baladeva vidyabhusana booklet

8/10/2019 Baladeva Vidyabhusana Booklet

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Sri SrimadGour Govinda Swami Maharaja


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rlaBaladeva Vidybhaa The Ornament of Knowledge


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r rmad

Gour Govinda Swami MahrjaAn evening class delivered on the disappearance day of rla Baladeva Vidybhaa,

8 June 1995, in Towaco, USA.

T AT T VA V I C A R A P U B L I C AT I O N S

www.tvpbooks.comwww.gourgovindaswami.com



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r Govindaj - Jaipur


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jaya jaya r-ka-caitanya nitynanda jaydvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vnda

All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu and Lord Nitynanda! All glories to Advaita Prabhu, and all glories tothe devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by rvsa!

(Caitanya-caritmta, di-ll10.2)

Today is the disappearance day of rla Baladeva VidybhaaPrabhu who maintained the prestige of the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya, by writingr Govinda-bhya, a commentary onthe Vednta-stra of the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya. rlaPrabhupda has dedicated theGt to Baladeva VidybhaaPrabhu who maintained the prestige of the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya when it was threatened. So on this auspicious occasion

I will speak about rla Baladeva Vidybhaa and glorify him.


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RLA BALADEVA VIDYBHAA

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Glorify Vaiavas

vaiava gua-gna karile jvera tra unichi sdhu guru mukhe( crya-vandan,Vaiava Dsa)

I have heard from guru-sdhus that if you glorify Vaiavasand get their mercy then all-auspiciousness will come to you. Youwill developuddha-bhakti, and very easily you will go back home,back to Godhead. Therefore we should glorify Vaiavas on suchauspicious occasions.

rla Baladeva Vidybhaa was a pure devotee, amah-bhgavata, a bhgavata-uttama, a nikicana-bhgavata, andan akican-nikicana-bhakta. He had no pride. He was theembodiment of td api sunca. He had no desire for materialenjoyment, and no desire for material liberation,bhavatd bhaktirahaituk tvayi, nikarmat. He was free from all material desires.His only prayer was please give meahaituk-bhakti, unalloyeddevotion.

Baladeva Vidybhaas Formative Years

He was so renounced, such anikicana-bhakta, that he did noteven mention the names of his father and mother, or to whichfamily lineage he belonged. Nothing is mentioned anywhere.Therefore it is unknown when he was born, so the correct date ofhis appearance is not available. Some Gauya Vaiavacryasopinion is that he was definitely born in Orissa. That is a fact; hewas an Uiy Vaiava. He was born in a village near Remu,in the Balasore district, where the famous Kra-cor-gopntha


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Temple is. Some say that he was born in either the 17th or 18th century.

At a very tender age he became expert invykaraa grammar,kvya poetry, alakra literary embellishments, and Nyya-stra the science of logic.

Fortunately He Met His Gururla Rdh Dmodara Gosvm

Later on he travelled and visited many holy places,trtha-bhramaa. At that time he went to Madhvcryas Maha inUup, in South India. He stayed there for some time with theTattvavds*. He learned thetattva-vda siddhnta, and became anexpert in it. Then he preached that in different places of India.

In this way he was travelling, and then he again returned to

Orissa. At that time he fortunately met the grand-disciple of rlaRasiknanda hkura, Pait Rdh Dmodara Gosvm, andspent some time with him. rmad Rdh Dmodara Gosvmspoke to him about rmn Caitanya Mahprabhu. He told him* rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura points out that the word Tattvavd refersto the followers of rla Madhvcrya. To distinguish his disciplic succession fromthe Myvd followers of akarcrya, rla Madhvcrya named his party theTattvavds.Impersonal monists are always attacked by these Tattvavds, who attemptto defeat their philosophy of impersonalism. Generally, they establish the supremacy ofthe Supreme Personality of Godhead. Actually the disciplic succession of Madhvcryais known as the Brahm Vaiava sect; that is the sect coming down from Lord Brahm.rla Mdhavendra Pur was one of thecryas in the Tattvavda disciplic succession,and he established the ultimate goal of transcendentalism to be attainment of puredevotional service, love of Godhead. Those Vaiavas belonging to the Gauya-sam-pradya, the disciplic succession following r Caitanya Mahprabhu, are distinct fromthe Tattvavds, although they belong to the same Tattvavda-sampradya. The fol-lowers of r Caitanya Mahprabhu are therefore known as the Mdhva-Gauya-sam-pradya. (Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya-ll 9.11 purport by rla AC BhaktivedantaSwami Prabhupda)


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that Mahprabhu is the most merciful incarnation; wonderfullymerciful, wonderfully magnanimous, and wonderfully munificent,and taught him gauya-vaiava-siddhnta. Baladeva VidybhaaPrabhu, hearing from rla Rdh Dmodara Gosvm, becamevery attracted towards r Caitanya Mahprabhu.

After a few days in his association, he took initiation fromrla Rdh Dmodara Gosvm, and became his disciple. Underhis guidance he studied rla Jva Gosvmsa-sandarbha, andwithin a very short time he became an expert in gauya-vaiava-

siddhnta. He was an exceptional personality.

