20220111 The Leader of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, Implores Lord Caitanya, Part 2
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation
The following is a Caitanya-līlā Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 11th, 2022 in Śrī Dhama Mayapur, 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!
Introduction: So toady in the compilation of Lord Caitanya book,
The Leader of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī,
Implores Lord Caitanya, Part 2
Under the section: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.65
āpane prakāśānanda hātete dhariyā
vasāilā sabhā-madhye sammāna kariyā
Translation: Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, however, caught Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally by the hand and seated Him with great respect in the midst of the assembly.
Purport: The respectful behavior of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī toward Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very much to be appreciated. Such behavior is calculated to be ajñāta-sukṛti.
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya gave Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī opportunity to render some devotional service. Ajñāta-sukṛti means unknowingly doing something, which is auspicious, so he may not have known that by touching Lord Caitanya and by receiving Him in the assembly with great respect, he was actually doing some devotional service unknowingly.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.66
puchila, tomāra nāma ‘śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya
keśava-bhāratīra śiṣya, tāte tumi dhanya
Translation: Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī then said, “I understand that Your name is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. You are a disciple of Śrī Keśava Bhāratī, and therefore You are glorious.
Jayapatākā Swami: Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī was glorifying Lord Caitanya, this is to his benefit.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.67
sāmpradāyika sannyāsī tumi, raha ei grāme
ki kāraṇe āmā-sabāra nā kara darśane
Translation: “You belong to our Śaṅkara-sampradāya and live in our village, Vārāṇasī. Why then do You not associate with us? Why is it that You avoid even seeing us?
Purport: A Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī or a Vaiṣṇava in the second stage of advancement in spiritual knowledge can understand four principles — namely, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the devotees, the innocent and the jealous — and he behaves differently with each. He tries to increase his love for Godhead, make friendship with devotees and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness among the innocent, but he avoids the jealous who are envious of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself exemplified such behavior, and this is why Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī inquired why He did not associate or even talk with them. Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirmed by example that a preacher of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement generally should not waste his time talking with Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, but when there are arguments on the basis of śāstra, a Vaiṣṇava must come forward to talk and defeat them in philosophy.
According to Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, only one who takes sannyāsa in the disciplic succession from Śaṅkarācārya is a Vedic sannyāsī. Sometimes it is challenged that the sannyāsīs who are preaching in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are not genuine because they do not belong to brāhmaṇa families, for Māyāvādīs do not offer sannyāsa to one who does not belong to a brāhmaṇa family by birth. Unfortunately, however, they do not know that at present everyone is born a śūdra (kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ). It is to be understood that there are no brāhmaṇas in this age because those who claim to be brāhmaṇas simply on the basis of birthright do not have the brahminical qualifications. However, even if one is born in a non-brāhmaṇa family, if he has the brahminical qualifications he should be accepted as a brāhmaṇa, as confirmed by Śrīla Nārada Muni and the great saint Śrīdhara Svāmī. This is also stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Both Nārada and Śrīdhara Svāmī completely agree that one cannot be a brāhmaṇa by birthright but must possess the qualities of a brāhmaṇa. Thus in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we never offer the sannyāsa order to a person whom we do not find to be qualified in terms of the prescribed brahminical principles. Although it is a fact that unless one is a brāhmaṇa he cannot become a sannyāsī, it is not a valid principle that an unqualified man who is born in a brāhmaṇa family is a brāhmaṇa whereas a brahminically qualified person born in a non-brāhmaṇa family cannot be accepted. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement strictly follows the injunctions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, avoiding misleading heresy and manufactured conclusions.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he would award brāhmaṇa thread and sannyāsa to qualified Vaiṣṇavas who possessed the qualification of brāhmaṇas, this was also followed by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. This was a quite a dynamic alteration of the current conception that one has to be a born brāhmaṇa. Rather, we see that our previous ācāryas, they would see the qualifications of someone, not by their birth right.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.68
sannyāsī ha-iyā kara nartana-gāyana
bhāvuka saba saṅge lañā kara saṅkīrtana
Translation: “You are a sannyāsī. Why then do You indulge in chanting and dancing, engaging in Your saṅkīrtana movement in the company of fanatics?
Purport: This is a challenge by Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is the object of Vedānta philosophical research, has very kindly determined who is an appropriate candidate for study of Vedānta philosophy. The first qualification of such a candidate is expressed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Śikṣāṣṭaka (3):
tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā
amāninā māna-dena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
This statement indicates that one can hear or speak about Vedānta philosophy through the disciplic succession. One must be very humble and meek, more tolerant than a tree and more humble than the grass. One should not claim respect for himself but should be prepared to give all respect to others. One must have these qualifications to be eligible to understand Vedic knowledge.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was teaching that one should be humble and meek. We see that these Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are very proud and challenging. Lord Caitanya, He responded to such challenge in an assertive yet humble way.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.69
vedānta-paṭhana, dhyāna,—sannyāsīra dharma
tāhā chāḍi’ kara kene bhāvukera karma
Translation: “Meditation and the study of Vedānta are the sole duties of a sannyāsī. Why do You abandon these to dance with fanatics?
