02/16/98 - 1610

Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakur

USA (VNN) - by Agrahya das

mAdhuryojjvala-premADhya
zrI-rUpAnuga-bhakti-daH
zrI-gaura-karuNA-zakti-
vigrahAya namo 'stu te

I bow down to you, the very embodiment of the mercy of Lord Gauranga. Rich with the effulgent prema of madhurya-rasa, you are the bestower of Rupanuga bhakti.

This is a wonderful and very deep pranama-stuti verse that we regularly recite in honor of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupada 108 Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada. On this most auspicious occasion of his appearance I would like to offer a few words in discussion of this verse. He is the spiritual grandfather or great-grandfather for so many of us in the camp of Srila Rupa Goswami and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sometimes the father is very strict with the child but the grandfather will spoil the child. So I pray that on this most auspicious day Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakur will be merciful unto this fallen soul.

The appearance of such a great soul is called AviH-bhava. He appears on the horizon of our vision for some time to give benediction. His disappearance is called tiraH-bhava, or disappearing from the horizon of our vision. The appearance and disappearance of such great souls is the mercy of the Lord on all fallen conditioned souls.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself distributed prema, love of Godhead, as described in the verse beginning anarpita-carIM cirAt karuNayAvatIrNaH kalau / samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasAM sva-bhakti-zriyam. One can engage in the yuga-dharma of chanting the Holy Name without developing the prema, love of Godhead, that is the actual goal of this chanting. By engaging in the yuga dharma mukta-sangaH paraM vrajet, one will become released from bondage and attain the supreme abode. This is highly desirable, but it is the external reason for the Lord's appearance as described by Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami. His primary purpose, also described by Srila Kaviraja Goswami, is to taste the sublime and radiant mellows of His own devotional service and to distribute it.

There are some differences between what He tastes and what He distributes. No one can taste what is tasted by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, because He is Krishna Himself assuming the sentiment and complexion of Srimati Radharani. Therefore we say that we are Rupanugas, followers of Srila Rupa Goswami.

So it is said here that Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakur is mAdhurya-ujjvala-prema-aDhya, rich with effulgent prema in the line of mAdhurya-rasa. He is Sri Rupanuga-bhakti-da, the bestower of rupanuga-bhakti. What is Rupanuga-bhakti?

Ragatmika-bhakti is devotion that is characterized by the deep and intrinsic attachment of the Vrajavasis in one of the primary rasas or relationships. It cannot be practiced by sadhakas or practitioners in this world.

Raganuga-bhakti is devotion that is following in the footsteps of the ragatmika-bhaktas. It is this type of bhakti that we, as followers of Srila Rupa Goswami, practice specifically. In the beginning we follow the practice of vaidhi-bhakti but we are supposed to continue our practice of raganuga-bhakti under the guidance of a bonafide guru as our Srila Prabhupada describes in Nectar of Devotion. There is no doubt that our Srila Prabhupada came here to give raganuga-bhakti, and specifically rupanuga-bhakti as described below. There is no home-study program for raganuga-bhakti. Some great souls have been able to receive guidance in their cultivation of specific attachment (bhava-bhakti) from their gurus who are no longer physically present, but we understand this is very rare and practically attainable only for those who are very elevated.

Within Raganuga-bhakti there is a specific thing called Rupanuga-bhakti. Rupanuga-bhakti is also Raganuga-bhakti, but specifically following in the line of Srila Rupa Goswami, who eternally serves Sri Sri Radha-Krishna as Sri Rupa Manjari. Thus we pray to Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakur as the bestower of Rupanuga-bhakti. We will only receive Rupanuga-bhakti from such great souls who possess it, like Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakur and our own Srila Prabhupada. Nowhere is it described that by vaidhi-bhakti one automatically develops bhava-bhakti. For someone like Sri Bilvamangala Thakur, how did his cultivation of bhava-bhakti awaken? He fully surrendered, and Krishna Himself became the instructing guru of Srila Bilvamangala Thakur.

Thus we pray to Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakur as Sri Gaura-karuna-sakti-vigraha, the embodiment of the mercy potency of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This is very deeply significant. If someone takes even namabhasa and thus joins in the sankirtana movement by chanting the Holy Name, their liberation is guaranteed. But what is the vigraha or specific form of the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu? There is certainly a more specific and desirable goal which can be achieved, but we need to take shelter of the bestower of Rupanuga-bhakti, one who is rich in the radiant mellows of devotional service in conjugal love.

We can also understand by this the deep significance of the title "Prabhupada." My senior Godbrother Sripada Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha Maharaja has described this at some length, how Srila Rupa Goswami is known as "Prabhupada" because he understood the inner desire of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. How was this? He wrote one verse and left it on the roof of his hut, and this verse was discovered by Svarupa Damodara Goswami. What did this verse describe? Was it about yuga-dharma? Or was it about the inner purpose of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu?

zrI-caitanya-mano 'bhISTaM sthApitaM yena bhUtale, svayaM rUpaH kadA mahyaM dadAti sva-padAntikam. Srila Rupa Goswami has established in this world that which is most desired within the mind of Sri Caitanya. When will he be merciful and personally bestow unto me the shade of his lotus feet?

It is not a difficult thing to fathom the Lord's external purpose in propagating the yuga-dharma of chanting the Holy Name. But those who have been most effective in spreading the sankirtana movement have not been vaidhi-bhakti-sadhakas or practicioners only of bhakti according to scriptural rules and regulations. Those who have had the greatest effect in preaching are those who are Rupanugas, who have given themselves to understanding the inner mood of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the line of Srila Rupa Goswami. Therefore we can best serve the mission of spreading yuga-dharma by sincerely following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Goswami by cultivating Rupanuga-bhakti while engaging in the activities of sankirtana. This is described in the prayers we sing for mangala-arati. Mahaprabhoh kirtana-nrtya-gita describes the external engagement in the sankirtana movement of Mahaprabhu. Nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyai describes the internal engagement and aspiration of the bonafide guru in the line of Srila Rupa Goswami.

We can remember these things on the appearance of Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakur and beg for his mercy. It is through him that so many Gaudiya Vaishnavas worldwide can be united. We are connected not only with a bonafide guru like Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada but with Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada and an entire disciplic succession. We should meditate deeply on our connection with our param-guru, parat-param-guru, and so on.


Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakur ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura premanande!


Vaishnava dasanudas,
Agrahya das
http://hgsoft.com/~agrahya/