His Association withrla Vivantha Cakravart hkura

After spending some time with rla Rdh Dmodara Gosvm,

taking his permission, he went to Vndvana to learn more aboutthe gauya-vaiava-siddhnta. In Vndvana he met rmadVivantha Cakravart hkura, and studied gauya-vaiava-siddhnta under his guidance. rla Vivantha Cakravart hkurawas very happy with Baladeva Vidybhaas behaviour; he wasvery humble. Seeing his perseverance, his humility, his goodcharacter, and his devotional attitude, Vivantha Cakravarthkura became very pleased with him and taught him with greatpleasure theacintya-bhedbheda-tattva, Mahprabhustattva. Fromhim he learned acintya-bhedbheda-tattva and gauya-vaiava-siddhnta and became an expert in it. Then he started preaching gauya-vaiava-siddhnta, acintya-bhedbheda-tattva.


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The Gauya Vaiavas Are Challenged

At that time, in King Jai Singhs court in Jaipur, certainRmnuja-sampradya Vaiavas questioned the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya. They said that thesampradya could not beaccepted as bona fide because they had nobhya, commentary,on the Vednta-stra. And therefore they are not supposed to beengaged in offering worship to Govindaj, but it should be handedover to the r-sampradya Vaiavas. That was their point;because the Gauya Vaiavas have noVednta-stra-bhya,they should not be recognized as a bona fidesampradya.

Baladeva Vidybhaa Is Sent to Jaipur

The king of Jaipur was a disciple of the Gauya-Vaiava-

sampradya. When he heard this, he immediately sent a message torla Vivantha Cakravart hkura in Vndvana and inquiredwhether the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya had anyVednta-bhya. If there is one, please send it to Jaipur, so that it could bepresented to the paitas of the r-sampradya Vaiavas.

Vivantha Cakravart hkura was very, very old at that time.It was completely impossible for him to go to Jaipur in Rajasthan,so he sent his disciple student Baladeva Vidybhaa becausehe was expert in all these philosophies, the Gauya Vaiavaphilosophy, and the Tattvavd philosophy of Madhvcrya.Thus Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu left.

A large assembly of great paitas from the Rmnuja-sampradya was present in the King of Jaipurs court. There wasa great debate. The paitas were tarka-yuddha, fighting, anddebating on philosophical conclusions,siddhntas. But Baladeva


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Vidybhaa Prabhu was such a great learned scholar and soproficient in all thesesiddhntas and philosophies that they couldnot stand before him. Baladeva Vidybhaa said, r KaCaitanya Mahprabhu issampradya-pravartaka, the propounderof the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya. This is the Brahma-Madhva-sampradya, but after Mahprabhu accepted vara Purfrom thissampradya as His guru the word Gauya was addedto it. Therefore it is now known as the Brahma-Madhva-Gauya-sampradya.

Some of the members of the Brahma-Madhva-sampradyaare Tattvavds. There is some difference in the philosophy,because Madhvcryas philosophy isuddha-dvaita-vda. Henever accepted anyadvaita-vda. Madhvcrya was very strongbecause he wasvyu-avatra, an incarnation of the wind god, likeHanumnj, and Bhmasen. They were allvyu-putra. The firstincarnation was Hanumn, the second incarnation was Bhmasen,and the third incarnation was Madhvcrya,vyu-avatra. He wasvery strong and had a stout body. He forcefully preacheddvaita-vda. He completely cut offadvaita-vda. There is noadvaita-vda at all in Madhvcryas philosophy. It isuddha-dvaita-vda.

The Four Bona Fide Sampradyas

You might have seen his very strong and stout figure, raisinghis hand, holding up two fingers. He is not one, but two,dvaita.That is dvaita-vd. But completedvaita-vda is not correct, andcomplete advaita-vda is philosophically also not correct. OtherVaiavacryas are Rmnujcrya, Viusvm, and Nimbrka.Rmnujcrya is the r-sampradyacrya. Viusvm isthe Rudra-sampradyacrya, and Nimbrka is the Kumar-

sampradyacrya.


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samprdya-vihn yemantrs te niphal mat

ata kalau bhaviyanticatvra sampradyina

r-brahma-rudra-sanakvaiav kiti-pvan

catvras te kalau bhvy

hy utkale puruottamtBaladeva Vidybhaa in hisPrameya-ratnval, siddhnta,

quotes this verse from thePadma Pura. In Kali-yuga there areonly foursampradyas: r, Brahma, Rudra, and Sanaka. Theseare the bona fidesampradyas, others are not bona fide in Kali-yuga. The r-sampradya comes from Lakmj and is also knownas the Rmnuja-sampradya. Thecrya is Rmnujcrya.The Brahma-sampradyacrya is Madhvcrya. The Rudra-sampradyacrya is Viusvm. The Kumra-sampradyacrya is Nimbrkcrya. These are four Vaiavasampradyas and fourfamous Vaiavacryas.

Rmnujcrya appeared in the 12th century. Madhvcryaappeared in the 13th century. When Nimbrkcrya andViusvm appeared is not clearly ascertained.

