© 1999 VNN
|
EDITORIAL June 8, 1999 VNN4061 See Related VNN Stories | Comment on this story Let There Be Absolute Harmony BY GIRIDHARI DAS EDITORIAL, Jun 8 (VNN) — By the divine will of Sri Krishna the foremost Gaudiya Math branches have spread all over the world in the recent years. Vaishnavas belonging to different maths of the Gaudiya family are preaching the message of Guru and Gauranga according to their acaryas' teachings. All the acaryas share the same mul siddhanta and sadhya- unalloyed devotional service to Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga and Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. There might be differences in the methods of preaching, but the sara, the essence, is the same. Different emphasis on certain aspects of bhakti should not lead to conflicts between the members of the Gaudiya Math family. Rather, the disciples should honour the pracar and acar of the other sister-maths. If a devotee thinks "Only my guru is a rasik-acarya. In the other maths there is no raganuga-bhakti, they only discuss vaidhi topics. We are superior to them", then this foolish arrogance will lead to falldown. The devotees of other maths are strictly following the guidelines of their acaryas, who are pure devotees of Krishna. We shall appreciate the other devotees' dedication to their gurudeva and serve them. Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj has told us disciples: "You must not serve only the das, servant of Krishna, but dasanudas, the servant of the servant of the servant, and then Krishna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will be pleased. If you will only recognize and serve your guru, then he will not accept it. I want that this preaching will be the basis of this math. All should be served here without restriction, caste or creed. Vaishnavas should honour the near and dear of devotees to be dear to guru. Try to forget false ego. "I'm so learned, respected, wealthy and beautiful." Try to give up all these things, be a simple Vaishnava, as humble as grass. Don't have this ego that: "We are only worshiping Krishna and Thakurji, and have only come for raganuga." vidhi marga rata jane svadhinta dane raga marga karana pravesh. We should honour vaidhi until greed comes from upper side, ragatmika bhakti, then very easily we'll enter it. So try to preach properly, not that we'll only preach raganuga. The process of raganuga and vaidhi is the same, it is only the internal mood which is different. If you're not realizing it, then you can only honour outwardly." On the other hand, if a devotee thinks "My guru is teaching in an authorized way, but this other Gaudiya acarya is preaching in a sahajiya style", then this attitude will also lead to falldown. Only immature disciples harbour such unnecessary thoughts. Among the pure devotees of Radha-Krishna in the line of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya-Sarasvat-parampara there is absolute harmony. They all have deep appreciation and affection for each other and will never interfere in the pracar and acar of another math. Three years ago a GBC paper sought to validate its attacks on Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj with a spurious quote from Srila Bhaktipramod Puri Maharaj. On hearing the allegation, a number of devotees, including disciples of Srila Puri Maharaja, were upset that such a venerable Vaishnava could be used in this way. Some of the devotees approached Srila Puri Maharaj for clarification on the matter. His Divine Grace said, "The ISKCON devotees came to me and asked several questions. And based on their questions I answered in a particular way. And now they are using it against me by using my words against Srila Narayan Maharaj. Why are they doing that ? Srila Narayan Maharaj is a bona fide preacher in our line. We are very happy that he is going to the West, and devotees should follow him. He is a rasika Vaishnava." No force in this world will prompt a pure devotee of Krishna to speak against another pure devotee. We shall humbly follow in their footsteps. As a disciple of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj I had to hear many misgivings about the preaching method of my Guru Maharaj. The foremost objection is "Your Guru Maharaj doesn't follow his Gurudeva, Srila Bhaktiprajnan Kesava Gosvami Maharaj" First of all let me clarify one point. It is Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj who has linked me and hundreds of other devotees to the amnaya, the sacred tradition of our Guru parampara. Without his grace we would have known nothing about the glories of param-gurudeva nitya-lila-pravista om visnupad Srila Bhaktiprajnan Kesava Maharaj. Srila Guru Maharaj is an eternal servant of Srila Kesava Maharaj. If I can only perform one percent of the service Srila Guru Maharaj has performed to his Gurudeva, my life would be a great success. Srila param-gurudeva gave Srila Guru Maharaj the title "bhakta-bandhava" (dear friend of the bhaktas), because of his affectionate service to all devotees. Seeing the seva-bhava of Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj commented: "In all the Gaudiya Maths, I think that you are the real guru-sevaka, so I always correspond with you and I always give my full love and affection to you." (17-5-1967) If there is anyone in the world who is in the position to rectify Srila Guru Maharaj then it is param