9 / 11 Tattva

[krsna]

Caitanya Caritamrta

Madhya-lila

Chapter 9 Text 11

 

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Travels to the Holy Places

 

TEXT 11

 

 

vaisnavera madhye rama-upasaka saba

 

keha 'tattvavadi', keha haya 'sri-vaisnava'

 

SYNONYMS

 

 

 

vaisnavera madhye--amongst Vaisnavas; rama-upasaka saba--all worshipers of Lord Sri Ramacandra; keha--someone; tattva-vadi--followers of Madhvacarya; keha--someone; haya--is; sri-vaisnava--devotees following the disciplic succession of Sri Ramanujacarya

 

 

 

TRANSLATION

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

PURPORT

 

 

 

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

 

The word pasandi refers to those who are opposed to pure devotional service. In particular, these are the Mayavadis, the impersonalists. A definition of pasandi is given in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (1.73), wherein it is stated:

 

 

 

yas tu narayanam devam

 

brahma-rudradi-daivataih

 

samatvenaiva vikseta

 

sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam

 

 

 

A pasandi is one who thinks that the Supreme Lord Narayana, the Personality of Godhead, is on the same level with the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. The devotee never considers Lord Narayana to be on the same platform with Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. The Madhvacarya-sampradaya and Ramanuja-sampradaya are mainly worshipers of Lord Ramacandra, although the Sri Vaisnavas are supposed to be worshipers of Lord Narayana and Laksmi and the Tattvavadis are supposed to be worshipers of Lord Krsna. At present, in most of the monasteries belonging to the Madhva-sampradaya, Lord Ramacandra is worshiped.

 

In the book known as Adhyatma-ramayana, there are statements in Chapters Twelve to Fifteen about the worship of the Deities Sri Ramacandra and Sita. There it is stated that during Lord Ramacandra's time there was a brahmana who took a vow to fast until he saw Lord Ramacandra. Sometimes, due to business, Lord Ramacandra was absent from His capital for a full week and could not be seen by citizens during that time. Because of his vow, the brahmana could not take even a drop of water during that week. Later, after eight or nine days, when the brahmana could see Lord Ramacandra personally, he would break his fast. Upon observing the brahmana's rigid vow, Lord Sri Ramacandra ordered His younger brother Laksmana to deliver a pair of Sita-Rama Deities to the brahmana. The brahmana received the Deities from Sri Laksmanaji and worshiped Them faithfully as long as he lived. At the time of his death, he delivered the Deities to Sri Hanumanji, who, for many years, hung Them around his neck and served Them with all devotion. After many years, when Hanumanji departed on the hill known as Gandha-madana, he delivered the Deities to Bhimasena, one of the Pandavas, and Bhimasena brought Them to his palace, where he kept Them very carefully. The last king of the Pandavas, Ksemakanta, worshiped the Deities in that palace. Later, the same Deities were kept in the custody of the kings of Orissa known as Gajapatis. One of the acaryas, known as Narahari Tirtha, who was in the disciplic succession of Madhvacarya, received these Deities from the King of Orissa.

 

It may be noted that these particular Deities of Rama and Sita have been worshiped from the time of King Iksvaku. Indeed, they were worshiped by the royal princes even before the appearance of Lord Ramacandra. Later, during Lord Ramacandra's presence, the Deities were worshiped by Laksmana. It is said that just three months before his disappearance, Sri Madhvacarya received these Deities and installed them in the Udupi temple. Since then the Deities have been worshiped by the Madhvacarya-sampradaya at that monastery. As far as the Sri Vaisnavas are concerned, beginning with Ramanujacarya, they also worshiped Deities of Sita-Rama. Sita-Rama Deities are also being worshiped in Tirupati and other places. From the Sri Ramanuja-sampradaya there is another branch known as Ramanandi or Ramat, and the followers of that branch also worship Deities of Sita-Rama very rigidly. The Ramanuja-sampradaya Vaisnavas prefer the worship of Lord Ramacandra to that of Radha-Krsna.