How many times did Srila Prabhupada refer to ISKCON as Gaudiya Vaishnavism?

[Guest guest]

I am asking for the devotees to please present references from Srila Prabhupada in his books and lectures etc. where he describes ISKCON as being Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

 

Now, we are not looking for just some reference to the Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya, but looking for references where Srila Prabhupada said that ISKCON was Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

 

Please help with the research.

[Guest guest]

Srila Prabhupada was a Guru in the Gaudiya line, was he not?

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

I am asking for the devotees to please present references from Srila Prabhupada in his books and lectures etc. where he describes ISKCON as being Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

 

Now, we are not looking for just some reference to the Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya, but looking for references where Srila Prabhupada said that ISKCON was Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

 

Please help with the research.

 

what line is iskcon in?

[Guest guest]

 

what line is iskcon in?

 

Well, the sampradaya that ISKCON stems from is the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya sampradaya.

However, the followers of Sri Caitanya in Orrisa are known as Oriyan Vaishnavas.

The followers of Sri Caitanya in Bengal are known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas because the region is known as Gaudadesh.

 

I am looking for any reference where he says ISKCON is Gaudiya Vaishnava community.

 

anybody? anything?

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

Well, the sampradaya that ISKCON stems from is the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya sampradaya.

However, the followers of Sri Caitanya in Orrisa are known as Oriyan Vaishnavas.

The followers of Sri Caitanya in Bengal are known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas because the region is known as Gaudadesh.

 

I am looking for any reference where he says ISKCON is Gaudiya Vaishnava community.

 

anybody? anything?

 

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami-

There are four Sampradayas from the beginning of the creation. One is called Brahma Sampradaya, and is coming down by disciplic succession from Brahma; another Sampradaya is coming down from Laksmi, called Sri Sampradaya; another is coming down from the Kumaras, they are known as Nimbarka Sampradaya; another Sampradaya is coming from Lord Siva, Rudra Sampradaya or Visnu Swami. These are four bona fide Sampradayas that are accepted by the bona fide spiritualists. The Impersonalist Sampradaya is not original neither the Impersonalist Sampradaya or party can help us. At the present moment there are so many Sampradayas, but we have to test them about their method of disciplic understanding. Anyway, all the four Sampradayas above mentioned, they are after worshipping the Supreme Lord Visnu, in His different Expansions, and some of them are in favor of worshipping Radha Krishna. In the later age the Brahma Sampradaya was handed down though Madhva Acarya; in this Madhva Acarya disciplic succession came Isvara Puri. This Isvara Puri was accepted as Spiritual Master of Lord Caitanya. Therefore, we being in disciplic succession of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we are known as the Madhva Sampradaya. And because Lord Caitanya appeared in Bengal, which country is called Gaudadesa, our Sampradaya party is known as Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya. But all these Sampradayas are non-different from one another because they believe and worship the Supreme Lord. Any other Sampradaya who are Impersonalist or voidist or non-devotee, they are rejected by us.

Letter to: Upendra, Los Angeles, 13 February, 1968

[Guest guest]

 

our Sampradaya party is known as Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya.

 

That's close, but not really what i am looking for.

I am looking for a quote from Srila Prabhupada where he says directly that ISKCON is a Gaudiya society.

 

Because by saying that the sampradaya party is Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya is not exactly the same as saying that ISKCON is a Gaudiya society.

 

.

[madhavachari]

Obviously, ISKCON is not a "Gaudiya society", in the sense of being a Bengali society. It is rather an International society for Krishna consciousness. ISKCON.

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

That's close, but not really what i am looking for.

I am looking for a quote from Srila Prabhupada where he says directly that ISKCON is a Gaudiya society.

 

Because by saying that the sampradaya party is Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya is not exactly the same as saying that ISKCON is a Gaudiya society.

 

.

 

Close enough;)

 

I think there is slight differences between Iskcon and Gaudiya Matha. But we worship the same God.

[Guest guest]

To the original poster

 

Srila Prabhupada says "we and our" and he is talking about ISKCON. So instead of we and our insert the word ISKCON and you will get what you want...just a matter of semantics and nothing else.

 

Haribol!

 

anand

[madhavachari]

Madhva Gaudiya etc. The question is though what the Madhva part of the sampradaya is. Getting initiation into for example ISKCON, you receive Hare Krishna mantra, guru mantras, kama-gayatri and Gopala mantra, etc. But none of those mantras are part of the initiation in the line of Madhva. The teachings are not the same either, so it is clearly not a branch of the Madhva line - different teachings and different mantras.

Madhvas don´t accept that Krishna Chaitanya is an avatara either.

[Guest guest]

 

And because Lord Caitanya appeared in Bengal, which country is called Gaudadesa, our Sampradaya party is known as Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya.

