shankaracharya

[aashu]

if shankaracharya is incarnation of Lord Siva who is a great devotee of Lord Sankarshana why did he preach impersonalism?

 

[shvu]

 

The Buddha although being Lord Vishnu himself, preached Atheism. So Shankara being Lord Shiva preaching impersonalism should not be surpising.

 

The Gods like to have fun sometimes. What better way than to mislead people?

 

Cheers

 

[Avinash]

I personally feel that we should not just see if someone preached personalism or impersonlism. It is better to know the teachings of Guru Sankara. This is because one may have many ideas about impersonalism which Guru Sankara might not have taught. If we just keep in our mind that he was an impersonalist without knowing the details of his teachings, then we may be misled.

 

The word "not" was missing at one place. Edited to correct.

 

[This message has been edited by Avinash (edited 04-03-2002).]

[bhaktajoy]

Everyone is on a different level of understanding and people need what they teach.Absolute truth is not formless.

[gHari]

Sri Krsna Caitanya said that if someone reads a certain treatise by Sankara, he is doomed. I forget its name now; if time and Krsna permit, I may find the quote tonight.

[jijaji]

I believe he was referring to Shankara's Brahma Sutra Bhashya

(his commentary on Brahma Sutra).

Some scholars believe that Sri Chaitanya himself was not as condemnatory towards the advaitavad schools as his later biographers made him out to be.

They point to the fact that he took sannyass diksha from Keshava Bharati and during several notable introductions afterwards he is introduced as a mayavadi sannyasin...

The arguments for why he would take diksha from an advaitavadin, when his mantra-guru Isvara Puri was supposedly in Madhvas line has no doubt stirred controversy.

 

 

jijaji

[jijaji]

 

http://www.advaita-vedanta.org

 

jijaji

[karthik_v]

Originally posted by Avinash:

I personally feel that we should not just see if someone preached personalism or impersonlism. It is better to know the teachings of Guru Sankara. This is because one may have many ideas about impersonalism which Guru Sankara might not have taught. If we just keep in our mind that he was an impersonalist without knowing the details of his teachings, then we may be misled.

 

The word "not" was missing at one place. Edited to correct.

 

[This message has been edited by Avinash (edited 04-03-2002).]

I agree with Avinashji. If we want to learn Advaita philosophy, the best way to go about is by learning from a practising Advaitist. Often times, we tend to form very simplified notions of Advaita. Most acharyas have attacked other schools of thoughts. If we read the poetry of Saivites like Tirumular (Tamil) we do find that he too attacks Vaishnavism indirectly. My take is that every acharya gives a path custom-designed for his disciple. Perhaps, when he criticices other schools, he is ensuring that the disciple doesn't lose focus. Over time over zealous devotees turn this into fanatical proportion.

 

[gHari]

Excerpt of the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 3.4.20:

According to Lord SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya preached the MAyAvAda philosophy for a particular purpose. Such a philosophy was necessary to defeat the Buddhist philosophy of the nonexistence of the spirit soul, but it was never meant for perpetual acceptance. It was an emergency.

 

Caitanya Mahaprabhu describes how Krsna introduces various deviations to the Vedic Truth in this excerpt from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto Introduction:

Those who are followers of the SaGkara cult are generally known as VedAntists. This does not, however, mean that VedAnta is a monopoly study of the SaGkara-sampradAya. VedAnta is studied by all the bona fide sampradAyas, but they have their own interpretations. But those in the SaGkara-sampradAya are generally known to be ignorant of the knowledge of the VedAntist VaiSNavas. For this reason the Bhaktivedanta title was first offered to the author by the VaiSNavas.

 

The Lord agreed to take lessons from BhaTTAcArya on the VedAnta, and they sat together in the temple of Lord JagannAtha. The BhaTTAcArya went on speaking continually for seven days, and the Lord heard him with all attention and did not interrupt. The Lord's silence raised some doubts in BhaTTAcArya's heart, and he asked the Lord how it was that He did not ask anything or comment on his explanations of VedAnta.

 

The Lord posed Himself before the BhaTTAcArya as a foolish student and pretended that He heard the VedAnta from him because the BhaTTAcArya felt that this was the duty of a sannyAsI. But the Lord did not agree with his lectures. By this the Lord indicated that the so-called VedAntists amongst the SaGkara-sampradAya, or any other sampradAya who do not follow the instructions of SrIla VyAsadeva, are mechanical students of the VedAnta. They are not fully aware of that great knowledge. The explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra is given by the author himself in the text of SrImad-BhAgavatam. One who has no knowledge of the BhAgavatam will hardly be able to know what the VedAnta says.

 

The BhaTTAcArya, being a vastly learned man, could follow the Lord's sarcastic remarks on the popular VedAntist. He therefore asked Him why He did not ask about any point which He could not follow. The BhaTTAcArya could understand the purpose of His dead silence for the days He heard him. This showed clearly that the Lord had something else in mind; thus the BhaTTAcArya requested Him to disclose His mind.

 

Upon this, the Lord spoke as follows: "My dear sir, I can understand the meaning of the sUtras like janmAdy asya yataH [sB 1.1.1], zAstra-yonitvAt, and athAto brahma jijJAsA of the VedAnta-sUtra, but when you explain them in your own way it becomes difficult for Me to follow them. The purpose of the sUtras is already explained in them, but your explanations are covering them with something else. You do not purposely take the direct meaning of the sUtras but indirectly give your own interpretations."

 

The Lord thus attacked all VedAntists who interpret the VedAnta-sUtra fashionably, according to their limited power of thinking, to serve their own purpose. Such indirect interpretations of the authentic literatures like the VedAnta-sUtra are hereby condemned by the Lord.

 

The Lord continued: "SrIla VyAsadeva has summarized the direct meanings of the mantras in the UpaniSads in the VedAnta-sUtra. Unfortunately you do not take their direct meaning. You indirectly interpret them in a different way.

 

"The authority of the Vedas is unchallengeable and stands without any question of doubt. And whatever is stated in the Vedas must be accepted completely, otherwise one challenges the authority of the Vedas.

 

"The conchshell and cow dung are bone and stool of two living beings. But because they have been recommended by the Vedas as pure, people accept them as such because of the authority of the Vedas."

 

The idea is that one cannot set his imperfect reason above the authority of the Vedas. The orders of the Vedas must be obeyed as they stand, without any mundane reasoning. The so-called followers of the Vedic injunctions make their own interpretations of the Vedic injunctions, and thus they establish different parties and sects of the Vedic religion. Lord Buddha directly denied the authority of the Vedas, and he established his own religion. Only for this reason, the Buddhist religion was not accepted by the strict followers of the Vedas. But those who are so-called followers of the Vedas are more harmful than the Buddhists. The Buddhists have the courage to deny the Vedas directly, but the so-called followers of the Vedas have no courage to deny the Vedas, although indirectly they disobey all the injunctions of the Vedas. Lord Caitanya condemned this.

 

The examples given by the Lord of the conchshell and the cow dung are very much appropriate in this connection. If one argues that since cow dung is pure, the stool of a learned brAhmaNa is still more pure, his argument will not be accepted. Cow dung is accepted, and the stool of a highly posted brAhmaNa is rejected. The Lord continued:

 

"The Vedic injunctions are self-authorized, and if some mundane creature adjusts the interpretations of the Vedas, he defies their authority. It is foolish to think of oneself as more intelligent than SrIla VyAsadeva. He has already expressed himself in his sUtras, and there is no need of help from personalities of lesser importance. His work, the VedAnta-sUtra, is as dazzling as the midday sun, and when someone tries to give his own interpretations on the self-effulgent sunlike VedAnta-sUtra, he attempts to cover this sun with the cloud of his imagination.

 

"The Vedas and PurANas are one and the same in purpose. They ascertain the Absolute Truth, which is greater than everything else. The Absolute Truth is ultimately realized as the Absolute Personality of Godhead with absolute controlling power. As such, the Absolute Personality of Godhead must be completely full of opulence, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Yet the transcendental Personality of Godhead is astonishingly ascertained as impersonal.

 

"The impersonal description of the Absolute Truth in the Vedas is given to nullify the mundane conception of the absolute whole. Personal features of the Lord are completely different from all kinds of mundane features. The living entities are all individual persons, and they are all parts and parcels of the supreme whole. If the parts and parcels are individual persons, the source of their emanation must not be impersonal. He is the Supreme Person amongst all the relative persons.

 

"The Vedas inform us that from Him [brahman] everything emanates, and on Him everything rests. And after annihilation, everything merges in Him only. Therefore, He is the ultimate dative, causative and accommodating cause of all causes. And these causes cannot be attributed to an impersonal object.

 

"The Vedas inform us that He alone became many, and when He so desires He glances over material nature. Before He glanced over material nature there was no material cosmic creation. Therefore, His glance is not material. Material mind or senses were unborn when the Lord glanced over material nature. Thus evidence in the Vedas proves that beyond a doubt the Lord has transcendental eyes and a transcendental mind. They are not material. His impersonality therefore is a negation of His materiality, but not a denial of His transcendental personality.

 

"Brahman ultimately refers to the Personality of Godhead. Impersonal Brahman realization is just the negative conception of the mundane creations. ParamAtmA is the localized aspect of Brahman within all kinds of material bodies. Ultimately the Supreme Brahman realization is the realization of the Personality of Godhead according to all evidence of the revealed scriptures. He is the ultimate source of viSNu-tattvas.

 

"The PurANas are also supplementary to the Vedas. The Vedic mantras are too difficult for an ordinary man. Women, zUdras and the so-called twice-born higher castes are unable to penetrate into the sense of the Vedas. And thus the MahAbhArata as well as the PurANas are made easy to explain the truths of the Vedas. In his prayers before the boy SrI KRSNa, BrahmA said that there is no limit to the fortune of the residents of VrajabhUmi headed by SrI Nanda MahArAja and YazodAmayI because the eternal Absolute Truth has become their intimate relative.

 

"The Vedic mantra maintains that the Absolute Truth has no legs and no hands and yet goes faster than all and accepts everything that is offered to Him in devotion. The latter statements definitely suggest the personal features of the Lord, although His hands and legs are distinguished from mundane hands and legs or other senses.

 

"Brahman, therefore, is never impersonal, but when such mantras are indirectly interpreted, it is wrongly thought that the Absolute Truth is impersonal. The Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead is full of all opulences, and therefore He has a transcendental form of full existence, knowledge and bliss. How then can one establish that the Absolute Truth is impersonal?

 

"Brahman, being full of opulences, is understood to have manifold energies, and all these energies are classified under three headings under the authority of ViSNu PurANa [6.7.60], which says that the transcendental energies of Lord ViSNu are primarily three. His spiritual energy and the energy of the living entities are classified as superior energy, whereas the material energy is an inferior one which is sprouted out of ignorance.

 

"The energy of the living entities is technically called kSetrajJa energy. This kSetrajJa-zakti, although equal in quality with the Lord, becomes overpowered by material energy out of ignorance and thus suffers all sorts of material miseries. In other words, the living entities are located in the marginal energy between the superior (spiritual) and inferior (material) energies, and in proportion to the living being's contact with either the material or spiritual energies, the living entity is situated in proportionately higher and lower levels of existence.

 

"The Lord is beyond the inferior and marginal energies as above mentioned, and His spiritual energy is manifested in three different phases: as eternal existence, eternal bliss and eternal knowledge. As far as eternal existence is concerned, it is conducted by the sandhinI potency; similarly, bliss and knowledge are conducted by the hlAdhinI and saMvit potencies respectively. As the supreme energetic Lord, He is the supreme controller of the spiritual, marginal and material energies. And all these different types of energies are connected with the Lord in eternal devotional service.

 

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is thus enjoying in His transcendental eternal form. Is it not astounding that one dares to call the Supreme Lord nonenergetic? The Lord is the controller of all energies, and the living entities are parts and parcels of one of the energies. Therefore there is a gulf of difference between the Lord and the living entities. How then can one say that the Lord and the living entities are one and the same? In the Bhagavad-gItA also the living entities are described as belonging to the superior energy of the Lord. According to the principles of intimate correlation between the energy and the energetic, both of them are nondifferent also. Therefore, the Lord and the living entities are nondifferent as the energy and the energetic.

 

"Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego are all inferior energies of the Lord, but the living entities are different from all as superior energy. This is the version of Bhagavad-gItA [7.4].

 

"The transcendental form of the Lord is eternally existent and full of transcendental bliss. How then can such a form be a product of the material mode of goodness? Anyone, therefore, who does not believe in the form of the Lord is certainly a faithless demon and as such is untouchable, a not to be seen persona non grata fit to be punished by the Plutonic king.

 

"The Buddhists are called atheists because they have no respect for the Vedas, but those who defy the Vedic conclusions, as above mentioned, under the pretense of being followers of the Vedas, are verily more dangerous than the Buddhists.

 

"SrI VyAsadeva very kindly compiled the Vedic knowledge in his VedAnta-sUtra, but if one hears the commentation of the MAyAvAda school (as represented by the SaGkara-sampradAya) certainly he will be misled on the path of spiritual realization.

 

"The theory of emanations is the beginning subject of the VedAnta-sUtra. All the cosmic manifestations are emanations from the Absolute Personality of Godhead by His inconceivable different energies. The example of the touchstone is applicable to the theory of emanation. The touchstone can convert an unlimited quantity of iron into gold, and still the touchstone remains as it is. Similarly, the Supreme Lord can produce all manifested worlds by His inconceivable energies, and yet He is full and unchanged. He is pUrNa [complete], and although an unlimited number of pUrNas emanate from Him, He is still pUrNa.

 

"The theory of illusion of the MAyAvAda school is advocated on the ground that the theory of emanation will cause a transformation of the Absolute Truth. If that is the case, VyAsadeva is wrong. To avoid this, they have skillfully brought in the theory of illusion. But the world or the cosmic creation is not false, as maintained by the MAyAvAda school. It simply has no permanent existence. A nonpermanent thing cannot be called false altogether. But the conception that the material body is the self is certainly wrong.

 

"PraNava [oM], or the oMkAra in the Vedas, is the primeval hymn. This transcendental sound is identical with the form of the Lord. All the Vedic hymns are based on this praNava oMkAra. Tat tvam asi is but a side word in the Vedic literatures, and therefore this word cannot be the primeval hymn of the Vedas. SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya has given more stress on the side word tat tvam asi than on the primeval principle oMkAra."

 

The Lord thus spoke on the VedAnta-sUtra and defied all the propaganda of the MAyAvAda school.* The BhaTTAcArya tried to defend himself and his MAyAvAda school by jugglery of logic and grammar, but the Lord defeated him by His forceful arguments. He affirmed that we are all related with the Personality of Godhead eternally and that devotional service is our eternal function in exchanging the dealings of our relations. The result of such exchanges is to attain premA, or love of Godhead. When love of Godhead is attained, love for all other beings automatically follows because the Lord is the sum total of all living beings.

 

The Lord said that but for these three items--namely, eternal relation with God, exchange of dealings with Him and the attainment of love for Him--all that is instructed in the Vedas is superfluous and concocted.

 

The Lord further added that the MAyAvAda philosophy taught by SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya is an imaginary explanation of the Vedas, but it had to be taught by him (SaGkarAcArya) because he was ordered to teach it by the Personality of Godhead. In the Padma PurANa it is stated that the Personality of Godhead ordered His Lordship Siva to deviate the human race from Him (the Personality of Godhead). The Personality of Godhead was to be so covered so that people would be encouraged to generate more and more population. His Lordship Siva said to DevI: "In the Kali-yuga, I shall preach the MAyAvAda philosophy, which is nothing but clouded Buddhism, in the garb of a brAhmaNa."

 

 

The last word from SaGkarAcArya as presented in the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 4.24.18:

Even though Lord Siva appeared to preach MAyAvAda philosophy, at the end of his pastime in the form of SaGkarAcArya, he preached the VaiSNava philosophy: bhaja govindaM bhaja govindaM bhaja govindaM mUDha-mate. He stressed worshiping Lord KRSNa, or Govinda, three times in this verse and especially warned his followers that they could not possibly achieve deliverance, or mukti, simply by word jugglery and grammatical puzzles. If one is actually serious to attain mukti, he must worship Lord KRSNa. That is SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya's last instruction.

 

[gHari]

As I read I noticed how Lord Caitanya had been sitting in a 'dirty' place in the presence of the devotees of Shankara. It occured to me that He had sat in such a place because these people were actually treating Krsna so deplorably by negating His very being. I notice everyone apologizes for long posts. I present as much as I can because that is what I would like to see. When I read these very long posts, often several times, my life becomes very sublime and my understanding deepens immeasurably. I hope that those who actually read all these posts have also been able to secure an absolute faith in the Vedas, Krsna's appearances, disappearances, the spiritual body and all the topics that the Fellowship has embraced. The following is from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 7.57-76:

Lord Caitanya smiled and accepted the invitation of the brAhmaNa. He made this gesture to show His mercy to the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

Tapana Mizra and Candrazekhara appealed to the lotus feet of the Lord regarding their grief at the criticism of Him by the sannyAsIs in Benares. Caitanya MahAprabhu merely smiled, yet He wanted to fulfill the desires of His devotees, and the opportunity came when the brAhmaNa came to request Him to accept his invitation to be present in the midst of the other sannyAsIs. This coincidence was made possible by the omnipotency of the Lord.

</blockquote>

 

The brAhmaNa knew that Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu never went to anyone else's house, yet due to inspiration from the Lord he earnestly requested Him to accept this invitation.

 

The next day, when Lord SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu went to the house of that brAhmaNa, He saw all the sannyAsIs of Benares sitting there.

 

As soon as SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu saw the sannyAsIs He immediately offered obeisances, and then He went to wash His feet. After washing His feet, He sat down by the place where He had done so.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

By offering His obeisances to the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu very clearly exhibited His humbleness to everyone. VaiSNavas must not be disrespectful to anyone, to say nothing of a sannyAsI. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu teaches, amAninA mAna-dena: one should always be respectful to others but should not demand respect for himself. A sannyAsI should always walk barefoot, and therefore when he enters a temple or a society of devotees he should first wash his feet and then sit down in a proper place. In India it is still the prevalent custom that one put his shoes in a specified place and then enter the temple barefoot after washing his feet. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is an ideal AcArya, and those who follow in His footsteps should practice the methods of devotional life that He teaches us.

