Download - The True History of Bhaktisiddhanta.docx

5/19/2018 The True History of Bhaktisiddhanta.docx

1/223

The True History of Bhaktisiddhanta

In this blog, you will learn about: -How Gaura Kishore Dasa Babaji never actuallygave diksa to Bhaktisiddhanta and thus ISKCON-Gaudiya Math's parampara is

not bonafide -Mayapur is not the real birthplace of Caitanya Mahaprabhu andhow Bhaktivinode was rejected by his guru Bipin Bihari Goswami for falsifyingevidence in relation to this -How offensive Bhaktisiddhanta was towards theGaudiya Vaisnavas of Vrindavan -Bhaktivinode Thakur was eating meat and fish-Comments made by Lalita Prasad Thakur about his brother Bhaktisiddhanta(Lalita Prasad Thakur was the older brother of Bhaktisiddhanta. They were bothsons of Bhaktivinode Thakur).

Why a real unbroken diksa guru-parampara is absolutely necessary

Why is a Guru-parampara Indispensable?

A guru parampara is an uninterrupted succession of devotees who havesurrendered to

their guru. Without such surrender there is no Krsna -

yasya prasadad bhagavatprasadoyasyaprasadan na gatih kutopi

(Gurvastakam8)

Krsna cannot be approached directly; Krsna will not accept anyone unless heaccepts the

attitude of a servant of His devotee in the form of the guru.

The Srimad Bhagavata (10.14.29) states:

athapi te deva padambujadvayaprasadalesanugrhita eva hi

janati tattvam bhagavanmahimno na canya ekopi ciram vicinvan

[Moreover, Lord, one who has been blessed with a tiny bit of the mercy of yourlotus feet

knows the truth of the your greatness, O Blessed One. Not some other onepondering it

over for a long time. -Ed.]
http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/why-a-real-unbroken-diksa-guru-parampara-is-absolutely-necessary/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/why-a-real-unbroken-diksa-guru-parampara-is-absolutely-necessary/http://statcounter.com/wordpress.com/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/why-a-real-unbroken-diksa-guru-parampara-is-absolutely-necessary/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/


2/223

and

diksa-kale bhakta kore atma-samarpana

At the time of initiation the devotee surrenders himself.(C.c., Antya, 4.184)

Srila Rupa Gosvami teaches in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.74) that the first ofthe 64

means of devotion is sriguru-padasraya, surrender to a bona fide guru, as well askrsnadiksadisiksanam,

initiation and teaching in Krsna-bhakti.

The Bhagavata (11.21.15) states mantrasya ca parijanamthe mantra ispurified by the

right knowledge. A mantra without explanation is powerless, and Sri Visvanatha

Cakravarti writes in his commentary on this verse that one cannot just takemantras or

their purports from books to reach the same effect -

sadgurumukhat yathavat parijanam mantrasuddhih

The mantra is really pure when it emanates from the mouth of a bona-fideguru.

guruvaktrad visnumantro yasya karne visatyayam

tam vaisnavam mahaputam pravadanti manisinah

(Brahmavaivarta Purana, Krsnajanma-khanda, 83.34)

74

The wise call those persons in whose ears the Visnu-mantra enters, as itemanated from

the gurus mouth, greatly sanctified Vaisnavas.

Sri Narahari Cakravarti writes about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhus receiving diksamantra


3/223

from Sri Isvara Puri:

nija diksa mantra tare karnete kohiya

loilena mantra bhumi pori pranamiya || (Bhaktiratnakara, 5.2103)

Sri Isvara Puri spoke his own diksa mantra into the ear of Nimai, who then fell onthe

ground in obeisance.

Furthermore, in verse 2109 of the same chapter it is said:

sampradaya-nivista hoile karya siddhi hoy

anyatra diksita mantra nisphala niscoy

Success is achieved after entering a sampradaya (official tradition), otherwisethe mantra

in which one is initiated certainly wont bear fruit.

Success cannot be had by practising a mantra attained from a book. Suchaccumulation of

book knowledge is an offence to the guru (guror avaja), which is the third

offence to the

chanting of the holy name. Thus people who consider initiation unnecessarycannot get

the full benefit of chanting Hare Krsna. It is also an insult to the vaisnava pariprasnena

sevaya (Gita, 4.34). One should accumulate knowledge through submissiveinquiry from

the saints and by serving them, otherwise Krsna will never be pleased. Hence themantra

should also be received in an uninterrupted diksa-parampara, which is at thesame time


4/223

an unbroken siksa-parampara. The argument the holy name is transcendentaland

therefore not dependent on all these external rituals will not work, for on thepath of

bhakti everything depends on a service attitude, particularly towards the guru.The

argument that only the siksa parampara or bhagavata parampara matters isalso invalid,

for Haribhakti-vilasa (2.4) quotes this statement of Lord Siva from theVisnu-yamala:

adiksitasya vamoru krtam sarvam nirarthakam

pasuyonim avapnoti diksavirahito janah

All activities of a non-initiated person are in vain. A person who is withoutinitiation will

take birth as an animal.

The Brahmavaivarta Purana, (Krsnajanma-khanda, 93.79) states:

na gurur mantradat parah -

No guru is greater than the mantra-guru.

75

Sri Advaita Prabhu told His son Krsna Misra Gosvami in Advaita Prakasa (21.153-154):

vaisnavera madhye yei sampradaya hine sampradayi madhye yei gauraga namane

krsna bahirmukha sei korimu niryasa

Again, amongst the Vaisnavas, I consider those who have no sampradaya(and those who


5/223

do have a sampradaya but do not recognise Gauranga) averse to Sri Krsna andI will oust

them.

76

CommentOctober 2, 2014

An ex-ISKCON devotees personal experience in embracing true

Gaudiya Vaisnavism

Download this in PDF format here:

http://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdf

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

by

Radhapada Das

Jaya Radhe!

My name is Radhapada Das, formerly known as Rati Das. After spending 20years in

ISKCON (more or less, in good times and bad) I received diksa from theMahanta of

Radhakunda, Baba Sri Ananta Das Pandit.

One may ask what prompted me to do it? Basically, I did it becau se I didnt seeany light

coming from the end of the ISKCON tunnel. In other words, I didnt see even aray of

hope for discovering my spiritual identity (spiritual svarupa), nor did I get anyguidence

in geniune raganuga-bhakti.
http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/why-a-real-unbroken-diksa-guru-parampara-is-absolutely-necessary/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/why-a-real-unbroken-diksa-guru-parampara-is-absolutely-necessary/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/why-a-real-unbroken-diksa-guru-parampara-is-absolutely-necessary/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/why-a-real-unbroken-diksa-guru-parampara-is-absolutely-necessary/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/why-a-real-unbroken-diksa-guru-parampara-is-absolutely-necessary/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/why-a-real-unbroken-diksa-guru-parampara-is-absolutely-necessary/#respond


6/223

(Bhakti that takes as its model the passionate love for Krsna of the people ofVraja, that is, the close

servants, friends, parents, and lovers of his youthful days in the land of Vraja)

Now, some may say, and especially those who knew me as Rati Das, that I wastoo

impatient. I should have given it more time. More than anything, I should getmore strict

and serious about spiritual life as given to devotees in ISKCON by SrilaPrabhupada. In

answer to them I say that I gave it plenty of time. Second there are those athousand

times more serious and strict than me in ISKCON, whom I dont see as havingattained

any profound level of spiritual advancement or as being able to teach thetechniques of

1. raganugabhajana. Dont get me wrong, there are advanced devotees inISKCON, but only

64

by ISKCON standards. There are many who have a taste for chanting the HolyName in

kirtan or in japa and others that can give great talks on the philosophy and thepastimes.

There are many who can perform austerities like nirjal ekadashis and relish deity

worship, and also there are devotees who simply like to talk about Krsna Ofcourse, we

cannot forget the great souls who have taken the message of Krsna a to thefarthest and

most remote regions of the world. Certainly they all are worthy of my deepestrespect and


7/223

veneration. Yes, there are quite a few dedicated devotees serving in a selflessmanner.