pujyapad Srila Bhaktivedanta Vaman Gosvami Maharaj, the successor-acarya of Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Maharaj and president-acarya of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. All disciples know how much love and affection Srila Guru Maharaj has for his senior God-brother. Knowing this, the GBC of ISKCON went to Srila Vaman Maharaj with the intention to complain about Guru Maharaj. Sri Navin Krishna prabhu remembers: "When Srila Guru Maharaj had left India for his first world tour, six ISKCON devotees approached Srila Vaman Maharaj at the Devananda Gaudiya Math, Navadvip, to speak against Srila Guru Maharaj. They began to suggest to Srila Vaman Maharaj that, unlike him, the preaching which Srila Guru Maharaj was doing was deviant, being of a sahajayistic nature. They suggested that he had no respect for the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti and its principles. Hearing the insidious blasphemy, Srila Vaman Maharaj became furious. "No one in this world knows Srila Narayan Maharaj as well as I do. We have been together for fifty years. Do you think that I am going to listen to this from you ? Get out of here at once, and never pass through these gates again !" It is on the order of Srila Bhaktiprajnan Kesava Maharaj and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj that Srila Guru Maharaj is preaching outside of bharat-bhumi. In 1993 when Guru Maharaj was in Calcutta, Srila Vaman Maharaj told him that Srila Keshava Maharaj had reserved a very special service for him. It would come to pass within the next three years he said, and was such that only Srila Guru Maharaj would be able to do it. Srila Guru Maharaj then replied that he was now old, plagued with many kinds of sickness, and a cardiac patient. What kind of service would he be able to do ? Srila Vaman Maharaj told him that everything would become clear to him in due course of time. Three years later when Srila Guru Maharaj first went to New Braja (devotee community in Badger, California) in 1996 during his first tour of America, he was able to understand what Srila Vaman Maharaj had meant. Weeping, he wrote a letter to him in acknowledgment of this. We all know that Srila Swami Maharaja's last instruction to Guru Maharaj was to assist his disciples. Srila Guru Maharaj has always obeyed this order. Every devotee interested in this subject should read "My Siksa Guru and Priya-bandhu - Remembrances of His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad", which can be read on VNN. Some devotees argue that Srila Guru Maharaj talks about higher topics such as radha-krishna-lila. It is true that this isn't a common practice in most Gaudiya mathas. Srila Guru Maharaj: "Amongst the disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati it was not common to openly talk about the gopis, gopi-prema and all those topics. At that time Srila Janardana Maharaja was an exception, I was an exception, and my Guru Maharaja also would sometimes discuss these matters on a high level, but he did so carefully and not to everyone." We shall pay heed to the following statement by Srila Bhaktiraksaka Sridhar Maharaj: "Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, preached exclusely this madhurya-rasa, but with great precaution. He used perhaps 90 percent of his energy to point out the negative side - "This is not madhurya-rasa" - and clear away the negative side. He had to spare, in his words, "gallons of bloods" to establish what is not that madhurya-rasa." But sometimes Srila Sarasvati Prabhupad did speak about confidential lila to an audience of devotees. In the following lecture he warns his disciples not to disregard astakaliya-lila smaranam: (transcription of a lecture delivered by Srila Prabhupada at Radha-kunda during Vraja-mandala parikrama in 1932. It was first printed in the Gaudiya , 1934). "All these days we have not spoken about lila. Why ? Because this is our most confidential asset. This is our only sadhya. But we should not make the mistake of thinking that anartha-nivrtti is the prayojana. One thinking like this will never enter into artha-pravrtti. For this reason, I will begin speaking about asta-kaliya lila. I know that you are not ready to hear it. But we should know such a transcendental idea exists within the realm of devotion. This is why anartha-nivrtti is essential. After the realm of anartha-nivrtti is artha-pravrtti, pure conjugal service to Radha and Krishna. This is transcendental reality. If we do not know of this transcendental realm, then all of our efforts may end in nirvisesa-vad. Do not let your days pass in trying for anartha-nivrtti. Artha-pravrtti is also necessary. Anartha-nivrtti is necessary until artha-pravrtti has started. When artha-pravrtti is present, then anartha-nivrtti becomes unimportant - artha-pravrtti becomes prominent. Those who have chanted hari-nama for 15 or 20 years you should know such things. The beginners need not hear these topics or they will misunderstand. These topics are for certain audiences, not for all. Also, it is said, apana bhajana-katha na kahibe jathatatha, "One should not reveal one's bhajana to others." If we disregard this instruction of our previous acaryas, then there may be permanent fall from the realm of devotional service. By removing the clothes of the gopis, Krsna obtained happiness, this is Krsna's sense gratification. We cannot ask, "Why is he a sense enjoyer ?" Let us see Krsna display the behaviour of controlling his senses." Krsna will not become a slave to our desires. Krsna, by his own will, can show us sense restraint - he did show it in the form of as Gaurasundara. By that example, he is informing us that no one except Krsna has the right to remove the clothes of the gopis. Our duty is to cultivate devotional service. Do not think that astakaliya-lila smaranam is the property of the sahajiyas. Actually it is our affair. It has to be retrieved from the hands of the sahajiyas. Our Sri Guru-pada Padma heard these things from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. This is why he used to tell us various confidential things. We have heard the last instructions from our Sri Gurudeva. He said: "Living in Radha-kunda would be pleasant if you can deliver it from the hands of eleven immoral men." Now, perhaps eleven has increased to one hundred eight." When we analyze the lectures of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj spoken during his world tours, we will find that 90% of them deal with bhakti-tattva, guru-tattva, atma-dharma, vaishnava-caritra and so on. I remember that during Guru Maharaja's stay in Holland in 1997 he lectured on the Brhad-Bhagavatamrta to an audience of over 200 devotees. He talked about the glories of Prahlad ("Srila Sarasvati Prabhupad said that he had read Prahlad-caritra 108 times and so should you"), Shankar, Hanuman, the Pandavas; but when it came to the point of speaking about the gopis, Srila Guru Maharaj said "About this topic I will talk in Vrindavan." Each acarya has a specific style of preaching hari-katha. Whenever Srila Guru Maharaj talks about rasa-katha we should feel fortunate. Radha-Krishna-lila spoken by the mouth of a pure devotee has a healing effect. Srila Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur writes in his sarartha-darsana commentary: "This rasa-lila, being fully imbued with madhurya-rasa, is eminently distinguished even from the Lord's other pastimes. Like a jewel, a mantra or a powerful medicine, this rasa-lila is endowed with such indisputable, astonishing potency that by hearing it, all persons in the human form become devoted to the Supreme Lord." Like Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaj would also speak about topics mentioned in rasa-granthas. When a disciple of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaj gave his Gurudeva the book Venu-gita (commented by Srila Narayan Maharaj) during his last European tour, he was so happy reading it that he started lecturing on this book. In one lecture Srila Gour Govinda Maharaj said: "In Ujjvala-nilamani, our authority, Rupa Gosvami, who is known as the rasa-acarya, gives the definition of prema...Prabhupad has said it in one line, but it has a very deep purport to it. Rupa Gosvami has explained it in Ujjvala-nilamani, but unless you understand that, how can you understand Prabhupad ? "Oh, Prabhupada's books are there, I will just read them and understand it." But how can you understand these points ? No, Prabhupad gave a very short purport here, but so many things are there." Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj further elobarates this point: "Sometimes it may sound as if I am speaking some things that Srila Swami Maharaja has never said. When a seed is planted then naturally it will grow into a tree with branches. Are these branches not included in the original seed? Are they coming from somewhere else? Because it is a tree, then all its parts will naturally manifest; they are all hidden within the seed. Swamiji has written everything in his books. I am not saying anything new. Everything that I speak is coming directly and exclusively from the authentic literatures of our acaryas. I also try to give examples from Srila Swami Maharaja's own purports in his own words. So his tree will certainly grow." In this connection, Srila Sarasvati Prabhupad cautions us not to obstruct the preaching of raganuga-bhaktas, even if that preaching might not be strictly according to the common practise: "As a matter of fact thick-headed persons are themselves unable to understand the teaching of the spiritual works that have been penned by the former Acaryas of the community and they are also apt to actively prevent others from having access to those works. This is specially the case with those devotees possessed of a stunted judgment who, being mechanically addicted to the regulations, have no inclination to strive for the attainment of the status. But the Vaishnava religion holds within itself the prospect of infinite progressive advance. Those muddy-headed persons, who choose to remain confined within the literal meaning of the narrow limits of the Scriptural regulations, being thereby led to neglect the unconventional path of spontaneous love for Godhead, soon become indistinguishable from persons who are wedded to the cult of fruitive mundane activities.". Our Guru Maharaj has taught us to respect all Gaudiya Vaishnavas from the core of our hearts. Absolute Harmony shall reign between the different branches of the Gaur parivar. The sole objective of the above article is to contribute to this harmony. Ananta-koti-Vaishnava-vrnda ki jaya ! Related VNN Stories | Comment on this story | Contact VNN about this story | Send this story to a friend
NEWS DESK | EDITORIALS | TOP |