</blockquote>

 

After sitting on the ground, Caitanya MahAprabhu exhibited His mystic power by manifesting an effulgence as brilliant as the illumination of millions of suns.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa, is full of all potencies. Therefore it is not remarkable for Him to manifest the illumination of millions of suns. Lord SrI KRSNa is known as Yogezvara, the master of all mystic powers. SrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu is Lord KRSNa Himself; therefore He can exhibit any mystic power.

</blockquote>

 

When the sannyAsIs saw the brilliant illumination of the body of SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, their minds were attracted, and they all immediately gave up their sitting places and stood in respect.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

To draw the attention of common men, sometimes saintly persons, AcAryas and teachers exhibit extraordinary opulences. This is necessary to attract the attention of fools, but a saintly person should not misuse such power for personal sense gratification like false saints who declare themselves to be God. Even a magician can exhibit extraordinary feats that are not understandable to common men, but this does not mean that the magician is God. It is a most sinful activity to attract attention by exhibiting mystic powers and then to utilize this opportunity to declare oneself to be God. A real saintly person never declares himself to be God but always places himself in the position of a servant of God. For a servant of God there is no need to exhibit mystic powers, and he does not like to do so, but on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead a humble servant of God performs his activities in such a wonderful way that no common man can dare try to act like him. Yet a saintly person never takes credit for such actions because he knows very well that when wonderful things are done on his behalf by the grace of the Supreme Lord, all credit goes to the master and not to the servant.

</blockquote>

 

The leader of all the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs present was named PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, and after standing up he addressed Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu as follows with great respect.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

As Lord SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu showed respect to all the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, similarly the leader of the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, PrakAzAnanda, also showed his respects to the Lord.

</blockquote>

 

"Please come here. Please come here, Your Holiness. Why do You sit in that unclean place? What has caused Your lamentation?"

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

Here is the distinction between Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI. In the material world everyone wants to introduce himself as very important and great, but Caitanya MahAprabhu introduced Himself very humbly and meekly. The MAyAvAdIs were sitting in an exalted position, and Caitanya MahAprabhu sat in a place that was not even clean. Therefore the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs thought that He must have been aggrieved for some reason, and PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI inquired about the cause for His lamentation.

</blockquote>

 

The Lord replied, "I belong to a lower order of sannyAsIs. Therefore I do not deserve to sit with you."

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are always very puffed up because of their knowledge of Sanskrit and because they belong to the SaGkara-sampradAya. They are always under the impression that unless one is a brAhmaNa and a very good Sanskrit scholar, especially in grammar, one cannot accept the renounced order of life or become a preacher. MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs always misinterpret all the zAstras with their word jugglery and grammatical compositions, yet SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya himself condemned such jugglery of words in the verse prApte sannihite kAle na hi na hi rakSati DukRJ karaNe. DukRJ refers to suffixes and prefixes in Sanskrit grammar. SaGkarAcArya warned his disciples that if they concerned themselves only with the principles of grammar, not worshiping Govinda, they were fools who would never be saved. Yet in spite of SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya's instructions, foolish MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are always busy juggling words on the basis of strict Sanskrit grammar.

 

MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are very puffed up if they hold the elevated sannyAsa title TIrtha, Azrama or SarasvatI. Even among MAyAvAdIs, those who belong to other sampradAyas and hold other titles, such as Vana, AraNya or BhAratI, are considered to be lower-grade sannyAsIs. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted sannyAsa from the BhAratI-sampradAya, and thus He considered Himself a lower sannyAsI than PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI. To remain distinct from VaiSNava sannyAsIs, the sannyAsIs of the MAyAvAdi-sampradAya always think themselves to be situated in a very much elevated spiritual order, but Lord SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, in order to teach them how to become humble and meek, accepted Himself as belonging to a lower sampradAya of sannyAsIs. Thus He wanted to point out clearly that a sannyAsI is one who is advanced in spiritual knowledge. One who is advanced in spiritual knowledge should be accepted as occupying a better position than those who lack such knowledge.

 

The MAyAvAdi-sampradAya sannyAsIs are generally known as VedAntIs, as if VedAnta were their monopoly. Actually, however, VedAntI refers to a person who perfectly knows KRSNa. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (15.15), vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH: By all the Vedas it is KRSNa who is to be known. The so-called MAyAvAdI VedAntIs do not know who KRSNa is; therefore their title of VedAntI, or "knower of VedAnta philosophy," is simply a pretension. MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs always think of themselves as real sannyAsIs and consider sannyAsIs of the VaiSNava order to be brahmacArIs. A brahmacArI is supposed to engage in the service of a sannyAsI and accept him as his guru. MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs therefore declare themselves to be not only gurus but jagad-gurus, or the spiritual masters of the entire world, although, of course, they cannot see the entire world. Sometimes they dress gorgeously and travel on the backs of elephants in processions, and thus they are always puffed up, accepting themselves as jagad-gurus. SrIla RUpa GosvAmI, however, has explained that jagad-guru properly refers to one who is the controller of his tongue, mind, words, belly, genitals and anger. PRthivIM sa ziSyAt: such a jagad-guru is completely fit to make disciples all over the world. Due to false prestige, MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs who do not have these qualifications sometimes harass and blaspheme a VaiSNava sannyAsI who humbly engages in the service of the Lord.

</blockquote>

 

PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, however, caught SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu personally by the hand and seated Him with great respect in the midst of the assembly.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

The respectful behavior of PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI toward SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is very much to be appreciated. Such behavior is calculated to be ajJAta-sukRti, or pious activities that one executes unknowingly. Thus SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu very tactfully gave PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI an opportunity to advance in ajJAta-sukRti so that in the future he might actually become a VaiSNava sannyAsI.

</blockquote>

 

PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI then said, "I understand that Your name is SrI KRSNa Caitanya. You are a disciple of SrI Kezava BhAratI, and therefore You are glorious.

 

"You belong to our SaGkara-sampradAya and live in our village, VArANasI. Why then do You not associate with us? Why is it that You avoid even seeing us?

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

A VaiSNava sannyAsI or a VaiSNava in the second stage of advancement in spiritual knowledge can understand four principles--namely, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the devotees, the innocent and the jealous--and he behaves differently with each. He tries to increase his love for Godhead, make friendship with devotees and preach KRSNa consciousness among the innocent, but he avoids the jealous who are envious of the KRSNa consciousness movement. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu Himself exemplified such behavior, and this is why PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI inquired why He did not associate or even talk with them. Caitanya MahAprabhu confirmed by example that a preacher of the KRSNa consciousness movement generally should not waste his time talking with MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, but when there are arguments on the basis of zAstra, a VaiSNava must come forward to talk and defeat them in philosophy.

 

According to MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, only one who takes sannyAsa in the disciplic succession from SaGkarAcArya is a Vedic sannyAsI. Sometimes it is challenged that the sannyAsIs who are preaching in the KRSNa consciousness movement are not genuine because they do not belong to brAhmaNa families, for MAyAvAdIs do not offer sannyAsa to one who does not belong to a brAhmaNa family by birth. Unfortunately, however, they do not know that at present everyone is born a zUdra (kalau zUdra-sambhavaH). It is to be understood that there are no brAhmaNas in this age because those who claim to be brAhmaNas simply on the basis of birthright do not have the brahminical qualifications. However, even if one is born in a non-brAhmaNa family, if he has the brahminical qualifications he should be accepted as a brAhmaNa, as confirmed by SrIla NArada Muni and the great saint SrIdhara SvAmI. This is also stated in SrImad-BhAgavatam. Both NArada and SrIdhara SvAmI completely agree that one cannot be a brAhmaNa by birthright but must possess the qualities of a brAhmaNa. Thus in our KRSNa consciousness movement we never offer the sannyAsa order to a person whom we do not find to be qualified in terms of the prescribed brahminical principles. Although it is a fact that unless one is a brAhmaNa he cannot become a sannyAsI, it is not a valid principle that an unqualified man who is born in a brAhmaNa family is a brAhmaNa whereas a brahminically qualified person born in a non-brAhmaNa family cannot be accepted. The KRSNa consciousness movement strictly follows the injunctions of SrImad-BhAgavatam, avoiding misleading heresy and manufactured conclusions.

</blockquote>

 

"You are a sannyAsI. Why then do You indulge in chanting and dancing, engaging in Your saGkIrtana movement in the company of fanatics?

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

This is a challenge by PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI to SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. SrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya that SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, who is the object of VedAnta philosophical research, has very kindly determined who is an appropriate candidate for study of VedAnta philosophy. The first qualification of such a candidate is expressed by SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu in His SikSASTaka:

 

tRNAd api su-nIcena taror iva sahiSNunA

amAninA mAna-dena kIrtanIyaH sadA hariH

[Cc. Adi 17.31]

 

This statement indicates that one can hear or speak about VedAnta philosophy through the disciplic succession. One must be very humble and meek, more tolerant than a tree and more humble than the grass. One should not claim respect for himself but should be prepared to give all respect to others. One must have these qualifications to be eligible to understand Vedic knowledge.

</blockquote>

 

"Meditation and the study of VedAnta are the sole duties of a sannyAsI. Why do You abandon these to dance with fanatics?

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

As explained in regard to verse 41, MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs do not approve of chanting and dancing. PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, like SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya, misunderstood SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu to be a misled young sannyAsI, and therefore he asked Him why He indulged in the association of fanatics instead of executing the duty of a sannyAsI.

</blockquote>

 

"You look as brilliant as if You were NArAyaNa Himself. Will You kindly explain the reason that You have adopted the behavior of lower-class people?"

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

Due to renunciation, VedAnta study, meditation and the strict regulative principles of their daily routine, MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are certainly in a position to execute pious activities. Thus PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, on account of his piety, could understand that Caitanya MahAprabhu was not an ordinary person but the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SAkSAt nArAyaNa: he considered Him to be NArAyaNa Himself. MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs address one another as NArAyaNa because they think that they are all going to be NArAyaNa or merge with NArAyaNa in the next life. PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI appreciated that Caitanya MahAprabhu had already directly become NArAyaNa and did not need to wait until His next life. One difference between the VaiSNava and MAyAvAdI philosophies is that MAyAvAdI philosophers think that after giving up their bodies they are going to become NArAyaNa by merging with His body, whereas VaiSNava philosophers understand that after the body dies they are going to have a transcendental, spiritual body in which to associate with NArAyaNa.

</blockquote>

 

SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu replied to PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, "My dear sir, kindly hear the reason. My spiritual master considered Me a fool, and therefore he chastised Me.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

When PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI inquired from Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu why He neither studied VedAnta nor performed meditation, Lord Caitanya presented Himself as a number one fool in order to indicate that the present age, Kali-yuga, is an age of fools and rascals in which it is not possible to obtain perfection simply by reading VedAnta philosophy and meditating. The zAstras strongly recommend:

 

harer nAma harer nAma harer nAmaiva kevalam

kalau nAsty eva nAsty eva nAsty eva gatir anyathA

[Cc. Adi 17.21]

 

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." People in general in Kali-yuga are so fallen that it is not possible for them to obtain perfection simply by studying the VedAnta-sUtra. One should therefore seriously take to the constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord.

</blockquote>

 

"'You are a fool,' he said. 'You are not qualified to study VedAnta philosophy, and therefore You must always chant the holy name of KRSNa. This is the essence of all mantras, or Vedic hymns.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

SrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI MahArAja comments in this connection, "One can become perfectly successful in the mission of his life if he acts exactly according to the words he hears from the mouth of his spiritual master." This acceptance of the words of the spiritual master is called zrauta-vAkya, which indicates that the disciple must carry out the spiritual master's instructions without deviation. SrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura remarks in this connection that a disciple must accept the words of his spiritual master as his life and soul. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu here confirms this by saying that since His spiritual master ordered Him only to chant the holy name of KRSNa, He always chanted the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra according to this direction ('kRSNa-mantra' japa sadA,--ei mantra-sAra).

 

KRSNa is the origin of everything. Therefore when a person is fully KRSNa conscious it is to be understood that his relationship with KRSNa has been fully confirmed. Lacking KRSNa consciousness, one is only partially related with KRSNa and is therefore not in his constitutional position. Although SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa, the spiritual master of the entire universe, He nevertheless took the position of a disciple in order to teach by example how a devotee should strictly follow the orders of a spiritual master in executing the duty of always chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. One who is very much attracted to the study of VedAnta philosophy must take lessons from SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. In this age, no one is actually competent to study VedAnta, and therefore it is better that one chant the holy name of the Lord, which is the essence of all Vedic knowledge, as KRSNa Himself confirms in the Bhagavad-gItA (15.15):

 

vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyo

vedAnta-kRd veda-vid eva cAham

 

"By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of VedAnta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."

 

Only fools give up the service of the spiritual master and think themselves advanced in spiritual knowledge. In order to check such fools, Caitanya MahAprabhu Himself presented the perfect example of how to be a disciple. A spiritual master knows very well how to engage each disciple in a particular duty, but if a disciple, thinking himself more advanced than his spiritual master, gives up his orders and acts independently, he checks his own spiritual progress. Every disciple must consider himself completely unaware of the science of KRSNa and must always be ready to carry out the orders of the spiritual master to become competent in KRSNa consciousness. A disciple should always remain a fool before his spiritual master. Therefore sometimes pseudo spiritualists accept a spiritual master who is not even fit to become a disciple because they want to keep him under their control. This is useless for spiritual realization.

 

One who imperfectly knows KRSNa consciousness cannot know VedAnta philosophy. A showy display of VedAnta study without KRSNa consciousness is a feature of the external energy, mAyA, and as long as one is attracted by the inebrieties of this ever-changing material energy, he deviates from devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. An actual follower of VedAnta philosophy is a devotee of Lord ViSNu, who is the greatest of the great and the maintainer of the entire universe. Unless one surpasses the field of activities in service to the limited, one cannot reach the unlimited. Knowledge of the unlimited is actual brahma-jJAna, or knowledge of the Supreme. Those who are addicted to fruitive activities and speculative knowledge cannot understand the value of the holy name of Lord KRSNa, which is always completely pure, eternally liberated and full of spiritual bliss. One who has taken shelter of the holy name of the Lord, which is identical with the Lord, does not have to study VedAnta philosophy, for he has already completed all such study.

 

One who is unfit to chant the holy name of KRSNa but thinks that the holy name is different from KRSNa and thus takes shelter of VedAnta study in order to understand Him must be considered a number one fool, as confirmed by Caitanya MahAprabhu by His personal behavior, and philosophical speculators who want to make VedAnta philosophy an academic career are also considered to be within the material energy. A person who always chants the holy name of the Lord, however, is already beyond the ocean of nescience, and thus even a person born in a low family who engages in chanting the holy name of the Lord is considered to be beyond the study of VedAnta philosophy. In this connection SrImad-BhAgavatam (3.33.7) states:

 

aho bata zva-paco 'to garIyAn

yaj-jihvAgre vartate nAma tubhyam

tepus tapas te juhuvuH sasnur AryA

brahmAnUcur nAma gRNanti ye te

 

"If a person born in a family of dog-eaters takes to the chanting of the holy name of KRSNa, it is to be understood that in his previous life he must have executed all kinds of austerities and penances and performed all the Vedic yajJas." Another quotation states:

 

Rg-vedo 'tha yajur-vedaH sAma-vedo 'py atharvaNaH

adhItAs tena yenoktaM harir ity akSara-dvayam

 

"A person who chants the two syllables ha-ri has already studied the four Vedas--SAma, Rg, Yajur and Atharva."

 

Taking advantage of these verses, there are some sahajiyAs who, taking everything very cheaply, consider themselves elevated VaiSNavas but do not care even to touch the VedAnta-sUtra or VedAnta philosophy. A real VaiSNava should, however, study VedAnta philosophy, but if after studying VedAnta one does not adopt the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, he is no better than a MAyAvAdI. Therefore, one should not be a MAyAvAdI, yet one should not be unaware of the subject matter of VedAnta philosophy. Indeed, Caitanya MahAprabhu exhibited His knowledge of VedAnta in His discourses with PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI. Thus it is to be understood that a VaiSNava should be completely conversant with VedAnta philosophy, yet he should not think that studying VedAnta is all in all and therefore be unattached to the chanting of the holy name. A devotee must know the importance of simultaneously understanding VedAnta philosophy and chanting the holy names. If by studying VedAnta one becomes an impersonalist, he has not been able to understand VedAnta. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (15.15). VedAnta means "the end of knowledge." The ultimate end of knowledge is knowledge of KRSNa, who is identical with His holy name. Cheap VaiSNavas (sahajiyAs) do not care to study the VedAnta philosophy as commented upon by the four AcAryas. In the GauDIya-sampradAya there is a VedAnta commentary called the Govinda-bhASya, but the sahajiyAs consider such commentaries to be untouchable philosophical speculation, and they consider the AcAryas to be mixed devotees. Thus they clear their way to hell.

</blockquote>

 

"Simply by chanting the holy name of KRSNa one can obtain freedom from material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra one will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

In his AnubhASya, SrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI says that the actual effect that will be visible as soon as one achieves transcendental knowledge is that he will immediately become free from the clutches of mAyA and fully engage in the service of the Lord. Unless one serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead Mukunda, one cannot become free from fruitive activities under the external energy. However, when one chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly, one can realize a transcendental position that is completely aloof from the material conception of life. Rendering service to the Lord, a devotee relates to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five relationships--namely, zAnta, dAsya, sakhya, vAtsalya or mAdhurya--and thus he relishes transcendental bliss in that relationship. Such a relationship certainly transcends the body and mind. When one realizes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Supreme Person, he becomes completely eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord. Such an ecstatic chanter and dancer must be considered to have a direct relationship with the Lord.

