudhan ... mahimna prabhavati
(Rpa Gosvms Ka-nma-stotram)

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

(g) mriyamo harer nma ... ki puna

raddhay gan
(h) patita skhalito bhajana ... pumn nrhati
ytanm
This scriptural evidence supports the
conclusion that even a dog-eater, who has not
accepted dka, becomes supremely pure simply
by chanting harinma. Whether he has raddh
or not, ka-nma delivers him from the endless
cycle of birth and death when he chants even
once. What to speak of chanting, even one who
hears ka-nma is at once liberated from
material existence. Those who chant the name
of Bhagavn while coming or going, slipping,
falling, sneezing or in any other way will not have
to taste the dire sufferings of repeated birth and
death. So if anyone chants ka-nma and is
free from ungodly qualities opposed to bhakti, it
is certainly proper Vaiava behaviour to honour
him mentally, whether he is initiated or not.
When paramrdhya rla Gurudeva heard
pjyapda rdhara Mahrjas opinion, he
said with great humility, rpda rdhara
Mahrjajs explanation of rla Bhaktivinoda
hkuras commentary on this verse is in
accordance with stra in all respects, and it
is full of good conclusions. There is no doubt
about that. However, I have something further to
say on this subject. The first point is that jagadguru rla Prabhupda has associated with rla
Bhaktivinoda hkura since his very birth. From
his childhood he studied Vaiava literature such
as Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, Ujjvala-nlamai and
r Caitanya-caritmta under rla Bhaktivinoda
hkuras tuition, and heard his explanations of
Vednta-stra and rmad-Bhgavatam. He is
steeped exclusively in the bhaktivinoda-dhr, the
flowing current of hkura Bhaktivinodas con
ceptions. At the same time he is an unparalleled

227

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

scholar, thoroughly versed in Veda, Vednta

and all stra. It was he who acquainted us
with the gracious rman Mahprabhu and His
associates, especially with rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura. Without a doubt, he knows the moods of
Bhaktivinoda hkuras heart. He must certainly
have seen rla Bhaktivinoda hkuras translation
and his commentary, Pyavarsi-vtti, on this
verse. Yet, he has still given a distinct explanation
in his own translation and commentary, Anuvtti.
He has certainly done this intentionally. Therefore
we must understand the commentary of rla
Bhaktivinoda hkura through the medium of
rla Prabhupda, and we should give prominence
to rla Prabhupdas commentary.
The second point is that rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura has determined the Vaiava sadcra,
appropriate conduct, in relation to the general
glories of ka-nma. However, the fruit of r
ka-nma that rman Mahprabhu practised
and propagated is the ultimate goal, or prayojana,
namely, the attainment of ka-prema. Now, one
cannot progress even one step in the direction of
that ultimate prayojana unless one chants kanma with sambandha-jna and is free from
apardha and so on. In r Caitanya-caritmta
(di-ll 8.24, 26, 2930) it has been stated:
ka-nma kare apardhera vicra
ka balile apardhra n haya vikra
One must consider the effect of offences
while chanting the Hare Ka mantra. It is
because of these offences that one does not
become ecstatic while chanting Hare Ka.
eka ka-nme kare sarva-ppa na
premera kraa bhakti karena praka
Chanting Kas name just once destroys all
sinful activities, and pure devotional service,

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

which is the cause of prema, becomes

manifest.
hena ka-nma yadi laya bahu-bra
tabu yadi prema nahe, nahe arudhra
tabe jni, apardha thte pracura
ka-nma-bja the n kare akura
If one chants harinma again and again, but
ecstatic love does not develop and tears do
not appear in the eyes, then one may know
that it is because of many offences that the
seed of the holy name of Ka does not
sprout.

Keeping in mind the particular consideration

mentioned in these verses, rla Prabhupda has
given the instruction to honour in ones mind the
person who is endowed with sambandha-jna,
that is, one who has received dk, who is free
from apardha, who understands that Ka and
His name are non-different, and who understands
that aprkta-nma is the only sdhana. He also
continually engages in the service of ka-nma,
and strives for the ultimate goal, ka-prema. It
is this type of nma that rman Mahprabhu
describes in nandmbudhi-vardhana pratipada prnmtsvdanam and para vijayate
r-ka-sakrtanam in His r ikaka
(Verse 1).
Pjyapda rdhara Mahrja has quoted
a part of a verse, no dk na ca sat-kriym,
from r Caitanya-caritmta (Madhya-ll
15.110). In rla Prabhupdas Anubhya on
this verse, he himself has said that measures
such as puracary (regulative principles before
initiation) have been given so that one can achieve
perfection in chanting ones mantra. But for r
nma mah-mantra there is no consideration
of the regulations of puracary, because all the

228

His

Life

and

results of puracary are obtained automatically

simply by uttering ka-nma once. So for
the perfection of r mah-mantra, there is no
consideration of puracary or any other pious
activities.
However, in this same verse, the last line,
mantro ya rasan-spg eva phalati r-kanmtmaka, has a confidential meaning: This
mantra, composed of Kas names, offers
its result simply upon touching the tongue.
Specifically, rasan-spg means touching that
tongue which is sevonmukha, inclined to render
service. The tongue cannot possibly manifest
ka-nma at any time unless it is sevonmukha.
The presence of various anarthas and apardhas
prevent uddha-nma from arising on the tongue
which is inclined to enjoy inert matter. This has
been stated in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.2.232):
ata r-ka-nmdi
na bhaved grhyam indriyai
sevonmukhe hi jihvdau
svayam eva sphuraty ada

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

r Kas name, form, qualities and

pastimes are all transcendental principles.
They are not perceptible to the material
senses such as the eyes, ears and tongue. r
nma, rpa, gua and ll manifest on the
jvas tongue when the tendency to render
service arises in his heart.

In this way, as the sdhaka gradually becomes

elevated by continually chanting the holy name,
he earns the qualification to serve Ka. He
then realizes the transcendental nature of nma,
dhma and so on, and he becomes established in
madhyama-adhikra. rla Rpa Gosvm has
stipulated in this verse from Upademta that
one should honour such a madhyama-adhikr
Vaiava within ones heart, and at the same time,
with ones body, one should offer daavatprama.
When the assembled Vaiavas heard rla
Gurudevas thoughts, which were pregnant with
substantial siddhnta, they all supported his
opinion and applauded him heartily.

rla Gurupda-padmas supra-mundane character

and steadfast guru-nih
(Written by r rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja)

hile paramrdhyatama rla Keava

Gosvmpda was commenting on
vairgya-yukta bhakti-rasa, he explained that
vairgya, renunciation, is the intense feeling of
separation from Ka which consists of the desire
to please His senses (kendriya prti-vchmaya vipralambha). The knowledge of vairgya
that consists of the desire to give happiness to
Ka (ka-sukha-vch-may vairgyavidy) is actual vairgya brahma-jna, and it

displays contempt, fear and disrespect towards

worthless jna, syujya-mukti and other forms
of liberation. Generally, sdhaka jvas think that
vairgya means the renunciation of all enjoyment
for the pleasure of Ka. However, the muktapuruas, liberated personalities, accept only
dedication to ka-sev as vairgya. rla Dsa
Gosvm has pointed out that vairgya-yukta
bhakti-rasa consists of detachment, knowledge
and devotional activities performed for Kas

229

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

service. The myvda conception excludes the

existence of transcendental pastimes (cid-vilsa),
but this can never be called vairgya.
The word vairgya is used to describe one of
the six opulences of Bhagavn. This Bhagavn is
Mydha, the Lord of my. Bhakti can never
be attained by artificial endeavours to practise
renunciation in solitary meditation (nirjanabhajana). People who are not spiritually inclined
think that vairgya means material renunciation,
but we find in the stras that vairgya is simply
the topmost stage of longing for ka-vilsa,
Kas pleasure pastimes. Prkta-sahajiys and
those who renounce material enjoyment practise
so-called vairgya to satisfy their desires, but
this is merely a temporary, deceitful sdhana.
Only through the eyes of bhakti can one see or
realize the eternally perfect renunciation of the
eternally perfect mahtms, who are intent on r
Kas happiness.
Detachment and omniscience are naturally
evident in the lives of mahpuruas. Residing
in the heart of the sdhaka in the form of the
Supersoul (antarym), these mahpuruas
can easily say who is attached to satisfying his
own senses in the name of service to r Hari.
They also give favourable opportunities for the
sdhaka to become liberated from the clutches of
this hypocrisy. Moreover, being very affectionate
towards the sevakas, and seeing their service
tendency, they bestow on them the enthusiasm to
serve Hari, Guru and Vaiavas.
Kearva sva-potnm anyem ugravikrama the lioness shows her prowess towards
her enemy but is very affectionate towards her
offspring. [This verse was composed by rdhara
Svm in his commentary on rmad-Bhgavatam
(7.9.1).] Similarly, for atheistic hypocrites, rla
Gurupda-padma was the direct personification

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

of time (Yama), the enforcher of punishment,

but he was full of loving, parental affection for
his disciples and those who had taken shelter of
him. He would purify them of their hundreds of
faults and mistakes, give them the chance to do
sev and engage them in hari-bhajana. If anyone
came to his maha or missions for hari-bhajana,
he would provide them shelter and the golden
opportunity to perform hari-bhajana, even if
they were old, diseased or devoid of any worldly
qualifications. This is undoubtedly an ideal to
look up to and a brilliant example of his complete
surrender to Ka, his mercy and magnanimity,
his compassionate nature and quality of helping
all, and his sorrow upon seeing others suffering.
Adherents to morality say, satya bruyt
priya bruyt, m bruyt satyam apriyam
one should speak true and palatable words,
but the truth should not be spoken if it is
unpalatable. However, Gurupda-padma would
always announce loudly that it is right to speak
the truth even if unpalatable. If we do not speak
the truth, then many of stras secrets will not be
revealed and broadcast in this world. Sdhu, guru
and Vaiavas give real welfare to the people of
the world, and even if their heart-touching words
are not materially pleasing, they are nonetheless
the cause of complete auspiciousness.
In this connection, paramrdhya rla
Gurudeva has written, Nowadays we see the
publication of many religious magazines
that are gradually deviating from the rules
and regulations established and preached by
crya kesar jagad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupda. The main cause for this
is the desire for worldly gain, name and fame.
We should always remember the teaching of
r Caitanya-caritmta
: Dharma cannot be
protected unless one is detached. One should set

230

His

Life

and

an ideal example to the whole world by embracing

even the toughest adversity and by maintaining
complete detachment. The sharp words and
criticism spoken by sdhu, guru and Vaiavas
bring about ones good fortune and remove the
difficulties and obstacles related to bhajana. Their
detached morality, along with the disciplinary
words and unpleasant truths that they administer,
have the same function as chanting medicinal
mantras, and the result is that one obtain a taste
for chanting r nma.
rla Guru Mahrja showed incomparable
love and sympathy towards his peer godbrothers.
Sometimes, a godbrother would not directly ask
him for anything, but simply by his affectionately
addressing him as Vinoda D or Keava Mahrja,
he would understand their situation and help
them as much as he could, financially and in other
ways. But he never expected financial help for
himself. In this way he generously and selflessly
gave thousands of rupees to help others. This was
undoubtedly because of his parental affection
for his godbrothers.
All sorts of people used to come in great
numbers to take his darana: scholars, people
who were proud of their so-called devotion,
ignorant people, skilled people, children, young
men and elderly. Everyone would forget their own
desires and questions when they heard his grave
and authoritative voice and saw his mild and
peaceful figure and his gently smiling lotus face.
Even when defeating myvd logicians, he
would always protect their dignity. Many people
who had separate motives would come and
listen to various kinds of advice, but they could
not accept the potency of this ekntika sdhu
and mahpurua who was so devoted to Ka.
How can ordinary people truly understand the
transcendental behaviour of eternally perfected

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

great souls? Ordinary people do not and cannot

understand their mercy or their deception. r
Gurudevas view was, No one in this world
is an object for my attachment (anurga) or
indifference (virga). All are means for serving
guru and Ka. This is the transcendental
viewpoint of the mah-bhgavatas.
It has already been mentioned that rla Guru
Mahrjas fresh outlook and unique speciality
was evident in every engagement and action that
he performed. He used the figures of paagajaika-siha (the lion-like person who destroys
the elephant of heresy) on the wall of Narahari
Toraa, the main gate of r Devnanda Gauya
Maha, r Gauya Vednta Samitis main
preaching centre in Navadvpa. rla Vndvana
dsa hkura glorified Murri Bhagavn
r Caitanya-candra as paa-gajaikasiha. rla Gurudevas intimate godbrother,
rla Bhakti Sraga Gosvm Mahrja, also
decorated him with this same name, for it was
as if he was always holding a sword in his hand
to defeat myvds and others opposed to
uddha-bhakti. Knowing such people to be
his eternal enemies, he made an unshakeable
vow to uproot r akaras advaitavda, or
myvda, from this world. He clearly expressed
this determination in his letters, essays, articles,
commentaries, explanations, statements, lectures
and so on. Parama-pjyapda rla Bhakti
Sraga Gosvm Mahrja would say to rla
Gurupda-padma, When I see you, the memory
of rla Sarasvat hkura Prabhupda comes
into my mind. Anyone whose darana makes the
memory of rla Gurudeva appear in the mind is
guru-svarpa, the embodiment of guru, and he is
the greatest of all mah-bhgavatas.
It is said, All of Kas qualities appear in His
devotees. rla cryadeva had not passed exams

231

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

rla Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja, sitting on the chair in the middle, and the author,
r rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja, sitting to the left holding a daa

232

His

Life

and

in law or engineering, but he would give legal

advice to lawyers and barristers, and he would
also advise engineers. Many expert engineers
were amazed to learn that the tilaka-marked, skyhigh temple of the main maha was constructed
according to rla Guru Mahrjas instructions
and design. Jagad-guru rla Sarasvat hkura
had said, It is quite essential to protect the sev
of rmat Rdhr in order to protect the
sampradya. By this he meant that he aimed to
protect rmat Rdhrs sev by instigating
lawsuits to save mahas and temples from the
hands of sense enjoyers and wicked people. rla
Gurupda-padma followed the instructions of
his rdhyadeva rla Prabhupda and accepted
the responsibility of protecting the mission by
legal means. Even Prabhupda would be amazed
by his astonishing talent and power of memory.
Once, during an argument with some lawyers,
rla Guru Mahrjas godbrother, rla Mdhava
Mahrja, asked him, When did you study law
in such a way that in argument, even lawyers are
obliged to accept your words?
rla Guru Mahrja made an unparalleled
contribution in composing Vaiava literature
and revealing ever-fresh deep meanings of the
principles of bhakti. The speciality of his writings
is that he kept an unbroken flow of bhva, or
inner meaning, contained in the main tattvasiddhntas. At the same time, he maintained
his own position and point of view and did
not follow the general masses. Protecting the
sampradya is the topmost service to rman
Mahprabhu, he used to think, and only after
carefully considering this did he take up his most
powerful pen. His main goal was to establish
tattva-siddhntas directly and indirectly through
the medium of debates, and he exhibited a
remarkable and transcendental creativity in

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

doing this. His ever-fresh and transcendental

genius has been illuminated in his songs such
as rla Prabhupda rat, r Tulas-rat and
Magala-rat. In the wake of Gta-govinda by
the transcendental poet r Jayadeva, rla Guru
Mahrja in his Magala-rat song gives an
introduction to the supreme and unequalled,
sweet transcendental pastimes of the eternally
youthful Divine Couple of Vraja.
Sometimes an unexpected guest would arrive
when rla Gurupda-padma was dictating an
article for r Patrik. At such a time, he would
converse with the guest, not showing the slightest
indifference towards him, and at the same time he
would retain complete focus on his presentation
of the principal subject matter of the article.
There is no doubt that this was also one of his
unique and supra-mundane characteristics.
It was rla cryadevas undivided nih
towards his own r guru mahrja that most
clearly established his superior position among
rla Prabhupdas disciples and followers.
rla Gurupda-padma gave good advice to his
godbrothers on legal matters and all kinds of other
concerns. In doing so, he revealed his generous
and moral disposition. The Srasvata Gauya
community accepted him as a lawyer and also
as a learned expert in management and politics.
This was because, when complex questions arose
concerning spiritual knowledge and pseudologic, he would give good answers that were in
accordance with the conclusions of stra.
rla cryadeva displayed the ideal standards
for observing fasting days. On r Janmam,
r Ekda, r Gaura-jayant, r Rma-navam,
r Nsiha-caturda, r Advaita-saptam, r
Nitynanda-trayoda and other fast days, he
firmly rejected fasting on days which overlapped
with the previous day. He gave the fullest protection

233

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

to the observance of Cturmsya and rj-vrata

(krtika-vrata) in r Vednta Samiti, completely
following the rules practised and preached by
rla Sarasvat Prabhupda, rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura and rman Mahprabhu. He never
supported reluctance to follow the Cturmasya
vow or laxity in honouring rj-vrata.
rla Gurudeva especially manifested gurunih during a discussion on tattva-siddhnta
with the most worshipable yatirja rla rdhara
Gosvm Mahrja. On that occasion, he said, I
do not know or recognize the path of the previous
Gosvms. I simply accept jagad-guru rla
Prabhupdas line of thought as unerring truth,
and I will try to know and understand the previous
Gosvms through rla Prabhupdas vision. I
will first accept the excellence of his explanations
and commentaries. cryera mata je, se mata
sra / anya ra jata mata juka chrakhra
the opinion of the crya is the most important;
any other opinions should be rejected. This is
my conception. This single-pointed nih he
showed towards rla Prabhupda is certainly
unequalled.
rla Gurupda-padma, the dear-most
associate of r Gaurasundara, has written
Myvda k Jvan for the eternal benefit of
the conditioned souls. After refuting materialists,
mistaken yogs and other people holding faulty
doctrines, he showed them the path of real
spiritual knowledge and the ultimate spiritual
benefit. As an ideal tridai gosvm, he wanted
to bestow true auspiciousness even upon
antagonistic hypocrites. We have many times
witnessed his fearlessness and steadfastness in
protecting the truth. He never once supported
those who said that spirit and matter are nondifferent. To expose the enjoying tendencies and
selfish mentality of the prkta-sahajiys, he

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

published Sahajiy-dalana, which was based

on a compilation of articles, etc., written by rla
Prabhupda and rla Bhaktivinoda hkura. He
demonstrated the ideal of a faultless way of life
by preaching from this book and by devoting
himself to pure Vaiava standards of behaviour.
rla cryadeva established spiritual
dispensaries and also a Vednta college. The
central government and various missions
were introducing initiatives to try to relieve the
sufferings of the perishable body and mind in the
name of social service. rla Gurudevas purpose
was to show that these endeavours were practi
cally useless. He was stronger than a thunderbolt
in rejecting bad association, and softer than a
lotus flower in the face of endeavours favourable
for the cultivation of bhakti. He never supported
the karma-kya principles of the materialistic
smrta society, who simply follow ritualistic
customs and principles.4 rla Gurupda-padma
instead gave the pure instructions to follow vows
such as r puruottama-vrata by engaging in
r nma-bhajana only. He spent his life as a
surrendered soul who had no possessions and
was completely dependent on Kas will. His
attitude was always May the desire of Bhagavn
be fulfilled and By the will of Bhagavn,
everything is possible. All his disciples were
amazed to see this. Everyone was attracted to his
affection towards all living entities, and his simple
and compassionate behaviour to all young and
old, even to birds like pigeons and sparrows. All
were attracted to his intimate love and affection
(mamat) and his practice of non-violence.
4 Editor: These regulations dictate, for example, that a
certain number of days after someones birth or death
are impure, and that the Puruottama leap month is an
impure month when no religious activities should take
place.

234

His

Life

and

rla Gurupda-padmas simple, sweet and

profound inner sentiments would never be dis
turbed, even while he was strongly refuting the
degraded, devious and cheating beliefs of those
who consider that the living being is brahma; of
those who respect all kinds of gods (pcamils);
worshipers of the five deities Srya, Gaea,
Durg, iva and Viu (pacopsakas); of
people who believe that there are many gods
(bahu-vara-vds); of voidists (nyavds); of impersonalistic pantheists (nirviea
brahmavds) and others. He never supported
laziness in the name of performing solitary
bhajana. On the contrary, he instructed everyone
to cultivate ka-bhakti in the association of
sdhus by body, mind and words. He taught by
his own exemplary practice that one attains all
perfection and absorption in ka-prema only
by r harinma. To his disciples, he demonstrated
by his own perfect example that one can conquer
hunger, thirst and the inimical tendencies of the
senses by performing regulated or unregulated
loud krtana of the Hare Ka mah-mantra,
consisting of sixteen names, day and night.
rla Kavirja Gosvm said, I am lower than a
worm in stool and rla Vndvana dsa hkura
said, I will kick the head of such people [averse
to Hari, Guru and Vaiavas], but the purport of
these two statements is one and the same. One
should understand the real humility in these
words, for it is beneficial for the real self. The
spiritual instruction in these statements is to
chant ka-nma after being initiated into the
dharma of offering respect to one and all without
expecting any honour in return. The exalted and
profound sentiments of rla Gurudevas bhajana
concerning his object and method of worship
(upsya-tattva) established him as both a
bhajannand and a gohnand at the same time.

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

His mercy in acting to liberate jvas from

their burden of anarthas was causeless. The
doors of his temples and mahas were always
open for the benefit of people trying to perform
hari-bhajana. His endeavours to serve his
peer Vaiavas were without limit, and his
service satisfied them in all respects. The best
introduction to his supra-mundane character
is given in the books that he wrote to destroy
myvda; in his poems, philosophical articles
and so on; and in the profound lectures based
on tattva-siddhnta he delivered at various
assemblies. He remained immersed in the
pleasure of serving r r Gaura-Rdh-Vinodabihrj. He took full shelter of rla Sarasvat
Prabhupdas instructions, was eternally
established in the conception of r Bhaktivinoda
hkura, and always relished the concepts
preached by r Rpa and Raghuntha. He would
always try to engage his disciples in hari-kath
and hari-krtana, and, he instructed them to avoid
mundane conversation, or the urge of speech
mentioned in Upademta.
No one could give rla Gurupda-padma
any foodstuffs or clothes, no matter how hard
they tried. He never accepted any donations or
deeds of properties from his widowed followers,
and he would not allow his disciples to accept
such charity either. On the other hand, he would
hardly ever refrain from giving mercy even when
it was not asked for. To inspire enthusiasm to
serve guru and Vaiavas, he sometimes accepted
peoples ordinary things. He was anxious about
the condition of people who were attached to
their families, and he would always warn his
renunciant disciples by describing the prktasahajiys as ghara-pgla, madly attached to
home, and gh-bul, staying at home but making
a show of being renunciants. He used to quote the

235

crya

Kesar

rmad

Bhakti

statement from r Caitanya-caritmta (Antyall 6.278):

viayra anna khile malina haya mana
malina mana haile, nahe kera smaraa
If one eats food given by materialists, the
mind becomes contaminated, and when the
mind is contaminated one cannot remember
Ka.

Following this principle, he strictly forbade

any exchange or contact with the sampradyas
of those who try to enjoy guru (guru-bhogs) and
those who renounce guru (guru-tygs). By his
own example he taught his disciples to practise
the renunciation of enjoyment for the pleasure
of Ka. During r rj-vrata, r puruottamavrata and other vratas, he would instruct his
disciples to practise renunciation by sleeping on
the ground and by eating like a cow [i.e., without
using ones hands]. In regards to accepting
what is favourable for service, he instructed the
devotees going for bhika to properly consider
the verse by Bhaktivinoda hkura, tomra
sevya dukha haya jata, se o ta parama
sukha troubles encountered in Your service
shall be the cause of great happiness. He
told them that they should not seek to live a
comfortable life, but should tolerate difficulties
for the service of r Hari, Guru and Vaiavas.
Some people living in the maha had large enough
bank balances to maintain themselves for the rest
of their lives. He called those so-called disciples
hypocrites disguised as Vaiavas, sense enjoyers
devoid of faith in Bhagavn, and atheists.
rla Gurupda-padma was the ideal guru and
was expert in ka-tattva. He forbade followers
with anarthas to meditate on aa-klya-ll and
imagine their siddha-deha, their spiritual form.

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

He particularly attracted the attention of everyone

by quoting jagad-guru rla Prabhupdas
instructive words: Smaraa will take place by
the influence of krtana, and then it is possible
to perform solitary bhajana. He pointed out that
the improper imitation of r guru and Vaiavas
is not service or worship, but rather hypocrisy.
He asked his disciples to write the following verse
by Bhaktivinoda hkura on the main door of his
r Gauya Vednta Catuph:
jaa-vidy jata, myra vaibhava,
tomra bhajane bdh
moha janamiy, anitya sasre,
jvake karaye gdh
The knowledge of this material world is
knowledge born of Your illusory energy
(my). It creates obstacles in devotional
service and makes an ass of the eternal
living entity by increasing his infatuation
with this temporary world.

In other words, the goal of studying the stras,

grammar and so forth is not to collect money,
beautiful women and prestige. Everyone will
respect that knowledge which, when discussed,
causes ka-rati to manifest in the heart. You
must sincerely kick out whatever knowledge
causes obstacles to bhakti. Sarasvat, the goddess
of learning, is dear to Ka, and ka-bhakti
resides in her heart. This knowledge in devotion
is Bhaktivinodas wealth. rla Gurudeva always
liked to explain these statements and moods of
Bhaktivinoda hkura.
rla Gurupda-padma never tolerated
those who imitated bhakti, or those who were
duplicitous while pretending to offer service.
Once he established a maha that one of his
ghastha disciples had donated to him. Later

236

His

Life

and

on, when this disciple tried to make guru and

Vaiavas his servants, rla Gurudeva called back
the maha residents and showed indifference
towards his so-called disciple. He would be strict
in instructing his personal servants or so-called
disciples to abandon duplicity. He was careful to
protect the honour of the gurus senior servants
so that they could co-operate and live together
on good terms. He condemned the behaviour
of people who falsely pretended to maintain
their lives by begging alms (madhukar) in
Vraja-maala or other holy places. He would
also remind us that people who are attached to
sense gratification have to accept birth in Vraja
as monkeys, turtles and other lower species. He
would say that no one is qualified to beg for
nirgua-madhukar until their heart has become
free from material qualities.
On one occasion, one of rla Guru Mahrjas
godbrothers wrote in his magazine, Those who
are outside Mypura or who are far from there
are deprived of service to rla Prabhupda. rla
cryadeva objected to this and announced in a
voice as deep as a thunderbolt, Those who are
guru-bhogs or guru-tygs are situated millions
of miles away from Prabhupda. Such people
may apparently have lived in Mypura for ten
or twelve years, but actually they have deserted
Mypura and have been living in the kingdom
of Kali the whole time. Outwardly they pretended
to serve rla Prabhupda and r Dhma, but
they were not really serving them at all. r
Gurupda-padma, who is non-different from
Nitynanda Prabhu, always deceives those people
who are duplicitous about wealth. However,
those servants who are fixed in guru-sev and
whose lives are surrendered to guru can always
remain absorbed in the service of r Gurudevas
innermost desires, regardless of where they are

T e ach i n g s

Part
four

staying. rla Gurupda-padma tried from the

core of his heart to serve any person related to
rla Prabhupda. In this respect he was equal
to all, whether they were renunciant residents
of the maha, ghasthas or ordinary people who
approached him. This is the special transcen
dental quality of a disciple who has offered his
tm, his very self, to r Gurudeva.
r Gurupda-padma was many times seen
to be very particular about the way he kept
even five and ten rupee notes in his purse.
This sometimes caused doubts regarding his
detachment from money. When asked about this,
he would reply in rla Prabhupdas words,
sakti-rahit sambandha-sahit viaya-samha
sakali mdhava we should be detached from
material things and at the same time see them in
relation to Mdhava, as everything is meant for
His pleasure. In other words, that money would
be used for serving rman Mahprabhu. With
this transcendental attitude one will derive the
happiness of loving service based on the desire
to satisfy Kas senses. Those who try to imitate
rla Gurupda-padmas divine character will
inevitably fall down from bhajana. However,
accepting the instructions he gives out of love
to benefit the soul will bring auspiciousness.
He said that r guru becomes unhappy upon
witnessing the misery of others, but even though
r gurus heart is distressed when he sees
duplicitous people, it still does not bring them
auspiciousness.
One day a devotee was studying the
commentaries on rsa-ll, Bhramara-gta, etc.,
and rla Gurudeva said, The qualification to
hear topics such as rsa-ll will come when
r nma-krtana has freed the heart from
anarthas, and uddha-sattva has appeared there.
Otherwise, the transcendental pastimes of r r

237

Rdh-Govinda will appear to be the activities

of a worldly hero and heroine and will only
give rise to false ideas. The conception of rasa
is only possible in the siddha-deha, the state of
perfection. It is impossible to perceive sgrarasa in the material body. Only a person who
is free from the lower types of enjoyment and
is in the stage of bhva is qualified to discuss
sambhoga-rasa, the mellow of amorous love.
To understand r guru and Vaiavas in truth,
it is essential to have the mercy and inspiration
of Bhagavn. Sometimes Vaiavas honour a
person who is averse to r Ka, in an endeav
our to be free of his bad association. Moreover,
they sometimes hide their svarpa, their real
form, out of fear of associating with worldly and
sensualistic persons (jana-saga). Sometimes
they appear to accept disciples and falsely
maintain the disguise of acting as if they are
accepting service and advice from their disciples.
Nevertheless, in all respects they protect their
dependence and independence. This is the speci
ality of their inconceivable, divine character.
rla cryadeva always led his life in such a
way as to protect rla Prabhupdas innermost
desire. He would constantly be engaged in estab
lishing daiva-varnrama-dharma, reaching the
conclusions of bhakti which he himself fully
practised, establishing r Dhma parikram,

setting up printing presses to publish bhakti

literature, r nma-haa preaching and other
such services.
Some months before rla Paramrdhyadeva
entered aprakaa-ll, he acted as if he were
accepting medical treatment in the big city of
Kolkata, the capital of Kali. At that time, he was
staying in a house of a very faithful devotee in
yr. Many people may doubt why he left r
Dhma to stay in the capital of Kali. Yathya
vaiava-gaa se sthna vndvana, se sthne
nanda aea wherever mah-bhgavata
r gurus go, they make transcendental Goloka
Vndvana appear, and they are themselves
absorbed in the aa-klya-sev of the youthful
Divine Couple of Vraja.
The eternally liberated, topmost mahpuruas
relish the sweetness of r r Rdh-Govindas
transcendental pastimes and the magnanimity of
r Gaurasundara, who came to bestow the ulti
mate goal of life, which is ka-prema. Ordinary
people who yearn to perform hari-bhajana, and
especially the servants of r Gauya Vednta
Samiti, are exceptionally fortunate and blessed
to attain the shelter of the lotus feet of such
mah-bhgavatas. The r rpnuga-srasvata
Vaiavas are and will always remain indebted in
all respects to this transcendental mahpurua.
There is no doubt in this regard.Y

238

Part Five:

Established Conclusions

The siddhnta propagated by rla Gurupda-padma

n every age, Bhagavn and His dear associates

appear on Earth, bringing with them gifts
of universal auspiciousness. Each time they
come, the gifts they bring have their own unique
and original nature. Bhagavn is an ocean of
compassion, and He and His dear associates do
not come to cheat the inhabitants of this material
universe by giving away any perishable wealth
or commodity. They descend to give in charity
something for the eternal welfare of the soul.
Their gifts, or contributions, cannot be seen as
gross, mundane objects of sense gratification.
If anyone tries to view the immortal charity
they bestow as gross sense enjoyment, then he
is bound to be bereft of the immense mercy of
their gift.
Each of the various gifts given by the
supremely kind Bhagavn and His associates
is unique, but nothing can compare with the
prema-bhakti distributed by r Gaurasundara,
for it includes the original nature and specialities
of all the immortal contributions of all previous
incarnations (avatras) and cryas.
Vrajendra-nandana ymasundara, having
accepted the ecstatic emotions and lustre of
r Rdh, appeared in this world in the form
of r Gaurasundara. He is supremely merciful
(parama-karua) and the supreme enjoyer of
rasa (rasika-ekhara). Therefore, through the
medium of r harinma, He has distributed a
distinctive type of prema-bhakti in this world.

By the inspiration and mercy of r Caitanya

Mahprabhu, rla Rpa Gosvm initiated the
flow of the river of bhakti-rasa, writing books
such as Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu and Ujjvalanlamai. This is the fundamental asset of the
Gauya Vaiavas. rla Raghuntha dsa
Gosvm, r Jva Gosvm, rla Kadsa
Kavirja Gosvm, r Narottama dsa hkura,
r Vivantha Cakravart hkura, r Baladeva
Vidybhaa, r Bhaktivinoda hkura, jagadguru rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda
and all other rpnuga Vaiavas have preached
and propagated this very same uddha- or
prema-bhakti.
r Caitanya Mahprabhu appeared in
this world with His associates and preached
harinma-sakrtana and pure bhakti through
out India in just a few years. Similarly, o
viupda r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Prabhupda descended to the Earth with his
associates roughly one hundred and twenty-five
years ago and preached r nma-sakrtana
and pure bhakti throughout the world in a very
short time. r Gurupda-padma, o viupda
aottara-ata r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava
Gosvm Mahrja, was prominent among rla
Prabhupdas confidential associates.
When jagad-guru rla Prabhupda entered
nitya-ll, a dark age arrived for the Srasvata
Gauya Vaiava sampradya. The stream of
uddha-bhakti that rla Bhaktivinoda hkura

241

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

and rla Prabhupda had initiated began to

diminish. Their daily, weekly, fortnightly and
monthly magazines and journals in different
languages were stopped. The sannyss and
brahmacrs in the preaching centres established
by rla Prabhupda lost their enthusiasm.
Abandoning the principal maha, they began to
establish their separate, independent mahas.
Many of those who had previously lived in the
rama returned to household life. In this way,
the current of preaching began to dry up.
rla Gurupda-padma wrote in his brief
autobiography, After the entrance of our r
gurudeva into the unmanifest pastimes on 1
January 1937, various kinds of disturbances
began to erupt in the Gauya mission. I left
r Caitanya Maha under these difficult
circumstances in June 1939, and in 1940, on
Akaya-tty in the month of Vaikha, I founded
r Gauya Vednta Samiti in a rented building
at 32/2 Bosp Lane, Bgbzr, Kolkata. After
that, in September 1941, on the Prim day of
Bhdrapada, in Kav, where rman Mahprabhu
previously took sannysa, I accepted tridaasannysa from pjyapda rmad Bhakti
Rakaka rdhara Mahrja, who had accepted
the renounced order from rla Prabhupda.
I then returned to my maha in r Dhma
Navadvpa, and from there began preaching and
travelling extensively.
crya kesar o viupda r rla
Bhakti Prajna Keava Mahrjas strategy in
preaching was to first break apart the illconceived doctrines opposed to bhakti, such
as myvda, smrta and sahajiy, and then
establish the pure bhakti practised and preached
by r Caitanya Mahprabhu and His followers,
the Gauya Vaiava cryas. We are herein
giving an account of the nature of the pure bhakti

242

His

Life

and

Teachings

that he disseminated. In his preaching, he always

used to quote two particular verses as evidence
to establish bhakti. The first verse is by rla
Vivantha Cakravart hkura:

Vedas and smti-stra (such as rmadBhgavatam) which follow the Vedic version
have been accepted as authoritative proof,
as have different types of evidence such as
direct perception, inasmuch as they confirm
the Vedic version. From these sources of
evidence, the following essential truths are
established: (1) Hari is the Supreme Truth,
(2) He is sarva-aktimn, endowed with all
potencies, (3) He is akhila-rasmta-sindhu,
the ocean of all nectarean transcendental
mellows, (4) two kinds of jvas, namely
liberated and conditioned (mukta and
baddha), are His separated expansions
(vibhinna-tattva), (5) the conditioned
souls are under the control of my, (6) the
mukta-jvas are liberated from the influence
of my, (7) everything in existence, whether
conscious or unconscious, is a manifestation
of r Hari and is simultaneously and
inconceivably one with and different from
Him, (8) bhakti is the only sdhana, or means
to attain the goal, and (9) love for Ka
(ka-prti) is the sole objective (sdhya).

rdhyo bhagavn vrajea-tanayastad-dhma vndvana

ramy kcid upsan vraja-vadhvargea y kalpit
rmad-bhgavata pramam amala
prem pumartho mahn
r-caitanya-mahprabhor matam ida
tatrdaro na para
Both Bhagavn Vrajendra-nandana r Ka
and the magnificent r Dhma Vndvana
are the exclusive objects of worship. The
mood in which the young brides of Vraja
have worshipped Ka is the most excellent
of all. rmad-Bhgavatam alone is the
immaculate evidence (abda-prama) and
prema is the supreme objective of life. This
is the supremely worshipful siddhnta of
r Caitanya Mahprabhu. There is no other
conception worthy of respect.

The other verse is the first loka from rla

Bhaktivinoda hkuras Daamla-tattva (Ten
Fundamental Truths):
mnya prha tattva harim iha parama
sarva-akti rasbdhi
tad bhinnaa ca jvn prakti-kavalitn
tad-vimukt ca bhvd
bhedbheda-praka sakalam api hare
sdhana uddha-bhakti
sdhya tat-prtim evety upadiati
jann gauracandra svaya sa
The message of the Vedas received through
guru-parampar is called mnya. The

Part
five

* * * * *
In the first verse, rdhyo bhagavn, rla
Vivantha Cakravart hkura has explained
in a highly condensed form the doctrine of r
Caitanya Mahprabhu. In this verse, sambandha-,
abhidheya- and prayojana-tattva have been
described in an exceedingly beautiful way in
accordance with the siddhnta accepted by r
Gauya gosvms.
Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattva yaj jnam
advayam. This verse from rmad-Bhgavatam
(1.2.11) describes the Supreme Absolute Truth
(advaya-jna para-tattva), who, although nondual, is realized in three aspects, which appear

243

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

distinct from each other. These are brahma,

Paramtm and Bhagavn. The highest realization
is Bhagavn, the Supreme Person who is the cause
of all causes and the controller of all controllers.
He is full in six opulences and is the origin of the
universe, although He Himself has no origin. The
imperfect vision of only the cit, or knowledge,
feature of bhagavat-tattva has been called brahma
realization. In the Upaniads this has been called
nirviea-brahma, and it is the bodily lustre of
Bhagavn. In yoga-stra, the partial realization
of the sat and cit features of the omnipotent
Supreme Truth has been called Paramtm
realization. Such realization is to know Viu, who
measures the size of the thumb and who is situated
splendidly within the heart of every jva, as the
witness or regulator of the fruits of action.
There are also two divisions of bhagavattattva, namely aivarya-pradhna and mdhuryapradhna. Aivarya-pradhna, the bhagavattattva that is complete in six opulences, reigns
over Vaikuha in the spiritual sky in the form of
r Nryaa, eternally served by His associates
headed by Lakm. Mdhurya-pradhna is
Vrajendra-nandana r Ka, who is eternally
present in Vraja, where He is served by the gopas
and gops. He is especially endowed with the four
types of sweetness, namely, His veu-mdhur,
rpa-mdhur, gua-mdhur and ll-mdhur
His incomparably sweet flute, beauty, qualities
and pastimes. Therefore, in the above verse, only
Vrajendra-nandana ymasundara who resides in
Vraja has been described as the most worshipful
of all. Although brahma, Paramtm and the
whole multitude of incarnations are essentially
one in principle, Vrajendra-nandana r Ka
alone is the ultimate aspect of the Supreme Truth
because of His superiority in regard to akti and
His display of rasa.

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Although brahma, Paramtm

and the whole multitude of

incarnations are essentially one in
principle, Vrajendra-nandana
r Ka alone is the ultimate
aspect of the Supreme Truth
because of His superiority in regard
to akti and His display of rasa.

The specific meaning of the phrase tad

dhma vndvanam is that the sweet pastimes
of Vrajendra-nandana ymasundara, who is
the nectarean ocean of rasa, cannot possibly
take place in Vaikuha, Sketa (Ayodhya),
Dvrak, Mathur or anywhere else other than
in Vndvana. Therefore Vraja-dhma, being
non-different from Ka, has been described
as an equally worshipful principle. Vrajendranandana ymasundara is served in Vraja by His
associates in dsya-, sakhya- and vtsalya-rasa,
but the sweet service of the vraja-ramas (gops),
filled with the highest mellows of paramour love,
is supreme. Among these gops in paramour love,
rmat Rdhik, the embodiment of mahbhva
and the crest jewel of Kas beloveds, is the best
of all. Vrajendra-nandana r Ka accepted Her
sentiments and bodily complexion and appeared
in this world as r Gaurasundara to taste His
own sweetness and to distribute nma-prema
throughout the universe. The conceptions of
this very r Caitanya Mahprabhu have been
described in a condensed form in the verse under
discussion.
In the second verse, r Gauras associate
rla Saccidnanda Bhaktivinoda hkura has

244

His

Life

and

extracted the essence of the conceptions of the r

Gauya gosvms and cryas, and has presented
them as daamla-tattva. As if putting the ocean
in a pot, he has filled this daamla-tattva with
the concentrated essence of the cream of the
Vedas, Upaniads, Vednta-stra, Bhagavad-gt,
rmad-Bhgavatam and the Gosvms writings.
Our most worshipful rla Gurupda-padma
used to broadcast rla Bhaktivinoda hkuras
daamla-tattva everywhere he went. We are
therefore summarizing it here:
mnya prha tattva harim iha parama
sarva-akti rasbdhi
tad bhinnaa ca jvn prakti-kavalitn
tad-vimukt ca bhvd
bhedbheda-praka sakalam api hare
sdhana uddha-bhakti
sdhya tat-prtim evety upadiati
jann gauracandra svaya sa

Teachings

Part
five

is simultaneously and inconceivably one with

and different from Him, (8) bhakti is the only
sdhana, or means to attain the goal, and (9)
love for Ka (ka-prti) is the only objective
(sdhya).
Svayam Bhagavn r Caitanya Mahprabhu
has given these teachings on the ten fundamental
truths for the faithful living beings. Of these, the
first is the principle of evidence, prama-tattva,
and the remaining nine are prameya-tattva, the
subject that is established by prama-tattva.
The ten fundamental principles are analyzed here
as follows:

Prama-tattva

The message of the Vedas received through guruparampar is called mnya. The Vedas and
smti-stra (such as rmad-Bhgavatam) which
follow the Vedic version have been accepted as
authoritative proof, as have different types of
evidence such as direct perception, inasmuch
as they confirm the Vedic version. From these
sources of evidence, the following essential truths
are established: (1) Hari is the Supreme Truth, (2)
He is sarva-aktimn, endowed with all potencies,
(3) He is akhila-rasmta-sindhu, the ocean of all
nectarean transcendental mellows, (4) two kinds
of jvas, namely liberated and conditioned (mukta
and baddha), are His separated expansions
(vibhinna-tattva), (5) the conditioned souls
are under the control of my, (6) the muktajvas are liberated from the influence of my,
(7) everything in existence, whether conscious or
unconscious, is a manifestation of r Hari and

When the rutis (Vedas), which are called brahmavidy, are received through the medium of
hearing from the guru-parampar coming from
Lord Brahm, the creator of the universe, who is
the dear servant of r Bhagavn, that knowledge
is called mnya. The four Vedas, the Itihsas
(histories), the Puras, Upaniads, lokas, stras
and anuvykhys (commentaries) these are
all included in mnya. Here we should
understand Itihsas to mean the Rmyaa and
Mahbhrata. The eighteen mah-puras,
headed by rmad-Bhgavatam, are indicated
by the word Pura. Upaniad refers to the
principal body of Upaniads such as a, Kena
and Kaha. loka refers to the collection of
verses composed by the sages in metres such as
anuup1, and stra means the stras expressing
the purpose of the Vedas written by the prominent
tattva-cryas. Superior to the stra literatures
are vykhy, or commentaries, and the other
works written by those cryas. All these are
identified by the term mnya. The principal
1 Editor: the metre most common in the Bhagavad-gt

245

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

meaning of the word mnya is Veda. The

same idea has been expressed in r Caitanyacaritmta (di-ll 7.132):
svata-prama vedaprama-iromai
laka karile svata-pramat-hni
The self-evident Vedic literature is the
topmost evidence of all, but if it is inter
preted, its self-evident nature is forfeited.

The self-evident Veda is the crest

jewel of evidence
The evidence of the Vedic literature (vedaprama) is also known as ruti-prama, or
abda-prama, the evidence of transcendental
sound. Thus the Vedas, the Puras, Vlmkis
Rmyaa, Mahbhrata, the Upaniads,
Vednta-stra and literature such as the
commentaries written by Vaiava cryas are
called pta-vkya, or mnya-vkya. rla
Jva Gosvm established beyond a doubt the
authority of pta-vkya or abda-prama, and
went on to prove the authority of the Puras
as well. He ultimately established that rmadBhgavatam is the crest jewel of all sources of
evidence. Using the same criteria by which he
established rmad-Bhgavatams supreme au
thenticity, he has also validated the authoritative
literatures revealed by Brahm, Nrada,
Vysa, ukadeva, and after them in sequence
Vijayadhvaja, Brahmaya Trtha, Vysatrtha and
so on, to tattva-guru rman Madhvcrya.
From this it is clearly evident that the
Brahma sampradya is the guru-pral,
the parampar, or spiritual hierarchy, of the
Gauya Vaiavas, who have taken shelter
of r Caitanya Mahprabhu. Kavi Karapura
Gosvm has established this very opinion in his
Gaura-gaoddea-dpik and r Gopla Bhaa

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Gosvm has described this guru-parampar in

his Saskra-dpik. r Baladeva Vidybhaa,
the commentator on Vednta-stra, has also
accepted the same spiritual hierarchy. Our
revered gurupda-padma, r crya Kesar,
has supported this opinion with various logical
arguments and scriptural evidence in all of his
books, articles and especially in his essay entitled
Acintya-bhedbheda-tattva. rla Gurupdapadmas role in protecting his sampradya is
very significant at this present time.
The conclusions of ordinary human beings,
being conditioned souls, are prone to four
defects bhrama, pramda, vipralips and
karapava.2
Even greatly learned personalities are unable
to give up these faults when they reflect upon
that which is transcendental, or beyond the
jurisdiction of the senses, so their opinions are
not flawless or reliable evidence. This means
that the statements of the Vedas are the only
authentic evidence regarding subject matters
that are beyond the jurisdiction of material
sense perception, because their origin is divine
(apaurueya), and not human. Direct perception
(pratyaka), hypothesis (anumna), comparison
(upamna), history and other types of proof are
useful when they are subordinate to the Vedic
statements (abda-prama). Then only can
they help to a limited degree and be accepted as
2 Bhrama (mistakes): the conditioned soul contemplates
with his imperfect senses and concludes that a
temporary object is eternal. Pramda (illusion):
inattention or distraction, such as to not hear a song,
even though played nearby. Vipralips (cheating
propensity): the desire to cheat others, such as
refraining from giving knowledge to others even
though capable of doing so. Karapava (imperfect
senses): being unable to obtain proper knowledge of
an object despite endeavouring to do so.

246

His

Life

and

evidence; otherwise they cannot be accepted as

evidence at all. However, the fully independent
and omnipotent Supreme Lord Himself appears
in the pure hearts of perfected sages and Vaiava
cryas who are situated in the state of complete
trance, and He manifests perfect knowledge in
the form of Veda. Thus the authenticity of the
self-manifest Veda, which is the embodiment of
knowledge, is always spotless and reliable in all
respects.

Only Ka is parama-tattva
Ka alone is Svayam Bhagavn, the Original
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is the
shelter of all. r Ka alone has been called
the pra-tattva or parama-tattva, the complete
and topmost truth, throughout the Vedas, the
Upaniads, Bhagavad-gt, the Puras headed
by the Bhgavata Pura, and the gamas. He
is also sarvevarevara, the Lord and controller
of all other controlling agents. In rmadBhgavatam, r Ka has been established
as Svayam Bhagavn and advaya-jna paratattva in the verses kas tu bhagavn svayam
(1.3.28) and vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattva yaj
jnam advayam (1.2.11). r Ka, the non-dual
Supreme Absolute Truth, has three svarpas, or
features. These are brahma, Paramtm and
Bhagavn. Only r Ka is Svayam Bhagavn.
His bodily lustre, the light emanating from His
limbs, is called nirviea-brahma, the impersonal
effulgence. Paramtm is Bhagavns partial
expansion who dwells within all jvas in the
form of the witness of their actions. Devotees of
Bhagavn, who have taken shelter of pure bhaktiyoga and attained the darana of Bhagavn, see
His beautiful, fully transcendental form composed
of eternity, knowledge and bliss.

Part
five

Teachings

premjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santa sadaiva hayeu vilokayanti
Brahma-sahit (5.38)

Saintly persons, whose eyes of devotion are

smeared with the salve of prema, always
behold r Ka in their hearts.

Jns see the Supreme Truth in the form

of nirviea-brahma. Their eyes cannot see
Bhagavns divine form because they are blinded
by the dazzling effulgence of His limbs. Those who
worship the Supreme Truth by taking shelter of the
path of yoga realize Him in the form of Paramtm.
However, the devotees of Bhagavn see His saccid-nanda form by the influence of bhakti. Vision
of Bhagavn is the complete and perfect view,
whereas the vision of brahma and Paramtm is
partial. The Vedas, Upaniads and Puras prove
that r Ka is Svayam Bhagavn r Hari:

247

(a)
apaya gopm anipadyamnam
ca par ca pathibhi carantam
sa sadhrc sa vicr vasna
varvarti bhuvanev anta
g Veda (1.22.164.31)

I saw a boy who appeared in the dynasty of

cowherds and who is never annihilated. He
wanders on many paths, sometimes close by
and sometimes far away. Sometimes He is
adorned with many-coloured garments and
sometimes with garments of one colour. In
this way He repeatedly exhibits His manifest
and unmanifest pastimes.
(b)
ymc chabala prapadye
abalc chayma prapadye
Chndogya Upaniad (8.13.1)

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

By service to Ka, one attains the

transcendental abode of divine bliss, which
is full of wonderful pleasure pastimes, and
within that transcendental abode of wonders,
one attains Ka.

The word yma means by Ka. The use of

ka, or black, here conveys the conception of
the para-tattva in its nirgua aspect, when
it is without material qualities and can thus
be represented as colourless. Conversely, the
word abala means gaura, which signifies
that it is equipped with a myriad of colours, or
the aggregate of all colours. In other words,
the name of the para-tattva endowed with all
transcendental qualities is Gaura. Therefore
the confidential meaning of this mantra is that
Gaura is attained by ka-bhajana, and Ka is
attained by gaura-bhajana.
(c)
ete ca-kal pusa
kas tu bhagavn svayam
rmad-Bhgavatam (1.3.28)

All incarnations, beginning with Rma and

Nsiha, are the plenary portions (aa)
or portions of the plenary portions (kal) of
the Supreme Person Bhagavn. Only Ka,
however, is the original Svayam Bhagavn.

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

The one controller of all, the all-pervading,

unparalleled para-brahma r Ka is
worshipful for the demigods, humans and
all living beings. Although He is one, He is
manifest in many forms by the influence of
His own inconceivable potency, and enjoys
Himself by performing a variety of pastimes.
(f)
vedai ca sarvair aham eva vedya
Bhagavad-gt (15.15)

I am the only subject to be known in all the

Vedas.

Some people harbour the doubt that Kas

name is not to be found anywhere in the Vedas,
but this idea is not correct. It is only r Ka who
has been represented in the Vedas, in some places
by the primary, or dictionary, usage (abhidvtti); in others by secondary, or the figurative,
sense (laka-vtti); in some places by direct
interpretation (anvaya); and in other places by
indirect means of deliberation (vyatireka). We
have already shown this by the ruti-mantras
such as apaya gopm anipadyamnam
and ymc chabalam. In g Veda (1.21.154.6),
Bhagavns pastimes have been described in this
way:
t v vstnyumasi gamadhyai yatra gvo
bhrig aysa
atrha tad urugyasya va parama
padam avabhti bhri

(d)
matta paratara nnyat
kicid asti dhanajaya
Bhagavad-gt (7.7)

I desire to attain Your (Rdh and Kas)

abodes, wherein the acclaimed kmadhenus,
wish-fulfilling cows, have excellent horns
and are capable of bestowing my hearts
desired wealth. This supreme abode of r
Ka, the fulfiller of the desires of His
devotees, is illuminated to the fullest extent.

O Arjuna, there is nothing superior to Me.

(e)
eko va sarvaga ka ya
eko pi san bahudh yo vibhti
Gopla-tpan Upaniad (1.21)

248

His

Life

and

The descriptions of the potencies

of para-tattva are found through
out the Vedas and other scriptures
of divine origin. Great liberated
personalities who accept the essence
of everything have supported the
conclusion that akti is one tattva,
and aktimn is another tattva.
These two principles are distinct,
and at the same time they are also
eternally inseparable.

This Vedic mantra describes the charm and

beauty of Vrajendra-nandana r Ka and of
His beloved cows. There are numerous places
in the Vedas in which descriptions such as this
are primary, i.e., according to standard dictionary
usage. Elsewhere, Ka has been described
taking the secondary sense, laka-vtti: ayam
tm sarve bhtn madhu ... ayamtm
sarve adhipati sarve bhtn rj
(Bhad-rayaka Upaniad 2.5.14, 15). These
mantras allude to r Ka indirectly, saying that
He is the honey, the master and the king of all
states of existence. Here Ka is indicated by the
word tm. This has also been stated in rmadBhgavatam (10.14.55): kam enam avehi
tvam tmnam akhiltmanm O King, know
that Ka is the Soul of all souls.
r Ka is para-brahma, ultimate bliss
(paramnanda), the complete brahma and
Svayam Bhagavn. This has been proclaimed
clearly in verses of rmad-Bhgavatam such

Teachings

Part
five

as gha para brahma manuya-ligam

(7.10.48), yan-mitra paramnanda pra
brahma santanam (10.14.32) and kas
tu bhagavn svayam (1.3.28). Viu Pura
(4.11.4) has also determined that r Ka is
para-brahma by conclusive statements such
as yatrvatra kkhya para brahma
narkti. Similarly, in Bhagavad-gt (14.27) we
find, brahmao hi pratihham. Our Gosvms
have given evidence from the stras supporting
the conclusion that Vrajendra-nandana r Ka
is the ultimate aspect of para-tattva. He is the
source of all incarnations and of all expansions
such as Rma and Nsiha, and He is also the
basis of Paramtm and brahma.

r Ka is sarva-aktimn, the
possessor of all potencies
The descriptions of the potencies of para-tattva
are found throughout the Vedas and other
scriptures of divine origin. Great liberated per
sonalities who accept the essence of everything
have supported the conclusion that akti
(potency) is one tattva (principle), and aktimn
(the possessor and master of potency) is another
tattva. These two principles are distinct, and at
the same time they are also eternally inseparable.
Mortal men cannot realize the confidential
relationship between akti and aktimn, because
their thoughts are always limited. Actually,
although the object and the potency of that object
are different, they are also indivisible, meaning
that they are non-different. This difference and
non-difference is simultaneous. Therefore r
Caitanya Mahprabhu and His followers, the
Gauya Vaiavas, have accepted the relationship
of acintya-bhedbheda, inconceivable and
simultaneous oneness and difference, between the
object and the potency of the object.

249

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

In his Sandarbhas, rla Jva Gosvm has

used scriptural evidence and incontrovertible
reasoning to prove the acintya-bhedbheda
relationship between the potent and the potency.
In r Caitanya-caritmta (di-ll 4.9698) it
has been said that rmat Rdhik is the complete
energy and Ka is the complete energetic
source, yet there is no difference between Them.
Rdh and Ka are inherently non-different, in
just the same way that musk and its fragrance, or
fire and its heat, cannot be separated from each
other. Rdh and Ka are manifest in two forms
just to taste the rasa of Their pastimes:
rdhpra-akti, kapra-aktimn
dui vastu bheda nhi, stra-parama
mgamada, tra gandhayaiche aviccheda
agni, jvlteyaiche kabhu nhi bheda
rdh-ka aiche sad ekai svarpa
ll-rasa svdite dhare dui rpa

This conclusion has also been established

in Vednta: akti-aktimator abheda there
is no difference between the potent and the
potency. From the consideration of vastutattva (the principle of factual substance), there
is no substance other than r Ka, which is
why the scriptures describe Him as advayatattva, the non-dual Reality. The same advayatattva is seen in three ways by candidates of
different qualifications according to the level of
their worship. Those who only cultivate jna
imagine brahma to be a state of being which is
opposite to the inert material existence; in other
words, they conceive of brahma as a variety-less,
formless, powerless and inactive spirit. However,
this does not make clear what is the svarpa, or
real nature, of the object itself. Those who search
for the advaya-tattva through buddhi-yoga,

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

the meditational process, see Paramtm as the

witness of the tm, a realization which is not
contrary to the individual nature of the tm.
Finally, those who see the factual substance
through pure, unadulterated bhakti-yoga
directly attain that advaya-tattva and see Svayam
Bhagavn in the form of the Supreme Reality,
endowed with complete opulences, sweetness and
potencies.
The realizations of brahma and Paramtm
carry some material designation. In other
words, brahma realization comes from a nega
tive conception of the illusory designations
and Paramtm realization from a positive
conception. However, the vision of the spiritual
form of Bhagavn is attained only by untainted
spiritual eyes. The factual substance is the form of
Bhagavn and devotion to Him is the akti-tattva.
The vision of Bhagavn without potency
(akti) is only nirviea-brahma. Some believe
that brahma-darana is the ultimate realization,
but this opinion reflects their own preconceived
inclination; darana of brahma which is
variety-less and without potency can only
be a partial vision or experience, because in
scriptures such as rmad-Bhgavatam we
see the use of words such as para-brahma.
Brahma and para-brahma do not have the same
meaning. In Bhagavad-gt and other scriptures,
r Ka has been called the basis of brahma,
so Svayam Bhagavn r Ka alone is the
intrinsic reality and brahma is only His nondifferential manifestation, or the radiance of
His form. Paramtm is also a partial expansion
of Bhagavn. In other words, it can be said that
brahma realization is the dry and impotent
experience of the non-dual Absolute Truth
(advaya-jna tattva-vastu). Clear knowledge of
the Supreme Being who has entered within inert

250

His

Life

and

matter in a subtle form is Paramtm realization,

and the complete experience of the advayajna with all distinct characteristics is Bhagavn
realization.
Realization of Bhagavn is also of two
types: aivarya-pradhna, realization in which
reverence inspired by knowledge of His opulence
is prominent, and mdhurya-pradhna, a
realization in which sweetness is prominent. The
aivarya-pradhna feature is rpati Nryaa,
the husband of the goddess of fortune, and the
mdhurya-pradhna feature is realized as
Rdhntha r Ka, the beloved of r Rdh.
r Ka is the one and only advaya-tattvavastu. He includes both brahma and Paramtm;
by His sweetness He completely covers all of r
Nryaas opulence; and He is possessed of all
transcendental energy. This has been described
in vetvatara Upaniad (6.8):
na tasya krya karaa ca vidyate
na tat sama cbhyadhika ca dyate
parsya aktir vividhaiva ryate
svbhvik jna-bala-kriy ca
The activities of that para-brahma are not
material because His senses, such as hands
and feet, are not material. Therefore, His
actions are transcendental ll. Because of
His spiritual body, He is omnipresent at every
moment. It is therefore seen that no other is
equal to Him, what to speak of being greater
than Him. It is heard that Paramevara has
a variety of divine potencies of which three
are prominent, namely, His jna-akti,
bala-akti and kriy-akti. These three
potencies are known as cit- or samvit-akti,
sat- or sandhin-akti, and nanda- or
hldin-akti, respectively.

