20210622 Acyutānanda Glorifies Śrī Caitanyadeva to Refute the Statement of Śrī Advaita Prabhu Part 2

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 22nd, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today's chapter is entitled as:

Acyutānanda Glorifies Śrī Caitanyadeva to Refute the Statement of Śrī Advaita Prabhu Part 2

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.167

tabe bhakti-vaśe tuṣṭa haiyā tāhāne
tattva-upadeśa prabhu kahena āpane

Jayapatākā Swami: “When Lord Advaita was satisfied by His son's devotional service, Advaita Ācārya personally gave instructions of the the Absolute Truth.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.168

tabe sei brahmā prabhu-ājñā kari' śire
sṛṣṭi kari' sei jñāna kahena sabāre

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Brahmā then began to create. later He imparted that spiritual knowledge to everyone.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.169

sei jñāna sanakādi pāi' brahmā haite
pracāra karena tabe kṛpāya jagate

Jayapatākā Swami: That knowledge four Kumāras headed by Sanakā received that knowledge from Lord Brahmā, and they mercifully distributed the knowledge to all the universe

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.170

yāhā haite haya āsi' jñānera pracāra
tāna guru ke-mate bolaha āche āra

Jayapatākā Swami: “How then can You say that He who is the source of that knowledge has a guru?”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 12.15

jagad-gurute tumi kara aiche upadeśa
tomāra ei upadeśe naṣṭa ha-ila deśa

Translation: He told his father, “Your instruction that Keśava Bhāratī is the spiritual master of Caitanya Mahāprabhu will spoil the entire country.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 12.16

caudda bhuvanera guru—caitanya-gosāñi
tāṅra guru—anya, ei kona śāstre nāi

Translation: “Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the spiritual master of the fourteen worlds, but You say that someone else is His spiritual master. This is not supported by any revealed scripture.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.171

acyutānandera pitāra prati anuyoga— 
bāpa tumi,—tomā' haite śikhibāṅa kothā
śikṣā-guru hai' kena bolaha anyathā”

Jayapatākā Swami: “You are my father and instructing spiritual master, so how can You speak something other than the actual truth?”

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhāta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Śrī Acyutānanda said, “You are my father and my instructing spiritual master. I am supposed to learn the truth from You. So how can You say that Śrī Caitanya, the Lord and shelter of all living entities, has a guru? The Supreme Lord is the spiritual master of everyone; no one is His guru.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Acyutānanda although a five year child, he had such faith in Lord Caitanya, and he had such spiritual knowledge, that this is very unusual for a small child.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.172

śrī-caitanya-pādapadma-niṣṭha bālaka-putrera guṇe pitāra ānanda o sneha— 
eta bali' śrī-acyutānanda mauna hailā
śuniyā advaita parānande praveśilā

Jayapatākā Swami: After speaking these words, Śrī Acyutānanda became silent and hearing his words Advaita Prabhu became filled with transcendental ecstasy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 12.17

pañcama varṣera bālaka kahe siddhāntera sāra
śuniyā pāilā ācārya santoṣa apāra

Translation: When Advaita Ācārya heard this statement from His five-year-old son Acyutānanda, He felt great satisfaction because of his conclusive judgment.

Purport: Commenting on verses 13 through 17, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura gives an extensive description of the descendants of Advaita Ācārya. The Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, chapter one, states that Acyutānanda was the eldest son of Advaita Ācārya. The Sanskrit book Advaita-carita states, “Advaita Ācārya Prabhu had three sons who were devotees of Lord Caitanya. Their names were Acyuta, Kṛṣṇa Miśra and Gopāla dāsa, and they were all born of the womb of His wife, Sītādevī. Advaita Ācārya also had three more sons, whose names were Balarāma, Svarūpa and Jagadīśa. Thus there were six sons of Advaita Ācārya.” Among the six sons, three were strict followers of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and of these three, Acyutānanda was the eldest.

Advaita Prabhu married in the beginning of the fifteenth century Śakābda (late fifteenth century A.D.). When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to visit the village of Rāmakeli while going from Jagannātha Purī to Vṛndāvana during the Śakābda years 1433 and 1434 (A.D. 1511 and 1512), Acyutānanda was only five years old. The Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, fourth chapter, describes Acyutānanda at that time as pañca-varṣa vayasa madhura digambara, “only five years old and standing naked.” Therefore it is to be concluded that Acyutānanda was born sometime in the year 1428 (A.D. 1506). Before the birth of Acyutānanda, Advaita Prabhu’s wife, Sītādevī, came to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at His birth. Thus it is not impossible that she had the other three sons by Advaita within the twenty-one years between 1407 and 1428 Śakābda (A.D. 1486 and 1507). In an unauthorized book of the name Sītādvaita-carita, published in Bengali in the unauthorized newspaper Nityānanda-dāyinī in 1792 Śakābda (A.D. 1870), it is mentioned that Acyutānanda was a class friend of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. According to the Caitanya-bhāgavata, this statement is not at all valid. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the renounced order of sannyāsa in the year 1431 Śakābda (A.D. 1509), He came to the house of Advaita Prabhu at Śāntipura. At that time, as stated in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, chapter one, Acyutānanda was only three years old. The Caitanya-bhāgavata further states that the naked child, the son of Advaita Prabhu, immediately came and fell down at the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Lord immediately took him on His lap, although he was not very clean, having dust all over his body. Lord Caitanya said, “My dear Acyuta, Advaita Ācārya is My father, and thus we are brothers.”

