02/02/98 - 1565

Who is the Yuga-avatara for Kali-yuga?

USA (VNN) - by Prahladananda Swami (see also VNN story# 1512, 1527, 1536)

I appreciate Agrahya prabhu as a sincere and intelligent devotee, although I don't necessarily agree with everything that he has written. I can also appreciate Agrahya prabhu's respect for Narayana Maharaja. Indeed a Vaisnava is eager to show as much respect to other devotees as possible. However, Srila Prabhupada has cautioned us in the NOI that:

"In order to intelligently apply the sixfold loving reciprocations mentioned in the previous verse (** see footnote), one must select proper persons with careful discrimination. Srila Rupa Goswami therefore advises that we should meet with the Vaisnavas in an appropriate way, according to their particular status." (Srila Prabhupada's Nectar of Instruction Text 5)

Ordinarily the main business of a Vaisnava is to see the good qualities of other devotees. However, it would be circular reasoning to say a devotee's activities are correct because I think he is an advanced devotee. It would more logical to say that because whatever a devotee does is correct, therefore, it should be understood that he is an advanced devotee. An important yardstick of the advancement of a devotee is how closely he follows the previous authorities and scripture. Otherwise, according to Srila Rupa Goswami, if someone does something, which is not supported by the previous authorities and sastra, he will create for others an unnecessary disturbance on the path of devotional service.

For example, Lord Caitanya did not discuss Radha and Krsna's intimate pastimes in public. He didn't make any exception for those performing a particular austerity. As Srila Prabhupada explained in a class given in Los Angeles November 15, 1968:

Prabhupada: Krsna's rasa-lila should not be discussed in public meeting. It is most confidential. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu never discussed. He discussed Krsna's pastimes, lila with gopis, with His confidential, very confidential circle. Or those who are... Lord Caitanya had many thousands of followers, and... He was not discussing even within these five persons, sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi, Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa, and Himself, these five persons. So when He was at Navadvipa, He was not discussing even with them, what to speak of others. He set up this example so that in future people may be very cautious. Because unless one understands what is Krsna, how he can understand Krsna's pastime? So this discussion of rasa-lila is the summit of Krsna consciousness. It is not ordinary thing. They're purely spiritual. There is nothing material. But because we are not completely free from material concept of life, we may think that Krsna's lila is something like this material. So that is offense. But that is the ultimate goal, to understand Krsna's rasa-lila. But you have to wait for relishing that Krsna's rasa-lila, to become more perfect in Krsna consciousness.

Spiritual authorities never deviate from the examples set by previous authorities. Otherwise their behavior will mislead others:

"A man covered by illusion cannot understand the proper way; therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says: dharma-sthapana-hetu sadhura vyavahara. The behavior of a devotee is the criterion for all other behavior. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself followed the devotional principles and taught others to follow them. Puri-gosanira ye acarana, sei dharma sara. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally followed the behavior of Madhavendra Puri and advised others to follow his principles." (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 17.185 purport by Srila Prabhupada)

"Therefore, one has to follow in the footsteps of previous authorities in the line of disciplic succession. Otherwise even the most intelligent men will be bewildered regarding the standard actions of Krsna consciousness." (Bhagavad-gita 4.16 purport)

Someone may reason that a particular devotee because he is a maha-bhagavata, has a "special license" to speak publicly about confidential topics. However, even a maha-bhagavata devotee, especially when he is preaching, sets the perfect example of a neophyte or sadhaka devotee:

"A devotee who is actually advanced in Krsna consciousness, who is constantly engaged in devotional service, should not manifest himself, even though he has attained perfection. The idea is that he should always continue to act as a neophyte devotee as long as his material body is there. Activities in devotional service under regulative principles must be followed even by the pure devotee. But when he realizes his actual position in relationship with the Lord, he can, along with the discharging of regulative service, think within himself of the Lord, under the guidance of a particular associate of the Lord, and develop his transcendental sentiments in following that associate." (Nectar of Devotion by Srila Prabhupada chapter 16, Spontaneous Devotion Further Described)

The Gaudiya Matha

Srila Prabhupada did not hesitate to express his appreciation for whatever service the members of the Gaudiya Matha rendered to the mission of their founder-acarya, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He also criticized them for not following the most important siddhanta or scriptural conclusion, surrender to the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master. The members of the Gaudiya Matha that Srila Prabhupada said were "asara" subtracted something from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's instructions by not conducting the missionary activities cooperatively and they added something to their founder-acarya's instructions by creating unauthorized spiritual maters (acaryas). As Srila Prabhupada writes in Caitanya Caritamrta Adi-lila 12.8:

"Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, at the time of his departure, requested all his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities cooperatively. He did not instruct a particular man to become the next acarya. But just after his passing away, his leading secretaries made plans, without authority, to occupy the post of acarya, and they split into two factions over who the next acarya would be. Consequently, both factions were asara, or useless, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the order of the spiritual master?We followed the principles especially explained by Srila Visvanatha Thakura in his commentary on the Bhagavad-gita verse vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana. According to this instruction of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, it is the duty of a disciple to follow strictly the orders of his spiritual master."