However, I really dont believe that there are devotees of this institution or of the

Gaudiya Mataha that are having revelations like those described in thebiographies of the

great siddha-s and in the Goswami grantha-s [writings]. In my own personal life, Ihave

felt a vivid transformation of consciousness after taking diksa from my Gurudevain

Radha Kunda. It is said that diksa is the process by which transcendentalknowledge is

transmitted into the heart and obstacles are destroyed. I can honestly say thatthis was

what I experienced after diksa. The many years of hearing and chanting thesongs and

teachings of Narottama Dasa Thakura and Bhaktivinoda finally cystalized in my

consciousness. No longer were these teachings some mysterious puzzle that I

would solve

only after death. They were manifesting themselves to me directly. Theseteachings were

slowly being unpacked out of the mystery box and becoming tools for bhajan[personal

worship]. The teachings of the Goswamis were becoming more meaningful tome. In

addition, it became more and more apparent that what I had been practicingbefore was

not the real bhakti-sadhana [the practice of bhakti] of a follower of Sriman

Mahaprabhus sampradaya [community].


8/223

I must admit that after twenty years of hearing Vaisnava aparadha [offensivelanguage or

behavior directed at Vaisnavas] of the devotees of true sampradaya-s, I was alittle

skeptical about the authencity of the Gaudiya Vaisnava guru-pranali [lineageof teachers],

known to most devotees in ISKCON as the Babajis. When I first used to visit

Radhakunda during the month of Kartik, I had no connection with what wasgoing on

there, other than hoping that one day, I would attain some krpa [mercy] from SriRadha

by bathing there at Sri Kunda, doing parikrama [circumambulation] andlistening to

Krsna lila [pastime] lectures by an ISKCON sannyasis [renunciant] there. Theworld of

the Gaudiya Vaisnava-s seemed alien to me. I could not relate to the austereappearances

of the devotees and places there, especially when I had been hearing for yearsthat

everyone there is a dreaded sahajiya However, just before and after my wifeand I

became truly initiated, as we began to become familiar with the Vaisnavas andthe

environment, we began to discover a richness there undescribable by words,but available

through experience. Behind the hard, austere appearances of the devoteesthat we met,

we noticed very blissful personalities among them. Sometimes they appeared tome to


9/223

possess intoxicated feelings of inner bliss that I had not seen in ISKCON orGaudiya

Matha devotees. My experience in ISKCON was that despite the opulentsurroundings of

devotees, many appear morose, uptight or anxious. After some time in ISKCON, Ibegan

to seriously consider that I joined a religious society that promised to free onefrom the

problems of life, viz. birth, death, old age and disease, but that failed to give tomany even

65

basic satisfaction or peace of mind. Moreover, the lives of many of thesedevotees were

plagued with the ongoing, tumultuous problems raging within the ISKCONsociety itself.

My wife and I became acquainted with a German lady named Anuradhainitiated by

Prana Krishna Baba of Radhakunda. We would visit her often in her humbleroom in

front of Radhakunda. One day, when we came to visit her, there was a devoteethere

from Switzerland whom I knew from before, who had just received diksa fromAnanta

Das Pandit. When she announced that he received diksa, something came overme. I had

this incredible urge to take diksa also and I began to ask what is being offeredthere

regarding spiritual life. They explained to me:


10/223

siddha-pranali, (This is the same as guru-pranali, the lineage of ones gurus goingback to the

immediate associates of Sri Caitanya, except that one is taught their siddha oreternal names and

identities in Krsnas sport).

manjari-svarupa (Manjari-svarupa Is the most common identity adopted by themembers of the

Caitanya tradition. It is the identity of a younger female friend of Radha. Themanjari combines

feelings of friendship and desire for service towards Radha. They thus often haveaccess to the most

confidential interactions between Radha and Krsna).

and manasi seva (This is service performed, or rather visualized, in the mind. Thisis the major

method of learning and cultivating the identity of the manjari in CaitanyaVaisnavism).

Then I began to consider things more carefully. I knew about these things

before, having

read books by O.B.L. Kapoor and Bhaktivinoda Thakura, but now I hadencountered

devotees who were practicing it. In a few days we were introduced to AnantaDas Pandit

and we began to visit him regularly and ask many questions. I was encouragedto read his

translated commentary on Ragavartma-candrika by Srila VisvanathaCakravartipada,

which when I began reading I couldnt put down. I was blown away by thecombination of


11/223

the deep philosophy of Visvanatha and Ananta Das Pandits explanation of theverses

regarding raganuga-bhakti. I was convinced. My wife also read the book andshe was

eager to take diksa, too.

At that time, I was not so sure about the break in the disciplic succession of

ISKCON/GM. I had heard something previously, but it was not clear to me. I wasnot

very interested in the subject either. My main concern was to step up into higher

education and become specialized in learning about manjari-bhavaupasana [the

method of worshiping with the feelings of a manjari], which I was convinced onecannot

get in ISKCON/GM. I had had enough of the work now samadhi [realization]later

philosophy. My membership in ISKCON was already casual. I had lost faith in

gurus/GBCs and the teachings that went with them. Going back home, backto

Godhead by becoming a dedicated ISKCON career member had lost itsappeal for me

years ago. In the temple where my wife was from in Slovenia, the leading bookdistributer

once gave a Srimad Bhagavata lecture and said that a person who chantedthe Holy

Name all day was a sahajiya. I even heard that in one kirtan there, while adevotee was

singing the names of Sri Radha, another devotee plugged his ears with hisfingers and


12/223

sung out: Jaya Visnupada, Jaya Visnupada (the name of his guru back then).So I had

66

had enough of the un-Gaudiya Vaisnava, offensive environment of ISKCON. Iwas

hoping deep in my heart for something better to come my way. However, theissue about

leaving my ISKCON guru still disturbed me a bit. I even remember crying onenight

before I took diksa. Still, I felt that moving on was the proper thing to do. Andyou know

something, after I did it, I never ever regreted it!

One problem we faced was that my wife and I were working as Gurukulateachers in the

ISKCON temple in Vrindaban. Our main concern was how we were going toreceive

diksa without letting anyone know. We wanted to stay in Vrindaban, and I liked

teaching;

we didnt want to get kicked out. So the solution was dont tell anybody. Wewere

undercover for over two years. Then slowly, slowly, we started letting our guarddown, till

eventually we were discovered. We saw it as Sri Radharanis krpa telling us it istime to

move on, to be true to ourselves, and to stop hiding.

In the recent year I have come to terms with the Bhaktisiddhanta issue, that is,his not

getting diksa from Gaurakisora Das Baba. I must admit it was depressing to havethe big


13/223

bubble pop regarding the things we were taught about Bhaktisiddhanta,Bhaktivedanta

Swami, ISKCON/GM. I felt misled. Discovering that one had spent twenty yearsliving

and telling others about things that were not a part of real Gaudiya Vaisnavismcan be

disheartening. On the other hand, if it were not for ISKCON, I would never haveheard

about Sri Caitanya, Radha-Krsna, Vraja Dhama, the Goswamis, and so forth. So Iowe

ISKCON a great deal for pointing me in the right direction. I think that I wasprobably

not ready for real bhajan back then, that I needed the institutional teachingsand facilities

to prepare me for the path of following the Goswamis.

Sometime ago someone presented me with this premise: Try to stretch yourimagination.

What if a manjari from the spiritual world, Nayana Manjari (supposedly themanjari

svarupa of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati) decided to come down to this world andstart

his/her own lineage? Could it be possible? The first problem with that idea iswhy would

a nitya-siddha, an eternal associate from Vraja Dhama, descend to this worldwithout the

Lords association?

se saba sangir sange je kaila vilasa

se-sanga na paiya kande narottama dasa


14/223

Being unable to obtain the association of Lord Gauranga, accompanied by allof these

devotees in whose association He performed His pastimes, Narottama Dassimply weeps.

It is generally observed that the nitya-siddha-s accompany the Lord when Hedescends to

enact pastimes. If a parsada (eternal associate) of the Lord did descend afterGod had

wound-up his pastimes in this world, then for what purpose? Surely, it would beto teach

something to the world, especially to the devotees of the Lord. It would begreatly

appreciated, glorified, and remembered for all time to come by the Vaisnavacommunity.

67

However, from a historical point of view, that was not the case withBhaktisiddhanta

Saraswati. Except for among his followers, he was not accepted within themainstream of

Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Furthermore, he heavily critized the Babajis and casteGoswamis,

the standard followers of Mahaprabhu. At least in my opinion, it doesnt seemlikely that

an eternal associate of God, who embodies transcendental emotions andsattvika

qualities [qualities of peacefulness and goodness] would start a war with otherdevotees

of the Lord.