Before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited His spiritual forms during His residence at Navadvīpa, He asked Śrī Rāma Paṇḍita, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s brother, to go to Śāntipura and bring back Advaita Ācārya. Acyutānanda joined his father at that time. It is said, advaitera tanaya ‘acyutānanda’ nāma/ parama-bālaka, seho kānde avirāma. Acyutānanda also joined in crying in transcendental bliss. Again, when Lord Caitanya beat Advaita Ācārya for explaining Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from an impersonalist viewpoint opposed to the principles of bhakti-yoga, Acyutānanda was also present. Therefore, all these incidents must have occurred only two or three years before Lord Caitanya accepted the sannyāsa order. As mentioned above, in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, chapter one, it is stated that Acyutānanda, the son of Advaita Ācārya, offered his obeisances to the Lord. Therefore, it should be concluded that from the very beginning of his life Acyutānanda was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

There is no information that Acyutānanda ever married, but he is described as the biggest branch of the Advaita Ācārya family. From a book named Śākhā-nirṇayāmṛta it is understood that Acyutānanda was a disciple of Gadādhara Paṇḍita and that he took shelter of Lord Caitanya in Jagannātha Purī and engaged in devotional service. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, chapter ten, states that Acyutānanda, the son of Advaita Ācārya, lived in Jagannātha Purī, taking shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Gadādhara Paṇḍita, in the last years of his life, also lived with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī. There is no doubt, therefore, that Acyutānanda was a disciple of Paṇḍita Gadādhara. In the accounts of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s dancing in front of the car during the Ratha-yātrā festival, Acyutānanda’s name is to be found many times. It is stated that in the party of Advaita Ācārya from Śāntipura, Acyutānanda was dancing and others were singing. At that time the boy was only six years old. text 87 of the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, compiled by Śrī Kavi-karṇapūra, describes Acyutānanda as a disciple of Gadādhara Paṇḍita and a great and dear devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. According to the opinion of some, he was an incarnation of Kārttikeya, the son of Lord Śiva, and according to others he was formerly the gopī named Acyutā. The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (88) supports both these opinions. Another book, Narottama-vilāsa, compiled by Śrī Narahari dāsa, mentions Acyutānanda’s presence during the festival at Khetari. According to Śrī Narahari dāsa, during the last days of his life Acyutānanda stayed in his house at Śāntipura, but during the presence of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu he lived at Jagannātha Purī with Gadādhara Paṇḍita.

Jayapatākā Swami: This purport explains the history of Acyutānanda, it gives the various śāstras in which he is mentioned.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.173

‘bāpa’ ‘bāpa’ bali’ dhari’ karilena kole
siñcilena acyutera aṅga prema-jale

Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Ācārya exclaimed, “My dear son, My dear son!” and He put him on His lap and embraced him. He embraced Acyutānada and soaked his body with tears of transcendental love.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.174

putrake śikṣā-guru-vicāra o kṣamā-prārthanā— 
“tumi se janaka bāpa, mui se tanaya
śikhāite putra-rūpe haile udaya

Jayapatākā Swami: “You are actually My father and I am actually your son. To teach Me, You have appeared as My son.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.175

aparādha kariluṅ kṣamaha bāpa, more
āra nā balimu, ei kahiluṅ tomāre”

Jayapatākā Swami: “I have committed an offense. Forgive Me, My dear son. I assure you, I will not say that again.” Advaita Ācārya was so please to see His young boy speaking such transcendental truths, that He was very happy.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.176

ātma-stuti-śravaṇe śrī-acyutera lajjā— 
ātma-stuti śuni' śrī-acyuta mahāśaya
lajjāya rahilā prabhu māthā nā tolaya

Jayapatākā Swami: When Śrī Acyutānanda Mahāśaya heard Advaita Ācārya glorify him, he felt embarrassed and hung his head down. So, a pure devotee naturally does not like to hear his own glories. So he was very embarrassed to hear such words from his father. But his father was very happy that he had understood so much transcendental truths, so it is natural that He was glorifying His son.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Acyutānanda Glorifies Śrī Caitanyadeva to Refute the Statement of Śrī Advaita Prabhu 
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana