20250204 Addressing the Pañca-tattva Challenge on Advaita-saptamī

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurun dina tāriṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: So today is Advaita-saptamī Mahotsava! Advaita Ācārya is an incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu. But in Śāntipura he was worshiping the śālagrāma-śilā by offering tulasī-mañjarī and Ganges water. He was loudly calling out the name of Kṛṣṇa. He was fasting. Advaita told Lord Kṛṣṇa, I am Advaita, non-different from You so please come down. At that time people were religious in a strange way. They married their daughter and put on a big show. See, it is puṇya-karma, a pious activity to marry your daughter. So it was seen that the personas very pious, very religious. So one other person he wanted to compete, competition, but he had no more daughters, so he married a male cat with a female cat! This is not allowed in the śāstra! He did it to show he was greater than the others. The other person, he did not have any daughters, so he married a male and female dog. So, people were religious but in a perverted way. Like this the whole world, at that time the whole are in India, there were all kinds of strange practices being followed. So Advaita Ācārya in order to make them Kṛṣṇa conscious, make them love Kṛṣṇa, he thought it was beyond him. So he prayed to Lord Caitanya to come down and deliver these people and give them love of Kṛṣṇa. Haribol! Advaita Gosāñī kī jaya! Nitāi kī jaya! Gaurāṅga kī jaya!

So Mādhavendra Purī was coming down from Vṛndāvana along the Ganges in order to get some sandalwood for his Deity in Vṛndāvana. He walked through the house of Advaita Gosāñī who was living by the side of the Ganges. If he walked on the road, then he would see many Māyāvādī sannyāsīs who called themselves Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa! Therefore, Mādhavendra Purī walked along the Ganges side. Maybe on the side of the Ganges it was not so clean. But he saw the Ganges as connected to Kṛṣṇa. So he went along the side of Advaita Ācārya’s house. He saw Advaita Ācārya was worshiping his śālagrāma-śilā. So, it was very rare in those days to see a Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī. And Advaita was a gṛhastha. He immediately bowed down to Mādhavendra Purī. He and Mādhavendra Purī were discussing the nectar of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. And they were feeling so much bliss. Advaita Ācārya invited Mādhavendra Purī to take his lunch. Like that Mādhavendra Purī stayed there for a few days. Advaita Ācārya took initiation from Mādhavendra Purī.

Advaita has two houses. One in Śāntipura and one in Navadvīpa. So Lord Caitanya told the reason He came to this world was because of the call of Advaita Ācārya. There are many pastimes in Navadvīpa and also pastimes in Śāntipura. In Navadvīpa, Lord Caitanya inaugurated His saṅkīrtana movement, He told His mother that you cannot get kṛṣṇa-prema, all the devotees were amazed why mother Śacī could not get this mercy! She carried You in her womb, she took care of You as a child, they told Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya said because she had offended Advaita Ācārya. She committed vaiṣṇava-aparādhā. So everybody was horrified! So they asked why would Mother Śacī offend Advaita Ācārya! Advaita Ācārya saw Lord Caitanya, Mother Śacī and so many devotees. So he asked what brings all of you here? Lord Caitanya said, “Mother Śacī, she offended you! So she came here to ask for your forgiveness.” Advaita said, “How could I be offended by Mother Śacī? Mother Śacī is so great.” He was glorifying her. And then Advaita Ācārya fainted! He was glorifying Mother Śacī. By glorifying her, he became more ecstatic and fainted, fell to the ground! Lord Caitanya told Mother Śacī, “He is not going to forgive you, He doesn’t accept that you have offended Him. Take the dust from His feet and that will forgive you.” Then Mother Śacī took the dust from Advaita Ācārya’s feet and put it on her forehead. So like this there were many pastimes with Advaita Ācārya.

Lord Caitanya had a big kīrtana towards Chand Kazi. There were four parties. One headed by Advaita Ācārya! One led by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, one by Haridāsa Ṭhākura. The fourth one Lord Caitanya with Nitāi and Gadādhara on His two sides. Like this Advaita Ācārya was very prominent. Advaita Ācārya from the very beginning knew that Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa. But Advaita Ācārya wanted to test Him. “I will hide in a village, and He should call me. I will see. I will bow down to Him and He will put His lotus feet on My head! Then I will look at Him and He will show Me His unlimited qualities.” His wife Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī, she came with an ārati plate. Advaita Ācārya asked, “What is this for?” She said, “Just in case!” She was a very expert wife. So they went to a village and hid. And Advaita Ācārya’s nickname was Nāḍā. “Nāḍā! Nāḍā!” Lord Caitanya called. And then Advaita came out. And paid obeisances. Lord Caitanya put His lotus feet on his head! Haribol! Gaurāṅga! Advaita Gosāñī! And then Advaita looked up and saw the transcendental form of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu! With effulgence coming from Him! Then he offered ārati to Lord Gaurāṅga! So like this there are many pastimes.

Lord Caitanya when He took sannyāsa and was in Jagannātha Purī, then also Advaita went to meet Him. After sannyāsa Lord Caitanya wanted to go to Vṛndāvana but Lord Nityānanda and Advaita Ācārya tricked Him and brought Him to Śāntipura. Lord Caitanya was on the other side of the Ganges. Lord Caitanya said, “I was tricked, I wanted to go to Vṛndāvana!” Then Advaita Ācārya said, “Gaṅgā and Yamunā meet together in Prayāga.” Now we have the Mahā-Kumbha there. So this is the Yamunā side of the Ganges. Wherever You are that is Vṛndāvana! So in this way He would pacify Lord Caitanya.

How many kids participated in the Pañca-tattva Challenge? We have about 3000 people who participated.

Navadvīpa dhāma is like a lotus. Center of the lotus is Sīmantadvipa. On the lotus there are eight petals – Antardvīpa, Godrumadvīpa, Madhyadvīpa, Modadrumadvīpa, Koladvīpa, Rudradvīpa, Jāhnudvīpa and Ṛtudvīpa. Each of those nine petals represent the nine processes of bhakti. Antardvīpa is for ātma-nivedanam, complete surrender. Each of the petals are connected to one of the bhakti limbs. I wish all of you a good fortune, blissful time. Pañca-tattva challenge started on Advaita-saptamī. We have Nityānanda Trayodaśī coming up. There are many holy days – Ekādaśī, Varāha Dvādaśī, and many days. So, we wish you all the good fortune and we are grateful that you are bringing up the challenge.

Haribol! Haribol! Haribol! Gaurāṅga! Nityānanda! Advaita!

Today we had the opportunity to watch Advaita Ācārya and perform abhiṣeka and offer him special bhoga. Actually, by Lord Advaita’s mercy we had the opportunity to have Lord Caitanya come down! In Bangladesh we have the birthplace of Lord Advaita. We have a temple in Lord Advaita’s birthplace, the temple was filled with men and women. And one of the devotees was chanting. And they were performing abhiṣeka to the Pañca-tattva. They offered not only pañca-gavya but also puṣpābhiṣeka. And sahasrādhāra-abhiṣeka. Sahasrādhāra is a plate with lot of holes, and they put water and it comes like rain!

Advaita Gosāñī kī jaya!

Kṛṣṇe matir astu! Blessings!