4. Mahavishnu and distributing confidential love

Agrahya prabhu writes:

"It is understood that there is a yuga-avatara in Kali-yuga who is an incarnation of Maha-vishnu. He appears in this Kali-yuga as Advaita Acarya. Normally He propagates the yuga-dharma of nama-sankirtana. But when Krishna appears once in a day of Brahma, so also does He assume the sentiment and complexion of Srimati Radharani to taste unnata-ujjvala- rasa (which only She can taste) and to distribute "confidential love."

However, the vedic scriptures such as Caitanya Caritamrta say something different about the yuga-avatara, who establishes the religion for the age:

"Gopinatha Acarya continued, "There is certainly an incarnation in every age, and such an incarnation is called the yuga-avatara. But your heart has become so hardened by logic and argument that you cannot consider all these facts." (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 6.101)

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah

"`In this Age of Kali, those who are intelligent perform the congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appears in this age always describing the glories of Krsna. That incarnation is yellowish in hue and is always associated with His plenary expansions [such as Sri Nityananda Prabhu] and personal expansions [such as Gadadhara], as well as His devotees and associates [such as Svarupa Damodara].'" (Madhya 6.103 quoted from Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.32)

"The religious practice for the Age of Kali is to broadcast the glories of the holy name. Only for this purpose has the Lord, in a yellow color, descended as Lord Caitanya." (Adi 3.40)

"Lord Caitanya appeared with the sentiment of Radha. He preached the dharma of this age-the chanting of the holy name and pure love of God." (Adi 4.220)

tanra yugavatara jani' garga mahasaya krsnera nama-karane kariyache nirnaya Knowing Him [Lord Caitanya] to be the incarnation for Kali-yuga, Garga Muni, during the naming ceremony of Krsna, predicted His appearance. (Adi 3.36)

"Narottama dasa Thakura sings, patita-pavana-hetu, tava avatara: "My Lord, You have incarnated to reclaim the fallen." Patita-pavana-hetu tava avatara, mo sama patita prabhu, na paibe ara: "If that is Your mission, then I am the most fallen. So my claim is first to receive Your favor because Your mission is to show favor to the fallen. So I am the most fallen. So kindly accept me."" (Lecture by Srila Prabhupada adi-lila, Atlanta March 1, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada's Krsna Book

An argument is raised that Srila Prabhupada presented the Krsna Book and asked his followers to distribute it widely. Is that not encouraging people to hear rasika-katha, intimate pastimes of Radha and Krsna?

Practically at the beginning of his preaching in the west, Srila Prabhupada published the tenth canto in the form of the Krsna Book. He also gave elaborate commentaries discouraging the reader from dwelling on a particular rasa. It was meant to be read cover-to-cover with equal appreciation for Lord Krsna's killing Kamsa as his dancing with the gopis. He didn't expect neophyte devotees to prematurely focus on one particular rasa even though the source for such meditation could even have been Srila Prabhupada's own books. This is clearly explained in the LA morning walk.

Srila Prabhupada also encouraged that his books should be read in a particular order beginning with the Bhagavad-gita and the Nectar of Devotion:

"This Bhagavad-gita is the ABCD of knowledge. This is entrance examination, matriculation examination, school-leaving examination. And Srimad-Bhagavatam is graduate. When you become graduate in spiritual knowledge, then you can understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. And when you have passed your Bachelor degree, when you are post-graduate, that study is Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta." (Srila Prabhupada lecture: Bhagavad-gita 13.22-24, Melbourne, June 25, 1974)

Conclusion

There are Gaudiya Vaisnavas who are preaching Krsna consciousness and sincere devotees should appreciate their efforts. However, Srila Prabhupada cautions in the Bhagavad-gita (4.34) that "blind following and absurd inquiries are condemned." If such Gaudiya Vaisnava's instructions and examples are significantly different from Srila Prabhupada's, then I personally prefer to offer them respects from afar.

I hope that no devotee is offended by what I have written. Although I am not very advanced on the path of Krsna consciousness, I have tried to explain what I have understood from the teaching of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.

**"Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one's mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasada and offering prasada are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another." (NOI 4)