Apasampradayas

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

In a standard Sanskrit dictionary, the word sampradaya is defined as "genuine

instruction that has been received through guru parampara or disciplic

succession" (guru paramparagatu sad upadesasya). The prefix sam indicates

connection, while the stem is a cognate of pradhana, "source". In the fourth

chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna declares Himself to be the original

source of the transcendental science of bhakti-yoga, and He confirms that one

is connected to this knowledge only through guru-parampara.

 

In the vocabulary of Western religious traditions, sampradaya really has no

exact equivalent. One might be tempted to employ "orthodoxy", but as a noted

German Sanskritist has pointed out, this word really applies to matters of

doctrine, not practice. Admission into a sampradaya does not only depend upon

a theoretically correct grasp of Krsna's teachings. The candidate must

practically demonstrate his learning through strict adherance to the purified

lifestyle (acara) set down by great saintly teachers (acaryas).

 

"One is understood to be in full knowledge whose

every endeavor is devoid of desire for sense grati-

fication. He is said by the sages to be a worker for

whom the reactions of karma have been burned up by

the fire of perfect knowledge."

 

(Bhagavad-gita 4.19)

 

Pure acara automatically expands into pure pracara (preaching), upacara (Deity

worship) and all other devotional activities. By such purity, the devotee

becomes eligible to enjoy the higher taste of transcendence (param drstva)

that is spoken of by Krsna in Bhagavad-gita 2.59, which satisfies all desires

at their very root, within the soul itself. Thus the lower taste for

meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling and intoxication is lost; consciousness

firmly settles into sinlessness, and the devotee gradually becomes qualified

to enter the rasa of Sri Krsna's personal association. Raso vai sah rasam hy

evayam labdhvanandi bhavati, declares the Tattiriya Upanisad: "When one

understands the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure, Krsna, he

actually becomes transcendentally blissful."

 

The genuineness of a sampradaya or a person representing a sampradaya is

primarily determined by spiritual quality (sarva maha-guna-gana vaisnava-

sarire - "A Vaisnava is one who has developed all good qualities", Sri

Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 22.75). The good qualities of the Vaisnava are

actually krsnera-guna, Krsna's own, and they appear in the devotee through his

exchange of rasa with the Lord. The Lord's transcendental qualities are

unlimited (ananta krsnera-guna), and His devotees are likewise unlimited. This

combination precipitates different moods of love of Godhead, which are visible

in the persons of great acaryas who have descended into this world to teach

genuine Vaisnava qualities via the sampradaya system.

 

Even when he seems to be at variance with other acaryas on certain matters of

detail, it is clear that a real acarya is situated in perfect knowledge

because he 1) is free from vice, 2) exhibits the good qualities of a Vaisnava,

and 3) accepts Visnu-tattva as Supreme. Differences between the teachings of

acaryas are due to their individual moods of love for the Lord.

 

"What Madhvacarya understands, we also understand ... What Ramanuja

understands, we also understand. What Caitanya Mahaprabhu undestands, we also

understand. So there is no difference ... That is Vaisnava. All the

Vaisnavas understand that Visnu is the Supreme. There may be, sometimes, such

as Krsna is understood as incarnation of Visnu, and sometimes they understand

Visnu as the incarnation of Krsna. That is sampradaya. That is sampradaya.

But either Krsna or Visnu, He is Supreme, that is accepted by all ... If I

love somebody, I'll say he is first. And if you love somebody, you'll say he

is first. But both of them same ... Hanumanji, he'll never accept Krsna. And

the gopis will never accept Rama or Visnu."

 

(His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami

Prabhupada, conversation, May 6, 1975)

 

Admission into a sampradaya ultimately depends upon the aspirant's submission

to the mood of the acarya through strict adherence to the acara he teaches.

When asked what constitutes the personal relationship of a disciple to his

spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada answered, "To obey your spiritual master.

Whatever he has said, you follow strictly. Follow the regulative principles.

Chant sixteen rounds. That's all." (SP con A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami

Prabhupada, conversation, May 6, 1975)

 

"There are four lines of disciplic succession: one from Lord Brahma, one from

Lord Siva, one from Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, and one from the Kumaras.