Teachings

Part
five

This par-akti of Bhagavn is also manifested

in another three ways, namely as cit-akti, jvaakti and my-akti. Cit-akti, which is also
called the svarpa- or antarag-akti (internal
potency), manifests the abodes of the Lord (the
dhmas) such as Vaikuha, Goloka and Vraja.
My-akti is called bahirag-akti, or the
external potency. All the mundane worlds or inert
material creations have been manifested from
this potency. Its expanded majesty is exhibited
as unlimited universes. Jva-akti is also called
taasth-akti, from which the aggregate of
unlimited jvas has been manifested. r Ka is
the shelter, or abode, of these three aktis.
Ka has one naturally inherent potency
called par-akti. This is composed of variegated
pleasure pastimes and ever-increasing varieties
of bliss. Although this akti has unlimited
spheres of influence, among them only cit-akti,
jva-akti and my-akti are perceived by the
jvas. The descriptions of the three aspects of this
par-akti are found in many places in the Vedas,
such as: parsya aktir vividhaiva ryate /
svbhvik jna-bala-kriy ca (vetvatara
Upaniad 6.8).
In Viu Pura (6.7.61) it is also found:
viu-akti par prokt
ketrajkhy tath par
avidy-karma-sajny
tty aktir iyate
The potency of Viu is of three types
par, ketraj and avidy. The name of
Vius par-akti is cit-akti, ketraj is
jva-akti and avidy-akti is called my.

Bhagavad-gt 7.5 states:

apareyam itas tv any
prakti viddhi me parm

251

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

raso vai sa, rasa hyevya

labdhvnand bhavati, ko hyevnyt ka
pryt, yadea ka nando na syt, ea
hyevnandayti

jva-bht mah-bho
yayeda dhryate jagat
However, this inanimate material nature,
which has eight divisions (earth, water, fire,
air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego), is
an inferior nature. O mighty-armed Arjuna,
know that I have another energy known
as the jva, which is superior and which
accepts this material world for the purpose
of enjoying the fruits of his action.

Kas svarpa, or form, is composed

of eternality (sat), knowledge (cit) and bliss
(nanda). Therefore His svarpa-akti is mani
fest in three forms. From the nanda portion
comes hldin-akti, from sat comes sandhin
and from cit comes savit. Savit-akti is
also called jna-akti. Hldin-akti makes
Ka joyful (hldit), which is why its name is
hldin. By this akti Ka, the embodiment of
bliss, tastes pleasure, and enables the devotees
to also taste transcendental happiness. The
essence of this hldin is prema, a phenomenon
composed entirely of transcendental rasa, and is
the embodiment of bliss itself. The concentrated
essence of prema is called mahbhva. The
embodiment of this mahbhva is rmat
Rdhik. This is a summary introduction to the
identity of akti.

r Ka is akhila-rasmtasindhu, the ocean of all ambrosial

mellows
Para-tattva, the embodiment of non-dual
knowledge, is Himself rasa, transcendental
mellow. Those who have had no experience of
rasa-tattva cannot realize the Absolute Truth in
the slightest. In Taittirya Upaniad (2.7) it has
been said:

Para-tattva Himself is rasa. On attaining

that rasa, the jva experiences true bliss
(nanda). If that undivided Reality were not
the embodiment of nanda in the form of
rasa, then who could remain alive and who
would endeavour to live? He alone gives
pleasure to all.

Prior to Svayam Bhagavn r Caitanya

Mahprabhu, different Vaiava cryas had
established, preached and propagated bhaktitattva. However, only r Rpa Gosvm, being
empowered by r Caitanya Mahprabhu, further
developed that bhakti-tattva into bhakti-rasa. He
described this subject elaborately in his Bhaktirasmta-sindhu and Ujjvala-nlamai. He
explained that the bhakti-lt-bja in the form
of ka-sev-vsan, the inclination to serve
Ka, develops sequentially from raddh to
nih, ruci and sakti. When it is transformed
into rati, it is called sthybhva. When the four
bhvas, namely, vibhva, anubhva, sttvika
and vybhicr, join in a combined form in this
sthybhva, then rati in the form of sthybhva
is transformed into a relishable and supremely
astonishing condition called bhakti-rasa.
The movement governing both mundane rasa
and pure spiritual rasa are the same. When the
application of the sthybhva is in relation to
Bhagavn, there is pure spiritual bhakti-rasa,
whereas when sthybhva is in relation to
material sense enjoyment, there is insignificant,
mundane rasa. Where the sthybhva is applied
in relation to non-differentiated knowledge there
is nirviea-brahma-rasa, and where it pertains

252

His

Life

and

to yoga, there is paramtm-rasa. Before

raddh develops into rati, the endeavour for
rasa from the combination of the constituent
bhvas such as vibhva, results in incomplete,
fragmented rasa. Mundane rasa is thoroughly
rejectable and insignificant. Only spiritual rasa is
being considered herein.
Rati, in the form of sthybhva, is the
foundation of rasa. Rasa comes from the union of
its four constituent ingredients, namely, vibhva,
anubhva, sttvika and vyabhicr. Vibhva is
of two types: lambana and uddpana. lambana
is also divided into two: raya and viaya. The
possessor of sthybhva is called the raya
(abode) of rasa, and the one towards whom
sthybhva is directed is the viaya (object)
of rasa. In transcendental rasa, r Ka is the
only object (viaya) of rasa and the worshiper
is the abode (raya) of rasa. The qualities of
the worshipful object and objects in relation
to Him are called uddpana. Dancing, singing,
yawning, hiccupping and so on are expressions
of the bhva within the heart, and are therefore
called anubhvas. Bodily transformations
such as becoming stunned, perspiration and
horripilation are called sttvika-bhvas because
they are manifested from pure spiritual existence,
or sattva. There are thirty-three types of
vyabhicr-bhvas, such as self-disparagement,
despondency and humility. These bhvas move in
the direction of the ocean of the sthybhva and
increase it. Therefore they are called vyabhicr.
Rasa is of two types, namely, primary
(mukhya) and secondary (gaua). The five
mukhya-rasas are nta (passive adoration),
dsya (servitude), sakhya (friendship), vtsalya
(parental love) and madhurya (amorous love).
The seven secondary rasas are hsya (comedy),
adbhuta (astonishment), raudra (anger), vra

Teachings

Part
five

(chivalry), karua (pathos), bhaynaka (horror)

and vbhatsa (disgust).
rla Rpa Gosvm has given a fresh and
comprehensive definition of bhakti:
anybhilit-nya
jna-karmdy anvtam
nuklyena knulana
bhaktir uttam
Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.1.11)

The cultivation of activities which are meant

exclusively for the pleasure of r Ka, or
in other words, the uninterrupted flow of
service to r Ka, performed through all
endeavours of the body, mind and speech,
and through the expressions of various
spiritual sentiments (bhvas), which is
not covered by jna (knowledge aimed at
impersonal liberation) and karma (rewardseeking activity), and which is devoid of all
desires other than the aspiration to bring
happiness to r Ka, is called uttamabhakti, pure devotional service.

By performing sdhana for this type of

bhakti, rati is awakened. When rati becomes
more condensed it is called prema. As that prema
matures and thickens, it is known sucessively as
sneha, mna, praaya, rga, anurga, bhva
and mahbhva. Ka-rati is also of five types,
arising from five divisions of devotees: nta,
dsya, sakhya, vtsalya and madhura. Among
these, madhura-rati is the best.
Ka-prema is also of two types aivaryamirita and kevala, or pure, prema. The prema
by which one considers Ka to be the Supreme
Godhead endowed with six opulences and
oneself to be destitute, low and insignificant is
called aivarya-mirita, or mixed with knowledge

253

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

of Kas opulences. The prema that we see in

the material world is mainly this mixed prema,
which does not control Bhagavn. Kevala, or
pure, prema is that pure affection through which
one considers Ka to be ones son, friend or
sweetheart, exactly as in an intimate worldly
relationship.
Ka is only controlled by this kevala-prema.
Yaod-maiy scolds Ka and binds Him by her
pure parental affection. In their pure sakhyabhva, Kas friends climb on His shoulders.
The charming gops of Vraja consider Ka their
most dear one, and when they rebuke Him, their
words of reproach are even more pleasing to r
Ka than the Vedic hymns sung by Brahm.
If Vrajendra-nandana ymasundara had not
descended to this world, then the subjects of these
three elevated levels of rasa, namely, sakhya,
vtsalya and madhura, would not be found
and the material world would remain deprived
of these elevated sentiments. Specifically, if r
Ka had not mercifully manifested His cowherd
boy pastimes, which madden the world with love,
then no one would even be able to realize that
Paramevara is the object of madhura-rasa.
Among Kas pastimes, vraja-ll is the best
of all, because in this very pastime the highest
benefit of all the jvas is obtained in regard to
rasa. Logicians and worldly moralists cannot
touch the glories of ka-ll. Vraja-ll is
composed entirely of rasa, and those who can
carry this ll in their hearts are very fortunate.
Only those fortunate devotees who have tasted
the sweetness of vraja-ll can know its sweet
ness. It is impossible to enter this subject by logic,
morality, knowledge, yoga, religion or irreligion.
r Ka, the embodiment of rasa, is the
Supreme Reality, or para-brahma. At the same
time, He is supremely rasika, expert in relishing

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

the mellows of love. Therefore, although He

is one, in order to taste rasa, He is eternally
situated in four natural forms by the influence
of His own inconceivable potency. rla Jva
Gosvm has described these four natural
forms in his Bhagavat-sandarbha (14): ekam
eva ta parama tattva svbhvikcintyaakty sarvadaiva svarpa-tad-rpa-vaibhavajva-pradhna-rpea
caturddhvatihate,
sryntara-maala-stha-teja iva, maalatad-bahirgata-rami-tat-praticchavi-ramydirpea Parama-tattva is one. He is equipped
with His inconceivable natural potency. With the
assistance of that potency, He is eternally manifest
in four forms: His original form (svarpa); His
personal splendour, which includes His abode,
eternal associates and expansions such as Lord
Nryaa (tad-rpa-vaibhava); the living entities
(jvas); and the unmanifest state of the three
modes of material nature (pradhna). There are
some simple examples which partially illustrate
this point. The four features may be compared
to the effulgence situated in the interior of the
sun planet, the sun globe, the rays of the sun
emanating out from the globe, and a remote
reflection of the sun, respectively.
In the scriptures that describe the essential
purports of the Vedas such as rmadBhgavatam, the spiritual authorities (mahjanas)
have researched the pure rasa within Ka.
Great sages such as the Catusana (the four
Kumras) headed by Sanaka Kumra, as well as
iva, Vysa and Nrada have described the rasa
within Kas supernatural pastimes in their
own respective scriptures, having realized it in
trance. But only r Caitanya Mahprabhu has
manifested this nectarean r ka-rasa on the
Earth. Before Him and until today, no one has
been able to do this. Therefore, in r Caitanya-

254

His

Life

and

candrmta (130), r Prabodhnanda Sarasvat

has stated quite appropriately:
prema-nmdbhutrtha ravaa-patha-gata
kasya nmn mahimna
ko vett kasya vndvana-vipinamah-mdhuru pravea
ko v jnti rdh parama-rasacamatkra-mdhurya-smmeka caitanya-candra parama-karuay
sarvam vicakra
O brother, who had even heard of the name
of the ultimate goal of life, called prema?
Who knew the glories of r harinma?
Who had entered into the wonderful
sweetness of r Vndvana? And indeed,
who knew rmat Rdhik, the par-akti
(transcendental potency) as the pinnacle
of the supremely astonishing mdhuryarasa? Only the most merciful r Caitanyacandra has uncovered all these truths out of
compassion for the jvas.

The jva is the vibhinna-tattva of

r Hari
In the Vedic scriptures, the jvtm has been called
the vibhinna, separated part, of the Supreme
Lord. Therefore, the jva is constitutionally a
servant of Ka. We have already mentioned
that the one par-akti, or svarpa-akti,
is manifested in three forms: cit-akti, jvaakti and my-akti. When sac-cid-nanda
para-tattva r Ka, who is complete in six
opulences, is equipped only with His jva-akti,
then His expansion is called vibhinna-jva.
Alternatively, when sac-cid-nanda Bhagavn is
invested with all His potencies, such as svarpaakti, then His expansion is called a personal
expansion (sva). There is no difference in

Teachings

Part
five

principle between r Ka and His personal

expansions such as r Baladeva, Paravyoma-pati
Nryaa (the Lord of the spiritual sky), r Rma,
r Nsihadeva and the other incarnations. Only
when we consider the degree of manifestation of
akti and rasa can we understand that Vrajendranandana r Ka is the last limit of the Supreme
Truth, the summit of all opulence (aivarya)
and sweetness (mdhurya), and the origin of
all incarnations (avatr) and of all expansions
(a). r Rma, Nsiha, etc., are called His
incarnations (avatras), and r Baladeva
and Paravyoma-pati Nryaa are called His
vaibhava-praka, or manifestations of His
opulences. These are all bhagavat-tattva and the
masters of my. However, this cannot be said
in relation to the individual souls (jvtm), who
are a transformation of Bhagavns jva-akti, or
taasth-akti.
In the scriptures, Bhagavn has been
described as undivided, immutable and with
out transformation. If the jvas were direct
expansions of Bhagavn, then He would have
to be transformable, or mutable. However, to
call para-brahma mutable, or divided, is not
in accordance with scripture. In stra the jva
has been accepted as the transformation of the
akti of para-brahma. On account of the nondifference of brahma and His akti, the jva
has been called the aa, separated particle, of
brahma, as it has been stated in the Bhagavadgt (15.7): mamaivo jva-loke jva-bhta
santana. However, after evaluating various
scriptural statements, the Vaiava cryas who
follow rman Mahprabhu have pronounced the
jva to be a transformation of akti.
It is sometimes seen that a special jewel or
a person accomplished in chanting particular
mantras can manifest many other substances,

255

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

although the jewel or the person who knows

mantras, themselves remain untransformed. This
is because the substances are manifested by their
potency. In the same way, the cit-akti of parabrahma r Ka manifests the transcendental
abodes such as the unlimited Vaikuha planets,
Goloka Vndvana and all their spiritual
paraphernalia; the jva-akti, or taasth-akti,
manifests unlimited jvas; and my-akti
manifests unlimited mundane universes. Still,
brahma remains immutable, undivided and pure.
The jva is a portion (aa) of the potency of
brahma, and not a direct fragmented expansion.
That is why he is called vibhinna, or separated
expansion. It has been stated in r Nradapacartra: yat taastha tu cid-rpa svasavedyd vinirgatam Being a particle of
consciousness and an emanation from the citakti, the living being is marginal, or taasth.
rla Jva Gosvm further clarifies taasth-akti
in Paramtma-sandarbha (37): taasthatvaca
my-akty-attatvt, asyvidy-parbhavdirpea doea paramtmano lepbhvc
cobhaya-kov apravet. tasya tac-chaktitve
saty api paramtmanas tal-lepbhva ca yath
kvacid eka-dea-sthe ramau chyay tiraskte
pi sryasytiraskrastadvat. The meaning is:
Jva-akti, which is called taasth, is separate
from my-akti; therefore it does not come
in the category of my. However, the jva is
controlled by avidy, ignorance, so he cannot be
on the same level as Paramtm, who remains ever
uncontaminated by ignorance. Although avidy
is a akti of Paramtm, it does not cover Him,
just as the sun itself is not covered when a cloud
obscures its rays in one particular region.
It has also been stated as such in the Bhadrayaka Upaniad (4.3.9): tasya v etasya
puruasya dve eva sthne bhavata, ida ca

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Jva-akti, which is called

taasth, is separate from myakti; therefore it does not

come in the category of my.
However, the jva is controlled
by avidy, ignorance, so he
cannot be on the same level as
Paramtm, who remains ever
uncontaminated by ignorance.

paraloka-sthna ca, sandhya ttya

svapna-sthnam, tasmin sandhye sthne
tihannete ubhe sthne payatda ca paraloka-sthna ca ... That jva-purua has two
positions, namely, the inanimate material world
and also the spiritual world, about which he
should enquire. The jva is situated in a third
position, which is a dream-like condition, svapnasthna (taasth), and is the juncture between
these two. Being situated at the place where the
two worlds meet, he sees both the inert and the
spiritual world.
Even though all the jvas that manifest from
the taasth-akti have arisen from Paramevara,
they are still separately existing individual entities.
The jva is compared to an atomic particle of the
suns rays or to a spark of a fire. This has been
stated clearly in the Bhad-rayaka Upaniad
(2.1.20): ... yath gne kudr visphulig
vyuccaranty evamevsmdtmna ... sarvi
bhtni vyuccaranti ... as sparks emanate
from a fire, similarly the aggregate of jvas is
manifested from the Supreme Soul, r Ka.
From this it is clear that the jvas, being atomic
conscious particles and vibhinna-tattva, are

256

His

Life

and

subordinate to the original tm, r Ka. They

are eligible for both the spiritual and the material
worlds because of their marginal nature. Being
situated on the borderline between the two, if they
look in the direction of the cit-jagat, the potency
of yogamy empowers them and they become
engaged in the service of Bhagavn in the spiritual
world. However, if they look in the direction of the
illusory material world, the desire to enjoy matter
arises within them. Then, turning away from the
spiritual sun, r Ka, they become attracted by
my. My, who is very close by, immediately
gives them a gross body with which to strive for
enjoyment, and casts them into the current of
birth and death in material existence.
The jvas condition of being averse to
Ka is without beginning (andi). Ka is
supremely compassionate, and He is not to be
accused of putting the jvas into an undesirable
condition, because, being exceedingly sportive,
He has given the jvas a divine jewel in the form
of independence, and He never interferes with it.
The cause of the jvas undesirable condition is
their own misbehaviour in regard to misuse of
their God-given independence.
In r Caitanya-caritmta (Madhya-ll
20.108109) rla Kadsa Kavirja Gosvm
has stated:
jvera svarpa hayakera nitya-dsa
kera taasth-akti, bhedbheda-praka
sryu-kiraa, yena agni-jvl-caya
svbhvika kera tina-prakra akti haya
Kas natural potency is of three types.
The jva is a manifestation of Kas
taasth-akti. The jva is related with Ka
as a manifestation simultaneously different
and non-different from Him. If Ka is

Teachings

Part
five

compared to the sun then the jva is like an

aa, an atomic particle emanating from
Him. Or the jva is like a spark emanating
from fire (Ka).

In rmad-Bhgavatam (11.2.37) it has also

been stated:
bhaya dvitybhiniveata sydd apetasya viparyayo smti
tan-myayto budha bhajet ta
bhaktyaikayea guru-devattm
The jva who is averse to Bhagavn forgets
his own constitutional nature because
of being controlled by my. Due to this
forgetfulness, he becomes absorbed in the
material body and all things related to it, and
a sort of mistaken and inverted identification
arises in which he develops the conception
that he is the material body: I am a demigod,
or I am a human being. In this state of
bodily identification, there are many things
to be feared, such as old age, disease and
death. Therefore, people who know the
truth should see their guru as vara, their
master, non-different from and very dear to
Bhagavn. They should then perform singlepointed bhajana of their guru as vara
by exclusive and one-pointed, unalloyed
devotional service.

The monists say, Jvtm and Paramtm

are non-different. In the conditioned state, when
brahma is covered by ignorance, it is called jva.
Jva and the world have no factual existence:
brahma satya jagan mithy jvo brahmaiva
npara brahma is the truth, this world is false,
and the individual soul is non-different from
brahma. However, this conclusion of the advaitavds is completely imaginary, opposed to stra

257

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

and false in all respects, because in the rutis, parabrahma has been described as complete, flawless,
undivided and composed of eternity, knowledge
and bliss, whereas the jva has been described
as the minute, conscious and expanded part
of para-brahma, the omnipotent Supreme Lord.
Para-brahma is one, but the jvas are innumerable.
blgra-ata-bhgasya atadh kalpitasya ca
bhgo jva sa vijeya sa cnantyya kalpate
vetvatara Upaniad (5.9)

Though the jva is situated in an inert

material body, he is a subtle transcendental
principle (tattva). If one divides the tip of
a hair into one hundred parts and again
divides one of those parts into one hundred
parts, then however subtle one of those
parts may be, the jva is even more subtle
than that. Although he is so subtle, the jva
is a spiritual substance and he is suitable
for nantya dharma. (Ant means to be free
from death, and nantya means liberation,
or moka.)

Gaupavan ruti-vkya, quoted in the Aubhya on Vednta-stra (2.3.18), states:

aurhyea tmya v ete sinta puya
cpuyaca the tm is minute in size. Sin,
piety and so on can take shelter of him. Muaka
Upaniad (3.1.9) confirms this: eo urtm
cetas veditavyo this tm is minute in size.
In Bhagavad-gt (7.5) r Ka declares:
apareyam itas tv any
prakti viddhi me parm
jva-bht mah-bho
yayeda dhryate jagat
O mighty-armed Arjuna, the my-akti,
which I described in the previous verse, is

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

my apar, or inferior, potency. In addition

to this potency, there is another potency of
Mine, the par, or superior, potency, in the
form of the jvas. You should know that by
My jva-akti, this entire creation is being
maintained.

The constitution of the jva is purely spiritual,

and in his constitutional state he is designated
by the word aham (I) [I am the eternal servant of
Ka and an eternal individual]. The jvas have
manifested from the taasth-akti, which has
come forth from the inconceivable potency of
Paramtm, and therefore their dharma is also
taasth, always. At the same time, because of
being minute, the jva is naturally susceptible to
being controlled by my. Therefore he is neither
completely different nor completely non-different
from Paramtm. The jva can be controlled by
my, whereas vara is the master of my. It is
clear from the scriptural statements accepted by
the disciplic succession that the jva is an eternal
principle distinct from vara. Therefore, the jvas
simultaneous difference and non-difference from
vara are both established by ruti. Kevaldvaitavda is completely non-Vedic.
The jva is au-caitanya, atomic conscious
ness, and is endowed with the quality of
knowledge. Described by the word I he is an
enjoyer3, a thinker and one who comprehends.
The jva has an eternal svarpa which is
extremely subtle. Just as the different parts of
the gross body hands, legs, nose, eyes, etc.
combine to manifest a beautiful form when
established in their respective places, similarly, a
very beautiful atomic spiritual body is manifest,
3 Editor: In contrast to r Ka, who is the one and
only independent enjoyer, the pure jva is a dependent
enjoyer who, as such, relishes pleasure-filled, loving
exchanges with the Supreme Enjoyer.

258

His

Life

and

which is composed of different parts. This

transcendental body, or svarpa, is the jvas
eternal constitutional form.
When the jva is conditioned by my, its
eternal body is covered by gross (sthla-arra)
and subtle material bodies (liga-arra). It is
not myvda to say that the jva is controlled
by my. According to the myvds, the jva
is a temporary principle of brahma covered by
my or a reflection of my. However, when we
say that the jva is controlled by my, it is clear
that the conscious particle, the jva, is prone to be
defeated by my because of his minute nature.
My is the apar-akti, or inferior potency,
and the jva is par-akti, or superior potency.
The false identification with inert matter is the
function of my. The jva is a transcendental
substance beyond this my. Even when the
jva is free from my, his quality of being an
individual living entity is not destroyed.
Myvda is an erroneous theory. According
to this philosophy, brahma is non-dual, pure,
undivided and uncontaminated. If, for the sake
of argument, we accept this siddhnta, then what
is it that becomes covered or reflected? How is it
possible for brahma to be reflected or covered?
Who is the seer of this? What is the place of
reflection? When is there any other substance
apart from brahma? When we examine myvda
in this way, we see that it is ridiculous to the
fullest extent. The evidence of the ruti-mantras
becomes useless when philosophers stretch their
meaning to concoct an interpretation in support
of their own sectarian doctrine.
The consistent opinion of the Vedas is that
the inherent principle of simultaneous and
inconceivable difference and non-difference
between Bhagavn and His potencies is true,
eternal and meaningful. The jva, being in a

Teachings

Part
five

separate category from vara, is vibhinnatattva, and he is manifest from Kas taasthakti. The jva is a pure substance and by nature
engaged in his constitutional activities in relation
with Ka. This is the factual understanding of
the living entities intrinsic characteristics.

Deliberation on the jva who is

under the influence of my in the
conditioned stage on account of his
marginal nature
The jva is constitutionally the eternal servant
of Ka, but when he misuses his own natural
independence because of his marginal nature
(taasth-dharma), he becomes averse to Ka.
At that time his pure constitutional form becomes
covered by the gross and subtle bodies given
by my, and he identifies himself with these
material coverings. Then he tastes happiness and
distress in the cycle of material existence, taking
birth in various species of life, sometimes on the
heavenly planets and sometimes in the hellish
regions. He is burnt continually by the threefold
miseries: dhytmika, miseries arising from
the body and mind; dhidaivika, those arising
from other living beings; and dhibhautika,
those arising from the natural environment. In
this way, he goes on wandering throughout the
material world. If by good fortune he attains the
company of a pure Vaiava, who has full realized
knowledge of tattva, then by his instructions the
jvas ignorance is dispelled. Attaining kabhakti, he becomes qualified to render service to
Ka.

259

nitya-baddhaka haite nitya-bahirmukha

nitya-sasra, bhuje narakdi dukha
sei doe my-pic daa kare tre
dhytmikdi tpa-traya tre jri mre

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

kma-krodhera dsa ha tra lthi khya

bhramite bhramite yadi sdhu-vaidya pya
tra upadea-mantre pic palya
ka-bhakti pya, tabe ka-nikae jya
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 22.1215)

The living entity is constitutionally the

eternal servant of Ka, but when he
misuses his natural independence because
of his marginal nature, he becomes averse
to Ka, and tastes heavenly happiness
and hellish distress within this material
existence. Because of the jvas fault of
being averse to Ka, the witch my binds
him in the covering of the gross and subtle
bodies and inflicts punishment upon him by
burning him with the threefold miseries
dhytmika, dhidaivika and dhibhautika.
Controlled by the six enemies headed by lust
and anger, the jva is continually beaten by
the witch my; this is the jvas disease. As
he goes on wandering from high to low in
material existence, he may by good fortune
find a doctor in the form of a sdhu. Then,
by the influence of the sdhus instructions,
My-dev abandons the jva and runs
away. This is just like a witch giving up her
influence over a man and fleeing from the
mantras of an exorcist. Only a jva who is
free from my attains ka-bhakti and is
qualified to approach Ka.

The jva bound by my is controlled by the

saskras (mental impressions) formed by his
own fruitive actions, by the modes of nature
(guas) and by self-identification with the body
expressed through conceptions such as I and
mine. Thus he accepts birth in various species

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

of life. While continuously wandering in this

way, he may get association of saints, and by that
influence develop transcendental faith (raddh).
When he comes to know r Ka through his
inclination to render service, he attains release
forever from all the bindings of my.
In Goloka Vndvana, r Baladeva Prabhu
manifests unlimited jvas who serve Vndvanabihr r Ka as eternal associates (nityapradas). In Paravyoma Vaikuha, MahSakaraa manifests unlimited nitya-prada
jvas to serve the original Lord of Vaikuha,
Nryaa. Eternally situated in their own
constitutional forms, they always remain
attentive to the service of their worshipful deity.
They are always inclined towards the object of
their worship and they are always strong, having
attained the strength of the spiritual potency, the
cit-akti. They have no relationship with inert
matter, and do not even know that there is a akti
called my. Prema alone is their life. They are
unaware of even the slightest semblance of birth,
death, fear and lamentation.
Krabdhiy Mah-Viu is situated in
the Viraj, which lies between the spiritual realm
and the material world. By His glance towards
my, the minute conscious jvas are manifest
in the form of atoms situated within the rays of
His glance. Because they are in close proximity to
my, these jvas notice mys wonderful nature.
All the characteristics of the ordinary jvas,
which were previously mentioned, are found in
them. Because of their being extremely minute by
nature, and because of their marginal disposition,
they sometimes look towards the spiritual sky and
sometimes towards the material realm. The jvas
are extremely weak in the marginal condition,
because at that time they have not yet attained
spiritual strength, by the mercy of the object of

260

His

Life

and

The jvas are extremely weak in

Part
five

Teachings

though he has remained bound since time without

beginning in the fetters of desire for material
enjoyment. Somehow his true nature continues to
exist and when it finds just a small opportunity, it
becomes manifest again and begins to reveal its
own identity. This opportunity is nothing but the
association of saintly devotees, sdhu-saga.

the marginal condition, because

at that time they have not yet
attained spiritual strength, by the
mercy of the object of their service
and worship (sevya-vastu).

their service and worship (sevya-vastu). Among

these unlimited jvas, those who are infatuated
by sense gratification and want to enjoy my
become bound by her. Conversely, those jvas
who ponder over their object of worship attain
the strength of cit-akti by the mercy of the
sevya-vastu, and go to the transcendental abode.
My is Kas potency by which He creates
the mundane universe. He then engages the
my-akti in purifying the jvas who are averse
to bhakti. My has two functions: avidy and
pradhna. The function of avidy is related to
the jva and the function of pradhna is related
to inanimate matter. The jvas desire to perform
reward-producing activities is born from avidy,
and the whole inert universe has arisen from
pradhna. Vidy and avidy are two further
dimensions of my, which are both related to
the jva. The bondage of the jva comes from
the function of avidy, and his liberation comes
from the function of vidy. When an offensive
living entity becomes inclined towards Ka, the
actions of the vidy function begin in his heart.
However, when he becomes averse, the action of
the avidy function takes over.

The jva is free from my in the

liberated state
The intrinsic constitutional nature of the jva
to be the servant of Ka is not destroyed even

yasya deve par bhaktir

yath deve tath gurau
tasyaite kathit hyarth
prakante mahtmana
vetvatara Upaniad (6.23)

The actual purport of the Vedas is revealed

within the hearts of those great souls who
have par-bhakti for r Ka. In other
words, it is revealed to those who have
become eligible for uddha-bhakti through
the awakening of faith in Ka, and who
also have the same unflinching faith in guru
and sdhus.

It has also been stated in r Caitanyacaritmta (Madhya-ll 22.43, 45, 54, 33):
sasra brahmite kona bhgye keha tare
nadra pravhe yena kha lge tre
kona bhgye kro sasra kayonmukha haya
sdhu-sage tare, ke rati upajaya
sdhu-saga sdhu-sagasarva-stre kaya
lava-mtra sdhu-sage sarva-siddhi haya
ka, tomra haa yadi bale eka-bra
my-bandha haite ka tre kare pra

The meaning is, when the jva becomes averse to

Ka, he is swept away in the current of birth and
death in material existence. He wanders aimlessly
throughout 8,400,000 species of life, being burnt
by the threefold miseries. It is extremely difficult

261

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

to attain deliverance from this current. However,

just as a piece of wood flowing in the forceful
current of a river may by good fortune be washed
up on the bank, similarly, a jva may by extremely
good fortune attain the shelter of sdhu-saga
and thus gain release from the current of material
existence and again become established in his own
constitutional position as the servant of Ka.
When, by good fortune, someone is about to
be released from material existence, he attains
sdhu-saga. Due to this association, his loving
attachment to the lotus feet of r Ka awakens.
That is why all the stras profusely glorify
sdhu-saga, and at the same time they point
out that even brief association with a sdhu is
not easily attained. If any jva, feeling extreme
anguish, prays to Ka from the core of his
heart and even once calls out, O Ka, I am
Yours! then Ka sends him sdhu-saga and
transports him beyond the bondage of my.
When, by great good fortune, someones
material existence is about to come to an end,
he associates with sdhus. What is this good
fortune? We should understand this very well.
The jvas fortune is only the fruit of his previous
activities (karma). There are two types of karma:
for material gain (rthika) and for spiritual gain
(paramrthika). Material good fortune arises
from rthika-karma, and spiritual fortune arises
from paramrthika-karma. Activities such as
serving sdhus, Bhagavn and His name, which
are performed for the sake of acquiring spiritual
wealth, are collectively paramrthika. No matter
what a jva may do, if he performs paramrthika
activities, these collective activities create within
his heart a type of impression, or saskra, in the
form of the desire for bhakti. When this impression
becomes well nourished, it is called good fortune,
or saubhgya, and by the influence of this good

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

fortune the jvas materialistic desires gradually

begin to weaken. When desires pertaining to
material existence are very much diminished and
the saskra of good fortune has been nourished
to a great extent, then raddh, or faith, in sdhusaga arises. This same raddh easily causes
sdhu-saga to occur repeatedly, and that is the
cause of attaining complete perfection.
The philosophical conclusion (siddhnta) is
that good fortune is the fruit of sukti accumulated
birth after birth, and on the awakening of this
good fortune one develops attraction for sdhusaga. Then again, this faith, or raddh, gradually
develops into devotional practice (bhajana-kriy),
the eradication of obstacles to devotion (anarthanivtti), steadfast faith (nih), transcendental
relish (ruci), attachment to Ka (sakti), and
then ka-rati, transcendental ecstasy, appears.
A life in which good fortune has arisen is
characterized by this faith. Therefore it is said
that raddh and sdhu-saga are the foundation
of all auspiciousness. This is confirmed in the
Bhan-nradya Pura (4.33):
bhaktis tu bhagavad-bhaktasagena parijyate
sat-saga prpyate pumbhi
suktai prva-sacitai
Bhakti is awakened by the association of the
pure devotees of r Bhagavn. Such sdhusaga is attained by the accumulation of
sukti in previous lives.

It has also been said in rmad-Bhgavatam

(10.51.53):

262

bhavpavargo bhramato yad bhavejjanasya tarhyacyuta sat-samgama

sat-sagamo yarhi tadaiva sad-gatau
parvaree tvayi jyate rati

His

Life

and

O infallible one, the jvas are wandering in

the cycle of repeated birth and death since
time immemorial. When the time for their
release from that cycle is approaching, they
attain the association of sdhus. The very
moment the jva acquires sat-saga, his
intelligence becomes firmly attached to You,
the supreme shelter and controller of all
causes and activities.
sat prasagn mama vrya-savido
bhavanti ht-kara-rasyan kath
taj-joad v apavarga-vartmani
raddh ratir bhaktir anukramiyati
rmad-Bhgavatam (3.25.25)

In the association of saintly persons,

discussions of My valiant deeds become
a rejuvenating nectar to the heart and
ears. By such cultivation one quickly
becomes liberated from ignorance. He then
progressively attains raddh (sdhanabhakti), then rati (bhva-bhakti) and finally
the awakening of prema-bhakti.

When one is freed from material existence, it

is essential to continue cultivating bhakti to attain
Bhagavn. It has been said in stras such as the
Upaniads that it is only unalloyed bhagavadbhakti that carries the jvas close to Bhagavn and
arranges an audience with Him and eternal sev
to Him. Bhagavn is only controlled by bhakti.
This is substantiated by verses such as rmadBhgavatam 11.14.21, bhaktyham ekay
grhya, and Mhara-ruti (quoted in Aubhya on Vednta-stra 3.3.53), bhaktir
evaina nayati bhaktir evaina darayati /
bhakti-vaa puruo bhaktir eva bhyas.
This bhakti is not attainable without sat-saga.
When one cultivates bhakti in the association of

Teachings

Part
five

devotees, first sdhana-bhakti is awakened, then

bhva-bhakti and in the end prema-bhakti. At
this point, the jvas life becomes successful. After
being completely released from my, he attains
the fifth objective of human life (pacamapururtha), in the form of ka-prema.
There are two types of jvas who are liberated
from my. Eternally liberated jvas (nityamukta) are those who have never been in the
bondage of my. Baddha-mukta jvas are
those who were first bound in my and who
then became liberated by engaging in devotional
practices. There are also two types of nityamukta jvas: aivarya-gata and mdhurya-gata.
The aivarya-gata nitya-mukta jvas, such as
Garua, are the associates of Nryaa, the Lord
of Vaikuha, and they are the particles of the
effulgent rays emanating from Mla-Sakaraa
situated in Paravyoma. Mdhurya-gata nityamukta jvas are the associates of Goloka
Vndvana-ntha r Ka, and they are mani
fest from Baladeva in Goloka Vndvana.
There are three types of baddha-mukta
jvas, namely brahmajyotir-gata, aivarya-gata
and mdhurya-gata. Those jvas who perform
sdhana with the objective of attaining the
oneness of jva and brahma attain liberation
and complete destruction in brahma-syujya,
entering into the brahma-jyoti. Those whose
sdhana is based on fondness for opulence attain
slokya, residence on the same planet as the
Lord, with the associates of Vaikuha. And those
whose sdhana is imbued with an inclination
towards sweetness, after being released from
my, taste the happiness derived from premasev in dhmas such as the eternal Vndvana.
It is necessary to know one special
siddhnta: mdhurya-rasa has two aspects,
namely, mdhurya, sweetness, and audrya,

263

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

magnanimity. Where mdhurya predominates,

the form of r Ka is manifest. Where audrya
predominates, the form of r Gaurga reigns,
radiant with the sentiments and bodily lustre of
rmat Rdhik. In the original Vndvana there
are two compartments: ka-pha and gaurapha. In ka-pha, Kas attendants are
nitya-siddha and nitya-mukta pradas who
have attained audrya-bhva predominated by
mdhurya. This is the same quality possessed
by r Ka Himself. In gaura-pha the nityasiddha and nitya-mukta parikaras experience
mdhurya predominated by audrya.
Some associates are, by the disposition of their
svarpa, present in both places simultaneously.
Others are present in one svarpa in one
realm only, and not in the other. At the time of
perfection, those whose sdhana is devoted to
Gaura exclusively, render service only in gaurapha. Those who worship Ka exclusively
render service only in ka-pha at the time
of perfection. And those who worship both
svarpas, r Ka and Gaura, accept two bodies
and are present in both realms simultaneously.
This is the supreme mystery of the acintyabhedbheda, inconceivable difference and nondifference, of Gaura and Ka.

The principle of inconceivable

difference and non-difference
Acintya-bhedbheda-tattva is the philosophical
principle regarding the inconceivable (acintya)
relationship of simultaneous difference (bheda)
and non-difference (abheda) existing between
the inconceivable and unlimitedly powerful
para-tattva, and His various potencies, as well
as that which manifests from those potencies.
This principle has been called acintya, incon
ceivable, because it is accessible only by

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

transcendental sound vibration. It is inaccessible

to logic, arguments and the jvas minute thinking
capacity. It can be understood, however, if we
accept scriptural statements endorsed by the
guru-parampar. The human intellect and
power of comprehension cannot conceive of the
condition of being simultaneously and equally
different and non-different. Nevertheless, we
certainly have to accept this principle as factual
and eternal because the stras have described it
in that way. r Caitanya Mahprabhu expounded
acintya-bhedbheda-tattva to Srvabhauma
Bhacrya in r Pur-dhma, and in K to
both r Santana Gosvm and the kevaldvaitavd r Praknanda Sarasvat.
rla Santana Gosvm has also established
this acintya-bhedbheda-tattva in his Bhadbhgavatmta (2.2.186) and in Vaiavatoan, and so have r Rpa Gosvm in Laghubhgavatmta, rla Jva Gosvm in the asandarbhas and r Baladeva Vidybhaa
in Govinda-bhya and Bhya-phaka.
rla Jva Gosvm has specifically established
acintya-bhedbheda-tattva in his treatise
Sarva-savdin, on the foundation of evidence
from Vednta-stra, the Upaniads and rmadBhgavatam. On the basis of the verse vadanti tat
tattva-vida in rmad-Bhgavatam (1.2.11), he
has proved that the advaya-jna para-tattva is
devoid of the three types of differences: svagatbheda, differences within itself; sajtya-bheda,
differences from others in the same category;
and vijtya-bheda, differences from others in
different categories. In this regard he has written
[in Bhagavat-sandarbha 14]: ekam eva ta
parama tattva svbhvikcintya-akty
sarvadaiva
svarpa-tad-rpa-vaibhavajva-pradhna-rpea
caturdhvatihate,
sryntara-maala-stha-teja iva, maala-

264

His

Life

and

tad-bahirgata-rami-tat-praticchavi-ramydirpea The Supreme Truth (parama-tattva) is

one. He is adorned with His natural, inconceivable
energy by which He eternally exists in full
splendour in four aspects: (1) svarpa, (2) tadrpa-vaibhava, (3) jva and (4) pradhna. To
some degree we can use the following four
examples to illustrate these four aspects of paratattva: the effulgence situated in the interior of the
sun planet, the sun globe itself, the rays emanating
from the sun and its remote reflected image.
The svarpa of para-tattva is indeed His tran
scendental form, His sac-cid-nanda vigraha.
His tad-rpa-vaibhava is His transcendental
abode, name, associates and collective para
phernalia used in His pastimes. There are
innumerable jvas who are classified as either
eternally liberated (nitya-mukta) or eternally
conditioned (nitya-baddha). The word pradhna
refers to the unmanifest material nature and the
whole gross and subtle inert creation arising
from it. Now that the oneness of the eternal
Supreme Truth in four manifestations has been
established, a question can be raised. How can
the Supreme Truth accommodate activities that
are eternally opposed to each of His four aspects?
The answer is that the intelligence of the jva is
distinctly limited; thus it is impossible for him
to understand bhagavat-tattva except by the
mercy of the acintya-akti of the Supreme Lord.
rla Jva Gosvm has not classified jva and
prakti as tattva. Rather, by establishing them as
akti, he has confirmed the non-duality of the
para-tattva. He has accepted the para-tattva
endowed with potency as para-brahma. If one
considers para-tattva to be devoid of potency or
attributes, the omnipotence and the completeness
of para-tattva, who is complete in six opulences,
is lost. Brahma is the Supreme Truth in whom

Teachings

Part
five

lies the integral potency to be great and also to

make others great. Since the sac-cid-nanda
para-tattva is one without a second, His akti is
also (a) aghaana-ghaana-payas, capable of
making the impossible possible, (b) composed
of sac-cid-nanda and (c) one without a second.
This one par-akti is manifest in three forms
savit, sandhin and hldin. On account of
the activities of this akti, brahma is eternally
established as saviea, possessed of form
and attributes. The akti of brahma exists in
two ways. When the potencies of Bhagavn are
situated within the vigraha of r Bhagavn and
are one with it, then they are manifest as potency
alone without shape. When they are manifest in
the form of the presiding deity of the akti, they
appear as the associates of Bhagavn and render
all of their varieties of service; then they are
called personified akti.
In Gauya philosophy, akti and aktimn
together are accepted as the one undivided,
non-dual truth. Only in Gauya philosophy is
the word acintya used to define the truth, or the
divinity, of His akti, which is beyond our material
sense perception. We do not see this mentioned
anywhere else. crya akara has referred to
para-brahma as acintya in his explanation of
Viu-sahasra-nma, and rdhara Svm has
also used the word acintya in his commentary
on Viu Pura. However, there is some
speciality in r Jva Gosvms consideration
of the word acintya. r Jva Gosvm has
pointed out that the word acintya means abdamlaka rutrthpatti jna-gocara, or that
which can be known through the statements of
the scriptures received in guru-parampar. We
have already explained this.
It is impossible for akti and aktimn to be
either absolutely different or absolutely non-

265

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

different from each other. In the Vedas we find

ruti-mantras indicating difference and others
indicating non-difference; both types of mantra
are evident. It is the incon
ceivable potency
(acintya-akti) of the one para-tattva which
reconciles this simultaneous difference and nondifference. This is also impossible to fathom by
human intelligence; it is understood only by taking
shelter of the evidence of stra as it is received
in parampar. Therefore, r Jva Gosvm has
accepted this acintya-bhedbheda-tattva.
Others, such as Bhskarcrya, the followers
of the Puras and the devotees of Lord iva,
have also accepted bhedbheda (difference
and non-difference), but their bhedbheda is
based on logic and is therefore refutable and
inconsistent. There is also some bheda (disparity)
practically and theoretically in the monistic
theory (kevaldvaita-vda) of the myvds.
However, the testing stone of scriptural evidence
shows that it is false to accept the non-existence
of my on the pretext of the indescribable
real-and-unreal advaita-vda logic. Therefore,
kevaldvaita-vda is imaginary and contrary
to stra. The theory of eternal difference
(bheda-vda) is also accepted in the doctrines of
Gautama, Kanda, Jaimin, Kapila and Ptajal,
but it is not in agreement with Vednta.
Natural bhedbheda or dvaitdvaita is
accepted even in the doctrine of Nimbditya
crya, but it is also incomplete. r Rmnujas
viidvaita-vda accepts the difference
between akti and aktimn, so r Rmnuja
can be called another type of dualist (dvaitavd). In the purely dualistic philosophy
(dvaita-vda) of Madhvcrya, because of the
acceptance of extreme bheda, there is an eternal
difference between the dependent tattvas and the
independent tattva, vara. In this philosophy,

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

five types of differences are eternal, real and

beginningless: the difference between (1) jva
and vara, (2) jva and jva, (3) vara and jaa
(inert matter), (4) jva and jaa and (5) jaa and
jaa. In addition to this, Madhvcrya accepts
the eternal sac-cid-nanda vigraha of Nartaka
Gopla. r Caitanya Mahprabhu accepted the
Madhva sampradya because of their strong
belief in the eternal spiritual form of the Lord,
and this is the fundamental foundation stone of
this acintya-bhedbheda.
There are some technical differences between
the philosophical opinions expounded by
previous Vaiava cryas because of some
incom
pleteness in them. The sampradyas
are different simply because of these technical
philosophical specialities. By the power of His
omniscience, r Caitanya Mahprabhu, who is
directly the para-tattva, has compensated for
the deficiencies in all these doctrines and thus
completed them. He has bestowed His mercy on
the world by giving the thoroughly pure, scientific
and realized conception of acintya-bhedbheda,
correcting and completing r Madhvas ideology
of sac-cid-nanda vigraha, r Rmnuja cryas
akti-siddhnta, r Viusvms uddhdvaitasiddhnta and tadya sarvasvatra, and the
dvaitdvaita-siddhnta of Nimbditya crya.
When we assess the statements from all limbs
of the Vedas, we find that one eternal truth is to
be known. This eternal truth is that the world is
real; it is not a false substance imagined out of
ignorance. It has arisen from the unimpeded will
of the Supreme Lord. It is not manufactured by
the jva. To attribute reality to something false
is called vivarta, illusion. Although the world
is perishable, it is real. It has arisen from the
glance, that is, simply by the will, of vara, the
possessor of inconceivable potency. There is no

266

His

Life

and

place for vivarta in this. Paramevaras my

called apar-akti, the inferior potency, has
created the inert material world full of moving
and non-moving entities in accordance with His
will. The principle of acintya-bhedbheda is
applicable to the whole universe. Although the
universe is real, its existence is not eternal. This
very fact is proved by the ruti-mantra, nityo
nitynm (Kaha Upaniad 2.2.13, vetvatara
Upaniad 6.13).
Exclusive bheda, exclusive abheda-vda,
uddhdvaita and viidvaita-vda are all
localized, or contextual, perspectives found
in some areas of the ruti-stra, which are
simultaneously opposed to the perspectives
found in other areas. But the doctrine of
acintya-bhedbheda is the most perfect and
complete conclusion of all limbs of the Vedas.
This very doctrine is the abode of the natural
condition of the jva and it is also consonant
with the reasoning of stra. The jvas eternal
relationship is not with this inert world. The
creation is not a transformation of vastu, the
para-brahma Himself; it is a transformation of
the akti of para-brahma. This gross and subtle
universe is merely for the jvas endeavour to
enjoy sense gratification.

Teachings

is devotional service (ilya-stra 1.2).

r Nrada-pacartra (quoted in Bhaktirasmta-sindhu 1.1.12) states: sarvopdhivinirmukta tat-paratvena nirmalam / hkea
hkea-sevana bhaktir ucyate Bhakti is
service rendered by the transcendental senses
to r Ka, the Lord of the transcendental
senses. Such bhakti, in which all endeavours
are undertaken for the pleasure of Ka, is free
from obstructions arising from the nature of the
body and mind. It is also pure; it is not covered by
the creepers of karma, reward-seeking activity,
or jna, knowledge in pursuit of impersonal
liberation.
rmad-Bhgavatam (3.29.1112) defines
bhakti thus:
mad-gua-ruti-mtrea
mayi sarva-guhaye
mano-gatir avicchinn
yath gagmbhaso mbudhau
lakaa bhakti-yogasya
nirguasya hyudhtam
ahaituky avyavahit
y bhakti puruottame
I am the Supreme Enjoyer, the Lord who
dwells within the hearts of all. When there
is unmotivated and unimpeded natural
affection for Me, and when simply upon
hearing My qualities, the mind flows towards
Me, like an unbroken stream of oil, just as the
Gag flows without interruption towards
the ocean. It is called nirgua bhakti-yoga,
transcendental devotional service.

Deliberation on uddha-bhakti
We have already mentioned that according to the
scriptures, bhakti is the only means of attaining
Bhagavn. Only bhakti can cause the jvas to have
the vision of Bhagavn and bring them into His
presence. Only bhakti can control Bhagavn, the
Supreme Person. We shall now deliberate upon
the intrinsic nature of bhakti.
In determining the definition of bhakti,
Mahari ilya has stated: s parnuraktir
vare transcendental attachment to vara

Part
five

Although such definitions of bhakti have

been given in the scriptures, Svayam Bhagavn
r Caitanya Mahprabhus dear associate
rla Rpa Gosvm has combined all previous

267

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

Only bhakti that is devoid of

definitions of bhakti, and has given in his

Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.1.11) a beautiful,
new definition, which is the life and treasured
aspiration of the Gauya Vaiavas:

the desires for material enjoyment

and liberation is called uttamabhakti this is the means to
attain prema for Bhagavn.

anybhilit-nya
jna-karmdy-anvtam
nuklyena knulana
bhaktir uttam

Uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service, is

the cultivation of activities that are meant
exclusively for the pleasure of r Ka. It
is the uninterrupted flow of service to r
Ka, performed through all endeavours of
body, mind and speech, as well as through
expression of various spiritual sentiments
(bhvas). It is not covered by jna
(speculative knowledge aimed at impersonal
liberation), karma (reward-seeking activity),
yoga or austerities; and it is completely free
from all desires other than for r Kas
happiness.

In this verse, both the intrinsic (svarpa)

and marginal (taasth) characteristics of bhakti
have been lucidly presented. The purport of the
words uttama-bhakti is pure bhakti. Karmamira-bhakti and jna-mira-bhakti are not
pure. The goal of karma-mira-bhakti is material
enjoyment, and the goal of jna-mira-bhakti
is liberation. Only bhakti that is devoid of the
desires for material enjoyment and liberation is
called uttama-bhakti this is the means to attain
prema for Bhagavn.
What is this bhakti? We shall describe its
intrinsic characteristic (svarpa-lakaa) and
its marginal characteristics (taasth-lakaa).
Its intrinsic characteristic is the full endeavour,
by body, mind and speech, and the cultivation

of loving sentiments (bhva) for the pleasure

of Ka. Endeavours and bhvas these two
remain ever-active to bring Ka delight. The
svarpa-lakaa, or intrinsic nature, of bhakti
arises when the special function of Bhagavns
svarpa-akti (the function of the essence of
hldin and savit) appears in the svarpa of
the jva by the mercy of r Ka or His devotee.
rla Rpa Gosvm has described the two
marginal characteristics, or taasth-lakaas,
of bhakti. The first is that bhakti is completely
devoid of all desires other than to serve Ka.
All types of aspirations other than to advance
ones devotion are opposed to bhakti, and they
are included within anyabhilit. The second
marginal characteristic is that it is not covered
by jna, karma and so on. Knowledge of the
oneness of jva and brahma, the smrtas daily
and occasional performances of prescribed
duties for the sake of material self-interest,
activities filled with indifference to Bhagavn
such as atonement (prycitta), knowledge of
atheistic skhya philosophy, dry renunciation
and so on these are all opposed to bhakti.
Only when the cultivation of activities for the
pleasure of Ka is free from these two types of
unfavourable marginal characteristics is it called
uddha-bhakti.
Sdhana-bhakti is the practice of uddhabhakti, which is performed under the guidance of

268

His

Life

and

uddha-bhaktas, after one has received initiation

and instructions from a bona fide spiritual
master. In Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.17, rla
Rpa Gosvm has described the six special
characteristics of bhakti:
kleaghn ubhad mokalaghutkt sudurlabh
sndrnanda-vietm
r-kkari ca s
uddha-bhakti has six characteristics:
(1) kleaghn it destroys all types of
distress, (2) ubhad it bestows complete
auspiciousness, (3) moka-laghutkt
it makes the attainment of liberation
insignificant, (4) sudurlabh it is extremely
rare, (5) sndrnanda-vietm it is the
embodiment of condensed bliss, and (6) rkkari it attracts r Ka.

In the very beginning of sdhana-bhakti, the first

two symptoms, kleaghn and ubhad, become
visible. Moka-laghutkt and sudurlabh are
then manifest in the stage of bhva, and in the
stage of ultimate attainment, or sdhya (prema),
sndrnanda-vietm and r-kkari are
observed in addition to the previously mentioned
four symptoms.
Sin, the desire to sin, the seed of sin, pious
activity, the desire to perform pious activity and
the seed of pious activity the destruction of all
these afflictions (kleas) is the first symptom of
bhakti. The second symptom of bhakti, called
ubhad, includes the following four qualities:
bhakti makes one pleasing to all, affectionate
towards all living entities and the abode of all
good qualities, and it also bestows pure happi
ness. These first two symptoms are observed at
the time of sdhana-bhakti.

Teachings

Part
five

The third characteristic is that bhakti renders

even the attainment of liberation insignificant
or worthless. The quality of sudurlabh, being
extremely rarely attained, is the fourth charac
teristic of pure bhakti. Although one may be
detached from sense gratification and may have
practised the limbs of bhakti for a long time, still
one may not attain it. These two characteristics
are the symptoms of bhva-bhakti.
The fifth characteristic is that bhakti is the
embodiment of condensed blissfulness, and the
sixth is that it attracts r Ka. These last two
features are the symptoms of the ultimate goal
of life (sdhya), or prema-bhakti. The first four
symptoms are also observed in the stage of
perfection (sdhya-bhakti). The first stage of
sdhya-bhakti is called bhva-bhakti and its
highest stage is called prema.
rla Rpa Gosvm has defined sdhanabhakti thus:
kti-sdhy bhavet sdhyabhv s sdhanbhidh
nitya-siddhasya bhvasya
prkaya hdi sdhyat
Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.2.2)

Sdhana-bhakti is the engagement of the

mind and senses in the limbs of bhakti for
the purpose of attaining bhva-bhakti. This
bhva is a potentiality which eternally exists
in the heart of the jva and is manifested in
the heart purified by sdhana.

This sdhana-bhakti is of two types, vaidh

and rgnuga. In vaidh-bhakti, ravaa, krtana
and the limbs of bhakti are not undertaken out
of a natural affection and inclination; rather they
are performed solely out of fear of scriptural
rules. The duties the stras prescribe for the

269

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

jva are called vidhi, and the prohibitions are

called nieda. To comply with these is to follow
the discipline of the scriptures. When the jvas
engagement in bhakti is out of fear of this
scriptural discipline it is called vaidh-bhakti:
yatra rgnavptatvt
pravttir upajyate
sanenaiva strasya s
vaidh-bhaktir ucyate
Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.2.6)

That bhakti in which the cause of engage

ment is not greed (lobha), but rather the com
mand of scriptures, is called vaidh-bhakti.

There are many limbs of sdhana-bhakti,

but in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu sixty-four limbs
have been described in particular, beginning with
accepting the shelter of a spiritual master (gurupadraya), accepting initiation and instructions
from ones spiritual master (dk-ik), serving
ones spiritual master (guru-sev), and so on.
Those sixty-four limbs are naturally included
within the nine prominent practices mentioned in
rmad-Bhgavatam (7.5.23). These nine limbs
are known as navadh-bhakti:

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

of bhakti such as ravaa and krtana out of

greed to attain the service of their worshipful deity,
Vrajendra-nandana r Ka. Rga is the quality
of natural, excessive absorption in the object of
ones devotion and attachment to it. Ka-bhakti
endowed with such rga is called rgtmikabhakti, and that bhakti which follows in the wake of
such rgtmika-bhakti is called rgnuga-bhakti.
In conclusion, vaidh-bhakti is subordinate
to the regulative principles and disciplines of
the scriptures, and rgnuga-bhakti follows in
the wake of rgtmika-bhakti. Neither of these
two are sdhya-bhakti; they are both sdhanabhakti. Only rgtmika-bhakti, the devotion
of the eternal residents of Vraja, Mathur and
Dvrak, is sdhya-bhakti. When one reads or
hears about their devotion, and greed, or lobha,
arises in the heart to attain it, one becomes an
eligible candidate for rgnuga-sdhana-bhakti.
Eligibility for vaidh-bhakti comes from faith in
the scriptures; eligibility for rgnuga-bhakti is
attained by greed for the loving sentiments of the
rgtmika devotees.
tat-tad-bhvdi-mdhurye
rute dhryadapekate
ntra stra na yuktica
tal lobhotpatti-lakaam

ravaa krtana vio

smaraa pda-sevanam
arcana vandana dsya
sakhyam tma-nivedanam

Some attain perfection even by practising

just one limb from among these nine. Some also
practise many at once. In fact, the chief result of
all the practices of sdhana-bhakti is one rati
for the transcendental Reality.
The second type of sdhana-bhakti is
rgnuga-bhakti. This is the method of bhakti
performed by sdhakas who practise the limbs

270

ka smaran jana csya

preha nija-samhitam
tat-tat-kath-rata csau
kuryd vsa vraje sad
sev sdhaka-rpea
siddha-rupea ctra hi
tad-bhva-lipsun kry
vraja-loknusrata

Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu
(1.2.291, 293, 294)

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
five

sdhaka should take shelter of vaidh-bhakti

until such association is available. One will
certainly enter rga-mrga by taking shelter of
the lotus feet of r Caitanya Mahprabhu.
The duty of those very fortunate sdhakas
who have attained greed for the moods of the
residents of Vraja is to practise rgnugabhakti. When such greed is evoked, there no
longer remains any taste for subjects other than
Bhagavn. One is released from sin, pious activity,
karma, akarma, vikarma, dry knowledge and
renunciation; and ruci, or taste, in the practice of
bhakti arises. rla Rpa Gosvm has written in
relation to the gradual development of bhakti:

The cause of rgnuga-bhakti is greed

(lobha) for the sentiments of the rgtmika
devotees. This greed is not aroused by the
arguments of the scriptures. Rather, pure
greed is the aspiration to become immersed
in the moods of the rgtmika devotees, and
it arises on hearing about the sweetness of
their feelings for Ka. Those who have
developed a greed to attain the moods of
Kas intimate associates of their own
choice will always reside in Vraja in their
sdhaka forms, their present bodies, and
with their siddha forms, their internally
conceived, perfected bodies, they will render
service following r Kas most dear
Vraja associates and those who are under
their guidance. Thus they will hear, chant
and remember the narrations of Kas
pastimes. This is the method of practice, or
sdhana-pral, for rgnuga-bhakti in
connection with Vraja.

dau raddh tata sdhusago tha bhajana-kriy

tato nartha-nivtti syt
tato nih rucis tata

Rgnuga-bhakti is of two types, namely

kmnuga and sambandhnuga. Kmnuga
is also of two types: sambhoga-icchmay
and tat-tad-bhva-icchamay. Sambhogaicchmay-bhakti means the desire to engage in
amorous meeting with r Ka. Tat-tad-bhvaicchmay-bhakti is the longing to experience
the sweetness of the moods of the Vraja gops.
At this point we must understand that r
Caitanya Mahprabhu has bestowed upon the
jvas of this world instructions that awaken
the desire to follow rgnuga-bhakti. Only
bhajana through rga-mrga is approved by
Him. If, by extreme good fortune, the jvas attain
the association of the dear associates of r Gaura
sundara, then greed for the mood of the residents
of Vraja must certainly be evoked. However, the

athsaktis tato bhvas

tata prembhyudacati
sdhaknm aya prema
prdurbhve bhavet krama
Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.4.1516)

This verse describes advancement on vaidhmrga, in which there is first faith (raddh),
then the association of sdhus and then the
eradication of unwanted desires (anarthas),
through engagement in bhajana. Immediately
after that comes nih, ruci, sakti and bhva.
In this process, bhva remains the sdhya, the
final goal, for a very long time.
With the appearance of transcendental
greed, however, unwanted desires (anarthas)
are vanquished very easily, because of a lack
of greed for other subjects; bhva also arises
simultaneously along with this greed. In rgamrga, it is only necessary to drive away

271

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

pretentiousness and duplicity. If these are not

driven far away, then the mind will become
highly agitated and anarthas will grow. In such
a condition, debased attachment will be mistaken
for pure rga. In the end, the association of sense
objects becomes very strong, and that attachment
becomes the cause of the jvas downfall.
The sdhakas who are under the shelter of
the lotus feet of r Caitanya Mahprabhu take
shelter of rgnuga-bhakti through pure spiritual
greed. After taking shelter of the lotus feet of a
sad-guru in vaidh-bhakti, such sdhakas serve
the deity. Then, associating with Vaiavas,
showing respect to bhakti literature, residing in
the places of the Lords pastimes and continually
chanting r Bhagavns names, they render
service to Ka within their minds by the path of
bhva. They completely follow the moods of the
residents of Vraja with their siddha-deha. Among
them, sdhakas who are extremely fortunate,
who have remained in the association of sdhus,
and who have taken shelter of harinma, which
is the best of the limbs of bhakti, are appointed
to the service of Bhagavn.
When taking shelter of harinma, there is
no consideration of regulations such as taking
formal initiation (dk) and preliminary puri
fying activities (puracary). They avoid chanting
a mere semblance of the holy name (nmbhsa)
and chanting with offences (nmpardha), and
gradually they come to the point of continuous
chanting. While chanting incessantly and
meditating on the merciful glance of the deity,
they constantly meditate on the holy name and
the deitys beautiful form. Gradually they begin
to review the aggregate of the qualities of the
deity, His form and name all at once. Immediately
thereafter they begin to reflect on all of these,
as well as the pastimes in accordance with their

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

own eternal identities (svarpa). Gradually rasa

also appears this is the ultimate attainment.
One special point worthy of attention is that the
appearance of rasa occurs within a very short
time if from the very beginning of the cultivation
of nma the sdhaka anxiously longs for rasa to
appear.