 

But why is the sampradaya named after a state in India?

Why isn't it named after the doctrine or the avatar?

 

Why is this cult of Mahaprabhu named after a state in India rather than a doctrine or an avatar?

 

because Gaudadesh was named after some King who ruled there before, right?

 

It is not named Gaudadesh after Mahaprabhu, right?

[shambu]

 

Madhva Gaudiya etc. The question is though what the Madhva part of the sampradaya is. Getting initiation into for example ISKCON, you receive Hare Krishna mantra, guru mantras, kama-gayatri and Gopala mantra, etc. But none of those mantras are part of the initiation in the line of Madhva. The teachings are not the same either, so it is clearly not a branch of the Madhva line - different teachings and different mantras.

Madhvas don´t accept that Krishna Chaitanya is an avatara either.

 

 

Caitanya-caritamrta, Madyam lila 9:277

<CENTER></CENTER>

 

 

"At the time, all the South Indian Vaisnavas were worshipers of Lord Ramacandra. Some were Tattvavadis, and some were followers of Ramanujacarya."

 

 

Purport: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura points out that the word "Tattvavadi" refers to the followers of Srila Madhvacarya. To distinguish his disciplic succession from the Mayavadi followers of Sankaracarya, Srila Madhvacarya named his party the Tattvavadis. Impersonal monists are always attacked by these Tattvavadis, who attempt to defeat their philosophy of impersonalism. Generally, they establish the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Actually the disciplic succession of Madhvacarya is known as the Brahma Vaisnava sect; that is the sect coming down from Lord Brahma. Consequently the Tattvavadis, or followers of Madhvacarya, do not accept the incident of Lord Brahma's illusion, which is recorded in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srila Madhvacarya has purposefully avoided commenting on that portion of Srimad-Bhagavatam in which brahma-mohana, the illusion of Lord Brahma, is mentioned. Srila Madhavendra Puri was one of the acaryas in the Tattvavada disciplic succession, and he established the ultimate goal of transcendentalism to be attainment of pure devotional service, love of Godhead. Those Vaisnavas belonging to the Gaudiya-sampradaya, the disciplic succession following Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, are distinct from the Tattvavadis, although they belong to the same Tattvavada-sampradaya. The followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are therefore known as the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya.

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

But why is the sampradaya named after a state in India?

Why isn't it named after the doctrine or the avatar?

 

Why is this cult of Mahaprabhu named after a state in India rather than a doctrine or an avatar?

 

because Gaudadesh was named after some King who ruled there before, right?

 

It is not named Gaudadesh after Mahaprabhu, right?

 

From Bhaktivedanta Vedabase: Glossary:

Gauda-desa—the holy lands of Lord Caitanya’s birthplace.

[Guest guest]

 

From Bhaktivedanta Vedabase: Glossary:

Gauda-desa—the holy lands of Lord Caitanya’s birthplace.

 

yes, but that still does not answer how Gaudadesh became known as Gaudadesh.

It was Gaudadesh even before Caitanya was born there.

[Guest guest]

 

The celebrated ancient capital of the Sena dynasty, which was known as Gauḍadeśa or Gauḍa, was situated in what is now the modern district of Maldah. Later this capital was transferred to the ninth or central island on the western side of the Ganges at Navadvīpa, which is now known as Māyāpur and was then called Gauḍapura. Lord Caitanya appeared there, and Lord Nityānanda came there and joined Him from the district of Birbhum.

 

Bengal was known as Gaudadesh long before Caitanya appeared there.

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

yes, but that still does not answer how Gaudadesh became known as Gaudadesh.

It was Gaudadesh even before Caitanya was born there.

 

 

Navadwipa Dhama Mahatmya

by Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Chapter Three

The Procedure for Parikrama of the Dhama

 

Following the desires of the Lord, sometimes the streams dry up, and then again by His wish they flow with water; by the Lord's wish sometimes places become covered with water, and by His wish they again become visible. In this way the dhama endlessly enacts its lila, but the same dhama remains always manifest to the fortunate living entity. If a devotee has an acute desire in his heart, all the islands and rivers will be visible. By devotion, the dhama is sometimes visible in dreams, meditation, or to the naked eye.

[Guest guest]

The Sena dynasty ruled Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. They were originally from Karnataka in southern India.

 

The dynasty's founder was Hemantasena, who was part of the Pala Dynasty until their empire began to weaken. He usurped power and styled himself as king. His successor Vijayasena helped lay the foundations of the dynasty, and had an unusually long reign of over 60 years.

 

The Senas were ousted from power towards the end of the 12th century, when the whole of Bengal came under Muslim rule.

