MORE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR THE Q&A CONFERENCE

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Letter COM:2710035 (162 lines)

Anuttama (das) JPS (Santiago - CHL)

18-Oct-99 20:12

Vijaya Radha (dd) JPS (JPS Office Mayapur - IN) [6371]

Reference: Text COM:2676003 by Vijaya Radha (dd) JPS (JPS Office Mayapur -

IN)

MORE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR THE Q&A CONFERENCE

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> Q: (unknown)

> A: So Brihaspati came as, he wanted to teach Lord Chaitanya. Brihaspati

> came down as Sarvabhoma Bhatta Acharya, but then when he came he was with

> all the mayavadis in Navadvipa, he came preaching about Mayavada. Then he

> went off to Jaganatha Puri, but he never taught Lord Chaitanya when he was

> a child, a student in Navadvipa.

 

> Later when Lord Chaitanya took sannayasa, he went to Jaganatha Puri. Then

> he had an altercation with Nityananda Prabhu. Nityanada Prabhu broke his

> danda in three parts and threw it in the river, at Dandabanga. There are

> many esoteric explanations on why he broke the danda. Some we may know and

> some we may not know. One of the ideas was that Lord Chaitanya, why he

> should have one danda, because one danda is for mayavadis? He should have

> three dandi, which is for Vaisnavas. So he broke, danda means a stick, a

> sannayasi staff, he broke into three. The other is why should he have a

> danda at all, because that is for human beings that have to do tapasya.

> Being that he is Supreme Lord he doesn't have to do all these things. So

> things like that. So anyway Lord Chaitanya became overtly angry, "Who

> broke my danda, you have no right to do this, so I'm not going with you

> now". He was very angry so he ran ahead, and they couldn't catch up with

> him. So he got to the Jaganatha Puri temple first. When he saw Jaganatha

> he fainted in the temple, in ecstasy he went in trance. So the priests

> thought that maybe he's some crazy guy, they were going to kick him and

> beat him. Sarvabhoma Bhatta Acharya seeing his physical signs could

> recognize, he was not an ordinary person. And also saw that he wasn't

> breathing, nor was he having any heartbeat. It was quite unusual, so he

> took him to his house. He tested and found that Lord Chaitanya was simply

> breathing very slightly, held a cotton swab by his nose and saw slightly

> the fibers were moving. So normally people cannot do that. Can any of you

> do that? Then the devotees found Lord Chaitanya, and they said, "We know

> how to revive him, he can only be revived by chanting". So then they begin

> to chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama

> Hare Rama Rama Hare Hare. So then Lord Chaitanya revived. And Sarvabhoma

> Bhatta Acharya said, "I'd like to teach you, since you're a Sannayasi in

> the Shankara line, you took Sannayasa from Kesava Bharti, who was in the

> Shankara line. I'd like to teach you Vedanta Sutra". Lord Chaitanya said,

> "Alright, I'd be happy to learn Vedanta Sutra from you". For seven days

> Sarvabhoma Bhatta Acharya, mind you he is a Brihasapati, he is teaching

> Lord Chaitanya the Shankacharya philosophy of Vedanta Sutra. He reads a

> Vedanta Sutra sloka, Janma Dasi Atah, which means that everything is

> coming from the Absolute Truth. But then he gives his own indirect

> interpretation. The direct interpretation is that since everything is

> coming from the Absolute Truth, then everything has varieties and

> qualities, therefore the Absolute Truth must also have variety and

> quality. How can something come from nothing? How can the quality come

> from non-quality? For seven days, Lord Chaitanya just listened and he

> didn't say a word. He didn't ask a single question. Normally in this heavy

> weighty discussion, topic, you ask some questions. But he had no

> questions. After seven days, Sarvabhoma Bhatta Acharya said, "how is it

> that you are just listening and you never have any questions? Are you able

> to understand what I'm speaking?". He (Lord Chaitanya) said, "I can

> understand the Vedanta Sutra that you speak, but I don't understand your

> explanation". So that was like throwing the gong-lid down, I understand

> the sastra but your explanation is unintelligible. So then he said, "so

> then you can explain". Then Lord Chaitanya took the atma Rama verse from

> the Srimad Bhagavatam, atma Rama yamunaya. He explains that in sixty-four

> different ways, and gave the essence of the Vedanta Sutra through this one

> verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam. It was such an erudite explanation. Lord

> Chaitanya explained how the teachings of Shankacarya are indirect, and the

> Vedanta Sutra is clearly understandable if you take the direct meaning.

> And Srimad Bhagavatam is the natural explanation of the Vedanta Sutra. In

> the end Sarvabhoma Bhatta Acharya he had been told by his brother-in-law,

> I believe it was his brother-in-law Gopinatha Acharya, that Lord Chaitanya

> was the avatara of Krishna come as a bhakta. But he didn't believe it.

> Then things started to snap together, and he started to pick up that Lord

> Chaitanya was more then what it appeared to be. He asked him to reveal who

> he really was. Then Lord Chaitanya revealed his form as Krishna to

> Sarvabhoma Bhatta Acharya. Then he also took a six-handed form showing

> himself as Krishna, Rama, and Lord Chaitanya combined in one. Then

> Sarvabhoma Bhatta Acharya surrendered to him.

> After that, he became a very enthusiastic devotee. Before he was a very

> stiff upper lip kind of, very impersonalist. You know about the smartas?

> Is a kind of brahmana, who are very much conscious about rules and

> regulations. He was in that line. One day Lord Chaitanya just to test him,

> he was late for mongal arotik, so don't feel bad it happens to everyone,

> so Lord Chaitanya came from the mongal arotik right into the bedroom of

> Sarvabhoma Bhatta Acharya. Good Morning! Sunshine, Hare Krishna. How would

> you like Lord Chaitanya to come after you missed mongal arotik? Next day

> you'd be on time, right? Lord Chaitanya said, "look it we got maha-prasada

> and cashews from the mongal arotik offering, here is some prasadam". He is

> still sitting on his bed, he hadn't brushed his teeth, he hasn't done his

> morning duties - taken his bath and all the things you normally do. So a

> smarta would not eat food without having brushed the teeth, and all these

> things. Lord Chaitanya gave him prasada, he had no chance of doing any of

> these things. Then he immediately ate the prasada. Lord Chaitanya said,

> "how is it being a brahmana you are eating without having bathed". Then he

> quoted a sloka saying, that whenever we get prasadam there are no rules

> and regulations. Prasadam is Krishna and we should immediately accept. How

> many of you can follow that principle? (the devotees present raise their

> hands) So you are very advanced. But Balabhadra Prabhu you could not

> follow this afternoon. (Balabhadra Prabhu laughs) After they feed so much

> prasadam, they offered more and he said no. So like that there are a lot

> of pastimes of Sarvabhoma Bhatta Acharya, he is the avatara of

> Brihasapati. He was made into a completely pure devotee by Chaitanya

> Mahaprabhu's pastime.

>

> Q: What is the difference between a brahmana and a vaisnava?

> A: Once Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura was invited to speak in

> front of a big assembly of brahmanas. He gave a big lecture on all the

> twelve qualities of a brahmana: tama, dama, tatticshava, being equal,

> being controlled, being patient, being clean, religious, practicing

> religiosity, knowing religiosity, so on and so forth. He gave all the

> twelve qualities of a brahmana. Then all the brahmanas became very

> satisfied with this explanation. Then he says that the Vaisnava includes

> all these, but also the quality of pure devotion to Krishna. Brahmana

> means, who knows Brahman. Brahman is the impersonal aspect of the Absolute

> Truth. That means that the brahmana should know what is the spiritual

> reality and what is the material reality. Side by side, we should know

> both. But the Vaisnava knows Krishna, which is more. Vaisnava knows the

> Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brahmanas may not know fully about

> Krishna.

>

> Q: Why do we worship deities?

> A: Anybody can say why we worship deities? We cannot see his

> sat-cit-ananda form, so we worship his deity form made in his image. He

> gives us an opportunity to perform various personal services to the Lord,

> and thus further develop our personal relationship. Krishna comes, and His

> deity is an avatara - archa avatara. By serving the Lord in His archa

> avatara form, then we are able to come closer to him and develop our

> Krishna Consciousness. It is one of the nine processes of devotional

> service - archana.

>

> Q: Even though he will be in another form, will we know it's Prabhupada

> when we finally get back to Godhead?

> A: The things people worry about. (Laughter) He'll be wearing a

> nametag. Yes, you will be able to recognize him.

>

> Q: Forgive the question, how did you attain the state that you are in now?

> How can I possibly reach the state of being very close to God?

> A: Whatever state I'm in? Georgia. It's by the mercy of Srila

> Prabhupada. You can become close to God by getting the mercy of Guru and

> Krishna.

>

> Q: What is the difference between material and spiritual humility and

> tolerance?

> A: Why do you want to know the difference between material and

> spiritual? Isn't it enough to know what is spiritual humility and

> tolerance? What is material and what is spiritual? What makes an activity

> spiritual or material? The purpose for which it is done. The purpose for

> which the activity is done, is what makes it. Things are done for a

> material purpose, they are material. If somebody is humble to please

> Krishna, then its spiritual humility. If they are tolerant to do their

> service for Krishna. If somebody is very tolerant, so that no matter how

> many times the temple president asks them to do something they tolerate

> it, they never do anything. (laughter) They never get upset, never do

> anything. Is that spiritual tolerance? Tolerance means that just like the

> scientists they work very hard. They tolerate so many difficulties to make

> their discoveries. Mahaguna works so hard to go to school. So many people

> go to school here, there are so many universities. If things are done for

> some material purpose, it's material. And if it's done for some spiritual

> purpose, it's like, the devotees they are told that you are very great,

> but they always think no this is just the mercy of Guru and Krishna. They

> always say personally that I have no personal qualification. No matter how

> many times we ask Prabhupada what's your secret for success, he would say

> I simple tried to carry out the instructions of my spiritual master.

>

> Q: What is the relationship between Krishna and the Devas.

> A: Krishna is the original form of Vishnu, and Vishnu is the source of

> all the Devas. So all the Devas are servitors of Krishna. So their

> relationship is one of master and servant. When the Devas get in trouble,

> they pray to Krishna for protection. He bails them out. Many times it

> happens.

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