Love for Ka is the ultimate

objective of the jva
The parama-pururtha, or the supreme goal
of life, is prema. This is the principle for which
Brahm, the grandfather of the universe, and
Mahdeva iva, the god of gods, are searching.
It is also the most sought-after object for the
liberated jvas. It is the one and only object of
attainment of all spiritual practices (sdhanas),
and it is the ultimate goal delineated throughout
the entire body of the stras. In r Caitanyacaritmta, in the section known as rpa-ik,
jagad-guru r Caitanya Mahprabhu says:

272

brahma bhramite kona bhgyavn jva

guru-ka-prasde pya bhakti-lat-bja
ml ha kare se bja ropaa
ravaa-krtana-jale karaye secana
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 19.151152)

After wandering for a long, long time in this

material existence, some fortunate jva, by
the mercy of guru and Ka, attains the
seed of the creeper of devotion (bhakti-latbja) in the form of ka-sev-vsan, the
desire to serve Ka. He waters that seed
with the water of hearing (ravaa) and
chanting (krtana). It begins to sprout, and
develops into a creeper.

His

Life

and

Teachings

When uddha-sattva in the form of bhva

becomes mature, it evokes very thick mamat, or
feelings of possessiveness, for the object of ones
service, and this makes the heart extremely soft.
Such bhva, imbued with very thick mamat, is
called prema.

prema-phala pki pae, ml svdaya

lat avalambi ml kalpa-vka pya
th sei kalpa-vksera karaye sevana
sukhe prema-phala-rasa kare svdana
eita parama phala parama-pururtha
jra ge ta-tulya cri pururtha

samya masita-svnto
mamatvtiaykita
bhva sa eva sndrtm
budhai prem nigadyate

r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 19.162164)

The creeper pierces the coverings of the

uni
verse, and one after another traverses
the Viraj, the impersonal brahma-jyoti and
the spiritual planets of Vaikuha. Finally,
it climbs up the desire-tree of Vrajendranandana r Kas lotus feet in Goloka
Vndvana. There it bears fruits in the form
of prema. When the fruit becomes ripe,
it falls here in this world, and the gardener
tastes it. Taking support from that creeper of
devotion (bhakti-lat), he takes shelter of the
desire-tree of r Kas lotus feet and always
tastes the transcendental mellow (rasa)
of the fruit of prema. This very prema is the
crest jewel of all achievements for the jva.

Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.4.1)

If prema is compared to the sun, then bhva

is likened to a ray of that prema. In his definition
of bhva, r Rpa Gosvm says:
uddha-sattva-vietm
prema-suryu-smya-bhk
rucibhi citta msyakd asau bhva ucyate
Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.3.1)

That bhakti which is the embodiment of

uddha-sattva, which is compared to a ray
of the sun of prema, and which melts the
heart by various tastes, is called bhva.

Part
five

This can be expressed as follows: The savit

function of the self-manifesting svarpa-akti
is called uddha-sattva. Bhva imbued with very
thick mamat for Ka is the special function
of the hldin aspect of cit-akti. That supremely
astonishing bhva which arises when these two
mix together in the heart of a pure jva is called
viuddha-prema.
When bhva, or rati, which is the sprout of
prema, arises in the heart of the sdhaka, its
intrinsic nature produces the following collection
of anubhvas: knti, tolerance; avyarthaklatva, the habit of never wasting even a single
moment; virakti, detachment from worldly
enjoyment; mna-nyat, absence of pride;
-bandha, the hope that Ka will bestow His
mercy; samutkah, intense longing to attain
ones goal; nma-gne sad rucih, continuous
taste in nma-krtana; tad-gukhyne sakti,
attachment for the narrations of Kas pastimes;
and tad-vasati-sthale prti, affection for the
places of His pastimes.
The beginning stage of prema is rati. When
this rati becomes highly intensified it is called
prema. This rati is evoked in two ways: (1) by
the mercy of r Ka or His devotees, and

273

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

Gosvm

(2) by absorption in sdhana. In this world, rati

is generally born of absorption in sdhana.
The appearance of rati born purely from
mercy is rarely seen.
The rati arising from absorption in
sdhana is also of two types: (1) rati arising
from vaidh-bhakti-sdhana; and (2) rati
arising from rgnuga-bhakti-sdhana. The
rati arising from vaidh-sdhana-bhakti is
full of reverence for Bhagavns majesty and
leads to Vaikuha. In contrast, the rati arising
from rgnuga-sdhana-bhakti is full of the
loving service to Ka in Vraja.
Rgtmika-bhakti is always present in the
associates of r Ka in Vraja. The devotion
which follows in the wake of this bhakti is
called rgnuga. Rgnuga-bhakti has two
types of sdhana: external and internal.
External sdhana consists of practices such
as hearing and chanting which the sdhaka
performs by the body in which he is presently
situated. The service performed throughout
the eight periods of the day to the Divine
Couple r r Rdh-Ka Yugala in Vraja is
called internal mnas-sev.
Highly developed affection (prti), experi
enced merely as joy in the first stage when
it has not yet blossomed, is called rati. This
is attained in nta-rasa. When rati arises,
everything except for service to Ka seems
insignificant. When profuse mamat appears
within such rati, then it is called prema. This
is realized in dsya-rasa. That love in which
there is a higher sense of complete confidence,
and which becomes even thicker despite the
presence of causes for its destruction is called
praaya. This is observed in sakhya-rasa.
When this praaya assumes a surprising and
unusual state of prema, it is called mna. That

274

His

Life

and

intense prema which makes the heart extremely

molten is called sneha.
When sneha is imbued with intense longing
it is known as rga. With the appearance of
rga, even a moment of separation is intolerable,
and at that time, distress is felt as happiness.
When rga always experiences its object (the
most beloved Ka) in ever-fresh ways then it
is called anurga. In this stage there is visphrti
(the condition of being bereft of external
knowledge) at the time of separation. When that
anurga becomes more condensed and attains
an incomparably astonishing condition like
madness (unmda), it is called mahbhva.
When mahbhva arises, even the blinking of
ones eyelids at the time of meeting produces
an intolerable separation, and even a kalpa
(4,320,000,000 years) passes away like a moment.
In anurga and mahbhva, the combination
of all transformations such as sttvika and
vyabhicr is observed in a highly blazing
(mahdpta) condition. This very mahbhva is
the intrinsic nature of rmat Rdhik, whose
each and every limb is made of mahbhva.

Teachings

Part
five

This is the teaching of r Caitanya

Mahprabhu and it has been described by rla
Vivantha Cakravart hkura in a condensed
form:

275

rdhyo bhagavn vrajea-tanayastad-dhma vndvana

ramy kcid upsan vraja-vadhvargea y kalpit
rmad-bhgavata pramam amala
prem pumartho mahn
r-caitanya-mahprabhor matam ida
tatrdaro na para
Both Bhagavn Vrajendra-nandana r
Ka and the magnificent r Dhma
Vndvana are the exclusive objects of
worship. The mood in which the young
brides of Vraja have worshipped Ka is the
most excellent of all. rmad-Bhgavatam
alone is the immaculate evidence (abdaprama) and prema is the supreme objec
tive of life. This is the supremely worshipful
siddhnta of Caitanya Mahprabhu. There
is no other conception worthy of respect. Y

Part Six:

Protecting the r Brahma-MadhvaGauya Sampradya

agad-guru nitya-ll-pravia aottaraata r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat

Gosvm hkura preached extensively, and in a
very short time spread throughout the world the
pure bhakti, or prema-bhakti, as practised and
promulgated by r Caitanya Mahprabhu. It is by
his great endeavour that the sound of the mahmantra Hare Ka, Hare Ka, Ka Ka,
Hare Hare, Hare Rma, Hare Rma, Rma Rma,
Hare Hare is resounding in every part of the
world today. After his entrance into the eternal
pastimes of the Lord, the preaching current of
pure bhakti greatly diminished. At that time, the
followers of r Caitanya Mahprabhu, especially
the Srasvata Gauya Vaiavas, were attacked
from all sides. Some so-called Srasvata Gauya
Vaiavas were loudly propagating their own
ideas. In this dire situation, our rla gurudeva,
aottara-ata r rmad Bhakti Prajna
Keava Gosvm Mahrja, who was jagad-guru
rla Sarasvat Gosvm hkura Prabhupdas
intimate associate, accepted sannysa by rla
Prabhupdas inspiration. He then tirelessly
endeavoured until the end of his life to preach and
spread his gurudevas inner hearts desire. We are
presenting herein a brief account of how he made
the current of bhakti flow once again throughout
the world and how he protected his sampradya.
rla Gurupda-padma was a powerful and
profoundly philosophical crya, adorned
with immense genius and knowledge of tattva.

He preached pure bhakti in two ways. First,

he used scriptural evidence to establish the
ideas practised and preached by rman
Mahprabhu. Second, he refuted opinions that
opposed siddhnta, such as the anti-devotional
kevaldvaita-vda, or myvda (which is a
hidden form of Buddhism), sahajiy, smrta
and jti-vaiava, all of which are opposed to
uddha-bhakti.
It was rla Bhaktivinoda hkura, the Seventh
Gosvm, who reinitiated the flow of bhakti when
it had dwindled and almost disappeared. He
preached in the modern world the essential as
pects of Vaiava philosophy, such as bhagavattattva, akti-tattva, bhakti-tattva, my-tattva
and acintya-bhedbheda-tattva. rla Gurudeva
often declared that rla Bhaktivinoda hkuras
Daa-mla-tattva is the singular essence of all
the literatures of the r Gauya sampradya,
including those of the six Gosvms. rla
Gurudeva accepted rmad-Bhgavatam as the
immaculate scriptural evidence and the natural
commentary on Vednta-stra. Furthermore, he
said that the nma-prema-dharma (the religion
of chanting the holy name in pure love), practised
and propagated by rman Mahprabhu, is the
actual subject matter of Vednta. In order to
establish these three points, he expressed the
desire to publish a commentary expounding the
glories of r harinma, based on the doctrine of
abda-vda found in Vednta-stra.

279

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

rla Gurudeva also wanted to publish a

commentary based on the devotional conclusions
of rmad-Bhgavatam. He collected various
written materials and began to prepare an outline
of these two compositions, but he could not

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

complete it because of his sudden entrance into

nitya-ll. It was observed at times that it was
also his keen desire to publish commentaries
on all the prominent Upaniads according to the
viewpoints of his sampradya.

Refutation of pure monism (kevaldvaita-vda)

rla Gurudeva was clearly of the opinion

that pure bhakti cannot possibly be
propagated as long as the covered Buddhist
doctrine of myvda is present in the world.
He therefore refuted myvda with powerful
scriptural evidence and incontrovertible argu
ments, which we shall now summarize.
(1) Kevaldvaita-vda propounded by akara
crya is not Vedic. According to this doctrine,
that brahma who is devoid of attributes
(nirviea), without qualities (nirgua) and
devoid of potency (niakti) is the Supreme
Truth. Due to ignorance, illusion is created in
that brahma, who then identifies as a living
entity or the material world. Yet the question
arises, To whom does this illusion belong?
Some myvds say that this illusion
belongs to the living entity (jva) in the grip
of ignorance. Others say that brahma comes
under illusion and identifies as a living entity
or the material world.
rla Gurudeva would say that both of
these opinions are mistaken and opposed
to the meaning of the Vedas. To consider
that brahma is afflicted by ignorance is
thoroughly illogical and contrary to stra.
According to the Upaniads, brahma is real,
all-knowing and limitless (satya jnam
ananta brahma, Taittirya Upaniad
2.1). Apart from brahma there is no other
substance (ekam evdvityam, Chndogya

Upaniad 6.2.1). Brahma is described as the

embodiment of knowledge; the embodiment
of truth, past, present and future; unlimited;
one without a second; and the embodiment of
bliss. How, then, can brahma be afflicted by
ignorance? Furthermore, where did a second
substance, a substance called ignorance,
come from? An ignorance that can overcome
brahma does not exist, being neither eternal
nor real. How can ignorance touch brahma?
It is impossible.
One may assert [according to their
monistic philosophy] that it is the jva [not
brahma] that is in illusion, but that is also
quite illogical. What is the origin of this
independent jva-tattva that is separate from
brahma? If the answer is that brahma was
afflicted by ignorance and became the jva,
then brahma, not the jva, was the original
shelter of this ignorance (avidy).
(2) Some myvds say that brahma is not
covered by the deluding external energy
(my). Rather, vara (the Supreme Lord)
is the reflection of brahma in ignorance,
and the living entity is the semblance of
brahma in ignorance. They say that since
the reflection (the Supreme Lord) and
the semblance (the living entity) have no
transcendental existence, both are false. The
myvds explain this with the example of
mistaking a rope for a snake or an oyster shell

280

His

Life

and

for silver. The ropes apparent condition of

being a snake is false, but people make such
a mistake because a rope and a snake are
somewhat similar in appearance. Similarly,
the illusion of identifying as jva or jagat
can arise in brahma, but this is quite false.
rla Gurudeva pointed out that this
myvda doctrine is opposed to scripture
and logic. The myvds say that ignorance,
avidy, is not real: It is neither existent nor
non-existent and thus indescribable. This is
actually equivalent to saying that ignorance
is false (because its existence is neither
spiritual nor worldly). But it is totally
impossible for ignorance to cover brahma.
Furthermore, if brahma is undivided, form
less, unlimited and without attributes, how,
as they say, can it be reflected in ignorance?
For brahma to be reflected, it would have to
be divided, defined, possessed of attributes
and limited, and avidy would have to be a
separate, individual and real substance.
There is another objection. In the example
of mistaking a rope for a snake, there are
three separate and real substances: the snake,
the rope and the person making the obser
vation. Now, what does this example tell us
about brahma, the jva and ignorance (my,
the external deluding potency)? Does it imply
that these three substances are also real and
distinct from each other? If the myvds
accept such a proposal, the glass palace of
myvda collapses in self-destruction.
Another point is that throughout the
Vedas, the Upaniads and Vednta-stra, it
is stated that brahma is the creator of the
universe, and that brahma is omniscient,
omnipotent, and the unequalled and
unsurpassed Supreme Truth. For example:

Part
six

T e a c h i n gs

yato v imni bhtni jyante

yena jtni jvanti
yat prayanty abhisavianti
tad vijijsasva tad brahma
Taittirya Upaniad (3.1)

janmdy asya yata

Vednta-stra (1.1.2)

tad vio parama pada

sad payanti srayo
divva cakurtatam
g Veda (1.5.22.20)

sa kata
Aitareya Upaniad (1.1.1)

If the myvds opinion were to be

accepted, then these statements from ruti
would be nothing more than false, incoher
ent ramblings.
(3) Some myvds put forward the following
theory: Avidy, ignorance, is composed
of the three modes of material nature,
namely, goodness (sattva), passion (raja)
and ignorance (tama); and that ignorance is
dependent on brahma. In other words, they
say that ignorance has accepted the shelter
of brahma. This ignorance is known as
my, and its characteristics are vikepaakti, the potency that throws the living entity
into illusion, and varaa-akti, the potency
that covers the living entitys knowledge. The
jva, then, is the reflection of the conscious
brahma in the covering potency, and vara is
the reflection of the conscious brahma in the
potency that throws one into illusion. Thus the
reflection of brahma, vara, is non-different

281

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

from the reflected living entity, in terms of

material designations. Thus, vara thinks in
terms of I am the creator of the material world
and the jva thinks, I do not know who I am.
Sound scriptural contemplation and
reasoning, however, prove that this doctrine
is not authentic. The concept that ignorance
exists within the pure and self-manifest
Supreme Transcendental Entity (brahmavastu) is a complete contradiction, for the
nature of the two is directly opposite. If this
doctrine were to be taken as truth that by
nature, there is no fundamental difference
between brahma and avidy then ignorance
would perpetually support itself and would
continually afflict brahma with material desig
nations, because there is no one to destroy it.
This is thoroughly absurd. In the following
mantras of the Upaniads, brahma has been
accepted as the unequalled and unsurpassed
Supreme Truth (asamorddhva para-tattva),
the witness of the jvas, the regulator of the
results of karma, and the inconceivable,
omnipotent entity by whose mercy one can
easily be released from my. How, then, can
brahma be subject to the attack of my?
dv supar sayuj sakhy samna
vka pariasvajte
tayor anya pippala
svdv attyananann anyo abhickati
vetsvatara Upaniad (4.6),
Muaka Upaniad (3.1.1),
g Veda (1.22.164.20)

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

Paramtm does not taste the fruit. He is

situated as a witness.

This shows that the

Paramtm are not one.

jvtm

and

maydhyakea prakti
syate sa-carcaram
Bhagavad-gt (9.10)

r Ka says, My prakti (my-akti)

is the creator of this world of moving and
non-moving entities. Thus the world is also
real and true, but by nature it is mutable and
destructible. This statement establishes that
Ka is aktimn, the possessor of potency.
na tasya krya karaa ca vidyate
na tat sama cbhyadhika ca dyate
parsya aktir vividhaiva ryate
svbhvik jna-bala-kriy ca
vetvatra Upaniad (6.8)

Para-brahma r Ka is the unequalled

and unsurpassed truth. None of His senses,
such as hands and feet, are material by
nature. Since He has no material senses, He
performs all activities with transcendental
senses. It has been heard that Paramevara
has various types of divine potency, among
which three, jna-akti, bala-akti and
kriya-akti, are prominent. They are also
known as cit-akti, sandhin-akti and
hldin-akti, respectively.
yam evaia vute tena labhyastasyaia tm vivute tan svm
Kaha Upaniad (1.2.23),
Muaka Upaniad (3.2.3)

Paramtm and the jvtm reside like two

friendly birds on the branch of a ppala
tree, which represents the gross and subtle
body. The jva tastes the ppala fruits
according to his fruitive activities whereas

It is by His own mercy that the Lord only

reveals His transcendental form to one
whom He Himself accepts.

282

His

Life

and

T e a c h i n gs

nityo nityn cetana cetannm

eko bahn yo vidadhti kmn

to stra and to logic. We only see the

reflection of the sun in water because
the reflection, the sun and the water each
have their specific characteristics. But the
myvds say that the invisible brahma,
which is formless and without limbs or
attributes, is reflected in a shapeless avidy
to produce a reflection that is neither real
nor unreal, nor is it simultaneously real and
unreal. This is simply impossible.

Kaha Upaniad (2.2.13),

vetvatra Upaniad (6.13)

He is the Supreme Eternal amongst all

eternal entities, the Supreme Conscious
Being among all conscious beings. Even
though He is one, He fulfils the desires
of all.

Myvds say that brahma is knowledge

(jna), not the knower, or possessor of
knowledge. This being the case, one could
not possibly imagine brahma to have any
relationship with ignorance. Ignorance may
be seen for some time in the knower or in
one who possesses knowledge, but nescience
(ajna) is never evident in a substance
constituted exclusively of knowledge. This
is completely impossible because knowl
edge (jna) and ignorance (ajna) have
mutually contradictory characteristics.
(4) Some myvds say, Ignorance exists from
time without beginning and does not need the
support of a second substance. It is due to this
ignorance that the dualities of existence, such
as the jva, are imagined to exist in brahma.
If this is the case, who is the one
imagining in ignorance? If there is no second
entity to imagine anything, then it must be
the natural dharma of ignorance to conceive
of dualities such as the jva. Yet an objects
intrinsic nature, such as fires power to burn,
is inherent and can never be given up. Since
such a conclusion is against kevaldvaitavda, it therefore invalidates it.
(5) In Section 2, the myvds theory of
reflection is discussed. This idea is contrary

Part
six

(6) There is yet another objection to the

myvds imaginative theory of reflection.
The reflection of an observers face in a mirror
is separate from the observer himself. Yet if
the forms of the jva and vara are reflections,
then which separate observer observes this
reflection? Furthermore, if brahma and the
jva are taken to be reflections, then they must
be inanimate like the visible materials of the
universe. (All kinds of philosophers generally
maintain that all the visible materials of the
universe are inert.) Therefore, this idea is
also completely illogical.
(7) A reflected object is inert, with no capacity
either to imagine its identity or destroy it.
Thus, according to the theory of reflection,
the reflected jva is also unable to conceive of
itself as brahma or destroy the ignorance of
its false designation by genuine knowledge.
Now, according to the myvds, moka, or
liberation, is the destruction of the ignorance
that has taken shelter of the pure brahma.
But if the jva cannot even destroy its own
ignorance, how can he possibly destroy the
ignorance of brahma? It is impossible.
(8) [Myvds say that the jva is a reflection of
brahma, but when we consider the essential

283

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

differences between an object of vision

and its reflection, we see that this theory
is quite inconsistent.] The resting places
of an object of vision and its reflection are
separate, which is why our direct perception
of them is different. The sun and the suns
reflection each have their own separate,
individual resting places. The sun resides in
the sky, while its reflection resides in water.
An object and its reflection can never be one
under any circumstances, because they are
fundamentally different from each other. For
instance, the reflection is inverted and the
limbs appear to be on the wrong side. Besides,
a reflection is invariably unconscious, even
if that which is reflected is conscious. Since
the myvds say that brahma is like the
original and the jva is the reflection, the
theory of reflection actually teaches us that
the jva and brahma can never be one.

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

aivaryasya samagrasya
vryasya yaasa riya
jna-vairgyayo caiva
a bhaga itgan
Viu Pura (6.5.74)

One who is complete in the six opulences

of wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge
and renunciation is known as Bhagavn.

This mantra must be invalid if the

myvda doctrine is accepted.

(9) According to the aforementioned doctrine,

the jva is consciousness reflected in the
covering potency (varaa-akti) of illusion,
while vara is consciousness reflected in the
throwing potency of illusion (vikepa-akti).
In other words, the jva and vara are situated
in their separate individual designations. This
opposes the statement of Bhad-rayaka
Upaniad that vara is present in the hearts
of all living beings.

(11) Myvds say, Brahma is exclusively

composed of jna (knowledge), and its
relationship with avidy (ignorance) is
simply false conjecture. If it is so, then
the aforementioned doctrine can never be
established, because the imaginary water of
a mirage cannot be used for anything. In the
same way that the existence of an object can
never be established simply by observing
an imaginary reflection, then similarly the
reality of brahma cannot be ascertained
simply by observing its imaginary reflection
within illusion. This is because the jva and
vara are supposed to arise by reflection
of brahma in ignorance. But myvds
say that avidy has no reality whatsoever.
Therefore, the reflection in the form of jva
and vara can never arise by the imaginary
connection of ignorance with brahma.

(10) Suppose we accept that vara is conscious

ness reflected in my, that my is not the
akti of brahma, and that vara is without
potencies. Then all the opulences of vara
mentioned in stra would be invalidated.
Everywhere in stra, such as the Upaniads
and Vednta, vara has been described as
the repository of the six opulences:

(12) r akara crya states, brahma satya

jagan mithy jvo brahmaiva npara
brahma is true, the phenomenal world is
false, and the jva is brahma. To support
this opinion, he has accepted four contextual
statements from the Vedas and has very
cunningly tried to describe them as the chief
statements, or mah-vkyas, of the Vedas.

284

His

Life

and

Actually, throughout the Vedas, it is okra

that is accepted as the mah-vkya. These
four statements are never described as such
anywhere. Besides, their meaning completely
opposes akara cryas conclusions, so
he has crushed his own doctrine to powder
by introducing them.
The four contextual statements are as
follows: aha brahmsmi, prajna
brahma, sarva khalv ida brahma and
tat tvam asi vetaketo. The real purport of
these four statements is that the relationship
between the jva and brahma is that of the
servant and the served, and is of the nature
of prema. In tat tvam asi vetaketo it has
been distinctly stated, vetaketo! tva tasya
asi vetaketu, you are His! In sarva
khalv ida brahma, the word idam shows
that this world is brahma in the sense that
it is manifested by the satya-sakalpa-akti
of brahma, that is, the potency by which He
(brahma) manifests the world according to
His desire. This is because in literatures such
as the Brahma-stra, the potency (akti) and
the possessor of potency (aktimn) have
been considered non-different.
[r akara crya quotes the statement,
sarva khalv ida brahma, and at the same
time tries to establish that the world is false.]
If everything of this world is brahma, then
how did the whole universe become false like

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

a dream? In that case, the Vedas, Upaniads

and other scriptures that akara crya
quotes must all be false because they have
manifested in this world. By the same
logic, akara crya and his whole guruparampar must also be false. In any case,
what was the necessity for akara crya to
instruct the false people of a false world? Thus
the whole conclusion of the myvds is an
imaginative concoction opposed to scripture.
(13) Followers of akara have described the
world as false (mithy). However, if they
are asked, Is your universal falseness true
or false? they can neither reply falseness
is true nor falseness is false. If they say
that falseness is true, then the truth of the
falsehood of the world presents itself as
another truth that exists in the presence of
the reality, or truth, of brahma. However, this
invalidates advaita-vda, because brahma
is the only truth without a second. Besides, if
there is another truth, then the Vedic mantra,
ekam evdvitya brahma brahma is
one without a second, is lost.
Conversely, if akaras followers accept
the falsehood that the world is false, then
they affirm the truth of the world. [And
so they directly oppose the teaching brahma
satya jagan mithy.] It is quite clear that the
myvds conclusion that the material world
(jagat) is false is neither Vedic nor logical.

The protection of his sampradya

he followers of r Caitanya Mahprabhu

accept the r Gauya Vaiava
sampradya as the Brahma-Madhva-Gauya
Vaiava sampradya on the strength of the
guru-parampar. This is mentioned by the promi

nent Gauya Vaiava cryas rla Gopla

Bhaa Gosvm, r Kavi Karapra and Gauya
Vednta crya rla Baladeva Vidybhaa.
Thus Gauyas consider themselves to be a branch
of the r Madhva sampradya. Vaiava cryas

285

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

such as rla Jva Gosvm, r Kadsa Kavirja

Gosvm, rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura,
rla Bhaktivinoda hkura and jagad-guru r
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat have also accepted
this opinion. However these days some people are
trying to establish their own concocted opinion
that the r Gauya Vaiava sampradya is an
independent sampradya of which r Caitanya
Mahprabhu is the original founder.
r Sundarnanda Vidyvinoda and r
Ananta Vsudeva, together with a few others,
turned against their own guru and tried to prove
that the sampradya of rman Mahprabhu
is not included in the r Brahma-Madhva
sampradya. They claim instead that it is
included in the impersonalist advaita-vd
sampradya. Originally, r Sundarnanda
Vidyvinoda Mahodaya accepted in his crya
r Madhva that Mahprabhus sampradya is
part of the r Madhva sampradya. However,

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

afterwards he considered that his own previous

evidence was not authentic. In his later book
Acintya-bhedbheda, he tried unsuccessfully
to prove that the r Gauya sampradya is an
independent sampradya. All the arguments of
the party opposing the fact that the r Gauya
sampradya is in the r Madhva sampradya
are found in his book.
Paramrdhya crya kesar r rmad
Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja, who
is a lion for the elephant-like heretics, himself
wrote an essay entitled Acintya-bhedbheda,
wherein he presents scriptural evidence and
indisputable reasoning to refute all the arguments
in Sundarnanda Vidyvinodas book. This essay
has been published in several issues of the
Bengali r Gauya-patrik and the Hindi r
Bhgavata-patrik. We shall now briefly present
some of those arguments and evidence.

The r Gauya Vaiava sampradya is in the line of r Madhva

irst we shall mention some prominent

arguments put forward by r Sundarnanda
Vidyvinoda.

Objection 1: According to r Caitanyacaritmta and r Caitanya-candrodayanaka, r Caitanyadeva accepted sannysa

from a kevaldvaita-vda sannys, r
Keava Bhrat, and He referred to Himself
as a myvda sannys. In addition to this,
Praknanda Sarasvat, who was the guru of
the myvda sannyss of K, also described
Him as a sannys from a myvd sampradya
(r Caitanya-caritmta, di-ll 7.6667):
keava-bhratra iya, tte tumi dhanya
smpradyika sannys tumi, raha ei grme

rla Madhvcrya

286

His

Life

and

T e a c h i n gs

You are greatly fortunate to be a disciple of

r Keava Bhrat, You are a sannys of
our myvda sampradya, and You also
reside in this village.

sasra-samudra haite uddhraha more

ei mi deha samarpila tomre
ka-pda-padmera amta-rasa pna
mre karo tumiei chi dna

Sarvabhauma
Bhattcrya
has
also
accepted this: bhrat-sampradya eihayena
madhyama He is within the Bhrat sampradya
and therefore a second-class sannys (r
Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya-ll 6.72).

r Caitanya-bhgavata
(di-khaa 17.5455)

Please deliver Me from the ocean of material

existence. I offer Myself completely to you.
Please enable Me to drink the nectar of the
lotus feet of r Ka. I beg this charity from
you.

Refutation: This argument of the opposing party

is totally unfounded. After a jva has realized that
material existence in the chain of birth and death
is useless and distressful, he can recognize that the
attainment of service to the lotus feet of Bhagavn
is the supreme auspiciousness. Therefore, one
who is extremely fortunate accepts both initiation
(dk) and instructions (ik) from a person
who is thoroughly versed in the Vedic scriptures
(abda-brahma), who is adorned with realization
of Bhagavn and who is detached from sense
gratification. That jva then enters into paramrtha,
the acquisition of his highest spiritual objective. In
r Caitanya Mahprabhus human-like pastimes
(nara-ll), He went to Gay-dhma on the pretext
of making offerings for the benefit of His deceased
father (pit-rddha). There He offered Himself
fully at the lotus feet of r vara Purpda, who
was the bud of the desire-tree of prema and also
a supremely rasika and bhvuka disciple of r
Mdhavendra Pur, the root of that desire-tree.
prabhu bale,gay-ytr saphala mra
yata-kae dekhila caraa tomra
r Caitanya-bhgavata
(di-khaa 17.50)

The Lord said: My journey to Gay is

successful, because I am able to see your
lotus feet.

Part
six

ra dine nibhte vara-pur-sthne

mantra-dk chilena madhura-vacane
r Caitanya-bhgavata
(di-khaa 17.105)

On another day in a solitary place, with

sweet words, He requested r vara Pur to
initiate Him into the ka-mantra.
tabe tna sthne ik-guru nryaa
karilena dakara-mantrera grahaa
r Caitanya-bhgavata
(di-khaa 17.107)

The instructing spiritual master of the three

worlds, r Nryaa Himself, accepted
initiation into the ten-syllable mantra from
r vara Pur.

According to this section of r Caitanyabhgavata, r Nim Paita performed the pastime

of surrendering His heart at the feet of r vara
Pur. He prayed to him for the dk-mantra in order
to get release from material existence and to attain
r ka-prema, and r Purpda very affection
ately initiated Him into the ten-syllable mantra.
Sometime afterwards, r Nim Paita
accepted sannysa in Kav from the advaita-

287

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

vda sannys Keava Bhrat. After accepting

sannysa, He set off for Vndvana, saturated in
the madness of prema. When He arrived in Rhadea, absorbed in prema, He chanted a verse from
rmad-Bhgavatam (11.23.57):
et sa sthya partma-nihmadhysit prvatamair maharibhi
aha tariymi duranta-pra
tamo mukundghri-nievayaiva
I shall easily cross over the insurmountable
ocean of ignorance by rendering service
to the lotus feet of r Ka, which were
worshipped by the great is of ancient times,
who were fixed in firm devotion to Mukunda.
prabhu kahe,sdhu ei bhikuka-vacana
mukunda sevana-vrata kaila nirdhraa
partma-nih-mtra vea-dhraa
mukunda-sevya haya sasra-traa
sei vea kaila, ebe vndvana giy
ka-nievaa kari nibhte vasiy
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 3.79)

After accepting sannysa, Mahprabhu

said, This word of the tridai-bhiku is
supremely true because the vow to serve the
lotus feet of r Ka is fixed by accepting
this dress of the renounced order. Having
renounced dedication to material sense
objects, the purpose of accepting sannysa
is to attain partma-nih, single-pointed
devotion to the lotus feet of r Ka. I
have accepted this dress, so now I will go to
Vndvana and serve the lotus feet of Ka.

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

only accepted the external dress of the renounced

order from r Keava Bhrat because that dress
was favourable for the cultivation of bhagavadbhakti. He did not accept any advaita-vda
mantra or doctrine. On the contrary, throughout
His life He refuted kevaldvaita-vda and the
philosophical conclusions of myvda.
It is clear that r Caitanya Mahprabhu
accepted only r vara Purpda as His actual
guru, because it is r vara Purpdas pure
bhakti that He accepted, preached and propagated
throughout His life. r Mdhavendra Purpda
and r vara Purpda are included within the
Madhva sampradya, so rman Mahprabhu and
His followers, the Gauya Vaiavas, are also
included in the Madhva sampradya. Moreover,
r Caitanya Mahprabhus contemporary pastime
associates, r Nitynanda Prabhu, r Advaita
crya, r Puarka Vidynidhi, Brahmnanda
Pur and others, are also followers of the r
Madhva sampradya because they are all in
the line of r Mdhavendra Pur.
rman Mahprabhu always respected the
disciples of r Mdhavendra Pur as His gurus,
and He treated the disciples of r vara Pur
as godbrothers. Guru j haya avicray
one should not question the order of the guru.
According to this philosophical conclusion, He
accepted Govinda as His servant [on the order of
His guru]. It is proved by this that vara Pur was
actually His guru.

Objection 2: Because r Caitanya Mahprabhu

accepted sannysa from the kevaldvaita-vd
Keava Bhrat, He is to be included within that
sampradya.

In the aforementioned verse, the phrase partmanih-mtra vea-dhraa is particularly worthy

of consideration. It indicates that Mahprabhu

Refutation: If for arguments sake we accept

this proposition, then it should be noted that
r Madhva crya accepted sannysa from

288

His

Life

and

Acyutapreka, who also was a kevaldvaita-vd.

In that case, if Mahprabhu is a kevaldvaitavd sannys, then by the same logic, Madhva
crya is also. Where, then, is the obstacle to
rman Mahprabhus being in the Madhva
sampradya, if both of them accepted the
advaita-vd akaras sampradya?
A second point is that r Madhva crya
accepted eka-daa (a single staff indicating
the renunciation of the monists) according to
the customs and regulations of the akara
sampradya. It would be logically consistent
to say that r Caitanya Mahprabhu followed
his ideal example, and also accepted eka-daa
sannysa from a sannys of the akara
sampradya, namely r Keava Bhrat. From
this it seems clear that Gauya Vaiavas are in
the line of r Madhva crya.

Objection 3: Gauya Vaiava crya r

Jva Gosvm has not mentioned any sort of
relationship between the Gauya sampradya
and the Madhva sampradya anywhere in his
writings such as Tattva-sandarbha or Sarvasavdin. This idea has been introduced by
r Baladeva Vidybhaa, who was initiated
into the Madhva sampradya in the early part
of his life and only later entered the Gauya
sampradya. For this reason, he had a natural
inclination towards the Madhva sampradya.
Therefore, Baladeva Vidybhaa has forced
the issue out of prejudice, and has mentioned
the r Madhva sampradya in his commentary
on Tattva-sandarbha. In his Prameya-ratnval,
he delineated a guru-parampar that includes
r Caitanya Mahprabhu and His sampradya
within the r Madhva sampradya.

Refutation: These accusations are completely

groundless and imaginative fabrications. Actually,

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

Jva Gosvm acknowledged the tattva-vda of

r Madhva crya, the very guru of tattva-vda,
and took support from it when he compiled his
Tattva-sandarbha, Bhagavat-sandarbha and so
on. Not only this, but he also cited in his writings
the main substantiating verses of tattva-vda,
such as vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (rmadBhgavatam 1.2.11).
Among the four Vaiava sampradyacryas, only Madhva crya is celebrated as
tattva-vd. In the Madhva-Gauya sampradya,
r Jva Gosvm has personally established
tattva-vda, and therefore, the Vaiavas of that
sampradya are tattva-vds. In the third verse
of the auspicious invocation (magalcaraa)
of Tattva-sandarbha, r Jva Gosvm glorifies
his guru r Rpa Gosvm and his paramaguru r Santana Gosvm as tattvajpakau,
the cryas who proclaim tattva. Similarly, the
crest jewel of the dynasty of Vaiava cryas,
r Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu, has also
designated r Rpa and r Santana as
tattvavid-uttamau, the highest of all those who
know fundamental truths, in his commentary on
this same verse.
It is clear from this that r Jva Gosvm has
offered respect to r Madhva crya, and that
r Baladeva Vidybhaa has followed Jva
Gosvm in also honouring Madhva crya.
Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu has not shown
any prejudice towards Madhva crya. On
the contrary, if we compare Jva Gosvm with
Baladeva Vidybhaa, we find that Baladeva
Vidybhaa has glorified the two gosvms r
Rpa and Santana more than Jva Gosvm has.
There is no doubt whatsoever that r Baladeva
Vidybhaa is situated in the mnya-dhr,
the transcendental current of conclusive evi
dence, or the parampar, of r Gaura-Nitynanda

289

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prabhus and of rla Jva Gosvmpda, who

immediately follows Them.
According
to
bhgavata-parampar,
r Baladeva Vidybhaa is in the ninth
generation from r Nitynanda Prabhu, and
according to pcartrika-parampar, he is in
the eighth generation. Historians have accepted
his pcartrika-parampar as follows: r
Nitynanda, r Gaurdsa Paita, Hdayacaitanya, ymnanda Prabhu, Rasiknanda
Prabhu, Nayannanda Prabhu and r RdhDmodara. r Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu is
the initiated disciple of this r Rdh-Dmodara
and is also the most prominent ik disciple of
r Vivantha Cakravart.
Historians have declared that in no branch
of the Madhva guru-parampar were there any
brilliant scholars of such widespread fame as
r Baladeva Vidybhaa. In fact, at that time
no one in any sampradya anywhere in India
equalled r Baladeva Vidybhaas knowledge
in logic, in Vednta and in scriptures, such as
the Puras and Itihsas. It is true that he stayed
for some days in the most prominent maha
established by r Madhva crya in Up, and
that he studied r Madhvas commentary on
Vednta. However, the r Gauya sampradya
was more of an influence upon him than the r
Madhva sampradya.
It is logical and natural for such a worshipful
and scholarly personality as r Baladeva
Vidybhaa to follow in the lotus footsteps
of the most powerful and influential Vaiava
cryas of the Madhva-Gauya sampradya.
r Baladeva Vidybhaa thoroughly studied
the commentary of Madhva and also made
a meticulous study of the commentaries of
akara, Rmnuja, Bhskarcrya, Nimbditya,
Vallabha and others. It is illogical to say that he

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

rla Baladeva Vidybhaa

Historians have declared that

in no branch of the Madhva guruparampar were there any brilliant

scholars of such widespread fame
as r Baladeva Vidybhaa.

is included in each one of those sampradyas

merely because he had studied those groups of
philosophers.
r Baladeva Prabhu has described historical
events and quoted the conclusions of the previous
Gauya Vaiava cryas in many of his books,
such as Govinda-bhya, Siddhnta-ratnam,

290

His

Life

and

Prameya-ratnval and in his commentary

on Tattva-sandharba. He has enabled all the
philosophers of the world to understand that the
r Gauya Vaiava sampradya is included
within the Madhva sampradya. In this regard,
all the scholars of the world, Eastern and Western,
ancient and modern, have bowed their heads in
reverence, and have unanimously accepted the
philosophical conclusions and opinions of r
Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu.
r Baladeva Vidybhaa was sent by r
Vivantha Cakravart to protect the honour
of the Gauya Vaiava sampradya at Galtgadd in Jaipura. There he defeated the objecting
paitas of the r sampradya in a scriptural
debate. There are no second opinions about this.
Does this not show that r Vivantha Cakravart
hkura personally inspired his ik disciple
Baladeva Vidybhaa to prove that the Gauya
Vaiavas are in the line of Madhva crya? rla
Cakravart hkura sent his dk disciple r
Kadeva Srvabhauma with r Baladeva to
help him. Had r Cakravart hkura not been
so aged and weak at that time, he certainly would
have gone to Jaipura in person to take part in
this debate about the sampradya. He would
also have established the very same conclusion
as r Baladeva Vidybhaa. There is no sound
evidence to prove that r Baladeva Vidybhaa
was first an crya or disciple in the Madhva
sampradya. There may be hearsay and rumours
based on imagination, but no one has given any
substantial proof.
The opposition party has alleged that rla
Jva Gosvm has not mentioned anywhere in his
writings that Gauya Vaiavas are in the line
of the Madhva sampradya. This accusation is
born of ignorance and is absurd to the extreme.
In numerous places in Tattva-sandarbha, rla

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

Jva Gosvm mentions his being in the line

of Madhva. Moreover, while composing the
a-sandarbhas, he accepted the guidance of
cryas in the r Madhva sampradya, such
as Vijayadhvaja, r Brahmaya Trtha and Vysa
Trtha, and collected many scriptural proofs from
their literatures. It is true that he also quoted
statements of r Rmnuja crya and rdhara
Svmpda in many places, but he did not consider
them to be previous cryas of the r Gauya
sampradya. r Jva Gosvm has even accepted
the statements of sages of different philosophical
schools such as Kapila and Ptajali where they
are in accordance with bhakti. Nonetheless,
that does not mean that he is within those
sampradyas. One may establish a specific point
of siddhnta that supports the view of an crya
of a particular sampradya. That does not mean
that one is then a member of that sampradya.
Only when one establishes siddhnta by taking
all the opinions of the cryas disciple and
grand-disciple is he considered to be in that
sampradya, otherwise not.
In regard to this topic, we quote a few parts
from rla Jva Gosvms Tattva-sandarbha (28):

291

atra ca sva-daritrtha-viea prm

yyaiva, na tu rmad-bhgavata-vkyaprmyya pramni ruti-purdivacanni yath-dam evodharayni
kvacit svayam adkari ca tattva-vdagurm andhunikn rmacchakar
crya-yat labdhvpi r-bhagavatpaka-ptena tato vicchidya pracura-pra
crita-vaiava-mata-vie dakididea-vikhyta-iyopaiy-bhta-vijaya
dhvaja-jayatrtha-brahmayatrtha-vysa
trthdi-veda-vedrtha-vidvad-var rmadvcrya-caran bhgavata-ttparya-

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

bhrata-ttparya-brahma-stra-bhyaadibhya saghtni. tai caivam ukta

bhrata-ttparye

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

personally. These tattva-vd predecessor

gurus such as r Mdhavendra Pur have
accepted the discipleship of r akara
crya by accepting sannysa from cryas
in the akara sampradya. Nonetheless,
because of their strong inclination to
Bhagavn, they remained completely aloof
from akaras doctrines. They broadly
promulgated Vaiava conceptions, which
contain various specialities from the
conclusions of the cryas. The disciples
and grand-disciples of the renowned nanda
Trtha, such as Vijayadhvaja, Brahmaya
Trtha and Vysa Trtha, have collected
evidence from literatures such as Bhgavatattparya, Bhrata-ttparya and Au-bhya,
which were composed by rman Madhva
crya, the best of those who know the Vedas
and their inner purport.
In his Bhrata-ttparya, rman Madhva
crya has also written, By the grace of
Vednta and the Upaniads, I will establish
the siddhnta, since I know the confidential
mystery of various other stras. I have inves
tigated varieties of literatures from different
countries and I honour the conclusions
expressed in texts such as the Mahbhrata,
written by the direct manifestation of
Nryaa, r Ka Dvaipyana Vedavysa.
I am writing Tattva-sandarbha following
rman Madhva cryas words. I am accepting
statements quoted by him and those in his line,
without having personally seen the originals
of many of the texts, which are not widely
broadcast these days, such as Caturvedaikh and other rutis, the Garua Pura
and other Puras. This includes the Sahits
like the Mah-sahit and Tantras such as
Tantra-bhgavata and Brahma-tarka.

strntari sajnan
vedntasya prasdata
dee dee tath granthn
dv caiva pthag-vidhn
yath sa bhagavn vysa
skn nryaa prabhu
jagd bhratdyeu tath
vakye tad-kay. iti

tatra tad-uddht rticatur-vedaikhdy; puracagrudn samprati

sarvatrpracarad-rpam adika; sahit
camah-sahitdik; tantracatantrabhgavatdika brahma-tarkdikam iti
jeyam.
In the a-sandharbhas, I (Jva Gosvm)
have quoted various authentic scriptural
statements as evidence. This is to establish
the authenticity of my own interpretation
or opinion, which I have expressed in
this literature. It is not to try to prove the
authenticity of the statements or conclusions
of rmad-Bhgavatam. Bhgavatam, like
the Vedas, is self-evident (svata-prama)
and therefore does not depend upon any
second evidence. In the Sandarbhas, I have
quoted various statements of evidence from
the original texts of ruti, Smti, the Puras
and so on, exactly as I have personally seen
them in those literatures. Besides that, my
predecessor cryas from among the tattvavda guru-varga have cited evidence which I,
the author of Tattva-sandarbha (tattva-vd),
have also quoted, although there are several
of the original texts which I have not seen

292

His

Life

and

This evidence clearly proves that r Jva

Gosvm has indeed accepted rman Madhva
crya as the predecessor crya of the r
Gauya sampradya. Nowhere does r
Jva Gosvm make such a clear statement in
regard to r Rmnuja crya or rdhara
Svmpda. Specifically he has not accepted
all the conclusions of the disciples and granddisciples of any sampradya crya other than
Madhva. r Rmnujcrya had many disciples
and grand-disciples, and rdhara Svm also
had many disciples, but Jva Gosvm has not
recorded their names anywhere. What to speak
of mentioning Nimbrka cryas name, we
cannot find even a scent of his existence any
where in Jva Gosvms writings.

Objection 4: rla Jva Gosvm has described

the glories of rman Mahprabhu in a verse
in the invocation (magalcaraa) of his
Sarva-savdin. Praying to Mahprabhu,
he has described Him as sva-sampradyasahasrdhidaiva, the eternal presiding deity of
thousands upon thousands of sampradyas
established by Him. How, then, can He be included
within any other sampradya? He is personally the
founder of the independent Gauya sampradya.

Refutation: This objection is quite ridiculous. The

complete verse from the magalcaraa of Sarvasavdin reads as follows: durlabha-premapya-maya-gag-pravha-sahasra
svasampradya-sahasrdhidaiva r-r-kacaitanyadeva-nmna r-bhagavantam I
offer my obeiscences to r Ka Caitanyadeva,
the Supreme Lord. He enabled the flow of that
most rare nectar of prema for r Ka to
flow in hundreds and thousands of streams, by
becoming the presiding deity of His own chosen
sampradya.

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

r Sundarnanda Vidyvinoda and other

antagonists have interpreted sva-sampradyasahasrdhidaivam in this verse to mean the
presiding deity of thousands of sampradyas
which rman Mahprabhu has personally
inaugurated. The salient point here is that
rman Mahprabhu has not founded thousands
of sampradyas; He has established only one,
which is called the r Madhva-Gauya-Vaiava
sampradya. Therefore their interpretation is
completely erroneous.
r
Rasika-mohana
Vidybhaa
Mahodaya has interpreted sva-sampradyasahasrdhidaiva in another way, as the supreme
presiding deity of His own chosen sampradya.
This meaning is quite appropriate, and all
Gauya Vaiavas have accepted it. One may
say, rman Mahprabhu is Svayam Bhagavn,
and is directly r Kacandra. Is it necessary
for Svayam Bhagavn Gauracandra to consider
any other personality as His guru and accept
dk and ik from him? The answer is, Yes,
it is necessary when r Bhagavn performs His
human-like pastimes (nara-ll). r Rmacandra
has exhibited the pastime of accepting dk
and ik from Vaiha Muni, r Ka from
Sndpani Muni, and rman Mahprabhu from
vara Pur. These activities do not affect Their
bhagavatt, quality of being Bhagavn, even in
the slightest way. Svayam Bhagavn performs
such pastimes in order to give instructions
to the world. There is no question of rman
Mahprabhus bhagavatt, or tattva, being lost
if He is included in any sampradya.
It is not the personal duty of Bhagavn to
establish a sampradya; His devotees do that.
History shows that in all cases only viu-akti
or the servants of Viu have ever founded a
sampradya. Granted, r Bhagavn is the original,

293

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

eternal personality of santana-dharma, which

He Himself establishes, as is evident in scriptural
statements such as dharma tu skd bhagavatpratam (rmad-Bhgavatam 6.3.19) and
dharmo jaganntha skt nrya. Still, the
statement akart caiva kart ca krya kraam
eva ca (Mahbhrata, nti-parva 348.60)
shows that Bhagavn has no direct engagement
in the business of establishing a sampradya.
Rather, He accomplishes this task through His
empowered representatives. If this were not so,
then instead of the Brahm, Rudra, Sanaka and
r sampradyas, there would be the Vsudeva,
Sakaraa and Nryaa sampradyas.

Objection 5: While touring in South India,

rman Mahprabhu went to Up. There He had
a discussion with a tattva-vd crya who was in
r Madhva cryas sampradya. Mahprabhu
refuted the views of the tattva-vds, so He can
never be included in that sampradya.

Refutation: rman Mahprabhu did not directly

refute Madhva cryas ideas about uddhabhakti. Rather, He refuted the distorted opinions
of the tattva-vds which had entered into the
Madhva sampradya in the course of time.
Readers can understand this simply by looking in
this section of r Caitanya-caritmta (Madhyall 9.276277):
prabhu kahe,karm, jn,dui bhakti-hna
tomra sampradye dekhi sei dui cihna
sabe, eka gua dekhi tomra sampradye
satya-vigraha vare, karaha nicaye
The Lord said: Fruitive workers (karms) and
speculative philosophers (jns) are devoid
of devotion, and it is seen that both of these
are respected in your sampradya. Still, in

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

your sampradya there is one very great

quality the deity form of Bhagavn has
been accepted. Not only this, but the deity has
also been accepted as Vrajendra-nandana
r Ka Himself. He is worshipped in your
sampradya in the form of the dancing
Gopla.

This proves that rman Mahprabhu refuted

the distortions that later entered the Madhva
sampradya in the course of time. He did not
refute Madhva cryas opinions on uddhabhakti or the fundamental philosophical
conclusions that he expressed in his commen
taries. On the contrary, we have already shown
that literatures such as Tattva-sandarbha and
Sarva-savdin have been based on the
conclusions of r Madhva and his disciples and
grand-disciples. In this connection we should
point out that a difference of sampradya does
not generally arise from some minor difference
of opinion. Rather, the difference between
sampradyas comes from the differences in doc
trine regarding the principal object of worship.

Objection 6: Some people criticize Madhva

cryas doctrine, saying that it includes the
following specific points: (a) liberation is only
attained by brhmaas who have taken birth in
a brhmaa dynasty; (b) among devotees, the
demigods are prominent; (c) only Brahm merges
with Viu; (d) Lakmj is in the category of jva;
and (e) the gops are in the category of the apsars
of Svarga, the heavenly damsels. However, in the
opinion of r Caitanya Mahprabhu and the
Vaiava cryas in His line, these conceptions
of Madhva are contradictory to the conclusions
of uddha-bhakti. Under such circumstances,
why would r Caitanyadeva accept the Madhva
sampradya? That being the case, how can the

294

His

Life

and

cryas following in His Gauya sampradya

be included within the Madhva sampradya?

Refutation: When r Baladeva Vidybhaa

was in Galt-gadd in Jaipura, he used scriptural
evidence and infallible logic to break to pieces all
these arguments of the opposition party. He quoted
the conclusions of Madhva crya as well as
those of his disciples and grand-disciples, such as
Vijayadhvaja, Brahmaya Trtha and Vysa Trtha.
r Baladeva Vidybhaa has refuted all such
accusations in his books, such as his commentary
on Tattva-sandarbha, his Govinda-bhya,
Siddhnta-ratnam and Prameya-ratnval, and
he has proved that the r Gauya sampradya
is included within the Madhva sampradya.
In the Galt-gadd assembly, r Baladeva
Vidybhaa proved that r Madhva consid
ered Laksmj to be the dear consort of Viu.
r Madhva taught that her spiritual body is
composed of knowledge and pleasure and, like
Viu, she is also completely free from defects,
such as the misery of being confined in the womb
prior to birth. She is all-pervading, and she also
enjoys in unlimited forms along with the unlimited
forms of r Viu. When the avatra of Viu
descends, Lakm also descends and reigns in the
form of that avatras dear beloved consort. Like
Viu, Lakm also has various names and forms
(r Madhvas Bhad-ranyaka-bhya 3.5).
Furthermore, Lakm-dev is Vius sub
servient embodiment of all knowledge. She is also
superior to and more qualified than Catur-mukha
Brahm. She resides on the limbs of Bhagavn in
the form of various types of ornaments, and it is
she who manifests all facilities for the pleasure
of Viu, such as His bed, seat, throne, ornaments
and so on. (r Madhva cryas explanation
of Brahma-stra 4.2.1, supported by rmadBhgavatam 2.9.13)

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

Nowhere has r Madhva described r

Lakm to be in the category of jva. Similarly, the
ideas that only brhmaas attain liberation, that
the demigods are the prominent devotees, that
only Brahm merges with Viu and so on, are all
foreign to the Madhva sampradya.
On this subject, rla Bhaktivinoda hkura
has explained in his rman Mahprabhu k
ik why r Caitanya Mahprabhu accepted the
Madhva sampradya: r Jva Gosvm, having
determined the authenticity of the Vedic scrip
tures, has also ascertained the authenticity of the
Puras. Ultimately he has proved that rmadBhgavatam is the crest jewel of all evidence. He
has shown that the same characteristic qualities
that qualify rmad-Bhgavatam as the topmost
evidence also apply to the scriptures endorsed
by Brahm, Nrada, Vysa and ukadeva, and
after them, in sequence, Vijayadhvaja, Brahmaya
Trtha, Vysa Trtha and their tattva-guru, r
Madhva crya. These scriptures, then, are also
in the category of authentic literatures.
It is evident from this that the BrahmaMadhva sampradya is the guru-pral, or
guru-parampar, of the Gauya Vaiavas
who have taken shelter of rman Mahprabhu.
Kavi Karapra confirmed this same idea in
his delineation of the guru-parampar in his
Gaura-ganoddea-dpik. The commentator of
Vednta-stra, r Baladeva Vidybhaa, has
also accepted this same succession. There is no
doubt at all that those who do not accept this
succession are prominent enemies of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu and of the Gauya Vaiavas who
are following in His footsteps.
The doctrine of bhedbheda or dvaitdvaita,
which Nimbditya propounded, is incomplete.
In accepting the teachings of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu the Vaiava world has attained

295

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

the complete perfection of the doctrine of

bhedbheda. The principal foundation-stone of
the philosophy of acintya-bhedbheda is saccid-nanda vigraha, and it is because r Madhva
crya has accepted the sac-cid-nanda vigraha
that r Caitanya Mahprabhu accepted the r
Madhva sampradya.
There is a technical difference between the
philosophical ideas propagated by the previous
Vaiava cryas, because they are slightly
incomplete. This technical difference marks
the difference in sampradya. r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, who is directly the Supreme Truth,
has, by the power of His omniscience, completed
and made flawless those conceptions that were
suffering from some deficiency Madhva
cryas philosophical conclusion regarding the
Lord as the concentrated essence and embodi
ment of eternality, knowledge and bliss (sac-cidnanda nitya-vigraha), Rmnuja cryas
conclusion regarding the Lords potency
(akti-siddhnta), Viu Svms philosophy of
purified non-dualism (uddhdvaita siddhnta)
and the sentiment of exclusive dependence on
Ka (tadya sarvasvatva), and Nimbdityas
philosophy of simultaneous dualism and nondualism between the Lord and the living entity
(nitya dvaitdvaita siddhnta) and has given
His own thoroughly pure and realized doctrine
of inconceivable, simultaneous separateness and
oneness (acintya-bhedbheda), thus showing
compassion to the world.
Another reason for rman Mahprabhus
acceptance of Madhvas conception is that r
Madhvas doctrine distinctly refutes myvda,
or kevaldvaita-vda, which is opposed to
bhakti-tattva in all respects. A third point is that
r Madhva crya manifested and worshipped
Nanda-nandana, the dancing Gopla, in Up.

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

When r Caitanya Mahprabhu had darana of

the deity, He became overwhelmed in ecstatic love
and began to dance. He had not seen such a deity
anywhere else during his tour of South India.
This is also powerful evidence for His being in
r Madhvas line.
In his r Ka-vijaya, r Guarja Khn
wrote the line, nanda-nandana kamora
prantha Nanda-nandana Ka is the
Lord of my life (quoted in r Caitanyacaritmta, Madhya-ll 15.100), and for this
utterance, r Caitanya Mahprabhu sold Himself
forever into the hands of r Guarja Khns
descendants. Why, then, would He not sell Himself
to the parampar of those disciples and granddisciples for whom Nanda-nandana NtyaGopla is their most worshipful Lord? This is also
specific evidence that the Gauya sampradya
is in the line of Madhva.
Although there is some slight difference of
opinion between Gauya Vaiavas and r
Madhva in regard to brahma, jva and jagat, this
simple difference of opinion is not the cause
of a difference of sampradya. The difference
between Vaiava sampradyas has been
created on the basis of a difference in the object
of worship (upsya-tattva), or on the basis of
gradations of excellence in aspects of paratattva. Even if there is some slight difference
in regard to sdhya-, sdhana- and sdhakatattva, this is rarely considered to be the cause
of a difference of sampradya. Actually, the main
cause of distinct sampradyas is the difference in
realization of para-tattva or upsya-tattva. This
was why rman Mahprabhu overlooked the
philosophical differences with the tattva-vds
and, focusing on their worship of para-tattva
dancing Gopla, accepted r Madhva crya as
the prominent sampradya crya.

296

His

Life

and

Objection 7: Some persons who are ignorant

of sampradya-tattva say, r Mdhavendra
Pur and vara Pur cannot be sannyss in the
Madhva sampradya because they are designated
by the name Pur, whereas sannyss in the
Madhva sampradya are called Trtha. If r
Mdhavendra Pur is not included in the Madhva
sampradya, then there are no grounds for
claiming that rman Mahprabhu has accepted
the Madhva sampradya.

Refutation:

r Mdhavendra Purpdas
title Pur is his sannysa name. Actually, he
was the initiated disciple of Lakmpati Trtha,
who was in the r Madhva sampradya. r
Mdhavendra Purpda later accepted sannysa
from a sannys bearing the name Pur, just as
rman Mahprabhu first accepted dk from
r vara Pur and later manifested the pastime
of accepting sannysa from r Keava Bhrat.
There is no rule stating that the dk-guru and
sannysa-guru have to be the same person. In
some cases they may be and in others not. r
Madhva crya himself was first initiated into
a Vaiava sampradya by the viu-mantra,
and after that he accepted sannysa dress from
an advaita-vd, Acyutapreka. After some days,
r Madhva crya influenced Acyutapreka and
brought him into the Vaiava conception. Even
after taking sannysa from an advaita-vd, r
Madhva crya did not accept advaita-vda. On
the contrary, he powerfully refuted all the ideas
of advaita-vda and, having established tattvavda, he preached and spread it everywhere.
The same is also seen in the life of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu.
It is true that sannyss in the Madhva
sampradya are called Trtha, but Trtha is not
the title of ghastha Vaiavas or brahmacrs

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

in that sampradya. Since r Mdhavendra

Pur did not have the title Trtha before taking
sannysa, when he accepted the dress of the
renounced order from a sannys in the advaitasampradya, his title had to be Pur. This is not
illogical.

Objection 8: Some say that the goal (sdhya)

and the practice (sdhana) of the r Madhva
sampradya differ from that of the r Gauya
sampradya. Therefore, the r Gauya
sampradya cannot be considered to be within
the r Madhva sampradya.

Refutation: This objection is thoroughly false

and rooted in ignorance. r Madhvas doctrine
acknowledges bhagavad-bhakti as the sdhana
in all respects. As with r Gauya Vaiavas, the
initial sdhana prescribed for kaniha-adhikr
sdhakas, neophyte practitioners, is to offer
the results of ones fruitive activities to Ka.
However, bhagavat-parama-prasda sdhana,
i.e., uddha-bhakti, has been established as the
principal practice.
r Madhva crya has established bhakti,
as we see in his commentary on Vednta-stra
(3.3.53) where he quotes from Mhara-ruti:
bhaktir evaina nayati bhaktir evaina
darayati / bhakti-vaa puruo bhaktir eva
bhyas It is only unalloyed bhagavad-bhakti
that carries the jvas to Bhagavn and brings
about an audience with Him and eternal
engagement in service to Him. Bhagavn is only
controlled by bhakti. In the commentary of stra
3.3.45 he writes, varhe caguru-prasdo
balavn na tasmd balavattaram / tathpi
ravadi ca kartavyo moka-siddhaye The
mercy of r gurudeva is more powerful than
anything else for attaining the perfection of
liberation in the form of service to Vius lotus

297

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

feet. Yet it is still necessary to engage in the limbs

of sdhana-bhakti such as ravaa and krtana.
In his Mahbhrata-ttparya-niraya1, the
position of bhakti is seen throughout: sneho
bhaktir iti prokta tay muktir na cnyath
liberation is obtained only through loving devo
tion, and not otherwise (1.85) and bhaktyaiva
tuyati hari-pravaa tvam eva one can please
Hari only by devotion (2.55). We have not given
more evidence simply because of lack of space.
In the Madhva sampradya, love of Bhagavn
is the only goal. Although in some places
rman Madhva crya has accepted moka, or
liberation, as the goal. His definition of moka is
viavghri lbha mukti liberation is the
attainment of service to the lotus feet of Viu.
Thus, the r Madhva sampradya accepts
the definition of mukti presented in rmadBhgavatam (2.10.6): muktir hitvnyath
rpa svarpea vyavasthiti The jva
carries the conception of I and mine arising
from the gross and subtle designations, which
are accomplished by the action of my. Mukti
means to be released from this false identity
and to be established in rendering loving service
to Bhagavn in ones pure constitutional form.
Madhva cryas mukti is not syujya-mukti,
or merging with brahma, which akarcrya
speaks about. Rather, it is based on love of
Bhagavn. Nowhere has he accepted syujya in
the form of the oneness of brahma and jva. On
the contrary, he has refuted it in every way. r
Madhva is well-known as bheda-vd because
he accepts that the jva and brahma are different
both in the stage of bondage and in the stage of
liberation abheda sarva-rpeu jvabheda
sadaiva hi.
1 Editor: rman Madhva cryas commentary on
Mahbhrata

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

Although rman Madhva emphasizes bheda

(difference), he does not at all disregard the
rutis which indicate abheda (non-difference);
instead he has accepted their compatibility. In
other words, we find a hint of the acceptance
of acintya-bhedbheda, as rla Jva Gosvm
has suggested in his Sandharbhas. According to
Vednta, akti-aktimator abheda the potency
and the potent are non-different. An indication
of acintya-bhedbheda is found in a statement
from Brahma-tarka which r Madhva supported:
vieasya viitasypy
abhedas tadvad eva tu
sarva ccintya-aktitvd
yujyate paramevare
tac chaktyaiva tu jveu
cid-rpa-praktvpi
bhedbhedau tad-anyatra
hyubhayor api darant

Thus there is no particular difference between

Madhva crya and r Caitanya Mahprabhu
regarding sdhya and sdhana. Whatever slight
differences are evident are details only.
The Madhva and Gauya sampradyas bear
a distinct similarity. The sannyss presiding
over the eight mahas of the tattva-vds in
Up perform bhajana in the mood of the gops
under the guidance of r Kas eight beloved
nyiks, or heroines, in Vraja. On this subject,
r Padmanbhacr, the author of r Madhva
cryas biography, has written:
The monks who take charge of Sri Krishna
by rotation, are so many gopees of Brindavan,
who moved with and loved Sri Krishna with an
indescribable intensity of feeling, and are taking
rebirths now for the privilege of worshipping
Him (Life and Teachings of Sri Madhvacharya
by C. M. Padmanabhachar, Chapter XII, page 145).

298

His

Life

and

Even today, the service of Yaod-nandana

dancing Gopla continues in the main maha
in Up. rla Madhva crya has praised his
worshipful dancing Gopla r Ka in this way
in the fifth verse, Chapter Six of his Dvdaastotram:
devaki-nandana nanda-kumra
vndvanjana gokula-candra
kandaphalana sundara-rpa
nandita-gokula vanditapda
The son of Devak and Nanda, whose
lotus feet are worshipful, is the ornament
of Vndvana, and the moon of Gokula.
Possessed of exquisite beauty, He delights
the residents of Vraja and He eats the roots
of the forest as He wanders about.

Similarly, in the r Gauya Vaiava

sampradya, service to r Ka, under the
guidance of the gops, has been ascertained as
the ultimate goal, or sdhya, in the writings of
rla Rpa, Santana, Raghuntha, Kadsa
Kavirja Gosvms and others.
In this way, by evaluating the opinions of
the Gauya Vaiava cryas from first to last,
one can conclude that the r Gauya Vaiava
sampradya is included within the r Madhva
sampradya and that this is consistent with
reason in all respects.

Objection 9: The Madhva sampradya is

bheda-vd, whereas the Gauya sampradya is
acintya-bhedbheda-vd. Therefore, there is a
vast difference of opinion between them.
Refutation: We have said previously that
although the Madhva sampradya accepts five
kinds of difference, or bheda, between brahma,
jva and jagat, still there is a hint of acintyabhedbheda-vda in their teachings. The Vedic

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

scriptures give evidence for both bheda and

abheda in relation to brahma, the individual soul
(jva) and the material world (jagat). However,
although there is both bheda and abheda, we
only have experience of difference, not nondifference. In the field of bhakti, the difference
(bheda) between upsya, the object of worship,
and upsaka, the worshipper, is the backbone
of worship, and this bheda is proved both in
the stage of practice and the stage of perfection.
Otherwise, if there were no difference between
the worshipper and the object of worship, then
worship would not be possible. Thus, although
there may be some dissimilarities between the
r Gauya and Madhva sampradyas, this can
not be the cause of a difference in sampradya.
The object of worship is Bhagavn, the method of
worship is bhakti, and the objective is moka in
the form of bhagavat-sev. Vaiavas of the four
Vaiava sampradyas hold slightly different
opinions in regard to these tattvas, but we cannot
say that they are fundamentally different. They
are all adherents to the same religious principles.
The
difference
between
Vaiava
sampradyas has been created only on the
basis of difference in their worshipful deity, or a
difference of excellence in regard to the ultimate
Reality, para-tattva. Though there may even exist
divergences in sdhya-, sdhana- and sdhakatattva, this is rarely considered a difference in
sampradya. Actually, the principal cause of
differences between sampradyas is diversity in
realization of the ultimate Reality (para-tattva),
or the worshipful deity (upsya-tattva). The
worshipful deity is determined by the degree of
excellence exhibited.
r Murri Gupta is one of Mahprabhus
confidential associates and he is described in
the Gauya sampradya as an incarnation

299

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

of Hanumn. Although rman Mahprabhu

explained to him that Vrajendra-nandana r
Ka has more mdhurya, or sweetness, than
Bhagavn r Rmacandra, Murri Gupta was
not attracted to worshipping Ka. His
worshipful Lord was Rma, and he continued
being devoted to r Rma until the very end.
rman Mahprabhu was most pleased to see
his unmovable dedication.
rvsa Paita is also one of the principal
associates of Mahprabhu. His worshipful deity
is r Lakm-Nryaa, and r Karapra
considered him to be an incarnation of r
Nrada. It is well-known that he personally
preferred the worship of Lakm-Nryaa to
Mahprabhus unnata-ujjvala-rasa, the most el
evated relationship of divine amorous love.
Some ignorant and misguided persons say
that there is a difference of opinion between
r Rpa Gosvm and Jva Gosvm because
r Jva did not accept the formers explanation
of the parakya-rasa (paramour love) of the
vraja-gops and instead supported svakya-rasa
(married love). Therefore, they say that there is
a disagreement in the philosophy of r Rpa
Gosvm and r Jva Gosvm. But this accusation
is completely unfounded and incorrect. The truth

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

is that r Jva Gosvm supported svakya-vda

for the benefit of some of his followers who had
taste for svakya-rasa. His internal consideration
was that unqualified persons entering into the
transcendentally wonderful parakya vraja-rasa
should not fall into any adulterous behaviour.
It is offensive to consider r Jva Gosvm an
opponent of the transcendental vraja-rasa, and
he is not considered to be outside the Gauya
sampradya on account of this simple [apparent]
divergence of views.
We also see differences of opinion among the
cryas of the myvd, or kevaldvaita-vd,
sampradya. The myvds themselves accept
that these inherent contrarieties exist. However,
they are all within the advaita-vd akara
sampradya. Some believe in vivarta-vda,
some believe in bimba-pratibimba-vda, some
have accepted avicchinna-vda, some admit
bhsa-vda, and they have refuted each others
opinions. Even so, they are included within the
same sampradya.
Similarly, although there are some slight
mutual differences of opinion between the r
Madhva and the r Gauya sampradya, it is
thoroughly appropriate to accept that the Gauya
Vaiava sampradya follows Madhva crya.

Refutation of the doctrines of the smrta opponents of bhakti

crya kesar rla Bhakti Prajna Keava

Gosvm refuted the doctrines of the
smrtas, who are bereft of devotion, while he
was preaching uddha-bhakti in vast religious
assemblies in West Bengals Medinpura,
Caubsa Paragan, Barddhamn, Kcabihra,
Mthbhg and also in Assam. I [the author]
am presenting herein whatever ideas I recorded
from those speeches in my notebook.

Smrtas are those who know and follow

the smti-stras, or scriptures of prescribed
regulations manifested by four-headed Brahm,
Nrada, Vysa, Manu, Yjavalkya and others, for
executing the practical duties of life. There are
two kinds of smti-stra: laukika, worldly, and
pramrthika, transcendental. Pramrthikasmtis are those smti-stras which support
the regulations of the principal subject, namely,

300

His

Life

and

bhagavad-bhakti, which is established in the

Vedas, Upaniads, Puras, Mahbhrata and
Rmyaa. Laukika smti-stras neglect the
confidential purport of the scriptures and only
prescribe regulations for protecting the gross
social shackles.
Fundamentally, Smti is one. In course of time,
it was divided because of the distinction between
is and munis who were inclined towards the
service of Bhagavn (bhagavat-unmukha) and
those who were averse to Bhagavn (bhagavatvimukha). Those very rare people who have
regard for the statements of pramrthika-smti
are called uddha-smrtas, or Vaiavas. The
majority of people in this world are averse to Hari
and maintain the conception that the gross body
is the self. Those who honour the statements of
laukika-smti, which are geared to benefitting
the body and mind, are known as smrtas. They
forget Bhagavn and perform various types of
activities only for their own enjoyment, with the
understanding, I (the tm) am the gross and
subtle body. Various kinds of laws have been
given in the Smti in order to instruct those jvas
who are not surrendered to Bhagavn or under the
guidance of His devotees, and who are dedicated
to their bodies. Such people are always absorbed
in mundane activities, and in order to fulfil their
selfish interests, they are perpetually engaged
in inappropriate behaviour such as telling
lies, cheating others, stealing and perpetrating
violence. To curb their base pursuits, smtistras has given many strict injunctions, which
do not pertain to the jvas eternal nature (nityadharma). These regulations have been presented
in relation to some particular circumstance
(naimittika-dharma).
In contrast, all activities in relation to Bhagavn
are eternal, because Bhagavn is the enjoyer of

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

the fruit of all activities. All such activities are

performed with the aim and object of pleasing
Bhagavn, and will continue to be performed
in the future and for time eternal. The worldly
smti-stra mentions duties such as dyabhga (sharing inheritance), saskras (rites for
purification), uddhi-niraya (arbitrations and
judgements), pryacitta (purificatory activities
for penance and atonement) and rddha
(making offerings to the ancestors). These are
only relevant for the duration of ones human life;
and it is the worshipper, not Bhagavn, who is the
enjoyer of these activities. These laukika smtistras do not mention any regulations for the
spiritual welfare of the jvas. Their vratas, such as
the Durg festival and Ekda, and their rddha,
saskras, etc., are all for material enjoyment
and liberation, and are therefore circumstantial.
Unlike the smrtas, Vaiavas are surrendered
to Bhagavn. The purpose of all their activities
is bhagavat-sev, and therefore they are nonenvious and unwavering. They give respect to
all jvas, because they understand that the living
entity is the servant of Bhagavn. There is not
the slightest desire in their hearts to become
great personalities in this world, to make others
insignificant, or to acquire prestige in this life and
the heavenly planets in the next, by performing
sacrifice, meditation, austerity, japa, rddha and
tarpaa (offerings of foodstuffs and water to
forefathers and demigods), pilgrimages to holy
places and giving offerings for the worship of the
demigods. They do not even have the expectation
of attaining deliverance from the cycle of birth
and death and becoming liberated. If the service
of their worshipful Lord may be attained by taking
millions of births, and even by taking up residence
in hell, then that is the object of their prayers. Their
pleasure lies only in the pleasure of Bhagavn.

301

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Even great is and munis do not know the glories

of pure devotees and pure bhakti.
In the Sixth Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam, we
hear of a debate that took place in ancient times
between Vaiavas (the associates of Viu) and
smrtas (the Yamadtas) concerning Ajmila.
Yamarja told the Yamadtas, What to speak of
others, even Jaimin, Manu and other prominent
karma-ka is and munis do not realize the
glories of the devotees of the Supreme Lord
within their hearts, because their intelligence is
enchanted by the sweet, flowery statements of
the three Vedas. Their power of discrimination is
bewildered by daiv-my, the illusory potency of
the Lord. Therefore, they praise the ostentatious
and costly activities mentioned in Smti.
Kmuk payanti kmin-maya jagat
sensual persons see the world as being full of
amorous women. In accordance with this logic,
and coupled with their conception of I and mine
in relation to the material body, smrtas even
attribute various types of defects to the devotional
endeavours of pure devotees. They consider the
foot-bathing water of Viu and Vaiavas to
be ordinary water. They think that r Nryaa
(r lagrma) can be contaminated by the touch
of a dra and can then be purified and again
made suitable for worship by performing rituals
with paca-gavya, five pure products from a
cow. In other words, they have the base con
ception that even in the direct form of Bhagavn,
a defect can arise as a result of being touched,
and that Bhagavn can be made pure by cow
dung and so on.
In addition to this, smrtas consider Vaiavas
to belong to a mundane caste or creed. They
consider bhagavat-prasda to be ordinary lentils
and rice that can become contaminated. They
think that even the caste of guru and Bhagavn is

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

destroyed by accepting or offering to Bhagavn

grains that have been cooked by a non-brhmaa
disciple. They consider bhagavad-bhakti to
consist of activities such as accepting only rice
from uncooked paddy, taking bath three times
a day and wearing a silk dhoti. Furthermore,
they understand Vaiavas to be ordinary living
entities bound by their karma. They worship
various demigods and their consorts; they think
that dharma is subservient to society; and they
have great respect for a society that is opposed to
Bhagavn. This is their misfortune.
In the Garua Pura, the glories of the
devotees of Viu have been described:

302

brhman sahasrebhya
satrayj viiyate
satrayji-sahasrebhya
sarva-vednta praga
sarva-vednta-vit-koy
viu-bhakto viiyate
vaiavn sahasrebhya
ekntyeko viiyate
One sacrificial priest is superior to one
thousand brhmaas, one scholar of
all Vednta is better than one thousand
sacrificial priests, one devotee of Viu is
superior to millions of Vedntic scholars,
and one unalloyed devotee is superior to
thousands of Vaiavas.
aho bata va-paco to garyn
yaj-jihvgre vartate nma tubhyam
tepus tapas te juhuvu sasnur ry
brahmncur nma ganti ye te
rmad-Bhgavatam (3.33.7)

Oh, what more can I say about the

superiority of those persons who chant
the holy name? Those on whose tongues

His

Life

and

Your name is manifest are the best of all,

even though they may have appeared in
a family of outcastes. Their brahminical
qualifications have already been perfected
in many past births, because those topmost
persons who utter Your name have already
observed all brahminical activities, such as
austerity, ceremonial sacrifices, bathing in
the holy places, perfecting virtuous conduct
and studying the Vedas.

hand, one may be a scholar of the Vedas, but

if he is an atheist, he is not worthy of respect.
The high birth, scriptural learning, utterance
of mantras and austerities of a person who
is devoid of bhakti are like the decorations
on a dead body; they are of no use. Such
external practices are only for the sake of
charming common people.
viu-bhakti-vihn ye
cal parikrtit
cal api te reh
hari-bhakti-parya

na me priya caturved
mad-bhakta vapaca priya
tasmai deya tato grhya
sa ca pjyo yath hyaham

Bhan-nradya Pura,
quoted in Bhakti-sandarbha (Anuccheda 100)

Hari-bhakti-vilsa (10.91)

Persons devoid of viu-bhakti are out

castes. In contrast, those who are dedicated
to bhagavad-bhakti are the greatest per
sonalities, even though they may have
appeared in outcaste families.

The catur-ved brhmaa who is learned in

all four Vedas but bereft of bhakti is not dear
to Me, but My devotee is extremely dear to
Me, even though he may have taken birth in a
family of outcastes. He is a worthy recipient
of charity, and his mercy should be accepted.
He is certainly as worshipful as I am.

vapaco pi mahpla
viorbhakto dvijdhika
viu-bhakti vihno yo
dvijati ca vapacdhika

bhagavad-bhakti-hnasya jti
stra japas-tapa
aprasyeva dehasya
maana loka-rajana

Nradya Pura,
quoted in Bhakti-sandarbha (Anuccheda 100)

O King, even an outcaste who is a devotee of

Viu is superior to a brhmaa devoid of
bhakti. Moreover, a sannys who is devoid
of viu-bhakti is even more wretched than
an outcaste.

suci sad-bhakti-dptgnidagdha-durjti-kalmaa
vapko pi budhai lghyo
na vedhyo pi nstika
Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (3.1112)

Those who are of good character and whose

sins have already been destroyed by the
blazing fire of genuine bhakti are to be
honoured by highly learned scholars, though
they may be outcastes by birth. On the other

Part
six

T e a c h i n gs

The authentic scriptures have established

daiva-varnrama, the theistic social order, not
adaiva-varnrama, the secular social order. In
the modernistic adaiva-varnrama system, only
the son of a brhmaa is a brhmaa, whether
he has the proper brahminical qualities or not.

303

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

However in daiva-varnrama, ones brahminical

status is determined by ones qualities and
activities. Brhmaas are considered to have
appeared from the mouth of Lord Brahm, the
first preacher of Vedic knowledge. One who does
not study the Vedas can never be a brhmaa,
although he may have taken birth in a dynasty
of brhmaas. The only genuine brhmaa is
a person who follows the righteous conduct
of Brahm, that is, a person who is completely
dedicated to brahma in thoughts and in all ways,
and who knows or is searching for brahmatattva. In Bhagavad-gt (4.13), the social orders
have been accepted according to the qualities
and behaviour of the individual: ctur-varya
may sa gua-karma-vibhgaa / tasya
kartram api m viddhy akartram avyayam.
It has also been stated in rmad-Bhgavatam
(7.11.35):
yasya yal lakaa prokta
puso varbhivyajakam
yad anyatrpi dyeta
tat tenaiva vinirdiet

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

In the modernistic adaiva-

varnrama system, only the son

of a brhmaa is a brhmaa,
whether he has the proper
brahminical qualities or not.
However in daiva-varnrama,
ones brahminical status is
determined by ones
qualities and activities.

with brahminical conduct (brahma-vtti)

can achieve the position of brhmaas.

ruti establishes this same point in the

discussion between Satyakma Jbla and
Gautama, as described in the Chndogya
Upaniad (4.4.45):

In other words, if a person has all the qualities

characterizing a particular caste in human society,
it should be understood he is of the caste for which
he is qualified, even if he took birth in another.
(Vara must not be determined by birth alone.)
sthito brhmaa-dharmea
brhmayam upajvati
katriyo vtha vaiyo v
brahma-bhya sa gacchati

ta hovca ki gotro nu saumayasti,

sa hovca, nham etad veda bho yad
gotro hamsmi, apccha mtara, s m
pratyabravtvahvaha carant paricri
yauvane tvmalabhe, s 'hametanna veda
yad gotros tvam asi, jabl tu nm aham
asmi, satyakmo nma tvam asti, so ha
satyakmo jblo smi bho iti. ta hovca,
naitad brhmao vivaktumarhati, samidha
saumyhara, upa tv neye na satydg iti.
Gautama said to Satyakma, O saumya
(brhmaa), from which gotra (genealogical
caste) are you?
He replied, I do not know what my gotra
is. When I asked my mother, she told me, I do
not know to which dynasty (gotra) you belong.

Mahbhrata
(Anusana-parva 143.8)

Nlakaha (iva) speaks thus: Katriyas or

vaiyas who observe brahminical behaviour
and spend their days living in accordance

304

His

Life

and

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

r abhadeva, who was an incarnation

of Bhagavn, had one hundred sons of whom
eighty-one were brhmaas accomplished in
knowledge of Veda, nine (the Nava-yogendras)
were mah-bhgavatas, and the remainder were
katriyas. Among the sons who were katriyas,
Bhrata, who was decorated with all desirable
qualities, was the emperor. India was named
Bhrata-vara after him. Here also we see that
the divisions of vara are determined according
to the qualities and activities found in the many
sons of one father.

In my youth, I was a maidservant for many

men when I begot you as my son. My name is
Jabl and your name is Satyakma. Thus I am
Satyakma Jbla.
Gautama exclaimed, Dear child, one who
is not a brhmaa cannot speak the truth
as you have; thus you are a brhmaa. O
saumya (dvija twice-born), bring wood for
the sacrifice and I will perform your sacred
thread ceremony (upanyana saskra).
Never deviate from the truth.

Eligibility for serving r lagrma

rla Santana Gosvm has a full under

standing of vaiava-smti, and he has
refuted the imaginative considerations of certain
hateful, envious smrtas. He has written in his
Hari-bhakti-vilsa that certain smrtas who are
engrossed in the bodily concept of life believe that
only men who have taken birth in a brhmaa
dynasty are eligible to worship lagrma. They
think that women are not eligible to worship
lagrma under any circumstances, because
they are dras, even if they are born brhmaas.
However, these points are opposed to stra in all
respects. Males or females who are initiated into
viu-mantra by a bona fide guru are eligible
to perform arcana, regardless of birth. In his
Digdarin-k, rla Santana Gosvm has
quoted many scriptural references as evidence to
support his point of view. He has quoted the words
of Bhagavn Kapiladeva from the conversation
between Bhagavn Kapila and His mother,
Devahti, found in rmad-Bhgavatam (3.33.6):
yan-nmadheya-ravanukrtand
yat-prahvad yat-smarad api kvacit

vdo pi sadya savanya kalpate

kuta punas te bhagavan nu darant
O Bhagavn, even a person born in a family
of untouchable dog-eaters immediately
becomes eligible to perform celestial Vedic
sacrifices (soma-yaja) if he hears Your
name and afterwards performs krtana,
offers obeisances to You and remembers
You. What more can be said about one who
has actually attained Your audience?

Furthermore, rla Santana Gosvm has

clarified this point with an example from the
life history of Pthu Mahrja. Although r
Pthu Mahrja was the emperor of the entire
Earth planet consisting of seven islands, he
never enforced discipline or punishment upon
brhmaas born in the line of is or upon
Vaiavas, who, regardless of which family they
are born into, belong to acyuta-gotra, the
dynasty of the infallible Supreme Lord (rmadBhgavatam 4.21.12). rla Santana Gosvm
has also given evidence from Purajanaupkhyna that King Purajana also never

305

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

ordained punishment for brhmaas and

Vaiavas (rmad-Bhgavatam 4.26.24). There
fore, women as well as dras are eligible to
perform arcana of r lagrma once they
are initiated into the viu-mantra by a bona

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

fide guru, because they also become equal to

brhmaas and Vaiavas. Food offerings
cooked by them can certainly be offered to r
Bhagavn and sad-guru. It would be an offence
to disregard this conclusion.

rla Gurupda-padma on r vigraha-tattva

(A compilation of instructions in relation to r vigraha-tattva collected from the speeches delivered by
rla crya Kesar on the occasion of the deity installation at r Gauya Vednta Samitis r Pichlad
Gauya Maha in 1959 and at r Caitanya Gauya Maha, r Vndvana-dhma, in 1962.)

hroughout the authentic scriptures, such

as the Vedas, Upaniads and Puras, there
are descriptions of the sac-cid-nanda vigraha
of Bhagavn along with the method of worship.
Some people consider the Supreme Truth to be
formless, devoid of attributes, devoid of potency
(akti) and unchangeable. In their opinion the
para-tattva has no individual form (vigraha).
If He assumed a form He would have to accept
birth and death, and it would not be possible for
Him to be all-pervading.
Actually, those who propound a conception
of formlessness are not liberated from their own
thought processes, which are permeated with the
idea of form. They try to imagine formlessness,
but the concept of formful-ness is still the centre
of their denial of form. vara has no shape,
no form, no qualities and no potency these
conjectures are all incorrect. The root of this false
imagination is the unya-vda (voidism) of the
Buddhists, or the anti-Vedic theory of atheism.
Furthermore, it will not be entirely inappro
priate to say whatever theory of formlessness is
current in our country today is the result of the
Christian religion. The karma-vda (philosophy
propagating the performance of pious actions)
of institutions such as the Bhrata Sevrama
Sagha, the Rmaka Mission and the modern

rya Samja is completely the remains of

Christian dharma, because the ancient karmavda of our country is in all respects based on
the Vedic injunctions. Therefore, in literatures
such as the Bhagavad-gt or other Smtis and
Sahits, there is no mention of pious acts
(karmas) other than Vedic karmas. These people
have done great harm to the world by preaching
non-Vedic ideologies.
If the Christian conception of formlessness
is indeed true, then what is the meaning of
constructing places of worship and establishing
the sign of the cross inside huge churches and
on the tops of their steeples? Why do they not
perform worship while looking at the sky in an
open field? The most authoritative Christian
literature is the Bible, and there it is written, God
created man in His own image. That is, vara
has made man resembling His own form. Why do
they not remove this statement from the Bible,
in which the human-like form of Bhagavn has
been accepted?
Similarly, in the holy Koran of the Muslims,
who propound formlessness, there is an authori
tative statement (yatta) in one of the narrations
(hadsa) that resembles the words from the Bible.
I will quote as what I remember: innlh khlk
men srtahi. Srat means shape or form. God

306

His

Life

and

has made man corresponding to His own form.

Thus the human-like form of Paramevara is
supported by both the Koran and the Bible. Under
such circumstances, why do those supporters of
formlessness who have taken shelter of Muslim
dharma bother to construct mosques? Why do
they, also, not meditate on the formless Absolute,
in the open sky or within the ocean?
The Buddhists and Jains are also nirkravds, proponents of formlessness. But the
Buddhists and Jains have huge deities in their
temples in places such as Boddhagay, K,
Srantha, Ajant and Elor. Mount b,
Paharapura and Kolkatas Pareantha temple
are examples of the deity worship performed by
the Jains. According to Purs ancient history,
the Buddhists attacked the temple and took
control of it. At that time the Buddhists used to
honour Jaganntha-deva, considering Him to
be Buddhadeva, Subhadr to be kirti (fame),
Balarma to be dharma (religion) and Sudarana
to be sagha (community). After driving the
Buddhists from Pur, crya akara again
established the proper worship of Jaganntha,
Baladeva and Subhadr.
In Indian literature, it is the indisputable
truth that Paramevara is the cause of which
the visible universe is the effect. According
to the theory of cause and effect, there is an
inseparable relationship between them. Whatever
is seen in the effect must exist in a subtle form
within the cause. It is impossible in all respects
for something which is not present in the cause
to be present in the effect. Some philosophers
maintain that a substance may be present in the
effect even if it does not exist in the cause. The
defect in this point of view is that, if one accepts
an effect without a cause, then anything and
everything could manifest from each substance.

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

For instance, oil could be obtained from dust,

ghee from water, and a mango could be obtained
from an acacia tree. But this is not so. The fact
is that whatever potential substance is in a seed
(the cause), that very substance will manifest
as the effect, just as oil comes from mustard
and sesame seeds, ghee comes from milk, and
mangoes come from mango trees.
Thus, as many forms as are visible in the
effect in the form of this universe all must
necessarily exist in the cause, brahma. If this
were not so, and if brahma were formless, then
this visible universe full of innumerable forms
could not have arisen from it. Thus the deity of
Bhagavn and the existence of the potential for
the universes innumerable forms within Him is
proved by the theory of cause and effect.
To accept that the universe has originated from
a formless brahma that is devoid of attributes is
tantamount to accepting that something or every
thing is born from nothing. But we do not see
this happening. Rather, Paramevara has been
accepted in the Vedic scriptures as the pratattva, the complete truth: pram ada pram
idam. The Gt 2.16 also proclaims the very same
conclusion: nsato vidyate bhvo nbhvo
vidyate sata there is no permanent existence
of the asat, the temporary, and no cessation
of the sat, the eternal truth. Thus the deity of
Bhagavn, the Personality of complete existence,
is established beyond a doubt. In various places
in the ruti, brahma has been called nirkra
(formless), nirgua (without qualities), arpa
(without features) and nirviea (devoid of
attributes). However, this does not mean that
brahma is fundamentally nirviea, nirkra and
nya (void). The words nirgua, nirkra, arpa
and nirviea are not prominent. It is kra (with
shape), rpa (form), gua (qualities) and viea

307

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

(attributes) which are given prominence. Words

such as nirkra, arpa, nirgua and nirviea
signify the negation of the root words, and are
derived from kra, rpa, gua and viea. There
fore, para-tattva with vigraha, rpa and gua
is saviea-tattva, possessed of attributes. Why,
then, has He been called arpa and so on in the
ruti? The stras have given the answer to this:
acinty khalu ye bhv
na tas tarkea sdhayet
praktibhya para yat tu
tad acintyasya lakaam
Mahbhrata
(Bhma-parva 5.12)

It is not proper to apply logic and argument

to that existence which is acintya, incon
ceivable. That which is inconceivable is
beyond material nature.
y y rutir jalpati nirviea
s sbhidhatte savieameva
vicrayoge sati hanta ts
pryo valya savieameva
Hayara-pacartra

Wherever rutis have initially described

the tattva-vastu as devoid of attributes
(nirviea), they have, in the end, established
saviea-tattva (truth with attributes), not
the nirviea-tattva. Nirviea and saviea
are both eternal qualities of Bhagavn.
Nevertheless, after seriously deliberating
on the matter, it is the saviea-tattva
which turns out to be prominent, because
in this world there is experience of only the
saviea-tattva. There is no experience of
the nirviea-tattva.

The purport is that para-tattva has been called

acintya, arpa, nirkra and so on because

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

of His being beyond my. Actually, Bhagavn

has a transcendental (aprkta) form. He is the
foundation of all transcendental qualities and
is possessed of all transcendental features and
attributes. There is not even the slightest hint of
prakti (material nature) or my in His sac-cidnanda form. Words such as nirkra have been
stated in particular parts of the scriptures only to
make us understand this fact.
Some people consider the universe and all of
the forms within it to be false. But if this world is
false, then the people who say such things are also
false and illusory. Furthermore, the statements
of such illusory people are also illusory. This
establishes the reality of the world.
Some people assert that a form cannot be allpervading. However, this charge is also incorrect.
As well as being all-pervading, Paramevara
is also the possessor of all potencies (sarvaaktimn). One of His potencies is His aghaanaghaana-payas akti, that by which the
impossible is made possible. So why can He not
have a form? Besides, by the influence of that
akti, why can that form not be all-pervading? If
He cannot have form and also be all-pervading,
then where is His omnipotence? This type of
mistaken understanding is due to a lack of tattvajna. By the power of His acintya-akti, that
Paramevara, being unborn and without origin, is
also the eternal son of r Yaod.
It is impossible to worship a formless
substance. Some philosophers have given a
method of worshipping nirkra brahma.
They say, Any substance with shape is illusory
and should be rejected. Therefore, the best
sdhana is just to worship the formless. This
opinion, however, is incorrect. Of the five gross
material elements, air and ether are formless,
but no one accepts them as transcendental or

308

His

Life

and

replete with eternality, cognizance and bliss.

Therefore, we cannot say that the brahma of
those who propound formlessness is worshipful
just because it is formless or void like ether.
In the rutis it has been said that liberated
personalities always worship and have darana
of para-tattva through transcendental devotion
(nirgua-bhakti): tad vio parama pada
sad payanti sraya / divva cakurtatam
(g Veda 1.5.22.20). In other words, the divine
and learned Vaiavas always have darana of
the supreme abode of Viu with their spiritual
(aprkta) eyes. The form of para-tattva is clearly
established by this ruti-mantra.
Some people say that the deity form is not
mentioned anywhere in the Vedas, and that deity
worship is therefore not Vedic. This charge is
also erroneous and entirely unfounded, because
accounts of the deity are found throughout the
Vedas, for example:
(1) sahasrasya pratimsi O Paramevara,
You have thousands of forms (Yaju Veda
15.65).
(2) arcata prrcata priyamedhso arcata O
intelligent men, intently worship the divine
deity of Paramevara (g Veda 8.7.69.8).
(3) Further, in the Gt (9.11), those who
disregard the deity of Bhagavn have been
called foolish (mha) and the lowest of
mankind (nardhama):
avajnanti m mh
mnu tanum ritam
para bhvam ajnanto
mama bhta-mahevaram
Fools whose intelligence is bewildered by
illusion disrespect Me when I appear in a
human-like form, being unaware of My
supreme nature as the Lord of all beings.

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

(4) In Taittirya Upaniad (3.1):

yato v imni bhtni jyante
yena jtni jvanti
yat prayanty abhisavianti
tad vijijsasva tad brahma
Know that brahma as that by whom the
universe is created (the ablative case),
by whom the universe is protected and
maintained (the instrumental case) and
into whom the universe enters at the time
of devastation (the locative case).

That brahma in whom there are these three

cases cannot be formless (nirkra). We
see fruit falling from a tree, but if we do not
accept the existence of the tree, how can [we
see] fruit fall from it? The falling of fruit is
possible only if we accept the existence of the
tree. Similarly, the appearance of the universe,
which is full of form, is only possible if its
source, brahma, also has form.
(5) Myvds say that the form of Bhagavn has
been denied in Vednta-stra, in the stras
arpavadeva tat-pradhnatvt (3.2.14)
and na pratke na hi sa (4.1.4). However,
r Caitanya Mahprabhu has established
the deity of brahma with these very same
stras. The meaning of arpavadeva is not
that brahma has no transcendental form.
Rather, this stra is clear evidence that
brahma has form, but it seems to those who
are unqualified that He is arpa, or formless.
In the word arpavat, the suffix vatup has
been used. According to Sanskrit grammar,
vatup is used in the sense of similarity
(tulya). Thus arpavat conveys na-rpavat,
appearing to not have form. Rather, His own
form, the vigraha, is predominant. There is

309

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

no difference between brahma Himself and

His vigraha. Similarly, in the next stra, napratikena means r vigraha is not a symbol
of brahma, and sa means this vigraha
is brahma Himself. At the time of taking
darana of r Jaganntha, r Caitanya
Mahprabhu said, pratim naha tumi,
skt vrajendra-nandana You are not
a statue; You are directly Ka, the son of
the king of Vraja (r Caitanya-caritmta,
Madhya-ll 5.96).
The following mantra from vetvatara
Upaniad (3.19) denies that the form of brahma
is material and establishes His transcendental
form of eternality, cognizance and bliss:
apipdo javano graht
payatyacaku sa otyakara
sa vetti vedya na ca tasysti vett
tam hur agrya purua mahntam

That is, although para-brahma is devoid of ma

terial hands, He accepts all things. Although devoid
of material feet, He comes and goes everywhere,
at great speed. Although devoid of material eyes,
He sees everything. The purport is that His form
is not material but aprkta (transcendental) and
sac-cid-nanda, composed of eternal existence,
cognizance and bliss vara parama ka
sac-cid-nanda-vigraha.
The crest jewel of all evidence, rmadBhgavatam (10.14.32), also proclaims that
r Nanda-nandana is the complete, supremely
blissful,
eternal
brahma:
yan-mitra
paramnanda pra brahma santanam.
The suffix vatup is never used to convey a
substance that does not exist. It is not accepted
that a class exists of completely non-existent
substances. We cannot make statements such
as: There is a substance that does not exist. We

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

have already established this earlier in relation

to the evidence of the Gt 2.16, nsato vidyate
bhva. The compiler of rmad-Bhgavatam,
Vedavysa, is indeed the compiler of Vedntastra; his statements can never be contradictory.
Thus it is thoroughly improper to interpret the
stras as indicating formlessness when they are
illuminated by verses such as kas tu bhagavn
svayam, nanda-gopa-vrajaukasm, yan-mitra
paramnanda pra brahma santanam
and brahmao hi pratihham. In addition
to this the form of brahma is also established
by the aphorisms of Vednta-stra such as,
api sardhane pratyaknumnbhym
although He is omnipresent and unmanifest, one
can receive His darana by worshipping Him
(3.2.24), praka ca karmay abhyst
and when the activity is repeated, He appears
(3.2.26), and praka vat-ca-avaieyam He is
(not) like fire or other things, for He has no such
features (3.2.25).
The purport of arpavadeva tatpradhnatvt is that brahma does not have
a particular shape or form He is Himself
form (vigraha). That is why it has been said
arpavat, not having form or shape. The suffix
eva indicates the hopelessness of opposing
arguments. Brahma-rpa, the form of brahma, is
predominant. There is no difference between His
form (svayam-rpa) and His deity (r vigraha).
If you ask, Can we accept that an omnipresent
Being has a human-like form? then the
answer is, Yes, it is possible. Api sardhane
pratyaknumnbhym although He is
omnipresent and unmanifest, one can receive
His darana by worshipping Him. rmadBhgavatam (11.14.21) also confirms this:
bhaktyham ekay grhya I am obtained
only through devotion.

310

His

Life

and

However, one should bear in

mind that only the r vigraha

established by great liberated per
sonalities are forms of eternality,
knowledge and bliss. The mrti
established by conditioned souls
is called pratim, a statue,
and the worship of such statues
is prohibited in the scriptures.

This conclusion has been made even more

clear in the stra na pratke na hi sa. The
meaning here is that one cannot attain perfection
or Bhagavn by worshipping a symbol or an
idol, nor is it correct to impose the presence
of Bhagavn on the idol. In this regard, crya
akara states, Forms of the formless brahma
have been imagined for the welfare of the
sdhakas. The consciousness is purified by
worshipping these imaginary forms, and when the
consciousness is purified, the attainment of the
formless brahma becomes easy. It is not correct,
however, to worship Bhagavn by imagining
forms or idols. The deity of eternality, knowledge
and bliss (sac-cid-nanda mrti
) is directly
para-brahma Himself (svayam-rpa), and He
is to be worshipped. This has been stated in
the aforementioned Vednta-stra aphorism. The
consideration here is this: Can we establish the

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

worship of a form of Bhagavn that is imaginary?

In reply to this, the stra states emphatically, na
hi No! Then how will worship be performed?
Sa, by worshipping the spiritual r vigraha of
Bhagavn Himself, one will meet with Him.
Therefore, it has been stated in r Caitanyacaritmta: varera r-vigraha sac-cidnandkra the transcendental form of vara
is composed of eternal existence, cognizance and
bliss (Madhya-ll 6.166). Cid-nanda kavigrahe myika kari mni / ei baa ppa,
satya caitanyera v to accept the transcen
dental form of Ka to be made of the external
energy is a great sin. r Caitanya Mahprabhus
statements are true (Madhya-ll 25.35). Pratim
naha tumi,skt vrajendra-nandana You are
not a statue; You are directly Vrajendra-nandana
Ka Himself (Madhya-ll 5.96).
Therefore, the r vigraha of Bhagavn is the
form of eternal existence, cognizance and bliss.
However, one should bear in mind that only the
r vigraha established by great liberated per
sonalities are forms of eternality, knowledge
and bliss. The mrti established by conditioned
souls is called pratim, a statue, and the worship
of such statues is prohibited in the scriptures.
Just as a certified copy of a certified copy is not
evidence, a duplicate statue of a deity established
by a mahpurua is not a deity composed of saccid-nanda. Throughout the stras it has been
mentioned that endless auspiciousness for the
jvas comes by rendering service to r vigraha.

Refutation of the doctrine:

there are as many paths as there are philosophies

he most worshipful crya kesar rla

Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja
conducted a storm-like preaching tour in many
villages in Medinpura district, West Bengal, in

1950. In thirty days he preached extensively

in about forty different religious assemblies
about r santana-dharma, the dharma of
pure bhakti, as practised and expounded by

311

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

r Caitanya Mahprabhu. There was one large

village of Medinpura called Gehkhal, where
a vast religious assembly was held. r rla
Gurupda-padma had come there on the request
of his godbrother param-pjyapda nityall-pravia r rmad Bhakti Bhdeva rauti
Mahrja. The huge assembly had been arranged
in the courtyard of a high school managed by
the Rmaka Mission, and the headmaster
of the school, other teachers and other learned
and distinguished personalities from the
neighbourhood were present.
In very poetic language, rla Gurupdapadma established the siddhnta of uddhabhakti as practised and expounded by r
Caitanya Mahprabhu, before an audience of
about twenty-five thousand people. He explained
that r Ka is the last limit of the Supreme
Truth and the ultimate worshipful Truth for
all living entities, who are His separated parts
(vibhinna-tattva). By constitution the living
entities are the servants of Bhagavn. The jvas
wretched condition is due to forgetfulness of his
service attitude towards the Supreme Lord.
rla Gurudeva was establishing these
conclusions by scriptural evidence and unques
tionable reasoning, when right in the middle of
the lecture, some people asked, We have read and
heard that the living entity is iva. iva, Durg,
Kl, Gaea these are all different names and
forms of the one Bhagavn. Bhagavn is attained
regardless of which viewpoint you take (yata
mata tata patha), and regardless of which god
you worship. When one goes up into the sky, all
things are seen equally. Letters are posted from
different post offices all arrive in the same place.
One can reach Delhi on foot, by car, by train or
by any other conveyance. Similarly, when the
sdhaka is situated in an elevated position of

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

No thoughtful person can accept

that those who take shelter of

practices in the mood of goodness,
passion and ignorance will all
attain the same result.

spirituality, he sees all as one and the same. The

one Bhagavn is attained by worshipping anyone,
yet you accept that Ka alone is the exclusive
object of worship and that bhakti to Him is the
best of all means of spiritual attainment.
The entire audience was fascinated by rla
Gurudevas brilliant reply to this question. Those
who had posed the question were completely
unable to respond. Following are some parts of
the speech that rla Gurupda-padma delivered
in that assembly.
With profound gravity, rla crya Kesar said
that the viewpoint put forward by the opposing
party was the remnant of Christian doctrine; it is
non-Vedic and it is against the verdict of stra.
He said that the slogan yata mata tata
patha means that all philosophical systems are
different paths to attain the same Bhagavn. First
of all, let us deliberate upon this. This opinion is
misleading and against scripture in all respects. If
we accept it, then we will have to regard everyones
conceptions to be equal, whether they are thieves,
plunderers, prostitutes, saints or materialists. No
thoughtful person can accept that those who take
shelter of practices in the mood of goodness,
passion and ignorance (sttvika, rjasika and
tmasika practices) will all attain the same result.
The destination of violent people who eat meat,
fish and eggs is not the same as that of righteous
people who harbour a pure sttvika conception

312

His

Life

and

and are devoted to sttvika and transcendental

(nirgua) matters. No intelligent person can
accept such a view.
Revealed scriptures such as rmadBhgavatam and the Gt have not described
all religions or paths to be equal. On the contra
ry, rmad-Bhgavatam states that the only
supreme dharma for all living entities is bhakti
to Adhokaja Bhagavn r Ka, which should
be unmotivated and uninterrupted like a stream
of oil:

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

by these mundane worldly methods of worship.

Service to Ka in Ka-loka can be attained
only by pure devotion (uddha-bhakti). If all
methods of worship were the same, then Ka
would not have said in the Gt (9.25, 7.20, 7.23):
ynti deva-vrat devn
pitn ynti pit-vrat
bhtni ynti bhtejy
ynti mad-yjino pi mm
Those who worship the demigods go to the
planets of the demigods, those who worship
the forefathers go to the planets of the
forefathers, those who worship the spirits go
to the planets of the spirits, and those who
worship Me will surely come to Me.

sa vai pus paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokaje
ahaituky apratihat
yaytm suprasdati
rmad-Bhgavatam (1.2.6)

kmais tais tair hta-jn

prapadyante nya-devat
ta ta niyamam sthya
prakty niyat svay

dharma projjhita-kaitavo tra

paramo nirmatsar sata
vedya vstavam atra vastu
ivada tpa-trayonmlanam
rmad-bhgavate mah-muni-kte
ki v parair vara
sadyo hdy avarudhyate tra
ktibhi urubhis tat-kat

Those whose knowledge has been stolen

by desires to drive away distress and so on
take shelter of appropriate regulations and
worship the demigods, being impelled by
their own natures.

rmad-Bhgavatam (1.1.2)

The meaning here is that apart from devotion to

the Supreme Lord, all other opinions that go by the
name dharma are useless and hypocritical. Paths
other than pure bhakti cannot enable one to meet
with Ka. Bhagavn can be pleased only by the
devotion described in rmad-Bhgavatam.
The Gt also states that those who worship
the demigods attain the planets of the demigods,
those who worship the forefathers go to the
planets of the forefathers (Pitloka), and those
who worship the spirits attain the planets of
the spirits. Bhagavn r Ka is not attained

antavat tu phala te
tad bhavaty alpa-medhasm
devn deva-yajo ynti
mad-bhakt ynti mm api
The result of the worship performed by those
people of meagre intelligence, however, is
perishable. The worshipers of the demigods
attain the demigods and My devotees come
to Me.

Giving up Ka to worship various demigods

has been called unlawful.

313

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

ye py anya-devat-bhakt
yajante raddhaynvit
te pi mm eva kaunteya
yajanty avidhi-prvakam
O son of Kunt, those who worship demigods
with faith actually worship Me alone, but in a
way that is unauthorized.

tad vio parama pada

sad payanti sraya
divva cakurtatam
tad viprso vipanyavo
jgvsa samindhate
vior yat parama padam
g Veda (1.5.22.2021)

As eyes are capable of seeing the sun in the

sky without impediment, similarly liberated
mahpuruas always see the supreme
abode of Paramevara Viu. The sdhus,
who are devoted to Bhagavn, and who are
free from defects such as the tendency to
be mistaken or deluded, preach everywhere
about Vius supreme abode.

Keava

G o s v m

The activities of that para-brahma

Paramtm are not material because His
senses, such as His hands and feet, are not
material. He is splendidly present in all
places at the same time in His spiritual body.
Therefore, what to speak of being greater than
Him, no one is even equal to Him. It is heard
that Paramevara has various types of divine
potencies, among which His jna-akti
(knowledge potency), bala-akti (strength
potency) and kriy-akti (action potency)
are prominent. These three potencies are
called cit-akti (savit), sat-akti (sandhin)
and nanda-akti (hldin) respectively.

Bhagavad-gt (9.23)

Some people state that Viu, Gaea, Durg,

Kl and iva are all one and the same. There is
no fundamental, or intrinsic, difference between
them; they are different in name only, and the
result of worshipping all of them is the same.
However this concept is not in agreement with
stra.

Prajna

In Gt 7.7 Ka declares: matta paratara

nnyat kicid asti dhanajaya O conqueror of
riches, Dhanajaya, there is nothing superior to
Me. And in 15.15, vedai ca sarvair aham eva
vedyo vednta-kd veda-vid eva cham by all
the Vedas I alone am to be known. Indeed, I am
the compiler of Vednta and the knower of the
Vedas.
It is established by all this authentic evidence
that viu-tattva is the Supreme Truth. It has not
been stated anywhere in the stra that demigods
such as Gaea, Kl, Durg and Srya are equal
to Viu. On the contrary, it is said that those who
consider them equal to Nryaa are offenders.
yas tu nryaa deva
brahma-rudrdi-daivatai
samatvenaiva vketa
sa pa bhaved dhruvam

na tasya krya karaa ca vidyate

na tat sama cbhyadhika ca dyate
parsya aktir vividhaiva ryate
svbhvik jna-bala-kriy ca

Vaiava-tantra

One who considers r Nryaa to be in the

same category as demigods, such as Brahm
and Rudra, is a pa, an offensive nonbeliever.

vetsvatara Upaniad (6.8)

314

His

Life

and

Moreover, in Gt (6.4647) it has been said:

tapasvibhyo dhiko yog
jnibhyo pi mato dhika
karmibhya cdhiko yog
tasmd yog bhavrjuna
yoginm api sarve
mad-gatenntartman
raddhvn bhajate yo m
sa me yuktatamo mata
The yog is superior to fruitive workers
who have material desires, tapasvs (those
engaged in the performance of austerities)
and jns (those engaged in the cultivation
of knowledge). Therefore, O Arjuna, be a
yog. However, even among these yogs,
those who do bhajana of Me, Vsudeva,
being devoted to Me with complete faith, are
the best of all; this is My opinion. Therefore,
become a yog like this.

Bhagavn cannot be easily attained by any

means other than bhakti. r Ka has personally
said:
na sdhyati m yogo
na skhya dharma uddhava
na svdhyyas tapas tygo
yath bhaktir mamorjit
rmad-Bhgavatam (11.14.20)

Yoga-sdhana, jna-vijna, religious

ceremonies, chanting mantras, austerities,
studying the Vedas and renunciation are
not sufficient to attain Me. I can only be
attained by devotional service saturated
with unalloyed prema.

This same conclusion has also been expressed

in ruti: bhaktir evaina nayati bhaktir evaina
darayati / bhakti-vaa puruo bhaktir eva

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

bhyas it is only unalloyed bhagavad-bhakti

that carries the jvas to Bhagavn and brings about
their audience with Him and eternal engagement
in service to Him. Bhagavn is only controlled by
bhakti (Mhara-ruti quoted in Madhvcryas
commentary on Vednta-stra 3.3.53).
For this reason, the instruction has been
given in Bhagavad-gt (18.66) to give up all
temporary dharmas related to the body and mind
and surrender to Bhagavn, sarva-dharmn
parityajya mm eka araa vraja. Nowhere
in the authentic stras has it been stated that all
opinions, paths or worldly dharmas are the same.
People who preach this misleading philosophy
that all paths lead to the same goal (yata mata
tata patha) are ignorant of tattva.
When one goes up a great height in an
airplane, the trees and the plants, the high places
and the low all appear to be the same, but this
simply indicates the observers lack of seeing
power. His eyes cannot properly see remote
objects. Similarly, because of a lack of tattvajna, ignorant people, who see everything from
their own limited material viewpoint, consider
all opinions good and bad to be equal. This
simply reveals their lack of knowledge. It is not
that everyone is one, nor does everyone become
one if someone whose vision is coloured by
nescience sees them as so. Those who perform
forbidden activities are not the same as those
who engage in pious activities, those who
perform prescribed duties without attachment,
jna-yogs or bhakti-yogs. Their activities
are different, the results of their activities are
different, and their destinations are different. If
it were not so, this opinion would not have been
refuted in the Gt and elsewhere.
Only ignorant, foolish people say that a
bullock cart, a horse-drawn carriage, a train or a

315

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

car can take you to the same destination, and that

all roads lead to the same destination. Countries
and islands such as England, Australia or Hawaii
are situated in the middle of the ocean; they
cannot be reached by bullock cart, horse-drawn
carriage or car. Everyone acknowledges this fact.
Even passengers on the same train cannot arrive
at the same destination if they have tickets for
different places. Similarly, those who adopt
various methods of attainment to realize various
goals, such as material sense gratification, lib
eration, or love of God, cannot all attain the same
result of loving service to Bhagavn. r Ka has
explained this nicely in Bhagavad-gt 4.11, ye
yath m prapadyante however one renders
service to Me I reciprocate with him accordingly.
Some people also say, All letters reach the
same destination even if you post them from
different post offices. Similarly, all worshipers
attain the same Supreme Lord, no matter what
demigod they worship. But this argument is
also utterly imaginary; it is born of ignorance.
If the address written on different letters is the
same, then they will all arrive at the same place,
regardless of where they were posted. This is
correct. But if letters have different addresses
written on them, then they will reach different
destinations. Similarly, if all worshipers perform
the same exclusive worship of Svayam Bhagavn
r Ka, which culminates in bhakti, then
they become purified and will attain Bhagavn.
This sequence is shown in a beautiful way in
Bhagavad-gt.
Nowadays we see many slogans which are
opposed to the conclusions of scripture. The
authentic scriptures do not at all support ideas
such as service to daridra-nryaa (God in the
form of the poverty-stricken), janat-janrdana
(the common people are God) and jva hi iva

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

Those who say that the jva

becomes iva after attaining jna

and becoming liberated are atheists.
At this stage, they call Mahdeva
akara (iva) Father and they
address Bhavn as Mother, but
when they are liberated and they
have become iva, they will see
Bhavn as their wife. Therefore
Bhavn in the form of Durg cuts
the throats of such miscreants and

wears a garland of their skulls.

(the living entity is iva). If poverty-stricken

people are Nryaa, then what about wealthy
and respectable people who have performed
pious activities in their previous births? What
about righteous, learned and honourable people?
Why is it that they cannot be Nryaa? Those
who accept the notion of daridra-nryaa
are all atheists impelled by base saskras, or
impressions from previous births. They have no
relation whatsoever with pure tm-dharma.
To this day no jva has ever succeeded in
becoming Bhagavn. The tm, the individual
soul, and Paramtm, the Supreme Soul, have
separate individual natures by their very
constitution. The jvtm is minute, subject to
the control of my and helpless in regard to
tasting the results of his activities. In contrast,
Paramtm is the creator, master and maintainer
of the entire universe and He is the Lord of my.

316

His

Life

and

How can these two be called one? Those who

maintain such a conception propound a vicious
brand of folly. They are mistaken in all respects.

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

Those who say that the jva becomes iva

after attaining jna and becoming liberated
are atheists. At this stage, they call Mahdeva
akara (iva) Father and they address Bhavn
as Mother, but when they are liberated and they
have become iva, they will see Bhavn as their
wife. Therefore Bhavn in the form of Durg
cuts the throats of such miscreants and wears a
garland of their skulls. Evidence of this can be
found in many places in stra.
After hearing rla crya Kesars brilliant
speech, some of the teachers who were present
placed a proposal before r Gurudeva. They
offered to bring the main svmj of the Rmaka
Mission Maha located in Velra and investigate
this subject by means of a scriptural debate in
a special assembly. We will call him tomorrow,
they said. crya Kesar replied, Once he hears
my name he will never come. rla Gurudeva
waited for three or four days for the sannyss
of the Rmaka Mission, but it became obvious
that they were not prepared for a scriptural
debate at any cost.

Refutation of the sahajiy doctrine

rkta-sahajiys are those who under

stand the transcendental pastimes
(aprkta-ll) of the transcendental Supreme
Lord to be prkta, or mundane, like the affairs of
ordinary men and women, and who think that the
aprkta-tattva (transcendental truth) is attained
by material practices. One can simply express it
like this: Contrary to the instructions of r Rpa
Gosvm, the transcendental preceptor of divine
mellows, they imagine themselves to be gops.
They decorate the inert, gross, material male body
in the dress of a woman and act out performing
bhajana with their fabricated gop-bhva. Those

who do this are called prkta-sahajiys. While

maintaining the mood of a male within their
hearts, these people outwardly hide their male
bodies by keeping long hair like women, and
wearing rings in their noses, long veils, srs
or voluminous skirts, bodices, bangles on their
wrists, girdles on their waists, ankle-bells on their
feet, golden ornaments and so on. They introduce
themselves by names like Lalit or Vikh. On
the pretext of parakya-bhajana, they keep
young women in their ramas as maidservants
and maintain illicit relations with them. Such is
their anti-scriptural conduct.

317

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Others do not adorn their male bodies in the

dress of women but support the conception of
those who do. With flirtatious gestures, they indis
criminately sing about the confidential loving
play of R-Kn (Rdh-Ka) in the presence of
any ordinary people in the marketplace, without
considering the eligibility of their audience. They
give pretentious lectures on rsa-ll and imitate
it. Thus these debauchees cheapen the aprktarasa for the jaa (material) rasa. They believe that
it is absolutely necessary to keep the company
of anothers wife as an illicit paramour in order
to realize aprkta-rasa. Conversely, they
think that r Jva Gosvm and rla Narottama
hkura cannot possibly be rasika, because r
Jva Gosvm was a brahmacr from boyhood
and rla Narottama hkura never entered
household life. Such people, also, come in the
category of prkta-sahajiy.
Externally rman Mahprabhu was male,
but internally He used to nurture the mood of
a gop in the service of Ka. These people
act in a completely contradictory manner. They
nurture the mood of a male within their hearts
but externally they hide it by trying to cover their
outer limbs with the attire of a gop. r Caitanya
Mahprabhu has explained that gop-bhva
is the dharma of the tm, but the prktasahajiys think that gop-bhva is the dharma
of the body.
antare nih kara, bhye loka-vyavahra
acirt ka tomya karibe uddhra
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 16.239)

mane nija-siddha-deha kariy bhvana

rtri-dine kare vraje kera sevana
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 22.157)

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

Externally rman Mahprabhu

was male, but internally
He used to nurture the mood
of a gop in the service of Ka.
These people act in a completely
contradictory manner.
They nurture the mood
of a male within their hearts
but externally they hide it by
trying to cover their outer limbs
with the attire of a gop.