So Viusvms philosophy isuddhdvaita (purified monism).akarcryas philosophy isdvaitdvaita (monism and dualism),or kevaldvaita (exclusive monism). Rmnujcryas philosophyis viitdvaita-vda (exclusive monism). Nimbdityas philosophyis dvaitdvaita-vda (monism and dualism). Madhvcryas

philosophy is completelydvaita-vda (purified dualism).


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So you will find that in the philosophy of the following threecryas; Rmnuja, Viusvm and Nimbrka, there is a touch ofadvaita, with dvaita, but in Madhvcryas philosophy there is notouch of advaita. He completely cut offadvaita. Only dvaita-vda.Thus, although all fourcryas are Vaiavacryas, there is somedifference in the four philosophies. They all preach Vaiavaphilosophy,bhakti. But there is a little difference betweendvaita and advaita.

Mahprabhus Acintya-Bhedbheda-Tattva

Mahprabhu came and took the essence of these fourphilosophies and gave the most sublime philosophyacintya-bhedbheda-vda,acintya-bheda-abheda. Completedvaita-vdais notcorrect, and completeadvaita-vda is also not correct. ThereforeHe gaveacintya-bhedbheda-vda; the most sublime philosophy.

Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu who was an expert inacintya-bhedbheda-vda, then said, Vysadeva, who compiledthe Vednta-stra, gave a commentary, which is thermad-Bhgavatam. Mahprabhu accepted thermad-Bhgavatam as anatural commentary on the Vednta-stra, Brahma-stra. Andwe accept that because Mahprabhu is the propounder of the

Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya, thesampradya we belong to.When Mahprabhu accepts thermad-Bhgavatam as a naturalcommentary on the Vednta-stra, then we accept it too. Sowhat is the need of a separatebhya, commentary? He put forththis logic, tarka. And he also said, You have all accepted rla Jva Gosvmsa-sandarbha. In the a-sandarbha, Bhgavata is accepted as a natural commentary on theVednta-stra. The

rmad-Bhgavatam is our commentary, the Gauya-Vaiava


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commentary. But the r-sampradya paitas did not accept this.They raised objections, No, no. Everysampradya has its ownbhya. Unless you have your separatebhya, your sampradya cannot be recognized as a bona fidesampradya. They put forthvery strong arguments and told King Jai Singh that it could not beaccepted. In the end Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu said, Giveme a few days, and Ill put forth abhya, commentary onVednta-stra for the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya.

Govindaj EmpowersBaladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu

This was a great shock to Baladeva Vidybhaa, who was avery dear and pure devotee, prem-bhakta. He had so much painin his heart. Very distressed at heart, he went to the Govindaj

Temple in Jaipur, paidsga-danavat pranma, and cried beforeGovindaj. He talked with Govindaj, and told Him everything.That night Govindaj appeared to r Baladeva Vidybhaa

in a dream and told him, Write a commentary and whateveryou write, I will accept. No one can deny what Govindaj hasapproved. Govindaj empowered Baladeva VidybhaaPrabhu to write a commentary. Govindaj wrote through him.That is a fact. Ka-akti vin nahe tra pravartana, an ordinaryhuman being cannot do this unless he is empowered withka-akti (Caitanya-caritmta, Antya-ll 7.11).

After receiving this order in a dream, Baladeva VidybhaaPrabhu became very happy and was now surcharged with immensespiritual strength. He meditated upon the lotus feet of r rRdh Govindaj, and started writing the commentary,bhya.After a few days he completed it and called itr Govinda-bhya.


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happy and the society of paitas awarded Baladeva with thetitle Vidybhaa*. From that day he was known as BaladevaVidybhaa.

The assembly was held in Jaipur in a place named Galta, in1628 akbda [1718 CE]. Then the king of Jaipur, Rja Jai Singh,declared that the Gauya Vaiavas would perform therati ofr r Rdh Govindaj.

After all the paitas of the Sri-sampradya accepted defeat,they requested Baladeva Vidybhaa, Please accept us asyour disciples. But Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu, was veryhumble, said, No, please excuse me. I cannot accept you as mydisciples because the Rmnuja-sampradya, the r-sampradyais recognized as a bona fidesampradya. It is one of the four bonafide Vaiavasampradyas. How can I accept you? It will be agreat insult if I accept you as disciples in our Gauya-sampradya,while you belong to r-sampradya. If I accept you as my disciples,which means as Gauya Vaiavas, then I will be transgressingVaiava etiquette. That will be offensive, anapardha. So Icannot do it. Please excuse me. He was so humble.

The Next crya - Ptra-Rja

Then the king of Jaipur, Jai Singh gave a certificate, jaya- patra**, to Baladeva Vidybhaa. He accepted it, went back toVndvana, and placed it at the lotus feet of rla VivanthaCakravart hkura, his guru. He related everything. Hearingthis Vivantha Cakravart hkura and all the Vaiavas in* Vidybhaa: ornament of knowledge.**The word jaya-patra refers to a certificate of conquest that a party who has lost in abattle of arguments or test of scholarship awards to the victorious party. This is proof ofthe winning partys superior scholarship.