 

According to the Vedic principles, there are three stages of spiritual advancement, namely, sambandha-jJAna, abhidheya and prayojana. Sambandha-jJAna refers to establishing one's original relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, abhidheya refers to acting according to that constitutional relationship, and prayojana is the ultimate goal of life, which is to develop love of Godhead (premA pum-artho mahAn). If one adheres to the regulative principles under the order of the spiritual master, he very easily achieves the ultimate goal of his life. A person who is addicted to the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra very easily gets the opportunity to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. There is no need for such a person to understand the grammatical jugglery in which MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs generally indulge. SrI SaGkarAcArya also stressed this point: na hi na hi rakSati DukRJ karaNe. "Simply by juggling grammatical suffixes and prefixes one cannot save himself from the clutches of death." The grammatical word jugglers cannot bewilder a devotee who engages in chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. Simply addressing the energy of the Supreme Lord as Hare and the Lord Himself as KRSNa very soon situates the Lord within the heart of the devotee. By thus addressing RAdhA and KRSNa, one directly engages in His Lordship's service. The essence of all revealed scriptures and all knowledge is present when one addresses the Lord and His energy by the Hare KRSNa mantra, for this transcendental vibration can completely liberate a conditioned soul and directly engage him in the service of the Lord.

 

SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu presented Himself as a grand fool, yet He maintained that all the words that He had heard from His spiritual master strictly followed the principles stated by VyAsadeva in SrImad-BhAgavatam (1.7.6).

 

anarthopazamaM sAkSAd bhakti-yogam adhokSaje

lokasyAjAnato vidvAMz cakre sAtvata-saMhitAm

 

"The material miseries of a living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned VyAsadeva compiled this Vedic literature [srImad-BhAgavatam], which is in relation to the Supreme Truth." One can overcome all misconceptions and entanglement in the material world by practicing bhakti-yoga, and therefore VyAsadeva, acting on the instruction of SrI NArada, has very kindly introduced SrImad-BhAgavatam to relieve the conditioned souls from the clutches of mAyA. Lord Caitanya's spiritual master instructed Him, therefore, that one must read SrImad-BhAgavatam regularly and with scrutiny to gradually become attached to the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra.

 

The holy name and the Lord are identical. One who is completely free from the clutches of mAyA can understand this fact. This knowledge, which is achieved by the mercy of the spiritual master, places one on the supreme transcendental platform. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu presented Himself as a fool because prior to accepting the shelter of a spiritual master He could not understand that simply by chanting one can be relieved from all material conditions. But as soon as He became a faithful servant of His spiritual master and followed his instructions, He very easily saw the path of liberation. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu's chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra must be understood to be devoid of all offenses. The ten offenses against the holy name are as follows: (1) to blaspheme a devotee of the Lord, (2) to consider the Lord and the demigods to be on the same level or to think that there are many gods, (3) to neglect the orders of the spiritual master, (4) to minimize the authority of scriptures (Vedas), (5) to interpret the holy name of God, (6) to commit sins on the strength of chanting, (7) to instruct the glories of the Lord's name to the unfaithful, (8) to compare the chanting of the holy name with material piety, (9) to be inattentive while chanting the holy name, and (10) to be attached to material things in spite of chanting the holy name.

</blockquote>

 

"'In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all scriptures.'

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

The principles of the paramparA system were strictly honored in previous ages--Satya-yuga, TretA-yuga and DvApara-yuga--but in the present age, Kali-yuga, people neglect the importance of this system of zrauta-paramparA, or receiving knowledge by disciplic succession. In this age, people are prepared to argue that they can understand that which is beyond their limited knowledge and perception through so-called scientific observations and experiments, not knowing that actual truth comes down to man from authorities. This argumentative attitude is against the Vedic principles, and it is very difficult for one who adopts it to understand that the holy name of KRSNa is as good as KRSNa Himself. Since KRSNa and His holy name are identical, the holy name is eternally pure and beyond material contamination. It is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a transcendental vibration. The holy name is completely different from material sound, as confirmed by Narottama dAsa ThAkura: golokera prema-dhana, hari-nAma-saGkIrtana.

The transcendental vibration of hari-nAma-saGkIrtana is imported from the spiritual world. Thus although materialists who are addicted to experimental knowledge and the so-called "scientific method" cannot place their faith in the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, it is a fact that simply by chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra offenselessly one can be freed from all subtle and gross material conditions. The spiritual world is called VaikuNTha, which means "without anxiety." In the material world everything is full of anxiety (kuNTha), whereas in the spiritual world (VaikuNTha) everything is free from anxiety. Therefore those who are afflicted by a combination of anxieties cannot understand the Hare KRSNa mantra, which is free from all anxiety. In the present age the vibration of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra is the only process that is in a transcendental position, beyond material contamination. Since the holy name can deliver a conditioned soul, it is explained here to be sarva-mantra-sAra, the essence of all Vedic hymns.

 

A name that represents an object of this material world may be subjected to arguments and experimental knowledge, but in the absolute world a name and its owner, the fame and the famous, are identical, and similarly the qualities, pastimes and everything else pertaining to the Absolute are also absolute. Although MAyAvAdIs profess monism, they differentiate between the holy name of the Supreme Lord and the Lord Himself. For this offense of nAmAparAdha they gradually glide down from their exalted position of brahma-jJAna, as confirmed in SrImad-BhAgavatam (10.2.32):

 

Aruhya kRcchreNa paraM padaM tataH

patanty adho 'nAdRta-yuSmad-aGghrayaH

 

Although by severe austerities they rise to the exalted position of brahma-jJAna, they nevertheless fall down due to imperfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Although they profess to understand the Vedic mantra sarvaM khalv idaM brahma (ChAndogya Up. 3.14.1), which means "Everything is Brahman," they are unable to understand that the holy name is also Brahman. If they regularly chant the mahA-mantra, however, they can be relieved from this misconception. Unless one properly takes shelter of the holy name, he cannot be relieved from the offensive stage in chanting the holy name.

</blockquote>

 

"After describing the potency of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, My spiritual master taught Me another verse, advising Me to always keep it within My throat.

 

"'For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.'

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

For progress in spiritual life, the zAstras recommend meditation in Satya-yuga, sacrifice for the satisfaction of Lord ViSNu in TretA-yuga and gorgeous worship of the Lord in the temple in DvApara-yuga, but in the Age of Kali one can achieve spiritual progress only by chanting the holy name of the Lord. This is confirmed in various scriptures. In SrImad-BhAgavatam there are many references to this fact. In the Twelfth Canto (3.51) it is said:

 

kaler doSa-nidhe rAjann asti hy eko mahAn guNaH

kIrtanAd eva kRSNasya mukta-saGgaH paraM vrajet

 

In the Age of Kali there are many faults, for people are subjected to many miserable conditions, yet in this age there is one great benediction--simply by chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra one can be freed from all material contamination and thus be elevated to the spiritual world. The NArada-paJcarAtra also praises the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra as follows:

 

trayo vedAH SaD-aGgAni chandAMsi vividhAH surAH

sarvam aSTAkSarAntaH-sthaM yac cAnyad api vAG-mayam

sarva-vedAnta-sArArthaH saMsArArNava-tAraNaH

 

"The essence of all Vedic knowledge--comprehending the three kinds of Vedic activity [karma-kANDa, jJAna-kANDa and upAsanA-kANDa], the chandas, or Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods--is included in the eight syllables Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa. This is the reality of all VedAnta. The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience." Similarly, the Kali-santaraNa UpaniSad states, "Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare--these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the holy name." Similarly, SrI MadhvAcArya, while commenting upon the MuNDaka UpaniSad, has quoted the following verse from the NArAyaNa-saMhitA:

 

dvAparIyair janair viSNuH paJcarAtrais tu kevalaiH

kalau tu nAma-mAtreNa pUjyate bhagavAn hariH

 

"In DvApara-yuga one could satisfy KRSNa or ViSNu only by worshiping Him gorgeously according to the pAJcarAtrikI system, but in the Age of Kali one can satisfy and worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari simply by chanting the holy name." In his Bhakti-sandarbha (text 284), SrIla JIva GosvAmI strongly emphasizes the chanting of the holy name of the Lord as follows:

nanu bhagavan-nAmAtmakA eva mantrAH, tatra vizeSeNa namaH-zabdAdy-alaGkRtAH zrI-bhagavatA zrImad-RSibhiz cAhita-zakti-vizeSAH, zrI-bhagavatA samam Atma-sambandha-vizeSa-pratipAdakAz ca tatra kevalAni zrI-bhagavan-nAmAny api nirapekSANy eva parama-puruSArtha-phala-paryanta-dAna-samarthAni tato mantreSu nAmato 'py adhika-sAmarthye labdhe kathaM dIkSAdy-apekSA. ucyate--yady api svarUpato nAsti, tathApi prAyaH svabhAvato dehAdi-sambandhena kadarya-zIlAnAM vikSipta-cittAnAM janAnAM tat-saGkocI-karaNAya zrImad-RSi-prabhRtibhir atrArcana-mArge kvacit kvacit kAcit kAcin maryAdA sthApitAsti.

 

SrIla JIva GosvAmI states that the substance of all the Vedic mantras is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Every mantra begins with the prefix nama oM and eventually addresses by name the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By the supreme will of the Lord there is a specific potency in each and every mantra chanted by great sages like NArada Muni and other RSis. Chanting the holy name of the Lord immediately renovates the transcendental relationship of the living being with the Supreme Lord.

 

To chant the holy name of the Lord, one need not depend upon other paraphernalia, for one can immediately get all the desired results of linking with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It may therefore be questioned why there is a necessity for initiation or further spiritual activities in devotional service for one who engages in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The answer is that although it is correct that one who fully engages in chanting the holy name need not depend upon the process of initiation, generally a devotee is addicted to many abominable material habits due to material contamination from his previous life. In order to get quick relief from all these contaminations, it is required that one engage in the worship of the Lord in the temple. The worship of the Deity in the temple is essential to reduce one's restlessness due to the contaminations of conditioned life. Thus NArada, in his pAJcarAtrikI-vidhi, and other great sages have sometimes stressed that since every conditioned soul has a bodily concept of life aimed at sense enjoyment, to restrict this sense enjoyment the rules and regulations for worshiping the Deity in the temple are essential. SrIla RUpa GosvAmI has described that the holy name of the Lord can be chanted by liberated souls, but almost all the souls we have to initiate are conditioned. It is advised that one chant the holy name of the Lord without offenses and according to the regulative principles, yet due to their past bad habits they violate these rules and regulations. Thus the regulative principles for worship of the Deity are also simultaneously essential.

</blockquote>

 

[gHari]

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 7.110-120:

"SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya has described all the Vedic literatures in terms of indirect meanings. One who hears such explanations is ruined.

 

"SaGkarAcArya is not at fault, for it is under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that he has covered the real purpose of the Vedas.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

The Vedic literature is to be considered a source of real knowledge, but if one does not take it as it is, one will be misled. For example, the Bhagavad-gItA is an important Vedic literature that has been taught for many years, but because it was commented upon by unscrupulous rascals, people derived no benefit from it, and no one came to the conclusion of KRSNa consciousness. Since the purpose of the Bhagavad-gItA is now being presented as it is, however, within four or five short years thousands of people all over the world have become KRSNa conscious. That is the difference between direct and indirect explanations of the Vedic literature. Therefore SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu said, mukhya-vRttye sei artha parama mahattva: "To teach the Vedic literature according to its direct meaning, without false commentary, is glorious." Unfortunately, SrI SaGkarAcArya, by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, compromised between atheism and theism in order to cheat the atheists and bring them to theism, and to do so he gave up the direct method of Vedic knowledge and tried to present a meaning which is indirect. It is with this purpose that he wrote his SArIraka-bhASya commentary on the VedAnta-sUtra.

 

One should not, therefore, attribute very much importance to the SArIraka-bhASya. In order to understand VedAnta philosophy, one must study SrImad-BhAgavatam, which begins with the words oM namo bhagavate vAsudevAya, janmAdy asya yato 'nvayAd itarataz cArtheSv abhijJaH sva-rAT: [sB 1.1.1] "I offer my obeisances unto Lord SrI KRSNa, son of Vasudeva, who is the Supreme All-pervading Personality of Godhead. I meditate upon Him, the transcendent reality, who is the primeval cause of all causes, from whom all manifested universes arise, in whom they dwell and by whom they are destroyed. I meditate upon that eternally effulgent Lord, who is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations and yet is fully independent." (SB 1.1.1) SrImad-BhAgavatam is the real commentary on the VedAnta-sUtra. Unfortunately, if one is attracted to SrI SaGkarAcArya's commentary, SArIraka-bhASya, his spiritual life is doomed.

 

One may argue that since SaGkarAcArya is an incarnation of Lord Siva, how is it that he cheated people in this way? The answer is that he did so on the order of his master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in the Padma PurANa, in the words of Lord Siva himself:

 

mAyAvAdam asac chAstraM pracchannaM bauddham ucyate

mayaiva kalpitaM devi kalau brAhmaNa-rUpiNA

brahmaNaz cAparaM rUpaM nirguNaM vakSyate mayA

sarva-svaM jagato 'py asya mohanArthaM kalau yuge

vedAnte tu mahA-zAstre mAyAvAdam avaidikam

mayaiva vakSyate devi jagatAM nAza-kAraNAt

 

"The MAyAvAda philosophy," Lord Siva informed his wife PArvatI, "is impious [asac chAstra]. It is covered Buddhism. My dear PArvatI, in Kali-yuga I assume the form of a brAhmaNa and teach this imagined MAyAvAda philosophy. In order to cheat the atheists, I describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be without form and without qualities. Similarly, in explaining VedAnta I describe the same MAyAvAda philosophy in order to mislead the entire population toward atheism by denying the personal form of the Lord." In the Siva PurANa the Supreme Personality of Godhead told Lord Siva:

 

dvAparAdau yuge bhUtvA kalayA mAnuSAdiSu

svAgamaiH kalpitais tvaM ca janAn mad-vimukhAn kuru

 

"In Kali-yuga, mislead the people in general by propounding imaginary meanings for the Vedas to bewilder them." These are the descriptions of the PurANas.

 

SrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura comments that mukhya-vRtti ("the direct meaning") is abhidhA-vRtti, or the meaning that one can understand immediately from the statements of dictionaries, whereas gauNa-vRtti ("the indirect meaning") is a meaning that one imagines without consulting the dictionary. For example, one politician has said that KurukSetra refers to the body, but in the dictionary there is no such definition. Therefore this imaginary meaning is gauNa-vRtti, whereas the direct meaning found in the dictionary is mukhya-vRtti or abhidhA-vRtti. This is the distinction between the two. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu recommends that one understand the Vedic literature in terms of abhidhA-vRtti, and the gauNa-vRtti He rejects. Sometimes, however, as a matter of necessity, the Vedic literature is described in terms of the lakSaNA-vRtti or gauNa-vRtti, but one should not accept such explanations as permanent truths.

 

The purpose of the discussions in the UpaniSads and VedAnta-sUtra is to philosophically establish the personal feature of the Absolute Truth. The impersonalists, however, in order to establish their philosophy, accept these discussions in terms of lakSaNA-vRtti, or indirect meanings. Thus instead of being tattva-vAda, or in search of the Absolute Truth, they become MAyAvAda, or illusioned by the material energy. When SrI ViSNu SvAmI, one of the four AcAryas of the VaiSNava cult, presented his thesis on the subject matter of zuddhAdvaita-vAda, immediately the MAyAvAdIs took advantage of this philosophy and tried to establish their advaita-vAda or kevalAdvaita-vAda. To defeat this kevalAdvaita-vAda, SrI RAmAnujAcArya presented his philosophy as viziSTAdvaita-vAda, and SrI MadhvAcArya presented his philosophy of tattva-vAda, both of which are stumbling blocks to the MAyAvAdIs because they defeat their philosophy in scrupulous detail. Students of Vedic philosophy know very well how strongly SrI RAmAnujAcArya's vi

ziSTAdvaita-vAda and SrI MadhvAcArya's tattva-vAda contest the impersonal MAyAvAda philosophy. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, however, accepted the direct meaning of the VedAnta philosophy and thus defeated the MAyAvAda philosophy immediately. He opined in this connection that anyone who follows the principles of the SArIraka-bhASya is doomed. This is confirmed in the Padma PurANa, where Lord Siva tells PArvatI:

zRNu devi pravakSyAmi tAmasAni yathA-kramam

yeSAM zravaNa-mAtreNa pAtityaM jJAninAm api

apArthaM zruti-vAkyAnAM darzayal loka-garhitam

karma-svarUpa-tyAjyatvam atra ca pratipAdyate

sarva-karma-paribhraMzAn naiSkarmyaM tatra cocyate

parAtma-jIvayor aikyaM mayAtra pratipAdyate

 

"My dear wife, hear my explanations of how I have spread ignorance through MAyAvAda philosophy. Simply by hearing it, even an advanced scholar will fall down. In this philosophy, which is certainly very inauspicious for people in general, I have misrepresented the real meaning of the Vedas and recommended that one give up all activities in order to achieve freedom from karma. In this MAyAvAda philosophy I have described the jIvAtmA and ParamAtmA to be one and the same." How the MAyAvAda philosophy was condemned by SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and His followers is described in SrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, Antya-lIlA, Second Chapter, verses 94 through 99, where SvarUpa-dAmodara GosvAmI says that anyone who is eager to understand the MAyAvAda philosophy must be considered insane. This especially applies to a VaiSNava who reads the SArIraka-bhASya and considers himself to be one with God. 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. An actual VaiSNava cannot tolerate any philosophy that claims God and the living being to be one and the same.

</blockquote>

 

"According to direct understanding, the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has all spiritual opulences. No one can be equal to or greater than Him.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

This statement by SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is confirmed in SrImad-BhAgavatam (1.2.11):

 

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaM yaj jJAnam advayam

brahmeti paramAtmeti bhagavAn iti zabdyate

 

"Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, ParamAtmA or BhagavAn." The Absolute Truth is ultimately understood as BhagavAn, partially understood as ParamAtmA and vaguely understood as the impersonal Brahman. BhagavAn, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is opulent in all excellence; no one can be equal to or greater than Him. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.7), where the Lord says, mattaH parataraM nAnyat kiJcid asti dhanaJjaya: "O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no truth superior to Me." There are many other verses which prove that the Absolute Truth in the ultimate sense is understood to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa.

</blockquote>

 

"Everything about the Supreme Personality of Godhead is spiritual, including His body, opulence and paraphernalia. MAyAvAda philosophy, however, covering His spiritual opulence, advocates the theory of impersonalism.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

It is stated in the Brahma-saMhitA, IzvaraH paramaH kRSNaH sac-cid-Ananda-vigrahaH [bs. 5.1]: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, has a spiritual body which is full of knowledge, eternity and bliss." In this material world everyone's body is just the opposite--temporary, full of ignorance and full of misery. Therefore when the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sometimes described as nirAkAra, this is to indicate that He does not have a material body like us.