Here r Caitanya Mahprabhu is saying that

in the beginning, ones nih, firm faith, is to
be kept within the core of ones heart, and at
the same time one is to behave like an ordinary
person in order to sustain ones life. Gradually,
when ones faith becomes mature, ones worldly
activities will also come to correspond with ones
bhajana; that is, they will become favourable to
bhajana. In such a condition, one should meditate
on ones internally conceived siddha-deha which
is suitable for the service of the Divine Couple,
and in the core of ones heart one should mentally
serve Them (aprkta mnas-sev). By following
this procedure, at first one attains svarpasiddhi, realization of ones eternal spiritual
body. Ultimately, at the stage of vastu-siddhi in
prakaa Vraja, after giving up the material body,
one receives the body of a gop corresponding to
ones internally conceived siddha-deha.
In Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, in the section on
rgnuga-bhakti-sdhana (1.2.293295), rla
Rpa Gosvm has said:

318

His

Life

and

ka smaran jana csya

preha nija-samhitam
tat-tat-kath-rata csau
kuryd vsa vraje sad
sev sdhaka-rpea
siddha-rpea ctra hi
tad-bhva-lipsun kry
vraja-loknusrata
ravaot-krtandni
vaidha-bhakty uditni tu
ynyagni ca tnyatra
vijeyni manibhi

The meaning is that one should always reside in

Vraja, continuously remembering r Ka and
those dear associates of His whom one aspires
to follow, and one should remain absorbed in
hearing about their pastimes. If one is unable to
reside in Vraja directly, then one should reside
in Vraja by mind. On the path of spontaneous
devotion (rgnuga), one should follow Kas
intimate beloved associates and their followers,
always remaining absorbed in their service.
This should be done with the sdhaka-rpa, the
present external material body, and also in siddharpa, the internally conceived body suitable for
rendering the type of service to r Ka for
which ones heart is eager. One should eagerly
desire the bhva, the special loving mood, of those
associates of Ka in Vraja whom one aspires to
follow. Learned scholars who know bhakti-tattva
point out that in vaidh-bhakti one is instructed
to observe the limbs of bhakti such as ravaa
and krtana according to ones eligibility. These
same instructions also apply in rgnuga-bhakti.
rman Mahprabhu and rla Rpa Gosvm,
who fulfilled Mahprabhus innermost desire,
have never instructed any male practitioners to
hide their male forms and keep a braid, wear a

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

veil, skirt, blouse and ornaments of a woman, and

then perform rgnuga-bhajana with others
wives. Rather, in all cases they have said that
such behaviour is abominable and opposed to
stra. To establish a high ideal for practitioners
of bhakti, rman Mahprabhu rejected Choa
Haridsa. The same immaculate ideal has also
been set by the six Gosvms. In his Bhaktirasmta-sindhu, Ujjvala-nlamai and other
writings, rla Rpa Gosvm has advised the
performance of sdhana-bhajana following in
the cooling footprints of the rutis (the personi
fied Vedas) and the sages of Daakraya.
r Svarpa Dmodara, r Rya Rmnanda, r
Raghuntha dsa Gosvm, r Jva Gosvm, r
Narottama hkura, r Vivantha Cakravart
hkura and others are shining examples of such
bhajana. How pure their lives were! It is proper
for pure devotees to follow such great spiritual
personalities.
rla Bhaktivinoda hkura has written in
his essay entitled The Depravity of the Sahajiy
Doctrine: A loathsome ideology is spreading
insidiously in many places in Bengal. All the
activities and conduct prescribed by this sahajiy
doctrine are extremely corrupt and contemptible.
The jva is spiritual, and its only natural dharma
is spiritual service to Ka. The word sahaja
means saha-ja, i.e., that which arises along with
the tm. For the pure tm, transcendental
service to Ka is sahaja, or natural, because it
is intrinsic to the jivtms constitution. However,
it is not natural for one in the state of being
bound by inert matter. Sahajiys cheat others
and are themselves cheated or deprived of their
pure and natural love for Ka by saying that the
mundane union of man and woman is a natural
and spiritual dharma. In actuality, the union of
man and woman is not a natural dharma. On

319

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

the contrary, the natural dharma of the tm

finds the union of the dull male and female
bodies extremely loathsome, depraved and
inappropriate. What is called sahajiy-dharma
nowadays is totally immoral, contrary to saintly
behaviour and opposed to stra. Pure Vaiavas
should be extremely careful in regard to this.
That dharma in which the custom is to accept a
mantra in the left ear is in all respects a deviation.
We never find anywhere in the scriptures
instructions such as, One should associate with
a woman in order to attain Vrajendra-nandana.
On entering into madhura-rasa, the minute
conscious jva attains his natural condition. Then
there is no necessity whatsoever to associate with
the inanimate material nature. Choa Haridsa,
himself being prakti [female nature, that is, to
be enjoyed by the Supreme Male], was rejected
by Mahprabhu for committing the offence of
conversing in purua-bhva (male mood) with
another prakti. Licentious people misinterpret
the verse vairg kare prakti sambhaa in

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

Bhajana is a completely

spiritual activity. When even

the slightest mundane
sentiment is allowed to enter,
it becomes ruined.

r Caitanya-caritmta (Antya-ll 2.117) and

create a path of their own sense gratification,
but pure Vaiavas neglect them. Association with
a married woman is not part of bhajana even for
householders; therefore association with women
has been accepted in a regulated way that is free
from sin, for conducting household life.
It is the opinion of pure Vaiavas that male
sdhakas should perform bhajana and remain
separate from female sdhakas. A female sdhaka
should not invite any male person to her bhajana
party. Bhajana is a completely spiritual activity.
When even the slightest mundane sentiment is
allowed to enter, it becomes ruined.

Bheka-pral and siddha-pral

n recent times in Bengal and Vraja, in places

such as Rdh-kua and Vndvana, the
custom called bheka-dhraa, formal acceptance
of the cloth of the renounced order (bbj-vea),
and siddha-pral, the process in which the
spiritual master gives details of the sdhakas
spiritual form, intrinsic mood, etc., has perverted
the intrinsic nature of the pure bhakti estab
lished by r Caitanya Mahprabhu and the six
Gosvms. Without consideration of qualification
or disqualification, these people give so-called
siddha-pral and bbj-vea to adulterous
fellows, debauchees and ordinary people who are
ignorant of stra and siddhnta, to increase the

numbers of their followers. Having adopted this

base practice, those people fall to even greater
depths of corruption and depravity.

(1) Bheka-dhraa the system of

conferring bbj-vea
When did the custom of bheka-dhraa come
into practice? Upon investigation, we see that
this custom was not current at the time of the
six Gosvms, r Kadsa Kavirja Gosvm,
r Narottama dsa hkura, rla Vivantha
Cakravart and others because these personalities
were instinctively paramahasas. After taking an
old dhot from Tapana Mira, it was natural for

320

His

Life

and

r Santana Gosvm to tear it up and wear it as

outer cloth and or-kaupna, the loin cloth worn
by a paramahasa. There is no mention at all
about giving siddha-pral in this connection.
This dress of a renunciant was adopted simply to
indicate a firm dedication to bhajana. Similarly,
one should understand this to be the same in
regard to the other Gosvms.
In one way, this is included in the category of
the bhikuka (mendicant) rama, or sannysa,
because paramahasa mahtms have no
definite or fixed dress. They are beyond rules,
regulations and the distinguishing marks of
the ramas such as sannysa. Since such
paramahasas are always absorbed in bhagavatprema, the regulations and prohibitions of
scriptures such as the Vedas are no impetus for
them. But people who are not at the paramahasa
stage accept Vaiava sannysa (according to
sttvata vaiava-smti such as Sat-kriy-sradpik) or according to the same regulations
they wear a white outer cloth and or-kaupna.
This is for firm dedication to sdhana-bhajana,
and is called bheka-dhraa. The word bheka
is a corrupted form of the Sanskrit word vea.
rla Bhaktivinoda hkura has written an essay
entitled Bheka-dhraa (reprinted in Gauyapatrik Year 6, No. 2):
Properly understood, the word bheka means
the rama of bhikukas, mendicants. The name
of the sannysa-rama is bhiku-rama.
Sannyss can never associate with women in
this life. They will sustain their lives by begging.
Here a question arises: in which rama
are those Vaiavas situated who have accepted
bheka? Our studies of stra and the instructions
of Mahprabhu establish that detached Vaiavas
are situated in the bhiku-rama. When the
association of women is completely forbidden

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

for them, then they are situated in the sannysarama. The sign of sannysa is kaupna, the
loin cloth. When they have accepted or-kaupna
and the outer garment, then they are definitely
accepted in the sannysa-rama.
Sannysa is of two kinds: ordinary and
Vaiava. There is a vast difference between these
two. In ordinary sannysa, there is peacefulness,
self-control, tolerance, renunciation, knowledge
of the eternal and the temporary, and the
ambition to attain brahma. When these dharmas
have arisen in an individual, then sannysa has
been accepted. However, the presence of these
qualities does not by itself make one eligible for
Vaiava sannysa.
The process for developing love (rati)
for Bhagavn begins first of all with faith in
subject matters related to Bhagavn. After that
one proceeds to sdhu-saga, bhajana-kriy,
anartha-nivtti, etc. When rati for Bhagavn arises
in the heart, the dharma known as virakti, or
detachment, takes shelter of the Vaiava. At that
stage, the Vaiava sdhaka becomes completely
detached from the ghastha-rama. He then
wears the kaupna to minimize his personal
necessities, and maintains his life by begging. This
is called Vaiava bheka. Those who are simple
and free from duplicity and who accept bheka
for the purpose of doing bhagavad-bhajana are
worthy to receive the respect of the whole world.
This type of acceptance of bheka is of
two kinds. Some sdhakas, after achieving
detachment born of bhva, accept bheka
from a worthy guru; and some put on orkaupna and outer cloth themselves. In rman
Mahprabhus sampradya, this custom of
bheka is extremely pure. Bowing my head with
great faith, I repeatedly offer my obeisances to
such a tradition.

321

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

However, it is very unfortunate that these

days the bheka-rama is becoming extremely
degraded. Eligibility is a consideration that has
completely disappeared. Some people who want
to adopt bheka, although unqualified, shave
their heads, put on or-kaupna and accept
bheka whimsically.
Presently some perversions have entered the
system of sannysa:
(1)
Some householder Vaiavas become
bbjs. They shave their heads and put on
kaupna. What can be more injurious than
this? Their action is opposed to stra and
to the interests of society. If they are actually
detached from material life, then they may
accept bheka in the genuine manner of
renunciation. Otherwise they will disgrace
vaiava-dharma and in the next life they
will also have to taste the fruit of doing so.
(2) There is a terrible and disastrous custom
among bbjs of keeping maidservants in
their ramas. In some ramas, a bbj
may even keep his former wife as his maid
servant. These people associate with women
on the pretext of serving God and the sdhus.
(3) Bbjs who are actually renounced com
pletely reject lust for women, wealth, eatables
and so on. Nowadays, common people are
losing faith in Vaiavism, because they see
supposedly renounced people indulging
their selfish desires. The essence of the
matter is that those who accept the symbols
of renunciation without having developed
genuine detachment which arises from rati,
love of Bhagavn, are a disturbance in society
and a disgrace to vaiava-dharma. Their
own downfall and the defamation of vaiavadharma are both guaranteed, having accepted
bheka before they are qualified to do so.

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

After rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura

and Baladeva Vidybhaa, a dark age began
in rman Mahprabhus Gauya sampradya,
during which the current of r rpnugabhakti became somewhat impaired. Various
kinds of speculative malpractices and opinions
opposed to uddha-bhakti seeped into the true
conception. At that time the situation became so
dire that the educated and cultured section of
society began to abhor even the name Gauya
Vaiavism, having witnessed the misconduct of
its so-called followers. In this way, the Gauya
Vaiava sampradya became distanced from
the intelligentsia and respected society. At
that time, the Seventh Gosvm Saccidnanda
Bhaktivinoda hkura and rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat appeared.
These two personalities brought about a
revolutionary transformation in the Gauya
Vaiava sampradya and restored its lost
dignity. The entire credit for whatever diffusion
of rman Mahprabhus nma-sakrtana
and uddha-bhakti has taken place among the
learned and respectable sector of society goes
to these two mahpuruas and their followers,
not only in India but also throughout the world.
They established Gauya Mahas and preaching
centres for uddha-bhakti everywhere, and they
published the literatures of uddha-bhakti along
with magazines and journals in all of the major
languages of the world. Thus in a very short time
they revolutionized the Gauya Vaiava society.
After the disappearance of jagad-guru rla
Prabhupda, improper practices again began
to appear openly in all the prominent places of
r Vraja-maala, Gaua-maala and Ketramaala. These groups of bbjs began to make
allegations against rla Prabhupda and the
pure Vaiavas under his shelter. They said that

322

His

Life

and

Vaiavas of the Gauya Maha are simply jns

ignorant of rasa-tattva, and that their acceptance
of saffron cloth and sannysa is not a properly
established procedure. Our most worshipful
rla Gurudeva refuted these accusations with
scriptural evidence and powerful arguments and
preached uddha-bhakti everywhere. For this
purpose he had the essays previously written
by rla Bhaktivinoda hkura and jagad-guru
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda
published again in his r Gauya-patrik and
r Bhgavata-patrik. He published Sahajiydalana (Destroying the Sahajiy Theory), and
also argued these points in huge assemblies in
many places in Vraja-maala, Gaua-maala
and Ketra-maala. As a result, the opposition
party made a case to prosecute him in a court of
law for loss of reputation. However, in the end they
had to beg forgiveness in the same courtroom.

(2) Siddha-pral
Siddha-pral is very much misused nowadays in
certain places in Vraja-maala, Gaua-maala
and Ketra-maala. Sometimes, a man whose wife
passes away is abused and even driven from his
home. Although he is bereft of tattva-jna and
unaware of vaidh-bhakti-sdhana, he has his head
shaved in the middle of the night, puts on kaupna
and quickly takes siddha-pral. These days,
siddha-pral can be obtained very easily with the
donation of half a rupee. Just before the mantra is
given, a financial contract takes place. Those giving
the siddha-pral mantra think, There can be no
auspiciousness for sdhakas until they receive
siddha-pral. There is no necessity for vaidhbhakti-sdhana, tattva-jna or anartha-nivtti.
The rgnuga-bhakta should obtain siddhapral before he goes through anartha-nivtti.
In that way he can avoid getting caught in the

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

inconvenience of vaidh-bhakti. These peoples

conception is exactly like thinking that a fruit will
grow from a leaf before the appearance of a flower.
About fifty-five years ago, we were performing
Vraja-maala parikram with our most worship
ful rla Gurudeva. Approximately four hundred
pilgrims attending the parikram were staying in
a large dharmal in Mathur. Gurudeva had
organized a big feast there, to which all the local
sdhus, saints and Vaiavas had been invited.
Bbjs, who had accepted bheka, also assembled
there in very large numbers. When they came
to meet with rla Gurudeva, he became very
curious and asked them, What is the aim and
object of your ka-bhajana? They were taken
aback when they heard this question, but after
thinking about it they answered, By performing
ka-bhajana we will attain liberation and merge
into Ka. When Guruj heard their answer, he
became very sad. On questioning them further,
he found that women were also staying in their
ramas as maidservants. From that day on, he
vowed to reform these malpractices which had
spread in the Gauya Vaiava society. I have
indicated this before. In spite of being busy in
preaching uddha-bhakti throughout his life, he
never forgot this matter. A great deal of credit for
the improvement and reform of this situation goes
to this mahpurua. Here I am presenting what
ever views I have heard from him on this subject.
rla Rpa Gosvm (Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu
1.4.1516) has defined the following sequence
which we have to follow in order to enter into the
realm of bhakti:

323

dau raddh tata sdhusago tha bhajana-kriy

tato nartha-nivtti syt
tato nih rucis tata

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

athsaktis tato bhvas

tata prembhyudacati
sdhaknm aya prema
prdurbhve bhavet krama

Bhakti flees very far away when the sdhaka

transgresses this sequence. Therefore, it is
absolutely essential to execute the first limb
of sdhana-bhakti, namely, vaidh-bhakti, or
regulative devotional service, in order to enter
the realm of prema. Vaidh-bhakti is not directly
the cause of attaining ka-prema. Still, it is
necessary to observe the appropriate limbs
of vaidh-bhakti in order to enter into rgamrga. Vaidh-bhakti is established on the
steadfast foundation of scriptural evidence and
it is endowed with powerful codes of correct
behaviour. Moreover, there is no particular
difference between the observance of the limbs
of rgnuga-sdhana-bhakti and vaidhbhakti. The difference is only in devotion to the
observance. Thus the limbs of vaidh-bhaktisdhana cannot be neglected entirely. When r
Caitanya Mahprabhu instructed r Santana
Gosvm on the subject of prayojana-tattva,
which is ka-prema, He said:

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

If by good fortune a jva develops raddh, he

begins to associate with sdhus, and in that
company he engages in hearing and chanting.
By following sdhana-bhakti he becomes
free from all anarthas and advances with firm
faith (nih), by which ruci (taste) awakens
for ravaa, krtana and so on. After ruci,
then sakti (deep attachment) arises, and from
abundant sakti the seed of prti (affection) for
Ka is born in the heart. When that emotion
intensifies, it is called prema. This prema is
lifes ultimate goal and the abode of all joy.

ruci haite bhakti haya sakti pracura

sakti haite citte janme ke prity-akura

It is quite impossible for one who trans

gresses this sequence to enter the realm of bhakti.
Thus, those who want to enter this domain while
neglecting the limbs of vaidh-sdhana-bhakti
are in all respects unrestrained and outside the
conclusions of stra. They have no relation at all
with pure bhakti. rla Bhaktivinoda hkura has
also expressed the same opinion: vidhi-mrgarata-jane svdhnat-ratna-dne / rga-mrga
karna pravea r Ka bestows the jewel of
independence upon those who are devoted to
the regulative path, thus allowing them entrance
into rga-mrga, the path of spontaneous loving
service.
By considering the gradations of the object
of attainment (sdhya-vastu) we find that the
prema of rmat Rdh for Ka is the crest
jewel. Furthermore, r Caitanya Mahprabhu has
explained that the sdhya for the living entities is
service to rmat Rdhik (rdh-dsya) imbued
with parakya-bhva. In order to obtain that
sdhya-vastu, one must perform sdhana.

sei rati gha haile dhare prema-nma

sei premprayojana sarvnanda-dhma

sdhya-vastu sdhana-vin keha nhi pya

kp kari kaha, rya, pbra upya

kona bhagye kona jvera raddh yadi haya

tabe sei jva sdhu-saga karaya
sdhu-saga haite haya sravaa-krtana
sdhana-bhaktye haya sarvnartha-nivartana
anartha-nivtti haile bhakti nih haya
nih haite ravadye ruci upajaya

r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 23.913)

r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 8.197)

324

His

Life

and

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

and in the mood of the sakhs. For this reason,

rla Rpa Gosvm has given this instruction in
his Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.2.293295) in the
section on r rgnuga-bhakti-sdhana:

The goal of life (sdhya-vastu) cannot be

achieved unless one accepts the appropriate
process (sdhana). Now, being merciful
upon Me, please explain that means by
which this goal can be attained.

ka smaran jana csya

preha nija-samhitam
tat-tat-kath-rata csau
kuryd vsa vraje sad

r Rya Rmnanda replied:

rdh-kera ll ei ati ghatara
dsya-vtsalydi-bhve n haya gocara

sev sdhaka-rpea
siddha-rpea ctra hi
tad-bhva-lipsun kry
vraja-loknusrata

sabe eka sakh-gaera ih dhikra

sakh haite haya ei llra vistra
sakh bin ei ll pua nhi haya
sakh ll vistriy, sakh svdaya

ravaot-krtandni
vaidha-bhakty uditni tu
ynyagni ca tnyatra
vijeyni manibhi

sakh bin ei llya anyera nhi gati

sakh-bhve ye tre kare anugati
rdh-ka-kujasev sdhya sei pya
sei sdhya pite ra nhika upya

Here, rla Rpa Gosvm has mentioned two

types of sdhana in rgnuga-bhakti sev:

r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 8. 201205)

sev sdhaka-rpea
siddha-rpea ctra hi
tad-bhva-lipsun kry
vraja-loknusrata

ataeva gop-bhva kari agkra

rtri-dina cinte rdh-kera vihra
siddha-dehe cinti kare thi sevana
sakh-bhve pya rdh-kera caraa
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 8.228229)

The gist of the matter is that Rdh-Kas

love-laden ll is so confidential and so full of
mysteries that it is imperceptible, even for those
in dsya- and vtsalya-bhva. Only the sakhs
are eligible for this. Therefore, no one can attain
the service of rmat Rdhik or the kuja-sev
of r Rdh-Ka Yugala by sdhana without
following in the wake of the sakhs. Thus the only
means of attaining this supreme goal is meditation
on Rdh-Kas pastimes throughout the day
and night by the internally conceived siddha-deha

When there is lobha, or greed, for rgtmikabhakti, rgnuga-bhakti is executed in two ways:
in the external body in which one is presently
situated (sdhaka-rpa), and in the perfected
spiritual form (siddha-rpa). Eagerly desiring to
attain rati for Ka or the ecstatic sentiments
of ones chosen companions of Ka, one
must follow the associates of Rdh and Ka
in Vraja, such as Lalit, Vikh, Rpa Majar
and their followers, such as r Rpa Gosvm
and Santana Gosvm. One must render bodily
service with the sdhaka-rpa following the great
authorities residing in Vraja, such as r Rpa and
r Santana. And with the siddha-rpa one must

325

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

render mnas-sev following the Vrajavss such

as r Rpa Majar. The meaning of this verse
(sev sdhaka-rpea) has been explained in r
Caitanya-caritmta (Madhya-ll 22.156157):
bhya, antara,ihra dui ta sdhana
bhye sdhaka-dehe kare ravaa-krtana
mane nija-siddha-deha kariy bhvana
rtri-dine kare vraje kera sevana

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

At the time of death, the saintly King Bhrata was

immersed in thinking about a baby deer, and
therefore he attained the body of a deer, so what
doubt is there about attaining a body suitable for
rendering to the Divine Couple the service on
which one constantly reflected in ones internally
conceived siddha-deha?
In relation to the siddha-deha it has been said
in the r Sanatkumra-sahit (184, 186):

This rgnuga-bhakti is performed in two

ways: externally and internally. Externally,
in the sdhaka body, the devotee engages
in hearing and chanting. In his mind, in his
internally conceived, perfected spiritual
body, he serves Ka in Vraja day and night.

tmna cintayet tatra

ts madhye manoramm
rpa-yauvana-sampann
kior pramadktim

Thus rgnuga-bhakti sdhakas should in

all respects practise bhva-sambandhi-sdhana
such as ravaa, krtana, service to Tulas,
wearing tilaka, observing vows beginning with
r Ekda and Janmam, and so on, for all
these activities nourish ones intrinsic desired
bhva. Simultaneously, one must also render
service to Rdh-Ka in Vraja, meditating on
ones siddha-deha in the heart. The body of a
gop which is suitable for rendering service to
Rdh-Govinda is called siddha-deha. When
bhajana is mature, the jva gives up his inert
material body, and attains the body of a gop
corresponding to his eternal intrinsic nature.
In
r
Prema-bhakti-candrik
rla
Narottama hkura has said: sdhane bhbiba
jh siddha-dehe pba th, rga pathera ei se
upya whatever subject is constantly meditated
upon at the time of performing sdhana, that
same subject is the prominent meditation at the
time of death and it engrosses the heart. Ones
destination at the time of death will correspond
exactly to the subject one remembers at that time.

rdhiknucar nitya
tat-sevana-paryam
kd apy adhika prema
rdhiky prakurvatm
(Sadiva is explaining to Nradaj about the
siddha-deha suitable for rendering service
to the Divine Couple.) O Nrada, meditate in
this way upon your own svarpa among r
Kas beloved associates who take pride
in being His paramours in the aprkta
Vndvana-dhma. I am a most beautiful
and supremely blissful kior, an adolescent
girl, endowed with youthful beauty. I am
an eternal maidservant of rmat Rdhik.
Having arranged for r Kas dear-most
sweetheart, rmat Rdhik, to meet with
Him, I will always strive for Their happiness.
Remaining forever engaged in the service of
the Divine Couple may I maintain more love
for rmat than for Ka.

We should note here that the descriptions of

the siddha-deha that stra and the mahjanas
have given are for sdhakas of a particular level.
Any mention of the siddha-deha is always in the

326

His

Life

and

context of rgnuga-bhakti. Specifically, such

instructions are intended for those very fortunate
sdhakas in whose hearts lobha, a genuine greed,
to attain rgtmika-bhakti, has already arisen
due to impressions (saskras) from this life and
previous lives.
There is a further matter to consider. It is one
thing to understand the excellence of a particular
rasa by the description given in stra. It is
another thing altogether to have greed (lobha)
for that rasa. When someone has lobha for a
particular rasa, that sdhaka will exhibit its
symptoms. Such a greed arises in the stage of
ruci, and this marks the beginning of the practice
of rgnuga-bhakti. It is understood from this
that nmpardha, sevpardha and various
other anarthas of such a sdhaka have, for
the most part, been eradicated by now. He has
already controlled the six urges mentioned by
rla Rpa Gosvm in r Upademta (Verse
1); he is virtually free from the six faults (Verse
2); he is endowed with the six qualities beginning
with enthusiasm and confidence (Verse 3);
having recognized the three types of Vaiavas,
he is expert in behaving appropriately with them
(Verse 5); and he has also become established in
the purport of Verse 8, tan-nma-rpa-caritdi.
In other words, he conducts himself according to
this verse.
In this stage the sdhaka goes on performing
bhajana, and when he crosses the stage of ruci and
enters sakti, then a semblance of the symptoms
related by r Rpa Gosvm in the verse kntiravyartha-klatvam will be observed in him. In the
stage of sakti, a semblance (bhsa) of the rati
that arises at the stage of bhva will appear, and
in order to manifest that rati fully, the sdhaka
will perform bhajana, meditating on his siddhadeha. When this ratybhsa transforms into rati

T e a c h i n gs

Part
six

by the practice of bhajana, then the sdhaka

attains factual experience of his own svarpa.
This is called meditation on ones siddha-deha,
or the acceptance of Vaiava bheka. One who
achieves this, being of simple heart, is worshipful
for the whole world.
There are two types of acceptance of bheka. A
sdhaka may receive bheka from a suitable guru.
Alternatively, when genuine vairgya arises as
mentioned previously, he may accept bheka from
himself. Haridsa hkura, the six Gosvms,
Lokantha Gosvm and others are examples of
the practice of accepting bheka from oneself.
This is also how rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
hkura accepted sannysa-vea after the
disappearance of rla Gaura-kiora dsa Bbj,
from whom he had received dk-mantras. We
see from these examples that acceptance of bheka
in this way is fully in agreement with stra.
r Rmnujcrya also conferred tridaisannysa upon himself after the disappearance
of his guru, rla Yamuncrya.
In any case, the meditation on ones siddhadeha depends on the mercy of guru. The guru or
ik-guru who is established in the principles
of transcendental mellows (rasa-vicra) and
who is self-realized will indicate the details of
the sdhakas perfected form. Otherwise, if the
sdhaka changes the order of the sequence
described earlier, he cannot attain perfection. On
the contrary, his bhakti may become completely
ruined and the conceptions of the sampradya
will also become corrupted. We see this going on
everywhere nowadays.
Some ignorant people say that there is no
siddha-pral in the Gauya Maha. This vi
cious propaganda is erroneous in all respects. In
the authentic texts written by rla Gopla Bhaa
Gosvm entitled Sat-kriy-sra-dpik and

327

Saskra-dpik, which is a supplement to Haribhakti-vilsa, there is an account of the tridaisannysa-saskra. The original manuscript
handwritten by r Gopla Bhaa Gosvm is
protected even today in the Royal Library of
Jaipura, and the gosvms of r Rdh-Ramaa
still have an old copy of it. Therefore, Sat-kriysra-dpik and Saskra-dpik are accepted
as authoritative evidence, and according to them,
the conferring of tridai-sannysa-vea by
Gauya Vaiavas is bona fide. In this sannysasaskra, or-kaupna, bahir-vsa and the
sannysa-mantra for taking shelter of gopbhva are given. The ekdaa-bhva (eleven
aspects of gop identity), namely, sambandha,
vaya, nma, rpa, ytha, vea, j, vsa, sev,
park-vsa and plya-ds-bhva, are
contained within this gop-bhva. The identity of
the siddha-deha is determined by the instructions
of r guru in accordance with the ruci (taste) of
the sdhaka. Ones own eleven identifications
(ekdaa-bhva) given by guru is called siddhapral. As the sdhaka goes on performing this
type of sdhana, the perfection of his svarpa
takes place along with the attainment of uddharati in his heart.
rla Bhaktivinoda hkura has described his
eternal spiritual form in one of his songs (Gtaml, Chapter 5, Song 8):
varae tait vsa trval
kamala majar nma
she bra vara vayasa satata
svnanda-sukhada-dhma

r rpa majar prabhtira sama

yugala sevya
avaya se-rpa sev pba mi
parkh suvivsa
kabe v e ds sasiddhi labhibe
rdh-kue vsa kari
rdh-ka-sev satata karibe
prva smti parihari
My complexion is like a flash of lightning
and my dress is bedecked with twinkling
stars. My name is Kamala Majar and I
am eternally twelve-and-a-half years old.
My home is Svnanda-sukhada-kuja. My
service is to supply camphor to the Divine
Couple. I serve in Lalits group (gaa) and
r Rdh is my group leader (ythevar).
My Svmins beloved, the son of Nanda
Mahrja, is the treasure of my life. I aspire
to serve the Divine Couple like Rpa Majar
and others, and I am confident that I will
surely attain this service. This is my highest
aspiration. Oh, when will this maidservant
attain complete perfection and, residing at
r Rdh-kua, serve r r Rdh-Ka,
having completely forgotten my past?

In conclusion, whatever custom of accepting

bheka is seen among bbjs is not a fifth rama,
rather it is a second form of the fourth rama,
namely the sannysa-rama. Y

karpra-sev lalitra gaa

rdh ythevar hana
mamevar-ntha r nanda-nandana
mra para dhana

328

Part Seven:

rla Gurudeva & Vaiava Literature

aramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva was

endowed with the opulence of being
exceptionally brilliant in all spheres. No one could
equal him in organizing an ideal society, and at
the same time he was also uniquely attached to
transcendental knowledge. He was a mature and
profound scholar of philosophy, rasika and also
a poet. It is very rare to find a person who is so
extremely talented in such diverse fields. He had
the gift of astonishing everyone with his ever-fresh

thoughts and feelings, and it was a natural part

of his life to compose Vaiava texts presenting
fresh philosophical conclusions and realizations.
He enriched the treasure house of Gauya
Vaiava literature, not only by publishing the
authentic compositions of previous cryas, but
also by personally composing new books, articles,
essays, prayers and poems which were full of
siddhnta. We will herein present an appreciation
of a few of his prayers, essays and sweet poems.

The Life History of Myvda, or the Victory of Vaiavism

aramrdhya rla crya Kesar con

sidered that pure bhakti cannot be
propagated completely as long as the concep
tion of myvda exists in the world. It is
therefore most essential to uproot myvda.
For this reason he composed a book entitled
The Life History of Myvda, or the Victory
of Vaiavism. Here is a brief account of the
essence of this book.

(1) What is myvda?

The word my generally indicating the potency
of inert matter (jaa-akti) or the potency of
nescience (avidy-akti) is the shadow of the
internal potency (svarpa-akti) of the Supreme
Truth. She [my] is the authority who presides
over the material world. It is this very potency that
leads a materially bound living entity to identify

himself with the physical body, to consider the

objects connected with the body to be his own,
and to accept the shelter of myvda.
Myvda states that brahma is an
undifferentiated, or homogeneous, spirit that is
devoid of any potency or attributes. From this
point of view, then, a distinct my potency with
the characteristic function of creating illusion
cannot exist. However, myvds also assert
that the jva is actually brahma, and that the
apparent existence of the living entity separate
from brahma is simply an illusion that is created
by the influence of my, or avidy. As long as
my exists, the jva will exist. In this respect,
myvds consider that the my potency does
exist. According to the myvda doctrine, then,
my (ignorance or illusion) has the specific,
distinguishing characteristic of being neither

331

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

existing (sat) nor non-existing (asat), and is

therefore inexpressible (sat-asat-vilakaa
anirvacanya). People who hold this deceptive
opinion are myvds, or impersonalists.
According to the myvda conception, vara,
like the jva, is also in the clutches of my.
However, the difference between vara and the
living entity is that the jvas are forced to accept
the fruits of their actions, whereas vara covered
by my does not. Vaiava cryas have pointed
out that this idea is contrary both to stra and
to logic.
The author of Vednta-stra, the omniscient
r Ka Dvaipyana Vedavysa, who divided
the Vedas, has declared in his Padma Pura that
myvda is false and against the Vedas:
myvdam asat-stra
pracchanna bauddham ucyate
Myvda is a concocted doctrine and is
known as Buddhism in disguise.
vedrthavan mah-stra
myvdam avaidikam
mayaiva vihita devi!
jagat na-krat
Myvda, though given a facade of great
importance and claiming itself to be derived
from the Vedas, is in truth a non-Vedic
theory. O goddess, it is I who has propagated
this concocted theory, which will become
the cause of the worlds destruction.
svgamai kalpitais tva ca
jann mad-vimukhn kuru
m ca gopaya yena
syt sir eottarottar
Padma Pura
(Uttara-khaa 71.107)

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

[Lord Viu said to iva,] O iva, make people

in general averse to Me by concocting your
own version of scripture and thus hiding My
glories. In this way, the worlds population
bereft of spiritual knowledge will increase.

Vaiava cryas such as r Rmnuja

crya, r Madhva crya, r Jva Gosvm, r
Vallabha crya, r Kadsa Kavirja Gosvm
and r Baladeva Vidybhaa have pointed out
that akara crya is a hidden Buddhist and that
his doctrine is covered Buddhism. Some scholars
of the akara sampradya think that Vaiavas
only say this out of envy, but in this they are
mistaken. Many scholars who are not Vaiavas
have also accepted that akara nurtured the
flow of the Buddhist conception. These scholars
include Vijna Bhiku, who was a prominent
scholar of Skhya philosophy; learned yogs of
the Patajal doctrine; and even Buddhist scholars.
Now we will show the similarities between the
views of crya akara and Buddha.

(2) Is this world false?

Buddha stated that the world is nya-tattva,
void or non-existent, in all the three phases of
time the beginning, middle and end. By this, the
worlds falsehood in the three phases of time is
ascertained.
crya akara also taught that the cause
of the world is a principle called avidy, or
ignorance, which is devoid of past, present and
future. This principle of ignorance is inexpressible
due to its special characteristic of being neither
existent nor non-existent. Brahma satya jagan
mithy brahma is real and the world is false.
Nidr moht svapnavat tan na satya
uddha pro nitya eka ivo ham The
universe is not true, it is non-existent and false

332

His

Life

and

Part
seven

Teachings

Buddha

crya akara

It is clear that Buddhas nya

(3) The means of liberation

and crya akaras dream-like

mithy (falsehood) are both
one and the same. Only the
terminology is different.

like a dream. The universe only seems real while

we are asleep in a dream state; in reality it does
not exist (tma-pacaka 3).
It is clear that Buddhas nya and crya
akaras dream-like mithy (falsehood) are
both one and the same. Only the terminology is
different. There is no difference between Buddhas
trikla-nyatva, voidism in the three phases
of time, and crya akaras inexpressible
principle of existence and non-existence.

Many scriptures of the Mahyna branch of

Buddhism have said that the only means of
achieving liberation is praj-pramit, or the
perfection of wisdom. Buddhism teaches that
one should understand that this whole world is
a source of grief and is full of sorrows, and to
attain complete relief from this suffering, one
should try to obtain tattva-jna. The name of
this tattva-jna is praj-pramit.
crya akara also says that, although the
world is false, it is still the source of suffering,
and is filled with intense misery. The condition of
complete freedom from the grief of this distress
ful world is called moka, or liberation. The
cause of this liberation from material existence
is knowledge of the oneness of brahma and jva,
and of brahma and this illusory existence. This

333

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

knowledge is tattva-jna, and without it one can

not attain the perfection of oneness. Tattva-jna,
or brahma-jna (knowledge of brahma), is the
only cause of the complete annihilation of avidy.
When we examine both opinions, we see that
Buddhas praj (wisdom) and crya akaras
brahma-jna are identical; there is no real differ
ence between them at all. We can verify this with the
observation that crya akara, having quoted
the mantra prajna brahma from Aitareya
Upaniad (3.3), has consistently supported the
opinion of the Mahyna branch of Buddhism
with regard to praj-pramit. In this way, crya
akara has propagated tattva-jna (brahmajva aikyavda, or the theory that brahma and
the jva are one), by following in the footsteps of
Buddhas doctrine, praj, or praj-pramit.
There is no difference between Buddhas
nya and akaras brahma. In the nineteenth
verse of the Buddhists Praj-pramit-stra,
in relation to supreme liberation in the form of
nya-tattva, it has been written: akta kastvm
iha stotu nirimitt nirajanm / sarva-vg
viaytt y tva kvacidanirit. It is clear
from this verse that nya-tattva is untainted,
causeless, unborn, non-existent, without any
support and inexpressible through speech. It is
unimpeded, imperishable and also immeasurable.
These are the specific symptoms of nya-tattva.
akara, for his part, states that brahma is spotless
and formless and without variety, potency and
distinct qualities. It is clear, then, that there is no
difference between akaras brahma-tattva and
Buddhas nya-tattva. akara crya himself
has actually referred to brahma as nya.
dra-darana-dydi bhva-nyaika vastuni
nirvikre nirkre nirviee bhid kuta
Viveka-cmai (402)

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Is there a distinction between the viewer,

vision and the object of vision in relation to
the immutable, formless substance devoid
of attributes? (In other words, there is no
distinction.)
nityo ha nirvadyo ha
nirkro ham akara
paramnanda rpo ham
aham evham avyaya
Brahma-nmval-ml (4)

I am eternal, flawless, formless, imperishable,

supremely blissful and inexhaustible.

In the book Amara-koa, Buddha has been

called an advaya-vd, non-dualist. The followers
of akara crya also introduce themselves as
kevaldvaita-vds, pure non-dualists, so there
is agreement between the two on this point as
well. Readers can judge for themselves whether
or not there is any difference of opinion between
akara and Buddha.
Although there is no specific difference
between advaya-vda and advaita-vda, crya
akara still named his doctrine advaita-vda
and not advaya-vda (Buddhism). Why did he
conceal this truth when he was fully aware in
the core of his heart that he was a Buddhist?
The reason for this was not a philosophical
difference. The real cause was the order of
his worshipful Lord, r Bhagavn. akara
akara skt. crya akara is the direct
incarnation of akara, who is the most exalted
Vaiava and dear devotee of the Lord. Indeed,
akara is regarded as the guru of the Vaiavas.
At the time when crya akara made his
appearance in India, the general mass of people
were deviating from the principles of varrama
because of the influence of the Buddhist nya-

334

His

Life

and

He transformed nya-vda into

brahma-vda and re-established
the honour and authority of the
Vedas. .... Establishing the false
doctrine of brahma-vda on the
foundation of Vedic authority was
only a temporary achievement.
Later, r Rmnuja crya,
r Madhva and other Vaiava
cryas erected the palace of
Vaiavism on the foundation of
akara cryas brahma-vda.

vda. Even the brahminical class of men were

rejecting Vedic dharma in favour of Buddhism.
At that time, Lord akara incarnated as akara
crya, who was endowed with extraordinary
powers. He transformed nya-vda into
brahma-vda and re-established the honour and
authority of the Vedas. India will remain eternally
indebted to r akara crya for accomplishing
this extraordinary task. Establishing the false
doctrine of brahma-vda on the foundation of
Vedic authority was only a temporary achievement.
Later, r Rmnuja crya, r Madhva and
other Vaiava cryas erected the palace of
Vaiavism on the foundation of akara cryas
brahma-vda. We have already mentioned
Bhagavns orders to r akara. Bhagavn
Viu said to r Rudra (Padma Pura): m ca
gopaya yena syt sir eottarottar cover Me
in such a way that people will take more interest
in advancing material civilization just to propagate
a population bereft of spiritual knowledge.

Teachings

Part
seven

(4) The history of myvda

rla crya Kesar researched the history of
impersonalism from Satya-yuga to the present
age of Kali, and has given us a birds-eye view
of myvda. Scholars of philosophy have
concluded that crya akaras nirviea
kevaldvaita-vda, non-variegated exclusive
monism, is not the same as the advaita-vda which
was current prior to his time. On the contrary, the
advaita-vda prior to crya akara is Vedic, for
we find it described in the Vedas and Upaniads.
The Vedic literature states that the Supreme Truth
as defined by the Upaniads (aupaniadika
brahma) is neither without potency nor devoid
of transcendental attributes. They also state that
the world is perishable but not false. ukadeva
Gosvm and the four Kumras, led by Sanaka
and Santana, were fixed in meditation on this
nirgua-brahma (the Supreme Truth devoid
of qualities). However, this brahma was not
an inexpressible principle with the special
characteristic of being both existent and nonexistent. Later, by the mercy of pure Vaiavas,
they were established in pure bhakti.
The jna-yoga of the four Kumras was
somewhat unfavourable to pure bhakti, so their
father Brahm pleaded with r Bhagavn, who
advented in the form of a swan and instructed
them in the process of bhakti-yoga. This
narration is found in the Seventh Canto of
rmad-Bhgavatam. r ukadeva Gosvm,
an adherent of the unqualified Supreme
Truth, entered into the realm of pure bhakti
by the mercy of r Vedavysa, an empowered
incarnation of Bhagavn (a aktyveaavatra). r ukadeva Gosvm has himself
admitted this fact in the First Canto of rmadBhgavatam.

335

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

(6) The evolution of nirviea

advaita-vda in Treta-yuga
Vaiha
r Vaiha Muni was the main crya of advaitavda in Treta-yuga. He was the family priest of
the kings belonging to the sun-dynasty (sryavaa), and he was also a brahma-jn. No one
disputes this fact, and his Yogaviha Rmyaa
is irrefutable evidence. As a brahma-vd, he used
to impart knowledge of the undivided brahma to
his disciples. Bhagavn r Rmacandra felt great
pain on seeing His family priest wandering in the
desolate forest of brahma-vda, so He mercifully

Keava

G o s vm

There are many such

(5) Advaita-vda in Satya-yuga

In his commentary on Brahma-stra 3.2.17, r
akara crya has accepted as evidence the
dialogue between Bdhva and Vskali. Bdhva was
the guru of Vskali, who was a famous advaitavd during Satya-yuga. Vskali was the son
of Anuhlda, who was a son of Hirayakaipu;
Vskali, like Hirayakaipu, was by nature a
ferocious demon. There are many such examples
in the history of impersonalism in different yugas.
All the great demons were either advaita-vds
or myvds. This proves that the impersonal
conception is especially honoured in the dynasty of
demons. Impartial and soft-hearted sages who took
to advaita-vda were saved from the devouring
mouth of myvda, and their hearts were purified
by the mercy received from the incarnations of
Bhagavn. But stone-hearted demons, whose
fanatical, blind faith in conceptions opposed to the
stras, could not receive bhakti-tattva. Therefore,
incarnations of Bhagavn destroyed these demons
to safeguard the dignity of bhakti. r Vmanadeva
appeared in the evil sacrifice of Vskali, or Vskala,
and delivered him.

Prajna

examples in the history of

impersonalism in different yugas.
All the great demons were either
advaita-vds or myvds.
This proves that the impersonal
conception is especially honoured
in the dynasty of demons.

rescued him. Vaiha Muni then offered himself

in the service of r Rmacandra.
Rvaa
Danana Rvaa was the chief of the rkasa
dynasty, and was the son of Virav i, who
was the son of Pulastya i. Virav i left his
place of residence in Brahma-varta and stayed
for some time in Lak, where he married the
daughter of a rkasa. Rvaa took birth from
the womb of this demons daughter, and was
thus half i and half rkasa. He can be called
an advaita-vd, for prominent philosophers
in crya akaras line accept him as the first
commentator on monistic advaita-siddhnta. The
Buddhist sampradyas Lakvatra-stra also
states that Rvaa was a well-known advaita-vd
and nya-vd i.
The myvds want to rob brahma of His
potency in order to establish that the Supreme
Truth is powerless. Rvaa tried to steal away
St-dev, the eternal potency of para-brahma
r Rmacandra. For this offence, the great
devotee Hanumn delivered the powerful punch
of bhakti-siddhnta to Rvaas heart. This

336

His

Life

and

vanquished his advaita-jna; consequently he

fainted and fell to the ground. r Rmacandra
then used the unerring arrow of veda-dhvani, the
sound of the Vedas, to cut off Rvaas ten heads,
which signify the ten principles of nirva. This
is the significance of the deliverance of Rvaa.

Teachings

brahma-jna. r ukadeva Gosvm himself

states this in rmad-Bhgavatam 2.1.9:
parinihito pi nairguye
uttama-loka-llay
ghta-cet rjare
khyna yad adhtavn
O saintly king, my heart was absorbed in
nirgua-brahma, yet I became attracted by
the pastimes of r Ka, who is glorified
by transcendental verses, and I studied these
narrations.

(7) Advaita-vda and its trans

formations in Dvpara-yuga
r ukadeva Gosvm
r ukadeva Gosvm was the son of r Ka
Dvaipyana Vedavysa and Vik-dev, the
daughter of Javli i. ukadeva stayed in his
mothers womb for twelve years until, on the
request of his father, he relieved his mothers
pain and came out as a liberated soul. rmadBhgavatam and Brahma-vaivarta Pura have
narrated the story of r ukadeva Gosvms
birth in detail. From birth he was fixed in
nirgua-brahma. However, by the mercy of the
aktyvea-avatra rla Vedavysa, he became
a great rasika and bhvuka devotee. He narrated
rmad-Bhgavatam to Mahrja Parkit, who
had been cursed to die after seven days. Although
ukadeva Gosvm was a nirgua-brahma-jn,
by the mercy of rla Vysadeva he realized the
superiority of the sweet pastimes of r Bhagavn,
who is extolled in choice poetry, and he became
attracted to following the path of pure bhakti. He
imparted the teachings of rmad-Bhgavatam to
the faithful King Parkit, because he understood
that the ultimate benefit of the jvas lies only
in hearing and chanting the topics of rmadBhgavatam, which are saturated with the sweet
and rasika pastimes of Svayam Bhagavn r
Ka. He did not instruct brahma-jna to
Mahrja Parkit, because it is impossible for the
jvas to achieve complete auspiciousness through

Part
seven

Kasa
Kasa was born from the womb of Mahrja
Ugrasenas wife Padm by the semen of the
demon King Drumila. Like his father, Kasa had
a demonic nature, unlike Mahrja Ugrasena,
who was endowed with godly qualities. Kasa
imprisoned Mahrja Ugrasena and declared
himself king. His paternal cousin Devak married
Vasudeva, and at the time of the wedding, a divine
voice from the sky declared that the eighth child
born from Devaks womb would kill Kasa. The
atheist Kasa wanted to kill Devak in order to
counter the prophecy and prove it false. However,
after deliberating carefully, he imprisoned Devak
and Vasudeva, thinking, As soon as Bhagavn
accepts a form and takes birth from the eighth
pregnancy of Devak, I will destroy Him.
Myvds are opposed to the vigraha of
Bhagavn, for they do not accept that Bhagavn
has a form. Their doctrine is that to accept a body
is the action of my and to destroy nescience
is moka. Kasa was also of this same opinion:
Bhagavn r Viu (Kacandra) is going to
take birth by accepting a material body, so it will
be very easy for me to kill Him. He did not know
that the transcendental substance is beyond the

337

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Keava

G o s vm

It is important to know that

jurisdiction of material substances, such as the

material senses. Bhagavn r Ka killed him
and also his followers such as Ptan, Agha,
Baka, Tnvarta and Pralamba, and in this way
established the special characteristics of His
personal, transcendental form.
The fourth chapter of hkura Bhaktivinodas
r Ka-sahit (verses 3 and 30) refers to
Kasa and Pralambsura as covered Buddhists
and myvds. Ka and Baladeva destroyed
them and thus saved the jvas from the devouring
mouth of atheistic myvda.
devakm agraht kasanstikya-bhagin satm

Prajna

Viu Buddha, who was born in

the province of Kkaa, or Gay,
as the son of Ajana, or Ajina, and
Gautama Buddha, who took birth
as the son of uddhodhana and
My-dev in Kapilavastu, are two
different people.

(8) Advaita-vda or myvda in

Kali-yuga

pralambho jva-cauras tu
uddhena auri hata
kasena prerito dua
pracchanno bauddha-rpa-dhk
Vasudeva married the sister of the em
bodiment of atheism, Kasa. r Baladeva
killed jva-caura, the vicious Pralambsura,
who was sent by Kasa and who signifies
myvda, or covered Buddhism.

In this verse, the word jva-caura (those who steal

living entities) is especially significant. Buddhists,
like the myvds, also believe that brahma
becomes a jva through the effect of ignorance;
in other words, brahma is perceived as a jva
when covered with ignorance. This attempt to
abduct form itself is stealing (cor). It is the
nature of demons to destroy the individual form
and to rob the jva of his very existence. That is
why these people are myvds, atheists and
jva-caura. Ka and Baladeva re-established
vaiava-dharma by destroying advaita-vda in
Dvpara-yuga.

kya-siha Gautama Buddha was born in

approximately 500 BC. Indian philosophers
have acknowledged this Buddha as an atheist,
because he rejected the Vedas and vara and
instead propagated the philosophy of nyavda. His doctrines are known as bauddhavda, or Buddhism. It is important to know that
Viu Buddha, who was born in the province of
Kkaa, or Gay, as the son of Ajana, or Ajina,
and Gautama Buddha, who took birth as the son
of uddhodhana and My-dev in Kapilavastu,
are two different people. Gautama Buddha was
enlightened with tattva-jna in Bodhisattva
(Gay), Viu Buddhas birthplace. They are
both described in famous, authentic Buddhist
scriptures such as Amara-koa, Praj-pramitstra and Lalitavistra. For more detailed
information please refer to Myvda k Jvan
(The History of Impersonalism).
rmad-Bhgavatam,
Liga
Pura,
Bhaviya Pura and Varha Pura describe
Buddha as the ninth of the Supreme Lords ten
incarnations (davatra). It is verified there

338

His

Life

and

that this Buddha (the ninth incarnation) is not

Gautama Buddha, the son of uddhodhana. In
rmad-Bhgavatam 10.40.22, obeisances have
been offered to Viu Buddha: namo buddhya
uddhya daitya-dnava-mohine. This Viu
Buddha was born towards the beginning of Kaliyuga: kalau prpte yath buddhau bhagavn
nryaa prabhu (Nsiha Pura 36.9).
He was born about 3,500 (1,500 BC) years ago
in Gay. But the atheistic Gautama Buddha was
born 500 BC. Consequently, they are two different
people. Viu Buddha, who opposed the violence
mentioned in the Vedas, was not an atheist, but
Gautama Buddha denied both the Vedas and
vara and was thus a complete atheist. As we
have already seen, Buddhists say that this world
is nya, or void. akara crya very cleverly
used word jugglery to propagate Gautama
Buddhas conception under the name of
myvda.
crya akara
crya akaras guru is Govindapda, and
Govindapdas guru is Gauapda. We do not
find any scripture written by Govindapda,
and it may be said that it is Gauapda who is
actually akara cryas guru. Gauapda was
a famous nya-vd and his name is of great
importance in the history of myvda. His
two texts, Mukya-krik, on which crya
akara has written a commentary, and Skhyakrik, are the life and soul of myvda. Thus,
akara crya actually followed Gauapda and
propagated his nya-vda doctrine. akara
crya defeated many smrta, aiva, kta and
kplika scholars in scriptural debate and made
them his disciples. However, he never defeated any
Vaiava crya or scholar. There is no historical
record anywhere of any Vaiava being defeated

Teachings

Part
seven

by akara crya, or giving up Vaiavism to

accept advaita-vda.
r ivantha-iromais abdrtha-majar
sheds light on akara cryas life history.
There we read that akara crya was eventually
defeated in scriptural debate by a Tibetan Buddhist
lm, who was at that time famous as a jagad-guru
among the Buddhists. Before commencing the
debate, they vowed that the loser would give up
his life by falling into a vessel filled with boiling
oil. crya akara finally admitted defeat, and
actually gave up his life as they had agreed. In
this way, r akara crya, an effulgent flame in
this world, departed around AD 812.
After akara cryas time, many prominent
cryas of kevaldvaita-vda, or myvda,
were defeated by Vaiava cryas in scriptural
debates. Others were influenced so much that
they accepted Viu as the Supreme Absolute
Truth, acknowledged the superiority of bhakti
over jna, gave up kevaldvaita-vda and
accepted initiation into bhakti-dharma. We
may cite as examples Ydavapraka, rdhara
Svm, r Bilvamagala, Trivikrama crya,
Praknanda Sarasvat, Vsudeva Srvabhauma
and r Madhusdana Sarasvat.

(9) Nirva is a false concept

We have briefly described the history of
myvda and critically analyzed its doctrines
in the light of historical evidence. We have seen
that myvda philosophy is based on extremely
feeble logic. Consequently, from Satya-yuga until
the present time, myvds have constantly
accepted defeat at the hands of their opponents
on the battlefield of debate. People may still
aspire to follow the path of myvda to attain
nirva, just because this doctrine existed in
ancient times. To these people we want to say that

339

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

the nirva-mukti of myvda is completely

and totally false. In reality, the jva can never
attain any such state as nirva, because the
supposed condition of nirva-mukti is simply
imaginary. We can use historical evidence to
prove without any doubt that there is not even a
single instance of any advaita-vd attaining this
condition. When we analyze the life histories of
great myvds like Gauapda, Govindapda,
crya akara and Mdhava, we see clearly that
none of them achieved the nirva-mukti which
they themselves propagated.
According to akara cryas biography, after
his grand-guru Gauapda left his material body,
he appeared in akara cryas trance when
akara crya was absorbed in meditation one
day, and said, akara, I have heard your praises
from your gurudeva, crya Govindapda. I have
also heard that you have composed a beautiful
commentary on my Mukya-krik. I want to see
it. crya akara immediately showed Gaua
pda the commentary. Gauapda felt very happy
to see it and, after giving his approval, he left.
From this incident it is evident that Gauapda
and Govindapda did not become liberated
from their subtle material bodies and achieve
nirva-mukti. In the first place, how could
Gauapda hear about akara from the
mouth of Govindapda, if both Gauapda and
Govindapda had achieved nirva-mukti?
Secondly, how could crya akara show his
commentary on Mukya-krik to Gauapda,
if Gauapda had attained nirva? If they had
actually attained nirva-mukti, neither incident
could possibly have taken place. If we accept
these incidents as real, then the nirva-mukti,
or nirviea-mukti, of the myvds must be
false. Conversely, if we accept nirva-mukti, or
nirviea-mukti, as real, then the aforementioned

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

If the chief propagators of

nirva-mukti those whom we

can regard as the founders of the
doctrine could not attain such
mukti themselves, then how can
anyone else expect to?

incidents are either false or imaginary. Even if

we accept that the incident is partly true, still the
liberation of both the myvd cryas is false,
according to the myvds description of the
symptoms of nirva-mukti.
Putting this incident aside, the biography of
akara states that he personally reincarnated as
Mdhava crya; that is, he appeared in the form
of Vidyraya. Now, how is this consistent with
the conception of nirva-mukti? Myvda
doctrine says that after nirva-mukti, the jvas
have no existence separate from brahma, which
is formless, changeless, inactive and without
any attributes. However, we see that Gauapda,
Govindapda and akara crya all had their
respective separate existence. How can we
logically accept, then, that they had actually
attained nirva-mukti? The nirva-mukti
which the myvda cryas propagate has no
aspect or principle which allows any reciprocal
dialogue, and what to speak of reincarnation, after
the attainment of nirva. This consideration
very clearly shows that nirva-mukti is simply
a false and deceptive expression, or a trap to
collect followers. If the chief propagators of
nirva-mukti those whom we can regard as
the founders of the doctrine could not attain
such mukti themselves, then how can anyone else
expect to?

340

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
seven

r r Rdh-Vinoda-bihr tattvakam

r r Rdh-Vinoda-bihrj are the

presiding deities in r Keavaj Gauya
Maha. When They were installed, some Vaiavas
were curious to know why both the deities have
the same colour, and they respectfully asked rla
crya Kesar, In our Gauya sampradya and
elsewhere, rmat Rdhiks deity is made of
white marble and r Kas is made of black
marble. How is it that both the deities you have
manifested are white? rla cryadeva answered
this question in a beautiful and unprecedented
way by composing r r Rdh-Vinoda-bihrtattvakam. Paramrdhya rla Gurudeva has
wonderfully manifested the fathomless ocean of
r rdh-tattva, r ka-tattva, prema-tattva,
rasa-tattva and the topmost rpnuga current of
thought within the small pot of this tattvakam.
We will try to reveal something of his sentiments
in the following explanation, using kh-candranyya, the logic of the branch and the moon.1
Verse 1
rdh-cint-niveena
yasya kntir vilopit
r-ka-caraa vande
rdhligita-vigraham
We pray at the lotus feet of that form of r
Ka, who is embraced and marked by r
Rdhik (rdhligita and rdhcihnita).
When rmat Rdhik, the personification
of mahbhva, displayed mna, Her
jealous anger, r Ka became thoroughly

1 Editor: The logic of the branch and the moon: even

though the moon is far away in the heavens, one may
indicate its whereabouts with reference to something
close at hand, for example, the branch of a tree.

immersed in separation from Her. His

own dark complexion vanished and He
assumed Her bright, golden lustre. Or, we
pray at the lotus feet of r Ka who is
beautified by rmat Rdhiks golden
lustre when She embraces Him after Her
mna has broken.

Tattva-prakik-vtti
the commentary which illuminates the
philosophical principles
In this verse the word rdhligita has two
meanings. The first is rdhay ligita marked by
r Rdh. The second meaning is rdhay ligita
embraced by rmat Rdhik. When rmat
Rdhik exhibits mna, and dhra-lalita nyaka
r Ka becomes completely absorbed in feelings
of separation from Her, His natural, bluish radiant
lustre disappears and He helplessly accepts rmat
Rdhiks golden complexion. In other words, His
own lustre becomes golden. He does not have to
perform even the slightest endeavour for this; it
happens automatically. It is like the strong bhg
wasp forcefully arresting the weak telaca insect
and confining it in its cave. When the weak insect
hears the strange sound made by the bhg, it
becomes afraid, and constantly contemplating the
form of the bhg, it assumes a bodily form exactly
like that of the bhg.
We can also give the example of Mahrja
Bharata, who was thinking of a fawn at the time
of his death and so acquired the body of a deer
in his next life. In the same way, r Ka takes
on rmat Rdhiks golden lustre as He becomes
more and more absorbed in thoughts of Her.
One such incident is described in a
conversation between Varhadeva and Dhara

341

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

r r Rdh-Vinoda-bihr at r Keavaj Gauya Maha, Mathur

342

G o s vm

His

Life

and

in the Varha-sahit. r Varhadeva told

Dhara, In Vndvana there is a large banyan
tree on the bank of Yamun, and its branches
spread far and wide in all directions. Many
different types of birds are always chirping on
its branches. Surrounding the base of this tree
is a beautiful raised platform on which r r
Rdh-Ka enjoy delightful pastimes. Once
r Ka was relishing rsa-ll with His sakhs
on the bank of the Yamun. Crores of gops were
revelling in pastimes with Him and He began to
dance with the gops one after another, absorbed
in ecstatic love, sometimes embracing one and
sometimes another. Ka enjoyed a variety
of loving exchanges, sometimes with rmat
Rdhik and sometimes with others.
rmat Rdhik observed that Ka was
embracing and dancing with other gops as He
was with Her. Seeing that He was not honouring
Her superiority over the other gops, She became
angry with Him. She immediately left the rsasthal and hid in a nearby kuja. After a short
time, Ka noticed rmat Rdhiks absence
and became restless. She for whom I perform this
rsa-vilsa, who is dearer to Me than My very life,
has left Me, He thought. Where did She go?
Dancing and dallying with millions and
millions of gops could not capture Kas heart
even for a moment. Afflicted with separation
from rmat Rdhik, He left the rsa-maal
at once and began to search in one kuja after
another, calling out, O Rdh, where are You?
As He searched widely for rmat Rdhik, the
crown jewel of all His beloved sakhs, He arrived
at the bank of the Klind. By now He was tired and
hopeless from His long search, so under the shade
of a tamarind tree in a charming kuja, He began
chanting the name of Rdh in deep anxiety.
Sometimes He would call out in a melancholy way,

Teachings

Part
seven

Pranevar! Alas! O Queen of My heart! You have

deserted Me. Where have You gone?
rdh vileata ka
hy ekad prem-vihvala
rdh-mantra japan dhyyan
rdh sarvatra payati
Varha-sahit

Overwhelmed by deep separation from rmat

Rdhik, r Ka madly chanted the rdhmantra. As He meditated on Her, She gradually
began to manifest Herself to Him everywhere.
Feeling Her presence inwardly and outwardly, He
became like rmat Rdhik, and His bodily lustre
also became like Hers. This is the first meaning
of the word rdhligita.
r Gaurasundara used to go to Imlitl,
because that is where this pastime took place and
it is the location of that particular tamarind tree.
Overwhelmed with emotion, He used to chant the
holy name, weeping bitterly. In the afternoon, He
would go to beg alms in a village near Akrragha. It seems that r Gaurasundara came to
Vraja-dhma from Nlcala only to attain and
strengthen His rdh-bhva, because without
rdh-bhva He would never fulfil His three
desires.
rla Rpa Gosvm, the crest jewel of the
dynasty of rasika Vaiavas, wrote the verse hari
puraa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandpita.
Here he indicates the form of Hari which is
effulgent with the radiance of gold, meaning the
form of r Ka which is radiant with Rdhs
golden splendour when He is deeply absorbed in
thoughts of Her. r Svarpa Dmodara, who is
an intimate associate of r Gaurasundara and
also the rasa-stra guru, has indicated the same
mood in his kaac (notebook), rdh-bhvadyuti-suvalita naumi ka-svarpam

343

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

I repeatedly bow down to that Ka who is

resplendent with the lustre and intrinsic mood of
rmat Rdhik.
Now we will discuss the second meaning
of rdhligita. Here the poet offers prayers to
r Ka when He is embraced by His beloved
r Rdhik, who has assumed the mood of a
svdhna-bhartk-nyik, the heroine who
happily controls her lover after her mna
(
jealous anger) has broken. Seeing Ka
bewildered in separation from Her, rmat
Rdhiks heart also became aggrieved. Her selfcontrol and sulkiness immediately disappeared
and She bound r Ka in the ropes of Her
embrace. Ka then became content and all His
grief and sorrows dissolved. r Rya Rmnanda
refers to this in his dialogue with r Caitanya
Mahprabhu in r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 8.194):

G o s vm

tomra sammukhe dekhi kcana-paclik

tra gaura-kntye tomra sarva aga hk
thte prakaa dekhi sa-va vadana
nn-bhve cacala the kamala-nayana
ei-mata tom dekhi haya camatkra
akapae kaha, prabhu, kraa ihra
A doubt arose in Rya Rmnanda Prabhus
heart and he enquired from rman
Mahprabhu: Earlier I saw You in the dress
of a sannys, but now I see You as a bluish
cowherd boy. At the same time I am witnessing
another most uncommon phenomenon. It is
as if a wonderful and beautiful doll (the form
of a gop) is standing in front of You, covering
Your entire body with Her golden lustre. I am
directly perceiving that in that form You are
holding a flute to Your lips, and Your lotus
eyes are dancing about, displaying a mood
of deep hankering. Please be merciful to me
and tell me truthfully what is the reason for
Your manifesting such a form.

e sakh, se-saba prema-khin

knu-hme kahabi vichurala jni

This poem discloses the ultimate stage of milana,

or meeting, in which r Ka is completely
embraced by Rdhik. Soon after this, Rya
Rmnanda said to r Gaurasundara (Madhyall 8.268271):

Keava

pahile dekhilu tomra sannysi-svarpa

ebe tom dekhi mui yma-gopa-rpa

n so ramaa, n hma rama

duh-mana manobhava peala jni

In the madness of love in separation, rmat

Rdhik says: Our prema reached its ultimate
limit in the mere blink of an eye. We have
met each other in such a way that We have
become one; I have even forgotten that I am
the beloved and You are My lover. Now I am
separated from You, and this loving exchange
has become like a mere fairy tale. Is this how
virtuous men act in their pursuit of love?

Prajna

The deep and confidential purport of these

four verses is that Kas radiant bluish
lustre is covered by rmat Rdhiks golden
radiance, because each limb of r Kas body
is embraced by each limb of rmat Rdhiks
body. The body of Muraldhr r Ka remains
unchanged; only His lustre becomes golden. It is
this very form of r Ka who is embraced by
rmat Rdhik, which is worshipped in all the
temples of our r Gauya Vednta Samiti.
This profoundly philosophical prayer, which
is replete with the most exalted sentiments,
clearly indicates its authors exclusive allegiance

344

His

Life

and

to r Rpa Gosvms conception. To imbibe

this elusive mood of the damsels of Vraja in our
hearts, we must first understand the principles of
bhakti. There are three stages in the progression
of bhakti: sdhana-bhakti, bhva-bhakti and
in perfection, prema-bhakti. Sdhana-bhakti
matures into bhva-bhakti, and finally it matures
into prema.
Sdhana-bhakti, which is performed during
the stage of practice, has two divisions: vaidh
and rgnuga. When the practice of bhakti bears
the fruit of prema, there is still a corresponding
subtle difference between prema arising from
vaidh-sdhana-bhakti and prema arising from
rgnuga-sdhana-bhakti. Prema which has
developed from the performance of vaidh-bhakti
is imbued with reverence for r Bhagavns
majesty and is known as vaikuhya-prema.
Prema which is obtained through the cultivation
of rgnuga-bhakti is completely free from even
a scent of reverence and is known as immaculate,
sweet vraja-prema, the most elevated stage, which
is exhibited in the mood of the gops.
In order to comprehend rgnuga-bhakti
properly, it is essential that one first understands
rgtmika-bhva. Rga is the unquenchable
loving thirst arising from intense absorption in
the object of ones affection, r Ka. The deep
and intense loving attachment which this rga
produces is called rgtmika-prema.
The distinctive and unique prti, or love, of
the eternal inhabitants of Vraja including the
cows, deer, parrots and other animals and birds
is called rgtmika-prti. It is of two types:
sambandha-rp and kma-rp. The term
kma-rp refers only to the affection of Kas
beloved sweethearts, and the longing which
follows in the wake of this kma-rp rati is
called kmnuga-bhakti. Kma-rp rgtmika-

Teachings

Part
seven

prema is also of two kinds: sambhoga-icchmay

and tat-tad-bhva-icchmay. The rati of
nyiks such as rmat Rdhik, Candrval
and ymal, who desire to meet Ka for His
pleasure is called sambhoga-icchmay. Ts
bhva-mdhurya-kmit
(Bhakti-rasmtasindhu 1.2.298). In other words, sakhs who have
tat-tad-bhva-icchtmik rati do not desire
to meet Ka independently, but are intent on
relishing rmat Rdhiks sweet mood when
She meets with Him.
In the same way, there are five types of sakhs:
sakh, nitya-sakh, pra-sakh, priya-sakh
and priya-narma-sakh. Those who have equal
sneha, or affection, for r Rdh and r Ka
are known as sama-sneh, whereas those who
display more sneha towards one or the other
of Them are called viama-sneh. Vnd and
Dhanih are examples of sakhs with viamasneh, having more affection for r Ka. The
nitya-sakhs, for example, Kastr Majar and
Mai Majar, are also viama-sneha, but they
have more affection for rmat Rdhik. The
chief sakhs in this group are called prasakhs, of whom r Rpa Majar is the foremost.
Gops such as Mlat are priya-sakhs. They have
sama-sneha for Rdh and Ka, but still show
somewhat more favour towards rmat Rdhik.
Among these priya-sakhs, the most dear and
prominent such as Lalit and Vikh are called
priya-narma- or parama-preha-sakhs. These
nyiks, or heroines, are adorned with all good
qualities, yet they feel more satisfied in arranging
the meeting of the Divine Couple, r r RdhKa. Sakhs such as Rpa, Rati and Lavaga,
who are the chief among the nitya-sakhs and
pra-sakhs, are devoted to the uninterrupted
and unhesitating service of rmat Rdhik in
the secluded nikujas. These sakhs do not have

345

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

any desire to meet with Ka separately, and feel

completely satisfied when they relish the moods
of rmat Rdhik in Her meeting with Him.
All the inhabitants of Goloka Vraja including
the gopas, gops, cows, calves, other animals and
birds are rgtmika. Sdhakas who follow
the moods of these inhabitants of Vraja in
order to attain their bhva are called rgnuga.
Amongst these rgnuga-sdhakas, only those
who specifically follow the internal mood of
r Rpa Majar are rpnuga. Thus, every
rpnuga-sdhaka is also a rgnuga-sdhaka,
but rgnuga-sdhakas are not necessarily
rpnuga. Rpnuga-sdhakas are those who
with the external body follow the process of
bhajana as given by rla Rpa Gosvm, and
simultaneously with their internally conceived
spiritual body (siddha-deha) follow the moods of
r Rpa Majar as she eternally serves r r
Rdh-Ka in Vraja. Only that sort of rgnugasdhaka is a rpnuga Vaiava. The topmost
follower of rla Rpa Gosvm (rpnuga-vara),
rla Raghuntha dsa Gosvm, prays in his r
Vilpa-kusumjali (96, 16):

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Amongst these rgnugasdhakas, only those who

specifically follow the internal mood

of r Rpa Majar are rpnuga.
Thus, every rpnuga-sdhaka
is also a rgnuga-sdhaka,
but rgnuga-sdhakas are not

necessarily rpnuga.

lotus feet. Time and again I offer prama

from afar to the position as Your sakh, but
I vow that my unwavering devotion should
always be only to be Your maidservant.

We also see rla Narottama hkuras desire

to be a rpnuga in his prayer:

tavaivsmi tavaivsmi
na jvmi tvay vin
iti vijya dev tva
naya m carantike
He Dev r Rdhike! I am Yours! I am Yours!
I cannot live without You. Knowing this,
please give me a place at Your lotus feet.
pdbjayos tava vin vara-dsyam eva
nnyat kadpi samaye kila dev yce
skhyya te mama namo stu namo stu nitya
dsyya te mama raso stu raso stu satyam
O Dev Rdhike, I never beg for anything but
that most exalted direct service unto Your

346

r-rpa-majar-pda,
sei mora sampada,
sei mora bhajana-pjana
sei mora pra-dhana,
sei mora bharaa,
sei mora jvanera jvana
sei mora rasa-nidhi,
sei mora vch-siddhi,
sei mora vedera dharama
The lotus feet of r Rpa Majar are my
dear-most treasure. They are the topmost
object of my worship and inner devotional
practices. Her lotus feet are my most
cherished wealth, more dear than my own
life. They are the exquisite ornament of my
life, and indeed they are the very essence of
my existence. Her lotus feet are the treasure
house of rasa. They bestow the perfection of
my desires and they are the conclusion of all
the Vedas.

His

Life

and

rla Bhaktivinoda hkura, an crya for

the followers of r Rpa Gosvm, submits
the following plea in his Gta-ml (Part Five
Siddhi-llas):
r-rpa-majar,
sage ybo kabe,
rasa-sev-ik-tare
tad-anug haye,
rdh-kua-tae,
rahiba haritntare

Teachings

Part
seven

of r Rdh, that He should search for rmatj,

and that He should feel distressed in separation
from Her. This verse expresses partiality towards
rmat Rdhik and the rpnuga conception in
both separation and union.
Verse 2
sevya-sevaka-sambhoge
dvayor-beda kuto bhavet
vipralambhe tu sarvasya
bheda sad vivarddhate

When will r Rpa Majar take me with her

to the banks of r Rdh-kua to teach
me rasa-sev? I will live there under her
guidance and pass my time feeling great
delight within my heart.

r Ka is sevya (He who always takes

service from the sevaka) and bhokt (He
who is always enjoying). rmat Rdhik is
sevaka (She who always serves the sevya)
and bhogya (She who is enjoyed). When They
meet together and enjoy each other, how can
there be any distinction between Them? (At
that time bheda, or distinction, vanishes
and abheda, or non-difference, is apparent.)
However, in the stage of vipralambha, or
separation, bheda perpetually becomes
more intense.

r-rdhra sukhe, kera ye sukha,

jniba manete mi
rdh-pda chi, r-ka-sagame,
kabhu n haiba km
rdh-paka chi, je jana se jana,
je bhve se bhve thke
mi ta rdhik, paka-pt sad,
kabhu nhi heri tke
I know that Rdhiks pleasure is Kas
only source of joy. Therefore, I will never
desire to abandon Her lotus feet to enjoy
separately with Him. I am always in Rdhiks
entourage and I never even glance upon the
faces of those who leave Her, no matter who
they are or what their mood is.

These moods are the life and soul of the

rpnuga Vaiavas. My most revered rla
gurupda-padma is a prominent rpnugacrya, and his heartfelt sentiments are quite
clearly manifest in this first verse of r r RdhVinoda-bihr-tattvakam. His bhva is that r
Ka should be immersed in the remembrance

Tattva-prakik-vtti
At the time of union (sambhoga), no difference
exists between sevya, the one who is served, and
sevaka, the one who serves. r Nanda-nandana,
who is the embodiment of gra-rasa, the
mellow of amorous love, is the ultimate limit of
sevya- or bhokt-tattva, and rmat Rdhik is
the ultimate limit of sevaka-tattva, or rayatattva. Their anurga is known as sthybhva,
permanent emotion. When this anurga reaches
its ultimate limit it is known as yvadraya-vtti.
In that stage, rmat Rdhiks unprecedented
anurga for Ka attains the level of svasamvedya-da, when the aa-sttvika-bhvas,
the eight types of bodily transformations arising

347

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

from uddha-sattva, manifest in the sudpta, or

blazing, condition. [Only r Rdh, who is r
Kas special beloved, attains this stage.]
In this special condition, the sevya and sevaka
both completely forget Their own identities. They
also forget the distinctions, He is the lover and
I am the beloved. Their hearts melt and become
one. In this stage it is not possible to conceive
of or imagine any distinction between Them.
However, in the stage of separation, They are both
seen searching for each other in great distress.
The dialogue between Rya Rmnanda and r
Caitanya Mahprabhu on the banks of the sacred
river Godvar gives us insight into this glo
rious and unprecedented rasarja-mahbhva,
rmat Rdhik and r Kas combined form,
which manifests as rman Mahprabhu.
n so ramaa, n hma rama
duh-mana manobhava peala jni
e sakh, se-saba prema-khin
knu-hme kahabi vichurala jni
r Caitanya-caritmta
(Madhya-ll 8.194)

r Svarpa Dmodara has also envisioned

this profound and confidential bhva in his diary:

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

of the transformation of His praaya, inti

mate love. Since They are one soul (ektmsvarpa), She is intrinsically non-different
from Ka and is one in identity with Him.
However, to enjoy the transcendental pleas
ure of Their loving pastimes, Rdh and
Ka have eternally manifested Themselves
in these two apparently separate forms. Now
these two transcendental identities, sevya
and sevaka, viaya-tattva and raya-tattva,
have manifested in one form as r caitanyatattva. I repeatedly bow down to acnandana,
who is the svarpa of Ka and who is
adorned with the moods and complexion of
rmat Rdhik.

In this verse, r Svarpa Dmodara has used

the word ektm to establish that r r RdhKa, sevaka-tattva and sevya-tattva, are nondifferent from each other. Then he says, deha
bheda gatau tau to indicate the difference
between the two tattvas. Param-rasika tattvacrya rla Gurupda-padma has indicated
these same profound and confidential sentiments
in the second verse of his composition.

rdh ka-praaya-viktir
hldin aktir asmd
ektmnv api bhuvi pur
deha-bheda gatau tau
caitanykhya prakaam adhun
tad-dvaya caikyam pta
rdh-bhva-dyuti-suvalita
naumi ka-svarpam

Verse 3
cil-ll-mithuna tattva
bhedbhedam acintyakam
akti-aktimator aikya
yugapadvarttate sad
The eternal Divine Couple are the
embodiments of the combined form of akti
and aktimn. To fulfil Their transcendental,
pleasure-giving pastimes, They join and be
come one in the stage of union (sambhoga)
and yet simultaneously and inconceivably
exist as different and non-different from
each other. This means that para-tattva is

r Caitanya-caritmta
(di-ll 1.5)

rmat Rdhik is Kas hldin-akt, His

pleasure-giving potency, and the embodiment

348

His

Life

and

never without potency (niaktik). akti

and aktimn are eternally united together
in that para-tattva. He is puruottama, the
Supreme Male, endowed with completely
transcendental pastimes, the original Self
in the amorous form, the combined form
of akti and aktimn. That amorous form
is r r Rdh-Ka as gaura-tattva. By
the influence of acintya-akti, the contrary
principles of difference and non-difference
simultaneously reside in Him eternally.

Tattva-prakik-vtti
r Vrajendra-nandana r Ka is the non-dual
Absolute Truth (advaya-jna para-tattva). He
is the embodiment of the nectar of all mellows
(akhila-rasmta-mrti), and He possesses all
potencies (sarva-aktimn). His natural internal
potency is also one and is known as svarpa-akti.
By the desire of aktimn r Ka, this singular
potency manifests in various forms to accomplish
different tasks. It expands itself in the form of citakti to manifest the spiritual world (cit-jagat), as
jva-akti to manifest all the living entities, and as
my-akti to manifest the entire material creation.
This potency also fulfils r Kas various
desires in the form of savit, sandhin and hldin.
Prema is the essence of hldin, mahbhva is
the essence of prema, and rmat Rdhik is the
embodiment of this mahbhva. That par-akti,
which is the essence of the essence of prema in
the form of rmat Rdhik, eternally fulfils all the
desires of r Ka, who is the personification of
gra-rasa. At the time of union, Rdh-Ka
are mithuna-tattva, or yugala-tattva, the amorous
Couple. That is to say, r Ka, desiring to relish
a particular type of rasa, has accepted the external
bodily lustre and the internal mahbhva of rmat
Rdhik, and is eternally present in the form of

Teachings

Part
seven

r Gaurasundara, who is Rdh-Ka combined.

Thus r Gaurasundara is also mithuna-tattva.
Svayam Bhagavn r Caitanya Mahprabhu and
His Gauya Vaiava cryas have accepted r
r Rdh-Kas simultaneous and inconceivable
difference and non-difference. This truth has been
established in the first verse.
r akara crya accepted the unqualified,
formless and powerless brahma as para-tattva.
This brahma is without differences within itself
(svagata-bheda), differences from others of
the same kind or category (sajtya-bheda)
and differences from others of different kinds
or categories (vijtya-bheda). He called this
doctrine kevaldvaita-vda. Many cryas have
used irrefutable logic and strong stric evidence
to cut r akaras doctrine of nirviea
kevaldvaita. These cryas include r Ka
Dvaipyana Vedavysa, the author of Vedntastra; Parara; Auulaumi and other cryas
of ancient times who had realized knowledge
of the Absolute Truth; Vaiava cryas such
as r Rmnuja, r Madhva, r Viu Svm
and r Nimbditya; aivite cryas such as
r Nlakaha; as well as cryas such as r
Bhskara crya who came in a later period.
Vaiava cryas have accepted parabrahma and His akti, as well as the extremely
beautiful sac-cid-nanda r vigraha of parabrahma who possesses all attributes (saviea).
cryas from the different Vaiava sampradyas
have propagated pure bhakti in the world: r
Rmnuja preached viidvaita-vda, r
Madhvcrya presented dvaita-vda, r Viu
Svm uddhdvaita-vda and r Nimbditya
svbhvika dvaitdvaita- (bhedbheda-) vda.
According to r Rmnuja, para-tattva is the
saviea-brahma who possesses both cit and
acit aktis. According to r Madhvcrya, there

349

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

are five types of eternal differences: between

(1) brahma and jva, (2) jva and jva, (3) jva and
jaa (inert matter), (4) jaa and jaa and (5) jaa
and brahma. r Viu Svm has accepted that the
eternal vigraha of para-brahma, His associates,
His pastimes, His abode and so on all exist in the
plane of pure existence beyond the jurisdiction of
my. Similarly, r Nimbditya has accepted the
natural difference and non-difference between
saviea-brahma, jva and jagat.
Svayam Bhagavn r Caitanya Mahprabhu
has completed the opinions of the Vaiava
cryas wherever they were lacking. He has
embraced the universal doctrines of the Vedas
and the Upaniads, and has established the
relationship of eternal oneness and difference
between para-brahma, akti, and also jva and
jagat, which are transformations of akti. This
difference (bheda) and oneness (abheda) is
acintya, inconceivable, because it is beyond the
conception of human intelligence and can be
understood only by following scriptural wisdom.
The Vaiava cryas following in the footsteps
of rman Mahprabhu have accepted this
acintya-bhedbheda-tattva.
No scriptures have ever referred to paratattva as being without distinctions, without
potency, formless or devoid of transcendental
qualities. In rla Vedavysas Brahma-stra
we find stras such as janmdy asya yata,
arpavadeva tat-pradhnatvt, api sardhane
pratyaknumnbhym and nandamayo
bhyst, and in Vednta also akti-aktimator
abheda. Thus, rla Vysadeva has openly
accepted the sac-cid-nanda vigraha, akti,
name, form, qualities, pastimes and abode of parabrahma, the Supreme Entity. Various mantras in
the Upaniads also firmly establish the akti of
para-brahma, His sac-cid-nanda vigraha and

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

the doctrine of bheda and abheda, and other

transcendental conclusions. For example, we read:
yato v imni bhutni jyante, yena jtni jvanti,
yat prayanty abhisavianti tad vijijsasva tad
brahma; nityo nityn cetana cetannm and
parsya aktir vividhaiva ryate.
We find descriptions of the transcendental
nature, name, form, qualities, pastimes and
associates of para-brahma, as well as acintyabhedbheda-tattva,
throughout
rmadBhgavatam, the crown jewel of all authentic
evidence. All these conclusions have been specifi
cally supported by verses such as aho bhgyam
aho bhgya nanda-gopa-vrajaukasm /
yan-mitra paramnanda pra brahma
santanam; gha para brahma manuyaligam and kas tu bhagavn svayam. All these
doctrines are specifically and distinctly described
in the catu-lok of rmad-Bhgavatam
(2.9.3336). We will not give an elaborate
description here for want of sufficient space.

350

Verse 4
tattvam eka para vidylllay tad dvidh-sthitam
gaura ka svaya hy etad
ubhvubhayam pnuta
The non-dual Absolute Truth, advayajna para-tattva, is one. But, that Absolute
Truth is eternally manifested in two forms
for the sake of conducting pastimes. One
form is that of r Gaurasundara and the
other is that of r Kasundara. Both are
para-tattva and are non-different from
each other. Truly, r Gaurasundara is
Ka Himself and r Kasundara is r
Gaurasundara. Both manifest both forms;
that is to say, r Kasundara has become

His

Life

and

Part
seven

Teachings

r Gaurasundara and r Gaurasundara

has become r Kasundara.

that r Gaurasundara is the combined form of

r Ka and r Rdh:

Tattva-prakik-vtti
r Svarpa Dmodara, who is the main internal
associate of r Gaurasundara, has elaborately
explained the confidential siddhnta of r
gaura-ka-tattva in his diary:

anta ka bahir gaura

daritgdi-vaibhavam
kalau sakrtandyai sma
ka-caitanyam rit
Tattva-sandarbha (2)

rdh ka-praaya-viktir
hldin aktir asmd
ektmnv api bhuvi pur
deha-bheda gatau tau
caitanykhya prakaam adhun
tad-dvaya caikyam pta
rdh-bhva-dyuti-suvalita
naumi ka-svarpam

I take shelter of r Ka Caitanya

Mahprabhu in Kali-yuga through the
process of sakrtana. Internally He is
r Ka Himself, and externally He
appears in His gaura-svarpa. He has
manifested Himself along with His
majestic influence beginning with His
aga, or limbs, and upga, or subsidiary
limbs. (Namely, r Nitynanda Prabhu,
r Advaita crya, r Gaddhara and His
devotees headed by rvsa).

r Caitanya-caritmta
(di-ll 1.5)

The purport is that r r Rdh-Ka are one

identity. rmat Rdhik who is the embodiment
of mahbhva, and r Ka, who is the em
bodiment of all rasa, assume one form to enjoy
pleasurable pastimes when they meet (sambhoga).
At that time They forget even the mood of being
lover and beloved, and thus it is impossible even
to imagine any difference between the two. But
in separation, r r Rdh-Ka manifest two
separate forms and relish vipralambh-bhva
through various loving pastimes. Again, in order
to enjoy some special bhvas, these two tattvas
unite and manifest Themselves in the form of r
acnandana Gaurahari. Actually, rmat Rdhik
is the transformation of Kas praaya (intimate
love), and She is also His svarpa-akti. She gives
pleasure to Him by fulfilling all His desires, and
that is why She is also called hldin-akti.
In Tattva-sandarbha, rla Jva Gosvm has
quoted verses from the Sahits which reveal

rla Rpa Gosvm has also offered

obeisances to the most munificent r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, who distributes ka-prema and
who is non-different from r Ka Himself:
namo mah-vadnyya ka-prema-pradya
te / kya ka-caitanya-nmne gaura-tvie
nama. This siddhnta has been supported in
the Mrkaeya Pura: goloka ca parityajya
lokn tra-krat / kalau gaurgarpea ll-lvaya-vigraha.
In many other scriptures, and especially in
the books of the Gosvms, there is plenty of
evidence proving that r Gaurasundara is r
Ka, and vice versa. In r Caitanya-caritmta
(di-ll 2.109) it is stated: sei ka avatr
vrajendra-kumra / pane caitanya-rpe kaila
avatra. rla Narottama hkura has also
written: vrajendra-nandana jei ac-sta haila
sei / balarma haila niti.

351

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Verse 5
sarve var yatrvi
gaura-kntir vikate
sarve varena hnastu
ka-vara prakate
When all colours are mixed together, a
golden hue manifests. For instance, the sun
is golden because all the colours are present
in it. On the other hand, the absence of all
colour yields a blackness that is beyond
mundane colour.

Tattva-prakik-vtti
r Ka and r Gaura are both the ultimate limit
of para-tattva and are non-different from each
other. The bodily lustre of Svayam Bhagavn r
Ka has the distinctive hue of fresh, dark-bluish
rain clouds or the effulgence of a sapphire. The
bodily lustre of r Gaurasundara defeats the
splendour of lightning and molten gold. Svayam
Bhagavn r Ka and Svayam Bhagavn
r Gaurasundara are both the transcendental
Absolute Truth. They are completely beyond the
qualities and actions of material nature, and thus
They cannot be compared to anything in this
mundane world. Still, some comparisons have
been given, following the logic of the moon and
a branch, so that conditioned souls may easily
come to some understanding. However, these
examples only refer to the particular aspect of
the transcendental form of Bhagavn that they
illustrate. They cannot be used to explain the
complete form of the Absolute Truth.
At night a small child may want to see the moon,
and the parent may show it to him by indicating
its position above the branch of a nearby tree.
The moon appears to be just above the branch of
the tree, but it is really thousands and thousands
of miles away. In the same way, bhagavat-tattva

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

is in reality completely beyond all the mundane

qualities of ignorant people. Still, it is essential
in the initial stage to use examples of mundane
objects to describe the Absolute, so that materially
conditioned people, who are completely ignorant
about the transcendental truth, can at least
develop some idea of Transcendence. Both the
colours black and white are mundane, yet the
example of these colours has been given here
to convey an idea of the bodily lustre of r
Kasundara and r Gaurasundara.
The theories of mundane scientists also
support the siddhnta expressed in this verse.
Scientists say that black is not a colour, so the
example of the colour black points to the truth
that r Ka and His bodily lustre, which
resembles the colour black, is nirgua, i.e.,
completely beyond the material qualities. Even
when r Ka advents in this material world,
He and His bodily lustre are completely beyond
material qualities in all respects. Moreover, all
of r Kas transcendental attributes are also
nirgua, including His gravity, courtesy, His
pridelessness, His respectfulness, cleverness,
ever-youthfulness, His incomparable beauty, His
expertise in relishing rasa, His virtues, His selfcontrol and His extreme mercy.
Conversely, r Gaurasundara's bodily lustre
and all of His qualities are transcendental. That
is why He is sagua-tattva, the Absolute Truth
possessed of all qualities. Still, His qualities
are also nirgua. Again, following the logic
of the moon and the branch, a comparison is
given here to illustrate sagua-tattva. Just as
the sun is endowed with the combination of all
colours, so r Gaurasundara, who is endowed
with a distinctive golden lustre, embodies all
transcendental qualities. Thus, He is worshipful.
When all the colours are mixed together, a golden

352

His

Life

and

hue manifests, in which the colours are not

visible separately. For instance, the rays of the
sun appear white, but sometimes in the rainy
season we see a rainbow opposite the sun, and
we can then see the suns component seven
colours separately. In English the acronym
ROYGBIV is used to denote the following seven
colours: R red, O orange, Y yellow, G
green, B blue, I indigo, V violet. Following
this same logic, r Gaurasundaras bodily lustre
resembles molten gold because He embodies
the combination of all transcendental qualities.
One day, when our most worshipful rla
Gurudeva was telling us hari-kath, he related
an incident that occurred when he went to
Prayga (Allahbda) after rla Prabhupdas
disappearance. He stayed there for a few days at
the house of his dear friend and godbrother r
Abhaya Cararavinda Prabhu, who introduced
him to a well-known High Court advocate. This
advocate was sharp-witted and a good logician,
and he was deeply impressed on hearing the
thoughts of r Ktiratna Prabhu, who was a
profound scholar of philosophy and an instructor
of instructors. One day the advocate arrived at the
house with a church bishop, who was a famous
philosopher and preacher of Christianity. The
advocate introduced the bishop to Ktiratna
Prabhu, and for entertainment, he initiated a
dialogue with him that led to an interesting
argument using logic and counter-logic. During
the discussion, the bishop turned to Ktiratna
Prabhu and asked, Why do you worship Ka
who is coloured black?
Showing his presence of mind, rla Gurudeva
immediately answered, Black is not a colour. It
is beyond all colours, which means that Ka is
beyond all mundane qualities. We do not worship
any worldly object or colour. Nirgua-tattva is not

Teachings

Part
seven

subject to the stages of birth, growth, decay and

destruction. It is beyond the modes of goodness,
passion and ignorance, and it is eternally existing.
We worship r Ka, who is the ultimate limit of
nirgua-para-tattva.
The bishop was an expert and sportive
opponent, and immediately retorted, Then
why do you worship the fair-complexioned r
Gaurga Mahprabhu?
rla Gurudeva answered so quickly that it
seemed that he was waiting for the question.
All the qualities of the material nature are
abominable and distressful. Beyond this, in
the spiritual world, there is a treasure of
transcendental virtuous qualities. r Caitanya
Mahprabhu is the unlimited treasure house of
all those transcendental qualities, and the mixture
of those spiritual qualities is His bodily lustre. The
combination of all the colours in sunlight appears
white, but in fact it is a mixture of seven colours:
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
We see this in the rainy season, when the suns
light is refracted to make a rainbow, in which all
the seven colours are easily visible. Similarly, our
worshipful r Gaurasundara embodies unlimited
transcendental qualities. When the honourable
bishop heard this irrefutable, scientific argument,
he was struck dumb and became a little morose.
Trying to conceal his discomfiture, he smiled
and said, You people worship a cowherd boy. I
cannot understand this.
rla Gurudeva replied, Perhaps you do not
understand because you worship a shepherd.
If a shepherd can be worshipped, then why is it
strange to worship the caretaker of cows, who
nourish the whole world like mothers? On
hearing this, both the advocate and the bishop
extolled r Ktiratna Prabhus eloquent speech
and took their leave.

353

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Thus, the transcendental sagua and nirgua

are an identical tattva. There is no difference
between the two. There is no doubt at all that r
Ka and r Gaurasundara are simultaneously
sagua- and nirgua-tattva.
Verse 6
sagua nirgua tattvam
ekam evdvityakam
sarva-nitya-guair gaura
ko rasastu nirguai
Constitutionally, both the sagua- and
nirgua-tattvas are non-different from each
other and are one without a second. r
Gaurasundara is sagua-tattva, the embodi
ment of unlimited, eternal, transcendental
qualities. The omnipotent r Ka, who is
devoid of and beyond every mundane mode,
and who is the embodiment of all rasas, is
nirgua-tattva. r Ka is described every
where in the scriptures as rasa-svarpa, the
very embodiment of rasa, and rasika-ekhara,
the foremost relisher of rasa. Rasa is nirguatattva, or transcendental. It can never come
under the influence of the mundane modes.

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

sagua-tattva is under the influence of the

material modes, and thus undesirable; and that
nirgua-tattva is therefore superior to saguatattva. According to these people, nirgua-tattva
refers to that formless brahma which is beyond
the material world, which is devoid of attributes,
unalloyed, without potency and formless. They
say that this world is false and that the jva is
brahma. According to them, sagua-tattva is the
stage in which nirgua-tattva manifests itself
in the material world, endowed with a material
name, a material form and material qualities.
They consider Svayam Bhagavn r Ka and
r Rmacandra to be that sagua-tattva, whose
appearance, disappearance and body are material
and influenced by illusion.
The Gt (9.1112) and other authorized
scriptures state that this doctrine is completely
offensive:
avajnanti m mh
mnu tanum ritam
para bhvam ajnanto
mama bhta-mahevaram

Tattva-prakik-vtti
r Ka and r Gaura are one and the same
worshipful Truth. This has been concluded here
by comparing the word vara from the previous
verse with the word gua in this verse. Intrinsically,
nirgua r Ka and sagua r Gaurasundara
are the equally worshipful para-tattva and cannot
be distinguished from each other. They are both
simultaneously sagua- and nirgua-tattva.
Some persons, ignorant of the Absolute
Truth, consider sagua and nirgua to be two
separate principles. They further conclude that
they are completely opposite to each other; that

354

mogh mogha-karmo
mogha-jn vicetasa
rkasm sur caiva
prakti mohin rit
Fools deride Me, the Supreme Lord of all
living entities. They fail to understand the
supreme nature of My form by their human
intelligence, which is bewildered by illusion.
All the hopes, actions and knowledge of such
fools go in vain. Their minds become agitated
and, deviating from the spiritual path, they
take shelter of the demoniac nature, which
destroys intelligence, and they head towards
the hellish planets.

His

Life

and

The conclusion is that r Ka is the root of

all incarnations and is the Supreme Absolute
Truth. In the form of Ka, He is the Lord of all
lords, of all living beings and of the entire cosmic
manifestation. Whatever He wills must take place.
He is omniscient, omnipotent and supremely
compassionate. Wicked King Vea and other such
fools used to disrespect Ka when they saw Him.
These fools used to abuse Vasudeva-nandana, or
Nanda-nandana, r Ka, considering Him a
worldly man subject to death. These fools imagine
that Paramtm is a separate soul in Kas body.
This belief has been condemned everywhere in the
scriptures, wherein r Kas form is established
as eternal and full of knowledge and bliss (saccid-nanda). stra states that the distinction
between the body (deha) and the possessor of
the body (deh) is also false in the case of the saccid-nanda r vigraha of Bhagavn.
(a) sac-cid-nanda-rpya kya (Goplatpani Upaniad 1.1)
(b) tam eka govinda sac-cid-nandavigraham (Gopla-tpani Upaniad 1.33)
(c) dvi-bhuja jna-mudrhya vanamlinam varam (Gopla-tpani
Upaniad 1.9)
(d) vara parama ka sac-cid-nandavigraha (Brahm-sahita 5.1)
(e) apaya gopm anipadyamnam (g
Veda 1.22.164.31)
(f) gha para brahma manuya-ligam
(rmad-Bhgavatam 7.10.48)
(g) yatrvatro bhagavn paramtm
narkti (rmad-Bhgavatam 9.23.20)
(h) deha-dehi-bhid nsti vare vidyate
kvacid
Bhagavn r Ka is unborn, yet by dint of
His inconceivable potency, He is the eternal son
of r Nanda and r Yaod. He is nirgua, yet

Teachings

Part
seven

He is ever youthful, the best of dancers, and He

is dressed as a cowherd boy carrying a flute. He
is equally disposed to all, and yet He is partial to
His devotees who take exclusive shelter of Him.
According to viruddha dharma tasmin na
citram, all apparently contradictory and mutually
exclusive qualities co-exist simultaneously
within Bhagavn. Four-headed Brahm and
other demigods have referred to Him as being
simultaneously sagua and nirgua.
Rvaa thought that r Rmacandra was an
ordinary human being, so he kidnapped Stdev, His svarpa-akti, His internal potency.
r Rmacandra later killed Rvaa as well as
all his demon followers and rescued St-dev.
Kasa, Jarsandha, iupla and other foolish
kings thought that Bhagavn r Ka was an
ordinary human being. By His causeless mercy,
r Ka destroyed them, either personally with
His disk Sudarana or through His devotees, and
established His divine position as nirgua, or
above material qualities. Svayam Bhagavn r
Ka has said in the Gt (10.10), dadmi
buddhi-yoga ta yena mm upaynti te I give
them the intelligence, the divine vision, by which
they can come to Me. One cannot realize the
Absolute Truth without the mercy of Bhagavn
or His devotees. Hence, r Kacandra and r
Gaurasundara are both equally worshipful as one
and the same unparalleled and supreme tattva.

355

Verse 7
r-ka mithuna brahma
tyakt tu nirgua hi tat
upsate m vij
yath tuvaghtina
r Ka and r Gaura are both the same
supreme brahma. Those who abandon Their

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

service to worship the formless brahma

never attain factual liberation, and are
precisely like those who try to extract rice
by beating empty husks. All they obtain is
their own fruitless, hard labour. Similarly,
all seekers of empirical knowledge, who
forsake the service of r Ka to worship
the nirviea nirgua brahma, simply per
form fruitless hard labour. All their efforts
go in vain.

Tattva-prakik-vtti
The Vedas, Upaniads and especially Vedntastra describe only bhakti. The topic established
by all these scriptures is Bhagavn and His
bhakti. The word jna has not been mentioned
even once in the five hundred and fifty aphorisms
of Vednta-stra. The stra janmdy asya
yata (1.1.2) clearly states that Bhagavn is the
creator, maintainer and destroyer of this cosmic
manifestation. This proves the divine existence of
His form, energies and transcendental qualities.
The stra arpavadeva tat-pradhnatvt
(3.2.14) describes the transcendental form of
para-brahma. The stra nandamayo bhyst
(1.1.12) confirms para-brahmas pleasurable
pastimes and anvtti abdd anvtti abdt
(4.4.22) states that the only process to attain
the Supreme Truth is nma-sakrtana. In the
prayers of r Brahm in rmad-Bhgavatam
(10.14.4), the cultivation of nirviea-jna has
been forbidden:
reya-sti bhaktim udasya te vibho
kliyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye
tem asau kleala eva iyate
nnyad yath sthla-tuvaghtinm
O Prabhu, You are the ultimate auspi
ciousness and bhakti is the best and only

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

means to obtain You. The four types of

desirable goals such as moka are easily
attained by performing bhakti, just as water
continuously flows from a reservoir. When
one performs bhakti, one is automatically
situated in knowledge, so one need not
endeavour to obtain jna separately. Those
who abandon the path of bhakti and engage
in distressing endeavours to achieve jna
reap only suffering and nothing else, just
as those who beat empty husks receive no
reward but their own fruitless hard labour.
They do not obtain any rice.

Furthermore in rmad-Bhgavatam (10.2.32):

ye nye ravindka vimukta-mninas
tvayy asta-bhvd aviuddha-buddhaya
ruhya kcchrea para pada tata
patanty adho ndta-yumad-aghraya
O lotus-eyed one, those who are not Your
devotees may consider themselves to be
liberated by their performance of sensecontrol and severe sdhana, but their
intelligence is not pure, because they are
devoid of the sentiments of unalloyed devo
tion for You. As a result of neglecting Your
lotus feet, which are the only shelter, they
again fall down to a degraded condition.

The four Kumras and r ukadeva

previously worshipped the nirgua nirkra
brahma. However, by the mercy of Grandsire
Brahm and Ka Dvaipyana Vedavysa, they
became attracted to the worship of the mithunabrahma, the Divine Couple, r r RdhKa. The special qualities and sweetness of
this mithuna-brahma are so attractive that even
brahma-jns (seekers of empiric knowledge)
discard their previous condition of being

356

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
seven

Verse 8
r-vinoda-bihr yo
rdhay milito yad
tada ha vandana kury
sarasvat-prasdata

tmrma, absorbed in the pleasure of the tm,

and become blissfully engaged in the worship of
r r Rdh-Ka mithuna-tattva:
tmrm ca munayo
nirgranth apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaituk bhaktim
ittha-bhta-guo hari

By the causeless grace of my gurudeva, rla

Sarasvat Prabhupda, I worship r Vinodabihr r Ka, when, upon meeting with
rmat Rdhik, He becomes one with Her.

rmad-Bhgavatam (1.7.10)

Liberated sages freed from all material

attachments and absorbed in self-realization
are attracted to the Supreme Lord Haris
transcendental qualities and desire to serve
Him with pure devotion.
parinihito pi nairguye
uttama-loka-llay
ghta-cet rjare
khyna yad adhtavn
rmad-Bhgavatam (2.1.9)

rla ukadeva Gosvm personally testified

in rmad-Bhgavatam, I myself was firmly
situated in the worship of nirgua-brahma, but
by the mercy of rla Vysadeva, I was inspired
to engage in the nectarean worship of the Divine
Couple, r r Rdh-Ka.
The result of worshipping nirgua-brahma
is liberation (mukti). A one-pointed devotee
never accepts such mukti, even if it is offered by
Bhagavn. He desires to be engaged in the loving
devotional service of Bhagavn forever. Great
brahma-jns occasionally attain mukti by their
hard austerities and severe sdhana, yet that same
mukti is attained very easily by outright demons
when they are killed by Bhagavn Himself. So
who but a fool would vainly endeavour to achieve
such a condemned and low class of liberation?
Wise devotees never accept such undesirable
mukti even if Bhagavn Himself offers it to them.

Tattva-prakik-vtti
This verse reveals yet another of its authors
confidential moods. The purport of when r
Vinoda-bihr is meeting with rmat Rdhik
has been thoroughly explained in the first verse.
When Ka is deeply absorbed in remembering
rmat Rdhik, His effulgence takes on a golden
hue. Alternatively, the poet is bowing down again
and again to rdhligita r Vinoda-bihr, the
form of r Ka whose bluish effulgence has
been covered by the golden lustre of rmat
Rdhik when She embraces Him in union after
separation. The underlying meaning is to pray
exclusively to mithuna-brahma r r RdhVinoda-bihr, the divine form of rasarjamahbhva.
Sarasvat-prasdata
means
by the causeless mercy of my gurudeva. The
name of his gurudeva is r Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat. The word Sarasvat has two meanings:
(1) the presiding deity of apar-vidy, worldly
knowledge, and (2) the presiding deity of parvidy, transcendental knowledge. r Sarasvat
hkura is non-different from the presiding
deity of par-vidy. Thus, without his mercy it is
impossible to worship r rdhligita-vigraha.
Another confidential meaning is tad
aha r-vinoda-bihr vandana kuryt I
worship the divine form of r Vinoda-bihrrdhligita. The name r Vinoda-bihr has

357

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

been given to the poet by his gurudeva. In

addition to this, the name of his eternal spiritual
form is r Vinoda Majar. This is evident from
his prama-mantra: gaurraya-vigrahya
ka-kmaika-crie / rpnuga-pravarya
vinodeti svarpie. Thus, in this prayer the poet
aspires to be eternally engaged in his perfected
spiritual body in the permanent service to that r
Ka who is embraced by rmat Rdhik. The
realization of such a rarely fulfilled aspiration
is impossible without the mercy of r gurudeva,
the condensed embodiment of mercy and

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

compassion: r-guru-carae rati, ei se uttamgati / je prasde pre sarva .

Verse 9
iti tattvaka nitya
ya pahet raddhaynvita
ka-tattvam abhijya
gaura-pade bhaven mati
Whoever daily recites this tattvakam with
great faith will fully comprehend r katattva, and will develop divine love for the
lotus feet of r Gaurasundara.

r Magala-rat

e stated earlier that our most revered

rla gurupda-padma was a rasika
poet as well as a self-realized philosopher. I
[the author] shall now present some verses from
his Magala-rat song, by which we can easily
understand how rasika a poet he really was. In
this song, he has described r r Rdh-Kas
ninta-ll, Their pastimes at the end of night,
in a confidential way. Ordinary sdhakas cannot
imbibe these profound emotions into their
hearts; only some elevated rgnuga Vaiavas
can understand these meanings.
The eternal pastimes of r r Rdh-Ka
have been divided into eight periods (aaklya-ll) so that rgnuga-sdhakas can
remember and contemplate them: (1) ninta, the
end of the night; (2) prta, dawn; (3) prvhna,
morning; (4) madhyhna, midday; (5) aparhna,
early afternoon; (6) sya, evening; (7) pradoa,
first part of the night; and (8) madhya-rtri-ll,
pastimes in the middle of night.
Magala-rat is connected with nintall, the pastimes of r r Rdh-Ka Yugala
that take place in the last part of night before

dawn. Descriptions of ninta-ll are found in

r Sanatkumra-sahita, in Padma Pura
(Ptla-khaa) and in the books of the Gosvms.
rla Rpa Gosvm has described these eightfold
pastimes in a condensed form, while rla
Kadsa Kavirja Gosvm has described them
in detail in his r Govinda-llmta, as has rla
Vivantha Cakravart hkura in his r Kabhvanmta. Here we shall give a very brief
overview of ninta-ll.
r r Rdh-Ka Yugala are tired after
Their midnight pastimes, and are sleeping in a
charming kuja, or forest bower. Some special
sakhs, carrying in their hands the articles and
ingredients required for their service at that time,
are waiting for r Yugala-Kiora to wake up. The
cool and gentle early morning breeze, kissing each
and every flower, has become intoxicated with
Their fragrance and is now moving unsteadily.
Buzzing bumblebees wake up quickly and roam
from flower to flower, also kissing them. The
whole atmosphere of Vndvana is becoming
enchanted by the aroma of these blossoming
flowers.

358

His

Life

and

Many different Vaiava cryas

in the r Gauya sampradya

have written magala-rat songs
... However, my most worshipful
rla gurudevas magala-rat
has its own unprecedented and
unique speciality. By singing this
magala-rat one is infused with
the moods of r r Rdh-Kas
ninta-ll in a way which cannot
be found anywhere else.

r Vnd-dev becomes worried when she

sees Yugala Kiora-Kior still sleeping. Aho!
The sun is just about to rise now, and this Couple
is still sleeping, happily bound to each other in
tight embrace. Seeing this, she becomes worried
and orders Vndvanas birds, such as ukasr (the male and female parrots), the cuckoos,
peacocks and paphs, Wake Them up with
your sweet songs, otherwise They will be put
into embarrassment when everyone else wakes
up. As soon as the birds hear r Vnd-devs
orders, they all sing in their sweet voices about the
Divine Couple r r Rdh-Kas pastimes and
begin to wake Them up.
Meanwhile, some of the pra-prehasakhs become enchanted while peering through
a small opening in the bushes of the kuja. In
their jubilation upon seeing the incomparable,
lustrous beauty of r r Rdh-Ka, they
begin to perform rat with their eyes. Although
the Divine Couple have been awakened by the

Teachings

Part
seven

sweet chirping of the birds, They do not want

to get up from Their bed, for fear of losing the
happiness of Their deep embrace. At last, on the
request of the male and female parrots, They
sit up. Svdhna-bhartk2 rmat Rdhik
requests Her dear-most r Ka to rearrange
Her garments and ornaments, and dhra-lalita3
Ka, complies with Her request.
The sakhs then enter the kuja. They
approach the Divine Couple and sweetly con
versing (raslpa), they begin their respective
services. Suddenly, the female monkey Kakkha
loudly calls out, Jail! Upon hearing this, r r
Rdh-Ka become anxious due to the mellow
of transcendental fear and longing. They return to
Their respective homes, and sleep for some time.
r Rpa Gosvms condensed verse is as follows:
rtryante trasta-vnderita
bahu-viravair bodhitau krarpadyair-hdyair api sukhaayand utthitau tau sakhbhi
dau hau tad tvoditaratilalitau kakkha-g saakau
rdh-kau satv api nijanija-dhmny pta talpau smarmi

Many different Vaiava cryas in the r

Gauya sampradya have written magala-rat
songs of r r Rdh-Ka Yugala. However,
my most worshipful rla gurudevas magalarat has its own unprecedented and unique
speciality. By singing this magala-rat one is
infused with the moods of r r Rdh-Kas
ninta-ll in a way which cannot be found
anywhere else. The song goes as follows:
2 Editor: the heroine who happily controls Her lover
3 Editor: the hero who is very cunning and youthful,
expert in joking, carefree and subservient to his
girlfriend

359

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

magala r-guru-gaura
magala mrati
magala r-rdh-kayugala-priti (1)

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

The peacocks, parrots and cuckoos all

exist solely to sing for Your auspicious
awakening.

sumadhura dhvani kare

jata kh-gaa
magala ravae bje
madhura kjana (6)

All glories to the auspicious forms of r guru

and r Gaurasundara, and all glories to r
r Rdh-Kas auspicious amorous love.

magala ninta-ll
magala udaye
magala rati jge
bhakata hdaye (2)

Sitting in the branches of the trees, all the

birds sing their supremely sweet morning
melodies, which resound throughout the
forest. Those sweet, soft, auspicious sounds
grace everyone.

All glories to Their auspicious nintall, which heralds the end of night and to
Their auspicious awakening, which brings
auspiciousness to all! Glories to magalarat, which awakens in the devotees hearts.

kusumita sarovare
kamala-hillola
magala saurabha bahe
pavana kallola (7)

tomra nidrya jva

nidrita dharya
tava jgarae viva
jgarita haya (3)

Varieties of flowers, with lotuses in the

centre, fill the pond and sway with the waves.
Breezes carry auspicious aromas of pure
delight and joy everywhere.

While You sleep, the jvas lie sleeping deep

in their ignorance, but upon Your rising, the
whole world awakens. (If You manifest in
their hearts, then all tattva and all siddhnta
will be revealed to them).

jhjhara ksara gha

akha karatla
magala mdaga bje
parama rasla (8)

ubha-di kara prabhu

jagatera prati
jguka hdaye mora
sumagal rati (4)

Large cymbals, gongs, bells, conches,

karatlas and auspicious mdagas play the
supreme rasa.

magala rati kare

bhakatera gaa
abhg keava kare
nma-sakrtana (9)

Please bestow Your kind glance upon the

world and awaken in my heart that most
auspicious rati.

mayra-ukdi sri
kata pikarja
magala jgara hetu
kariche virja (5)

Performing magala-rat in the company

of devotees, r Keava dsa sings nmasakrtana.

360

His

Life

and

The jva is constitutionally a servant of the

Supreme Lord. Unfortunately, the jva who has
fallen into this illusory world, being averse to
Bhagavn since time immemorial, is burnt by the
threefold miseries in the cycle of repeated birth
and death. Only by great fortune does the jva
take shelter at the lotus feet of a sad-guru and
follow the path of pure bhakti. At that time he
realizes that r gurudeva, r Gaurasundara and
r r Rdh-Ka Yugala are the embodiment
of auspiciousness for the whole world. The
ultimate goal of the living entity is to attain prema
for the lotus feet of r r Rdh-Ka. The life
of that person in whose heart prema for Them
has arisen is actually successful. This condition
is the ultimate good fortune of all living entities.
By the mercy of the all-auspicious Bhagavn
and His devotee, when a practitioner of bhakti
goes on performing pure bhakti, he gradually
crosses successive stages such as raddh,
nih, ruci and sakti. At this point, uddhasattva, which is the combined essence of the
hldin and savit aspects of the svarpa-akti,
automatically manifests in the heart. Then, that
fortunate sdhakas pure intrinsic spiritual form,
name, mood and other aspects are also revealed
in his heart.
By the association of devotees who are tattvaja (well-versed in the conclusion of scripture)
and rasika, he is naturally attracted to perform
nma-krtana with great feeling and to remember
aa-klya-ll. Only in the heart of a living
entity who has received such good fortune is
magala ninta-ll manifested. The same
love-laden magala-rat that the priya-narmasakhs perform in the transcendental abode of
Vndvana during r r Rdh-Ka Yugalas
ninta-ll is specifically bestowed upon the
heart of such a sdhaka. This auspicious rati

Teachings

Part
seven

does not manifest without the mercy of r r

Rdh-Ka or Their associates, and until this
auspicious rati is manifested, the transcendental
magala-rat will also not manifest itself.
Therefore, the bhakti-sdhaka prays piteously
in great distress to receive such good fortune
(Verses 14).
This prayer causes the auspicious rat of
r r Rdh-Ka Yugala to manifest in the
heart of the rgnuga-sdhaka. Losing external
consciousness of his body and this world, he
sees with his eternal form mayra-ukdi sri
kata pikarja / magala jgara hetu kariche
virja (Verse 5).
Dawn is quickly approaching. In some
pleasure grove such as Saketa, r r RdhKa Yugala are still asleep, locked in each
others embrace. Afraid that everyone will soon
wake up, Vnd-dev inspires the birds, such as
the peacocks, male and female parrots, cuckoos
and paph, to awaken the Divine Couple. All the
birds in the water and on the land start calling
in their sweet voices. The description of this
pastime in r Govinda-llmta (1.13) is most
heart-touching:

361

drksu srya karakeu kr

jagu pikbhi ca pik rasle
plau kapot priyake mayr
latsu bhg bhuvi tmrac
Female parrots on the grape-vines, male
parrots on the pomegranate trees, cuckoos
on the branches of the mango trees, male
and female pigeons in the pl trees, male
and female peacocks in the kadamba trees,
male and female bumblebees on the creepers
and roosters on the ground all are singing
sweetly.

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

The male and female peacocks start crying

their sweet ke-k. The male peacocks call out
ke The patience, shyness and chastity of
rmat Rdhik, who is the personification of
mahbhva, are like a tall mountain. Who can
crush that mountain to powder? Only Ka!
Then the peahens reply k r Ka is like
a mad elephant, sporting with His beloved in
the waves of prema. Who can control that
maddened elephant with the goad of Her love?
Only rmat Rdhik!
Swarms of bumblebees blow Cupids conch
as they buzz from one flower to another. Parrots
like Daka and Vicakaa, and female parrots
such as ubh and Majubhi awaken the
Divine Couple by heralding the auspicious
dawn. Although Rdh and Ka are awakened
by the sweet calling of these birds, They still
remain in a tight embrace with Their eyes
closed, fearing that the pleasure of that embrace
may vanish.
The line magala ravae bje madhura
kjana (Verse 6) can have many profound
purports. The first meaning is that the sweet
calls (kjana) of the birds on the branches of
different trees enter the ears of r r RdhKa as a sweet but indistinct auspicious sound.
The second meaning is that the sweet sound of
the birds enters the ears of the priya-narmasakhs, who are waiting for r r Rdh-Ka
to wake up. There is another very confidential
meaning of the word kjana. At the time of r
r Rdh-Kas amorous pastimes, Their rativilsa, They converse together and exchange
sweet joking words. When this kjana enters the
ears of the priya-narma-sakhs4, they become
overwhelmed with love.
4 Editor: in this instance priya-narma-sakhs refers to
the majars

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Intoxicated bumblebees are humming every

where in Vndvana, which is full of many
varieties of jasmine flowers, such as bel, camel,
jh, ythik, mallik, mlat, jt and kunda. The
clear ponds of fresh, sweet water are dense with
lotuses swarming with humming bumblebees.
These lotuses sway at the touch of the cool,
gentle breezes, and they dance in overwhelming
jubilation when waves arise in the pond.
In the midst of all this, everyone hears the
name Jail. r r Rdh-Ka Yugala and
Their sakhs, full of suspense and eagerness,
immediately get ready to leave the kuja to go to
Their respective homes.
At this very moment, the internal absorption of
the sdhaka breaks and he comes back to external
consciousness. Grief overwhelms him, but just
then the bell starts ringing in the temple room
for the rat of r r Rdh-Ka Yugala. The
doors open and with deep sentiment the devotees
start performing the rat of the youthful Divine
Couple. As the devotees sing magala-rat and
dance, their melodious voices combine with the
sweet sounds of jhjhara, ksara, gha,
akha, karatla and mdaga. Inspired by his
previous absorption in ninta-ll, the author of
this poem also starts to perform nma-sakrtana
with the rest of the devotees. As he sings each
verse of the krtana, the bhvas of ninta-ll
appear in his heart, soothing his grief.
I have tried to reveal some of the heart
felt moods of paramrdhya rla Gurudeva,
following kh-candra-nyya, the logic of
the moon on the branch, but I know that I am
incapable of collecting even one drop from his
fathomless, endless ocean of rasa. May rla
Gurupda-padma bestow his causeless grace
upon this useless servant, so that I may one day
become qualified for this.

362

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
seven

rla Prabhupda rat

aramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva com

posed an exquisite rat in honour of his
worshipful gurudeva, rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupda. When it was published in
r Gauya-patrik, all of rla Prabhupdas
disciples and grand-disciples became delighted
to read it. Everyone started giving thanks, either
in person or indirectly. Some of the cryas of
the r Gauya Maha could not curb their
greed to publish it in their respective magazines,
omitting rla Gurudevas name. From then
onwards, all the Gauya Maha devotees began
to sing rla Gurudevas rat-krtana at the time
of rla Prabhupdas rat.

jaya jaya prabhupdera

rati nehr
yoga-mypura-nityasev-dnakr (1)

He lit up the entire world with the lamp of the

perfect conclusions of pure devotion (bhaktisiddhnta). This lamp is composed of five
brilliantly glowing flames, which represent
service in the five primary rasas.

paca mahdpa yath

paca mahjyoti
triloka-timira-ne
avidy durmati (4)
The five flames of the rat lamp are like five
radiant lights that represent the five rasas
and that destroy the darkness of ignorance
and crooked intelligence throughout the three
worlds.

bhakati-vinoda-dhr
jala akha-dhra
niravadhi bahe th
rodha nhi ra (5)

All glories, all glories to the rat ceremony of

rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda,
which bestows eternal service at the Yogapha
in Mypura upon those who observe it.

The water in the conch shell is the conception

of rla Bhaktivinoda hkura, which even
today flows continually and which cannot be
checked by anyone.

sarvatra pracra-dhpa
saurabha manohara
baddha-mukta alikla
mugdha carcara (2)

sarva-vdya-may ghan
bje sarva-kla
bhat-mdaga-vdya
parama rasla (6)

Like the enchanting fragrance of incense, his

preaching has spread everywhere, astonishing
all devotees, both liberated and conditioned,
and all living entities, both moving and nonmoving.