The disciplic succession from Lord Brahma is called the Brahma-sampradaya, the

succession from Lord Siva (Sambhu) is called the Rudra-sampradaya, the one

from the goddess of fortune, Laksmiji, is called the Sri-sampradaya, and the

one from the Kumaras is called the Kumara-sampradaya. One must take shelter of

one these four sampradayas in order to understand the most confidential

religious system. In the Padma Purana it is said, sampradaya-vihina ye

mantras te nisphala matah: if one does not follow the four recognized

disciplic successions, his mantra or initiation is useless. In the present

day there are many apasampradayas, or sampradayas which are not bona fide,

which have no link to authorities like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, the Kumaras or

Laksmi. People are misguided by such sampradayas. The sastras say that being

initiated in such a sampradaya is a useless waste of time, for it will never

enable one to understand the real religious principles."

 

(Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.21, purport)

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura identifies thirteen apasampradayas that split away

from the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya after Lord Caitanya's disappearance:

aula, baula, kartabhaja, neda, daravesa, sani, sahajiya, sakhibheki, smarta,

jata-gosani, ativadi, cudadhari and gauranga-nagari. These apasampradayas

(apa means "deviated") are like parasitical growths upon the great tree of the

sankirtana movement. Because they exhibit all the defects of material

conditioning, they are spiritually useless. The "rasa" relished by such

groups is termed prakrta-rasa by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Their

missionary activities are condemned as cheating.

 

"A conditioned soul in the material world has the disqualification of

cheating. He has four disqualifications: he is sure to commit mistakes, he is

sure to be illusioned, he is prone to cheat others and his senses are

imperfect. But if anyone carries out the order of the spiritual master by

disciplic succession or the parampara system, he overcomes the four defects.

Therefore knowledge received from the bona fide spiritual master is not

cheating. Any other knowledge which is manufactured by the conditioned soul

is cheating only. Brahma knew well that Kardama Muni exactly carried out the

instructions received from him and that he actually honored his spiritual

master. To honor the spiritual master means to carry out his instructions

word for word."

 

(Bhag. 3.24.12, Purport)

 

The ultimate test of whether one is or is not a member of Lord Caitanya's

sampradaya is the quality of his chanting of the holy name of Krsna, which is

the essential acara in the the age of Kali: "...you should always remember

that either grhastha or brahmacari or sannyasi, nobody can strictly follow all

the rules and regulations ... In the Kali-yuga it is not possible... Therefore

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended that hari-nama, chanting Hare Krsna

mantra, should be very rigidly performed, which is common for everyone." (SP

conversation, March 10, 1976)

 

If a person advertises himself as a Gaudiya Vaisnava by chanting the Hare

Krsna mahamantra and yet deliberately blasphemes great devotees, denies that

Lord Visnu is the Absolute Truth, considers the spiritual master to be an

ordinary man, blasphemes Vedic literatures and other authorized scriptures,

considers the glories of the holy name to be exaggeration, concocts perverted

theories about the holy name, thinks the holy name to be equivalent to mundane

religious rituals, preaches the glories of the holy name to the faithless or

maintains material attachments while chanting the holy name, he cannot

represent the sampradaya even if he is initiated into it.

 

"Whether a Vaisnava is properly initiated or not is not a subject for

consideration. One may be initiated and yet contaminated by the Mayavada

philosophy, but a person who chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly

will not be so contaminated. A properly initiated Vaisnava may be imperfect,

but one who chants the holy name of the Lord is all-perfect. Although he may

apparently be a neophyte, he still has to be considered a pure unalloyed

Vaisnava."