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Vndvana became very pleased. Then Vivantha Cakravarthkura showered so muchrvda, blessings upon BaladevaVidybhaa. After the disappearance of rmad VivanthaCakravart hkura, Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu became thenext crya, ptra-rja, of the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya.

Accept Mantra from a Bona Fide Sampradya

As I mentioned before, Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu quotedthis verse from thePadma Pura in his bookPrameya-ratnval,

sampradya vihn yemantrs te niphal mat

ata kalau bhaviyanticatvra sampradyina

r-brahma-rudra-sanakvaiav kiti-pvancatvras te kalau bhvy

hy utkale puruottamt

Unless one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master inthe disciplic succession, themantra he might have receivedis without any effect. For this reason four Vaiava disciplicsuccessions, inaugurated by Lakm-dev, Lord Brahm, Lordiva and the four Kumras, will appear in the holy place of Jaganntha Pur and purify the entire earth during the age ofKali. (Padma Pura, cited by rla Baladeva Vidybhaa inPrameya-ratnval 5-6.)

This is authentic. Only these foursampradyas are accepted

as bona fidesampradyas in Kali-yuga. No othersampradyas are


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accepted. The others areapasampradya, not bona fide. So one,who wants to accept a guru, should understand what a bona fidesampradya is. Sampradya vihin ye mantras te niphal mat,unless you accept guru from a bona fide Vaiavasampradya, themantra you receive isniphal, useless. Thus in Kali-yuga, there areonly four bona fidesampradyas, r-brahma-rudra-sanak vaiav.However, the last part of that verse is most important:catvraste kalau bhvy hy utkale puruottamt. This is very important.In Utkala Khaa, Puruottama-ketra, Jaganntha Pur Ketra,

a combination of these four philosophies will emerge and willspread throughout the world. That is theacintya-bhedbheda-tattva, expressed by Mahprabhu. Mahprabhu is the SupremePersonality of Godhead, but he appeared as abhakta, as ancrya,sdhu-guru-crya.

Mahprabhus crya-Ll as Sdhu-Guru

kali-yuge sdhu poy dukara jniysdhu-guru-rpe ka ila nady

It is mentioned by Jagadnanda Paita in hisPrema-vivarta that it is very difficult to get a real bona fidesdhu-guru in Kali-yuga. Ka knows this and therefore Mahprabhu appeared in

Nadia and performedcrya-ll as sdhu-guru, in order to showwho is asdhu, who is a guru, and what his qualifications are.And, although these four sampradyas are bonafide

sampradyas, and their philosophy is Vaiava philosophy,catvras te kalau bhvy hy utkale puruottamt, the combinationof these four philosophies will rise up and spread throughout theworld. Mahprabhu took the essence of the philosophies of these

fourcryas and gave the philosophy ofacintya-bhedbheda-tattva.


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This prophecy was written 5,000 years ago. And 500 years ago theacintya-bhedbheda-tattva emerged after Mahprabhu had acceptedsannysa and had gone to Puruottama-ketra to stay there.

During that time there was a great scholar, a paita, calledSrvabhauma Bhacrya, who wasbhaspati-avatra, theincarnation of Bhaspati. Such scholars, paitas, are not availablenowadays. He was very puffed up and proud. Although he was a ghastha, he was teachingsannyass, Vednta. He was very proud,

I am the professor ofVednta.Mahprabhu had taken sannysa at a very young age, Hewas twenty-four. Mahprabhu was not studyingVednta, andnot doing meditation. On the contrary, He was dancing in thestreet surrounded with devotees and chanting, Hare ka hareka ka ka hare hare, hare rma hare rma rma rma harehare. Srvabhauma Bhacrya knew r Ka Caitanya asthe grandson of Nilambar Cakravart, the father of ac-mata.Since Nilambar Cakravart and Srvabhauma Bhacrya werecontemporaries, he saw r Ka Caitanya in the same way andaddressed him accordingly, r Ka Caitanya, You have takensannysa at a young age. In Kali-yuga it is very difficult to maintainsannysa. A sannyass duty is to readVednta and meditate, butyou are chanting and dancing in the street. Because he thinks, Iam the professor ofVednta, he said, You should hear Vedntafrom me. You are a young boy. He was so proud that he toldMahprabhu, from whom allVeda-Vednta comes, You shouldhear from me. Mahprabhu is the Supreme Lord. From Himcomes all Veda-Vednta. It is said that Veda comes from thebreathing of the Lord,nivasita v.

Mahprabhu, who was very humble, replied, Yes, yes. You area great professor ofVednta. I must definitely hear from you. This

is what Mahaprabhus dealings were like.


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td api suncenataror iva sahiun

amnin mnadenakrtanya sad hari

One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humblestate of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in thestreet. One should be more tolerant than the tree, devoid of allsense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others.In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of theLord constantly. (ikaka 3)

He is a practical teacher. He is the Supreme Lord but he said,I am an ignorant fool. I have no knowledge of Vednta, nothing.I must hear from you. He was so humble,td api sunca.