 

MAyAvAdI philosophers do not know how it is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is formless. The Supreme Lord does not have a form like ours but has a spiritual form. Not knowing this, MAyAvAdI philosophers simply advocate the onesided view that the Supreme Godhead, or Brahman, is formless (nirAkAra). In this connection SrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura offers many quotes from the Vedic literature. If one accepts the real or direct meaning of these Vedic statements, one can understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has a spiritual body (sac-cid-Ananda-vigraha [bs. 5.1]).

 

In the BRhad-AraNyaka UpaniSad (5.1.1) it is said, pUrNam adaH pUrNam idaM pUrNAt pUrNam udacyate. This indicates that the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is spiritual, for even though He expands in many ways, He remains the same. In the Bhagavad-gItA (10.8) the Lord says, ahaM sarvasya prabhavo mattaH sarvaM pravartate: "I am the origin of all. Everything emanates from Me." MAyAvAdI philosophers materialistically think that if the Supreme Truth expands Himself in everything, He must lose His original form. Thus they think that there cannot be any form other than the expansive gigantic body of the Lord. But the BRhad-AraNyaka UpaniSad confirms, pUrNam idaM pUrNAt pUrNam udacyate: "Although He expands in many ways, He keeps His original personality. His original spiritual body remains as it is." Similarly, elsewhere it is stated, vicitra-zaktiH puruSaH purANaH: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original person [puruSa], has multifarious energies." And the SvetAzvatara UpaniSad declares, sa vRkSa-kAlAkRtibhiH paro 'nyo yasmAt prapaJcaH parivartate 'yaM dharmAvahaM pApanudaM bhagezam: "He is the origin of material creation, and it is due to Him only that everything changes. He is the protector of religion and annihilator of all sinful activities. He is the master of all opulences." (Svet. Up. 6.6) VedAham etaM puruSaM mahAntam Aditya-varNaM tamasaH parastAt: "Now I understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be the greatest of the great. He is effulgent like the sun and is beyond this material world." (Svet. Up. 3.8) PatiM patInAM paramaM parastAt: "He is the master of all masters, the superior of all superiors." (Svet. Up. 6.7) MahAn prabhur vai puruSaH: "He is the supreme master and supreme person." (Svet. Up. 3.12) ParAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate: "We can understand His opulences in different ways." (Svet. Up. 6.8 [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]) Similarly, in the Rg Veda it is stated, tad viSNoH paramaM padaM sadA pazyanti sUrayaH: "ViSNu is the Supreme, and those who are actually learned think only of His lotus feet." In the Prazna UpaniSad (6.3) it is said, sa IkSAM cakre: "He glanced over the material creation." In the Aitareya UpaniSad (1.1.1–2) it is said, sa aikSata--"He glanced over the material creation"--and sa imAl lokAn asRjata--"He created this entire material world."

 

Thus many verses can be quoted from the UpaniSads and Vedas which prove that the Supreme Godhead is not impersonal. In the KaTha UpaniSad (2.2.13) it is also said, nityo nityAnAM cetanaz cetanAnAm eko bahUnAM yo vidadhAti kAmAn: "He is the supreme eternally conscious person, who maintains all other living entities." From all these Vedic references one can understand that the Absolute Truth is a person and that no one can equal or excel Him. Although there are many foolish MAyAvAdI philosophers who think that they are even greater than KRSNa, KRSNa is asamaurdhva: no one is equal to or above Him.

 

As stated in the SvetAzvatara UpaniSad (3.19), apANi-pAdo javano grahItA. This verse describes the Absolute Truth as having no legs or hands. Although this is an impersonal description, it does not mean that the Absolute Personality of Godhead has no form. He has a spiritual form that is distinct from the forms of matter. In this verse Caitanya MahAprabhu clarifies this distinction.

</blockquote>

 

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of spiritual potencies. Therefore His body, name, fame and entourage are all spiritual. The MAyAvAdI philosopher, due to ignorance, says that these are all merely transformations of the material mode of goodness.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

In the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gItA the Supreme Personality of Godhead has classified His energies in two distinct divisions--namely, prAkRta and aprAkRta, or parA-prakRti and aparA-prakRti. In the ViSNu PurANa the same distinction is made. The MAyAvAdI philosophers cannot understand these two prakRtis, or natures--material and spiritual--but one who is actually intelligent can understand them. Considering the many varieties and activities in material nature, why should the MAyAvAdI philosophers deny the spiritual varieties of the spiritual world? The BhAgavatam (10.2.32) says:

 

ye 'nye 'ravindAkSa vimukta-mAninas

tvayy asta-bhAvAd avizuddha-buddhayaH

 

The intelligence of those who think themselves liberated but have no information of the spiritual world is not yet clear. In this verse the term avizuddha-buddhayaH refers to unclean intelligence. Due to unclean intelligence or a poor fund of knowledge, the MAyAvAdI philosophers cannot understand the distinction between material and spiritual varieties; therefore they cannot even think of spiritual varieties because they take it for granted that all variety is material.

 

SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, therefore, explains in this verse that KRSNa--the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth--has a spiritual body that is distinct from material bodies, and thus His name, abode, entourage and qualities are all spiritual. The material mode of goodness has nothing to do with spiritual varieties. MAyAvAdI philosophers, however, cannot clearly understand spiritual varieties; therefore they imagine a negation of the material world to be the spiritual world. The material qualities of goodness, passion and ignorance cannot act in the spiritual world, which is therefore called nirguNa, as clearly indicated in the Bhagavad-gItA (trai-guNya-viSayA vedA nistrai-guNyo bhavArjuna). The material world is a manifestation of the three modes of material nature, but one has to become free from these modes to come to the spiritual world, where their influence is completely absent. Now Lord SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu will disassociate Lord Siva from MAyAvAda philosophy in the following verse.

</blockquote>

 

"SaGkarAcArya, who is an incarnation of Lord Siva, is faultless because he is a servant carrying out the orders of the Lord. But those who follow his MAyAvAdI philosophy are doomed. They will lose all their advancement in spiritual knowledge.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

MAyAvAdI philosophers are very proud of exhibiting their VedAnta knowledge through grammatical jugglery, but in the Bhagavad-gItA Lord SrI KRSNa certifies that they are mAyayApahRta-jJAna, bereft of real knowledge due to mAyA. MAyA has two potencies with which to execute her two functions--the prakSepAtmikA-zakti, the power to throw the living entity into the ocean of material existence, and AvaraNAtmikA-zakti, the power to cover the knowledge of the living entity. The function of the the AvaraNAtmikA-zakti is explained in the Bhagavad-gItA by the word mAyayApahRta-jJAnAH [bg. 7.15].

 

Why the daivI-mAyA, or illusory energy of KRSNa, takes away the knowledge of the MAyAvAdI philosophers is also explained in the Bhagavad-gIta by the use of the words AsuraM bhAvam AzritAH, which refer to a person who does not agree to the existence of the Lord. The MAyAvAdIs, who are not in agreement with the existence of the Lord, can be classified in two groups, exemplified by the impersonalist SaGkarites of VArANasI and the Buddhists of SaranAtha. Both groups are MAyAvAdIs, and KRSNa takes away their knowledge due to their atheistic philosophies. Neither group agrees to accept the existence of a personal God. The Buddhist philosophers clearly deny both the soul and God, and although the SaGkarites do not openly deny God, they say that the Absolute is nirAkAra, or formless. Thus both the Buddhists and the SaGkarites are avizuddha-buddhayaH [sB 10.2.32], or imperfect and unclean in their knowledge and intelligence.

 

The most prominent MAyAvAdI scholar, SadAnanda YogIndra, has written a book called VedAnta-sAra, in which he expounds the philosophy of SaGkarAcArya, and all the followers of SaGkara's philosophy attribute great importance to his statements. In this VedAnta-sAra SadAnanda YogIndra defines Brahman as sac-cid-Ananda combined with knowledge and without duality, and he defines ignorance (jaDa) as knowledge distinct from that of sat and asat. This is almost inconceivable, but it is a product of the three material qualities. Thus he considers anything other than pure knowledge to be material. The center of ignorance is considered to be sometimes all-pervading and sometimes individual. Thus according to his opinion both the all-pervading ViSNu and the individual living entities are products of ignorance.

 

In simple language, it is the opinion of SadAnanda YogIndra that since everything is nirAkAra (formless), the conception of ViSNu and the conception of the individual soul are both products of ignorance. He also explains that the vizuddha-sattva conception of the VaiSNavas is nothing but pradhAna, or the chief principle of creation. He maintains that when all-pervading knowledge is contaminated by the vizuddha-sattva, which consists of a transformation of the quality of goodness, there arises the conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the omnipotent, omniscient supreme ruler, the Supersoul, the cause of all causes, the supreme Izvara, etc. According to SadAnanda YogIndra, because Izvara, the Supreme Lord, is the reservoir of all ignorance, He may be called sarva-jJa, or omniscient, but one who denies the existence of the omnipotent Supreme Personality of Godhead is more than Izvara, or the Lord. His conclusion, therefore, is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Izvara) is a transformation of material ignorance and that the living entity (jIva) is covered by ignorance. Thus he describes both collective and individual existence in darkness. According to MAyAvAdI philosophers, the VaiSNava conception of the Lord as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and of the jIva, or individual soul, as His eternal servant is a manifestation of ignorance. If we accept the judgment of Lord KRSNa in the Bhagavad-gItA, however, the MAyAvAdIs are to be considered mAyayApahRta-jJAna, or bereft of all knowledge, because they do not recognize the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or they claim that His existence is a product of the material conception (mAyA). These are characteristics of asuras, or demons.

 

Lord SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, in His discourses with SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya, said:

 

jIvera nistAra lAgi' sUtra kaila vyAsa

mAyAvAdi-bhASya zunile haya sarva-nAza

(Cc. Madhya 6.169)

 

VyAsadeva composed the VedAnta-sUtra to deliver the conditioned souls from this material world, but SaGkarAcArya, by presenting the VedAnta-sUtra in his own way, has clearly done a great disservice to human society, for one who follows his MAyAvAda philosophy is doomed. In the Vedanta-sUtra, devotional service is clearly indicated, but the MAyAvAdI philosophers refuse to accept the spiritual body of the Supreme Absolute Person and refuse to accept that the living entity has an individual existence separate from that of the Supreme Lord. Thus they have created atheistic havoc all over the world, for such a conclusion is against the very nature of the transcendental process of pure devotional service. The MAyAvAdI philosophers' unrealizable ambition to become one with the Supreme through denying the existence of the Personality of Godhead results in a most calamitous misrepresentation of spiritual knowledge, and one who follows this philosophy is doomed to remain perpetually in this material world. Therefore the MAyAvAdIs are called avizuddha-buddhayaH, or unclean in knowledge. Because they are unclean in knowledge, all their austerities and penances end in frustration. Thus although they may be honored at first as very learned scholars, ultimately they descend to physical activities of politics, social work, etc. Instead of becoming one with the Supreme Lord, they again become one with these material activities. This is explained in SrImad-BhAgavatam (10.2.32):

 

Aruhya kRcchreNa paraM padaM tataH

patanty adho 'nAdRta-yuSmad-aGghrayaH

 

In actuality the MAyAvAdI philosophers very strictly follow the austerities and penances of spiritual life and in this way are elevated to the impersonal Brahman platform, but due to their negligence of the lotus feet of the Lord they again fall down to material existence.

</blockquote>

 

"One who considers the transcendental body of Lord ViSNu to be made of material nature is the greatest offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. There is no greater blasphemy against the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

SrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI explains that the variegated personal feature of the Absolute Truth is the viSNu-tattva and that the material energy, which creates this cosmic manifestation, is the energy of Lord ViSNu. The creative force is merely the energy of the Lord, but the foolish conclude that because the Lord has distributed Himself in an impersonal form He has no separate existence. The impersonal Brahman, however, cannot possess energies, nor do the Vedic literatures state that mAyA (the illusory energy) is covered by another mAyA. There are hundreds and thousands of references, however, to viSNu-mAyA (parAsya zaktiH), or the energy of Lord ViSNu. In the Bhagavad-gItA (7.14) KRSNa refers to mama mAyA ("My energy"). MAyA is controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; it is not that He is covered by mAyA. Therefore Lord ViSNu cannot be a product of the material energy. In the beginning of the VedAnta-sUtra it is said, janmAdy asya yataH [sB 1.1.1], indicating that the material energy is also an emanation of the Supreme Brahman. How then could He be covered by the material energy? If that were possible, material energy would be greater than the Supreme Brahman. Even these simple arguments, however, cannot be understood by the MAyAvAdI philosophers, and therefore the term mAyayApahRta-jJAna, which is applied to them in the Bhagavad-gItA, is extremely appropriate. Anyone who thinks that Lord ViSNu is a product of the material energy, as explained by SadAnanda YogIndra, should immediately be understood to be insane, for his knowledge has been stolen by the illusory energy.

 

Lord ViSNu cannot be placed within the category of the demigods. Those who are actually bewildered by the MAyAvAda philosophy and are still in the darkness of ignorance consider Lord ViSNu to be a demigod, in defiance of the Rg-vedic mantra oM tad viSNoH paramaM padam ("ViSNu is always in a superior position"). This mantra is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA: mattaH parataraM nAnyat [bg. 7.7]--there is no truth superior to Lord KRSNa, or ViSNu. Thus only those whose knowledge has been bewildered consider Lord ViSNu to be a demigod and therefore suggest that one may worship either Lord ViSNu, the goddess KAlI (DurgA) or whomever one likes and achieve the same result. This is an ignorant conclusion that is not accepted in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.25), which distinctly says, yAnti deva-vratA devAn . . . yAnti mad-yAjino 'pi mAm: The worshipers of the demigods will be promoted to the respective planets of the demigods, but devotees of the Supreme Lord will go back home, back to Godhead. Lord KRSNa explains very clearly in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.14) that His material energy is very difficult to overcome: daivI hy eSA guNa-mayI mama mAyA duratyayA. MAyA's influence is so strong that even learned scholars and spiritualists are also covered by mAyA and think themselves to be as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Actually, however, to free oneself from the influence of mAyA one must surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as KRSNa also states in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.14): mAm eva ye prapadyante mAyAm etAM taranti te. It is to be concluded, therefore, that Lord ViSNu does not belong to this material creation but to the spiritual world. To misconceive Lord ViSNu to have a material body or to equate Him with the demigods is the most offensive blasphemy against Lord ViSNu, and offenders against the lotus feet of Lord ViSNu cannot advance in spiritual knowledge. They are called mAyayApahRta-jJAna, or those whose knowledge has been stolen by the influence of illusion.

 

One who thinks that there is a difference between Lord ViSNu's body and His soul dwells in the darkest region of ignorance. There is no difference between Lord ViSNu's body and ViSNu's soul, for they are advaya-jJAna, one knowledge. In this world there is a difference between the material body and the spiritual soul, but in the spiritual world everything is spiritual and there are no such differences. The greatest offense of the MAyAvAdI philosophers is to consider Lord ViSNu and the living entities to be one and the same. In this connection the Padma PurANa states, arcye viSNau zilA-dhir guruSu nara-matir vaiSNave jAti-buddhiH . . yasya vA nArakI saH: "One who considers the arcA-mUrti, the worshipable Deity of Lord ViSNu, to be stone, the spiritual master to be an ordinary human being, and a VaiSNava to belong to a particular caste or creed is possessed of hellish intelligence." One who follows such conclusions is doomed.

</blockquote>

 

"The Lord is like a great blazing fire, and the living entities are like small sparks of that fire.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

Although sparks and a big fire are both fire and both have the power to burn, the burning power of the fire and that of the spark are not the same. Why should one artificially try to become like a big fire although by constitution he is like a small spark? It is due to ignorance. One should therefore understand that neither the Supreme Personality of Godhead nor the small sparklike living entities have anything to do with matter, but when the spiritual spark comes in contact with the material world his fiery quality is extinguished. That is the position of the conditioned souls. Because they are in touch with the material world, their spiritual quality is almost dead, but because these spiritual sparks are all KRSNa's parts and parcels, as the Lord states in the Bhagavad-gItA (mamaivAMzaH), they can revive their original position by getting free from material contact. This is pure philosophical understanding. In the Bhagavad-gItA the spiritual sparks are declared to be sanAtana (eternal); therefore the material energy, mAyA, cannot affect their constitutional position.

 

Someone may argue, "Why is there a need to create the spiritual sparks?" The answer can be given in this way: Since the Absolute Personality of Godhead is omnipotent, He has both unlimited and limited potencies. This is the meaning of omnipotent. To be omnipotent, He must have not only unlimited potencies but limited potencies also. Thus to exhibit His omnipotency He displays both. The living entities are endowed with limited potency although they are part of the Lord. The Lord displays the spiritual world by His unlimited potencies, whereas by His limited potencies the material world is displayed. In the Bhagavad-gItA (7.5) the Lord says:

 

apareyam itas tv anyAM prakRtiM viddhi me parAm

jIva-bhUtAM mahA-bAho yayedaM dhAryate jagat

 

"Besides these inferior energies, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises all living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature." The jIva-bhUta, the living entities, control this material world with their limited potencies. Generally, people are bewildered by the activities of scientists and technologists. Due to mAyA they think that there is no need of God and that they can do everything and anything, but actually they cannot. Since this cosmic manifestation is limited, their existence is also limited. Everything in this material world is limited, and for this reason there is creation, sustenance and dissolution. However, in the world of unlimited energy, the spiritual world, there is neither creation nor destruction.

 

If the Personality of Godhead did not possess both limited and unlimited energies, He could not be called omnipotent. ANor aNIyAn mahato mahIyAn: "The Lord is greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest." He is smaller than the smallest in the form of the living entities and greater than the greatest in His form of KRSNa. If there were no one to control, there would be no meaning to the conception of the supreme controller (Izvara), just as there is no meaning to a king without his subjects. If all the subjects became king, there would be no distinction between the king and an ordinary citizen. Thus for the Lord to be the supreme controller there must be a creation to control. The basic principle for the existence of the living entities is called cid-vilAsa, or spiritual pleasure. The omnipotent Lord displays His pleasure potency as the living entities. The Lord is described in the VedAnta-sUtra (1.1.12) as Ananda-mayo 'bhyAsAt. He is by nature the reservoir of all pleasures, and because He wants to enjoy pleasure, there must be energies to give Him pleasure or supply Him the impetus for pleasure. This is the perfect philosophical understanding of the Absolute Truth.

