Three Aspects

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Dear Gauranga Prabhu,

Dandavat pranams. Jaya Sri Sri Guru Gauranga. All glories to Srila

Prabhupada.

 

It's nice that you have so munificently been posting many texts of

hari-katha. I appreciate that. However, we should not be like mere robots

who just parrot the words of our teachers. When we hear something from our

guru-janas we should also understand how it is confirmed by sastra. If we

cannot understand something that we have heard from them in the light of

sastra, then we should keep those words to ourselves, thinking, "I cannot

understand." If we follow this then automatically everything we say will be

on the basis of sastra and free from speculation. Just hearing and quoting

something from our guru-janas is not sufficient. We should be ready to

substantiate what they have to say with references and pramanas. This is our

Vaishnava system. If we cannot do so then we should not quote them. Although

you have posted some nice texts, you have been neglecting the very

reasonable requests of several senior Vaishnavas to give some pramanas and

references for what you have written. Such behavior is not appreciated in

Vaishnava circles.

 

Since you have posted these things, you should be responsible to answer

questions about them. In particular I have some doubts about your text

entitled, "Three Aspects". Aside from your neglecting to give any reference

or pramana, many of the concepts you have posted in this text do not seem to

be the opinion of Srila Saraswati Thakur, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada or our Six Goswamis.

 

This text "Three Aspects" raises many questions and doubts in my mind. I

would appreciate it if you could kindly dispell those by answering the

following questions:

 

You have written that Radharani has three different aspects. While we are

aware of this topic, we have never seen these three aspects of Radha

compared to Gauranga Mahaprabhu. You have written:

 

> The three aspects of Srimati Radhika: Vrsabhanunandini, Viyogini, and

> Samyogini are defined in the Sanat Kumar Samhita. Just as She has three

> aspects, Sri Sacinandana Gaura-hari has three aspects.

 

Question 1: Please give some pramana from a previous acarya or sastra that

clearly confirms that Mahaprabhu also takes on these three aspects of

Srimati Radharani.

 

You have written:

 

> `Vrindavana parityaja na padam ekam gacchati'. Krishna never leaves

> Vrindavana. Nandanandana is always in Vrindavana.Vrsabhanu-nandini also

> never leaves Vrindavana, and similarly, Sacinandana never leaves

> Navadvipa.

 

You seem to be insinuating that as Krishna actually never leaves Vrindavan

and that when he seems to do so it is only in His vaibhava-prakash feature

of Vaasudeva Krishna, similarly Mahaprabhu's pastimes in Puri are performed

by His vaibhava-prakash and not by His original svayam-rupa feature. If that

is your point it raises the following:

 

Question 2: Please give some pramana from a previous acarya or sastra that

clearly confirms that when Mahaprabhu leaves Nabadwip it is only in His

vaibhava-prakash expansion.

 

You have written:

 

> In Godavari, Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifested his Rasaraja-mahabhava

> svarupa. There in Godavari He discussed all tattvas: rasa-tattva,

> prema-tattva, and Radha-tattva. But who saw this? Only Ramananda Raya.

> This manifestation of Rasaraja-mahabhava was not an ordinary activity. No

> one else could have shown Himself as Radha and Krishna. Therefore it is an

> opulence, aisvarya, and it is not the highest lila.

 

Question 3: Please give some pramana from a previous acarya or sastra that

clearly confirms that the Mahaprabhu's manifestation as Rasaraj-mahabhava is

aisvarya-maya-lila, or a pastime full of opulence.

 

You have written:

 

> Srimati Radhika's partial moods and forms are included within her original

> form, and this is also true with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In Mahaprabhu's

> lila, Puri is like Dwaraka. When He is in Gambhira He is experiencing

> Radharani's separation from Krishna at Dwaraka, in the mood of Viyogini

> Radhika. When Mahaprabhu is in Godavari, He is like Samyogini Radhika.

> This aspect of Srimati Radhika meets Krishna at Kuruksetra in order to

> bring Him back to Vrindavana. These two aspects of Mahaprabhu are included

> in Navadvipa.

 

You say that Puri is like Dwarka. This is at least partially a fact because

another name for Jagannath Puri Dham is dasavatar-ksetra, or the place of

the ten incarnations. However Gaudiya Vaishnavas who follow Sri Rupa,

Sanatan, Krishna Das Kaviraj, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and Srila A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, see Puri in a much deeper way.

 

While describing the ontological position of Jagannath Puri Dham, Sri Srimad

Gour Govinda Swami has described:

 

"Jagannatha Puri Dhama is known as Sri Ksetra. Sri Devi is the

svarupa-sakti, Krishna's internal potency. Therefore, that dhama which is

glorified by the presence of the sri-sakti is known as Sri Ksetra. Sri means

sarva-laksmi mayi amsini radhika, Srimati Radhika, Who is the source of all

saktis. ... Therefore, those who are followers or devotees of madhurya-rasa

can see that Sri Ksetra is the ksetra in which Radharani's madhurya-rasa is

manifested. Only such madhurya-rasa bhaktas can see it; others cannot. That

is why Jagannatha Puri is known as Sri Ksetra."

 

You have written:

 

> In Jagannatha Puri no one accepted the names Sacinandana, etc. Everyone

> there had a reverential mood towards Mahaprabhu.

 

This seems to be the mood of the Gaura Nagaris who want to place greater

emphasis on Mahaprabhu as Krishna then they do on His role as a devotee. In

Cc. adi 1.6 Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami describes that Krishna came as

Mahaprabhu to fullfill three desires that were unfulfilled in Krishna-lila.

These three desires were:

 

1) sri radhaya pranaya-mahima kidrso -- "What is the glory of Radha's love

for Me."

 

2) asvadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah -- "What is the nature of

My qualities that She relishes?"

 

3) saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam -- "What is the nature of the

happiness She feels in the ecstasy of Her love for Me?"

 

To fullfill these three desires is the purpose of Gaura-avatara. Krishna

says:

 

radhikara bhava-kanti angi-kara vine

sei tina sukha kabhu nahe asvadane

 

"Unless I accept the mood and the complexion of Radha these three desires

will never be fulfilled." (Cc adi 4.267)

 

Apa-sampradayas, deviant sects, such as the Bengali Gaura Nagaris place more

emphasis on Mahaprabhu's Nabadwip lila. They emphasize that Mahaprabhu is

Krishna, Nabadwip is Vrindavan and Saci Mata is Yasoda. They tend to

neglect Mahaprabhu's mood as a devotee in Puri. The Rupanuga Vaishnavas

however do not see Mahaprabhu's pastimes in Puri as any less significant

than His Nabadwip lilas. Rather, they see puri-lila as the climax of Lord

Chaitanyas pastimes. Krishna was not able to completely fulfill His three

desires in Nabadwip. To do so He took sannyasa (which in our sampradaya is

compared to gopi-bhava) and went to Puri. Only there in Puri was He able to

completely satisfy these three desires. Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj describes

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes in the Gambhira in Puri:

 

vidyapati, jayadeva, candidasera gita

asvadena ramananda-svarupa-sahita

 

"[in the Gambhira in Jagannath Puri] The Lord used to read the books of

Vidyapati, Jayadeva and Candidas, relishing their songs with His

confidential associates like Raya Ramananda and Svarup Damodar."

 

krsnera viyoge yata prema-cestita

asvadiya purna kaila apana vanchita

 

"In such separation from Krishna, Gaura relished prema and thus fulfilled

His own [three] desires." (Cc. adi 13.42-43)

 

Question 3: Please cite even one pramana from a previous acarya or sastra

that clearly confirms that Mahaprabhu's relishing the writings of Vidyapati,

Jayadeva and Candidas in the association of Lalita and Vishakha who came as

Svarup Damodar and Ray Ramananda respectively is aisvarya-maya-lila.

 

The vision of sastra and our Rupanuga Vaishnava acaryas is that Jagannath

Puri Dham is non-different from Vrindavan. Vrindavan, Nabadwip and Puri are

three different chambers of the same house. In Vrindavan, madhurya --

sweetness, predominates. In Nabadwip audarya -- munificence is prominent.

While in the chamber known as Puri three things are found, madhurya, audarya

and aisvarya. However the aisvarya in Puri does not inhibit the bhava of the

devotees. Rather, it enhances it.

 

I have to apologize to the readers of this conference. This is a big subject

which requires much explanation. I don't feel that it is a proper topic for

short emails. Vaishnavas in the line of Thakur Bhaktivinode and Srila

Saraswati Thakur prefer not to speak about such higher subjects as these in

a loose way (such as on this conference). These topics will only be

understood by service and submissive hearing from guru. They are clearly

described in the books given by Srila Prabhupada and our authorized acaryas.

We should stick to their conclusions and not speculate.

 

I have only presented something on these subjects because they have been

presented by Gauranga Prabhu.

 

I beg apology from the readers for this long text. If I have presented

anything incorrect I beg for your correction.

 

Sri Guru vaishnava das anudas, Madhavananda Das