Ka-krtana, which is accompanied by

karatlas, bells and other instruments, resounds
for all time, but really it is the printing press,
known as the bhad-mdaga, which distributes
the supreme rasa in all directions.

bhakati-siddhnta-dpa
jliy jagate
paca-rasa-sev-ikh
pradpta thte (3)

vila lale obhe

tilaka ujjvala
gala-dee tulas-ml
kare jhalamala (7)

363

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

His charming, lovely face displays a smile which

is full of affection, and the beauty of his bodily
complexion is like a perpetually full moon.

yati-dharme paridhne
arua-vasana
mukta kaila medhvta
gauya gagana (10)
Attired in daybreak-coloured cloth, which
signifies the religious principles of sannysa,
he nullified the misconceptions which were
like clouds covering the clear Gauya sky, and
established the doctrine of pure bhakti.

bhakati-kusume kata
kuja viracita
saundarye-saurabhe tra
viva modita (11)
His many temples are like splendid kujas filled
with aromatic bhakti flowers (his bhaktas). The
beauty and fragrance of these kujas delight the
entire universe.

sevdare narahari
cmara hlya
keava ati nande
nirjana gya (12)

Resplendent tilaka adorns his broad forehead,

and around his neck shines a necklace of tulas
beads.

jnu-lambita bh
drgha kalevara
tapta kcana-baraa
parama sundara (8)
With his long arms extending to his knees, his
towering figure, and his complexion like molten
gold, he is supremely beautiful.

lalita-lvaya mukhe
sneha-bhar hs
aga knti obhe jaiche
nitya pra a (9)

As Narahari Prabhu, the ideal servant, fans rla

Prabhupda with a cmara, Keava dsa sings
this rat song with great delight.

Pjyapda tridai-svm rmad Bhakti

Bhdeva raut Mahrja was one of the
prominent trida-sannyss who took shelter
of jagad-guru rla Prabhupda. He was expert
in scriptures such as the Vedas, the Upaniads,
the Puras, rmad-Bhgavatam and Gt,
and he was deeply respected in the Srasvata
Gauya Vaiava sampradya. When he read
this rat-krtana, he immediately came to r

364

His

Life

and

Dhma Navadvpa from his maha in Jhagrma

(in Medinpura district) and congratulated rla
Gurudeva: Mahrja, it is very surprising that we
could not recognize you until now, although we
were living closely together in rla Gurudevas
rama for such a long time. Your heart is so full
of pure bhakti and such guru-nih (profound
and unflinching faith for rla gurudeva), but we
could not catch even the slightest scent of it.
We thought that you were only expert in
managing and other worldly tasks, but all our
conceptions about you have been proved wrong.
Today, by great fortune, it seems that rla
Prabhupda is adoring your incomparable gurunih and the unmatched quality of your bhakti.
I think that he is personally sitting in your heart
and manifesting through you these wonderful
moods of pure bhakti, which are full of beautiful
siddhntas. You are glorious. We hope that you
will continue to bestow limitless benefit upon the
world by composing more unprecedented poems,
prayers, essays and articles in the future.
We will now explain some of the deep moods
contained in the stanzas of this rat.
Verse 1. Yoga-mypura-nitya-sev-dnakr.
The topmost part of Goloka is called Vraja,
Vndvana or Gokula and next to it is vetadvpa,
or Navadvpa. In the heart of this Navadvpadhma is r Dhma Mypura. Here, Vrajendranandana r Ka, having accepted the bodily
lustre and intrinsic moods of rmat Rdhik,
comes as r acnandana Gaurahari and
relishes various types of bhvas with His eternal
associates. It is very rare for jvas to attain the
great fortune of entering the most munificent
r gaura-ll. Nayana Majar of r ka-ll is
r Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm hkura
in r gaura-ll. His eternal form is described in
his prama-mantra.

Teachings

Part
seven

r-vrabhnavi-devidayitya kpbdhaye
ka-sambandha-vijnadyine prabhave nama

rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura as

r Nayana Majar is the most dear sakh of
Vabhnu-nandin rmat Rdhik, who is
r Kas beloved and the embodiment of
unnatojjvala-madhura-rasa. To those who
take shelter of him, he awards the rare gift of
eternal service to the ocean of compassion, r
acnandana Gaurahari. rla Prabhupda, who
is the best among the followers of rla Rpa
Gosvm, also mercifully bestows the rarely
obtained service of r Gaurahari upon those who
perform or even witness this rat. This rat is
extraordinary and transcendental, and has unique
and distinctive features, not seen in other rats.
Verse 2. rla Prabhupda propagated pure
bhakti and established preaching centres all over
the world by sending his brahmacrs, sannyss,
disciples and grand-disciples to the nine islands
of Navadvpa, then to all the important cities, and
even to mountains and forests, all over India and
around the globe. By the aroma of his nectarean
preaching, all kinds of conditioned and liberated
jvas were and are attracted to follow uddhabhakti. In ordinary arcana, incense is offered
first to the deity. The fragrance of that incense is
confined to the temple, whereas the aroma of the
preaching of pure bhakti delights and attracts
the whole world. This is the transcendental distinc
tion of the incense of preaching uddha-bhakti.
If rla Sarasvat Prabhupda had not
propagated pure bhakti everywhere, then the
whole world would have remained completely
deprived, and thus inauspicious. People from
West Bengal and other parts of India, also, would

365

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

have been completely deprived of uddhabhakti, that is, rgnuga-bhakti and especially
rpnuga-bhakti. His means of preaching, which
was to publish and distribute bhakti literature,
is unprecedented; it was never heard of or seen
before. In this way, he created a new wave of
the bhakti revolution throughout the world. Far
from India, in large and small countries in both
the West and the East, small children, young boys
and girls, men, women and old people can be
seen completely immersed in the Vedic culture.
One can see them everywhere in these countries,
holding a japa-mala in their hands, and wearing
tilaka and ikhs. Dancing to the beat of mdaga
and karatlas, they perform nma-sakrtana in
their homes, in their temples and on the streets.
Huge temples of r r Rdh-Ka, r GauraNitynanda, r Jaganntha-Baladeva-Subhadr
and other deities have been established around
the world. All this is the contribution of the
mahpurua, rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Prabhupda.
Verse 3. In the worship of the deity, the ghee
lamp (dpa) is offered after the incense. In this
unique worship, the wicks of the lamp are the
philosophical conclusions of bhakti. The bhakti
doctrines are ten in number (daa-mla-tattva):
(1) Scriptures such as rmad-Bhgavatam
which have been accepted by the guruparampar are the best prama, or
authentic evidence.
(2) Vrajendra-nandana r Ka is the Absolute
Truth.
(3) He is sarva-aktimn, the possessor and
master of all potencies.
(4) He is the reservoir of all the rasas.
(5) Both the conditioned and liberated souls are
His vibhinna-tattva, His separated parts
and parcels.

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

(6) Conditioned souls are controlled by my.

(7) Liberated souls are free from my.
(8) The spiritual and material worlds are mani
festations of r Hari, and are inconceivably
and simultaneously one with Him and
different from Him.
(9) Bhakti is the only means of sdhana.
(10) Love of Ka is the only goal.
These ten doctrines of bhakti are like roots
and medicinal herbs, and the essential juice of
these roots and herbs is the ghee that burns in
the wicks of this ghee lamp. The five great wicks
are the five types of sthybhva, and the five
types of rasa nta, dsya, sakhya, vtsalya
and madhura are the five flames.
Verse 4. The rays of these effulgent flames
are vibhva, anubhva, sttvika and vyabhicr.
The darkness of ignorance of the three worlds
is destroyed forever by the powerful effulgence
of this ghee lamp, characterized by the five
transcendental tongues of flame. When the con
ditioned souls see this effulgence, the darkness of
their corrupt intelligence and aversion to Ka
is dispelled. Thus the effect of this extraordinary
lamp completely destroys darkness, or ignorance.
Who lit this lamp in the present age? The lamp
of the siddhntas of bhakti was ignited by rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura.
Verse 5. After incense and the ghee lamp,
water is offered in a conch shell. Here, the conch
shell is bhakti-vinodana, the transcendental
delight (vinodana) of devotion. (In other words,
the conch shell is rla Bhaktivinoda hkura.)
The water in the conch shell is the pure and
fragrant flow of r rpnuga-bhakti released by
bhakti-bhagratha rla Bhaktivinoda hkura.
The current flows from this conch shell eternally
and uninterruptedly, like an unbroken stream of
oil, and will continue to flow in the future as well;

366

His

Life

and

this current of bhakti will never be interrupted.

The stream of water from this conch shell will
continue to shower fortunate souls in this world,
so that they drown in bhagavat-rasa.
Verse 6. The bell is very important in the
worship of the deity. While offering incense, lamp
and other items, it is essential to ring the bell, which
is sarva-vdya-may, the sum total of all musical
sounds. The role of the bell, which keeps ringing
eternally in this extraordinary rat, is also quite
unique. This transcendental bell is powerful harikath. rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkuras
whole life was permeated with hari-kath; indeed,
he was the embodiment of hari-kath. His harikath would never stop, not even for a moment.
It would automatically start to flow, even when
he saw innocent children or trees and plants.
His hari-kath was so potent and effective that
anyone who heard it would immediately become
inspired with bhakti.
Krtana is also essential in the performance
of arcana. rla Jva Gosvm has written in his
Krama-sandarbha commentary on rmadBhgavatam 7.5.2324, yadyapy any bhakti
kalau karttavy tad tat (krtankhy bhakti)
sayogenaiva If a person executes other limbs of
bhakti, he should perform harinma-sakrtana
at the same time. In Kali-yuga, performing any
sdhana independent of sakrtana will not
bear any fruit. Thus it is essential to perform
krtana while doing arcana. Sakrtana is divided
into different types, such as nma-krtana, rpakrtana, gua-krtana and ll-krtana. Amongst
these, nma-krtana is the best of all: tra madhye
sarva-reha nma-sakrtana (r Caitanyacaritmta, Antya-ll 4.71).
The mdaga is another essential part of
sakrtana. The contribution of the bhadmdaga, that is, the printing press, is of utmost

Teachings

Part
seven

importance in the rat propagated by rla

Prabhupda. The sound of an ordinary mdaga
is very limited, but the bhakti literature published
by the bhad-mdaga reaches every corner of the
world. It enters the heart of practising devotees
and makes them dance in the ecstasy of harinmasakrtana. The sound of this bhad-mdaga
never stops. It eternally arises in the heart of the
devotees and keeps inspiring them. All glories and
victory to the rat of rla Prabhupda, who has
established this bhad-mdaga!
Verses 7 and 8. In this rat-krtana,
paramrdhyatama rla Gurudeva has
described the divine beauty of o viupda r
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupdas
transcendental body. My most worshipful rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda is most
dear to rmat Rdhik as r Nayana Majar.
However, out of humility, he has manifested his
name in this world as r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Gosvm, covering his previous name,
form and so on. Thus he has shown the ideal of
td api suncena, being more humble than a
blade of grass.
His broad forehead is beautified by urddhva
pura tilaka. Three strands of tulas beads
shine brilliantly around his neck. His long arms
reach down to his knees, his stature is tall, he
has beautiful and well-built limbs, and his bodily
complexion defeats the lustre of pure gold. All
these symptoms of a mahpurua announce in
unison that he is a great personality.
Verses 912. An affectionate smile is always
playing on his charming and lustrous lips. He
has adopted saffron-coloured garments such as
do-kaupna, bahirvsa and uttarya according
to sannysa-dharma. The illuminating light from
these garments has destroyed the dense darkness
of the clouds that covered the Gauya sky after

367

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

the disappearance of rla Vivantha Cakravart

hkura and Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu. He
has established uddha-bhakti preaching centres
all over India and abroad. These preaching centres
are like the pleasure groves (vilsa-kujas) of
r Rdh-kua. Fashioned from the flowers
of the bhakti-lat, their beauty and fragrance
delights the whole world.

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

This rat of rla Prabhupda is eternally

present in r Mypura-dhma. His dear-most
r Narahari Sev-vigraha Prabhu is fanning
rla Prabhupda with a cmara. In this way, r
Keava is blissfully performing the rat-krtana.
Today, Gauya Vaiavas everywhere
affectionately sing this beautiful rat-krtana
composed by rla Gurudeva.

r Tulas parikram and rat

or some time, the r Gauya Srasvata

Vaiava sampradya had no krtana to
sing at the time of r tulas-parikram and rat.
Some devotees used to sing r Kadsas tulas
ka preyas namo nama / vilsa-kuja diyo
vsa. This is appropriate for highly elevated
rgnuga-sdhakas, but not for vaidh-bhaktisdhakas who do not possess the greed to reside
in the vilsa-kuja.
Others used to sing Candraekharas namo
re namo re maiy namo nryai. This is
appropriate for Vaiavas of the r Rmnuja
sampradya, because in this song Tulas-dev
is addressed as the queen of r Nryaa, or r
lagrma, who resides in Vaikuha. r Gauya
Vaiavas worship r Vnd-dev as the most
dear sakh of r r Rdh-Ka. She is the
presiding deity of Vndvana-dhma, the topmost
section of Goloka, and she is expert in arranging
for Their intimate pastimes (ll-vilsa). She gave
her beautiful land of Vndvana to her most
dear sakh, Vabhnu-nandin rmat Rdhik.
The intimate meetings of r r Rdh-Ka
and Their other pastimes in the kujas become
successful only with the help of r Vnd-dev.
Tulas, who is dear to r Nryaa in Vaikuha,
is the vaibhava-praka of Vnd-dev. The
original Vnd-dev can never be the queen of

r Nryaa, or of r lagrma. Thus, Gauya

Vaiavas worship her in the form of Vrajendranandana r Kas beloved sakh in Vndvana.
For all these reasons, paramrdhya rla
Gurudeva felt the need for an appropriate prayer
which ordinary sdhakas of the r Gauya
Vaiava sampradya could offer at the time
of tulas-parikram and rat. The Gauya
Vaiavas accept r r Rdh-Ka and r
Gaurahari as one non-dual para-tattva, and rla
Gurudeva has included this siddhnta in the
beautiful prayer that he composed. The whole
of the Srasvata Gauya Vaiava sampradya
has accepted this prayer, which is complete in
all respects and brimming with philosophical
conclusions. The prayer is as follows:

368

namo nama
tulas ka-preyas
(namo nama)
rdh-ka nitya-sev
ei abhil (1)
je tomra araa laya,
sei ka sev pya,
kp kori koro tre
vndvana-vs
tulas ka-preyas
(namo nama) (2)

His

Life

and

tomra carae dhari,

more anugata kari,
gaurahari-sev-magna
rkha div nii
tulas ka-preyas
(namo nama) (3)
dnera ei abhila,
mypure/navadvpe dio vsa,
agete mkhiba sad
dhma dhli ri
tulas ka-preyas
(namo nama) (4)

Teachings

Verses 1 and 2. First of all, obeisances are

offered to r Tulas, or Vnd-dev, as the beloved
of Ka. She has been described as a very com
passionate sakh who bestows the eternal service
of r r Rdh-Ka Yugala. To those who take
shelter of you, you kindly award ka-sev and
the fortune of eternal residence in Vndvana.
rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura has glorified
rmat Vnd-dev in his r Vnd-devyakam:
samasta-vaikuha-iromanau rkasya vndvana-dhanya-dhmni
dattdhikre vabhnu-putry
vnde! numas te cararavindam (3)

tomra rati lgi,

dhpa, dpa, pupa mg,
mahim bkhni ebe
hau more khu
tulas ka-preyas
(namo nama) (5)

tvad-jay pallava-pupa-bhgamgdibhir mdhava-keli-kuj

madhvdibhir bhnti vibhyam
vnde! numas te cararavindam (4)
tvadya-dtyena nikuja-ynoratyutkayo keli-vilsa-siddhi
tvat-saubhaga kena nirucyatm tad
vnde! numas te cararavindam (5)

jagatera jata phla,

kabhu nahe samatula,
sarva-tyaji ka tava patra
majar vils
tulas ka-preyas
(namo nama) (6)

rsbhilo vasati ca vndvane tvad-ghri-saroja-sev

labhy ca pus kpay tavaiva
vnde! numas te cararavindam (6)

ogo vnde mahrn!

tomra pdapa tale,
deva i kuthale,
sarva-trtha laye tr
hana adhivs
tulas ka-preyas
(namo nama) (7)
r-keava ati dna,
sdhana-bhajana-hna,
tomra raye sad
nmnande bhsi
tulas ka-preyas
(namo nama) (8)

Part
seven

tva krtyase stvata-tantra-vidbhir

llbhidhn kila ka-akti
tavaiva mrtis tulas n-loke
vnde! numas te cararavindam (7)
bhakty vihin apardha-lakai
kipta ca kmdi-taraga-madhye
kpmayi! tv arana prapann
vnde! numas te cararavindam (8)

r Vabhnu-rja-nandin r Rdhik has given

you authority over r Kas most sacred abode,
Vndvana, which is fully endowed with unlimited

369

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

qualities and is the crown jewel of all the Vaikuha

planets. On your order, the loveliness of the spring
season eternally maintains the supreme beauty
of r Kas Vndvana pleasure groves, which
are decorated with different types of leaves and
fragrant flowers, and are full of bumblebees, deer,
peacocks, male and female parrots, and other birds
and animals.
The pleasure pastimes of r r RdhKa, who are always eager to relish such loving
exchanges, are only made successful by your
assistance as an extremely skilled envoy. In other
words, you become a messenger (dt) just to
arrange Their union, which would otherwise be
very difficult. You assist in many different ways
to bring about the success of Their amorous
pastimes (ll-vilsa). Who in this world can
describe the limit of your fortune? I repeatedly
bow down at your lotus feet.
O Vnd, by your mercy the greed to have
darana of the rsa-ll arises in the heart of
Kas devotees. By your mercy they obtain
residence in r Vndvana-dhma and receive
service to the lotus feet of their pra-vallabha,
r r Rdh-Mdhava. I repeatedly offer
obeisances at your lotus feet.
O Vnd, in the bhakti-tantras composed by
devotees such as r Nrada, expert and learned
scholars have described you as r Kas llakti, His pastime potency. You expand yourself
in this world as the renowned r Tulas-dev in
the form of a plant. I offer my obeisances unto
you again and again.
O merciful dev, I am devoid of bhakti, and
therefore full of hundreds of offences, and
because of this I am sinking in the waves of
lust, anger and all base qualities in the ocean
of material existence. I surrender at your lotus
feet because I have no other alternative. Please

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

be merciful and deliver me from the impassable

material ocean. I offer my obeisances at your
lotus feet again and again. O Vnd, beloved of
Ka, please be merciful to this surrendered soul
and give me residence in Vndvana.
Verse 3. rla Gurudeva continues in his
rat-krtana, O Vnd, we pray at your lotus feet
again and again. Please give us your guidance and
bestow upon us the service of r Gaurahari, who
is r Ka Himself, endowed with the internal
mood and effulgent lustre of rmat Rdhik,
so that we may be immersed day and night in
that service. Someone may raise the question,
rmat Tulas is the beloved of r Ka and
she can bestow ka-sev. How, then, can she
give the service of r acnandana Gaurahari?
The answer is, She can, because r acnandana
Gaurahari and r Ka are abhinna-paratattva, the non-different Absolute Truth. The
Lord of all pastimes, ll-puruottama r Ka,
is rasika-ekhara, the enjoyer of the topmost
mellows, and parama-karua, supremely merci
ful. He adopts the mood and complexion of
rmat Rdhik and appears in the form of
r acnandana Gaurahari to distribute rgamrga-bhakti and to fulfil his own three internal
desires. These are (1) to know the greatness of
rmat Rdhiks love, (2) to know the sweetness
of His form, qualities, flute and pastimes, which
rmat Rdhik relishes through Her love and
(3) to know the happiness that rmat Rdhik
derives on tasting His sweetness. Therefore, r
Tulas-dev is also very dear to r Gaurahari and
can certainly give service to Him and love for Him.
Almost all the associates of Ka appeared
with r Gaurahari in male forms; very few
appeared in female forms. In Kali-yuga, r
Vnd-dev has also appeared in the form of
the tulas tree to make ka-bhakti more easily

370

His

Life

and

attainable. rla Advaita crya, who is the

incarnation of Mahviu, adopted the easiest
and most effective process to entreat r Ka
to advent in this world. The method of worship
was to offer some tulas leaves with Gag water
to Svayam Bhagavn r Ka, and with great
eagerness to chant the name of Ka loudly.
Svayam Bhagavn r Ka appeared in this
world by the influential and infallible worship
of r Advaita crya. Thus, r Tulas Mahrn
can give the service of r Gaurahari.
Verse 4. O Vnd, O beloved of Ka! I
repeatedly bow down at your lotus feet. Please
be merciful to this insignificant and destitute
soul who has surrendered to you, and allow me
to reside in r Vndvana, r Mypura or r
Navadvpa-dhma. Then I will be able to smear
the dust of these transcendental abodes all over
my body and, maddened with prema, I will sing
the names of r Gaurahari or r Ka.
Verse 5. O Tulas-dev, beloved of Ka!
I have collected the sixteen items of worship
such as incense, a lamp, flowers and naivedya
(offerings of edibles) to perform your rat, and
with them I am affectionately performing your
rat. At the same time, I am glorifying you with
sakrtana. You are r Kas pastime potency,
His ll-akti, and you are most dear to Him.
You are capable of giving prema-bhakti for r
Gaurahari and the Divine Couple, r r RdhKa. May you be pleased with me. This is my
repeated prayer at your lotus feet.
Verse 6. O Tulas-dev, beloved of Ka!
There are varieties of beautiful flowers in the
world, such as bel, camel, jh, keva and
kamala, but they are insignificant compared with
you. r Ka rejects all these different flowers
and accepts only your leaves and majars.
Ka enjoys pastimes with His beloved rmat

Teachings

Part
seven

Rdhik in your vnd-kuja. According to

rmad-Bhgavatam, the four Kumras became
enchanted by the aroma of the honey of the
tulas leaves which were offered at the Lords
lotus feet, and that is why they came to Vaikuha
to have His darana. All other flowers lack this
astonishing power. The honey and aroma of r
Tulas attracts even Ka Himself.
Once, r Ka visited Kuruketra at
the time of the solar eclipse with His sixteen
thousand one hundred and eight queens and all
the Dvrakvss. After taking bath for the last
time at the end of the eclipse, r Kas dear
Satyabhm wanted to weigh Ka on a scale
against a heap of gold and then give that gold to
r Nrada in charity. r Ka sat on one pan
of the scale and Satyabhm put all her gold
ornaments on the other pan. After that, all His
other queens put every one of their ornaments
on the pan, and then more and more golden pots
were added, but the pan with the gold was still far
too light. The queens did not know what to do, but
by Devari Nradas inspiration they surrendered
to Vndvanevar rmat Rdhik. rmat
Rdhik removed all the gold from the pan and
replaced it with one tulas leaf dipped in Her tears.
No sooner had She done that than Kas pan
lifted and the pan with the tulas leaf sank and
touched the ground. Everyone was struck with
wonder to see the glories of this one tulas leaf.
In this way, we see that tulas leaves and majars
are superior to all other leaves and flowers. There
can be no doubt about this conclusion.
Verse 7. rla Gurudeva continues: O Tulas,
beloved of Ka! All the demigods and sages,
along with all the places of pilgrimage, eagerly
reside under your purifying shade just to attain
your mercy. You can fulfil all their desires. I am
very insignificant and quite worthless. I simply

371

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

surrender unto you and offer you my obeisances

again and again.
There are many authentic statements in stra
to prove that all the demigods and sages worship
tulas to attain bhagavad-bhakti and that all the pil
grimage places reside under the shade of the divine
tulas tree. r Tulas-dev is served in various ways.

Keava

G o s vm

r Tulas is very auspicious and she bestows

unlimited good fortune upon those who see
her, touch her, meditate upon her, sing her
glories, offer obeisances to her, hear her
glories, plant her, offer her leaves to r
Haris lotus feet, serve her or worship her.
Those who serve Tulas in these nine ways
reside in r Haris abode for thousands of
yugas, i.e., eternally.

d sp tath dhyt krttit namit rut

ropit sevit nitya pjit tulas ubh
navadh tulas dev ye bhajanti dine dine
yuga-ko-sahasri te vasanti harer ghe

Prajna

Hence, this Tulas-parikram and ratkrtana composed by our most revered rla
Gurudeva is of great benefit to all kinds of
practising devotees.

Skanda Pura, quoted in

Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.2.202203)

r Caitanya-pajik (r Mypura-pajik)
(Paramrdhya rla Gurudevas idea regarding r Caitanya-pajik)

agad-guru r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta

Sarasvat Prabhupda is the founder of
the r Caitanya-pajik, which protects rla
Bhaktivinoda hkuras line. This pajik, or
calendar, expounds the proper concepts and
conduct according to the pure siddhnta of r
Caitanya Mahprabhu, following exclusively in
the footsteps of r Rpa Gosvm. This is why, in
short, we have called this calendar r Caitanyapajik. Another name for it is r Mypurapajik, because r Mypura is the place of
r Caitanya Mahprabhus appearance. Jagadguru rla Prabhupda has written that rla
Bhaktivinoda hkura is actually the great person
who initiated the tradition of r Caitanybda, or
the Caitanya Era.
Today there are many pajiks that have been
popular for many years. However, they cannot
be called complete (pacga) in all respects,
for they have many deficiencies. They do not
even mention any appropriate Vaiava titles

for the time periods. Not only that, they have no

provision for ascertaining time in connection
with vratas such as fast days, the consideration
of pure (uddha) and mixed (biddha) periods,
and the system for ascertaining auspicious times
for travelling without impediments. We clearly
see the absence of the pure guidance of rla
Bhaktivinoda hkura and rla Prabhupda
in these pajiks, and there is certainly a dire
need for an authentic Vaiava pajik, exactly
following in their pure line. r Caitanyapajik has appeared to fulfil this purpose. For
the information of the people in general and
for the devotees of Viu, we are presenting the
titles of the different divisions of time, which are
found in the Viu-dharmottara and Hayarapacartra:
(A) the two movements of the sun:
(1) northern (uttaryaa) Balabhadra
(2) southern (dakiyana) Ka

372

His

Life

and

Teachings

(4) caturth (fourth day) Kapila

(5) pacam (fifth day) rdhara
(6) ah (sixth day) Prabhu
(7) saptam (seventh day) Dmodara
(8) aam (eighth day) Hikea
(9) navam (ninth day) Govinda
(10) daami (tenth day) Madhusdana
(11) ekda (eleventh day) Bhdhara
(12) dvda (twelve day) Gad
(13) trayoda (thirteenth day) akh
(14) caturda (fourteenth day) Padm
(15) prim and amvasy (full moon day
and dark moon day) Cakr

(B) the six seasons:

(1) summer Puarkka
(2) rainy season Bhogay
(3) autumn Padmanbha
(4) light cold winter (hemanta) Hkea
(5) freezing cold winter (ta) Devatrivikrama
(6) spring Mdhava
(C) the two phases (paka) and additional month
(malamsa):
(1) kaya, or malamsa Puruottama
(2) dark fortnight (ka-paka)
Pradyumna, Ka
(3) light fortnight (ukla-paka)
Aniruddha, Gaura
(D) the twelve months:
(1) Vaikha Madhusdana
(2) Jyeha Trivikrama
(3) ha Vmana
(4) rvana rdhara
(5) Bhdra Hkea
(6) vina Padmanbha
(7) Krtika Dmodara
(8) Agrahyaa Keava
(9) Paua Nryaa
(10) Mgha Mdhava
(11) Phlguna Govinda
(12) Caitra Viu
(E) the days of the week:
(1) Sunday Sarva-vsudeva
(2) Monday Sarvaiva-sakaraa
(3) Tuesday Sthnu-pradyumna
(4) Wednesday Bhta-aniruddha
(5) Thursday di-kraoday
(6) Friday Nidhi-garbhoday
(7) Saturday Avyaya-kroday
(F) the sixteen tiths (lunar days):
(1) pratipat (first day of the lunar cycle)
Brahm
(2) dvity (second day) rpati
(3) tty (third day) Viu

Part
seven

(G) the twenty-seven constellations (nakatra):

(1) Avin Dht
(2) Bhara Ka
(3) Kttik Viva
(4) Rohi Viu
(5) Mgair Vaakra
(6) rdr Bhtabhavyabhavat Prabhu
(7) Punarvasu Bhtabht
(8) Puy Bhtakt
(9) Ale Bhva
(10) Magh Bhttm
(11) Purva-phlgun Bhtabhvana
(12) Uttara-phlgun Avyakta
(13) Hast Puarkka
(14) Citr Vivakarm
(15) Svti ucirav
(16) Vikh Sadbhva
(17) Anurdh Bhvana
(18) Jyeh Bhartt
(19) Ml Prabhava
(20) Prvh Prabhu
(21) Uttarh vara
(22) rava Aprameya
(23) Dhaih Hkea
(24) atabhi Padmanbha
(25) Purva-bhdrapada Amara Prabhu
(26) Uttara-bhdrapada Agrhya
(27) Revat vata

373

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

Statements regarding r Gauya-patrik

[An article by rla Bhakti Prajna Keava Mahrja from
the first edition of r Gauya-patrik, 14 March, 1949]

The nature of r Patrik

r Gauya-patrik5 is the main journal of

r Gauya Vednta Samiti. The Samiti is
wholly and solely dedicated to the service of the
Navadvpa-dhma Pracri Sabh, which was
founded by rla Bhaktivinoda hkura, and of
the r Viva Vaiava Rja Sabh, founded by
rla Jva Gosvm. Since the Samiti is the foremost
and very dear servant of both these assemblies
(sabhs) it is the non-different embodiment of
them. Hence, we should understand that the main
journal of r Gauya Vednta Samiti is the main
journal of both assemblies.
The form of r Gauya-patrik is nondifferent from r Sajjana-toa, the journal
of the Navadvpa-dhma Pracari Sabh, and
from the weekly Gauya, the journal of the
Viva Vaiava Rja Sabh. Therefore, the mood,
language and line of r Gauya-patrik are
non-different from the mood, language and line
of rla Prabhupda and rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura. In short, r Gauya-patrik exclu
sively promotes the message of rla Rpa and
Raghuntha.

The circulation period of Sajjanatoa and Gauya

Under the editorial guidance of rla Bhaktivinoda
hkura, r Sajjana-toa was first published
in approximately 1881, sixty-seven years before
the inauguration of r Gauya-patrik in 1949.
He continued it for nearly seventeen years, after
which rla Prabhupda was the editor for seven
5 Editor: patrik = the bearer of a message or discussion

years, so the publication of Sajjana-toa went

on for about twenty-four years, finishing in 1905.
Later, in 1922, rla Bhakti Prajna Keava
Mahrja began to publish a weekly magazine
called the Gauya as the non-different form
of the monthly Sajjana-toa. This journal was
also published for about twenty-four years,
terminating around 1946.

The cause of the appearance of

r Gauya-patrik
After the disappearance of rla Prabhupda,
his staunch and intimate servants preached
pure hari-kath, following his internal moods.
However, owing to various types of divine and
demonic incidents, they were unable to continue
the real service of the weekly Gauya, and while
feigning dependence on guru, it actually became
independent. From then on, the principles on
which Gauya was based were changed without
any check or opposition. It simply supported the
policy, Where there is pretence there is nothing of
value. [In other words, a third-class product was
distributed on the strength of the Gauyas good
name.] Many people tried to save the skeletal body
of the Gauya with poisonous and foul-smelling
oil, but their hearts were completely devoid of the
real essence, and the Gauya gradually wasted
away. The real nourishment of the Gauya is the
siddhnta of bhakti following in the footsteps of
rla Rpa Gosvm and dedicated to the service
to r Hari, Guru and Vaiavas. It is impossible
for the Gauya to stay alive in the absence of this
nourishment. There were countless preparations

374

His

Life

and

The real nourishment of the

Gauya is the siddhnta of bhakti

following in the footsteps of rla
Rpa Gosvm, and dedicated to
the service to r Hari, Guru and
Vaiavas. It is impossible for the
Gauya to stay alive in the absence
of this nourishment.

of inedible and improper foodstuffs, but since

they were imbued with siddhntic misconceptions
and were rooted in disloyalty to r guru, they were
useless and failed to save the life of the Gauya.
After surviving somehow or other for twentyfour years, the Gauya disappeared because of
offences committed by its so-called managers.
The Gauya Vaiava world was then deprived
of the fortune of plunging into the stream of
pure rpnuga-bhaktivinoda, as practised and
propagated by rla Prabhupda. Therefore, r
Gauya-patrik has appeared to once again
bestow this fortune.

The purpose of r Patrik

Nowadays, there are many different journals in
the world of religion, but r Gauya-patrik
is completely different from all of them. This
journal will never make compromises in the
fearless and impartial propagation of the truth.
We have found many journals and books which
imitate the pure bhakti-dharma but which are
filled with misconceptions. Their points of view
are opposed to the transcendental conception of
pure r rpnuga Vaiavism, as we will show in
each respective case. Some invent the principle

Teachings

Part
seven

of observing festivals by mixing transcendental

smti-stra with the mundane smti-stra. They
do not know that the transcendental substance
is never accessible to the mundane senses. Many
other journals discuss illusory conceptions on the
pretext of hari-kath, and thus actually deal only
with mundane subject matter. These periodicals
can give no pleasure to the hearts of the followers
of r Gaurahari. In some places they instigate
quarrels and alliances by relating stories that
are opposed to bhakti, and elsewhere they are
filled with self-praise. In this way they bring no
happiness to the devotees hearts.
Some think that they can advance or modernize
the path of bhakti by following materialistic
conceptions, and trying to hide uddha-bhakti.
Others destroy the beauty of uddha-bhakti by
making concessions to a particular mundane
sampradya. r Gauya-patrik will stay
far away from such journals. When sentiments
that are actually opposed to uddha-bhakti are
unknowingly allowed in bhakti-kath, they can
prevent service from being revealed in the hearts
of the devotees. With this apprehension, the
patrik will always try to caution its readers away
from mundane topics. Those whose hearts are full
of masses of non-devotional conceptions cannot
perceive the happiness of bhakti because of their
diseased condition. r Patrik will not be able to
bring any delight to the hearts of such readers.

The connection of various ethics

with r Gauya
r Gauya-patrik will always engage in critical
analysis of the current of Indian thought and in
assessing the extent to which it is connected with
the world of dharma. This patrik will have no
connection with political, social, economic and
educational behaviour and activities. At the same

375

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

time, it will not silently allow inauspiciousness to

appear in the world when these ethics create an
impediment in the behaviour and ideas that origi
nate in the ethics of the eternal santana-dhma.
When we assess the history of India before
independence, we find that the ethics of dharma
are the root and foundation of all ethics. Our
indifference towards that dharma is the main
cause of our fall down, but when we adhere to
it, we can attain sovereignty of this world. r
Patrik will warn all Indians by explaining and
giving examples of this indifferent attitude in
every aspect. Dharma is the speciality and also
the life of India. Only because of dharma has
India commanded a place at the head of the world.
The key mantra that unfolds independent Indias
victory flag at the head of the entire world is the
best verse of r Mahprabhus ikaka: td
api suncena taror api sahiun / amnin
mnadena krtanya sad hari. r Patrik will
always perform krtana boldly to teach the people
of the whole world the purport of this verse.

Dharma is Indias prestige and the

bestower of peace
It is Indias honour to be a nation governed
by dharma, which has guided India since time

Prajna

Keava

G o s vm

immemorial. The word dharma does not indicate

any sort of narrowness, deficiency or uselessness.
True dharma is not the same as the semblance
of dharma. It is not proper to be disrespectful
towards dharma, after seeing the false and narrow
activities of the supposed flag carriers of dharma.
Mortal concep
tions degrade human beings
and immerse them in the ocean of grief. Mere
arrangements for food, lodging and clothing,
however luxurious, cannot give eternal peace.
Even those who have reached the ultimate limit
of sense enjoyment are also immersed in the
deepest anxiety. There is no need to explain this
to everyone. Peace is a separate principle. The
objects of this world can never bring about peace.

The language of r Patrik

Articles in every regional language will be
published in this patrik, so that it will be
honoured in all parts of India. Those in Bengali,
Sanskrit, Hindi, Assamese, Oriya and English will
get first preference. This patrik presents itself
before the people of the world with a heavy weight
of responsibility and its success depends on the
internal sympathy and the good wishes of the
residents of India.

Statements about r Bhgavata-patrik

History

agad-guru o viupda aottara-ata

rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm
Yatirja (the king of the sannyss) is the crown
jewel of the dynasty of paramahasas. On 9
November 1931, at r Paramahasa Maha at
Naimiraya, he inaugurated the publication
of the Hindi fortnightly journal, Bhgavata, in
order to unleash the flow of the teachings of the

topmost dharma. The day on which he started

the publication was the Ka-amvasy, the new
moon, of Krtika, and thereafter this fortnightly
journal was published on the day of each full
moon and each new moon. Publication of this
journal continued regularly for a few years and
then stopped.
Following in jagad-guru rla Prabhupdas
footsteps, r Gauya Vednta Samiti vowed

376

His

Life

and

to serve this journal; and r Keavaj Gauya

Maha, Mathur, published r Bhgavatapatrik in Hindi every month from June 1955
to May 1974. Then it disappeared again by the
desire of providence. Fortunately, however, it has
manifested itself once again to promote the flow
of dharma as practised and propagated by the
most merciful r Ka Caitanya Mahprabhu,
who advented to purify the age of Kali. We humbly
request intelligent readers to make their lives
successful by bathing in this Gag of prema.
rla Gurudeva has presented the following
thoughts regarding the purpose of the Patrik (5
June 1955):

Eternality
Bhgavata is an eternal reality. There is no
obstruction to its eternality, whether it appears
fortnightly, monthly, yearly or even daily, hourly
or at every blink of an eye (anupalika). These are
just divisions of endless time. For those who do
not have a conception of endlessness (ananta)
and completeness (prat), a part brings them
towards the whole. Still, an aa (part) is forever
a part and pra (whole) is eternally the complete
whole. An aa never becomes the whole or attains
equality with it. Those who cannot comprehend
the eternal truth perceive it as appearing and
disappearing, and as being subject to birth and
death, but this perception is simply false and
imaginary. Vndvana and Mathur-dhma, for
instance, are eternal, but they seem to appear and
disappear. Only the Gauyas, the followers of
rman Mahprabhu, can understand the truth of
the appearance and disappearance of the eternal
abode. Vaiavas who belong to other sampradyas
or to no sampradya at all cannot understand
these subject matters. rmad-Bhgavatam is the
only source of evidence for this, and the fortnightly

Teachings

Part
seven

or monthly appearance of the eternal Bhgavata is

the spreading of the unlimited and eternal beauty
of rmad-Bhgavatam.
For this reason, the crown jewel of the
Gauya dynasty and the emperor of the kings
of renunciants, jagad-guru rla Prabhupda
published r Bhgavata-patrik in the gaurapaka (the waxing of the moon) and the kapaka (the waning, or dark phase, of the moon).
The rmad-Bhgavatam is explained, discussed,
practised, honoured and supported in both lunar
phases. In other words, r Bhgavata-patrik
is particularly essential to convey the pur
port
of rmad-Bhgavatam to the sampradyas
who lack faith and conviction in the topmost
viu-tattva, i.e., bhagavat-tattva, in the form of
r Gaurahari.

r and Patrik
The use of the word r before the word Bhgavata
implies its eternality. Thus, eternality is the r, or
beauty, of Bhgavata. The word patrik means
the carrier of the message or the discussion, so
the use of the word patrik after Bhgavata means
that this journal is the bearer of the conduct
conceptions and discussion based on the doctrines
of Bhgavata. r Bhgavata-patrik therefore
presents itself to the readers as the carrier of
the eternal message of the Bhgavata. It will not
entertain any temporary, perishable, changing and
false conceptions or articles. There will never be
a place in r Patrik for any subject matter that
gives rise to absurd and useless talk about eating,
sleeping, mating, defending and so on.
Compositions, philosophy, poems and
articles that assist or enhance the happiness
derived from sense enjoyment cannot be given
the title of r Patrik. Thus, vi-r, that which
is without r, is not worthy of respect. r alone

377

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

is a transcendental reality. We will distribute the

transcendental tidings that are endowed with the
r (beauty) of the Vaikuha world, and we will
oppose the material conceptions of the present
world which are devoid of r. This patrik has
adopted the national language Hindi as the vehicle
for the distribution of the eternal message.

National language
Language is the expression of our sentiments,
which are the distinctive tendency of the heart.
Hence, since its quality determines the quality of
the expression, the communication of sentiment
is not completely achieved if the vehicle is weak.
The thoughts of the heart will be perceived clearly,
and will influence society only to the degree that
the language is pure, exalted and advanced. We
propose to broadcast the sentiments of Vaikuha
in the national language, in the hope that the
present national language will prosper and fully
express the sentiments of all living entities.

Keava

G o s vm

The usage of language

Since language expresses sentiment, the moods of
the people will influence the language. Previously,
the only language used in our country was the Vedic
language, and the manifestations of viu-tattva
were the only worshipful objects for every living
entity. Sanskrit was used to exchange sentiments
as recently as the medieval period. Today, in the
same country, Hindi has been established as the
vehicle for administration. In any case, we will
adopt whatever system is presently manifest
and whatever becomes manifest in the course of
time and in the ceaseless flow of change if it is
favourable for bhagavat-sev.
laukik vaidik vpi
y kriy kriyate mune
hari-sevnuklaiva
s kry bhaktim icchat
Nrada-pacartra, quoted in
Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.2.198)

The Hindi language

The majority of ancient Indian languages are
derived from the Vedic Sanskrit language, which
is the original written word of the Vedas. Distorted
forms of Sanskrit are found in various languages
according to time, place and people. The native
people of Hindustan speak in Hindi to exchange
the sentiments of their hearts. The words Hindu
or Hindi are not original Vedic words, nor are
they found in Sanskrit. The word Hindu, instead
of Sindhu, was used by the residents of Persia
(Phrasa) to address the people who lived near the
banks of the river Sindhu.
Although everyone accepts that the Vedic, or
ancient scriptural, Sanskrit is our root vehicle
for communication, still Hindi in its current form
has been adopted as our national language.

Prajna

Any activity, whether it is spiritual or

mundane, must be performed in a manner
favourable for bhakti.

This is the proper perspective on the changes

of the material world that occur with the passage
of time, and it is only found in the Vedic system of
thought. No situation past, present or future can
possibly exist beyond the scope of the Vedas or
stras. Therefore, we consider all situations to
be transformations of the Vedic stage, and in
a favourable mood we propose to discuss the
eternal vaikuha-tattva in the Hindi language.

Jurisdiction of the national language

r Bhgavata-patrik will publish a message that
will free from my the jvas of that section of the
world which is governed by the Hindi-speaking

378

His

Life

and

Teachings

Part
seven

national language, descriptions of the dominion

r Bhgavata-patrik goes beyond and constitution of the Vaikuha world. This is why
r Bhgavata-patrik is heralded as the exclusive
the activities of the perishable and
ceaselessly changing body and mind, carrier of the transcendental message of Vaikuha.
and will publish in Hindi, the present Request
We humbly submit a request at the feet of our
national language, descriptions of
readers that they should benefit themselves by
the dominion and constitution of the eagerly studying the subject matter of this patrik.
The language and conceptions of the Vaikuha
Vaikuha world. This is why
world differ from the ordinary language born from
r Bhgavata-patrik is heralded the stream of worldly consciousness, and are far
as the exclusive carrier of the tran more profound. Consequently, some parts of the
Patrik may not be easily understood at first. Still,
scendental message of Vaikuha.
it will become sweeter and sweeter upon repeated

nation. Which part of the creation is ruled over by

a nation? Only a small part of the body and mind,
because the activities of the nation affect only the
body and mind. But r Bhgavata-patrik will
not even glance upon issues that are maintained,
administered or protected by the body and mind.
The nation will only be concerned with its own
terrene, that is, things related to body and mind.
r Bhgavata-patrik goes beyond the activities
of the perishable and ceaselessly changing body
and mind, and will publish in Hindi, the present

reading, just as the tongue afflicted by jaundice

gradually tastes the sweetness of sugar candy. Your
sympathy with our bona fide endeavour and your
assistance in our undertaking will make us feel
successful. To achieve this great purpose, we will
publish in this patrik the writings of previous
mahjanas, or spiritual authorities, and living
mahpuruas, great souls. We will always beware
the writings of modern conditioned souls, which
are riddled with faults, errors and negligence. This
is the unique speciality and pride of r Bhgavatapatrik. What need is there to say more?

Literature on uddha-bhakti published, written or edited by

o viupda r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja
(1) rla Bhaktivinoda hkuras collections
of essays (Prabandhval); (2) aragati
(with Ymuna-bhvval); (3) Shri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, His Life & Precepts
; (4) Premapradpa (transcendental novel); (5) r Navadvpabhva-taraga; (6) Jaiva-dharma; (7) Sahajiydalana; (8) Sahajiy-dalana (in Hindi); (9) r
Caitanya-pajik; (10) r Gauya-patrik
(Bengali monthly journal); (11) r Bhgavata-

patrik (Hindi monthly journal); (12) r Gauya

Gti-guccha; (13) r Dmodarakam; (14) r
Rpnuga-bhajana-sampat; (15) r Mahprabhu
k ik; (16) Skhya-v; (17) r Navadvpaatakam; (18) r Navadvpa-dhma Parikram;
(19) Myvda k Jvan, or Vaiava Vijaya
;
(20) Jaiva-dharma (Hindi); (21) r Navadvpadhma-mhtmyam
(Prama-khaa);
(22) Vijanagrma aur Sannys (ancient poetry). Y

379

Part Eight:

His Legacy

Disciples and god-brothers of o viupda

r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja
to whom he bestowed tridaa-sannysa and bbj-vea
Tridaa-sannysa:
(1) rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja
(r Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacr),
Tuesday, 11.3.1952
(2) rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrja
(r Rdhntha Dsdhikr),
Tuesday, 11.3.1952
(3) rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja
(r Gaura-nryaa Bhakta-bndhava),
Tuesday, 11.3.1952
(4) rmad Bhaktivednta Viu Mahrja
(r nanda-gopla Dsdhikr),
Saturday, 28.2.1953
(5) rmad Bhaktivednta Paramrth Mahrja
(r Prnanda Dsdhikr),
Saturday, 28.2.1953
(6) rmad Bhaktivednta nta Mahrja
(r Kasundara Brahmacr),
Saturday, 28.2.1953
(7) rmad Bhaktivednta Parivrjaka Mahrja
(r Parama-dharmevara Brahmacr),
Friday, 19.3.1954
(8) rmad Bhaktivednta uddhdvait Mahrja
(r Jaydvaita Brahmacr),
Friday, 19.3.1954
(9) rmad Bhaktivednta Svm Mahrja
(r Abhaya-caraa Bhaktivednta),
Thursday, 19.9.1959

(10) rmad Bhaktivednta Muni Mahrja

(r Santana Dsdhikr),
Thursday, 19.9.1959
(11) rmad Bhaktivednta Rddhnti Mahrja
(r Bhgavata-prasda Vrajavs),
Monday, 11.3.1963
(12) rmad Bhaktivednta Harijana Mahrja
(r Prabuddha-ka Brahmacr)
(13) rmad Bhaktivednta Urddhvamanthi
Mahrja (Dr. Vrajnanda Vrajavs),
Monday, 11.3.1963
(14) rmad Bhaktivednta Paryaaka Mahrja
(r Cidghannanda Brahmacr),
Friday, 19.3.1965
(15) rmad Bhaktivednta Tridai Mahrja
(r Rasika-mohana Vrajavs),
Friday, 19.3.1965
(16) rmad Bhaktivednta Da Mahrja
(r Guru-araa dsa),
Friday, 19.3.1965
(17) rmad Bhaktivednta Bhiku Mahrja
(r Haridsa Vrajavs), Friday, 19.3.1965
(18) rmad Bhaktivednta Paramdvait
Mahrja (r Rohi-nandana Vrajavs),
Friday, 19.3.1965
(19) rmad Bhaktivednta Nys Mahrja
(r Hari Brahmacr),
Tuesday, 28.3.1967

383

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

(20) rmad Bhaktivednta Viu-daivata

Mahrja (rvsa Dsdhikr),
Tuesday, 28.3.1967
(21) rmad Bhaktivednta Sajjana Mahrja
(r Sudma Sakh Brahmacr),
Tuesday, 28.3.1967

Bbj-vea:
(1) rmad Trigutta dsa Bbj Mahrja
(r Trigutta Brahmacr),
Friday, 11.5.1951
(2) rmad Puruottama dsa Bbj Mahrja
(r Pra-praja Vrajavs),
Thursday, 8.9.1966
(3) rmad Navna-ka dsa Bbj Mahrja
(r Nit dsa Brahmacr),
Thursday, 8.9.1966

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

(4) rmad Vavadannanda dsa Bbj

Mahrja (r Balarma dsa Vrajavs),
Thursday, 8.9.1966
(5) rmad Govinda dsa Bbj Mahrja
(r Govinda dsa Brahmacr),
Tuesday, 28.3.1967
(6) rmad Advaita dsa Bbj Mahrja
(Dr. Advaita dsa Brahmacr),
Tuesday, 28.3.1967
(7) rmad Gorcda dsa Bbj Mahrja
(r Gorcda dsa Brahmacr),
Tuesday, 28.3.1967
(8) rman Mtyujaya dsa Bbj Mahrja
(r Madana-mohana Dsdhikr),
Tuesday, 28.3.1967
(9) rmad Raghuntha dsa Bbj Mahrja
(r Raghuntha dsa Vrajavs),
Tuesday, 28.3.1967

Parikrams organised by rla crya Kesar

Navadvpa-dhma
yearly
Vraja-maala
1944
Ketra-maala
1945
Dvrak
1948
Rmevaram (South India) 1950

Vraja-maala
Kedrantha, Badrntha
Avantik and Nsika
Entire India

1951
1952
1953
1961

uddha-bhakti preaching centres established by rla crya Kesar

(1) r Devnanda Gauya Maha (original
maha and main preaching centre),
Tegharip, PO Navadvpa (Nadiy)
(2) r Uddhraa Gauya Maha, Caumth,
PO Chuchur (Hoogl)
(3) r Gauya Vednta Samiti, 33/2 Bosp
Lane, Kolkata-3
(4) r Siddhav Gauya Maha, Sidhv,
PO Rpa-nryaapura (Barddhamn)
(5) r Pichlad Pdapha, Pichlad, PO
varapura (Medinpura)

(6) r Keavaj Gauya Maha, Kasa-l,

Mathur (U.P.)
(7) r Goloka-gaja Gauya Maha, PO
Goloka-gaja (Goylap), Assam
(8) r Ka Caitanya Gauya rama,
Harikhli Bzr, PO Inagar
(Medinpura)
(9) r Pichlad Gauya Maha, Pichlad, PO
utiyva, Dist. Medinpura (West Bengal)
(10) r Narottama Gauya rama, Caikhol,
PO Vicanadai, Dist. Goylap, Assam

384

His

Life

and

(11) r Yvaa Gauya rama, Jvaa, PO Kln,

Dist. Barddhamn (West Bengal)
(12) r Goplaj Gauya Preaching Centre,
Korana, PO Rndiyha, Dist. Blevara
(Orissa)
(13) r Gauya Sevrama, Purn Kchr
Road, PO Mthbhga Dist. Kucabihra
(West Bengal)
(14) r Jaganntha Gauya rama, Guadaha,
PO ymanagara, Dist. Chaubsa Paragan
(West Bengal)

Teachings

Part
eight

(15) r Gauya Vednta Catuph, Tegharip,

PO Navadvpa, Dist. Nadiy (West Bengal)
(16) r Gauya Charity Clinic, Tegharip, PO
Navadvpa, Dist. Nadiy (West Bengal)
(17) r Vsudeva Gauya Maha, PO Vsugon,
Dist. Goylap (Assam)
(18) r Rjarjevapura Gauya Maha, PO
Vivanthapura, Dist. Chaubsa Paragan
(West Bengal)
(19) r Trigutta Samdhi rama, Gadakhli,
PO Navadvpa, Dist. Nadiy (West Bengal)

Mahas established by the Samiti

after rla crya Kesars disappearance
(20) r Keava Gosvm Gauya Maha,
aktigaha, PO ilgu (Darjeeling)
(21) r Nlacala Gauya Maha,
Gauravah, Svargadvra (Pur) Orissa
(22) r Meghlaya Gauya Maha,
PO Tur (Gro Hils) Meghlaya
(23) r Vinoda-bihr Gauya Maha,
28 Haldara Bgna Lane (Kolkata-4)
(24) r Narottama Gauya Maha. Aravinda
Lane, Kucavihra (West Bengal)
(25) r Rpa-Santana Gauya Maha,
Dn Gal, Vndvana (Uttar Pradesh)
(26) r Gopntha Gauya Maha,
Rnpati Gha, Vndvana (Uttar Pradesh)
(27) r Bhaktivednta Gauya Maha,
Sannysa Road, Kankhala, Haridvra
(Uttar Pradesh)

(28) r Ktiratna Gauya Maha,

r Caitanya Avenue, Drgpura,
Barddhamn (West Bengal)
(29) r Gaura-Nitynanda Gauya Maha,
Ragapura, ilacara-2 (Kcha)
(30) r Nimnanda Gauya Maha,
Gkhna Road, Vidhp, Dhuba (Assam)
(31) r Mdhavaj Gauya Maha,
1 Kltal Lane, Vaidyav (Hoogl)
(32) r Madana-Mohana Gauya Maha,
Mthbhg, Kocavihra
(33) r Kra-cor Gauya Maha,
Blevara, Orissa
(34) r Durvs i Gauya rama,
pura, Mathur (Uttar Pradesh)
(35) ymasundara Gauya Maha,
Milanpalli, Siliguri

r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrjas

Upadeval
(1) Our very life is one-pointed devotion, or
keval-bhakti, which is performed for
Kas pleasure, devoid of all other desires
and not covered by jna or karma.

(2) Bhagavad-bhakti is attained by virambhasev, intimate service, to r gurupda-padma.

(3) Actual guru-sev is service to r Hari, Guru
and Vaiavas.

385

crya

Kesar

rmad

B h a kt i

(4) The limb of bhakti known as krtana is the

best and most complete limb of bhakti.
(5) Only through krtana are the other limbs of
bhakti accomplished.
(6) Actual solitude is the renunciation of bad
association, and the actual meaning of
solitary bhajana is performing bhajana in
the company of sdhus and Vaiavas.
(7) Real hari-krtana is the constant preaching
of hari-kath.
(8) Real silence is to speak hari-kath all the
time, or to be absorbed in speaking about
services related to r Hari.
(9) Ll-smaraa, remembrance of pastimes,
is non-different from offenceless nmabhajana or loud krtana of the pure holy
name, whether keeping count of a fixed
number of rounds or not.
(10) The performance of gaura-bhajana in the
mood of r Rpa Gosvm is the actual
vipralambha-bhajana of r Rdh-Ka.
(11) We understand the word Vsudeva to
mean r Ka, the son of Nanda Mahrja.
Vsudeva appeared; He was not born. The
cutting of the umbilical cord and other
ceremonies performed at the time of birth
were not performed for Vsudeva. However,
Ka took birth from the womb of Mother
Yaod. Only rpnuga Vaiavas can
comprehend the subtle difference between
birth and appearance. Therefore we pray to
all of Kas devotees to bless us so that we
can become rpnuga.
(12) r vigraha, the deity, should not be seen for
the satisfaction of the eyes: I will be pleased
beholding r vigraha. Rather, the attitude,
r vigraha will be pleased by seeing me is
supremely beneficial. Bhagavn cannot be
perceived by the mundane senses.

Prajna

Keava

G o s v m

(13) The idea that vara has no shape, no form,

no qualities and no powers is all deceptive
imagination. The voidist philosophy of the
Buddhists and atheism, which is against
the Vedas, is a part of this concoction. To
accept the eternal form (svarpa) of vara,
however, is theism. Those who do not accept
His eternal form are certainly atheists.
(14) The forceful influence of jaa-akti (my,
the deluding material potency) obstructs
our propensity for service to r Jaganntha.
As long as we maintain any mundane
conception, we cannot develop an incli
nation for the transcendental conception of
Jaganntha. The sole purpose of the rathaytr festival is to engage the whole world
in Jagannthas service.
(15) Only those who use every part of their
existence to follow the instructions and
teachings of r gurudeva are actually
disciples. Those who disregard his instruc
tions are opposed to the guru-parampar,
have deviated from the path, and are
pretentious gurus.
(16) r gurupda-padma is not a mortal being.
His existence is established equally in both
the manifest (prakaa) and unmanifest
(aprakaa) states. His appearance and
disappearance have the same purpose.
Therefore, separation caused by memories
of him during his appearance [manifest
pastimes] and the jubilation of union in
his disappearance are both possible at the
same time.
(17) It is imperative to worship the dk-guru
first. When we deliberate on this deeply,
we see that the guru who bestows mantras
is indeed the most prominent. Only those
who give the instruction to serve the dk-

386

His

Life

and

guru are actually ik-gurus. Those who

are averse to giving instruction regarding
service to the dk-guru can never be
called ik-gurus. In fact, they are not
even Vaiavas, for they forsake their
responsibility to instruct others that they
should give due respect to dk-guru.
(18) Bengali literature is celebrated as foremost
throughout India, because it exclusively
follows Sanskrit literature. It is a matter of
great regret that the Bengali language is
now being dissociated from following in
line with Sanskrit. The root causes for
this are a lack of faith in the Sanskrit
language and disres
pect for the age-old
Indian conceptions described in the Vedas,
Upaniads, Puras, etc.
(19) All problems can be solved by adopting
i-nti, the moral principles set forth by
sages, in the fields of politics, social science,
economics, etc. To adopt i-nti we have
to study and discuss the ancient Sanskrit
literatures. In this regard, it is essential
to root out the education departments
negligence of Sanskrit.
(20) In order to attain knowledge about any
entity, it is first of all necessary to take the
assistance of the hearing process (ravaa).
Therefore, in the Vaiava sampradya the
transcendental sound vibration, which is
accessible through ravana, the hearing
process, is accepted as the fundamental and
foremost evidence.