</blockquote>

 

"The living entities are energies, not the energetic. The energetic is KRSNa. This is very vividly described in the Bhagavad-gItA, the ViSNu PurANa and other Vedic literatures.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

As already explained, there are three prasthAnas on the path of advancement in spiritual knowledge--namely, nyAya-prasthAna (VedAnta philosophy), zruti-prasthAna (the UpaniSads and Vedic mantras) and smRti-prasthAna (the Bhagavad-gItA, MahAbhArata, PurANas, etc.). Unfortunately, MAyAvAdI philosophers do not accept the smRti-prasthAna. SmRti refers to the conclusions drawn from the Vedic evidence. Sometimes MAyAvAdI philosophers do not accept the authority of the Bhagavad-gItA and the PurANas, and this is called ardha-kukkuTI-nyAya, "the logic of half a hen" (See Adi-lIlA 5.176). If one believes in the Vedic literatures, one must accept all the Vedic literatures recognized by the great AcAryas, but the MAyAvAdI philosophers accept only the nyAya-prasthAna and zruti-prasthAna, rejecting the smRti-prasthAna. Here, however, SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu cites evidence from the GItA, ViSNu PurANa, etc., which are smRti-prasthAna. No one can avoid the Personality of Godhead in the statements of the Bhagavad-gItA and other Vedic literatures such as the MahAbhArata and the PurANas. Lord Caitanya therefore quotes a passage from the Bhagavad-gItA (7.5).

</blockquote>

 

"'Besides these inferior energies, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.'

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gItA it is explained that the five elements earth, water, fire, air and ether constitute the gross energy of the Absolute Truth and that there are also three subtle energies, namely, the mind, intelligence and false ego, or identification with the phenomenal world. Thus the entire cosmic manifestation is divided into eight energies, all of which are inferior. As explained in the Bhagavad-gItA (mama mAyA duratyayA [bg. 7.14]), the inferior energy, known as mAyA, is so strong that although the living entity does not belong to this energy, due to the superior strength of the inferior energy the living entity (jIva-bhUta) forgets his real position and identifies with it. KRSNa says distinctly that beyond the material energy there is a superior energy which is known as the jIva-bhUta, or living entities. When in contact with the material energy, this superior energy conducts all the activities of the entire material, phenomenal world.

 

The supreme cause is KRSNa (janmAdy asya yataH [sB 1.1.1]), who is the origin of all energies, which work variously. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has both inferior and superior energies, and the difference between them is that the superior energy is factual whereas the inferior energy is a reflection of the superior. A reflection of the sun in a mirror or on water appears to be the sun but is not. Similarly, the material world is but a reflection of the spiritual world. Although it appears to be factual, it is not; it is only a temporary reflection, whereas the spiritual world is a factual reality. The material world, with its gross and subtle forms, is merely a reflection of the spiritual world.

 

The living entity is not a product of the material energy; he is spiritual energy, but in contact with matter he forgets his identity. Thus the living entity identifies himself with matter and enthusiastically engages in material activities in the guises of a technologist, scientist, philosopher, etc. He does not know that he is not at all a material product but is spiritual. His real identity thus being lost, he struggles very hard in the material world, and the Hare KRSNa movement, or KRSNa consciousness movement, is trying to revive his original consciousness. His activities in manufacturing big skyscrapers are evidence of intelligence, but this kind of intelligence is not at all advanced. He should know that his only real concern is how to get free from material contact, for by absorbing his mind in material activities he takes material bodies again and again, and although he falsely claims to be very intelligent, in material consciousness he is not at all intelligent. When we speak about the KRSNa consciousness movement, which is meant to make people intelligent, the conditioned living entity therefore misunderstands it. He is so engrossed in the material concept of life that he does not think there can be any activities that are actually based on intelligence beyond the construction of skyscrapers and big roads and the manufacturing of cars. This is proof of mAyayApahRta-jJAna, or loss of all intelligence due to the influence of mAyA. When a living entity is freed from such misconceptions, he is called liberated. When one is actually liberated he no longer identifies with the material world. The symptom of mukti (liberation) is that one engages in spiritual activities instead of falsely engaging in material activities.

 

Transcendental loving devotional service is the spiritual activity of the spirit soul. MAyAvAdI philosophers confuse such spiritual activity with material activity, but the Bhagavad-gItA (14.26) confirms:

 

mAM ca yo 'vyabhicAreNa bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guNAn samatItyaitAn brahma-bhUyAya kalpate

 

One who engages in the spiritual activities of unalloyed devotional service (avyabhicAriNI-bhakti) is immediately elevated to the transcendental platform, and he is to be considered brahma-bhUta [sB 4.30.20], which indicates that he is no longer in the material world but is in the spiritual world. Devotional service is enlightenment, or awakening. When the living entity perfectly performs spiritual activities under the direction of the spiritual master, he becomes perfect in knowledge and understands that he is not God but a servant of God. As explained by Caitanya MahAprabhu, jIvera 'svarUpa' haya--kRSNera 'nitya-dAsa': the real identity of the living entity is that he is an eternal servant of the Supreme (Cc. Madhya 20.108). As long as one does not come to this conclusion, he must be in ignorance. This is also confirmed by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.19): bahUnAM janmanAm ante jJAnavAn mAM prapadyate . . . sa mahAtmA su-durlabhaH. "After many births of struggling for existence and cultivating knowledge, when one comes to the point of real knowledge he surrenders unto Me. Such an advanced mahAtmA, or great soul, is very rarely to be seen." Thus although the MAyAvAdI philosophers appear to be very much advanced in knowledge, they are not yet perfect. To come to the point of perfection they must voluntarily surrender to KRSNa.

</blockquote>

 

"'The potency of Lord ViSNu is summarized in three categories--namely, the spiritual potency, the living entities and ignorance. The spiritual potency is full of knowledge; the living entities, although belonging to the spiritual potency, are subject to bewilderment; and the third energy, which is full of ignorance, is always visible in fruitive activities.'

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

This is a quotation from the ViSNu PurANa (6.7.61).

 

In the previous verse, quoted from the Bhagavad-gItA, it has been established that the living entities are to be categorized among the Lord's potencies. The Lord is potent, and there are varieties of potencies (parAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]). Now, in this quotation from the ViSNu PurANa, this is further confirmed. There are varieties of potencies, and they have been divided into three categories--namely, spiritual, marginal and external.

 

The spiritual potency is manifested in the spiritual world. KRSNa's form, qualities, activities and entourage are all spiritual. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (4.5):

 

ajo 'pi sann avyayAtmA bhUtAnAm Izvaro 'pi san

prakRtiM svAm adhiSThAya sambhavAmy Atma-mAyayA

[bg. 4.6]

 

"Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, by My spiritual potency I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form." Atma-mAyA refers to the spiritual potency. When KRSNa comes to this or any other universe, He does so with His spiritual potency. We take birth by the force of the material potency, but as stated here with reference to the ViSNu PurANa, the kSetra-jJa, or living entity, belongs to the spiritual potency; thus when we free ourselves from the clutches of the material potency we can also enter the spiritual world.

 

The material potency is the energy of darkness, or complete ignorance of spiritual activities. In the material potency, the living entity engages himself in fruitive activities, thinking that he can be happy through expansion in terms of material energy. This fact is prominently manifest in this Age of Kali because human society, not understanding the spiritual nature, is busily expanding in material activities. The men of the present day are almost unaware of their spiritual identity. They think that they are products of the elements of the material world and that everything will end with the annihilation of the body. Therefore they conclude that as long as one has a material body consisting of material senses, one should enjoy the senses as much as possible. Since they are atheists, they do not care whether there is a next life. Such activities are described in this verse as avidyA-karma-saMjJAnyA.

 

The material energy is separated from the spiritual energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus although it is originally created by the Supreme Lord, He is not actually present within it. The Lord also confirms in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.4), mat-sthAni sarva-bhUtAni: "Everything is resting on Me." This indicates that everything is resting on His own energy. For example, the planets are resting within outer space, which is the separated energy of KRSNa. The Lord explains in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.4):

 

bhUmir Apo 'nalo vAyuH khaM mano buddhir eva ca

ahaGkAra itIyaM me bhinnA prakRtir aSTadhA

 

"Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego--all together these eight constitute My separated material energies." The separated energy acts as if it were independent, but here it is said that although such energies are certainly factual, they are not independent but merely separated.

 

The separated energy can be understood from a practical example. I compose books by speaking into a dictaphone, and when the dictaphone is replayed, it appears that I am speaking personally, but actually I am not. I spoke personally, but then the dictaphone tape, which is separate from me, acts exactly like me. Similarly, the material energy originally emanates from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but it acts separately, although the energy is supplied by the Lord. This is also explained in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.10): mayAdhyakSeNa prakRtiH sUyate sa-carAcaram. "This material nature is working under My direction, O son of KuntI, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings." Under the guidance or superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the material energy works as if independent, although it is not actually independent.

 

In this verse from the ViSNu PurANa the total energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is classified in three divisions--namely, the spiritual or internal potency of the Lord, the marginal potency, or kSetra-jJa (the living entity), and the material potency, which is separated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and appears to act independently. When SrIla VyAsadeva, by meditation and self-realization, saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he also saw the separated energy of the Lord standing behind Him (apazyat puruSaM pUrNaM mAyAM ca tad-apAzrayam). VyAsadeva also realized that it is this separated energy of the Lord, the material energy, that covers the knowledge of the living entities (yayA sammohito jIva AtmAnaM tri-guNAtmakam [sB 1.7.5]). The separated, material energy bewilders the living entities (jIvas), and thus they work very hard under its influence, not knowing that they are not fulfilling their mission in life. Unfortunately, most of them think that they are the body and should therefore enjoy the material senses irresponsibly since when death comes everything will be finished. This atheistic philosophy also flourished in India, where it was sometimes propagated by CArvAka Muni, who said:

 

RNaM kRtvA ghRtaM pibet yAvaj jIvet sukhaM jIvet

bhasmI-bhUtasya dehasya kutaH punar Agamano bhavet

 

His theory was that as long as one lives one should eat as much ghee as possible. In India, ghee (clarified butter) is a basic ingredient in preparing many varieties of food. Since everyone wants to enjoy nice food, CArvAka Muni advised that one eat as much ghee as possible. One may say, "I have no money. How shall I purchase ghee?" CArvAka Muni, however, says, "If you have no money, then beg, borrow or steal, but in some way secure ghee and enjoy life." For one who further objects that he will be held accountable for such unauthorized activities as begging, borrowing and stealing, CArvAka Muni replies, "You will not be held responsible. As soon as your body is burned to ashes after death, everything is finished."

 

This is called ignorance. From the Bhagavad-gItA it is understood that one does not die with the annihilation of his body (na hanyate hanyamAne zarIre [bg. 2.20]). The annihilation of one body involves changing to another (tathA dehAntara-prAptiH [bg. 2.13]). Therefore, to perform irresponsible activities in the material world is very dangerous. Without knowledge of the spirit soul and its transmigration, people are allured by the material energy to engage in many such activities, as if one could become happy simply by dint of material knowledge, without reference to spiritual existence. Therefore the entire material world and its activities are referred to as avidyA-karma-saMjJAnyA.

 

In order to dissipate the ignorance of the human beings who work under the material energy, which is separated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord comes down to revive their original nature of spiritual activities (yadA yadA hi dharmasya glAnir bhavati bhArata [bg. 4.7]). As soon as they deviate from their original nature, the Lord comes to teach them, sarva-dharmAn parityajya mAm ekaM zaraNaM vraja: "My dear living entities, give up all material activities and simply surrender unto Me for protection." (Bg. 18.66)

 

It is the statement of CArvAka Muni that one should beg, borrow or steal money to purchase ghee and enjoy life (RNaM kRtvA ghRtaM pibet). Thus even the greatest atheist of India recommends that one eat ghee, not meat. No one could conceive of human beings' eating meat like tigers and dogs, but men have become so degraded that they are just like animals and can no longer claim to have a human civilization.

</blockquote>

 

"The MAyAvAda philosophy is so degraded that it has taken the insignificant living entities to be the Lord, the Supreme Truth, thus covering the glory and supremacy of the Absolute Truth with monism.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

SrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura comments in this connection that in all Vedic scriptures the jIva-tattva, the truth of the living entities, is mentioned to be one of the energies of the Lord. If one does not accept the living entity to be a minute, infinitesimal spark of the Supreme but equates the jIva-tattva with the Supreme Brahman or Supreme Personality of Godhead, it must be understood that his entire philosophy is based on a misunderstanding. Unfortunately, SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya purposely claimed the jIva-tattva, or living entities, to be equal to the Supreme God. Therefore his entire philosophy is based on a misunderstanding, and it misguides people to become atheists, whose mission in life is unfulfilled. The mission of human life, as described in the Bhagavad-gItA, is to surrender unto the Supreme Lord and become His devotee, but the MAyAvAda philosophy misleads one to defy the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and pose oneself as the Supreme Lord. Thus it has misguided hundreds of thousands of innocent men.

 

In the VedAnta-sUtra, VyAsadeva has described that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is potent and that everything, material or spiritual, is but an emanation of His energy. The Lord, the Supreme Brahman, is the origin or source of everything (janmAdy asya yataH [sB 1.1.1]), and all other manifestations are emanations of different energies of the Lord. This is also confirmed in the ViSNu PurANa:

 

ekadeza-sthitasyAgner jyotsnA vistAriNI yathA

parasya brahmaNaH zaktis tathedam akhilaM jagat

 

"Whatever we see in this world is simply an expansion of different energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is exactly like a fire that spreads illumination for a long distance although it is situated in one place." This is a very vivid analogy. Similarly, it is stated that just as everything in the material world exists in the sunshine, which is the energy of the sun, so everything exists on the basis of the spiritual and material energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus although KRSNa is situated in His own abode (goloka eva nivasaty akhilAtma-bhUtaH [bs. 5.37]), where He enjoys His transcendental pastimes with the cowherd boys and gopIs, He is nevertheless present everywhere, even within the atoms of this universe (aNDAntara-stha-paramANu-cayAntara-stham [bs. 5.35]). This is the verdict of the Vedic literature.

 

Unfortunately, the MAyAvAda philosophy, misguiding people by claiming the living entity to be the Lord, has created havoc throughout the entire world and led almost everyone to godlessness. By thus covering the glories of the Supreme Lord, the MAyAvAdI philosophers have done the greatest disservice to human society. It is to counteract these most abominable activities of the MAyAvAdI philosophers that Lord Caitanya has introduced the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra.

 

harer nAma harer nAma harer nAmaiva kevalam

kalau nAsty eva nAsty eva nAsty eva gatir anyathA

[Cc. Adi 17.21]

 

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." People should simply engage in the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, for thus they will gradually come to understand that they are not the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as they have been taught by the MAyAvAdI philosophers, but are eternal servants of the Lord. As soon as one engages himself in the transcendental service of the Lord, he becomes free.

 

mAM ca yo 'vyabhicAreNa bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guNAn samatItyaitAn brahma-bhUyAya kalpate

 

"One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." (Bg. 14.26) Therefore the Hare KRSNa movement, or KRSNa consciousness movement, is the only light for the foolish living entities who think either that there is no God or that if God exists He is formless and they themselves are also God. These misconceptions are very dangerous, and the only way to counteract them is to spread the Hare KRSNa movement.

</blockquote>

 

[gHari]

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 7.121-150:

"In his VedAnta-sUtra SrIla VyAsadeva has described that everything is but a transformation of the energy of the Lord. SaGkarAcArya, however, has misled the world by commenting that VyAsadeva was mistaken. Thus he has raised great opposition to theism throughout the entire world.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

SrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura explains, "In the Vedanta-sUtra of SrIla VyAsadeva it is definitely stated that all cosmic manifestations result from transformations of various energies of the Lord. SaGkarAcArya, however, not accepting the energy of the Lord, thinks that it is the Lord who is transformed. He has taken many clear statements from the Vedic literature and twisted them to try to prove that if the Lord, or the Absolute Truth, were transformed, His oneness would be disturbed. Thus he has accused SrIla VyAsadeva of being mistaken. In developing his philosophy of monism, therefore, he has established vivarta-vAda, or the MAyAvAda theory of illusion."

 

In the Brahma-sUtra, Second Chapter, the first aphorism is as follows: tad-ananyatvam ArambhaNa-zabdAdibhyaH. Commenting on this sUtra in his SArIraka-bhASya, SaGkarAcArya has introduced the statement vAcArambhaNaM vikAro nAmadheyam from the ChAndogya UpaniSad (6.1.4) to try to prove that acceptance of the transformation of the energy of the Supreme Lord is faulty. He has tried to defy this transformation of energy in a misguided way, which will be explained later. Since his conception of God is impersonal, he does not believe that the entire cosmic manifestation is a transformation of the energies of the Lord, for as soon as one accepts the various energies of the Absolute Truth, one must immediately accept the Absolute Truth to be personal, not impersonal. A person can create many things by the transformation of his energy. For example, a businessman transforms his energy by establishing many big factories or business organizations, yet he remains a person although his energy has been transformed into these many factories or business concerns. The MAyAvAdI philosophers do not understand this simple fact. Their tiny brains and poor fund of knowledge cannot afford them sufficient enlightenment to realize that when a man's energy is transformed, the man himself is not transformed but remains the same person.

 

Not believing in the fact that the energy of the Absolute Truth is transformed, SaGkarAcArya has propounded his theory of illusion. This theory states that although the Absolute Truth is never transformed, we think that it is transformed, which is an illusion. SaGkarAcArya does not believe in the transformation of the energy of the Absolute Truth, for he claims that everything is one and that the living entity is therefore also one with the Supreme. This is the MAyAvAda theory.

