20220419 Disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī Glorifies the Explanations of Lord Caitanya, Part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 19th,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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Introduction: Today we are continuing reading for the compilation of Caitanya līlā book, the chapter entitled is:

Disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī Glorifies the Explanations of Lord Caitanya
Under the section: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.23

prakāśānanda sarasvatīra janaika śiṣyera sabhāsthale samālocanāmukhe prabhuke ‘nārāyaṇa’-jñāne tāṅhāra vedāntera cid-vilāsa-vyākhyāra stuti o śaṅkarera māyāvāda vyākhyāra garhaṇokti :—

♫ prakāśānandera śiṣya eka tāṅhāra samāna
sabhā-madhye kahe prabhura kariyā sammāna

Translation: One of the disciples of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, who was as learned as his guru, began to speak in that assembly, offering all respects to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, a very advanced disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī stood out and started to glorify Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.24

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya haya ‘sākṣāt nārāyaṇa’
‘vyāsa-sūtrera’ artha karena ati-manorama

Translation: He said, “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa Himself. When He explains the Vedānta-sūtra, He does so very nicely.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs following Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī could realize that Lord Caitanya was Lord Nārāyaṇa Himself.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.25

upaniṣadera karena mukhyārtha vyākhyāna
śuniyā paṇḍita-lokera juḍāya mana-kāṇa

Translation: “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains the direct meaning of the Upaniṣads. When all learned scholars hear this, their minds and ears are satisfied.

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing the indirect explanation of the Upaniṣads is not satisfying to the scholars and the paṇḍitas. When they heard Lord Caitanya’s direct presentation, they became very satisfied.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.26

sūtra-upaniṣadera mukhyārtha chāḍiyā
ācārya ’kalpanā’ kare āgraha kariyā

Translation: “Giving up the direct meaning of the Vedānta-sūtra and the Upaniṣads, Śaṅkarācārya imagines some other interpretation.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this indirect interpretation is understood as an imagination by Śaṅkarācārya.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.27

ācārya-kalpita artha ye paṇḍita śune
mukhe ‘haya’ ‘haya’ kare, hṛdaya nā māne

Translation: “All the interpretations of Śaṅkarācārya are imaginary. Such imaginary interpretations are verbally accepted by learned scholars, but they do not appeal to the heart.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Śaṅkarācārya interpretation of the Vedānta-sūtra may be accepted by different scholars but in their heart they are not satisfied. But Lord Caitanya He satisfied everyone.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.28

jñāna-mārge phalgu-vairāgyera dvārā māyā ajeyā :—

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-vākya dṛḍha satya māni
kali-kāle sannyāse ‘saṁsāra’ nāhi jini

Translation: “The words of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu are firm and convincing, and I accept them as true. In this Age of Kali, one cannot be delivered from the material clutches simply by formally accepting the renounced order.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Śaṅkarācārya said that one should be a sannyāsī to accept initiation, but Lord Caitanya taught gṛhe thāko, vane thāko, sadā 'hari' bole' ḍāko. So by directly worshipping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can achieve the perfection of devotional service.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.29

prabhu ‘harer-nāma’ ślokārtha vyākhyāra praśaṃsā :—

harer nāma-ślokera yei karilā vyākhyāna
sei satya sukhadārtha parama pramāṇa

Translation: “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s explanation of the verse beginning ‘harer nāma harer nāma’ is not only pleasing to the ear but is strong, factual evidence.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the real scholars they accept the direct meaning of the Vedas as factual and Lord Caitanya’s quotes were so convincing to all the sannyāsīs of Benares.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.30

bhakti muktidātrī o nāmābhāsai muktiprada :—

bhakti vinā mukti nahe, bhāgavate kaya
kali-kāle nāmābhāse sukhe mukti haya

Translation: “In this Age of Kali, one cannot attain liberation without taking to the devotional service of the Lord. In this age, even if one chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa imperfectly, he still attains liberation very easily.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is accepted by this sannyāsī if one chants Hare Kṛṣṇa even as a nāmābhāsa he can achieve pure devotional service. He can achieve bhakti-yoga by which easily he can achieve mukti.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (10/14/4) :—

Translation: “My dear Lord, devotional service unto You is the only auspicious path. If one gives it up simply for speculative knowledge or the understanding that these living beings are spirit souls and the material world is false, he undergoes a great deal of trouble. He only gains troublesome and inauspicious activities. His actions are like beating a husk that is already devoid of rice. His labor becomes fruitless.’

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.4).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this beating of the rice husk, when the rice has already been taken is a waste of labor. So, understanding that Lord Caitanya was giving them the real process.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (10/2/32)—

Translation: “O lotus-eyed one, those who think they are liberated in this life but who are devoid of devotional service to You are of impure intelligence. Although they accept severe austerities and penances and rise to the spiritual position, to impersonal Brahman realization, they fall down again because they neglect to worship Your lotus feet.’

Purport: This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.32).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, by not doing the devotional service to Kṛṣṇa one even after achieving the impersonal realization must again fall down that's why Lord Caitanya is saying that one should also do devotional service.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.33

brahma-śabdera prakṛta artha :—

‘brahma’-śabde kahe ‘ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa bhagavān’
tāṅre ‘nirviśeṣa’ sthāpi, ‘pūrṇatā’ haya hāna

Translation: “The word ‘Brahman’ [‘the greatest’] indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in all six opulences. But if we take the onesided impersonalist view, His fullness is diminished.

Purport: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is originally the Supreme Person, and He expands Himself impersonally through His potency. As the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4):

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.”

The potency of Kṛṣṇa that is spread everywhere is impersonal, just as the sunlight is the impersonal expansion of the sun globe and the sun-god. If we simply take one side of the Supreme Personality of Godhead — His impersonal effulgence — that one side does not fully explain the Absolute Truth. Impersonal appreciation of the Absolute Truth is one-sided and incomplete. One should also accept the other side, the personal side — Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. One should not be satisfied simply by understanding the Brahman feature of the Personality of Godhead. One must also know the Lord’s personal feature. That is complete understanding of the Absolute Truth.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, just by understanding the impersonal side of the Absolute Truth, it is limiting the Personality of Godhead. But the real thing is accepting that the Lord is simultaneously personal, localized impersonal. They only see the impersonal side. In this way they are limiting the Personality of Godhead, and this was realized by the Māyāvādī philosopher.