Teachings

Part
eight

(21) Those who only observe rj-vrata and

neglect the rest of cturmsya-vrata
cannot attain the full devotional fruit of
cturmsya. Their negligence displays their
disrespect of cturmsya.
(22) It is essential for conditioned souls to
perform bhajana under the guidance
of a society of pure Vaiavas. Neither
gohnands nor bhajannands actually
perform nirjana, or solitary, bhajana. Those
who are bhajannands assist gohnands
in their preaching of r nma-prema by
nourishing a favourable mood.
(23) Everyones house is an rama. One must
live there for the sole purpose of cultivating
ones Ka consciousness. The house
whose occupants sole purpose is to eat,
sleep and so on is like a door to hell. When
the jva accepts foodstuffs in the mode of
ignorance, his consciousness becomes
averse to Bhagavn. Therefore, such
foodstuffs are completely forbidden.
(24) We are sannyss, and as part of our
service we have accepted the function of
reforming society, which is a necessary part
of the propagation of Ka consciousness.
Preaching of the Absolute Truth may cause
pain in someones heart. We have a right to
correct the educated society with regard to
their thoughtless activities. Y

387

ppendix

r rmad Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Gosvm Mahrja

arama-pjyapda r rmad Bhakti

Rakaka rdhara Gosvm Mahrja

preached uddha-bhakti and nma-sakrtana
throughout the whole world. He was one of the
foremost among the intimate servants of rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda,
the founder of all Gauya Mahas. rla Bhakti
Rakaka rdhara Mahrja took birth on 10
October 1895 in an educated and respected
brhmaa family in the village of Hpniy
in the district of Barddhamn, West Bengal.
His fathers name was r Upendracandra
Bhacrya and his mothers name was ryut
Gaurbl-dev. During his childhood he was
called Ramendracandra Bhacrya. From an
early age he was a very grave, honest, peaceful
and religious person whose intelligence was very
sharp. After obtaining his graduate degree he
enrolled in law college, but before finishing his
law studies he joined Gndhjs non-cooperation

movement against the British. At this time he

met jagad-guru rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Gosvm Prabhupda and became very attracted
to rla Prabhupdas powerful hari-kath
and his logical, philosophical instructions. He
completely renounced his home and family in
1926 and took shelter at rla Prabhupdas lotus
feet. After he received harinma and dk, his
name became r Rmnanda dsa Adhikr. He
was very learned, expert in Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi
and English. On the order of rla Prabhupda,
he preached the message of r Gaura in Chennai
(Madras), Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi and other
prominent cities in North India.
In 1930 rla Prabhupda gave him tridaasannysa, and he then became renowned as r
rmad Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Mahrja. At
the time of rla Prabhupdas disappearance,
Prabhupda gave him the instruction to sing
r-rpa-majar-pada. Seeing this, all his

391

appendix

godbrothers could understand his exalted

position. The stotras he composed in Sanskrit are
still sung today in various Gauya Mahas.
After rla Prabhupda entered aprakaa-ll,
our most worshipful rla Gurudeva established
r Devnanda Gauya Maha in r Navadvpadhma, together with rmad rdhara Mahrja,
r Narahari Prabhu and other godbrothers. From
there he started to preach rman Mahprabhus
teachings on uddha-bhakti-dharma. After some

time, rmad rdhara Mahrja established r

Caitanya Srasvata Maha.
rla rdhara Mahrja was a highly learned
siddhnta-vid mahpurua, and he gave
sannysa to many of his godbrothers after rla
Prabhupdas disappearance. Prominent among
them are paramrdhyatama r Gurudeva,
rmad Bhakti loka Paramhasa Mahrja,
rmad Bhakti Kamala Madhusdana Mahrja
and rmad Bhakti Kuala Nrasiha Mahrja.

392

r rmad Bhaktivednta Svm Mahrja

r rmad Bhaktivednta Svm Mahrja

took birth in a religious family in Kolkata
(Calcutta) on Nandotsava 1896. His childhood
name was Abhaya Caraa De. His parents were
Vaiavas, so from childhood he was trained in
Vaiava etiquette. As a child, he would celebrate
Janmam, jhlana-ytr and ratha-ytr very
enthusiastically with his friends and relatives.
When sdhus and sannyss came to the house,
his parents prayed for their blessings so that
their child would receive the mercy of rmat
Rdhr.
Initially, Abhaya was educated at home and did
not attend school until his eighth year. Thereafter
he was educated in English and Bengali medium
schools. He completed his studies at the Scottish
Church College in Kolkata and took his BA
examination in 1920. He then joined Mahtm
Gandhis movement. He married in 1918, during
his BA studies. In 1921, the late Krtika Candra

Bose (who was managing director of Bengal

Chemical and the owner of Dr. Boses Laboratory
and a close friend of Abhayas father) appointed
the qualified Abhaya Caraa as his assistant
manager.
In 1922, a close friend took Abhaya for his
first meeting with o viupda r rmad
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda
in Kolkatas Ul-g district. Abhaya was
very impressed by rla Prabhupdas powerful
hari-kath and profound instructions. Seeing
Abhayas special qualification in English, rla
Prabhupda inspired him to write essays in
English and to preach in foreign countries. From
then on, the young Abhaya Caraa often came
to the lotus feet of rla Prabhupda to hear
hari-kath. In Prayga, 1932, jagad-guru rla
Prabhupda mercifully gave Abhaya Caraa
both dk-mantra and upanayana (sacred
thread), according to Gopla Bhaa Gosvms

393

appendix

paddhati. After dk his name became r

Abhaya Cararavinda dsa Adhikr. Thereafter,
he started regularly writing articles for the
English magazine The Harmonist, which rla
Prabhupda had established.
After rla Prabhupda entered aprakaa-ll,
r Abhaya Cararavinda began to associate
more with our most worshipful gurupdapadma, r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava
Gosvm Mahrja. During this time, rla
Gurudeva appointed Abhaya Cararavinda
director of his r Gauya-patrik (Bengali
monthly) and r Bhgavata-patrik (Hindi
monthly). Abhaya Cararavinda regularly wrote
articles for both these magazines. r Abhaya
Cararavinda Prabhu himself established
an English magazine, Back to Godhead. He
also helped r Gurupda-padma establish r
Gauya Vednta Samiti in Kolkata in 1940.
In 1958, he left everything home, wife, sons,
business, etc. and came to r Keavaj Gauya
Maha in Mathur. At that time I [the author]
was the president of the maha. While he was
living there, r Abhaya Cararavinda Prabhu
started to translate rmad Bhagavad-gt

and rmad-Bhgavatam into English. On my

request and that of my gurudeva, o viupda
r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm
Mahrja, he accepted sannysa in 1959 at r
Keavaj Gauya Maha. rla Gurupda-padma
gave him sannysa according to the sttvata
vaiava-smti.
After accepting sannysa, he lived at r
Rdh-Dmodara temple in r Dhma Vndvana,
and also in Delhi. During that time he published
translations of the First Canto of rmadBhgavatam in three parts with English purports.
In 1965, he went to the United States of America
to preach rman Mahprabhus message, and
in July 1966 he established the International
Society for Ka Consciousness (ISKCON). In a
short time its branches were established in many
countries around the world. He wrote more than
fifty books on ka-bhakti, which are translated
into many languages of the world. Thus, to this
mahpurua goes the majority of the credit for
spreading r Caitanya Mahprabhus uddhabhakti and nma-sakrtana throughout the
whole world.

394

r rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Gosvm Mahrja

r rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja

took birth in a respected religious family in
the village of Piljaga in the Khuln district, East
Bengal, on 23 December 1921. His fathers name
was r Satcandra Ghoa and his mothers name
was rmat Bhagavat-dev. r rmad Bhakti
Kuala Nrasiha Mahrja was, in his previous
rama, his paternal uncle. His mother was a
disciple of the founder-crya of the worldwide Gauya Maha, r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Gosvm Prabhupda. His father, r
Sat Ghoa, received harinma and dk from
our worshipful gurupda-padma, rla Bhakti
Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja, and was
an ideal ghastha-bhakta. His name became r
Sarvevara dsa Adhikr after dk.
r rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrjas
childhood name was Santoa, and he was the
second of four brothers. He was a very patient,
peaceful, intelligent and religious boy from

infancy. During his childhood he was educated

in the local primary school, and was always first
in his class. He had a remarkable memory and did
not forget any verse or any particular subject he
had heard only once.
On 2 March 1931, rmat Bhagavat-dev
brought her son Santoa with her to take part
in r Navadvpa-dhma parikram. After the
dhma-parikram, she entrusted her dear son
to the hands of the manager of the maha, r
Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr. From then on he lived
in the maha under r Vinoda-bihrs care. In a
short time rla Prabhupda established the r
Bhaktivinoda Institute in Mypura. r rmad
Bhakti Pradpa Trtha Mahrja was the schools
headmaster and r Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr
its manager. r Vinoda-bihr enrolled Santoa
in this school. Daily r Vinoda-bihr gave him
some verses from r Gauya-kahahra,
Bhagavad-gt and rmad-Bhgavatam to

395

appendix

memorize. When he memorized one verse he was

given a candy. Every day he would repeat four or
five verses that he had memorized. After a short
time he learned all the verses of r Gauyakahahra and many in Gt and Bhgavatam.
Within the Gauya Vaiava society, he was
considered an encyclopaedia of scriptural verses.
In 1936, jagad-guru rla Prabhupda
gave Santoa harinma, and his name became
Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacr. He went to school and
also daily swept the temple and the Vaiavas
bhajana-kuras and also brought them water.
Before the devotees took prasda, he put out the
seats, plates, etc., for prasda-sev and after
wards cleaned the area. He used to bring fruits,
flowers, leaves and vegetables from the maha
garden and would also help in many other ways.
When rla Prabhupda disappeared from
this world, a dark period for r Gauya Maha
descended. At that time, rla Gurudeva gave
him dk-mantras, although he had not given
dk-mantras to anyone before that. He was
also a naihika brahmacr, therefore rla
Gurudeva arranged for him to get upanayana
(sacred thread) from the hands of r rmad
Bhakti Vicra Yyvara Mahrja, the last person
to receive sannysa from rla Prabhupda.
Thereafter he went with pjyapda Bhakti
Dayita Mdhava Mahrja and pjyapda Bhakti
Bdeva raut Mahrja to preach in different
places of Bengal.
In 1940, after the establishment of r
Gauya Vednta Samiti and Devnanda Gauya
Maha, rla Gurudeva again kept Sajjana-sevaka
Brahmacr with him. After that, he stayed with
Guruj and served him everywhere, both inside
and outside Bengal, in ways such as writing

his letters. He travelled to all the major places

of pilgrimage in India together with Guruj. In
1948, when the publishing of r Gauyapatrik started, the whole responsibility for the
publication was given to him. Even though others
are mentioned as the editor, printer and publisher
of the magazine, it was he who accomplished all
the tasks.
At r Gaura-prim 1952, in r Dhma
Navadvpa, he was given sannysa by the mercy
of rla Gurudeva. From then on he became
known as r rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana
Mahrja. From time to time, rla Guru Mahrja
sent him to preach uddha-bhakti in many places
of Bengal. By the instruction of Guruj, under his
guidance, and with great labour he again
published rmad Bhagavad-gt (with r
Baladeva Vidybhaas commentary), Jaivadharma,
Prema-pradpa,
Prabandhval,
aragati, Navadvpa-bhva-taraga, r
Caitanya Mahprabhu His life and precepts, r
Caitanya-ikmta, r Caitanya Mahprabhu
k ik, r Dmodarakam and other literature
on behalf of the Gauya Vednta Samiti.
In 1968, after rla Guru Mahrjas
disappearance, rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana
Mahrja was appointed president and crya
of r Gauya Vednta Samiti. He was devoted
to transcendental knowledge, expert in bhaktisiddhnta, remarkably tolerant, absorbed in
bhajana and endowed with other qualities
fitting a Vaiava. After rla Gurudeva entered
aprakaa-ll, he edited many books on bhakti.
He established new preaching centres for the
Samiti in r Dhma Pur, Tur (Meghlaya),
Dhba (Assam), Gauh (Assam), Silcara
(Assam) and other places.

396

r rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Gosvm Mahrja

r rmad Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrja

took birth on 31 January 1916 (17 Mgha,
1322 Bagbda Era). His fathers name was ryuta
utoa Kumra Ghoa and his mothers name
ryut Ktyyan-dev. They were both highly
virtuous, adherents of the truth and truly religious.
They did not even accept water until they had served
r Nryaa, their household deity. They were
very much respected among the general public.
rpda Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Mahrjas
name in his childhood was r Rdhntha
Kumra. His religious parents had a very great
influence on his life. Since childhood he was a
particularly sharp student. Besides studying,
he had a special interest in music, art, medical
science (homeopathy) and other subjects. He was
the second child among six brothers and three
sisters. He was so expert in all matters that his
elder brother, father and all family members did
not perform any tasks without his counsel.

After passing his tenth grade examination

he was appointed as a primary school teacher.
During that time, he went to visit his sister in a
village on the eastern bank of the Gag, adjacent
to r Dhma Mypura. On the way he saw the
huge temple with nine domes r Yogapha. He
went all around the temple to look at it thoroughly
and later asked the elderly people in his brotherin-laws house about this temple. They told him
that it was the appearance place of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, and from here the worldwide
preaching of the Gauya Maha takes place. r
Vinoda-bihr Brahmacr had manifested the
glory of this place. By good fortune, at that time
mahopadeaka pjyapda r Narottamnanda
Brahmacr from r Gauya Vednta Samiti
was there disseminating rman Mahprabhus
viuddha-bhakti together with a preaching party.
When r Rdhntha heard the brahmacrs
discourse on Bhgavatam, a strong desire to

397

appendix

renounce this material world and to perform

bhagavad-bhajana developed in his heart.
At that time, the young r Rdhntha Kumra
did not know the fruit of r mandira-parikram
or tulas-parikram. According to him, hearing
hari-kath in the association of sdhus and
his parikram of the temple of r Hari and r
Tulas bore the wonderful result of enabling him
to quickly renounce everything mother, father,
wife, friends, relatives and wealth, and devote
himself to bhagavad-bhakti.
In 1942 he came to the head office of r
Gauya Vednta Samiti, and accepted harinma
initiation from the founder-crya of the Samiti,
o viupda r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava
Gosvm Mahrja. In 1944, he completely
renounced his home and became engaged in the
service of guru and Bhagavn. rla Gurudeva
entrusted him to the care of paramapjya
mahmahopadeaka
r
Narottamnanda
Brahmacr. Together they travelled all over
Bengal and India to preach bhagavad-bhakti for
many days. After some time, rla Gurudeva sent
him to preach bhakti on his own in various places.

On r Gaura-prim 1952, the most

worshipful rla Gurudeva kindly gave him
tridaa-sannysa in r Dhma Navadvpa,
together with r Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacr and
r Gaura-nryaa dsa Adhikr [the author].
rla Gurudeva appointed him assistant editor
of r Gauya-patrik due to his proficiency
in Bengali. Sometimes, in the absence of rpda
Vmana Mahrjaj, he accepted the entire
responsibility for the office of the Gauyapatrik. His authoritative writing and deep poetry
was published in r Gauya-patrik. After
accepting sannysa he travelled extensively
in India to preach uddha-bhakti under rla
Gurudevas guidance.
After rla Gurudevas disappearance he
accepted responsibility for the post of general
secretary of r Gauya Vednta Samiti. He was
always greatly absorbed in bhajana; therefore he
retired from this post after repeated requests from
the members of the Samiti. But even after retiring,
he remained attentive to all kinds of services to
the Samiti till his departure from this world.

398

r rmad Kadsa Bbj Mahrja

r rmad Kadsa Bbj Mahrja

took birth in an educated and respected
family in East Bengal. After passing his BA
exam in a college in hk, he came to jagad-guru
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupdas
lotus feet. Inspired by Prabhupdas powerful
hari-kath, he made a firm vow to spend the
rest of his life performing bhagavad-bhajana
under Prabhupdas shelter. When rla
Prabhupda was informed about this vow he
mercifully gave him r harinma and dk.
After dk his name became Svdhikrnanda
Brahmacr.
He was a brahmacr from birth and was
endowed with the good qualities befitting a
Vaiava. He had no worldly ego and there was no
trace of anger in him. Even when there may have
been a reason for anger, he smiled and chanted
'Hare Ka'. He had a very sweet relationship
with everyone, beginning from young neophyte

Vaiavas to eminent cryas of the Gauya

Vaiava sampradya.
After rla Prabhupdas aprakaa-ll
he left r Dhma Mypura and went with
paramrdhya Gurupda-padma r rmad
Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja to
r Dhma Navadvpa (modern Navadvpa town)
and r Devnanda Gauya Maha. During the
Krtika month niyama-sev, he travelled with our
worshipful gurupda-padma to all the places of
pilgrimage of South, North and West India. He was
expert in playing mdaga during sakrtana. He
observed nirjala fasting on Ekda, Janmam
and other fasting days and stayed awake the whole
night performing sakrtana. During the night,
while chanting nma-japa, he recited verses from
rmad-Bhgavatam, r Caitanya-caritmta,
Ka-karmta,
Rdh-rasa-sudha-nidhi,
Gta-govinda and so forth in a sweet voice
filled with moods of separation. He was such a

399

appendix

nikicana and nirapeka Vaiava, renounced

and indifferent, that he never accumulated any
wealth or accepted any disciples. If someone
came to him desiring to become his disciple, he
very humbly said Hare Ka and avoided it.
rmad Kadsa Bbj Mahrja was truly
without any enemies. He never had his own
shelter or bhajana-ku; he used to stay at his
godbrothers ramas and mahas for a few
days at a time and perform bhajana in secluded
places. He performed bhajana in seclusion near
rla Prabhupdas bhajana-ku in r Dhma
Mypura. He had a sweet relationship with r

Gauya Vednta Samiti. Roaming here and there,

he stayed for some days performing bhajana
in r Keavaj Gauya Maha, r Devnanda
Gauya Maha and other mahas. He also had
a very sweet relationship with o viupda
r rmad Bhakti Rakaka rdhara Mahrja,
the founder and crya of Caitanya Srasvata
Gauya Maha in r Navadvpa-dhma. In Vraja
he stayed at r Santana Gosvms bhajana-ku
at Pvana-sarovara in Nandagrma. He never
performed mdhukar in order to maintain his
life; mdhukar came to him of its own accord.
He entered nitya-ll at Pvana-sarovara.

400

r Santana dsa Adhikr

(r rmad Bhaktivednta Muni Mahrja)

r Santana dsa Adhikr was a disciple of

rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Gosvm.
He was born in Begampura in the Howrah district
near Kolkata. After hearing rla Prabhupdas
powerful hari-kath, he accepted harinma
and dk from him, along with the upanayana
saskra (sacred thread) and fire sacrifice after
dk, according to the rules in Sat-kriy-sradpik. However, when he returned home, the
whole community boycotted him and his entire
family; no one would eat, sit or talk with them.1
Even the barber and washerman stopped working
for them. His youngest daughter was due to get
married in a day or so and r Santana made
all the preparations for the wedding before the
bridegrooms party arrived. But the villagers

1 Editor: They did so because he received the sacred

thread even though he had not taken birth in a
brhmaa family.

defamed him to the bridegroom and his family,

so the party turned back and the wedding was
stopped. r Santanas whole family became very
unhappy. They were left with all the food, sweets
and fruits meant for the wedding. Surprisingly
enough, there was not even the slightest sign of
disappointment on r Santana Prabhus face. In
the morning he took all the edibles to r Gauya
Maha in Bgbzr, Kolkata, and offered them at
the lotus feet of jagad-guru rla Prabhupda.
rla Santana lovingly distributed everything
to the maha residents, who were very happy to
see beautiful ripe mangoes and various types of
sweets. They had no idea what had happened.
When rla Prabhupda later heard about the
entire episode he became very angry and said,
Such a society should be destroyed! r rmad
Bhakti Vilsa Gabhastinemi Mahrja also said
angrily, If r Santana Prabhus daughter is

401

appendix

not married by the day after tomorrow, then I will

take birth again and marry her. In this world it is
very rare to find such a highly qualified ghastha
devotee as Santana Prabhu, who has such gurunih.
r Santana Prabhu returned home, and the
very next day a surprising incident took place.
A handsome and healthy young man from an
educated and respected home in the very same
community came to r Santana and asked to
marry his daughter. The marriage was celebrated
the same night with great festivities. r Santana
himself went to the maha to inform the residents,
and everyone became pleased to hear the good
news.
After the disappearance of rla Prabhupda,
affairs in the Gauya Maha became very
chaotic. Parampjyapda rmad Bhakti Vilsa
Gabhastinemi Mahrja left r Gauya Maha,
established a bhajana-rama elsewhere and
began to perform sdhana-bhajana. Santana
Prabhu, unconcerned for his house and family,
used to visit him and preach with him. After
the disappearance of pujyapda Gabhastinemi
Mahrja, Santana Prabhu heard rla crya
Kesars philosophical conclusions on bhakti and
started visiting him.

Santana Prabhu was a big trader of handloom

cloth and began to help Gurujs preaching work
in many ways. He used his entire profit to buy
sixteen or seventeen tents to facilitate r Dhma
Navadvpa parikram and offered them to his
godbrother and ik-guru rla cryadeva.
Before r Dhma Navadvpa parikram, r
Santana Prabhu took a large sum of money out
of his business to sponsor the parikram and
gave it to rla Gurudeva. Paramrdhyatama
rla Gurudeva was a topmost nikicana
Vaiava, and returned the money after the
dhma-parikram. Santana Prabhu happily
accepted this, although it was somewhat less
than what he had originally given.
[r Santana Prabhu accepted sannysa
along with r rmad Bhaktivednta Svm
Mahrja at r Keavaj Gauya Maha in
Mathur in 1959. His name became r rmad
Bhaktivednta Muni Mahrja.] His service to
Hari, Guru and Vaiavas is highly commend
able. His and his familys name will always be
remembered among the Samitis supporters.
His eldest son, r Nryaa dsa Adhikr, is
also a very generous Vaiava with great gurunih.

402

r rmad Bhakti Pramoda Pur Gosvm Mahrja

r
rmad
Bhakti
Pramoda
Pur
Mahrja is one of the foremost among
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura
Prabhupdas brilliant disciples. He took birth
in 1898 in an educated and respected family
in the village of Gagnanapura in Yaohara
district in East Bengal. His fathers name was
Tri-caraa Cakravart and his mother was
rmat Rmaragi-dev. During his childhood,
he was called Pramoda-bhaa Cakravart.
After completing his education in Yaohara,
r Pramoda-bhaa was admitted to Bagavs
College in Kolkata and was awarded an honours
degree in chemistry. He met rla Prabhupda in
1917, and was so impressed by his hari-kath
that he accepted him in his heart as his guru and
often came to hear him speak. rla Prabhupda
gave him harinma and dk on Janmam
in 1923. From then on he was known as
Praavnanda Brahmacr.

During his early days in the maha, he was

the editor of the daily Nadiy Praka and
also wrote articles for the weekly r Gauya.
rla Prabhupda bestowed his mercy on him
and gave him the title Mahopadeaka Pratnavidylakara. He enchanted everyone with his
krtana and his hari-kath, which were filled
with spiritual emotion.
After rla Prabhupdas disappearance, he
took sannysa in 1942 from his godbrother
rmad Bhakti Gaurava Vaikhnasa Mahrja,
and from then on he became known as r
rmad Bhakti Pramoda Pur Mahrja. After
taking sannysa, he stayed for five years in
the Yoga-pha temple in Mypura as the head
pujr and manager of the maha. He then went
to stay with his senior godbrother rla Bhakti
Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja for a long
time in Chuchur maha and other mahas of
r Gauya Vednta Samiti. Subsequently he

403

appendix

made his bhajana-ku in Ambik-kln, near

r Navadvpa-dhma, and served r r RdhGopnthaj there.
He had a sweet relationship with r rmad
Bhakti Dayita Mdhava Gosvm Mahrja and
was appointed main editor of rla Mdhava

Mahrjas r Caitanya-v. It was at this

time that he established r Gopntha Gauya
Maha in Iodyna (Mypura) and spent most
of his time there. He left this world in r
Jaganntha Pur-dhma on 21 October 1999.

404

About the Author

r rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja

ridai-svm r rmad Bhaktivednta

Nryaa Gosvm Mahrjas name in
his previous rama was rman Nryaa
Tivr. He took birth in a highly educated and
respected brhmaa family in the famous village
of Tivrpura in the Baksara district of Bihra.
Tivrpura was situated on the banks of patitapvan Bhagavat Gag, but she has since
shifted her course and is now some distance
away. Tivrpura is a village where only
brhmaas live; everyone is educated and
prosperous. His fathers name was paita
Blevarantha Tivr and his mother was
rmat Lakm-dev. Both parents were virtuous,
altruistic, truthful and above all, Vaiavas of
the r sampradya. The people of the nearby
villages held them in high esteem.
Everyone called him Bholantha because as
a child he was very peaceful, but his parents

and relatives had named him rman Nryaa,

and in the future he would be well-known by this
name. A special taste for dharma was evident
even during his childhood, and it was natural
for him to always chant the name of Bhagavn,
without any order or instruction to do so. rmadBhgavatam,
Bhagavad-gt,
Rmyaa,
Mahbhrata and other scriptures were read at
home and he eagerly heard them with great faith.
In fact, he completely memorized Rmyaa,
Mahbhrata and other kath. After finishing
his primary education in the village school, he
entered Baksara High School, five miles away. He
walked to and from school every day, but in spite
of this hardship, because of his extraordinary
intelligence he was always first or second in his
class. He also had a special attraction for sports.
He was a state champion and received many
prizes while in high school.

405

appendix

After graduating from college, he chose not

to continue with his higher education. Because
of his athletic skills, he easily obtained a good
position in the police department. After
three or four years in government service in
the town of Shibagaja in Bihra, he met
mahmahopadeaka
r
Narottamnanda
Brahmacr Bhakti-str Bhakti Kamala, a
preacher from r Gauya Vednta Samiti. r
Narottamnanda, pjyapda Bhakti Kuala
Nrasiha Mahrja, r Jaganntha dsa Bbj
Mahrja, r Rdhntha dsa Adhikr and
r Prema-prayojana Brahmacr were at that
time preaching uddha-bhakti and harinma
extensively in Shibagaja. Tivrj attended
their gatherings daily and faithfully listened to
rmad-Bhgavatam. Occasionally he sat with
r Narottamnanda Brahmacr listening to
hari-kath throughout the night. Hearing
powerful hari-kath in the association of pure
Vaiavas had a great influence on his life. Due to
his natural religious disposition, his life changed
completely.
When the preaching party left, Tivrj began
chanting one lkha (one hundred thousand)
of harinma mah-mantra daily. In his heart
a natural detachment from the material world
slowly arose. At this time he was transferred to
a government position in Rjamahala on the
bank of the Gag, not far from Rmakeli, the
place sanctified by the lotus feet of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, r Rpa Gosvm and r Santana
Gosvm. By now he had become completely
detached from the material world. He tried to
retire from the police service, but the senior
officers, who were extremely satisfied with his
service, refused to accept his letter of resignation.
In the course of these events, he exchanged
letters with paramrdhyatama r rmad

Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja

several times. Finally, at the end of 1946, with
great difficulty he managed to leave his position.
At that time he left everything his parents,
brothers, friends, wife, family members and his
wealth and, completely nikicana, surrendered
himself at the lotus feet of r rmad Bhakti
Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja, in r
Navadvpa-dhma.
On
Phlgun
Gaura-prim
1947,
during the r Navadvpa-dhma parikram,
paramrdhyatama rla Keava Gosvm
Mahrja gave him harinma and dk. From
then on he was known as r Gaura-nryaa.
Seeing his interest in hearing hari-kath, rla
Keava Mahrja engaged him in his service. When
rla Bhakti Prajna Keava Mahrja went
somewhere for preaching or other special tasks,
he always kept him with him. On one occasion,
rla Bhakti Prajna Keava Mahrja had r
Gaura-nryaa take care of his dear servant, r
Anaga-mohana Brahmacr, when he became
sick. But after Anaga-mohana left this world,
rla Bhakti Prajna Keava Mahrja again
kept r Gaura-nryaa with him. Travelling
and preaching bhakti with his guru mahrja
throughout the length and breadth of the
subcontinent provided an excellent opportunity
for him to hear hari-kath. rla Bhakti Prajna
Keava Mahrja was also very happy to tell
him hari-kath. He had the rare opportunity to
perform parikram with his guru mahrja of
all the major places of pilgrimage in North,
South, East and West India and to hear the glories
of the dhmas. Especially significant were the
pastime places of r Ka and r Gaurasundara,
who is radiant with the mood and lustre of r
Rdh, in r Vraja-maala, r Gaura-maala
and r Ketra-maala

406

ab o u t t h e a u t h o r

Once, when rla Bhakti Prajna Keava

Mahrja was sitting with one of his godbrothers,
r Gaura-nryaa was also sitting nearby. He
looked in r Gaura-nryaas direction and said,
I want to give you saffron cloth and sannysa.
I have seen many non-Bengali Indians; they are
not able to understand the profound depth of
rman Mahprabhus elevated bhakti-siddhnta,
especially prema-tattva. But you have taken
these moods very easily in your heart. r Rpa,
r Santana and our many Gauya Vaiava
cryas remained in Vraja for a long time, but
they could not find any North Indian devotee
who could take to heart rman Mahprabhus
inner moods. You are very fortunate. Weeping,
r Gaura-nryaa fell at his gurus lotus feet
and with great humility said, I devote myself
fully to your lotus feet. I am removing everything
any attachment to my mother, the affection of
my father, the love of my wife and the friendship
of my friends and relatives and I am offering
it at your lotus feet. You can keep me naked,
dressed in a loincloth, in white, in saffron, or
you can give me sannysa. Keep me in the way
that is auspicious for me. Now I solely belong to
you. Hearing his words, rla Bhakti Prajna
Keava Mahrjas eyes also brimmed with tears.
He looked at rpda Santana Prabhu, who
had also heard r Gaura-nryaas words and
was stunned. What rla Bhakti Prajna Keava
Mahrja decided after this was known only to
him. He was quiet for some time, and then he
continued with his hari-kath. Some time later, on
Gaura-prim in 1952, rpda Gaura-nryaa
dsa Adhikr was given tridaa-sannysa
together with rpda Sajjana-sevaka Brahmacr
and rpda Rdhntha dsa Adhikr, and
became known as r rmad Bhaktivednta
Nryaa Mahrja.

rla Bhakti Prajna Keava Mahrja

appointed r Nryaa Mahrja as manager
of r Keavaj Gauya Maha in Mathur. From
there, on his order and under his guidance, r
Nryaa Mahrja published r Bhgavatapatrik (a monthly journal in Hindi) and Hindi
translation of Jaiva-dharma, r Caitanyaikmta, rman Mahprabhu k ik, Bhaktitattva-viveka, Upademta, r ikaka, r
Mana-ik, Sindhu-Bindu-Ka, r Gauyakahahra, rmad Bhagavad-gt (with r
Vivantha Cakravart hkuras commentary)
and many other books. r Nryaa Mahrja
preached uddha-bhakti throughout India
and also internationally, in the United States,
England, France, Holland, Canada, Mexico, Costa
Rica, Australia, Malaysia, Fiji, Japan, Hawaii and
other big and small countries of the world. His
books have been translated into English, French,
Spanish, German, Russian, Turkish, Oriya,
Kannada, etc. Thus, throughout his entire life he
was enthusiastically devoted to the serving the
innermost desire of r Hari, Guru and Vaiavas.
r rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm
Mahrja departed this world on 29 December
2010, in r Jaganntha Pur, on the appearance
day of his beloved godbrother, r rmad
Bhaktivednta Vmana Gosvm Mahrja. He
had continued travelling and spreading the
message of our rpnuga guru-varga up until
the time of his departure, travelling to places
such as America, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Australia,
New Zealand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong,
Mauritius, South Africa and Brazil. He was widely
acclaimed throughout Vraja-maala and Gauramaala as the unquestionable upholder of
Gauya siddhnta. Gauya Vaiavas recognize
him as an empowered representative of r
Caitanya Mahprabhu and glorify his invaluable

407

appendix

contribution in promoting santana-dharma

around the world.

English titles published by r rmad

Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja
Arcana-dpik Beyond Nrva Bhagavadgt Bhajana-rahasya Bhakti-rasmta-sindubindu Bhakti-rasyana Bhakti-tattva-viveka
Brahma-sahit Bhad-bhgavatmta
(Vol. 2.1) Caitanya Mahprabhu The Original
Form of Godhead Camatkra-candrik
Dmodara-ll-mdhur Dmodarakam
Essence of All Advice Essence of Bhagavadgt Fearless Prince Five Essential Essay
Gauya Gti-guccha Gauya Vaiavism
versus Sahajiyism Gaura-v Pracrie
Gift of r Caitanya Mahprabhu Gta-govinda
Going Beyond Vaikuha Gop-gta Gurudevattm Harinma Mah-mantra Harmony
Hidden Path of Devotion Impressions of
Bhakti Jaiva-dharma Journey of the Soul

Letters from America Mahari Durvs and r

Durvs-rama Mana-ik My ik-guru
and Priya-bandhu Navadvpa-dhma-mhtmya
Navadvpa-dhma Nectar of Govinda-ll
Origin of Ratha-ytr Our Eternal Nature
Pinnacle of Devotion Prabandhval
Prema-sampua Rdh-ka-gaoddeadpik Rya Rmnanda Savda Sakalpakalpadruma Secrets of the Undiscovered Self
Secret Truths of the Bhgavatam ikaka
iva-tattva lokmtam lokmtam-bindu
r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm His
Life and Teachings The Butter Thief Their
Lasting Relation To Be Controlled by Love
True Conception of Guru-tattva Ujjvalanlamai-kiraa Upademta Utkalikvallar Vaiava-siddhnta-ml Veu-gta
Vraja-maala Parikram Walking with a Saint
(2007, 2008, 2009) Way of Love Rays of The
Harmonist (periodical)

408

verse
index

Index of Quoted Verses

A
cryera mata je............................................................234
acinty khalu ye..........................................................308
acirt ka tomya......................................................318
dau raddh tata...........................................271,323
dhi-vydhi-bhujagena...............................................40
dhytmikdi tpa-traya...........................................259
advaya-jna-tattva........................................................23
agni, jvlteyaiche.....................................................250
ahaituky apratihat..........................................138,313
ahaituky avyavahit....................................................267
aha brahmsmi.......................................94,190,285
aha sarvasya prabhavo..........................................199
aha tariymi duranta-...........................................288
aho bata va-paco to.......................................227,302
aho bhgyam aho.....................................95,149,350
aivaryasya samagrasya...........................................284
jnu-lambita bh.......................................................364
j gurm...................................................................130
akapae kaha, prabhu..................................................344
akart caiva kart ca...................................................294
amnin mnadena.......................................................376
mre karo tumi..........................................................287
mi ta rdhik..................................................................347
mnya prha tattvam.................................243,245
andir dir govinda........................................149,158
nandamayo bhyst..................41,69,137,150,
.....................................................................................350,356
nandmbudhi-vardhanam......................................228
anany cintayanto.........................................................70

anartha-nivtti haile.....................................................324
anvtti abdd anvtti..........41,69,150,356
anta ka bahir.......................................................351
antare nih kara..........................................................318
antarym, bhakta-reha........................................159
antavat tu phalam..........................................................313
nuklyena knulanam..............41,253,268
aurhyea tmya v..............................................258
anya ra jata mata.........................................................234
anybhilit-nyam....................................253,268
anyatra brhmaa-kuld...........................................128
pane caitanya-rpe....................................................351
apipdo javano graht.........................................310
apareyam itas tv.................................................251,258
apaya gopm......................................247,248,355
api sardhane.....................42,69,150,310,350
aprasyeva dehasya..................................................303
rdhyo bhagavn...........45,111,158,243,275
ra dine nibhte...............................................................287
arcana vandana dsyam....................................270
arcata prrcata priyamedhso...............................309
arcye viau l-................................................................ 4
artho ya brahma-.............................................69,134
ruhya kcchrea param...........................................356
arpavadeva tat-......................................41,137,168,
................................................................309,310,350,356
sakti haite citte..............................................................324
sakti-rahit sambandha-sahit.................................237
asat-saga-tyga............................................................185

409

appendix

ataeva gop-bhva.........................................................325
ata kalau bhaviyanti..................................................51
ata r-ka-nmdi.....................................166,229
athsaktis tato......................................................271,324
athto brahma-jijs..................................................150
tmna cintayet tatra...............................................326
tmrm ca munayo................................................357
atra ca sva-daritrtha-viea................................291
atrha tad urugyasya................................................248
avajnanti m mh..................................309,354
avidy-karma-sajny................................25,251
ayam tm sarvem...................................................249
ayi nanda-tanuja............................................................111

B
bahu janma kare................................................................18
bhya, antara,ihra...................................................326
bhye sdhaka-dehe..................................................326
blgra-ata-bhgasya...............................................258
bhagavad-bhakti-hnasya.........................................303
bhgo jva sa..................................................................258
bhakati-kusume kata....................................................364
bhakati-siddhnta-dpa..............................................363
bhakati-vinoda-dhr.................................................363
bhaktir evaina nayati.......................263,297,315
bhaktis tu bhagavad-bhakta-..........................98,262
bhakti-vaa puruo............................263,297,315
bhaktyham ekay grhya...............69,263,310
bhaktyaiva tuyati hari-.............................................298
bhakty vihin apardha-........................................369
bhla n khibe......................................................46,152
bhrata-bhmite haila....................................................14
bhrat-sampradya ei................................................287
bhva sa eva sndrtm..........................................273
bhavpavargo bhramato............................................262
bhaya dvitybhiniveata.......................138,257
bhedbheda-prakam....................................243,245
bhedbhedau tad-anyatra.........................................298
bhramite bhramite yadi...............................................260

bhtni ynti bhtejy................................................313

brahma-ka tu...........................................................58
brhman sahasrebhya..................................302
brahma bhramite kona........................................272
brahmao hi pratihham...................25,249,310
brahma satya jagan...............257,284,285,332
brahma satya jaganmithy......................................94

C
caitanya-caritmta kahe..........................................216
caitanykhya prakaam..............................348,351
caitanya-nitynande nhi............................................18
cal api te reh..................................................303
ctur-varya may..............................35,225,304
ceto-darpaa-mrjanam.............................................208
chibra mana haile..................................................206
cid-nanda ka-.........................................................311
cil-ll-mithuna tattvam..........................................348

D
dadmi buddhi-yogam................................................355
dsya-vtsalydi-bhve.............................................325
deha-dehi-bhid nsti..................................................355
dea yayau vipra-......................................................136
devakm agraht kasa-.............................................338
devaki-nandana nanda-.............................................299
devn deva-yajo.............................................................313
dharma projjhita-kaitavo tra................................313
dharma tu skd.......................................................294
dharmea hn paubhi............................108,138
dharmo jaganntha....................................................294
dnera ei abhila...........................................................369
divva cakurtatam.............................281,309,314
drksu srya karakeu........................................361
dra-darana-dydi...............................................334
d sp tath............................................................372
dau hau tad..........................................................359
dui vastu bheda...............................................................250
duh-mana manobhava..........................................344

410

verse
index

durlabha-prema-pya-...........................................293
dv supar sayuj.......................................................282
dvi-bhuja jna-..........................................................355

hari-sevnuklaiva.......................................................378
hena ka-nma...........................................................228
hkea hkea-sevanam......................................267

ebe tom dekhi.....................................................183,344

ei mi deha samarpila............................................287
ei baa ppa...................................................................311
ei chaya guru....................................................................216
ei-mata tom dekhi........................................................344
eita parama phala..........................................................273
eka ka-nme kare..................................................228
ekam evdvityam........................................83,94,280
ekam evdvitya brahma........................................285
ekam eva tam........................................................254,264
eko va sarvaga..........................................................248
e sakh, se-saba...................................................344,348
eo urtm cetas.......................................................258
et sa sthya..............................................................288
ete ca-kal......................................149,158,248

vara parama ka........149,158,310,355

varera r-vigraha......................................................311
iti matv bhajante...........................................................199
iti tattvaka nityam................................................358
iti vijya dev tvam.....................................................346

G
gaura ka svayam................................................350
gaura prema rasrave..................................................18
gaurraya-vigrahya................................................358
gyatr-bhya-rpo sau.............................................69
goloka ca parityajya.................................................351
ghta-cet rjare..............................................337,357
gha para brahma.......................249,350,355
guru j haya avicray.....................................288
guru-ka-prasde..........................................204,272
guru ka-rpa..............................................................159
guru-prasdo balavn.................................................297
guru-rpe ka..............................................................159

H
harer-naivedya-sambhrn........................................88
harer nma harer...............................................150,138
hari puraa-sundara-................................................343

J
jaa-vidy jata.................................................................236
jagatera jata phla.........................................................369
jahau yuvaiva malavad..............................................185
janmdy asya yata..... 150,199,281,350,356
janma srthaka kari.........................................................14
jra ge ta-tulya......................................................273
jaya jaya prabhupdera.............................................363
jaya navadvpa-nava-.................................................177
je nila prema-dhana......................................................67
je tomra araa loya..................................................368
jhjhara ksara gha........................................360
jva-bht mah-bho.................................252,258
jvera svarpa haya...............................25,204,257
jna-vairgyayo caiva...........................................284

K
kalau gaurga-rpea..............................................351
kalau nsty eva...............................................................138
kalau prpte yath........................................................339
kalau sakrtandyai sma....................................351
kmais tais tair....................................................145,313
kma-krodhera dsa....................................................260
kasena prerito dua...............................................338
kmuk payanti.........................................................302
kandaphalana sundara-........................................299
knu-hme kahabi.......................................................344
karilena dakara-......................................................287

411

appendix

karma-ka jna-.....................................................185
karmibhya cdhiko yog..........................................315
kearva sva-potnm.................................................230
keava-bhratra iya...............................................286
kimv n rahili.................................................................166
ka peaskt ruddha.............................................209
kleaghn ubhad.........................................................269
kona bhgye kro..........................................................261
kona bhagye kona..........................................................324
kohya go premamayi..................................................17
ko v jnti rdhm......................................................255
kp kari kaha................................................................324
ka balile apardhra......................................18,228
ka-bhakti pya.........................................................260
kd apy adhikam.....................................................326
ka guru nhi..................................................................32
ka haite catur-................................................................ 8
ka la vraje..................................................................79
kam enam avehi.......................................................249
ka smaran janam..........................270,319,325
ka-nma-bja.............................................................228
ka-nma kare.................................................18, 228
ka-nievaa kari......................................................288
ka-pda-padmera....................................................287
ka preyas namo......................................................368
ka-smrti vin..............................................................203
kas tu bhagavn...................247,249,310,350
ka-tattvam abhijya............................................358
ka, tomra haa.....................................................261
ka varam tvikam........................................174
kya ka-caitanya-...........................................351
kera svarpa-vicra.................................................23
kera taasth-akti...........................25,204,257
kera yateka khel....................................................111
keti yasya giri............................................................226
kti-sdhy bhavet........................................................269
kntir-avyartha-klatvam.......................................327
katriyo vtha vaiyo..................................................304
kurvanty ahaituk bhaktim....................................357

kusumita sarovare.........................................................360

L
labdhv su-durlabham.......................................47,138
laka karile svata-.................................................246
lakaa bhakti-yogasya.........................................267
lalita-lvaya mukhe...................................................364
lat avalambi ml........................................................273
laukik vaidik vpi........................................................378
lava-mtra sdhu-sage.............................................261
ll-rasa svdite............................................................250

M
mad-gua-ruti-..............................................................267
mahprabhura bhakta-gaera................................152
ml ha kare.................................................................272
malina mana haile.............................................203,236
mamaivo jva-loke...............................26,95,255
m ca gopaya yena.......................................332,335
mana dua haile............................................................203
mana ahnndriyi...............................................95
mane nija-siddha-deha..................................318,326
magala rati kare.........................................................360
magala ninta-ll.....................................................360
magala ravae bje..................................................362
magala r-guru-gaura.............................................360
mano-gatir avicchinn................................................267
mantra-dk chilena.................................................287
matta paratara nnyat..................149,248,314
my-bandha haite.......................................................261
maydhyakea prakti...........................................282
mayaiva vihita devi...................................................332
myvdam asat-stram................................94,332
mayi bhaktir hi...................................................................69
mayra-ukdi sri...........................................360,361
mogh mogha-karmo.........................................354
mgamada, tra gandha..............................................250
mkha karoti vclam................................................40
muktir hitvnyath........................................................298

412

verse
index

mukunda sevana-vrata...............................................288
mukunda-sevya haya...............................................288

N
nadra pravhe yena....................................................261
naivete jyante naitem...............................................41
na karma-bandhanam...................................................... 5
nma cintmai ka-.............................................41
nma laite prema...............................................................18
na me priya.....................................................................303
namo buddhya uddhya.......................................339
namo mah-vadnyya.............................................351
nn-bhve cacala.....................................................344
nanda-nandana ka.................................................296
na pratke na hi sa..............................137,309,311
nryadudbhto yam............................................116
na sdhyati mm............................................................315
nsato vidyate bhvo.......................................307,310
n so ramaa........................................................344,348
na svdhyyas tapas...................................................315
na tasya kryam.....................................251,282,314
ntra stra na.............................................................270
navadh tulas devm...............................................372
nyam tm bala-..........................................................138
nidr moht svapnavat...............................................332
nirvikre nirkre nirviee.....................................334
nih haite ravadye.............................................324
nitya-baddhaka...................................................259
nitya sarva-gata...........................................................95
nitya-sasra................................................................259
nitya-siddhasya bhvasya............................209,269
nityo ha nirvadyo ham.........................................334
nityo nitynm........................................267,283,350
no dk na ca..................................................227,228

P
pdbjayos tava vin...................................................346
padbhy calan ya....................................................136
pahile dekhilu tomra...................................183,344

paca mahdpa yath...............................................363

pacartre, bhgavate ei............................................212
paramnanda rpo ham............................................334
para bhvam ajnanto................................309,354
parsya aktir vividhaiva....................25,251,282,
.....................................................................................314,350
partma-nih-mtra.................................................288
parinihito pi nairguye..............................337,357
plau kapot priyake.................................................361
prabhu bale,gay-ytr........................................287
prabhu kahe,karm..................................................294
prabhu kahe,sdhu....................................................288
prajna brahma...................................94,285,334
praka ca karmay...................................................310
praka vat-ca-avaieyam.....................................310
praktibhya para yat.............................................308
pralambho jva-cauras tu...........................................338
prasda paramnanda....................................................40
pratigraha kabhu n.....................................................203
pratim naha tumi.................................136,310,311
prema-nmdbhutrtha...........................................255
premjana-cchurita-bhakti-..................................247
prema-phala pki.........................................................273
premera kraa bhakti................................................228
pra uddho nitya-.....................................................41
pram ada pram..................................................307

R
rdh-cint-niveena...............125,136,183,341
rdh-ka aiche..........................................................250
rdh-ka-kujasev...............................................325
rdh ka-praaya-.....................................348,351
rdh-kera ll..........................................................325
rdh-mantra japan..................................................343
rdh-pda chi...........................................................347
rdh-paka chi.........................................................347
rdhpra-akti.......................................................250
rdh vileata ka..............................................343
rdhiknucar nityam..............................................326

413

appendix

rga-mrga karna.......................................................324
raghunthera pda-padma.......................................206
rkasm sur caiva.................................................354
rsbhilo vasati ca vnd-.................................369
rasa-rja, mahbhva..................................................183
raso vai sa..............................................................41,252
rtri-dina cinte.................................................................325
rtri-dine kare vraje..........................................318,326
rtryante trasta-vnderita..........................................359
ropit sevit nityam......................................................372
rucibhi citta msya-...............................................273
ruci haite bhakti haya..................................................324
rpnuga-pravarya...................................................358
rpa-yauvana-sampannm.....................................326

S
sabe, eka gua dekhi.....................................................294
sabe eka sakh-gaera.................................................325
sac-cid-nanda-..............................................................355
sdhaknm ayam............................................271,324
sdhana bhbibe jh..........................204, 209,326
sdhana-bhaktye haya...............................................324
sdhu-saga haite..........................................................324
sdhu-saga sdhu-saga....................................261
sdhu-sage tare............................................................261
sdhya-vastu sdhana-..........................................324
sagua nirgua tattvam......................................354
sahasrasya pratimsi...................................................309
sa kata..............................................................................281
sakala janme mt-..........................................................32
sakh-bhve pya..........................................................325
sakh-bhve ye................................................................325
sakh bin ei ll..............................................................325
sakh bin ei llya........................................................325
sakh haite haya..............................................................325
sakh ll vistriy.........................................................325
skhyya te mama.........................................................346
akta kastvm iha........................................................334
akti-aktimator abheda....................25, 145, 250,

.....................................................................................298, 350
akti-aktimator aikyam.............................................348
samasta-vaikuha-iromanau...............................369
samatvenaiva vketa sa.................................145,314
sampradya vihn..........................................................51
smpradyika sannys tumi...................................286
sarambha-bhaya-yogena......................................209
sasra brahmite kona...............................................261
sasra-samudra haite..............................................287
samya masita-svnto............................................273
sndrnanda-vietm.............................................269
s parnuraktir...............................................................267
sarva-dharmn parityajya........................................315
sarva ccintya-aktitvd........................................298
sarva khalv idam........................................................285
sarva-nitya-guair gaura.......................................354
sarvatra pracra-dhpa.............................................363
sarvatrskhalitdea.................................................128
sarva-vdya-may ghan.........................................363
sarva-vg viayttm.................................................334
sarva-vednta-sram......................................................69
sarva-vednta-vit-.........................................................302
sarve var yatrvi...........................................352
sarve varena hnastu.................................................352
sarvopdhi-vinirmuktam...........................................267
sa sadhrc.......................................................................247
sanenaiva strasya................................................270
stra-yonitvt................................................................150
vatasya ca dharmasya............................................25
sat prasagn mama..............................................263
satrayji-sahasrebhya..............................................302
sat-saga prpyate.....................................................262
sat-sagamo yarhi.........................................................262
satya bruyt priyam.................................................230
satya jnam anantam............................................280
satya-vigraha vare..................................................294
sa vai pusm............................................69,138,313
sa vetti vedyam................................................................310
sei doe my-pic....................................................259

414

verse
index

sei ka avatr.............................................................351
sei mora pra-dhana.................................................346
sei mora rasa-nidhi.......................................................346
sei premprayojana................................................324
sei rati gha..................................................................324
sei sdhya pite..............................................................325
sei ta para-ntha.............................................79,148
sei vea kaila.....................................................................288
sevdare narahari.......................................................364
sev sdhaka-rpea...........................270,319,325
sevonmukhe hi jihvdau.................................166,229
sevya-sevaka-sambhoge............................................347
siddha-dehe cinti............................................................325
ik-guruke ta...............................................................159
sneho bhaktir iti..............................................................298
raddhvn bhajate yo................................................315
ravaa-krtana-jale.....................................................272
ravaa krtana vio.......................................270
ravaot-krtandni........................................319,325
reya-sti bhaktim...................................................356
r-gaua-maala-.........................................................18
r-guru-carae rati......................................................358
r-keava ati dna.........................................................369
r-ka-brahma-.............................................................. 5
r-ka-caraam.....................125,136,183,341
r-ka mithuna brahma.................................355
rmad-bhgavata pramam........45,243,275
rmad-bhgavate mah-...........................................313
r-rdhra sukhe...........................................................347
r-rpa-majar.............................................................347
r-rpa-majar-pda................................................346
r-rpa-raghuntha-...................................................216
r-vrabhnavi-devi-...............................................365
r-vinoda-bihr yo.....................................................357
r-vior-nmni.................................................................. 4
sthito brhmaa-dharmea......................................304
str-sageka asdhu................................................185
ubha-di kara prabhu............................................360
suci sad-bhakti-............................................................303

uddha-sattva-vietm...........................................273
sukhe prema-phala-......................................................273
sumadhura dhvani kare..............................................360
sryu-kiraa............................................................257
svabhvasthai karmajan.......................................88
svbhvika kera.......................................................257
vdo pi sadya savanya......................................305
svgamai kalpitais tvam..........................................332
vapaco pi mahpla...................................................303
vapko pi budhai.....................................................303
svata-prama veda..................................................246
ymc chabalam..............................................247,248

T
tabe hsi tre................................................................183
tabe jni, apardha........................................................228
tabe sei jva........................................................................324
tabe tna sthne..............................................................287
tabhu ta n pya..............................................................18
tabu yadi prema..............................................................228
tac chaktyaiva tu............................................................298
tada ha vandana kurym................................357
tad-anug haye..............................................................347
tad-bhva-lipsun.................................270,319,325
tad brahma nikalam.......................................................25
tad-rasmta-tptasya....................................................69
tad viprso vipanyavo................................................314
tad vio paramam.............................281,309,314
th sei kalpa-vksera..............................................273
thte prakaa dekhi.....................................................344
taj-joad v apavarga-.........................................263
tam eka govindam......................................................355
ta hovca ki gotro...................................................304
ta hovca, naitad........................................................304
ta ta niyamam...........................................................313
tan-myayto budha....................................................257
tan-nma-rpa-..............................................................327
tra gaura-kntye...........................................183,344
tra upadea-mantre.................................................260

415

appendix

t-sabra pda-...........................................................216
tapasvibhyo dhiko yog.............................................315
tra madhye sarva-reha.......................................367
ts bhva-mdhurya-...........................................345
tasmai deya tato..........................................................303
tasyaite kathit..........................................................4,261
tasya kartram api........................................................304
tasya v etasya................................................................256
taasthatvaca my-akty-attatvt..................256
tathpi ravadi ca...................................................297
tato nartha-nivtti..........................................271, 323
tat-tad-bhvdi-..............................................................270
tat-tat-kath-rata.................................270,319,325
tat tvam asi...............................................................94, 285
tattvam eka param.....................................................350
tavaivsmi tavaivsmi.................................................346
t v vstnyumasi.................................................248
tayor anya pippalam.................................................282
tejya na doya........................................................67
te pi mm eva kaunteya.............................................314
tepus tapas te juhuvu.................................................302
tem asau kleala.........................................................356
te nitybhiyuktnm...............................................70
tomra rati lgi.............................................................369
tomra carae dhari.....................................................369
tomra nidrya jva......................................................360
tomra pdapa tale.......................................................369
tomra sammukhe dekhi................................183,344
tomra sampradye......................................................294
tomra sevya dukha................................................236
td api suncena.............................................367,376
tulas ka-preyas......................................................368
tra yateta na pated......................................47,138
tvad-jay pallava-pupa-.....................................369
tvadya-dtyena nikuja-yno-.............................369
tva krtyase stvata-tantra-..................................369

U
upsate m vij......................................................355

V
vadanti tat tattva-.......................243,247,264,289
vairg kare prakti.......................................................320
vaiavn sahasrebhya....................................302
vaiavn yath................................................69,93
varae tait.......................................................................328
vedai ca sarvair................................................248,314
vedrthavan mah-stram......................................332
vicrayoge sati hanta...................................................308
vidhi-mrga-rata-..........................................................324
vipralambhe tu sarvasya...........................................347
viruddha dharma tasmin........................................355
vila lale obhe..........................................................363
viayra anna khile dua........................................203
viayra anna khile malina.........................203,236
vieasya viitasypy................................................298
vior yat paramam......................................................314
viu-bhakti-vihn......................................................303
viu-bhakti vihno.......................................................303
viu-akti par..................................................25,251
vrajendra-nandana jei.................................................351
vraje rdh-ka..............................................................46

Y
yad anyatrpi dyeta.................................................304
yadyapy any bhakti...................................................367
yam evaia vute.........................................................282
yan-mitra paramnandam..............95,149,249,
.....................................................................................310,350
yan-nmadheya-ravanukrtand......227,305
ynti deva-vrat.................................................145,313
ynyagni ca tnyatra.................................319,325
yra mantre sakala.......................................................174
yas tu nryaam..............................................145,314
yasya deve par........................................................4,261
yasy vai...........................................................................69
yasya prabh prabhavato............................................25
yasya yal lakaam.................................36,225,304

416

verse
index

yasya yat-sagati.......................................................209
yata-kae dekhila...................................................287
yathya vaiava-gaa..............................................238
yati-dharme paridhne...............................................364
yat-kp tam aham...........................................................40
yato v imni.................... 150,199,281,309,350
yat prayanty abhisavianti......................199,281,
.....................................................................................309,350
yatra rgnavptatvt.................................................270
yatrvatra kkhyam......................................249

yatrvatro bhagavn...............................................355
yat taastha tu..............................................................256
y y rutir jalpati.........................................................308
ye nye ravindka.......................................................356
ye py anya-devat-......................................................314
ye yath mm...................................................................316
yo dustyajn dra-........................................................185
yoginm api sarvem.................................................315
yuga-ko-sahasri.....................................................372

417

For more information

www.purebhakti.com
for news, updates and free downloads of books,
lectures and bhajanas

www.purebhakti.tv
to watch and hear classes online, or get links and
schedule updates for live webcasts

www.harikatha.com
to receive, by email, the lectures and videos of
rla Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja
on his world tours

If you are interested to know more about the books, lectures, audios, videos, teachings and international
society of r rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja, please contact us at
connectwithussoon@gmail.com

GVP websites
www.bhaktistore.com
www.mygvp.com
www.gvpbookdistribution.com

Your comments and feedback

We humbly invite our readers to submit any
errors they may find at

www.purebhakti.com/gvp

Worldwide centres & contacts

WORLD WIDE
www.purebhakti.com/contact-us/centers-mainmenu-60.html

INDIA
Mathura: Shri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha Jawahar Hata, U.P. 281001 (Opp. Dist. Hospital),
Email: mathuramath@gmail.com New Delhi: Shri Ramana-vihari Gaudiya Matha Block B-3,
Janakpuri, New Delhi 110058 (Near musical fountain park), Tel: 9810192540; Karol Bagh Centre:
Rohini-nandana dasa, 9A/39 Channa Market, WEA, Karol Bagh, Tel: 9810398406, 9810636370,
Email: purebhakti.kb@gmail.com Vrindavan: Shri Rupa-Sanatana Gaudiya Matha
Dan Gali, U.P. Tel: 09760952435; Gopinath Bhavan Parikrama Marga (next to Imli-tala), Seva Kunja,
Vrindavan 281121, U.P., Email: vasantidasi@gmail.com Puri: Jayasri Damodar Gaudiya Matha
Sea Palace, Chakratirtha Road. Tel: 06752-227617 Bangalore: Shri Madana Mohan Gaudiya
Matha 245/1 29th Cross, Kaggadasa pura Balaji layout, Bangalore-93, Tel: 089044277754, Email:
giridharidas@gmail.com Faridabad: Shri Radha Madhava Gaudiya Math 293, Sector-14,
Hariyana, Tel: 09911283869 navadvipa: Shri Shri Kesavaji Gaudiya Math Kolerdanga Lane,
Nadiya, Bengal, Tel: 09153125442

AUSTRALIA
Garden Ashram Akhileshvari dasi, Tel: 612 66795916, Email: akhileshvari.dasi@gmail.com
Shri Gaura Narayana Gaudiya Matha, Brisbane, Queensland, Tel: +61 403 993 746, Email:
bhaktibrisbane2010@gmail.com

CHINA / HONG KONG

15A, Hillview Court, 30 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Tel: +85223774603, Email: bvvaisnava@
yahoo.co.uk

UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND

Birmingham: Shri Gour Govinda Gaudiya Math 9 Clarence Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, B21
0ED, UK, Tel: (44) 121551-7729, Email: bvashram108@gmail.com London: Ganga-mata Gaudiya
Matha Email: gangamatajis@yahoo.co.uk Galway: Family Centre Tel: 353 85-1548200, Email:
jagannathchild@gmail.com

USA
Gaudiya Vedanta Publications Offices Tel: (800) 681-3040 ext. 108, Email: orders@bhaktiprojects.
org Houston: Preaching Center Tel: (1) 713-984 8334, Email: byshouston@gmail.com

offer obeisances to the lion-like crya, o viupda

r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja.
He is a thoroughly transcendental personality, and he nurtures
with great affection those who have taken shelter of him. He is
always aggrieved to see the suffering of the conditioned souls, and
he bestows prema for the glorious holy name.
r Keavcryakam (verses 1 and 4)

he life of rmad Bhakti

Prajna Keava Gosvm
Mahrja exemplified the lofty princi
ples he taught, and thus he is known as
crya. Just as a lion (kesar) is gentle
with her cubs and ferocious with those
who may harm them, he was affectionate
with those who sincerely aspired for
Truth and roared like a lion when
erroneous philosophy threatened their
safe passage to the spiritual world.
This biography not only describes
his glorious life, spotless character and
courageous preaching but it also details
his lucid and penetrating delivery of
Gauya philosophy. It depicts the
qualities of a true crya, who with his
every breath demonstrated the pinnacle
of loyalty to guru and who resolutely
protected the tenets of his disciplic
lineage for the benefit of the souls of
this world.

he sole measure of spiritual

advancement is wholesale
dedication to ones bona fide guru.
Nothing else. r rmad Bhaktivednta
Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja was the
perfect embodiment of such devotion.
From the time of his first meeting with
his gurudeva in 1946, he rendered him
personal service and took responsibility
for his mission. Moreover, he fully
imbibed his gurus teachings on the
Absolute Truth and meticulously
practised them in every aspect of his life.
His spiritual potency was acknowl
edged by Gauya Vaiavas the world
over, and he is revered as an ideal
servant of guru who can in turn guide
all living beings. This book is an insight
into his absorption in his gurudevas
transcendental words and deeds.