20220111 The Leader of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, Implores Lord Caitanya, Part 2

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!