Srvabhauma Bhacrya Speaks on Vednta

Then Srvabhauma Bhacrya started speaking onVednta,in the premises of the Jaganntha Pur Temple. Mahprabhu justsat there as an innocent boy, and listened continuously for sevendays. He did not say anything while Srvabhauma Bhacryawas explainingVednta-stra. On the eighth day SrvabhaumaBhacrya asked, r Ka Caitanya, You are not askingany questions. Do you understand what I am saying? ThenMahprabhu opened his mouth. As long as he was not asked anyquestions, he did not say anything.Priti pra vyavahara yukti pra kath was Mahprabhus principle. His dealings were verypolite and pleasing, not rough at all. But when he spoke it was likea bullet. He defeated all bogus philosophies, and established purebhaktisiddhnta.


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rraka-Bhya

A Completely Imaginative CommentaryThen Mahprabhu opened his mouth and said, I understand

the stra very well. Because it comes from Him, He is the SupremeLord. But your explanation is very difficult to understand.

What? You understandstra very well? But my explanation isvery difficult to understand? No one can understandstra therefore

a commentary needs to be given. Srvabhauma Bhacrya wasnot giving the proper explanation because he was a Myvd,a follower of akarcrya. He was a follower of the akaritephilosophy and spoke the Myvd philosophy, not purephilosophy. The rmad-Bhgavatam is the natural commentaryon the Vednta-stra. He did not give the proper commentarybecause he was not speaking from thermad-Bhgavatam, but

Srvabhauma Bhacrya was speaking fromrraka-bhya,which is a commentary on Vednta-stra compiled by thepropounder of the Myvda philosophy, rpd akarcrya.rraka-bhya is a completely imaginative commentary.Therefore Mahprabhu said, I understandstra very well, butyour explanation is very difficult to understand.

vysa-strera arthayaiche sryera kiraasva-kalpita bhya-meghe kare cchdana(Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya-ll6.138)

He said, TheVysa-stra, Vednta-stra written by Vysadeva,is as effulgent as the sun. But your commentary is like a patchof dark clouds that covers the effulgent sun. SrvabhaumaBhacrya became amazed, What? It was a great shock to him


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and he said, If You understandstra very well, then You explainit. This is all discussed in theCaitanya-caritmta.

Then Mahprabhu explained the verses of thisstra, one afteranother. So in the course of this discussion, this famous versefromBhgavatam came up,

tmrm ca munayonirgranth apy urukrame

kurvanty ahaituk bhaktim

ittham-bhta-guo hariAll different varieties oftmrmas [those who take

pleasure in tm, or spirit self], especially those establishedon the path of self-realization, though freed from all kindsof material bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotionalservice unto the Personality of Godhead. This means thatthe Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can

attract everyone, including liberated souls.(rmad-Bhgavatam 1.7.10)

Srvabhauma Bhacrya requested Mahprabhu, Pleaseexplain this verse. Mahprabhu said, You explain it first, andthen Ill explain it. Then Srvabhauma Bhacrya, who is agreat scholar, explained this verse in nine different ways whileMahprabhu was listening.

bhacrya, jnitumi skt bhaspatistra-vykhy karite aiche kro nhi akti(Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya-ll6.191)

Mahaprabhu said, I know that you are an incarnation ofBhaspati. Bhaspati isdev-guru, the guru of the devats, a great


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paita. loka-vykhy karite aiche kro nhi akti, no one canexplain that loka the way you did.

kintu tumi artha kaile pitya-pratibhyaih va-i lokera che ro abhiprya

(Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya-ll6.192)

Mahprabhu said, You explained this verse in a scholarlyway, but there is another purport to this verse. Srvabhauma

Bhacrya had explained it in nine different ways. Mahprabhuexplained it in eighteen different ways without touchingSrvabhauma Bhacryas explanations. His explanationswere completely new. It was the bona fide explanation. WhenSrvabhauma Bhacrya heard this he became amazed and said,No one is able to explain it in such a wonderful way.

Then, during that time Mahprabhu gave the philosophyof acintya-bhedbheda-tattva. Mahprabhu did not express theacintya-bhedbheda-tattva in Nadia; He expressed it inutkale puruottamt, Utkala Khaa, Puruottama-ketra, that famousketra. And Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu, who kept the prestigeof the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya by writingGovinda-bhya,the bhya for the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya, was born inthat Utkala Khaa [Orissa]. The prophecy that a philosophywould come from Utkala Khaa, Puruottama-ketra, and fromhere spread throughout the world, has come true. This is nowgoing on. The Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya is the most bonafide sampradya because Mahprabhu gaveka-prema. No onegives ka-prema, although he may be a Vaiava from ther-sampradya, Rudra-sampradya, Sanaka-sampradya, or aTattvavd from the Brahma-sampradya.


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Why Mahprabhu Accepted

The Brahma-Madhva-SampradyaAlthough there are four Vaiava sampradyas, why did

Mahprabhu accept the Brahma-Madhva-sampradya and notone of the other sampradyas?

While Mahprabhu was travelling in South India He wentto Uup where He met the paitas, Tattvavds. He had a

discussion with them, and defeated their philosophy ofkarma-mms. Mahprabhu said, One good thing in yoursampradya is that you are worshipping Ka, a cowherd boy, who is holdinga stick and a rope. And moreover, Mdhavendra Pur comes inyoursampradya.

ayi dna-dayrdra ntha hemathur-ntha kadvalokyase

hdaya tvad-aloka-ktaradayita bhrmyati ki karomy aham

O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathur!When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You,My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one,what shall I do now? (Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya-ll4.197)*

* kib gauracandra ih kare svdanaih svdite ra nhi cauha-jana

Only r Caitanya Mahprabhu has tasted the poetry of this verse. No fourth manis capable of understanding it. (Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya-ll4.195)

This indicates that only rmat Rdhr, Mdhavendra Pur and CaitanyaMahprabhu are capable of understanding the purport of this verse. (Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya-ll 4.195 purport by rla AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda)


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This famous verse describes the pangs of separation from Kathat Mdhavendra Pur was feeling. He cried in this way, and thisexplains why Mahprabhu accepted thatsampradya.

Mdhavendra Purs guru was rmn Lakmpati. Prior toLakmpati this prema-rasa-tattva had not come. It came toMdhavendra Pur. From Mdhavendra Pur, who is in thissampradya, comes the rasa-tattva. The rasa-tattva is like a tree,and Mdhavendra Pur is the root of that tree. The first branchwas headed by Mdhavendra Purs disciple vara Pur,rasam-

skandha. And Mahprabhu accepted vara Pur as His guru.Therefore, from that day, because Mahprabhu was born inBengal, which is known as Gauadea, the word Gauya wasadded to the Brahma-Madhva-sampradya, which then becameknown as the Brahma-Madhva-Gauya-sampradya, or theGauya-sampradya.

Books by rla Baladeva VidybhaaThus, the rmad-Bhgavatam is the natural commentary on

the Vednta-stra. There was no need for writing or compiling aseparate commentary on theVednta-stra, but after the Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya was challenged, Baladeva VidybhaaPrabhu, by the mercy of Govindaj, wrote that commentary.

Govindaj dictated while he wroter Govinda-bhya, which wasaccepted by the r-sampradya paitas.

Among the books written by Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhuwere;Vednta-syamantaka, Prameya-ratnval, Siddhnta-darpaa, Kvya-kaustubha, Vykaraa-kaumud, Pda-kaustubha, adi-upaniad bhya, Gt-bhaa bhya, r Viu-sahasra-nma

bhya, Sakepa-bhgavatmta-ippan-sraga-ragada, Tattva-


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sandarbha-k, Vibhaa-k, Naka-candrik-k, Candraloka-k, Shitya-kaumud-k, Ka-Nandin, rmad-Bhgavata-k[not completed], Vaiava-Nandin, Govinda-bhya-siksma-k,Siddhanta-ratna-k, Stava-ml-k.

At the end of his book Vednta-syamantaka, BaladevaVidybhaa Prabhu wrote a verse as an offering to his guru.

rdhdi-dmodara-nma-bibhrat

viprea vedntamaya syamantakar-rdhikyai vinivedito maytasy pramodam sa tanotu sarvad

The meaning of the verse is: My guru, whose name is rmadRdh Dmodara, inspired me to write this bookVednta-syamantaka. This book, which I was able to write by the mercy ofmy guru only, is about rmat Rdhr. Therefore I offer it atthe lotus feet of rmat Rdhr. Let thisVednta-syamantaka give pleasure to my guru and rmat Rdhr.

At a later period Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu was alsoknown as Govinda Dsa. He had two famous disciples: rUddhava Dsa and r Nandana Mira. Baladeva VidybhaaPrabhu disappeared on thistithi, this day, in the year 1686akbda, which is 1764 CE. This is an opportunity to glorify aVaiava and therefore we should observe this auspicioustithi, thedisappearancetithi of r Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu.

Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu ki jaya!Gauya-Vaiava-sampradya ki jaya!

Govinda-bhya ki jaya!

Patita-pvana acnandana gaura hari ki jaya!


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Sma-veda-gauya bhakta vnda ki jaya!Gaura-bhakta-vnda ki jaya!

rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupdji Mahrja ki jaya! Ananta koi vaiava-vnda ki jaya!

Sma-veda bhakta vnda ki jaya!Gaura-premnande hari-haribol!

I have only given a brief history on the transcendental life ofr rmad Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu.

vaiava gua-gna karile jvera tra unichi sdhu guru mukhe( crya-vandan,Vaiava Dsa)

I have heard from the lips ofsdhu-guru that if you glorifyVaiavas, you will get their mercy and your life will be successful.Youll develop purebhakti and very easily go back home, back toGodhead. A Vaiava should be glorified.

Questions & Answers

Devotee:Do the othersampradyas say that Mahprabhu is Ka?r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: After Baladeva Vidybhaaspoke they all admitted their defeat. Why else would they have

said, Please accept us as your disciples? They accepted it.

Devotee 2: How did Baladeva Vidybhaa and Jagannthadsa Bbj, in our line, how did they come in contact, what istheir relationship?r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Jaganntha dsa Bbj isa dear devotee of Mahprabhu, and Baladeva Vidybhaa is

also a dear devotee of Mahprabhu, they met. After Baladeva


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Vidybhaa comes Jaganntha dsa Bbj, and BaladevaVidybhaa comes after Vivantha Cakravart hkura.

Devotee 2: Yes, and then Jagannath dsa Babaji.r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Vivantha Cakravarthkura and Jaganntha dsa Bbj are contemporary related.

Devotee: There were many great Vaiavas that came fromOrissa.

r rmad Gour Govinda Swami:Yes. Orissa, Utkala Khaa,is such a place, and why did Mahprabhu stay there continuouslyfor 18 years?

Devotee: But in the Caitanya-caritmta there is not so muchmention of the . . .r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Gauya Vaiava, UtkaliyaVaiava. We are one lineage from Caitanya Mahprabhu.Why are you making a difference between Gauya Vaiavasand Utkaliya Vaiavas? Mahprabhu is veryudhra, He is notnarrow. He is wonderfully magnanimous. There are so manygreat Gauya Vaiavas and Utkaliya-Vaiavas, Mahprabhusdevotees, that are not mentioned in the Caitanya-caritmta.These Vaiavas are very, veryudhra, magnanimous, and veryhumble; they dont want their name to be mentioned. So whyshould their name be mentioned? They dont want their name tobe mentioned, because then they feel as though they may becomepuffed up, and cannot bedna. They are very humble. Thereforethey are very dear to Mahprabhu. Three and a half persons wereMahprabhus very intimate associates, and out of them two anda half were Oriyas. Only one was Gauya, Svarpa DmodaraGosvm. Rya Rmnanda, ikhi Mhiti, and ikhi Mhitis

sister Mdhav Dev, who is considered half, are Oriyas.


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They are very humble therefore they dont want their name tobe mentioned.

Our Guru-Parampar Is ik-Guru Parampar

Devotee 3: In the list of names of thecryas in the disciplicsuccession, the name of the guru of rla Rdh DmodaraGosvm is not there.r rmad Gour Govinda Swami:Only the names of those whoare famous are there. Vivantha Cakravart hkuras name isthere. So Baladeva Vidybhaas name is mentioned as thestudent of Vivantha Cakravart hkura. Rdh DmodaraGosvm was not as well-known as Vivantha Cakravarthkura. Baladeva Vidybhaa had studied under the guidanceof his guru, who was not able to teach him more. Otherwise, whywould he leave?

At that time Vivantha Cakravart hkura, who livedin Vndvana, was very famous. After taking permission fromhis guru, Baladeva Vidybhaa went to Vndvana to learnmore about Mahprabhus gauya-vaiava-siddhnta. That isour process. With permission one should come to takeik.Therefore ik-gurus are many, and dk-guru is one. Thedk-guru establishes our eternal relationship,sambandha-jna-

dt*, and the ik-guru teaches. He isabhidheya-jna-dt

**. He

* sambandha-jna-dt: he who establishes our eternal loving relationship with the Su-preme Lord.** abhidheya-jna-dt: the giver of knowledge on how to act in ones relationship withthe Supreme Lord.

According to the Vedic principles, there are three stages of spiritual advancement,namely, sambandha-jna, abhidheya and prayojana. Sambandha-jna refers toestablishing ones original relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead,abhidheya refers to acting according to that constitutional relationship, and prayojana isthe ultimate goal of life, which is to develop love of Godhead ( prem pum-artho mahn).


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teaches the process ofbhakti how to performbhajana. There isan example on how thedk-guru establishessambandha, yourrelationship with Ka, and how theik-guru teaches you howto maintain that relationship; how we should be engaged in theloving relationship with Ka and render loving service to Him,abhidheya. He teaches jna, bhakti-tattva-jna.

We give this example: Your legs are dangling in the air. They arenot fixed on the ground in Vndvana. Thedk-guru fixes your

legs on the ground in Vndvana. Thatsambandha, relationship isestablished. Now you have to move, not just stand still there. Theik- guru teaches you how to move in Vndvana. This is a crudeexample. You should not think that one is superior, and the otherone is inferior. That will be an offence,apardha. Dont think likethat. Dk-guru and ik-guru is the same guru-tattva. They arelike the two sides of the same coin. They are of equal level.

Therefore, taking permission from thedk-guru, one may goto some ik-guru. Mahjanas have set up this system. BaladevaVidybhaa took permission from hisdk-guru, rla RdhDmodara Gosvm, and then he went to Vndvana and becamethe student and disciple of rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura.Our guru-parampar is a ik-guru parampar. Not a dk-guru parampar. It is known as bhgavata-parampar, from whomone has heard bhgavata. This is ik-guru parampar. But afterBhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura it became different; it hasall split up. However, this parampar is bhgavata-parampar. Notdk-parampar. It is ik-parampar. It is said,ik-guru hayaka-mahnta-svarpe such a spiritual master is none other thanKa Himself (Caitanya-caritmta, di-ll 1.58). All guru-tattvais mentioned in theCaitanya-caritmta.


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Devotee: What if a disciple sees hisdk-guru as being aneophyte and he wants to takeik from someone he thinks isvery advanced. Is he still supposed to see thedk-guru and ik- guru the same?r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Should see, otherwise he willcommit apardha. Whatever I had to get from him, I received. Sotaking his permission to get some higherik, hell go and accepta ik-guru.

Devotee : As long as permission is granted, there is noapardha?r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, this is the process.Otherwiseapardha is there.

Devotee: If there is no permission, if the guru says, No, I wontgive permission?r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Then he is not a Vaiava. AVaiava isudhra, he is not narrow-minded. He is very broad-minded. Hell immediately give permission, Yes. Alright, verygood. You go, getik, and make advancement. That will be myglory. He is a Vaiava. He is not envious,bb. This morningwe were discussing how Parkit was not envious of Kali who is amischief-monger. Parkit Mahrja is a pukka Vaiava.

Devotee: The disciple also has to be in a kind of understanding,I mean, how to see that hisdk-guru is not sufficient, becauseusually the disciples are not really more intelligent than thedk- guru. It is very rare to see one disciple who has come already at thelevel of adk-guru, and that thinks, Well, I dont get sufficientknowledge from him. Maybe I should go . . .r rmad Gour Govinda Swami:Anyhow, this is what I have toobtain from him. It is Kas arrangement. He accepts it like this.

Kas will is different. Ill get something higher from somewhere


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else. Accept that,bb. This is a mundane, material calculation. No. That is offensive. Dont do like that. Do you understand mypoint?

Devotee: Some persons may think that this is jumping over.r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Taking permission yougo. Mahjanas have set the example. You see how BaladevaVidybhaa received permission, and then left. This is theprocess. One who is a Vaiava immediately allows, Yes, go!

Devotee: The disciples who go through this process, do they givethe same worship to thedk and to the ik-guru? Can they seethem in the same level in worship?r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Same level.

Devotee 4: You have spoken before aboutvyai-guru and samai- guru.r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Read my bookr Guru-vandan, then you can understand it.

Devotee: I didnt understand it.r rmad Gour Govinda Swami:You see, as Ka is oneSupreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, one withouta second,bhgavata-tattva, a-tattva is one. Similarly guru-tattva isone. Guru is one. He is a manifestation of Ka.Guru ka-rpahana strera prame (Caitanya-caritmta, di-ll 1.45) Kaappears as guru. This is evidenced by allstras. Ka is one,and guru-tattva is one. Ka has many different manifestations,similarly guru has many different manifestations. When it is one guru-tattva, that is samai-guru. When different manifestationscome, then it is vyai-guru. Ka has different manifestations;

Rma, Nsiha, Vmana, Kacchapa, Matsya, Varha, etc. Do


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you understand the point?Keava dhta-rma-arra jaya jagad-ahare, Keava has assumed thisarra, it is Keavas. Keava is one.The Brahma-sahit gives the example of the candles; there is oneoriginal candle that lights many other candles, but thedharma ofgiving light is the same avatra-avatr. Similarly, guru-tattva isone, which issamai-guru, but guru ka-rpa hana there aredifferent manifestations; his guru, his guru, and his guru. They aredifferent manifestations but the same guru-tattva. This issamai- guru and vyai-guru. Understood?

Devotee: It has been said that when you go to somebody else it islike being unchaste. When you leave your guru to go to somebodyelse to hear.r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, to get higherik. Thatis not unchaste, bb! Take permission, and go. But youll haveto get permission otherwise you will commitapardha. And theperson who accepts, hell also commitapardha.

Devotee: If the guru says No, and the disciple still wants to go.r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: I say, that if guru says, No,then he is avaiava. He is not a Vaiava.

Devotee: So the disciple still wants to go?r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: He should reject him. He isnot a Vaiava. That guru should be rejected.

Devotee: Then he should go to that person and takeik fromhim?r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. Because he is not aVaiava; he is not acting like a Vaiava. Why did he say, No? Nobody should say, No.


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Devotee: Hes saying No because he is attached to his disciple?r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: re bb, why attachment?The only attachment is to Ka. Why attachment to this andthat? My maha, my disciple, my place, my this, my, my. I andmine. Nonsense!

Devotee: I think that probably disciples, we are neophytes; weare not trained up properly. And sometimes they go to the otherextreme. They say, Oh, this is not good at all. I take this one.

And then they commit offence.r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, that is offensive. Youshould understand the realtattva.


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That night Govindaj appeared to r BaladevaVidybhaa in a dream and told him, Writea commentary and whatever you write, I willaccept. No one can deny what Govindaj has approved.Govindaj empowered Baladeva Vidybhaa Prabhu to

write a commentary. Govinda-j wrote through him. That

is a fact. Ka-akti vinnahe tra pravartana, anordinary human beingcannot do this unlesshe is empowered withka-akti.

baladeva vidyabhusana booklet

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