15/223

This was one of the issues I had sorted out regarding my previous connectionwith

ISKCON/Gaudiya Math. I became convinced, after objectively analyzing theevidence

available, that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati did not take diksa from GaurakisoraDasa

Babaji, as claimed by ISKCON/GM. The result is a spiritual practice within these

institutions that does not empower its followers to relish and experience thetopmost

spiritual flavors of the Vrajabhakti that Sriman Mahaprabhu has kindly broughtdown

into this world, as documented and savoured by the Lords confidentialassociates

themselves, the Goswamis of Vraja. When we speak of a follower ofMahaprabhu it

means a loyal adherent to the teachings and conclusions written down by therevered

Goswamis. It is mentioned in Caitanya-caritamrta that Sriman Mahaprabhupraised the

writings of Rupa Goswami, and He therefore blessed him and asked all the other

associates to bless Rupa Goswami with the power to describe bhakti. Similarly,the Lord

blessed Sanatana Goswami, Raghunatha Das Goswami and so forth. There is no

entrance into the kingdom of madhurya-rasa [the experience of sweetness orerotic love

for Krsna] in Vraja without accepting their teachings, because they are Sriman

Mahaprabhus instruments for the propagation of bhakti. Sriman Mahaprabhu isthe


16/223

combined form of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna in Vraja. Their confidantes, the manjaris,

descended in male forms as the Six Goswamis of Vraja.

As I mentioned earlier, I was discovered in ISKCON Vrindaban to have taken

initiation

from Ananta Das Pandita Baba. This was one reason for our leaving our serviceas

teachers there, although we were not kicked out. Actually, the administrativeheads there

were very kind to us throughout our service there, as well as when our inner lifeand

connection with the Radhakunda Vaisnavas was discovered. Our mainconsideration for

leaving was financial. It is tough to live in Vrindaban as grhastha [householder]

foreigners. We also anticipicated some trouble from diehards within ISKCON.That was

another reason for our leaving. I have probably disrupted relationships withdevotees in

ISKCON and lost my status as an older devotee and kirtan singer in the society.

However, I gained other friends, and especially the merciful glances of some ofthe

Gaudiya Vaisnava residents of Radhakunda. I did lose opportunities to leadkirtan in

ISKCON, but I got the opportunity to lead them with the Gaudiya Vaisnavasnear Sri

Radhas Lake. In addition, I received a very deep bhajan process, techniques in

remembering and worshiping Radha-Krsna. It is a genuinely fulfilling and realinternal


17/223

experience. This bhajan is not dependent on a hierarchical system ofmanagerial leaders

who may acknowledge your contributions or not, or on enjoying the thrill of bigfestivals.

68

It is the path of a life spent inwardly cultivating your loving relationship with SriRadha-

Krsna, guided mercifully by a true guru.

My humble advice is this for those who are hesitant to traverse the path ofbhajanas

taught by the Goswamis, starting with diksa in a bona-fide sampradaya: putaside the

deep-rooted misconceptions implanted by the ISKCON/GM teachings againstBabajis,

the siddha-pranali, smarana, etc., and with a sincere heart, see if you reallywant to be a

true follower of the great Mahajans [saints]. Spend some time reading the

Goswami

grantha-s [books] and associate with devotees who have taken diksa in theauthentic

Gaudiya Vaisnava lines.

Jaya Sri Radhe!

CommentSeptember 27, 2014

Short Biography of Radhakunds Krishnadasa Babaji (MadrasiBaba)


http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/http://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/an-ex-iskcon-devotees-personal-experience-in-embracing-true-gaudiya-vaisnavism/#respond


18/223

SRI RADHAKUNDS 108 SRI KRISHNADAS BABA

(Madrasi Baba)

by

Karunamayidas

Many westerners know 108 Sri Krishna das Babaji (Madrasi Baba), as he selflesslyguided

thousands of them to the main shrines around Srimati Radharanis sacred pond,Sri

Radhakund. My first encounter with him occurred in November of 1978, and byhis

kindness I was able to remain for 5 months at Radhakund. He lived there for 36years,

from the time he received the:

diksa-mantra (This is an initiation rite in which a disciple receives the set ofmantra that

form the basis of meditation on and worship of Sri Caitanya, Radha-Krsna, and

their

main associates.)

and siddha-pranali (The eternal names and identities of the members of onesinitiation

lineage. These are the names they have in the eternal sport of Radha andKrsna).

initiation from Siddha Sri Sakhicharan das Babaji who was a parivara [a memberof the

lineage] of Sri Narottama.

His most memorable trait was his attitude of service which was expressed by aconstant


19/223

disposition to render any type of service, in particular toward the residents of

Radhakund, but also toward anyone else he met. He was cestotkunthaalways alert to

serve just for the sake of serving. Of course there are many persons endowedwith such a

spirit of disinterested service in so many different fields, but Babas spirit ofservice was

prompted by an uncommon loving force which didnt belong to this world.Although it

was evident that his entire being was floating in this magic bliss-giving lovedivine, I

wasnt yet ready at that time to accept him as a guide. I was entrapped,sentimentally,

intellectually, mentally and physically, in the strong grip of numerous erroneous

conceptions about the nature of Gaudiya Vaisnavism (and Vaisnavism ingeneral),

especially concerning its practice and the system of parampara or disciplic

succession.

Unfortunately, I refused to recognize two correlative points: the uninterruptedsuccession

of masters and disciples and the transcendental revelation of Bhaktidevithrough that

system and the idea that the internal practice of Gaudiya Vaisnavism(lilasmarana and

manasi seva) applied not only to the jivanmukta level (the souls state of spiritual

emancipation), but also to the conditioned one before that. Although aware ofmy

misconceptions, Baba still gave me shelter, located a place for me to stay, fedme, and


20/223

even nursed me during a period of sickness.

I remember that once we stood on the road just near Sri Radharamana Mandir,and

though I was harshly opposing him in some matter, a strong outburst of his

transcendental emotions hit my inner being. At that moment, much to mysurprise, I

61

spontaneously told myself: He is my guru. This thought rejoiced my heart, butjust for a

moment, because my invasive, stained reason refused to accept it. Despitesuch a

handicap, a transcendental loving relationship ran between us, and I wasalways very

happy to be in his company. He was like the good father and I was like the badson, but

we were still linked to each other by bonds of affection. By his mercy, SriRadhakund,

and all the different, lovely places surrounding it, always remained deeplyimpressed in

my heart, even after I had left it.

Nine years later I came back motivated by an eager desire to render service toBaba and

learn something more about manjari-bhava-sadhana. Kartik month was in fullswing,

hundreds of pilgrims had arrived from Bengal to celebrate it and the mainprogram was

to go and listen to the 3 daily lectures of Pandit Sri Ananta das Babaji whichBaba always


21/223

recorded and translated for us in the evening. It was very hot as usual during thisperiod

of the year, and most of the devotees in the audience including myself didntwear shirts.

After a few days, during one patha [reading/lecture] I suddenly noticed that Iwas the

only one wearing a brahmin thread among all those swanlike, saintly devotees,and this

made me feel very embarrassed. Over the following days my uneasinessincreased to such

an extent that my reason dictated to me that I should give up that brahminthread. I

thought to myself: After all, I wasnt born in a Brahmin family; so why should Iwear its

insignia?

One morning, after having passed through the sanga, I halted in front of Sri

Bankebihariji Mandir, bowed down to Sri Radhakund, sprinkled the usual 3 drops

of

water in my mouth, and then deposited my brahmin thread as a offering to Sri

Radhakund. After that I felt the heavy load of my false pride related to thatthread stop

haunting me like a ghost. The power of Sri Radhakund, Baba, and theassembled

Vaisnava saints had exorcised from me an infernal spirit. The next day Babaconveyed

to me Pandit Sri Anantadas Babajis congratulations for my act. As I used to sitnot far

from him during his patha, he noticed that my false brahmins pride wasabsent from


22/223

my chest.

I didnt have any intention of receiving diksa-mantra initiation from Baba,because I still

mistakenly thought of myself as already initiated by another guru. Nevertheless Ifelt like

surrendering to him, serving him closely, and learning from him the things relatedto

manjari-bhava-sadhana. Though I didnt tell him anything of my intentions,somehow he

understood them, and one day to my surprise and great satisfaction, he askedme to assist

him in accompanying him to the toilet during the night and in drawing waterfrom the

well for his wash afterwards. To my even greater satisfaction he told me that Icould sleep

on the floor in his room.

Although I came now so close to Baba, I was feeling somehow disconnected

with him.

Despite our mutual affection and the compatibility of our characters, I sensedthat

something was missing, something necessary for there to be a real, completerelationship

62

with him. Although his two other disciples were not as intimate with him, Inoticed the

presence of a very special, supernaturally personal link between them andBaba, which I

didnt have and which intrigued me.