 

SrIla VyAsadeva has explained that the Absolute Truth is a person who has different potencies. Merely by His desire that there be creation and by His glance (sa aikSata), He created this material world (sa asRjata). After creation, He remains the same person: He is not transformed into everything. One should accept that the Lord has inconceivable energies and that it is by His order and will that varieties of manifestations have come into existence. In the Vedic literature it is said, sa-tattvato 'nyathA-buddhir vikAra ity udAhRtaH. This mantra indicates that from one fact another fact is generated. For example, a father is one fact, and a son generated from the father is a second fact. Thus both of them are truths, although one is generated from the other. This generation of a second, independent truth from a first truth is called vikAra, or transformation resulting in a by-product. The Supreme Brahman is the Absolute Truth, and the energies that have emanated from Him and are existing separately, such as the living entities and the cosmic manifestation, are also truths. This is an example of transformation, which is called vikAra or pariNAma. To give another example of vikAra, milk is a truth, but the same milk may be transformed into yogurt. Thus yogurt is a transformation of milk, although the ingredients of yogurt and milk are the same.

 

In the ChAndogya UpaniSad there is the following mantra: aitad-Atmyam idaM sarvam. This mantra indicates without a doubt that the entire world is Brahman. The Absolute Truth has inconceivable energies, as confirmed in the SvetAzvatara UpaniSad (parAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]), and the entire cosmic manifestation is evidence of these different energies of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is a fact, and therefore whatever is created by the Supreme Lord is also factual. Everything is true and complete (pUrNam), but the original pUrNam, the complete Absolute Truth, always remains the same. PUrNAt pUrNam udacyate pUrNasya pUrNam AdAya. The Absolute Truth is so perfect that although innumerable energies emanate from Him and manifest creations which appear to be different from Him, He nevertheless maintains His personality. He never deteriorates under any circumstances.

 

It is to be concluded that the entire cosmic manifestation is a transformation of the energy of the Supreme Lord, not of the Supreme Lord or Absolute Truth Himself, who always remains the same. The material world and the living entities are transformations of the energy of the Lord, the Absolute Truth or Brahman, who is the original source. In other words, the Absolute Truth, Brahman, is the original ingredient, and the other manifestations are transformations of this ingredient. This is also confirmed in the TaittirIya UpaniSad (3.1): yato vA imAni bhUtAni jAyante. "This entire cosmic manifestation is made possible by the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." In this verse it is indicated that Brahman, the Absolute Truth, is the original cause and that the living entities (jIvas) and the cosmic manifestation are effects of this cause. The cause being a fact, the effects are also factual. They are not illusion. SaGkarAcArya has inconsistently tried to prove that it is an illusion to accept the material world and the jIvas as by-products of the Supreme Lord because (in his conception) the existence of the material world and the jIvas is different and separate from that of the Absolute Truth. With this jugglery of understanding, MAyAvAdI philosophers have propagated the slogan brahma satyaM jagan mithyA, which declares that the Absolute Truth is fact but the cosmic manifestation and the living entities are simply illusions, or that all of them are in fact the Absolute Truth and that the material world and living entities do not separately exist.

 

It is therefore to be concluded that SaGkarAcArya, in order to present the Supreme Lord, the living entities and the material nature as indivisible and ignorant, tries to cover the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He maintains that the material cosmic manifestation is mithyA, or false, but this is a great blunder. If the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a fact, how can His creation be false? Even in ordinary dealings, one cannot think the material cosmic manifestation to be false. Therefore VaiSNava philosophers say that the cosmic creation is not false but temporary. It is separated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but since it is wonderfully created by the energy of the Lord, to say that it is false is blasphemous.

 

Nondevotees factually appreciate the wonderful creation of material nature, but they cannot appreciate the intelligence and energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is behind this material creation. SrIpAda RAmAnujAcArya, however, refers to a sUtra from the Aitareya UpaniSad (1.1.1), AtmA vA idam agra AsIt, which points out that the supreme AtmA, the Absolute Truth, existed before the creation. One may argue, "If the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely spiritual, how is it possible for Him to be the origin of creation and have within Himself both material and spiritual energies?" To answer this challenge, SrIpAda RAmAnujAcArya quotes a mantra from the TaittirIya UpaniSad (3.1) that states:

 

yato vA imAni bhUtAni jAyante yena jAtAni jIvanti yat prayanty abhisaMvizanti

 

This mantra confirms that the entire cosmic manifestation emanates from the Absolute Truth, rests upon the Absolute Truth and after annihilation again reenters the body of the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The living entity is originally spiritual, and when he enters the spiritual world or the body of the Supreme Lord, he still retains his identity as an individual soul. In this connection SrIpAda RAmAnujAcArya gives the analogy that when a green bird enters a green tree it does not become one with the tree: it retains its identity as a bird, although it appears to merge with the greenness of the tree. To give another analogy, an animal that enters a forest keeps its individuality, although apparently the beast merges with the forest. Similarly, in material existence, both the material energy and the living entities of the marginal potency maintain their individuality. Thus although the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead interact within the cosmic manifestation, each keeps its separate individual existence. Merging with the material or spiritual energies, therefore, does not involve loss of individuality. According to SrI RAmAnujapAda's theory of ViziSTAdvaita, although all the energies of the Lord are one, each keeps its individuality (vaiziSTya).

 

SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya has tried to mislead the readers of the VedAnta-sUtra by misinterpreting the words Ananda-mayo 'bhyAsAt, and he has even tried to find fault with VyAsadeva. All the aphorisms of the VedAnta-sUtra need not be examined here, however, since we intend to present the VedAnta-sUtra in a separate volume.

</blockquote>

 

"According to SaGkarAcArya, by accepting the theory of the transformation of the energy of the Lord, one creates an illusion by indirectly accepting that the Absolute Truth is transformed.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

SrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura comments that if one does not clearly understand the meaning of pariNAma-vAda, or transformation of energy, one is sure to misunderstand the truth regarding this material cosmic manifestation and the living entities. In the ChAndogya UpaniSad (6.8.4) it is said, san-mUlAH saumyemAH prajAH sad-AyatanAH sat-pratiSThAH. The material world and the living entities are separate beings, and they are eternally true, not false. SaGkarAcArya, however, unnecessarily fearing that by pariNAma-vAda (transformation of energy) Brahman would be transformed (vikArI), has imagined both the material world and the living entities to be false and to have no individuality. By word jugglery he has tried to prove that the individual identities of the living entities and the material world are illusory, and he has cited the examples of mistaking a rope for a snake or an oyster shell for gold. Thus he has most abominably cheated people in general.

 

The analogy of misunderstanding a rope to be a snake is mentioned in the MANDUkya UpaniSad, but it is meant to explain the error of identifying the body with the soul. Since the soul is actually a spiritual particle, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (mamaivAMzo jIva-loke), it is due to illusion (vivarta-vAda) that a human being, like an animal, identifies the body with the self. This is a proper example of vivarta, or illusion. The verse atattvato 'nyathA-buddhir vivarta ity udAhRtaH describes such an illusion. To not know actual facts and thus to mistake one thing for another (as, for example, to accept the body as oneself) is called vivarta-vAda. Every conditioned living entity who considers the body to be the soul is deluded by this vivarta-vAda. One can be attacked by this vivarta-vAda philosophy when he forgets the inconceivable power of the omnipotent Personality of Godhead.

 

How the Supreme Personality of Godhead remains as He is, never changing, is explained in the IzopaniSad: pUrNasya pUrNam AdAya pUrNam evAvaziSyate. God is complete. Even if a complete manifestation is taken away from Him, He continues to be complete. The material creation is manifested by the energy of the Lord, but He is still the same person. His form, entourage, qualities and so on never deteriorate. SrIla JIva GosvAmI, in his ParamAtma-sandarbha, comments regarding the vivarta-vAda as follows: "Under the spell of vivarta-vAda one imagines the separate entities, namely the cosmic manifestation and the living entities, to be one with Brahman. This is due to complete ignorance regarding the actual fact. The Absolute Truth, or Parabrahman, is always one and always the same. He is completely free from all other conceptions of existence. He is completely free from false ego, for He is the full spiritual identity. It is absolutely impossible for Him to be subjected to ignorance and fall under the spell of a misconception (vivarta-vAda). The Absolute Truth is beyond our conception. One must admit that He has unblemished qualities that He does not share with every living entity. He is never tainted in the slightest degree by the flaws of ordinary living beings. Everyone must therefore understand the Absolute Truth to possess inconceivable potencies."

</blockquote>

 

"Transformation of energy is a proven fact. It is the false bodily conception of the self that is an illusion.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

The jIva, or living entity, is a spiritual spark who is part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately, he thinks the body to be the self, and that misunderstanding is called vivarta, or acceptance of untruth to be truth. The body is not the self, but animals and foolish people think that it is. Vivarta (illusion) does not, however, denote a change in the identity of the spirit soul; it is the misconception that the body is the self that is an illusion. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not change when His external energy, consisting of the eight gross and subtle material elements listed in the Bhagavad-gItA (bhUmir Apo 'nalo vAyuH, etc. [bg. 7.4]), acts and reacts in different phases.

</blockquote>

 

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is opulent in all respects. Therefore by His inconceivable energies He has transformed the material cosmic manifestation.

 

"Using the example of a touchstone, which by its energy turns iron to gold and yet remains the same, we can understand that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead transforms His innumerable energies, He remains unchanged.

 

"Although a touchstone produces many varieties of valuable jewels, it nevertheless remains the same. It does not change its original form.

 

"If there is such inconceivable potency in material objects, why should we not believe in the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

The argument of SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu described in this verse can be very easily understood even by a common man if he simply thinks of the activities of the sun, which has been giving off unlimited amounts of heat and light since time immemorial and yet has not even slightly decreased in power. Modern science believes that it is by sunshine that the entire cosmic manifestation is maintained, and actually one can see how the actions and reactions of sunshine maintain order throughout the universe. The growth of vegetables and even the rotation of the planets take place due to the heat and light of the sun. Sometimes, therefore, modern scientists consider the sun to be the original cause of creation, not knowing that the sun is only a medium, for it is also created by the supreme energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Aside from the sun and the touchstone, there are many other material things that transform their energy in different ways and yet remain as they are. It is not necessary, therefore, for the original cause, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to change due to the changes or transformations of His different energies.

 

The falsity of SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya's explanation of vivarta-vAda and pariNAma-vAda has been detected by the VaiSNava AcAryas, especially JIva GosvAmI, whose opinion is that actually SaGkara did not understand the VedAnta-sUtra. In SaGkara's explanation of one sUtra, Ananda-mayo 'bhyAsAt, he has interpreted the affix mayaT with such word jugglery that this very explanation proves that he had little knowledge of the VedAnta-sUtra but simply wanted to support his impersonalism through the aphorisms of the VedAnta philosophy. Actually, however, he failed to do so because he could not put forward strong arguments. In this connection, SrIla JIva GosvAmI cites the phrase brahma pucchaM pratiSThA (TaittirIya Up. 2.5), which gives Vedic evidence that Brahman is the origin of everything. In explaining this verse, SrIpAda SaGkarAcArya interpreted various Sanskrit words in such a way that he implied, according to JIva GosvAmI, that VyAsadeva had very little knowledge of higher logic. Such unscrupulous deviation from the real meaning of the VedAnta-sUtra has created a class of men who by word jugglery try to derive various indirect meanings from the Vedic literatures, especially the Bhagavad-gItA. One of them has even explained that the word kurukSetra refers to the body. Such interpretations imply, however, that neither Lord KRSNa nor VyAsadeva had a proper sense of word usage or etymological adjustment. They lead one to assume that since Lord KRSNa could not personally sense the meaning of what He was speaking and VyAsadeva did not know the meaning of what he was writing, Lord KRSNa left His book to be explained later by the MAyAvAdIs. Such interpretations merely prove, however, that their proponents have very little philosophical sense.

 

Instead of wasting one's time falsely deriving such indirect meanings from the VedAnta-sUtra and other Vedic literatures, one should accept the words of these books as they are. In presenting Bhagavad-gItA As It Is, therefore, we have not changed the meaning of the original words. Similarly, if one studies the VedAnta-sUtra as it is, without whimsical and capricious adulteration, one can understand the Vedanta-sUtra very easily. SrIla VyAsadeva therefore explains the VedAnta-sUtra, beginning from the first sUtra, janmAdy asya yataH [sB 1.1.1], in his SrImad-BhAgavatam (1.1.1):

 

janmAdy asya yato 'nvayAd itarataz cArtheSv abhijJaH sva-rAT [sB 1.1.1].

</blockquote>

 

"I meditate upon Him [Lord SrI KRSNa], the transcendent reality, who is the primeval cause of all causes, from whom all manifested universes arise, in whom they dwell, and by whom they are destroyed. I meditate upon that eternally effulgent Lord, who is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations and yet is fully independent." The Supreme Personality of Godhead knows very well how to do everything perfectly. He is abhijJa, always fully conscious. The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.26) that He knows everything, past, present and future, but that no one but a devotee knows Him as He is. Therefore, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is at least partially understood by devotees of the Lord, but the MAyAvAdI philosophers, who unnecessarily speculate to understand the Absolute Truth, simply waste their time.

 

"The Vedic sound vibration oMkAra, the principal word in the Vedic literatures, is the basis of all Vedic vibrations. Therefore one should accept oMkAra as the sound representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the reservoir of the cosmic manifestation.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gItA (8.13) the glories of oMkAra are described as follows:

 

oM ity ekAkSaraM brahma vyAharan mAm anusmaran

yaH prayAti tyajan dehaM sa yAti paramAM gatim

 

This verse indicates that oMkAra, or praNava, is a direct representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore if at the time of death one simply remembers oMkAra, he remembers the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is therefore immediately transferred to the spiritual world. OMkAra is the basic principle of all Vedic mantras, for it is a representation of Lord KRSNa, understanding of whom is the ultimate goal of the Vedas, as stated in the Bhagavad-gItA (vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH [bg. 15.15]). MAyAvAdI philosophers cannot understand these simple facts explained in the Bhagavad-gItA, and yet they are very proud of being VedAntIs. Sometimes, therefore, we refer to the VedAntI philosophers as VidantIs, those who have no teeth (vi means "without," and dantI means "possessing teeth"). The statements of the SaGkara philosophy, which are the teeth of the MAyAvAdI philosopher, are always broken by the strong arguments of VaiSNava philosophers such as the great AcAryas, especially RAmAnujAcArya. SrIpAda RAmAnujAcArya and MadhvAcArya break the teeth of the MAyAvAdI philosophers, who can therefore be called VidantIs, "toothless."

 

As mentioned above, the transcendental vibration oMkAra is explained in the Bhagavad-gItA, Chapter Eight, verse thirteen:

 

oM ity ekAkSaraM brahma vyAharan mAm anusmaran

yaH prayAti tyajan dehaM sa yAti paramAM gatim

 

"After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable oM, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual planets." If one actually understands that oMkAra is the sound representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whether he chants oMkAra or the Hare KRSNa mantra, the result is certainly the same.

 

The transcendental vibration of oMkAra is further explained in the Bhagavad-gItA, Chapter Nine, verse seventeen:

 

pitAham asya jagato mAtA dhAtA pitAmahaH

vedyaM pavitram oMkAra Rk sAma yajur eva ca

 

"I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable oM. I am also the Rg, the SAma and the Yajur Vedas."

 

Similarly, the transcendental sound oM is further explained in the Bhagavad-gItA, Chapter Seventeen, verse twenty-three:

 

oM tat sad iti nirdezo brahmaNas tri-vidhaH smRtaH

brAhmaNAs tena vedAz ca yajJAz ca vihitAH purA

 

"From the beginning of creation, the three syllables oM tat sat have been used to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth [brahman]. They were uttered by brAhmaNas while chanting Vedic hymns and during sacrifices for the satisfaction of the Supreme."

 

Throughout all the Vedic literatures the glories of oMkAra are specifically mentioned. SrIla JIva GosvAmI, in his thesis Bhagavat-sandarbha, says that in the Vedic literature oMkAra is considered to be the sound vibration of the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only this vibration of transcendental sound can deliver a conditioned soul from the clutches of mAyA. Sometimes oMkAra is also called the deliverer (tAra). SrImad-BhAgavatam begins with the oMkAra vibration: oM namo bhagavate vAsudevAya. Therefore oMkAra has been described by the great commentator SrIdhara SvAmI as tArAGkura, the seed of deliverance from the material world. Since the Supreme Godhead is absolute, His holy name and His sound vibration oMkAra are as good as He Himself. Caitanya MahAprabhu says that the holy name, or oMkAra, the transcendental representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has all the potencies of the Personality of Godhead.

 

nAmnAm akAri bahudhA nija-sarva-zaktis

tatrArpitA niyamitaH smaraNe na kAlaH

 

All potencies are invested in the holy vibration of the holy name of the Lord. There is no doubt that the holy name of the Lord, or oMkAra, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. In other words, anyone who chants oMkAra and the holy name of the Lord, Hare KRSNa, immediately meets the Supreme Lord directly in His sound form. In the NArada-paJcarAtra it is clearly said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead NArAyaNa personally appears before the chanter who engages in chanting the aSTAkSara, or eight-syllable mantra, oM namo nArAyaNAya. A similar statement in the MANDUkya UpaniSad declares that whatever one sees in the spiritual world is all an expansion of the spiritual potency of oMkAra.

 

On the basis of all the UpaniSads, SrIla JIva GosvAmI says that oMkAra is the Supreme Absolute Truth and is accepted as such by all the AcAryas and authorities. OMkAra is beginningless, changeless, supreme and free from deterioration and external contamination. OMkAra is the origin, middle and end of everything, and any living entity who thus understands oMkAra attains the perfection of spiritual identity in oMkAra. OMkAra, being situated in everyone's heart, is Izvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (18.61): IzvaraH sarva-bhUtAnAM hRd-deze 'rjuna tiSThati. OMkAra is as good as ViSNu because oMkAra is as all-pervasive as ViSNu. One who knows oMkAra and Lord ViSNu to be identical no longer has to lament or hanker. One who chants oMkAra no longer remains a zUdra but immediately comes to the position of a brAhmaNa. Simply by chanting oMkAra one can understand the whole creation to be one unit, or an expansion of the energy of the Supreme Lord: idaM hi vizvaM bhagavAn ivetaro yato jagat-sthAna-nirodha-sambhavAH. "The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is Himself this cosmos, and still He is aloof from it. From Him only this cosmic manifestation has emanated, in Him it rests, and unto Him it enters after annihilation." (SB 1.5.20) Although one who does not understand concludes otherwise, SrImad-BhAgavatam states that the entire cosmic manifestation is but an expansion of the energy of the Supreme Lord. Realization of this is possible simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, oMkAra.

