20240319 Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta 1.2. The teaching method of Śrī Caitanya

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Śrī Caitanya-Śikṣāmṛta

The Nectar of the teachings of Śrī Caitanya

Today’s chapter is: Second Stream — the teaching method of Śrī Caitanya –

The Vedic scriptures are the original evidence for those with soft faith —

Therefore, for the persons with soft faith, without taking shelter of pramāṇa (evidence), they are quickly fall down from the path due to bad association. The Vedas, as a means of expanding Brahman, are their only evidence. Since the Vedas are voluminous and there are many provisions for persons various qualifications, such as karmīs, jñānīs etc., the instructions to the pure devotees is not easily collected.

All sāttvika purāṇas are given in order to show clearly that the main purport of the Vedas is described in the form of abhidheya (sādhana or practice) in various places in the Vedas.

Among the sāttvika purāṇas, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is the greatest and is the expert in explaining the sāttvika purport of the Vedas.

Note:

artho ’yaṁ brahma-sūtrāṇāṁ
bhāratārtha-vinirṇayaḥ
gāyatrī-bhāṣya-rūpo ’sau
grantho ’ṣṭādaśa-sāhasraḥ

śrīmad-bhāgavatābhidhaḥ
sarva-vedetihāsānāṁ
sāraṁ sāraṁ samuddhṛtam
sarva-vedānta-sāraṁ hi

śrīmad-bhāgavatam iṣyate
tad-rasāmṛta-tṛptasya
nānyatra syād ratiḥ kvacit

The meaning of the Vedānta-sūtra is present in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The full purport of the Mahābhārata is also there. The commentary of the Brahma-gāyatrī is also there and fully expanded with all Vedic knowledge. The essence of all Vedic literature and all histories has been collected in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This literature known as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has eighteen thousand verses is accepted as the essence of all Vedic literature and Vedānta philosophy. Whoever tastes the transcendental mellow of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is never attracted to any other literature. Garuḍa Purāṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is why Lord Caitanya recommended that people read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

I went to Kolkata. They said that I was sick and spent one day, resting. Then I went to the doctor, and he looked at a lot of papers, he looked at my arms, and he said, you are not sick enough to enter into the hospital to have dialysis. So I was rejected!

I was watching the English parikramā party. There were many speakers, and they were speaking very enthusiastically. And also Pañcaratna had his team to do the drama. I tried to find the Bengali and Hindi groups, but I could not find. So then I thought I will come last night and hear the realizations and be there this morning for the Mahā-milana. But they also said that I have to rest a lot. It is a kind of incredible that I went through all the days of the GBC meeting, all the days of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s 150^th appearance day celebration. And I was giving my classes here. But after that I had developed some illness. So they said I need a lot of rest.

So, Śrīla Prabhupāda gave us Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. And these are the books that we should read. Also, he gave us Bhakti-śāstrī which includes the Bhagavad-gītā, Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction and Śrī Īśopaniṣad. And then there is Bhakti-vaibhava, the first six cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And Bhakti-vedānta, the last six cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and then the Bhakti-Sārvabhauma study of Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Lord Caitanya taking the mood of the devotee, He revealed many secrets. Like this, He wanted to enter into the rahasya of bhakti-yoga. So these are the books. Some people say, oh! book knowledge doesn’t mean you can preach. That is alright! If you don’t have this book knowledge you cannot preach either. Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to establish these śāstric degrees. By Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy, I got the Bhakti-vedānta degree, and I will go on and continue taking the tests of various books of Śrīla Prabhupāda. The foundation is the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Therefore, Bhāgavata-śāstra and the tantras such as pañcarātras, which follow Bhāgavatam, are counted among the pramāṇa.

The Vedas propound —

In the instruction to Sanātana, Lord Caitanya said:

veda-śāstra kahe — ‘sambandha’,  ‘abhidheya’, ‘prayojana’
‘kṛṣṇa’ — prāpya sambandha, ‘bhakti’ — prāptyera sādhana

abhidheya-nāma ‘bhakti’, ‘prema’ —prayojana
puruṣārtha-śiromaṇi prema mahā-dhana

The Vedic literatures give information about the living entity’s eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, which is called sambandha. The living entity’s understanding of this relationship and his acting accordingly is called abhidheya. Returning home, back to Godhead, is the ultimate goal of life and is called prayojana. Devotional service, or sense activity for the satisfaction of the Lord, is called abhidheya because it can develop one’s original love of Godhead, which is the goal of life. This goal is the living entity’s topmost interest and greatest wealth. Thus one attains the platform of transcendental loving service unto the Lord. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 20.124-125)

Sambandha (Relationship) —

1.     Kṛṣṇa alone is sambandha

The mutual relationship between cit (jīva, the living entity), acit (matter) and Īśvara (the controller) is mentioned by the word sambandha.

Jayapatākā Swami: So when we go to Vṛndāvana, we see the Deities of Sanātana Gosvāmī, his Deities Rādhā Madanamohana, are called the Deities of sambhanda. And then we see the Deities of Rūpa Gosvāmī, Rādhā Govinda and his Deities are the Deities of abhideya and then the perfection is prayojana, that is seeing the Deities of Rādhā Gopīnātha. So like this, we are taught to say our praṇamas of these three Deities. What is so special about Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, do you know? Every part of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam tells something about devotional service. Actually, the more that we are involved in devotional service, the better we are. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is described as it is said here, the ripened fruit of the Vedic tree.  After writing all the other literatures, Vyāsadeva was still unsatisfied. Then Nārada Muni told him to write the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So that is the book that Lord Caitanya and Śrīla Prabhupāda told us to read. Haribol!

Actually, Kṛṣṇa alone is the only substance. That substance has two energies, viz., acit and jīva. By the transformation of the acit-śakti (material energy) is the acit jagat (material world) and by the transformation of the jīva-śakti (the energy of the living entity) is the jaiva-jagat (the world of the living entities). As far as sambandha (relationship) is considered, obtaining again the servitude of Kṛṣṇa by the living entity is known by the name establishing the relationship.

As mentioned in the instruction to Sārvabhauma:-

svarūpa-aiśvarye tāṅra nāhi māyā-gandha
sakala vedera haya bhagavān se ‘sambandha’

“In His original form the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full with transcendental opulences, which are free from the contamination of the material world. It is to be understood that in all Vedic literature the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal. (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 7.139)

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the ultimate goal. Advaita, He wanted to bring down Lord Caitanya, to give out love of Godhead. Because He considered Himself a lower personality of Godhead. He could give liberation, but He could not give love of Godhead. So He wanted Lord Caitanya Himself to come because He could give out love of Godhead. We are very fortunate, we are here in Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s abode, and He is giving out this love of Godhead! So we should beg Him for His mercy! Jaya Nitāi! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga!

Again in the instruction to Sanātana Gosvāmī:—

‘kṛṣṇa’ — prāpya sambandha, ‘bhakti’ — prāptyera sādhana

The living entity’s eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa to be awakened, is called sambandha. Bhakti is the means to the attainment. (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.124)

Jayapatākā Swami: In our temples we are taught to bow down to Lord Kṛṣṇa, chant japa, and to do Deity worship, to do sevā. Like this, gradually we advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And we realize our sambandha.

In this analysis of the principle of sambandha (relationship), seven subjects are shown in the form of prameyas: Discussion or analysis (vicāra) of 1. Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-vicāra), 2. energy of Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-śakti-vicāra), 3. the science of mellows (rasa-tattva-vicāra), 4. the nature of the living entity (jīva-tattva-vicāra), 5. material existence of the living entity (jīvera saṃsāra-vicāra), 6. liberation of the living entity (jīvera nistāra-vicāra) and 7. inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference (acintya-bheda-abheda-vicāra). By considering these seven prameyas separately, knowledge of the relationship is obtained.

Jayapatākā Swami: So previously we discussed the seven points how we understand our relationship. These seven tattvas include knowing what we are. If we don’t know what we are, how can we know our relationship? So like that, we can know Kṛṣṇa very scientifically and methodically.

Jaya Sambandha ki jaya!

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!