23/223

At one point, feeling more and more the presence of this inexplicable gulf thatseparated

us, I approached Baba and asked him if he would give me a new japa-malaafter first

blessing it by chanting Harinama on it. His reply was a categorical no. Hepointed out

that as I already had received Harinama from another guru, it wasnt necessarythat he

should also give it to me. Although I insisted, Baba didnt change his mind,leaving me

without words and in complete despair.

Few days later, Pandit Sri Anantadas Babaji was about to start his usual readingin the Sri

Radharaman. temple. Before sitting down in the midst of the audience, I hungmy rosary

bag on the washing line above my head, after completing the round I waschanting. When

the patha was over, I stood up to take my rosary bag, but to my great surprise itwas

empty; my rosary had disappeared. Puzzled, I searched everywhere in thecourtyard, but

without success. I immediately excluded the possibility that someone from theassembly

had taken it, because, firstly, I didnt believe that a devotee would be interestedin

stealing the mala of an other devotee and, secondly, I had been sitting under it.If

someone had taken it I would have noticed. Rather than upsetting me,however, this


24/223

incident pleased me, because now I had a good reason to ask Baba for a newmala. So I

told him what had happened and said: You see Baba! Now you should giveme a new

mala and bless it by chanting on it. Otherwise how can I continue myHarinama? In this

way Baba gave me a new mala. His mercy didnt stop there, however. Sometime later,

during a morning parikrama [circumambulation] of Sri Radhakund, he stoppedand told

me, with tears of transcendental ecstasy in the eyes: I was looking for a namefor you,

and the name karunyaghanavigraha came to my mind. It is a name of SrimatiRadharani

which means that she is the personification of condensed mercy. She is somerciful! In his

Astottara-satanamastotra, Sri Raghunathadasa Gosvamin has named Her

Karunavidravaddeha or one whose body melts out of compassion. Sohenceforth you

can have the name Karunyaghanavigraha Dasa. Due to the length of thisname Baba

later changed it to Karunamayiyasa which basically means the same thing.Babas mercy

didnt end there either, and towards the end of Niyamaseva (Kartik-vrata), heannounced

to my great surprise that if I consented he would give me diksa-mantra initiation.I was

moved, although I still thought of myself as a disciple of another who was bothmy


25/223

vartma-pradarsaka and Harinama guru. I still also wrongly believed him to bemy diksa

guru. My opposition to the idea was only fleeting, because after seeing thatBaba was so

enthusiastic to give me initiation, I readily agreed, not wanting to hurt his feelingsby

refusing. So at a moment chosen as auspicious, the morning of the 5th ofNovember,

Baba gave me the krsna-diksa-mantra together with the other diksa mantra. Healso

explained to me their different meanings and how to conduct worship of Sriman

Mahaprabhu and Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. Obviously, he also revealed to me thenames

of the uninterrupted line of gurus going back to Sri Narottama, together withtheir

63

spiritual identities, both in the world of Gaura and in the world of Sri Sri Radha

and

Krsna. I was then officially and spiritually affiliated with that great lineage.

I have to confess that only after initiation by Baba, did I begin to understandthat proper

initiation into a bona fide line of diksa-mantra transmission was not just aformality. It is

Gods created system, widely prevalent in India, through which Sadhana-bhaktidevi

[bhakti as cultivation] makes Her appearance in a candidate for prema-bhakti[divine

love].


26/223

Later Babas mercy extended to the point of revealing to me the details of myown

siddha-svarupa (the manjari-ekadasa-bhava or the eleven details of the manjariidentity).

He also taught me his gurudevas gutika or manual for the practice ofremembering Sri

Sri Gaura-govindas transcendental pastimes and the nature of my own serviceto them in

a mentally conceived siddha-deha [eternal body/identity]. The next step is toadvance

through the different stages of this practice and ultimately to transcend thismundane

world through the blessing of manjari-bhava-prema-bhakti (the Love Divine of agopimanjari).


Narayana Maharajas false teachings about GaudiyaVaisnavism



BOYCOTT THE SAHAJIYA BABAJIS

Reflections on a lecture by Sri Narayana Maharaja

compiled by Atul Krishna Dasa

On June 10, 2001, in Den Haag, Holland, Sri Narayana Maharaja of the Gaudiya

Vedanta Samiti addressed his audience in strong words, which were latertranscribed and

widely published under the title Boycott the Sahajiya Babajis. In this essay, weshall
http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/short-biography-of-radhakunds-krishnadasa-babaji-madrasi-baba/#respond


27/223

review the allegations Sri Narayana Maharaja presented to the public, andweigh their

validity on the basis of the evidence at our disposal.

Let us open the presentation with the opening sentences of Sri NarayanaMaharaja:

>>I want to explain something so that you will be very careful. I am receivingquestions

about the books published by the babajis of Vraja. They accept Sri CaitanyaMahaprabhu,

Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and Sri Sri Radha-Krishna Conjugal. They have not writtentheir

own books. They only take books like Stava-mala by Srila Rupa

Gosvami, Stavavali and Vilapa Kusumanjali by Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami,Radharasa-

sudhanidhi by Sri Prabhodananda Sarasvati, and other Gosvami books.


28/223

Let us now review the allegations of Sri Narayana Maharaja and the actualteachings of

Sri Ananta Dasa Pandita along with our remarks. Sri Narayana Maharaja states:

>>First of all they dont accept that the Gaudiya Vaisnava

Sampradaya is one of the sakhas, branches, of the

Brahma-Madhva Sampradaya, although this fact

has been clearly explained by Sri Kavi Karnipura,

Srila Jiva Gosvami, and then by Sri Baladeva

Vidyabhusana Prabhu.


29/223

of internal servitude between the Gaudiyas and the early acaryas of theMadhva line?

The fact is that most Gaudiyas are not even conversant with the lives and thewritings of

the acaryas in the line of Madhva.

Though much of the Madhvite philosophy was incorporated into the doctrinesof the

Gaudiyas, it is beyond argument that the concepts of upasana (the process ofworship)

and upasya (the object of worship) of the two are different. The Madhvitespractice

upasana on the vidhi-marga, filled with aisvarya, whereas the Gaudiyasworship is one of

raga-marga, where madhurya predominates. The Madhvites worship Nartaka-Gopala

alone, whereas the Gaudiyas never desire to serve Sri Krishna without Sri Radhaji.

Baladeva Vidyabhusana has recognized certain differences of opinion with

the teachings of the Madhva sampradaya in his commentary onTattvasandarbha:

bhaktanam vipranam eva moksah, devah bhaktesu mukhyah, virincasyaivasayujyam,

laksmya jiva-kotitvam ity evam matavisesah daksinadi-deseti tena gaude pi

madhavendradayas tad upasisyah katicid babhuvur ity arthah.

Only a brahmana devotee is eligible for liberation, the demigods are

foremost among devotees, Brahma attains sayujya-mukti (merging

in Brahman), and Laksmidevi is included among the jivasthese

are differences in opinion. Nevertheless Madhavendra Puri and


30/223

some others from Bengal became his followers.

Moreover, we find the following words spoken by Sriman Mahaprabhu

Himself to an acarya of the Madhva sampradaya in the Caitanya

Caritamrita (Madhya-lila, 9.273-276):

suni tattvacarya haila antare lajjita

prabhura vaisnavata dekhi, ha-ila vismita

acarya kahetumi yei kaha, sei satya haya

sarva-sastre vaisnavera ei suniscaya

46

tathapi madhvacarya ye kariyache nirbandha

sei acariye sabe sampradaya-sambandha

prabhu kahe karmi, jnani, dui bhakti-hina

tomara sampradaye dekhi sei dui cihna

sabe, eka guna dekhi tomara sampradaye

satya-vigraha kari isvare karaha niscaye

Hearing these words of Sriman Mahapbrahu, the the acarya of the Tattvavada

sampradaya became ashamed, and was struck with wonder upon seeing Hisdegree of

The acarya said, Whatever you have told, that is the truth proclaimed in allscriptures,

and the firm conviction of the Vaisnavas. However, whatever Madhva Acaryahas firmly

established, that we practice due to our sampradaya connection with him.

Prabhu said, Karmis and jnanis are both devoid of bhakti. In your sampradaya, Ican see


31/223

symptoms of both. All in all, the only qualification I see in your sampradaya isyour firm

acceptance of the truth of the Lords form.

Hence it should not be a surprise that a majority of the Gaudiyas have little

or no identification as members of the Madhva sampradaya.

>>Secondly, they think that Sri Prabhodananda Sarasvati and

Prakasananda Sarasvati are the same person, although there is so

much difference between them. This cannot be so. Will a person of

the Ramanuja sampradaya go down to become a mayavadi like

Prakasananda Sarasvati, and then again become Prabhodananda

Sarasvati, who was so exalted that he became the guru of Srila

Gopala Bhatta Gosvami? This idea is absurd. Prabhodananda

Sarasvati and Prakasananda Sarasvati were contemporaries. Will the

same person go back and forth, being a Vaisnava in South India,

then becoming a mayavadi, again becoming a Vaisnava in

Vrndavana, and again becoming a mayavadi?


32/223

fact is that not much is known about Prabodhananda, or either of thePrabodhanandas,

given that they are likely not the same individual.

There is no historical record of Prabodhanandas moving from South India to

Vrindavana. To the contrary, according to the Anuraga Valli (AD 1696) ofManohara

Dasa, Gopala Bhatta left for Vrindavana after the death of Vyenkata Bhattaand his two

brothers, one among whom was Prabodhananda. Hence it is clear thataccording to this

account, Prabodhananda did not spend the later part of his life in Vrindavana.

Anyone may contest the authority of this scripture as well as that of the earlierPrema

Vilasa, in which similar accounts are related, but the fact remains that there is no

evidence to prove that the Prabodhananda of South India and thePrabodhananda of

Vrindavana were the same person.

The similarities between the lives of Prakasananda Sarasvati andPrabodhananda

Sarasvati is yet another subject matter, but we shall not discuss it here, since it isnot

foundational to the argument of Sri Narayana Maharaja.

As his next concern, Sri Narayana Maharaja presents the following:

>>Thirdly, they dont give proper honor to Sri Jiva Gosvami, and

this is a very big blunder. This is a vital point. They say that Jiva

Gosvami is of svakiya-bhava, that he never supported parakiyabhava,


33/223

and that he is against parakiya-bhava. They say that in his

explanations of Srimad Bhagavatam and Brahma-samhita, in his

own books like Gopala Campu, and especially in his Sri Ujjvalanilamani

tika, he has written against parakiya-bhava. This is their

greatest blunder. We dont accept their statements at all.


34/223

filled with consistency from the beginning to the end is written

according to my own wish, and that which is not filled with

consistency from beginning to end is written according to the wish of

others. Thus it is to be known.

Hence the teachings of Sri Ananta Dasa Babaji should not be an object ofconcern for Sri

Narayana Maharaja in this regard. Perhaps Sri Narayana Maharaja hasmisunderstood

something Panditji has written, or perhaps he aims to boycott some otherbabajis,

although he mentions the writings of Sri Ananta Dasa Babaji in the beginning ofhis

Sri Narayana Maharaja goes on to state:

>>For some unqualified persons he [Jiva] has written in that other

way, but the babajis of Vraja cannot reconcile this. They are ignorant

persons. They became opposed to Srila Jiva Gosvami and took the

side of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, even though in fact

there is no dispute between Jiva Gosvami and Visvanatha Cakravarti

Thakura.


35/223

Sri Narayana Maharaja then returns to the issue of the Gaudiyas doctrinal

connection with the Madhva tradition:

>>The babajis say that we are not a branch of the line of

49

Madhvacarya. They say Madhvacarya is of a different opinion than

the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. But this is quite wrong. We have so many

specialties that are there in the line of Madhvacarya.>Although there is some slight difference of opinion between

Gaudiya Vaisnavas and Sri Madhva in regard to Brahman, jiva and


36/223

jagat, this simple difference of opinion is not the cause of a

difference of sampradaya. The difference between Vaisnava

sampradayas has been created on the basis of a difference in

upasya-tattva (the object of worship) or on the basis of gradations

of excellence between aspects of para-tattva. Even if there is some

slight difference in regard to sadhya, sadhana and sadhaka-tattva,

this is rarely considered to be the cause of a difference of

1. sampradaya. Actually, it is the difference in realisation of paratattva

or upasya-tattva (the worshipful Supreme Truth) which is

the main cause of distinct sampradayas.


37/223

50

1. sampradayas.

Also, we understand the following from what Sri Narayana Maharaja said:

The difference between Vaisnava sampradayas has been created on

the basis of gradations of excellence between aspects of paratattva.

Hence it is certainly clear that there is a distinction between the Gaudiyasampradaya and

the Madhva sampradaya, since the Gaudiyas regard Sri Sri Radha-KrishnaYugala of

Vraja as their upasya, whereas the Madhvites regard Sri Aisvarya Krishna as theirupasya.

In regards to whether they are the same upasya or not, Sri Laghu-bhagavatamrta

(1.5.461) states:

krsna nyo yadu-sambhuto yah purnah so sty atah parah

vrndavanam parityajya sa kvacin naiva gacchati

The Krishna who appeared in the Yadu-dynasty is different from

the Krishna who never goes away from Vrindavana.

If anyone was to argue that the difference in upasya is not so specific, it is only aconsideration

in terms of tattva, not of rasa, then for this argument Sri Bhakti-rasamrtasindhu

(1.2.59) states:

siddhantatas tv abhede pi srisa-krsna-svarupayoh

rasenotkrsyate krsna-rupam esa rasa-sthitih

In terms of philosophical consideration, Visnu and Krishna are


38/223

nondifferent in nature, but in terms of rasa the form of Sri Krishna,

the reservoir of rasa, is superior.

Thus Sri Narayana Maharaja would have to accept all the Vaisnava

sampradayas as one

sampradaya, since they all worship Visnu-tattva. Indeed, the members ofNimbarka

sampradaya even worship Radha- Krishna, yet we still regard them as aseparate

sampradayadue to slight differences in sadhya, sadhana and sadhaka-tattva.

We shall not delve into the numerous philosophical differences between SriMadhva and

the Gaudiyas in fear of making this document too lengthy. Some of them havealready

been described in the first section of this document. Let it suffice that Madhvataught the

concept of dvaita, or absolute duality, whereas Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

presented the

refined concept of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, the doctrine of simultaneousoneness and

51

Sri Narayana Maharaja then presents another allegation:

>>Also, they say that because Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa

from Kesava Bharati, a mayavadi, He, Himself, must be a

1. mayavadi. We dont accept this. Mahaprabhus actual guru was

Isvara Puripada, He only took vesa, red cloth, from Kesava Bharati,

and there is no harm in this. Madhvacarya also did this, and


39/223

Ramanujacarya as well. Sannyasa can be taken in this way.

However, Mahaprabhu took gopala-mantra and other mantras

from Isvara Puripada.>Another point is that the babajis dont accept that Srila Baladeva

Vidyabhusana is in the Gaudiya Vaisnava line. They are vehemently

opposed to this understanding. However, if Baladeva Vidyabhusana

Prabhu is out of our Gaudiya sampradaya, then who is our savior?

He went to Galta Gaddi in Jaipura and defeated the Sri Vaisnavas.

He told them that Srimati Radhika should be on the left of Krishna.


40/223

He wrote a commentary on Vedanta-sutra called Govinda-bhasya,

and that commentary has been accepted as the Gaudiya-bhasya

(commentary representing the Gaudiya Sampradaya). If Baladeva

Vidyabhusana Prabhu is not in our sampradaya, then what

52

sampradaya is He in? All his commentaries are in the line of Srila

Rupa Gosvami and our Gaudiya Vaisnava acaryas. If Baladeva

Prabhu is out of our sampradaya, everything will be finished. This is

a vital point.


41/223

According to Gaudiya Vaishnava acaryas like Srila Jiva Gosvami

and Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana, bhakti means attachment or

constant attraction to God.

Thus Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana is accepted as a follower of the Gosvamis inthe

Gaudiya sampradaya. In addition to the statement above, anyone who studiesthe works

of Sri Ananta Dasa Babaji, may discover how he quotes the authoritativestatements of

Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana on numerous occasions.

We request Sri Narayana Maharaja to specify the babajis who are vehementlyopposed to

Baladevas being in the Gaudiya line. Otherwise the public may misunderstandthis vital

>>Also, these babajis say that if anyone wears the saffron cloth of

sannyasa, he is not in the Gaudiya Vaisnava line. They have no

correct idea. It is stated in Caitanya Caritamrta:

kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya

yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei guru haya

53

[It does not matter whether a person is a vipra (learned scholar in

Vedic wisdom) or is born in a lower family, or is in the renounced

order of life. If he is master in the science of Krishna, he is the

perfect and bona fide spiritual master. (Madhya-lila 8-128)]

Krishna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami has written kiba nyasi. Nyasi


42/223

means sannyasi. Isvara Puripada, Madhavendra Puripada, and all

renunciates in their line were sannyasis in saffron cloth. There are

so many associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu who wore saffron cloth.

Svarupa Damodara also wore saffron cloth. What harm was there?

Saffron cloth is the sign of renunciation. It is the color of anuraga,

attachment for Krishna. Because it is a color, it is worn by sadhvis.

Sadhvi means a married lady, a lady who is not a widow. Married

means having Krishna as ones beloved. We are not widows, but

those who wear white cloths are widows.


43/223

nagno dviguna-vastrah syan nagno raktapatas tatha

Wearing red cloth is l ike walking naked.

sukla vasa bhaven nityam raktam caiva vivarjayet

Always wear white and give up red cloth.

Even if anyone was to argue that rakta-vastra means only the red cloth ofmayavadisannyasis,

it should be noted that the very cloth Sriman Mahaprabhu wore was araktavastra,

and so were those of His sannyasi associates. At their time, the Hari Bhakti Vilasa

was not yet written. Besides, sukla vasa bhaven nityam, wear white cloth at alltimes, is a

strong positive injunction for the future times.

54

Moreover, there are no positive injunctions for accepting saffron cloth andtridanda in

the writings of the Gosvamis. Hence some have disapproved of the newlyfounded

sannyasa tradition. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the customs of sannyasaembraced

by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and his followers were largely adopted from theRamanuja

sampradaya, not from the Madhva sampradaya they claim to follow andcertainly not

from the Sankara sampradaya in which the associates of Sriman Mahaprabhumentioned

by Sri Narayana Maharaja accepted sannyasa.


44/223

Should there be exceptions to the rule, it does not in itself justify theestablishment of a

new rule.

Sri Narayana Maharaja then proceeds to question the term babaji:

>>From where has this word babaji come in our line? From whom

has it come? Isvara Puripada, Madhavendra Puripada, Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, and after Him, Sri Rupa Gosvami,

Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Jiva

Gosvami, Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, and Sri Raghunatha dasa

Gosvami. After them, Krishna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami and

Vrndavana dasa Thakura, and then Narottama dasa Thakura,

Syamananda dasa, Srinivasa Acarya, and Visvanatha Cakravarti

Thakura. Where is the word babaji? Was anyone known as babaji?

From where did this word babaji come? The babajis have no reply.

These Vaisnavas were all paramahamsa, not babaji.


45/223

there carries the title babaji after their name. The events of the title date backto the

times of Gopala Guru Gosvami, which is soon after the disappearance of Sriman

Mahaprabhu. Thus it appears that the concept babaji is not a novelty at all.But where

did the term come from? Sri Narayana Maharaja himself explains on this verysame

lecture:

55

>>In Vraja, the Vrajabasis all used to call Sanatana Gosvami baba.

They called Sanatana Gosvami bara-baba, elder sadhu, and Rupa

Gosvami chota-baba, younger sadhu. After them, others in their line

took white cloth; but then, after the time of Visvanatha Cakravarti

Thakura, they deviated. Some, like Jagannatha dasa Babaji,

Madhusudana dasa Babaji, and Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji, took this

babaji name out of humility, and everyone used to call them that.


46/223

Then Sri Narayana Maharaja descends from the realm of philosophicaldiscussion into

the realm of generalized personal attacks:

>>Presently, those who are bogus persons, but were previously in

the Gaudiya Matha, have become lusty and have thus been kicked

out from the Gaudiya Matha. Now they have become babajis.>The babajis especially criticize Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura,

saying that he didnt have a guru. This is a bogus idea. Srila

Bhaktivinoda Thakura preached the name and the glories of Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya to the

whole world. He wrote hundreds of books. Still, the babajis say he

did not have a proper guru, and that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

Prabhupada also had no proper guru.


47/223

Vipina Vihari Gosvami despite Bhaktivinodas praise of the same in hisvoluminous

writings. Indeed, in his autobiography Svalikhita-jivani, Bhaktivinoda relates howPrabhu

Gaura Himself led him to the Gosvami.

Also, it is unknown to us that anyone would have challenged the authenticity ofSri Gaura

Kisora Dasa Baba. The question is in regards to whether Sri BhaktisiddhantaSarasvati

received diksa or not, and consequently whether he was authorized to initiate inturn or

not. The reasons for concern are as follows:

1. In the presence of several witnesses, Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

himself admitted to Pandita Ramakrishna Dasa Babaji having only received

initiation in dream from Gaura Kisora Baba.

2. There is no mention of Sarasvatis receiving initiation from Gaura Kisora

Baba in any of the Babas authorized, objective biographies, nor do others

outside the Gaudiya Matha related with the Baba know of this. Also the

brother of Sarasvati, Sri Lalita Prasada Thakura, denies his having received

3. Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati did not reveal the diksa-parampara of Sri

Gaura Kisora Baba. In fact, even the name of Babas diksa-guru was not

revealed by Sarasvati to his followers. Traditionally a guru reveals his

parampara to the disciples. Instead, Sarasvati created a parampara of his

own design, which he entitled bhagavat-parampara.

4. At the time of initiation, the guru gives the disciple the specific tilaka


48/223

markings of the parivara he represents. Baba came in the Advaita

parivara, which has a very distinctive tilaka-svarupa among the various

Gaudiya parivaras. If Sarasvati indeed received diksa from the Baba, why

did he not adopt the external signs of lineage accordingly, but instead

applied a tilaka of his own design?

Onwards to the next allegation:

57

>>Those in the babaji line say that our Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhakti

Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and even Srila Bhaktivedanta

Swami Maharaja, were not in the proper disciplic line, and that they

have no guru-parampara. But it is actually the babajis who are not

in the guru -parampara.>I saw in France that so many devotees have given up Srila


49/223

Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, and they have become babajis.

They took babaji-vesa, dor-kaupin and so on. Then, after two years,

they fell down with mataji-babajis. They accepted and lived with

divorced ladies.


50/223

Sri Narayana Maharaja then labels the babajis whom he boycotts:

>>If you read their books this poison may come.

avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam

sravanam naiva kartavyam sarpocchistam yatha payah

(Padma Purana)

[One should not hear anything about Krishna from a non-vaisnava.

Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects. Similarly,

talks about Krishna given by a non-vaisnava are also poisonous.]

Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvamis VilapaKusumanjali, and other

books like Krishna Bhavanamrta, Radha-rasa-sudhanidhi, and

Stava-vali are all good books. They are amrta, nectar. However, you

should not hear them from non-vaisnavas; otherwise the bogus

ideas of such non-vaisnavas will come, and you will be deviated. Be

very careful about this.


51/223

There is yet another allegation Sri Narayana Maharaja has in store, a popularone:

>>Another point is regarding bhajana-pranali. Instead of giving the

proper process to the appropriate persons, without giving proper

training, without considering whether a person is qualified or not,

these babajis give their own version of bhajana-pranali. Their socalled

disciples do not know who is Krishna or what is bhajana. They

dont know any definition of bhakti, and they dont even know how

to clean themselves after passing stool. They dont know anything.

What will become of them?


52/223

Then Sri Narayana Maharaja goes on to present the final tale of victory :

>>About ten years ago I went on Vraja Mandala Parikrama with

Pujyapada Janardana Maharaja. We went to Radha-Kunda, and

there we challenged the babajis. We had a discussion for three

hours, but no one came. I have also challenged those babajis in my

book, Five Essential Essays, but no one responded. After reading

that book they wanted to take us to court, and I challenged them,

Yes, we will see you in court. But they never came. Their lawyers

had advised them not to go to court, as they would have lost

everything.>I have come to tell you these things only to make you all careful.

Dont be bewildered. Try to be very strong, knowing all these

points.


53/223

Indeed, we became careful as a result of attending this speech, and moreover,by studying

the transcript of the same. In fact, we even became fearful over what wouldhappen to our

devotional lives, should we continue to wholeheartedly adopt the abundantlyunfounded

criticism cast forth by Sri Narayana Maharaja and his followers.


Gaurkisora dasa Babaji never gave diksa to Bhaktisiddhanta



DID BHAKTISIDDHANTA SARASVATI RECEIVED DHIKSA

FROM GAURKISORA DASA BABAJI ?

by

Madhavanada das

2002

Let me make it very clear that I am not interested in an intense back-and-forthknee-jerk

stubborn quarrel over anything mentioned in the thread topic title. I am also nottrying to

convert anyone to anything, just in case somebody was going to say that. I aminterested

in the historical facts surrounding the initiation of Bhaktisiddhanta. I trust ourintelligent

audience can understand this.
http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/gaurkisora-dasa-babaji-never-gave-diksa-to-bhaktisiddhanta/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/gaurkisora-dasa-babaji-never-gave-diksa-to-bhaktisiddhanta/http://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/gaurkisora-dasa-babaji-never-gave-diksa-to-bhaktisiddhanta/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/narayana-maharajas-false-teachings-about-gaudiya-vaisnavism/#respond


54/223

Here are my notes on the subject matter of the initiation of Bhaktisiddhanta:

a) Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was in the habit of visiting Ramakrishna DasaPandita

Babaji during his visits to Vrindavana since he was without a doubt one of themost

40

respected of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas of the 1920s and 1930s. On one occasionSarasvati

was highly praising Gaura Kishora Babaji in Pandita Babas presence. PanditaBaba asked

him if he had re-ceived initiation from him. Sarasvati said he had received it in adream.

Pandita Babaji said that that was fine, but he should receive it in the flesh sincethat is the

only type of initiation accepted in the Caitanya tradition. Bhaktisiddhanta saidhe would

and ended the visit. Years later Sarasvati returned to Vrindavana as the acarya

of the

Gaudiya Matha, a famous man. He visited Pandita Babaji and was asked againif he

had gotten initiation from Gaura Kishora Dasa Baba. His answer was the same,at which

point Pandita Baba got extremely angry with him for making disciples withoutproper

initiation. This incident was witnessed by Sri Kisori Mohana Gosvami, Sri Kisori Dasa

Babaji and Advaita Dasa Babaji of Govardhan.

b) There is no indication of Sarasvatis being initiated by Babaji Maharaja in anyof his


55/223

objective biographies, objective meaning compiled by anyone who would notbe bound

out of prejudice to accept the statement of Sarasvati, being a follower of his.The brother

of Sarasvati, Lalita Prasada Thakura, denies Sarasvatis receiving diksa fromBabaji

Maharaja. The pujari and other residents of Gaura Kisora Dasa Babajis bhajanakutira

knew of only four disciples of Babaji, but Sarasvati was not among them.

c) Sarasvati did not reveal the parampara of Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji to hisfollowers.

In fact, even the name of Babaji Maharajas diksa-guru was not revealed bySarasvati.

Now, why would a disciple not reveal the diksa-parampara of his guru? It is acommon

practice that at the time of diksa the guru reveals his guru-pranali, or thesuccession of

gurus back to the time of Sriman Mahaprabhu and His associates.

d) According to Hari Bhakti Vilasa (2.8.5), at the time of diksa the guru bestowsthe

specific sectarian signs he carries unto the disciple: sampradayika mudradibhusitam tam

krtanjalim In his commentary on this verse, Sri Sanatana Gosvami explains:

sampradayikam guru-paramparasiddham, This sampradayika refers to theguruparampara,

and mudra tilaka maladi, And mudra refers to tilaka and strings of beads.

Consequently the recognized parivaras, like Nityananda-parivara, Advaita-parivara,


56/223

Narottama-parivara and Syamananda-parivara, have their specific tilaka-svarupa. If

Sarasvati received diksa, why is it that he and his followers have adopted atilaka which

was not worn by his diksa-guru, who must have at the time of diksa given aspecific tilakasvarupa

to Sarasvati?

e) Wherefrom did Sarasvati receive the sacred thread and the brahmagayatri,which he

passed on to his disciples? Certainly not from Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji, whowas a

vaisya by birth, and did not chant the brahma-gayatri, nor wear a sacredthread.

f) What is the origin of the specific set of mantras given in the line of Sarasvati?Hari

Bhakti Vilasa mentions Gopala Mantra and Kama-gayatri as diksa-mantras. The

paddhatis of Gopala Guru and Dhyanacandra give an elaborate list of mantras

for

41

raganuga-sadhana, but the guru-mantra

and guru-gayatri given by Sarasvati are different from the ones given in thesepaddhatis.

Then let us turn to some of the source material I have at hand. I find thefollowing

statement of Bhakti Vikash Swami of ISKCON, who is compiling a biography on

Bhaktisiddhanta, very interresting:

In 1932 Visvambharananda dasa Babaji, on behalf of many babajis and casteGoswamis


57/223

in Vrndavana, published a book opposing Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and hisMission,

citing extensively from sastra to support his arguments. He challenged that theline of

parampara traced from Jagannatha dasa Babaji through Bhaktivinoda Thakurato Gaura

Kisora dasa Babaji and then to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was unauthorized.

Visvambharananda claimed that although Sarasvati Thakura was supposed tobe the

disciple of Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji, he was disqualified in several ways. First,Sarasvati

Thakura did not accept as bona fide the recognized lineage of Gaura Kisoradasa Babaji,

whose guru was in the Advaita-parivara. Furthermore, since Gaura Kisora dasaBabaji

had never used a japa-mala, and had not given one to Sarasvati Thakura at thetime of

initiation but had simply placed some Navadvipa dust into his hand,Visvambharananda

argued that such an initiation was not bona fide. The implication was thatSarasvati

Thakura had not actually received pancaratrika-diksa from Gaura Kisora dasaBabaji, so

how could he confer it upon others? Nor had Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji worn abrahmana

thread, so on what authority did Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati wear one? Moreover,

Visvambharananda argued, Sarasvati Thakura claimed to be a follower ofBhaktivinoda

Thakura, who was initiated by the caste Goswami Bipina Bihari. Why then did


58/223

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati not accept guru-parampara by seminal descent?Bhaktivinoda

Thakura had given him a Nrsimha mantra for worshiping the Deity, yet Sarasvati

Thakura was giving a Radha-Krsna mantra for this purpose. Wherefrom did hederive

this mantra, and on whose authority did he distribute it? Visvambharanandafurther

objected that since Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was a sannyasi without asannyasa guru,

how could he give sannyasa to others? Sarasvati Thakura responded byexplaining the

concept of bhagavataparampara, or siksa-parampara. He maintained that theessence of

parampara lies in the transmission of transcendental knowledge, not merely in alist of

contiguous names. The life of the parampara is maintained by the maha-bhagavatas, who

embody the essence of scriptural knowledge. Therefore, to trace theparampara through

such maha-bhagavatas truly represents parampara. He said, BhaktivinodaThakura is

Kamala Manjari, a personal associate of Radharani. He ordered me to establishdaivavarnasrama.

I must obey his order. The acarya is not under the sastra. The acarya can

make sastra. Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the acarya, has inspired me in various ways.By his

mercy and that of Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja and the previousacaryas we are


59/223

going on, not caring for the precise technicalities of smartas. Although thisconcept of

bhagavata-parampara appears to be new, it is based on the essentialunderstanding of the

scriptures. Something new given by an acarya but based on sastra is calledvaisistya

(a special characteristic). Acaryas Ramanuja and Madhva both apparentlyintroduced

42

something new, but because their teachings were based on sastra they cameto be

accepted. Phalena pariciyate: An action should be understood by its result.My

commitment to devotional service and my preaching activities speak forthemselves. Owllike

persons cannot see this, but those who are honest will accept it. Bhakti Vikash

Maharaj relates, It [the quote from BSST] is almost certainly not verbatim,

especially as

it was originally spoken or written in Bengali. It is as told to me by the late JatiShekhar

Prabhu, a disciple of SBST.

I find it significant that even an insider will admit that a traditional pancaratrika-diksa most

likely never took place, although a kind of initiation was there, which theyexperience as

The following statement is given in a biography, compiled by Bhakti KusumSraman

Maharaja:


60/223

With the permission of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura, Srila Sarasvati Thakuraaccepted

Bhagavati initiation from Srila Babaji Maharaja in the month of Magha (January-

February) 1900 A.D.

It is unknown to me what the Bhagavati initiation means. Perhaps it means akind of

informal initiation, in the spirit of Bhagavata parampara. The BBT printing ofBrahma

Samhita states:

In 1905, following the advice of his father, Siddhanta Saraswati acceptedspiritual

initiation from Gaurakisora dasa Babaji.

It is obvious that the authority of this statement is questionable, given the five-year error in

the date compared to the Gaudiya Matha edition, which I recall draws the timefrom

Bhaktisiddhantas own writings in The Harmonist.

Then I have some accounts related by Nitai Das on record, from the time whenhe began

to study the issue:

The eyewitnesses I know of and from whom I heard were eyewitness toBhaktisiddhantas

admission before Pandita Ramakrsna Das Baba that he had not receivedinitiation from

Gaura Kishora Das Babaji.

Bhaktisiddhanta was in the habit of visiting Pandita Babaji during his visits toVrindaban


61/223

since he was without a doubt the most respected of the Caitanya Vaishnavas ofthe 1920s

and 1930s. On one occasion Bhaktisiddhanta was highly praising Gaura KishoraDas in

Pandita Babas presence. Pandita Baba asked him if he had received initiationfrom him.

Bhaktisiddhanta said he had received it in a dream. Pandita Babaji said thatthat was fine,

but he should receive it in the flesh since that is the only type of initiationaccepted in the

Caitanya tradition. Bhaktisiddhanta said he would and ended the visit. A fewyears later

Siddhanta returned to Vrindaban, now the acharya of the Gaudiya Math, afamous man.

He visited Pandita Babaji and was asked again if he had gotten initiation fromGaura

43

Kishora Das Baba. His answer was the same, at which point Pandita Baba gotextremely

angry with him for making disciples without proper initiation. Pandita Babajithrew him

out of the ashrama and Bhaktisiddhanta, fearing damage to his reputation,began his

calumny of the Vrindaban babas and forbade his disciples from associating withthem.

This account was given to me by Advaita Das Baba (Im unsure if this is thecorrect name

of this baba after all these years) in Govardhan who said he was witness to theadmission.


62/223

. . . . . . . . . .

In addition, I did a little research on my own. During one of my visits toNabadwip I

visited the bhajana kutir/mandira of Gaura Kishora Das Babaji and spoke withthe pujari

there. I asked him if he knew whether Gaura Kishora Das Babaji had anyinitiated

disciples. His answer, after consulting with some of the other elders of thecompound,

was that, as far as he knew, there were only four, a married couple of modestmeans and

two others, agriculturalists, none of whom were Bhaktisiddhanta. How he knewthis and

how reliable his testimony is, I dont know. The diksa-connection between

Bhaktisiddhanta and Gaura Kishor Dasa Babaji was also denied by Sri LalitaPrasad

Thakur, his brother, who certainly was around and well informed of the incidents

surrounding Bhaktisiddhanta. He also expressed how Bhaktivinoda wasdissatisfied with

Bhaktisiddhantas attitude towards Vipin Vihari Gosvami and several other senior

Vaishnavas, and therefore refused to personally initiate Bhaktisiddhanta, despite

bestowing pancaratrika-diksa and siddha-pranali to Lalita Prasad and someother

disciples of his.

The following statement was given by a western sannyasi of the Gaudiya Matha:

There were witnesses to the initiation. Because there was a witness to theinitiation of


63/223

Saraswati Thakura, even after 100 years the opposition has not been able tomake much

of that rumor. Now of course the witness is also dead, but one of his relatives stilllives in

Vrindavana and knows something of the event.

I would tend to conclude based on the considerations above thatBhaktisiddhanta did not

receive pancaratrika-diksa as it appears in the Hari Bhakti Vilasa, though therecertainly

was a kind of guru-disciple relationship between him and Gaura Kisora Babaji,and some

kind of event of acceptance of disciplehood may have taken place. Thecrucial question at

hand is whether diksa-mantras were given.


Sannyasa is bogus for real Gaudiya Vaisnavas



GAUDIA VAISNAVA DHARMA

AND

SANNYASA

by

Dr. Radhagovinda Nath

(From the Appendix to his edition of the
http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/gaurkisora-dasa-babaji-never-gave-diksa-to-bhaktisiddhanta/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/gaurkisora-dasa-babaji-never-gave-diksa-to-bhaktisiddhanta/#respondhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/gaurkisora-dasa-babaji-never-gave-diksa-to-bhaktisiddhanta/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/gaurkisora-dasa-babaji-never-gave-diksa-to-bhaktisiddhanta/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/sannyasa-is-bogus-for-real-gaudiya-vaisnavas/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/sannyasa-is-bogus-for-real-gaudiya-vaisnavas/http://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://www.mediafire.com/view/e3717aola66h1d8/True_History_of_Bhaktisiddhanta.pdfhttp://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/sannyasa-is-bogus-for-real-gaudiya-vaisnavas/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/gaurkisora-dasa-babaji-never-gave-diksa-to-bhaktisiddhanta/http://truehistoryofbhaktisiddhanta.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/gaurkisora-dasa-babaji-never-gave-diksa-to-bhaktisiddhanta/#respond


64/223

Caitanya-caritamrta of Krsnadasa Kaviraja)

translation by

Neal Delmonico (Nitai Das)

Some people ask about the place of the institution of sannyasa (formalrenunciation) in

the religious tradition of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Therefore, a little reflection on thistopic

will be done here. In what condition is taking sannyasa appropriate? That is thefirst thing

that should be considered. The Maitreyi Upanisad says:

yada manasi vairgyam jatam sarvesu vastusu |

tadaiva sannyased vidvan anyatha patito bhaved ||(2.19)

When detachment to all things is born in the mind, then one should renounce.

Otherwise one would become fallen.

That Upanisad also says:

dravyartham anna-vastrrtham yah pratiharthameva va |

sannyased ubhaya-bhrastah sa muktim naptum arhati || (2.20)

For things, for food and clothing, or for power, one who renounces for any ofthose

things is fallen both now and in the future and does not deserve liberation.

But Mahaprabhu himself has said that in the Age of Kali there is no prescription

for

sannyasa citing as evidence the Brahma-vaivarta Purana:

asvamedham gavlambham sannyasam palapaitrikam |

devarena sutotpattim kalau paca vivarjayet || (1.17.7)


65/223

The asvamedha sacrifice, cow-killing (in the Madhuparka rite), renunciation,offering

meat to the forefathers (?), begetting sons by means of the husbands youngerbrother;

these five are to be rejected in the Age of Kali.

36

From this it is understood that even for one who has the qualification specified inthe

sruti cited above sannyasa is not recommended in the Age of Kali.

In Varanasa, after listening to the primary meaning of the Vedanta-sutra from

Mahaprabhu at the house of the Maharastrian brahmana, one of PrakasnandaSarasvatis

chief disciples sitting in the ashram thinking about the Lords explanation ofVedanta

said:

I consider the statements

of Sri Krsnacaitanya

to be completely true.

In the Age of Kali

we do not overcome

the cycle of rebirth by sannyasa. (C.c., Madhya, 25.27)

From this, too, it is understood that in the Age of Kali sannyasa is without utility.

What has been said above, however, is only the general rule. Let us see whetherthere is

any specific rule mentioned in the statements of Mahaprabhu or not.


66/223

In Varanasi, in the context of describing that which is to be conveyed(abhidheya-tattva,

ie. bhakti) to Sanatana Gosvamin, on the topic the behavior of Vaisnavas, Sri

Mahaprabhu said:

Giving up association with the unholy,

this is the practice of Vaisnavas.

One who associates with women is one;

the other is the unholy non-devotee of Krsna.

Rejecting all these and varnasrama-dharma,

without possessions one should find

ones only shelter in Krsna. (C.c., Madhya, 22.49-50)

This instruction of Mahaprabhu is about the rejection of varnasrama-dharma for

1. Varnasrama-dharma means the caste system and system of stages of life.In

scripture is found the prescription for four stages of lifethe student stage ofcelibacy,

the householder stage of marriage, the stage of the hermit, and the stage ofrenunciation

(sannyasa). Renunciation is the fourth stage of life. For those who practice thepath of

bhakti, Mahaprabhu has said that this (sannyasa) is also to be rejected.Rejection of the

system of castes and stages is counted as one of the

practices of Vaisnavas.

In the context of the sixty-four limbs of bhakti as means (sadhana-bhakti), theLord has


67/223

37

not given any instruction for sannyasa. Instead he has said: knowledge andrenunciation

are never parts of bhakti. (C.c., Madhya, 22.82)

The Gosvamin headed by Rupa, who follow the footsteps of Sri Mahaprabhu,have

established the example of worship in the Vaisnava tradition and havepublished books,

such as the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu showing the path of worship. In their books,an

instruction for the practice of sannyasa is not found anywhere. Also, none ofthem took

sannyasa. They only wore the cloth of those without possessions (niskicana). Sri

Sanatana Gosvamin received one piece of an old cloth from Tapana Misra atVaranasi

and with that made a kaupin and outer cloth. This is the dress of one withoutpossessions.

When Sri Jagadananda went to Vrindaban, he one day invited SanatanaGosvamin

Download - The True History of Bhaktisiddhanta.docx

Top Related