 

One should not, however, foolishly conclude that because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is omnipotent, we have manufactured a combination of letters--a, u and m--to represent Him. Factually the transcendental sound oMkAra, although a combination of the three letters a, u and m, has transcendental potency, and one who chants oMkAra will very soon realize oMkAra and Lord ViSNu to be nondifferent. KRSNa declares, praNavaH sarva-vedeSu: "I am the syllable oM in the Vedic mantras." (Bg. 7.8) One should therefore conclude that among the many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, oMkAra is the sound incarnation. All the Vedas accept this thesis. One should always remember that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are always identical (abhinnatvAn nAma-nAminoH). Since oMkAra is the basic principle of all Vedic knowledge, it is uttered before one begins to chant any Vedic hymn. Without oMkAra, no Vedic mantra is successful. The GosvAmIs therefore declare that praNava (oMkAra) is the complete representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they have analyzed oMkAra in terms of its alphabetical constituents as follows:

 

a-kAreNocyate kRSNaH sarva-lokaika-nAyakaH

u-kAreNocyate rAdhA ma-kAro jIva-vAcakaH

 

OMkAra is a combination of the letters a, u and m. A-kAreNocyate kRSNaH: the letter a (a-kAra) refers to KRSNa, who is sarva-lokaika-nAyakaH, the master of all living entities and planets, material and spiritual. NAyaka means "leader." He is the supreme leader (nityo nityAnAM cetanaz cetanAnAm (KaTha UpaniSad 2.2.13)). The letter u (u-kAra) indicates SrImatI RAdhArANI, the pleasure potency of KRSNa, and m (ma-kAra) indicates the living entities (jIvas). Thus oM is the complete combination of KRSNa, His potency and His eternal servitors. In other words, oMkAra represents KRSNa, His name, fame, pastimes, entourage, expansions, devotees, potencies and everything else pertaining to Him. As Caitanya MahAprabhu states in the present verse of SrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, sarva-vizva-dhAma: oMkAra is the resting place of everything, just as KRSNa is the resting place of everything (brahmaNo hi pratiSThAham).

 

The MAyAvAdI philosophers consider many Vedic mantras to be the mahA-vAkya, or principal Vedic mantra, such as tat tvam asi (ChAndogya UpaniSad 6.8.7), idaM sarvaM yad ayam AtmA and brahmedaM sarvam (BRhad-AraNyaka UpaniSad 2.5.1), AtmaivedaM sarvam (ChAndogya UpaniSad 7.25.2) and neha nAnAsti kiJcana (KaTha UpaniSad 2.1.11). That is a great mistake. Only oMkAra is the mahA-vAkya. All these other mantras that the MAyAvAdIs accept as the mahA-vAkya are only incidental. They cannot be taken as the mahA-vAkya, or mahA-mantra. The mantra tat tvam asi indicates only a partial understanding of the Vedas, unlike oMkAra, which represents the full understanding of the Vedas. Therefore the transcendental sound that includes all Vedic knowledge is oMkAra (praNava).

 

Aside from oMkAra, none of the words uttered by the followers of SaGkarAcArya can be considered the mahA-vAkya. They are merely passing remarks. SaGkarAcArya, however, has never stressed chanting of the mahA-vAkya oMkAra; he has accepted only tat tvam asi as the mahA-vAkya. Imagining the living entity to be God, he has misrepresented all the mantras of the VedAnta-sUtra with the motive of proving that there is no separate existence of the living entities and the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is similar to the politician's attempt to prove nonviolence from the Bhagavad-gItA. KRSNa is violent to demons, and to attempt to prove that KRSNa is not violent is ultimately to deny KRSNa. As such explanations of the Bhagavad-gItA are absurd, so also is SaGkarAcArya's explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra, and no sane and reasonable man will accept it. At present, however, the VedAnta-sUtra is misrepresented not only by the so-called VedAntIs but also by other unscrupulous persons who are so degraded that they even recommend that sannyAsIs eat meat, fish and eggs. In this way, the so-called followers of SaGkara, the impersonalist MAyAvAdIs, are sinking lower and lower. How can these degraded men explain the VedAnta-sUtra, which is the essence of all Vedic literature?

 

Lord SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu has declared, mAyAvAdi-bhASya zunile haya sarva-nAza: "Anyone who hears commentary on the VedAnta-sUtra from the MAyAvAda school is completely doomed." As explained in the Bhagavad-gItA (15.15), vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH: all Vedic literature aims at understanding KRSNa. MAyAvAda philosophy, however, has deviated everyone from KRSNa. Therefore there is a great need for the KRSNa consciousness movement all over the world to save the world from degradation. Every intelligent and sane man must abandon the philosophical explanation of the MAyAvAdIs and accept the explanation of VaiSNava AcAryas. One should read Bhagavad-gItA As It Is to try to understand the real purpose of the Vedas.

</blockquote>

 

"It is the purpose of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to present praNava [oMkAra] as the reservoir of all Vedic knowledge. The words 'tat tvam asi' are only a partial explanation of the Vedic knowledge.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

Tat tvam asi means "you are the same spiritual identity."

</blockquote>

 

"PraNava [oMkAra] is the mahA-vAkya [mahA-mantra] in the Vedas. SaGkarAcArya's followers cover this to stress without authority the mantra tat tvam asi.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

The MAyAvAdI philosophers stress the statements tat tvam asi, so 'ham, etc., but they do not stress the real mahA-mantra, praNava (oMkAra). Therefore, because they misrepresent Vedic knowledge, they are the greatest offenders to the lotus feet of the Lord. Caitanya MahAprabhu says clearly, mAyAvAdI kRSNe aparAdhI: "MAyAvAdI philosophers are the greatest offenders to Lord KRSNa." Lord KRSNa declares:

 

tAn ahaM dviSataH krUrAn saMsAreSu narAdhamAn

kSipAmy ajasram azubhAn AsurISv eva yoniSu

 

"Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among mankind, I perpetually cast into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life." (Bg. 16.19) Life in demoniac species awaits the MAyAvAdI philosophers after death because they are envious of KRSNa. When KRSNa says in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.34) man-manA bhava mad-bhakto mad-yAjI mAM namaskuru ("Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me"), one demoniac scholar says that it is not KRSNa to whom one must surrender. This scholar is already suffering in this life, and he will have to suffer again in the next if in this life he does not complete his prescribed suffering. One should be very careful not to be envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the next verse, therefore, SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu clearly states the purpose of the Vedas.

</blockquote>

 

"In all the Vedic sUtras and literatures, it is Lord KRSNa who is to be understood, but the followers of SaGkarAcArya have covered the real meaning of the Vedas with indirect explanations.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

It is said:

 

vede rAmAyaNe caiva purANe bhArate tathA

AdAv ante ca madhye ca hariH sarvatra gIyate

 

"In the Vedic literature, including the RAmAyaNa, PurANas and MahAbhArata, from the very beginning (Adau) to the end (ante ca), as well as within the middle (madhye ca), only Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is explained."

</blockquote>

 

"The self-evident Vedic literatures are the highest evidence of all, but if these literatures are interpreted, their self-evident nature is lost.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

We quote Vedic evidence to support our statements, but if we interpret it according to our own judgment, the authority of the Vedic literature is rendered imperfect or useless. In other words, by interpreting the Vedic version one minimizes the value of Vedic evidence. When one quotes from Vedic literature, it is understood that the quotations are authoritative. How can one bring the authority under his own control? That is a case of principiis obsta.

</blockquote>

 

"To prove their philosophy, the members of the MAyAvAda school have given up the real, easily understood meaning of the Vedic literature and introduced indirect meanings based on their imaginative powers."

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

Unfortunately, the SaGkarite interpretation has covered almost the entire world. Therefore there is a great need to present the original, easily understood natural import of the Vedic literature. We have therefore begun by presenting Bhagavad-gItA As It Is, and we propose to present all the Vedic literature in terms of the direct meaning of its words.

</blockquote>

 

When SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu thus showed for each and every sUtra the defects in SaGkarAcArya's explanations, all the assembled MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs were struck with wonder.

 

All the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs said, "Your Holiness, kindly know from us that we actually have no quarrel with Your refutation of these meanings, for You have given a clear understanding of the sUtras.

 

"We know that all this word jugglery springs from the imagination of SaGkarAcArya, and yet because we belong to his sect, we accept it although it does not satisfy us.

 

"Now let us see," the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs continued, "how well You can describe the sUtras in terms of their direct meaning." Hearing this, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu began His direct explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra.

 

"Brahman, who is greater than the greatest, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is full in six opulences, and therefore He is the reservoir of ultimate truth and absolute knowledge.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

In SrImad-BhAgavatam it is said that the Absolute Truth is understood in three phases of realization: the impersonal Brahman, the localized ParamAtmA and ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The impersonal Brahman and localized ParamAtmA are expansions of the potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is complete in six opulences, namely wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Since He possesses His six opulences, the Personality of Godhead is the ultimate truth in absolute knowledge.

</blockquote>

 

"In His original form the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full with transcendental opulences, which are free from the contamination of the material world. It is to be understood that in all Vedic literature the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal.

 

"When we speak of the Supreme as impersonal, we deny His spiritual potencies. Logically, if you accept half of the truth, you cannot understand the whole.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

In the UpaniSads it is said:

 

oM pUrNam adaH pUrNam idaM pUrNAt pUrNam udacyate

pUrNasya pUrNam AdAya pUrNam evAvaziSyate

[izopaniSad, Invocation]

 

This verse, which is mentioned in the IzopaniSad, BRhad-AraNyaka UpaniSad and many other UpaniSads, indicates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full in six opulences. His position is unique, for He possesses all riches, strength, influence, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Brahman means the greatest, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is greater than the greatest, just as the sun globe is greater than the sunshine, which is all-pervading in the universe. Although the sunshine that spreads all over the universes appears very great to the less knowledgeable, greater than the sunshine is the sun itself, and greater than the sun is the sun-god. Similarly, impersonal Brahman is not the greatest, although it appears to be so. Impersonal Brahman is only the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the transcendental form of the Lord is greater than both the impersonal Brahman and localized ParamAtmA. Therefore whenever the word "Brahman" is used in the Vedic literature, it is understood to refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

In the Bhagavad-gItA the Lord is also addressed as Parabrahman. MAyAvAdIs and others sometimes misunderstand Brahman because every living entity is also Brahman. Therefore KRSNa is referred to as Parabrahman (the Supreme Brahman). In the Vedic literature, whenever the words "Brahman" or "Parabrahman" are used, they are to be understood to refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa. This is their real meaning. Since the entire Vedic literature deals with the subject of Brahman, KRSNa is therefore the ultimate goal of Vedic understanding. The impersonal brahmajyoti rests on the personal form of the Lord. Therefore although the impersonal effulgence, the brahmajyoti, is the first realization, one must enter into it, as mentioned in the IzopaniSad, to find the Supreme Person, and then one's knowledge is perfect. The Bhagavad-gItA (7.19) also confirms this: bahUnAM janmanAm ante jJAnavAn mAM prapadyate. One's search for the Absolute Truth by dint of speculative knowledge is complete when one comes to the point of understanding KRSNa and surrenders unto Him. That is the real point of perfectional knowledge.

 

Partial realization of the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman denies the complete opulences of the Lord. This is a hazardous understanding of the Absolute Truth. Unless one accepts all the features of the Absolute Truth--namely impersonal Brahman, localized ParamAtmA and ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead--one's knowledge is imperfect. SrIpAda RAmAnujAcArya, in his VedArtha-saGgraha, says, jJAnena dharmeNa svarUpam api nirUpitam, na tu jJAna-mAtraM brahmeti katham idam avagamyate. He thus indicates that the real identity of the Absolute Truth must be understood in terms of both His knowledge and His characteristics. Simply to understand the Absolute Truth to be full of knowledge is not sufficient. In the Vedic literature (MuNDaka Up. 1.1.9) we find the statement yaH sarva-jJaH sarva-vit, which means that the Absolute Truth knows everything perfectly, but we also learn from the Vedic description parAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport] that not only does He know everything, but

He also acts accordingly by utilizing His different energies. Thus to understand that Brahman, the Supreme, is conscious is not sufficient. One must know how He consciously acts through His different energies. MAyAvAda philosophy simply informs us of the consciousness of the Absolute Truth but does not give us information of how He acts with His consciousness. That is the defect of that philosophy.

</blockquote>

 

"It is only by devotional service, beginning with hearing, that one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the only means to approach Him.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

MAyAvAdI philosophers are satisfied simply to understand Brahman to be the sum total of knowledge, but VaiSNava philosophers not only know in detail about the Supreme Personality of Godhead but also know how to approach Him directly. The method for this is described by SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu as nine kinds of devotional service, beginning with hearing:

 

zravaNaM kIrtanaM viSNoH smaraNaM pAda-sevanam

arcanaM vandanaM dAsyaM sakhyam Atma-nivedanam

(SB 7.5.23)

 

The nine kinds of devotional service are hearing about KRSNa, chanting about Him, remembering Him, offering service to His lotus feet, offering Him worship in the temple, offering prayers to Him, working as His servant, making friendship with Him and unreservedly surrendering to Him. One can directly approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by executing these nine kinds of devotional service, of which hearing about the Lord is the most important (zravaNAdi). SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu has very favorably stressed the importance of this process of hearing. According to His method, if people are simply given a chance to hear about KRSNa, certainly they will gradually develop their dormant awareness, or love of Godhead. SravaNAdi-zuddha-citte karaye udaya (Cc. Madhya 22.107). Love of God is dormant in everyone, and if one is given a chance to hear about the Lord, certainly that love develops. Our KRSNa consciousness movement acts on this principle. We simply give people the chance to hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and give them prasAdam to eat, and the actual result is that all over the world people are responding to this process and becoming pure devotees of Lord KRSNa. We have opened hundreds of centers all over the world just to give people in general a chance to hear about KRSNa and accept KRSNa's prasAdam. These two processes can be accepted by anyone, even a child. It doesn't matter whether one is poor or rich, learned or foolish, black or white, old or still a child--anyone who simply hears about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and takes prasAdam is certainly elevated to the transcendental position of devotional service.

</blockquote>

 

"By practicing this regulated devotional service under the direction of the spiritual master, certainly one awakens his dormant love of Godhead. This process is called abhidheya.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

By the practice of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting, the impure heart of a conditioned soul is purified, and thus he can understand his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That eternal relationship is described by SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu: jIvera 'svarUpa' haya kRSNera 'nitya-dAsa.' [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. "The living entity is an eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." When one is convinced about this relationship, which is called sambandha, he then acts accordingly. That is called abhidheya. The next step is prayojana-siddhi, or fulfillment of the ultimate goal of one's life. If one can understand his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and act accordingly, automatically his mission in life is fulfilled. The MAyAvAdI philosophers miss even the first stage in self-realization because they have no conception of God's being personal. He is the master of all, and He is the only person who can accept the service of all living entities, but since this knowledge is lacking in MAyAvAda philosophy, MAyAvAdIs do not have knowledge even of their relationship with God. They wrongly think that everyone is God or that everyone is equal to God. Therefore, since the real position of the living entity is not clear to them, how can they advance further? Although they are very much puffed up at being liberated, MAyAvAdI philosophers very shortly fall down again to material activities due to their neglecting the lotus feet of the Lord. That is called patanty adhaH:

 

ye 'nye 'ravindAkSa vimukta-mAninas

tvayy asta-bhAvAd avizuddha-buddhayaH

Aruhya kRcchreNa paraM padaM tataH

patanty adho 'nAdRta-yuSmad-aGghrayaH

(SB 10.2.32)

 

Here it is said that persons who think themselves liberated but do not execute devotional service, not knowing their relationship with the Lord, are certainly misled. One must know his relationship with the Lord and act accordingly. Then the fulfillment of his life's mission will be possible.

</blockquote>

 

"If one develops his love of Godhead and becomes attached to the lotus feet of KRSNa, gradually he loses his attachment to everything else.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

This is a test of advancement in devotional service. As stated in SrImad-BhAgavatam (11.2.42), bhaktir parezAnubhavo viraktir anyatra ca: in bhakti, a devotee's only attachment is KRSNa; he no longer wants to maintain his attachments to many other things. Although MAyAvAdI philosophers are supposed to be very much advanced on the path of liberation, we see that after some time they descend to politics and philanthropic activities. Many big sannyAsIs who were supposedly liberated and very advanced have come down again to materialistic activities, although they left this world as mithyA (false). When a devotee develops in devotional service, however, he no longer has attachments to such philanthropic activities. He is simply inspired to serve the Lord, and he engages his entire life in such service. This is the difference between VaiSNava and MAyAvAdI philosophers. Devotional service, therefore, is practical, whereas MAyAvAda philosophy is merely mental speculation.

</blockquote>

 

"Love of Godhead is so exalted that it is considered to be the fifth goal of human life. By awakening one's love of Godhead, one can attain the platform of conjugal love, tasting it even during the present span of life.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

The MAyAvAdI philosophers consider the highest goal of perfection to be liberation (mukti), which is the fourth perfectional platform. Generally people are aware of four principal goals of life--religiosity (dharma), economic development (artha), sense gratification (kAma) and ultimately liberation (mokSa)--but devotional service is situated on the platform above liberation. In other words, when one is actually liberated (mukta) he can understand the meaning of love of Godhead (kRSNa-prema). While teaching RUpa GosvAmI, SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu stated, koTi-mukta-madhye 'durlabha' eka kRSNa-bhakta: "Out of millions of liberated persons, one may become a devotee of Lord KRSNa."