Purport: As explained in regard to verse 41, Māyāvādī sannyāsīs do not approve of chanting and dancing. Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, like Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, misunderstood Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be a misled young sannyāsī, and therefore he asked Him why He indulged in the association of fanatics instead of executing the duty of a sannyāsī.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī could not understand Lord Caitanya’s actual position, or the value of chanting the holy name so this will be enumerated by Lord Caitanya.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.70
prabhāve dekhiye tomā sākṣāt nārāyaṇa
hīnācāra kara kene, ithe ki kāraṇa
Translation: “You look as brilliant as if You were Nārāyaṇa Himself. Will You kindly explain the reason that You have adopted the behavior of lower-class people?”
Purport: Due to renunciation, Vedānta study, meditation and the strict regulative principles of their daily routine, Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are certainly in a position to execute pious activities. Thus Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, on account of his piety, could understand that Caitanya Mahāprabhu was not an ordinary person but the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sākṣāt nārāyaṇa: he considered Him to be Nārāyaṇa Himself. Māyāvādī sannyāsīs address one another as Nārāyaṇa because they think that they are all going to be Nārāyaṇa or merge with Nārāyaṇa in the next life. Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī appreciated that Caitanya Mahāprabhu had already directly become Nārāyaṇa and did not need to wait until His next life. One difference between the Vaiṣṇava and Māyāvādī philosophies is that Māyāvādī philosophers think that after giving up their bodies they are going to become Nārāyaṇa by merging with His body, whereas Vaiṣṇava philosophers understand that after the body dies they are going to have a transcendental, spiritual body in which to associate with Nārāyaṇa.
Jayapatākā Swami: Māyāvādī sannyāsīs think that they are going to be Nārāyaṇa. And Sripada Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī could understand that Lord Caitanya was special, He seemed like Nārāyaṇa Himself. But He wondered why He was not engaging in activities that the Śaṅkarācārya sannyāsīs do. So, this is a strange situation and Lord Caitanya would answer his queries.
Thus Ends the Chapter Entitled, The Leader of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, Implores Lord Caitanya
Under the section: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas
The Vaiṣṇavas never want to merge in the light or the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it’s called as sāyujya-mukti, they may accept the other forms of liberation if it includes serving the Lord. They want to always engage in the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa and they want to associate with Him, to have a different relationship with Him. They don’t want to be one with Him, they don't want to merge in His light or His body.
Lord Caitanya visited South India and Central India and came back to Jagannātha Purī. He went towards Vṛndāvana, went to Rāmakeli, went to Kānāi Nāṭaśālā but then He came back because there were thousands of people, then He went from Jagannātha Purī to Vṛndāvana and on the way back He came to Vārāṇasī, and He met the devotees, He met also the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs.
So, all the devotees, today who are going to visit in South India and Sri Lanka, they should remember how Lord Caitanya spent many years travelling throughout South India so that in this way He blessed South India.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Lecture Suggetions
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20220226 Māyāvādī Sannyāsīs Humbly Ask Lord Caitanya Why He is Not Studying Vedānta-sūtra (Part - 2)
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20220224 Question and Answer Session
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20220224 The Māyāvādī Sannyāsīs Humbly Ask Lord Caitanya Why He is Not Studying Vedānta-sūtra
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20220223 Question and Answer Session
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20220223 Īśvara Purī Instructs His Disciple Nimāi Paṇḍita to Chant and Preach Kṛṣṇa-Nāma, Part 2
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20220222 Question and Answer Session
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20220221 Question and Answer Session
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20220221 Īśvara Purī Instructs His Disciple Nimāi Paṇḍita to Chant and Preach Kṛṣṇa-Nāma, Part 1
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20220220 Question and Answer Session
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20220219 Question and Answer Session
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20220218 Question and Answer Session
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20220217 Question and Answer Session
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20220114 The Nature of The Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra – The Loving Ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa
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20220113 Hearing the Glories of Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa from His Guru Īśvara Purī Mahārāja, Nimāi Paṇḍita Practices and is Amazed by the Effect, Part 2
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20220112 Hearing the Glories of Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa from His Guru Īśvara Purī Mahārāja, Nimāi Paṇḍita Practices and is Amazed by the Effect, Part 1
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20220110 The Leader of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, Implores Lord Caitanya, Part 1
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20220109 Maharashtriyan Brāhmaṇa Approaches Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Extend Him an Invitation, Part 2
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20220108 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.51-53
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20220108 Maharashtriyan Brāhmaṇa Approaches Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Extend Him an Invitation, Part 1
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20220107 Directory about the Activities of Vaiṣṇavas, Part 4
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20220106 Directory about the Activities of Vaiṣṇavas, Part 3
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20220105 Directory about the Activities of Vaiṣṇavas, Part 2
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20220104 Directory about the Activities of Vaiṣṇavas, Part 1
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20220103 If One Becomes a Madman like Lord Caitanya, He May also Understand the Meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
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20220102 All Classes of Men — Ātmārāmas, Munis and Nirgranthas Must Engage in the Service of the Lord Part 2
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20220101 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.44
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20220101 All Classes of Men — Ātmārāmas, Munis and Nirgranthas Must Engage in the Service of the Lord, Part 1
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20211231 Nārada Instructs Mṛgāri to Serve Tulasī and Continuously Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-Mantra Part 2
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20211230 Nārada Instructs Mṛgāri to Serve Tulasī and Continuously Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-Mantra Part 1
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20211229 Nārada Tells Mṛgāri to Kill Animals Completely and Not Leave Them Half-Dead