The Uttama-adhikari as taught in Purport to NOI 5

[Guest guest]

Dear Janesvara Prabhu: pamho. agtsp.

 

I think you have misunderstood what I was writing. There are two

descriptions of kanistha-, madhyama- and uttama-adhikaris in Lord Caitanya's

teachings to Sanatana Goswami. One is based on sraddha (faith) and another

on rati-prema (attachment and love). You are talking of the uttama-adhikari

who is categorized as per rati-prema and I am talking of the uttama-adhikari

who is categorized based on sraddha.

 

In this regard, here is an excerpt from a draft of an article that I am

currently composing:

 

---Start of excerpt---

 

Maha-bhagavata as taught in Madhya-lila 24.330 purport

---------------------

 

Rtvikists often state that ONLY a "maha-bhagavata" can be a diksa-guru. They

provide quotes from Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila 24.330 purport to

support their claim. Here are some of what they present as evidence:

 

"The guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service.

There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from

the topmost class. The first-class devotee is the spiritual master for all

kinds of people."

 

"The bona fide spiritual master who accepts disciples from all over the

world is also worshiped all over the world because of his qualities.

Lokanam asau pujyo yatha harih: the people of the world worship him just

as they worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

 

"When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be

accepted as a guru and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of

Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru."

 

These statements are often quoted in IRG papers so as to present the concept

that a diksa-guru has to be in the "topmost position of maha-bhagavata."

 

What we will do here is to quote and analyze the Caitanya Caritamrta

Madhya-lila 24.330 purport to see if it supports the stand taken by the

Desai-anugas.

 

QUOTE

 

PURPORT In the Padma Purana, the characteristics of the guru, the bona

fide spiritual master, have been described:

 

maha-bhagavata-srestho brahmano vai gurur nrnam

sarvesam eva lokanam asau pujyo yatha harih

maha-kula-prasuto'pi sarva-yajnesu diksitah

sahasra-sakhadhyayi ca na guruh syad avaisnavah

 

The guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service.

There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from

the topmost class. The first-class devotee is the spiritual master for all

kinds of people. It is said: gurur nrnam. The word nrnam means "of all

human beings." The guru is not limited to a particular group. It is stated

in the Upadesamrta of Rupa Gosvami that a guru is a gosvami, a controller

of the senses and the mind. Such a guru can accept disciples from all over

the world. prthivim sa sisyat. This is the test of the guru.

 

ANALYSIS

 

Prabhupada says, "There are three classes of devotees and the guru must be

accepted from the topmost class."

 

Now if we look into the Caitanya Caritamrta, in Lord Caitanya's teachings to

Sanatana Goswami, we discover that there are two DIFFERENT classifications

of devotees: there are two different sets of "three classes of devotees".

Both of these classifications have kanistha-adhikaris, madhyama-adhikaris,

and uttama-adhikaris. They are:

 

(1) Classification based on faith--sraddha (CC Madhya 22.64)

(2) Classification based on attachment and love--rati-prema (CC Madhya

22.71)

 

Rather than make it too elaborate, I shall simply quote the descriptions of

the uttama-adhikari according to these classifications.

 

This is the description of the uttama-adhikari classified based on faith (I

will refer to him as "Type 1 uttama-adhikari"):

 

sastra-yuktye sunipuna, drdha-sraddha yanra

'uttama-adhikari' sei taraye samsara

 

"One who is expert in logic, argument and the revealed scriptures and who

has firm faith in Krsna is classified as a topmost devotee. He can deliver

the whole world."

 

sastre yuktau ca nipunah sarvatha drdha-nisca yah

praudha-sraddho 'dhikari yah sa bhaktav uttamo matah

 

"'One who is expert in logic and understanding of revealed scriptures, and

who always has firm conviction and deep faith that is not blind, is to be

considered a topmost devotee in devotional service.'"

 

PURPORT: This verse appears in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.17) by

Srila Rupa Gosvami.

 

And this is the description of the uttama-adhikari based on attachment and

love of Krsna (I will refer to him as "Type 2 uttama-adhikari"):

 

sarva-bhutesu yah pasyed bhagavad-bhavam atmanah

bhutani bhagavaty atmany esa bhagavatottamah

 

"'A person advanced in devotional service sees within everything the soul

of souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. Consequently he

always sees the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of

all causes and understands that all things are situated in Him.'"

 

PURPORT: This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.45).

 

So which uttama-adhikari is referred to in the purport under discussion when

Srila Prabhupada writes, "the guru must be accepted from the topmost class"?

If we examine the purport under analysis, we find that Srila Prabhupada also

refers to the same type of guru thus:

 

It is stated in the Upadesamrta of Rupa Gosvami that a guru is a gosvami,

a controller of the senses and the mind. Such a guru can accept disciples

from all over the world. Prthivim sa sisyat. This is the test of the

guru.

 

"This is the test of the guru" proves that this is the same type of guru as

is taught in the purport under discussion. It is also clearly a reference to

the first verse of Nectar of Instruction. Srila Prabhupada's translation of

this first verse runs thus:

 

A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's demands, the

actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is

qualified to make disciples all over the world.

 

This verse as well as the statement that a guru who is "a controller of the

senses and the mind" shows that the guru still has the urges of speech,

mind, anger, tongue, belly and genitals and that he who TOLERATES these

urges is qualified to make disciples all over the world. The presence of

these urges indicates that the guru may not in bhava or prema. Yet Srila

Rupa Goswami says prithvim sa sisyat: "he can make disciples all over the

world."

 

Had it been that the "uttama-adhikari" guru should only be in bhava or

prema, where is the question of any of his sensual urges and the injunction

that he should tolerate them?

 

Now the type 2 uttama-adhikari is BEYOND these six urges since his love for

Krsna is already developed (see the purport to SB 11.2.45). So it cannot be

that Srila Prabhupada is equating him with the person who is qualified to be

a guru in NOI verse 1. Therefore the person who is qualified to be a guru

according to NOI verse 1 is referred to here in the purport under analysis

and is the same as type 1 uttama-adhikari whose identifying characteristics

are:

 

(a) He is expert in logic, argument and the revealed scriptures

(sastra-yukti)

(b) He has firm faith in Krsna (drdha-sraddha)

© He controls his senses and mind

 

This is the type of guru that we are asked by Srila Prabhupada to accept.

Such a "first-class devotee is the spiritual master for all kinds of

people".

 

Two further points to note is that (a) the Caitanya-caritamrta asserts that

SUCH an uttama-adhikari "can deliver the whole world" (uttama-adhikari sei

taraye samsara) and (b) the word drdha-sraddha (firm faith in Krsna) shows

that the uttama-adhikari doesn't necessarily have to be in bhava/prema

because if he was to only be in that level of realization, then the word

drdha-sraddha wouldn't be an identifying characteristic of such a devotee.

Drdha-sraddha as an identifying characteristic would be apply to devotees

who are on or above nistha level of realization.

 

---End of excerpt---

 

So my point is which type of uttama-adhikari are we asked to accept as a

guru? Is it that he ONLY has to be type 2 uttama-adhikari? The answer to

this is NO.

 

Are you saying that in this entire movement there are no one who are:

 

(1) sastra-yuktye sunipuna--expert in logic and sastra

(2) drdha-sraddha--possessing firm faith in Krsna???

 

According to Kaviraja Goswami, one who has these two is an uttama-adhikari

and he adds, "uttama-adhikari--sei taraye samsara": "he can deliver the

whole world."

 

Also, a maha-bhagavata can fall down. Bharata Maharaja, even when he was a

king, was described in SB as a maha-bhagavata in Sanskrit and word meanings.

 

And here are some other quotes provided by Svarupa Prabhu on a

maha-bhagavata falling down:

 

"The Mayavadi philosophers have presented their arguments in such

attractive, flowery language that hearing Mayavada philosophy may

sometimes change the mind of even a maha-bhagavata, or very advanced

devotee." (Adi 7.110, Purport)

 

"The Mayavada commentary Sariraka-bhasya is like poison for a Vaisnava. It

should not be touched at all. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura remarks that even

a maha-bhagavata, or highly elevated devotee who has surrendered himself

unto the lotus feet of Krsna, sometimes falls down from pure devotional

service if he hears the Mayavada philosophy of Sariraka-bhasya. This

commentary should therefore be shunned by all Vaisnavas."

((Antya 2.95, Purport)

 

TEXT 96

maha-bhagavata yei, krsna prana-dhana yara

mayavada-sravane citta avasya phire tanra"

 

SYNONYMS

maha-bhagavata yei—one who is a highly elevated devotee; krsna—Lord Krsna;

prana-dhana yara—whose life and soul; mayavada-sravane—by hearing the

Mayavada philosophy; citta—the heart; avasya—certainly; phire—changes;

tanra—his.

 

TRANSLATION

"The Mayavada philosophy presents such a jugglery of words that even a

highly elevated devotee who has accepted Krsna as his life and soul

changes his decision when he reads the Mayavada commentary on

Vedanta-sutra." (Antya 2.96)

 

In the above verse, maha-bhagavata is mentioned in the original Bengali.

 

YS

VGD