 

The most elevated MAyAvAdI philosopher can rise to the platform of liberation, but kRSNa-bhakti, devotional service to KRSNa, is transcendental to such liberation. SrIla VyAsadeva explains this fact in SrImad-BhAgavatam (1.1.2):

 

dharmaH projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarANAM satAM

vedyaM vAstavam atra vastu ziva-daM tApa-trayonmUlanam

 

"Completely rejecting all religions which are materially motivated, the BhAgavata PurANa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries." SrImad-BhAgavatam, the explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra, is meant for paramo nirmatsarANAm, those who are completely aloof from jealousy. MAyAvAdI philosophers are jealous of the existence of the Personality of Godhead. Therefore the VedAnta-sUtra is not actually meant for them. They unnecessarily poke their noses into the Vedanta-sUtra, but they have no ability to understand it because, as the author of the VedAnta-sUtra writes in his commentary, SrImad-BhAgavatam, it is meant for those who are pure in heart (paramo nirmatsarANAm [sB 1.1.2]). If one is envious of KRSNa, how can he understand the VedAnta-sUtra or SrImad-BhAgavatam? The MAyAvAdIs' primary occupation is to offend the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa. For example, although KRSNa demands our surrender in the Bhagavad-gItA, the greatest scholar and so-called philosopher in modern India has protested that it is "not to KRSNa" that we have to surrender. Therefore, he is envious. Since MAyAvAdIs of all different descriptions are envious of KRSNa, they have no scope for understanding the meaning of the VedAnta-sUtra. Even if they were on the liberated platform, as they falsely claim, love of KRSNa is beyond the state of liberation--a fact stated by SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and repeated here by KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI.

</blockquote>

 

"The Supreme Lord, who is greater than the greatest, becomes submissive to even a very insignificant devotee because of his devotional service. It is the beautiful and exalted nature of devotional service that the infinite Lord becomes submissive to the infinitesimal living entity because of it. In reciprocal devotional activities with the Lord, the devotee actually enjoys the transcendental mellow of devotional service.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

Becoming one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not very important for a devotee. MuktiH svayaM mukulitAJjali sevate 'smAn (KRSNa-karNAmRta 107). Speaking from his actual experience, SrIla BilvamaGgala ThAkura says that if one develops love of Godhead, mukti (liberation) becomes subservient and unimportant to him. Mukti stands before the devotee and is prepared to render all kinds of services. The MAyAvAdI philosophers' standard of mukti is very insignificant for a devotee, for by devotional service even the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes subordinate to him. An actual example is that the Supreme Lord KRSNa became the chariot driver of Arjuna, and when Arjuna asked Him to draw his chariot between the two armies (senayor ubhayor madhye rathaM sthApaya me 'cyuta [bg. 1.21]), KRSNa executed his order. Such is the relationship between the Supreme Lord and a devotee that although the Lord is greater than the greatest, He is prepared to render service to the insignificant devotee by dint of his sincere and unalloyed devotional service.

</blockquote>

 

"One's relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, activities in terms of that relationship, and the ultimate goal of life [to develop love of God]--these three subjects are explained in every aphorism of the VedAnta-sUtra, for they form the culmination of the entire VedAnta philosophy."

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

In SrImad-BhAgavatam (5.5.5) it is said:

 

parAbhavas tAvad abodha-jAto

yAvan na jijJAsata Atma-tattvam

 

"A human being is defeated in all his activities as long as he does not know the goal of life, which can be understood when one is inquisitive about Brahman." It is such inquiry that begins the VedAnta-sUtra: athAto brahma jijJAsA. A human being should be inquisitive to know who he is, what the universe is, what God is, and what the relationship is between himself, God and the material world. Such questions cannot be asked by cats and dogs, but they must arise in the heart of a real human being. Knowledge of these four items--namely oneself, the universe, God, and their internal relationship--is called sambandha-jJAna, or the knowledge of one's relationship. When one's relationship with the Supreme Lord is established, the next program is to act in that relationship. This is called abhidheya, or activity in relationship with the Lord. After executing such prescribed duties, when one attains the highest goal of life, love of Godhead, he achieves prayojana-siddhi, or the fulfillment of his human mission. In the Brahma-sUtra, or VedAnta-sUtra, these subjects are very carefully explained. Therefore one who does not understand the VedAnta-sUtra in terms of these principles is simply wasting his time. This is the version of SrImad-BhAgavatam (1.2.8):

 

dharmaH sv-anuSThitaH puMsAM viSvaksena-kathAsu yaH

notpAdayed yadi ratiM zrama eva hi kevalam

 

One may be a very learned scholar and execute his prescribed duty very nicely, but if he does not ultimately become inquisitive about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is indifferent to zravaNaM kIrtanam (hearing and chanting), all that he has done is but a waste of time. MAyAvAdI philosophers, who do not understand the relationship between themselves, the cosmic manifestation and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are simply wasting their time, and their philosophical speculation has no value.

</blockquote>

 

When all the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs thus heard the explanation of Caitanya MahAprabhu on the basis of sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana, they spoke very humbly.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

Everyone who actually desires to understand the VedAnta philosophy must certainly accept the explanation of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and the VaiSNava AcAryas who have also commented on the VedAnta-sUtra according to the principles of bhakti-yoga. After hearing the explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra from SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, all the sannyAsIs, headed by PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, became very humble and obedient to the Lord, and they spoke as follows.

</blockquote>

 

"Dear Sir, You are Vedic knowledge personified and are directly NArAyaNa Himself. Kindly excuse us for the offenses we previously committed by criticizing You."

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

The complete path of bhakti-yoga is based upon the process of becoming humble and submissive. By the grace of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, all the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs were very humble and submissive after hearing His explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra, and they begged to be pardoned for the offenses they had committed by criticizing the Lord for simply chanting and dancing and not taking part in the study of the VedAnta-sUtra. We are propagating the KRSNa consciousness movement simply by following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. We may not be very well versed in the VedAnta-sUtra aphorisms and may not understand their meaning, but we follow in the footsteps of the AcAryas, and because of our strictly and obediently following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, it is to be understood that we know everything regarding the VedAnta-sUtra.

</blockquote>

 

From that moment when the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs heard the explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra from the Lord, their minds changed, and on the instruction of Caitanya MahAprabhu, they too chanted "KRSNa! KRSNa!" always.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

In this connection it may be mentioned that sometimes the sahajiyA class of devotees opine that PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI and PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI are the same man. PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI was a great VaiSNava devotee of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, but PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, the head of the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs in Benares, was a different person. PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI belonged to the RAmAnuja-sampradAya, whereas PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI belonged to the SaGkarAcArya-sampradAya. PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI wrote a number of books, among which are the Caitanya-candrAmRta, RAdhA-rasa-sudhA-nidhi, SaGgIta-mAdhava, VRndAvana-zataka and NavadvIpa-zataka. While traveling in southern India, Caitanya MahAprabhu met PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI, who had two brothers, VeGkaTa BhaTTa and Tirumalaya BhaTTa, who were VaiSNavas of the RAmAnuja-sampradAya. GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI was the nephew of PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI. From historical records it is found that SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu traveled in South India in the year 1433 SakAbda (A.D. 1511) during the CAturmAsya period, and it was at that time that He met PrabodhAnanda, who belonged to the RAmAnuja-sampradAya. How then could the same person meet Him as a member of the SaGkara-sampradAya in 1435 SakAbda, two years later? It is to be concluded that the guess of the sahajiyA-sampradAya that PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI and PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI were the same man is a mistaken idea.

</blockquote>

 

Thus Lord Caitanya excused all the offenses of the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs and very mercifully blessed them with kRSNa-nAma.

 

<blockquote>PURPORT

SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the mercy incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is addressed by SrIla RUpa GosvAmI as mahA-vadAnyAvatAra, or the most magnanimous incarnation. SrIla RUpa GosvAmI also says, karuNayAvatIrNaH kalau: it is only by His mercy that He has descended in this Age of Kali. Here this is exemplified. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu did not like to see MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs because He thought of them as offenders to the lotus feet of KRSNa, but here He excuses them (tAG-sabAra kSami' aparAdha). This is an example in preaching. Apani Acari' bhakti zikhAimu sabAre. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu teaches us that those whom preachers meet are almost all offenders who are opposed to KRSNa consciousness, but it is a preacher's duty to convince them of the KRSNa consciousness movement and then induce them to chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. Our propagation of the saGkIrtana movement is continuing, despite many opponents, and people are taking up this chanting process even in remote parts of the world like Africa. By inducing the offenders to chant the Hare KRSNa mantra, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu exemplified the success of the KRSNa consciousness movement. We should follow very respectfully in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, and there is no doubt that we shall be successful in our attempts.

</blockquote>

 

[sha]

Originally posted by gHari:

Sri Krsna Caitanya said that if someone reads a certain treatise by Sankara, he is doomed. I forget its name now; if time and Krsna permit, I may find the quote tonight.

IN ADDITION TO UNIFYING ALL THE VAISHNAVA SAMPRADAYAS,

 

LORD CAITANYA ALSO INCORPORATED THE MAYAVADA SAMPRADAYA,

THE IMPERSONAL CONCEPTION OF THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH, UNDER THE ALL INCLUSIVE BANNER OF GAUDIYA VAISHNAVISM.

 

BY PROPAGATING THE CONCEPT OF ACINTYA-BHEDA-ABHEDA TATTVA,

 

(INCONCIEVABLE SIMULTANEOUS ONENESS AND DIFFERENCE OF THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH),

 

THE MOST MUNIFICIENT LORD CAITANYA UNIQUELY UNIFIED THE TWO COMPLETELY OPPOSITE VIEWS OF THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH,

 

NAMELY GOD IS PERSONAL AND GOD IS IMPERSONAL.

 

FROM: APPRECIATING NAVADVIPA DHAMA - BY MAHANIDHI SWAMI, DESCIPLE OF ACBVSP

 

[This message has been edited by sha (edited 04-04-2002).]

[jijaji]

Even still Nimai Pandit received the name 'Chaitanya' from Keshava Bharati the mayavadin sannyasin.

 

What's worse..? Reading shankaras brahma sutra bhasya or taking sannyasa diksha from a mayavadin?

 

If Isvara Puri, Nityananda, Advaita were coming from Madhvas school, why didn't Sri Chaitanya take sannyasa in Madhvas line??

 

jijaji

 

 

[This message has been edited by jijaji (edited 04-04-2002).]

[abhi_the_great]

Originally posted by jijaji:

why didn't Sri Chaitanya take sannyasa in in Madhvas line??

Sri Caithanya talked abt Advaita as well as Dvaita, but concluded that the dvaita philosophers are more dearer to the Lord in the lines of Geeta Ch12(slokas 1-5).

 

Why he took diksha from a Advaita sannyasi? The learned devotees opine: the Lord wanted to attract the Advaita sannyasis to bhakti, and the first step was to make them feel he is one of them. Then he cd mingle with them and share his philosophy.

 

Another reason is to show mercy to his dear devotee Keshava Bharathi. It is said that first the Lord chanted the sannyasa mantra into the ears of Keshava and then Keshava bharti chanted it back to the Lord. Actually, Sri Chaithanya is Lord himself and never needs a diksha from a mortal. But he played this pastime to actually give association to Keshava Bharti and show mercy unto him!!

 

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by abhi_the_great (edited 04-04-2002).]

[abhi_the_great]

There is one principal reason for all the activities of the sweet lord: "Give pleasure to his devotees". This is the underlying principle of all the activities. Killing demons is a secndary reason.

 

abhi

[aashu]

 

But my daer prabhus, what is the rason for desent of shankara( you can include Lord Buddha also) given by vaishnava aacharyas ?

 

 

[aashu]

 

But my daer prabhus, what is the rason for desent of shankara( you can include Lord Buddha also) given by vaishnava aacharyas ?

 

 

[shvu]

 

But my daer prabhus, what is the rason for desent of shankara( you can include Lord Buddha also) given by vaishnava aacharyas ?

This has been covered by GHari.

 

The Buddha arrived and founded his system and everything was fine for sometime. Then the next set of Gurus (starting from Shankara) arrived and complained Buddhism was for a time and circumstance only (No one knows how they discovered this). Apparently Lord Vishnu was not capable of dealing with the corrupt Brahmanas by telling the truth, so he had to tell a pack of lies, by preaching atheism. And these Gurus (according to themselves) were teaching the *only* true and eternal system.

 

Then the Vaishnava Gurus came on the scene and raised the same complaint about Advaita [aka Mayavada]. Advaita was for a time and circumstance only, to route buddhism and is not a true philosophy. Shiva although a God, was apparently incapable of dealing with the Buddhists by being truthful.So he resorterd to lying, just like Vishnu did when he came as the Buddha. And now the system of the Vaishnavas is the *only* true system and is eternal. And of course, since the Vaishnavas themselves have different systems, only the one to which we belong is the true and eternal one. The others were all temporary.

 

Tomorrow someone else will step up and say, everything is obsolete from now, because they were all for a particular time and circumstance only. My teaching is the true, eternal one and is the real purport of the Vedas.

 

Cheers

 

[gHari]

Of course, as Sri Bhagavan, Nimai was already complete with Absolute renunciation, so any artificial sannyasa ceremony was merely external designation.

 

Nimai only took sannyasa because the only group He had yet to conquer the hearts of was the Mayavadis. It therefore made sense to accept their sannyasa to gain their respect. In fact, to avoid their envy he actually took a lower class of sannyasa from Varanasi Mayavadis less prestigious than those of Benares.

 

MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are very puffed up if they hold the elevated sannyAsa title TIrtha, Azrama or SarasvatI. Even among MAyAvAdIs, those who belong to other sampradAyas and hold other titles, such as Vana, AraNya or BhAratI, are considered to be lower-grade sannyAsIs. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted sannyAsa from the BhAratI-sampradAya, and thus He considered Himself a lower sannyAsI than PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI. To remain distinct from VaiSNava sannyAsIs, the sannyAsIs of the MAyAvAdi-sampradAya always think themselves to be situated in a very much elevated spiritual order, but Lord SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, in order to teach them how to become humble and meek, accepted Himself as belonging to a lower sampradAya of sannyAsIs. Thus He wanted to point out clearly that a sannyAsI is one who is advanced in spiritual knowledge. One who is advanced in spiritual knowledge should be accepted as occupying a better position than those who lack such knowledge.

 

Oooops, I just noticed that The Great One covered this already.

 

[This message has been edited by gHari (edited 04-04-2002).]

[gHari]

Originally posted by sha:

[...] NAMELY GOD IS PERSONAL AND GOD IS IMPERSONAL.

 

I'm not sure I can buy this. That's just too big a stretch for acintya-bhedAbheda for me.

 

 

 

[jijaji]

Again..!

 

Why didn't Sri Chaitanya accept Sannyasa diksha from one of his fellow Madhvas, if in fact his sampradaya had any connection to Madhva.

 

And know for sure no follower of Madhva would accept Sannyasa from an Advaitavadin.

 

This controversy has been going on way before Gaudiya Math /Iskcon and the questions continue.

 

Also Sri Chaitanya never really converted masses in the way it is described in Chaitanya Charitamrta, these descriptions were exaggerated and embellished upon by biographers after his passing away.

 

jijaji

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by jijaji (edited 04-04-2002).]

[sha]

Originally posted by gHari:

I'm not sure I can buy this. That's just too big a stretch for acintya-bhedAbheda for me.

 

 

 

Why We Disagree

 

Swami Vivekananda At The World's Parliament of Religions

Chicago, 15th September 1893

___________

 

 

I will tell you a little story. You have heard the eloquent speaker who has just finished say, "Let us cease from abusing each other," and he was very sorry that there should be always so much variance.

 

But I think I should tell you a story which would illustrate the cause of this variance.

 

A frog lived in a well. It had lived there for a long time. It was born there and brought up there, and yet was a little, small frog. Of course, the evolutionists were not there then to tell us whether the frog lost its eyes or not, but, for our story's sake, we must take it for granted that it had its eyes, and that it every day cleansed the water of all the worms and bacilli that lived in it with an energy that would do credit to our modern bacteriologists.

In this way it went on and became a little sleek and fat.

 

Well, one day another frog that lived in the sea came and fell into the well.

 

"Where are you from?"

 

"I am from the sea."

 

"The sea! How big is that? Is it as big as my well?" and he took a leap from one side of the well to the other.

"My friend," said the frog of the sea, "how do you compare the sea with your little well?"

Then the frog took another leap and asked, "Is your sea so big?"

"What nonsense you speak, to compare the sea with your well!"

 

"Well, then," said the frog of the well, "nothing can be bigger than my well; there can be nothing bigger than this; this

fellow is a liar, so turn him out."

 

That has been the difficulty all the while.

 

I am a Hindu. I am sitting in my own little well and thinking that the whole world is my little well.

 

The Christian sits in his little well and thinks the whole world is his well.

 

The Mohammedan sits in his little well and thinks that is the whole world.

 

I have to thank you of America for the great attempt you are making to break down the barriers of this little world of ours, and hope that, in the future, the Lord will help you to accomplish your purpose.

 

- Swami Vivekananda

 

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

 

8. Either do not give the name of knowledge to your beliefs only and of error, ignorance or charlatanism to the beliefs of others;

or do not rail at the dogmas of the sects and their intolerance.

 

Sri Aurobindo

 

[This message has been edited by sha (edited 04-04-2002).]

[gHari]

Then there is the grandfather bullfrog whose grandson comes by all excited about having seen a bull.

 

"It was so big, grandfather!"

 

The grandfather frog puffed up his cheeks to twice their normal size, and said "Was it this big?"

 

"Much bigger!"

 

The grandfather frog puffed up his cheeks again to double that size.

 

"Much much bigger, grandfather!"

 

So the old frog started puffing up his cheeks again, but then suddenly BOOM, he blew up, spreading red and green frog guts everywhere.

[sha]

Originally posted by shvu:

Karthik,

 

With due respect and with no sarcasm intended towards anyone, the knowledge level of Advaita and Shankara, in a typical Gaudiya scholar ranges from below average to nil. This is because they do not study Advaita as a Purva Paksha and hence they have to rely on hearsay which is mostly negative propoganda. Naturally it is not surprising that Gaudiya scholars/authors have many misconceptions about Advaita.

 

The Bhaja Govindam according to Shankara's biographies were *not* written on his deathbed after he had a "change of heart" as some people state. It was composed much earlier and the context is totally different. In addition to this, Shankara has composed many works which are highly devotional. The problem here is propoganda. The rival camps tried to project Advaita as an impersonal philosophy lacking in devotion and humility. Their followers have simply been repeating this, without making an attempt to learn by themselves.

 

In brief, if a person describes Advaita as impersonal, lacking in Bhakti, etc, you can be sure this person doesn't know squat about Advaita and is only repeating what he heard somewhere.

 

Cheers

Good post, shvu. You cann't convince the bull (dull) frogs of the 'well' unless and until they themselves leap into the Ocean of Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman.