allegiance with other Vedanta schools (was Position Paper on ISKCON by the Poornaprajna Vidyapeetha)

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Hare Krishna,

 

jaya jaya shrii chaitanya jaya nityaananda |

jayaadvaita chandra jaya gaura bhakta vR^inda ||

 

Dear devotees,

 

 

The Maadhvas say:

 

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early history of the Bengal Vaishnava school shows a mix of allegiance

to other founders of Vedanta schools like Shankara and Ramanuja

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This claim is completely baseless. The only "influence" of Shankara on the

Chaintanya school, if indeed it can be called that, is the fact that

Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu took sannyaasa from the maayaavaadi Keshava Bhaarati.

 

However, a closer examination of this act shows that Mahaaprabhu's

acceptance of sannyaasa had nothing to do with any sort of compromise with

Advaita. It had everything to do with propagating bhaagavata-dharma. Noting

the unfortunate condition at the time of Indian students who had learned

Vedic regulations but were nevertheless disrepectful towards devotees and

devotional service, Shrii Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu said:

 

more nindaa kare ye, naa kare namaskaara |

e-saba jiivere savashya kariba uddhaara || CC, Aadi, 17.264 ||

 

I must certainly deliver all these fallen souls who blaspheme Me and do not

offer Me obeisances (shrii chaitanya-charitaamR^ita, aadi-liila 17.264).

 

ataeva avashya aami sannyaasa kariba |

sannyaasi-buddhye more puraNata ha-iba || CC, Aadi, 17.265 ||

 

I shall accept the sannyaasa order of life, for thus people will offer Me

their obeisances, thinking of Me as a member of the renounced order (shrii

chaitanya-charitaamR^ita, aadi-liila, 17.265).

 

praNatite ha'be ihaara aparaadha kShaya |

nirmala hR^idaye bhakti karaaiba udaya || CC, Aadi, 17.266 ||

 

Offering obeisances will relieve them of all the reactions to their

offenses. Then, by My grace, devotional service [bhakti] will awaken in

their pure hearts (shrii chaitanya-charitaamR^ita, aadi-liila 17.266).

 

Hence, Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu's acceptance of sannyaasa had no other aim

except to gain the respect of the proud Vedic students of His time long

enough to convert them to devotional service.

 

The fact that Mahaaprabhu chose to take sannyaasa-initiation from the

maayaavaadi Keshava-Bhaaratii need not be over scrutinized by our Maadhva

friends. Shrii Chaitanya-charitaamrita (1.17.268) relates that Keshava

Bhaaratii had just happened to visit Nadia at the time. Since we already

know why Mahaaprabhu wanted sannyaasa, it is hardly a surprise that He took

it at the first available opportunity. The fact that Keshava Bhaaratii was a

maayaavaadii sannyaasi giving initiation to a Vaishnava might raise some

eyebrows. But once again, a careful examination of the relevant literature

demonstrates that this Advaitic initiation was only apparent. OBL Kapoor

writes:

 

"...it was not, sctrictly speaking, Shrii Chaitanya who received Diikshaa

from Keshava Bhaaratii, but vice-versa. Before Shrii Chaitanya actually

received the Samnyaasa Mantra from Keshava Bhaaratii, he said to him, "I

have received this Mantra from a saint in my dream. See if this is correct."

and forthwith he whispered the Mantra into his ear. Thus, pretending to

receive Samnyasa Diksa from hm, he actually imparted Diksa to him and made

him his disciple." (Philosophy and Religion of Sri Caitanya, p 49).

 

Supporting evidence for this point of view is found in the Chaitanya

Bhaagavata of Vrindaavana daasa Thaakura

 

chale prabhu kR^ipaa kari taare shiShya kaila | C.Bh, 2.28.157 |

 

....as well as the Kadachaa of Muraari Gupta:

 

vyaajena diikShaa.m gurave sa datvaa lokaikanaatho gururavyayaatmaan |

gurodadasvaadya maniiShita.m me sa.mnyaasamityaaha puta.mjalih prabhuH ||

kaDachaa 2.2.9 ||

 

Thus, Keshava Bhaaratii had been symbolically converted into Vaishnavism

before the latter initiated Shrii Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu. This is also

apparent from the fact that Mahaaprabhu's sannyaasa name was given as "Shrii

Krishna Chaitanya." The normal custom would have been from Mahaaprabhu to

have received the "Bhaaratii" title as per the custom of initiation in

Shankara sampradaaya. As we know from Chaitanya Bhaagavata, Keshava

Bhaaratii was aware of Mahaaprabhu's pure devotion, and acknowledged that

the initiation He was accepting was just to set an example for others:

 

je bhakti tomaara aami dekhilaa nayane |

e shaakti anyera nahe iishvara bine ||

tumi se jagadguru jaanilaa nishchaya |

tomaara guruura yogya keha kabhu naya ||

tabe tumi loka-shikShaa nimitta-kaarane |

karibaa aamaare guru hena mane laya || C Bh, 2.28.127-29) ||

 

The Bhakti which I notice in you, cannot exist anywhere except in God. I

know it for certain that You are That, the Guru of the whole world. Nobody

can ever be fit to be Your Guru. Bit, I think, You would accept me as Your

Guru only to set an example for the world (shrii chaitanya bhaagavata

2.28.127-29).

 

To this, Mahaaprabhu replied:

 

maayaa more na kara prakaasha |

hena dikShaa deha jena haun kR^iShNa-daasa || C Bh, 2.28.130 ||

 

Pray do not deceive me thus. Give me such Diikshaa as would make me a

servant of Krishna (Shrii Chaitanya Bhaagavata 2.28.130).

 

This reponse of Shrii Chaitanya is significant, because aside from trying to

conceal His divinity, He explicitly requested initiation that would make Him

"kR^iShNa-daasa," or servant of Lord Krishna. Clearly then, it was not

maayaavaadi initiation that Mahaaprabhu was after.

 

>From these points, we can see that the allegations of "allegiance" to

Shankara are completely without basis.

 

The allegation of "allegiance" to Raamaanuja is equally unfounded. It is

true that some associates of Gaudiiya Vaishnava sampradaaya (such as Shrii

Vyenkata Bhatta) were originally Shrii Vaishnavas. But these individuals did

not shape the philosophy of Achintya Bedha Abedha Tattva. It has been said

also that Shriila Bhaktisiddhaanta Saraswatii Thaakura reintroduced the

system of varnaashrama (specifically the system of brahminical and sannyaasa

initiations) according to the system previously practiced by the followers

of Raamaanuja. However, like the sannyaasa-initiation of Shrii Chaitanya,

this act had no other motivation other than the propagation of

bhaagavata-dharma, which would have to be done according to the familiar

varnaasharma principles in order to spread.

 

In conclusion, we find as completely baseless the allegations that Shrii

Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu, and thus implicitly His philosophy of Achintya Bedha

Abedha Tattva, was influenced by the Advaita or Vishishtaadvaita schools of

thought. The philosophy of Shrii Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu is the same one

described by Shrii Vedavyaasa in Shriimad Bhaagavatam. That some aspects of

His philosophy appear to be shared by other schools may be due to the fact

that other aachaaryas have understood some of Vedavyaasa's teachings. That

Shrii Chaitanya chronologically revived His system of Vedaanta after the

other aachaaryas may make it appear superficially that the latter systems

had influenced Him. But a proper examination of the evidence shows no real

basis for this belief, which is often propagated by secular academic

scholars. Opponents of Gaudiiya Vaishnavism adopt it for the sole purpose of

denying the scriptural legitimacy of the Achintya Bedha Abedha system.

 

(comments welcome)

 

your servant,

Krishna Susarla