20220418 Māyāvādī sannyāsīs of Vārāṇasī are Converted

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 18th,2022 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!

Continuing the Caitanya-līlā class:

Māyāvādī sannyāsīs of Vārāṇasī are Converted

Under the section: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.147

sarvasūtrera vyākhyā-śravaṇe yatigaṇera stava :—

ei-mata sarva-sūtrera vyākhyāna śuniyā
sakala sannyāsī kahe vinaya kariyā

Translation: When all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs thus heard the explanation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu on the basis of sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana, they spoke very humbly.

Purport: Everyone who actually desires to understand the Vedānta philosophy must certainly accept the explanation of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas who have also commented on the Vedānta-sūtra according to the principles of bhakti-yoga. After hearing the explanation of the Vedānta-sūtra from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the sannyāsīs, headed by Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, became very humble and obedient to the Lord, and they spoke as follows.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya by giving the Vaiṣṇava explanation of the Vedānta sutra all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, headed by Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī became very convinced and spoke to Lord Caitanya very humbly.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.148

vedamaya-mūrti tumi,—sākṣāt nārāyaṇa
kṣama aparādha,—pūrve ye kailuṅ nindana

Translation: “Dear Sir, You are Vedic knowledge personified and are directly Nārāyaṇa Himself. Kindly excuse us for the offenses we previously committed by criticizing You.”

Purport: The complete path of bhakti-yoga is based upon the process of becoming humble and submissive. By the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs were very humble and submissive after hearing His explanation of the Vedānta-sūtra, and they begged to be pardoned for the offenses they had committed by criticizing the Lord for simply chanting and dancing and not taking part in the study of the Vedānta-sūtra. We are propagating the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement simply by following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We may not be very well versed in the Vedānta-sūtra aphorisms and may not understand their meaning, but we follow in the footsteps of the ācāryas, and because of our strictly and obediently following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it is to be understood that we know everything regarding the Vedānta-sūtra.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, by knowing Lord Caitanya’s philosophy then it is possible to know everything of the Vedas. Lord Caitanya would explain the Vedānta-sūtra so nicely that all the devotees who heard these explanations became very much purified, not only the devotees but even the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. So, by following the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya one gets all the required knowledge of bhakti-yoga.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.149

tāṅhādera nirantara kṛṣṇanāma grahaṇa :—

sei haite sannyāsīra phiri gela mana
‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ nāma sadā karaye grahaṇa

Translation: From that moment when the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs heard the explanation of the Vedānta-sūtra from the Lord, their minds changed, and on the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they too chanted “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” always.

Purport: In this connection it may be mentioned that sometimes the sahajiyā class of devotees opine that Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī and Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī are the same man. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī was a great Vaiṣṇava devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, the head of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs in Benares, was a different person. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī belonged to the Rāmānuja-sampradāya, whereas Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī belonged to the Śaṅkarācārya-sampradāya. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī wrote a number of books, among which are the Caitanya-candrāmṛta, Rādhā-rasa-sudhā-nidhi, Saṅgīta-mādhava, Vṛndāvana-śataka and Navadvīpa-śataka. While traveling in southern India, Caitanya Mahāprabhu met Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, who had two brothers, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa and Tirumalaya Bhaṭṭa, who were Vaiṣṇavas of the Rāmānuja-sampradāya. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was the nephew of Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. From historical records it is found that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu traveled in South India in the year 1433 Śakābda (A.D. 1511) during the Cāturmāsya period, and it was at that time that He met Prabodhānanda, who belonged to the Rāmānuja-sampradāya. How then could the same person meet Him as a member of the Śaṅkara-sampradāya in 1435 Śakābda, two years later? It is to be concluded that the guess of the sahajiyā-sampradāya that Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī were the same man is a mistaken idea.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, although the names were similar, Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī is from South India, he was a Bhaṭṭa. He is from Rāmānuja-sampradāya, Lord Caitanya met him and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī in Śrīraṅgam and Lord Caitanya went to Vṛndāvana, two years later and there met Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī of the Śaṅkara-sampradāya. These two persons are not the same.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.150

prabhukartṛka aparādha-kṣamā o kṛpā :—

ei-mate tāṅ-sabāra kṣami’ aparādha
sabākāre kṛṣṇa-nāma karilā prasāda

Translation: Thus Lord Caitanya excused all the offenses of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs and very mercifully blessed them with kṛṣṇa-nāma.

Purport: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the mercy incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is addressed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī as mahā-vadānyāvatāra, or the most magnanimous incarnation. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī also says, karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau: it is only by His mercy that He has descended in this Age of Kali. Here this is exemplified. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not like to see Māyāvādī sannyāsīs because He thought of them as offenders to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, but here He excuses them (tāṅ-sabāra kṣami’ aparādha). This is an example in preaching. Āpani ācari’ bhakti śikhāimu sabāre. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us that those whom preachers meet are almost all offenders who are opposed to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but it is a preacher’s duty to convince them of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and then induce them to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Our propagation of the saṅkīrtana movement is continuing, despite many opponents, and people are taking up this chanting process even in remote parts of the world like Africa. By inducing the offenders to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu exemplified the success of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We should follow very respectfully in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, and there is no doubt that we shall be successful in our attempts.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is the most merciful incarnation and because the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs always address each other as Nārāyaṇa therefore Lord Caitanya avoided their association but on the request of His devotee Tapan Miśra and Candraśekhara, He preached to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs in Benares and converted them to Vaiṣṇavas.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.18

māyāvādīra kṛpālābha-divasa haite bahu tārkikera prabhusaha tarkārtha samāgama :—

ye divasa prabhu sannyāsīre kṛpā kaila
se divasa haite grāme kolāhala haila

Translation: Beginning from the day on which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed His mercy to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, there were vivid discussions about this conversion among the inhabitants of Vārāṇasī.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, all the people in Vārāṇasī became converted to Vaiṣṇavas, they discussed Lord Caitanya’s preaching to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs and became convinced and in this way all the residents of Vārāṇasī became Vaiṣṇavas.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.19

lokera saṅghaṭṭa āise prabhure dekhite
nānā śāstre paṇḍita āise śāstra vicārite

Translation: Crowds of people came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu from that day on, and scholars of various scriptures discussed different subject matters with the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, once Lord Caitanya converted all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs to Vaiṣṇavas then thousands of people came to see Him and discuss the scriptures, and in this way He convinced everybody to be a Vaiṣṇava.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.20

śuddha-bhakti-siddhānta-pūrṇa akāṭya-yuktibale prabhukarttṛka sakalera kutarka-khaṇḍana :—

sarva-śāstra khaṇḍi’ prabhu ‘bhakti’ kare sāra
sayuktika vākye mana phirāya sabāra

Translation: When people came to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to discuss the principles of various scriptures, the Lord defeated their false conclusions and established the predominance of devotional service to the Lord. With logic and argument He very politely changed their minds.

Purport: We have been spreading this saṅkīrtana movement in the Western countries, and in our recent tour of European cities like Rome, Geneva, Paris and Frankfurt, many learned Christian scholars, priests, philosophers and yogīs came to see us, and by the grace of Kṛṣṇa they agreed that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the bhakti cult, offers the topmost conclusion. Following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are trying to convince everyone that the devotional service of the Lord is enjoined in every scripture. If a person is religious, he must accept the supreme authority of the Lord, become His devotee and try to love Him. This is the real principle of religion. It does not matter whether one is Christian, Muslim or whatever. He simply must accept the sublime position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and render service unto Him. It is not a question of being Christian, Muslim or Hindu. One should be purely religious and freed from all these material designations. In this way one can learn the art of devotional service. This argument appeals to all intelligent men, and consequently the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is gaining ground throughout the world. Due to our solid logic and scientific presentation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s prediction that Kṛṣṇa consciousness will spread to every town and village throughout the world is gradually being realized.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this purport Śrīla Prabhupāda shows his strategy, and he is presenting Kṛṣṇa consciousness like Lord Caitanya presented it scientifically and how people may practice any religion, Christian, or Muslim or Hindu, but devotional service is the scientific way. This gives the energy to serve Kṛṣṇa with love, so in this way He is spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness like Lord Caitanya predicted.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.21

sakalera prabhu-śikṣā-lābha o hari-saṅkīrtana :—

upadeśa lañā kare kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana
sarva-loka hāse, gāya, karaye nartana

Translation: As soon as people received instructions from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they began to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Thus, everyone laughed, chanted and danced with the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, how Lord Caitanya inspired everyone to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to chant hare Kṛṣṇa to laugh and to dance and in this way He spread the saṅkīrtana movement.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.22

sannyāsigaṇera māyāvāda chāḍiyā kṛṣṇa-kathālāpe iṣṭagoṣṭhī :—

prabhure praṇata haila sannyāsīra gaṇa
ātma-madhye goṣṭhī kare chāḍi’ adhyayana

Translation: All the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs offered their obeisances unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and then began to discuss His movement, giving up their studies of Vedānta and Māyāvāda philosophy.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs took to studying Lord Caitanya's teachings and discussing iṣṭagosthi.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.151

sakale miliyā mahā-prasāda sammāna :—

♫ ♫ Translation: After this, all the sannyāsīs took the Lord into their midst, and thus they all took their meal together.

Purport: Previously Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had neither mixed nor talked with the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, but now He took lunch with them. It is to be concluded that when Lord Caitanya induced them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and excused them for their offenses, they were purified, and therefore there was no objection to taking lunch, or bhagavat-prasāda, with them, although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew that the food had not been offered to the Deity. Māyāvādī sannyāsīs do not worship the Deity, or if they do so they generally worship the deity of Lord Śiva or the pañcopāsanā (Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Śiva, Durgā-devī, Gaṇeśa and Sūrya). Here we do not find any mention of the demigods or Viṣṇu, that they had chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and that He had excused their offenses.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa they had made all the food to prasāda and because of Lord Caitanya's presence it was naturally getting purified, because they had apologized to Lord Caitanya and started following His instructions. Nowadays it is quite difficult to convince the Māyāvādīs, but Lord Caitanya did so and gave them His mercy.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.152

♫ ♫ Translation: After taking lunch among the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is known as Gaurasundara, returned to His residence. Thus, the Lord performs His wonderful pastimes.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya Himself is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He is playing the part of a devotee so after the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs were converted to Vaiṣṇavas, He took prasāda with them and engaged in His transcendental pastimes. So, Lord Caitanya he had so many wonderful pastimes.

Gaurāṅga! Jay!

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Māyāvādī Sannyāsīs of Vārāṇasī are Converted

Under the section: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas

Śrīla Prabhupāda he took the message of Lord Caitanya all over the world and he went to different countries and continents and convinced the people about worshipping the Lord in this way it is our responsibility to carry out the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya and the TOVP, the Temple of Vedic Planetarium is a process to let the people know about the glories of Lord Caitanya. Hari bol!