 

(C.c. Madhya 15.111, Purport)

 

"If one chants the Hare Krsna mantra while committing offenses, these unwanted

creepers will grow. One should not take advantage of chanting the Hare Krsna

mantra for some material profit. As mentioned in verse 159:

 

'nisiddhacara', 'kutinati', 'jiva-himsana'

'labha', 'puja', 'pratisthadi yata upasakha-gana

 

The unwanted creepers have been described by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

Thakura. He states that if one hears and chants without trying to give up

offenses, one becomes materially attached to sense gratification. One may

also desire freedom from material bondage like the Mayavadis, or one may

become attached to the yoga-siddhis and desire wonderful yogic powers. If one

is attached to wonderful material activities, one is called siddhi-lobhi,

greedy for material perfection. One may also be victimized by diplomatic or

crooked behavior, or one may associate with women for illicit sex. Others may

make a show of devotional service like the prakrta-sahajiyas, or one may try

to support his philosophy by joining some caste or identifying himself with

the support of family tradition, one may become a pseudo guru or so-called

spiritual master. One may become attached to the four sinful activities -

illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and meat eating - or one may consider a

Vaisnava to belong to a mundane caste or creed. One may think, 'This is a

Hindu Vaisnava, and this is a European Vaisnava. A European Vaisnava is not

allowed to enter the temples.' In other words, one may consider Vaisnavas in

terms of birth, thinking one a brahmana Vaisnava, a sudra Vaisnava, a mleccha

Vaisnava and so on. One may also try to carry out a professional business

while chanting the Hare Krsna mantra or reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, or one may

try to increase his monetary strength by illegal means. One may also try to be

a cheap Vaisnava by chanting in a secluded place for material adoration, or

one may desire mundane reputation by making comprises with non-devotees,

compromising one's philosophy or spiritual life, or one may become a supporter

of a hereditary caste system. All these are pitfalls of personal sense

gratification. Just to cheat some innocent people, one makes a show of

advanced spiritual life and becomes known as a sadhu, mahatma or religious

person. All this means that the so-called devotee has become victimized by

all these unwanted creepers and that the real creeper of bhakti-lata-bija has

been stunted."

 

(C.c. Madhya 19.160, Purport)

 

The link between namaparadha and full-blown deviation from the sampradaya is

indicated by Srila Jiva Gosvami, who warns in Bhakti-sandharba that there are

offenders to the holy name who are acikitsya or incorrigible (jnana-lava-

durvidagdhastra-acikitsya-atva-dupeksa). Devotees, always compassionate, try

to help fallen souls with good instruction. But if someone becomes insolent

and arrogant due to acquiring a little knowledge from their association, he is

disqualifed from the sampradaya because of three kinds of namaparadha:

sadhu-nindha (blasphemy of the devotees of the Lord), guru-avajna (disregard

of the spiritual master) and sruti-sastra-nindha (blasphemy of the revealed

scriptures).

 

Yet the incorrigible offender never concedes the fact of his offenses. He

cannot understand that the mercy of the spiritual master and the association

of pure devotees are indispensible to the chanting of the holy name. Because

he highly values worldly knowledge and accomplishments, he looks down upon the

simple devotees who have surrendered themselves to devotional service. This is

sadhu-ninda. He cannot accept that the spiritual master is a transcendental

teacher, not a worldly one; thus he tries to measure the person and

instructions of the guru by his own mental standards. This is guru-avajna. He

studies the revealed scriptures as he would ordinary literature, gleaning from

it whatever seems to support his preconceived notions, heedless of the rest.

This is sruti-sastra-nindha.

 

If, on the strength of a false show of advancement in Krsna consciousness, he

pretends to have fully realized the glories of the holy name, such aparadhi is

fit to be shunned by the bona fide community of devotees.

 

Nontheless, it is seen that some acikitsya-namaparadhis become very

influential in the Kali-yuga. Somehow or other they make use of the bona fide

spiritual master for their own ends. Advertising themselves as his dearmost

disciples, they seem to serve, glorify and worship the spiritual master with

considerable sincerity. But all pains taken by them are for the sake of

self-promulgation alone. Their progress is in the accumulation of material

wealth and fame, not in devotional service to Krsna.

 

The acikitsya-namaparadhi, propelled to prominence by cunning, diplomacy and

material qualifications like noble birth, opulence, erudition and beauty, may

attract followers from the ranks of two lesser grades of namaparadhis who have

not firmly taken shelter of the sampradaya due to misfortune. These two kinds

of offenders are the ignorant and the weak.

 

The ignorant offenders are compared to damp wood: lacking bhakti-sukrti and

the association and mercy of the saintly, they are sunk in material

conceptions; even if they are exposed to the purifying fire of Krsna

consciousness, it does not ignite their good fortune immediately. Thus they

are liable to be misled. But if they take refuge in the holy name, Krsna's

mercy will some day be available to them, even if after a long time.

 

The weak are hesitant to take advantage of genuine sadhu-sanga due to a

paucity of faith. Innocent and without duplicity, the more they can simply

surrender to the chanting of the holy name in good association, the more they

are blessed by Krsna's mercy. But until their lingering sins are destroyed by

the effect of sadhu-sanga, they cannot muster the strength to transcend

namaparadha.

 

The acikitsya-namaparadhi expertly spins a net of illusion sticky-sweet with a

perverted enjoying mood (prakrta-rasa) by which he entraps his unfortunate

followers. Awakening and nourishing seeds of worldly desire (anarthas) within

their hearts, he misleads them into thinking that these growing anarthas are

the bhakti-lata-bija.

 

"Bhakti-lata-bija means 'the seed of devotional service.' Everything has an

original cause or seed. For any idea, program, plan or device, there is first

of all the contemplation of the plan, and that is called bija, or the seed.

The methods, rules and regulations by which one is perfectly trained in

devotional service constitute the bhakti-lata-bija, or seed of devotional

service. This bhakti-lata-bija is received from the spiritual master by the

grace of Krsna. Other seeds are called anyabhilasa-bija, karma-bija,

jnana-bija or political and social or philanthropic bija. However,

bhakti-lata-bija is different from these other bijas. Bhakti-lata-bija can be

received only through the mercy of the spiritual master. Therefore one has to

satisfy the spiritual master to get bhakti-lata-bija (yasya prasadad

bhagavat-prasadah). Bhakti-lata-bija is the origin of devotional service.

Unless one satisfies the spiritual master, he gets the bija, or root cause, of

karma, jnana and yoga without the benefit of devotional service. However, one

who is faithful to his spiritual master gets the bhakti-lata-bija. This

bhakti-lata-bija is received when one is initiated by the bona fide spiritual

master. After receiving the spiritual master's mercy, one must repeat his

instructions, and this is called sravana-kirtana - hearing and chanting. One

who has not properly heard from the spiritual master or who does not follow

the regulative principles is not fit for chanting (kirtana). This is

explained in Bhagavad-gita (2.41): vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana.

One who has not listened carefully to the instructions of the spiritual master

is unfit to chant or preach the cult of devotional service. One has to water

the bhakti-lata-bija after receiving instructions from the spiritual master."

 

(C.c. Madhya 19.152, purport)

 

In the apasampradayas, chanting and preaching are never undertaken with regard

for Vaisnava traditions of regulative principles and spiritual instruction.

The "ecstasy" of prakrta-rasa generated by such unauthorized chanting and

preaching is but poison in devotional guise.

 

"Instead of awakening real love for Krsna, such hearers of the Bhagavatam

become more and more attached to household affairs and sex life (yan

maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham). One should hear Srimad-Bhagavatam

from a person who has no connection with material activities, or, in other

words, from a paramahamsa Vaisnava, one who has achieved the highest stage of

sannyasa. This, of course, is not possible unless one takes shelter of the

lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is

understandable only for one who can follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu."

 

(C.c. Antya 5.131, purport)

 

In their "ecstacy", the apasampradayas enjoy the holy dhama (or a place they

claim is a dhama) as a facility for hucksterism, self-promotion and

money-making. They enjoy disciples by diverting them from the Lord's service

and engaging them in the service of the senses of cheating gurus. They enjoy

great Vaisnavas through lip-service and cheap imitation; eager to bewilder the

innocent and advance their own schemes, they strive for some kind of

recognition from a great Vaisnava so that they can freely exploit this

"endorsement." And they enjoy propagating esoteric doctrines of their own

invention that they claim are the real teachings of guru, sastra and sadhu.

 

All this results in three kinds of inauspicious qualities that are ever

prominent in the apasampradayas. These are mentioned in Vaisnava Ke by Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati: anitya-vaibhava (hankering for material success),

kaminira-kama (illicit sexual affairs that are usually passed off as

"transcendental"), and mayavada (philosophical speculation that undercuts the

personal nature of God as taught by the Vaisnava sampradayas).

 

In the chapters that follow, the backgrounds of the thirteen apasampradayas

will be investigated and their deviations analyzed. I have undertaken this

work out of a firm belief that these thirteen cases are archetypical of all

sorts of misrepresentations of the sankirtana movement of Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu that have been seen down to this very day.

 

As he declared in a lecture on July 4, 1970, Srila Prabhupada considered his

only success to be the extension of Lord Caitanya's sampradaya into the

Western World. It will be our success as his followers to protect the growth

of ISKCON so that it may extend to every town and village of this planet as

Lord Caitanya predicted. Let us heed the warning from another prediction made

by Lord Caitanya regarding the rise of the apasampradayas: visva andhakara

koribe - "In My name they will make the whole world dark."

 

In preparing this volume, I have drawn from a number of sources, Vaisnava and

academic. The most important of these are the books, letters and lectures of

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada. From Sri Bhakti-vilasa

Bharati Maharaja, a godbrother of Srila Prabhupada, I used resumes and

refutations of apasampradaya philosophy given in Apasampradaya Svarupa, kindly

translated from the Bengali by Bhakta Krishanu Lahiri, a student of languages

at Calcutta University and member of Bhaktivedanta Youth Services. I also

took help of the wealth of data on the Gaudiya sampradaya's long-standing

differences with the jata-gosani and smarta castes in The History and

Literature of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas, an unpublished manuscript by another

godbrother of Srila Prabhupada named Sambidananda dasa (who in the 1930's

accompanied two Gaudiya Matha sannyasis on a preaching tour of Europe). The

following scholarly books were consulted: Vaisnavism in Bengal by Dr.

Ramkantha Cakravarti (Sanskrit Pushtak Bandhar, Calcutta 1985), Obscure

Religious Cults by Dr. Sashi Bhushan Das Gupta (1976 reprint by Firma KLM

Ltd.), The Bauls of Bengal by Rebati Mohan Sarkar (Gian Publishing House, New

Delhi 1990) and Braj - Center of Krishna Pilgrimage by Alan W. Entwistle

(Egbert Forsten, Holland 1987).

 

Source: Apasampradayas: Deviant Vaishnava Sects, published by Bhaktivedanta Academy (Mayapur)

[Ananga]

The tone is reactionary and offensive to many mainstream Vaishnavas that by implication are being lumped in with charlatans. Not something to be proud of JNDas. You disappoint.

[jijaji]

No Kidding..who's really angry here?

 

[Gauracandra]

I didn't see any anger. Just a quotation from a book about apasampradayas. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur has outlined these apasampradayas, and this was an introduction to them. It was pretty mild and tame compared to some of the things I've seen posted here.

 

Gauracandra

[Maitreya]

No anger, no sarcasm,no gossip is found in the above.A book to study for sure.

[amanpeter]

Originally posted by Maitreya:

No anger, no sarcasm,no gossip is found in the above.A book to study for sure.

Do you have it or have you read it, prabhu? I hope you will remain open to personally investigating these things/persons when you visit India and reporting back to us here your honest assessment. I still regret allowing others to negatively influence me, thus wasting precious opportunities that will not come again. Believe it or not, your opinion means something to me.

 

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

 

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna

Krsna Krsna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

[Maitreya]

amanpeter,

 

No I haven't read the book, but will.Everytime I try o learn something from this topic the discussion turns to bitter conflict making learning an impossibility.

 

I going the Braja to try and find some renewed inspiration.If I pick up something there that relates I'll express it but there are already better sources from the more learned.Although we in the laity have eyes and ears as well so Krishna may show me something.

 

I think I have seen this book in Krishna Cultures catalog, and will order today if it's there.

 

Hare Krishna

Prabhu

 

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

If you cant find the book, I can post the chapters here. There are 13 chapters, one for each apasampradaya outlined by Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

 

[Maitreya]

Thanks for the offer to post it jndas.I was able to find it though @ Krishna Culture ph# 800-829-2579.The price is $7.00 and they have 30 copies in stock.

 

Haribol

[Jagat]

<a href=http://www.iskcon.org/main/twohk/philo/roots/apasam.htm>Apasampradayas</a>