[edit]

 

The Sena rulers

 

* Hemanta Sen (1070 AD)

* Vijay Sen (1096-1159 AD)

* Ballal Sen (1159 - 1179 AD)

* Lakshman Sen (1179 - 1206 AD)

* Vishvarup Sen (1206 - 1225 AD)

* Keshab Sen (1225-1230 AD)

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

There are five northern states known as Pancha Gauda and five southern states known as Pancha Dravida. I am not sure why Bengal specifically took the word Gauda for itself.

[stonehearted]

The term Srila Prabhupada generally used to refer to Gaudiya vaishnavism is Krishna consciousness. I found one instance of his using "Gaudiya vaishnavism" in the VedaBase, in 1975 a letter to Satsvarupa Maharaja. The subject was Bon Maharaja. I think this letter shows that Srila Prabhupada accepts that "Gaudiya vaishnavism" and "Krishna consciousness" are identical. He brought the Gaudiya vaishnava philosophy, that taught by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers from Gaudadesha, out of India and showed that, although it may have taken its birth in Gaudadesha, it thrives wherever there are jivas ready to revive their dormant love for Krishna.

[Guest guest]

 

The term Srila Prabhupada generally used to refer to Gaudiya vaishnavism is Krishna consciousness. I found one instance of his using "Gaudiya vaishnavism" in the VedaBase, in 1975 a letter to Satsvarupa Maharaja. The subject was Bon Maharaja. I think this letter shows that Srila Prabhupada accepts that "Gaudiya vaishnavism" and "Krishna consciousness" are identical. He brought the Gaudiya vaishnava philosophy, that taught by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers from Gaudadesha, out of India and showed that, although it may have taken its birth in Gaudadesha, it thrives wherever there are jivas ready to revive their dormant love for Krishna.

 

 

But wasn't Kamsa "Krishna conscious"?

He could think of nothing but Krishna.

Isn't that Krishna consciousness?

 

Is Krishna consciousness necessarily "Gaudiya Vaishnavism"?

[Guest guest]

Were all the devotees that Mahaprabhu made in South India "Gaudiya Vaishnavas"?

[Guest guest]

Were the Vraja gopis "Gaudiya Vaishnavas"?

Was Madhavendra Puri a Gaudiya Vaishnava?

 

Was Bilvamangal Thakur a Gaudiya Vaishnava?

 

Is Krishna consciousness the monopoly of Gaudiya Vaishnavas?

[Guest guest]

Did the original Gaudiya Vaishnavas who were not born into brahmana families given brahminical initiation to non-brahmanas?

[stonehearted]

 

Is Krishna consciousness necessarily "Gaudiya Vaishnavism"?

Good question, and the answer is no. The Pusti-marg devotees are also Krishna conscious, as are many other groups. Gaudiya vaishnavas are those who follow the teachings of Lord Chaitanya, who came from Gaudadesha. Srila Prabhupada is a devotee in the Gaudiya vaishnava line, and he naturally considers himself and his disciples to be Gaudiya vaishnavas. If one broadens a VedaBase search from "Gaudiya vaisnavism" to "Gaudiya vaisnava," there'll be more hits. Some samples:

 

In our Gaudiya Vaisnava society, following in the footsteps of Rupa Gosvami, our first business is to seek shelter of a bona fide spiritual master (adau gurv-asrayah). (SB 10.10.25, purport)

 

Thus, according to the Gaudiya-Vaisnava philosophy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, it is better to be a servant of the servant of God [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. (Cc. Madhya 5.23)

 

It is on the basis of his position that anyone can now become a Gaudiya Vaisnava, from any part of the world or any part of the universe. . . . Our Krsna consciousness movement in the Western world is based on the above-mentioned proposition of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada, our spiritual master. On his authority, we are claiming members from all sections of the Western countries. (NoD Ch. 5) [i'd say this one is pretty much "on point," as lawyers say.)

 

Anyone who looks could probably find many more, but, since I can't see the point of this inquiry, I'll let others use their time for this.

[stonehearted]

 

Were the Vraja gopis "Gaudiya Vaishnavas"?

Was Madhavendra Puri a Gaudiya Vaishnava?

 

Was Bilvamangal Thakur a Gaudiya Vaishnava?

 

Is Krishna consciousness the monopoly of Gaudiya Vaishnavas?

"Gaudiya vaishnavas" generally meant vaishnavas from Bengal, as Srila Prabhupada explains in some Chaitanya-charitamrita purports. But the broad vision of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, and Srila Prabhupada have, as we see in the NoD quotation above, broadened that definition. And I've already answered your last question. There's something about the tone of these posts that suggests you may have some agenda in asking all these questions. And, since I don't like to respond to anonymous posts, unless they're clearly straightforward, I'll let someone else deal with yours.