ACHARYYANIDHI or Premanidhi proceeded to Santipur in the company of other devotees in order to meet Sree Chaitanya at the residence of Sree Advaitacharyya, when the Supreme Lord was staying there for ten days after His acceptance of Sannyasa. Sree Chaitanya, on His return from the South took up His residence at Puri. Sree Premanidhi came every year to Puri in the company of the devotees to meet the Supreme Lord.The resolution of the devotees....
Then finding the signs of the great being in that Child born from herself Devaki, transported with wonder, afraid of Kamsa, addressed Him with this hymn of praise:
Thou - Whose form has been spoken of as the Inexpressible, Primeval, Radiance that is the Brahman, transcending all quality - all change, The pure Essence, Immaterial, Free from effort - art even Vishnu Himself, the Light of the soul.
The externality of an activity, consisting of its exoteric or physical and esoteric or mental faces, is to be carefully distinguished from the function of the soul. Godhead can be approached and served only by the faculties of the soul. The soul has his spiritual body and mind. The pure soul is also capable of disclosing his eternal form and activity to the view of mortals.But as the faculties of the conditioned soul are in dormant....
On the day of Dol Purnima, the full-moon day of the Bengali month of Falgoon, in the year 1407 of the Saka Era corresponding to the 18th February of 1486, Mahaprabhu Sree Chaitanya appeared in this world. His life-history, described in contemporary biographical accounts of His deeds, however miraculous, is a matter of common knowledge which scarcely needs repetition here and we offer no apology for this little critical study of the same on the basis of those accounts.....
The notable feature of the day of Advent...
The village Brahmagiri is situated on the ancient road along the seacoast about sixteen miles to the south of the town to Puri. The place attracted great numbers of settlers from the south of India in very early times, evidently by its widely reputed sanctity. It occupied a commanding position on the road to the South.
Religious traditions current in the locality centre round the worship of Janardana-Vishnu, under the name of Sree Alalnath. The Alvars were Tamil saints who flourished many centuries before Sree Ramanuja, the last of the Alvars....
Worship is the preliminary stage on the path of the service of God. It is imperfect devotion. A constituent part of devotion is not the whole or perfect devotion. Worship is characterized by the sentiment of distant reverence for the objects of worship. It is service of God by means of objects of this world, based on the sentiment of reverence towards God that results from mundane considerations.
In worship there is thus present more or less the factor of reference to gross and subtle matter. The reverence which is so prominent.....
Lord Chaitanya renounced the world and accepted sannyas in the bright fortnight of the month of Magh in 1510 A.D. at the age of twenty-four. The Supreme Lord arrived at Puri in the month of Falgoon. He witnessed the Dolafestival at Puri...
Set upon the finger
Of woman, man and child
Gleams a golden circlet
Pure and undefiled
‘Tis the precious, passing hour,
Sixty diamond minutes crowned;
Yet how oft the circlet falls....
ACCORDING to all authorities Sri Krishna Tattwa is absolute cognitive Principle unlimited by anything else. From His very nature, therefore, He is unattainable by our intellectual faculties as they are at present constituted. Human knowledge is based upon limiting relativity and cannot conceive of the Absolute who includes both and is unlimited by time and space; and this will be more apparent if we take into account the following considerations.
THE Almighty Lord of the universe Whom we call Sree Krishna is indeed possessed of endless attributes. But it is said that sixty-four prominent attributes of the Supreme Lord are especially visible to the devotee’s eyes. The names and descriptions of these attributes are elaborately detailed in the Bhakti-shastras or the scriptures of love. The reader is to refer to the Bhakti-rasamrita Sindhu by Rupa Goswami as the authoritative work on the subject. In the present article we shall attempt to notice two salient qualities of our beloved Lord—His poetry and His Art. The poetic skill of Sree Krishna is only shadowed forth in all the different spheres of the phenomenal universe and substantial in the supersensuous and transcendental world.
Thereupon appeared, imbued with all good qualities, the most beauteous time
Of the birth-star of the Birth-less, with serene planets, stars and meteors.
The quarters rejoiced, the clear sky became star-lit;
On the Earth, towns, villages, pastures and mines overflowed with every blessing.
With the object of delivering the sannyasis resident in Kashi who professed the doctrine of illusionism (mayavad) the Lord at the request of the devotees by the manifestation of humility and the power of enforcing universal obedience drew unto Himself the hearts of those sannyasis and their guru Prakasanannda assembled at the house of the Marhatta Brahman. Thereafter and in reply to questions addressed to Him by Prakasananda the Lord pointed out all the defects of the view of Sri Sankaracharyya by exposing the baselessness of the mayabad position and expatiated on the greatness of the holy Name of Krishna. The sannyasis of Kashi obtained deliverance by the mercy of the Lord from the all-devouring jaw of the demoness of mayavad.
Then from Kulia-Nabadwip the site of the absolution of offence, the Lord made His way to Ramkeli. At this time Husain Shah was the independent King of Gauda (Bengal). Dabir Khas and Sakar Mallick were the two right-hand men of the King in conducting the government of the country. Dabir Khas and Sakar Mallick became subsequently known as ‘Sree Rup’ and ‘Sree Sanatan’ respectively.
Sarbabhauma Bhattacharyya having made an attempt to bring about an interview of Maharaj Prataparudra with the Supreme Lord He peremptorily refused to entertain the proposal on the ground that it is contrary to the injunction of the Shastras for a Sannyasi to look upon the face of worldly people. The Lord in the role of a Sannyasi adopted this line of conduct in order to teach the duty of a Sannyasi by His own practice. Rai Ramananda came to the Lord at Puri at this time giving up his office in the service of the King. The attitude of the Lord towards the King underwent a change when Rai Ramananda narrated to Him the good qualities of Prataparudra befitting a Vaishnava.
INDIVIDUAL SOULS or Jivas being the transformation of a power,- called the Jiva-Sakti,-of Krishna, the Absolute Godhead, the proper and only function of every Jiva-soul in his perfectly normal state is submission to the Master of all the Powers i.e. the All Powerful (), and to serve the Absolute Godhead under all circumstances as an eternal servant of His. Hence the service of Krishna, the Absolute Godhead, is the only duty of a Jiva: it is the very condition of his true existence. Existence of a Jiva away from such service is abnormal fallen state; it is the perversion of the real life in utter forgetfulness of his true self. Shorn of the willing service of Krishna, the Jiva becomes a slave to the miseries of the world, while as a faithful servant of the Lord he is far above their reach.
Who is a seer according to the use of the term in the religious systems of the Aryas or indo-Aryans-- a Rishi? He is one of the intellectually great men given to the realisation of truths in their peculiar way, the propounding and promulgating of their doctrines among mankind, thinking out and introducing reforms into the religious or social dogmas and practices according to their own light. They are the seers or originators of mantras or aphorisms in the Vedic literature. Sage Utathya became such a seer, the history of his attainment to such an eminence is interesting.
By the Grace of Mahaprabhu thoughtful minds all over the world now realise that Absolute Truth must transcend all limitations of time and space. This auspicious result has been greatly helped by the widely ranging speculations of scientific men who, during the four centuries since the advent of the Supreme Lord have been busy carrying on their investigation in diverse fields of human knowledge in different parts of the world. This is also the attitude of the educated classes in this country. The anomaly of diversity of religions is admitted on all hands. From the point of view of the scientist there can be but one religion. Scientific investigation has brought out the fact that the existing religions contain elements that are adventitious having had their origin in the special circumstances of the age or locality. The Doctrines of Mahaprabhu are absolutely free from all such defects. They are eternal and universal. This is a large statement made with due deliberation; and the attempt will be made in the pages of this Journal to fully substantiate the claim. This great subject can be suitably unfolded only by grdual steps; and, if it is to be properly understood, will require as a preliminary the patient and close attention of the readers for a certain length of time.
IN the holy Geeta and the Srimad Bhagavata it is declared that the God-head Himself created the system of four primary varnas with four stages according to their distinctive qualifications and functions for the people of the world. And yet the very Supreme Lord Sree Krishna Chaitanya exhibited the lila of renouncing the world and taking to Sannyasa-the fourth order of life, for the sake of the world itself in the month of Magha of the Saka year 1432 (1510 A.D), in order to save the ignorance-blind world from the clutches of Maya by bestowing broadcast the holy Name of Krishna and His Love. Shortly after, the Merciful Supreme Lord left Gauda (Bengal) to proceed on His high mission and made a tour throughout the whole of India. He returned to Puri in the first quarter of 1434 Saka after an extensive tour in the whole of Southern India, making people of different sects and beliefs accept His doctrines and the Name and Love of Krishna, just when the pang of separation from and eagerness to see again His Holy Feet in the hearts of His devoted followers of Orissa and Bengal had gone to extreme. The joy of His devotees at Puri knew no bounds, and they all arranged to send, with Lord’s permission, the news of His return to Bengal through Krishnadas- the attendant of the Supreme Lord in His southern tour. The joy of the people at Navadwip on hearing the news was so great that Sree Adwaitacharya made celebrations at his house with great festivity for three days. They all began to make preparations for going to Puri at the feet of the Supreme Lord and started all in a body under the lead of Sri Adwaita Prabhu, from Navadwip with the permission of the Supreme Lord’s mother.
The Supreme Lord having accepted Sannyas (renunciation) in the bright fortnight of the month of Magh took up His residence at Nilachal (Puri) in the month of Falgun following. At Puri the Lord witnessed the swing festival of Krishna and delivered Sarbabhauma in the month of Chiatra. He started for the South in Baisakh. The Lord proposed to go alone on His journey but allowed Himself to he persuaded at the special request of Nityananda to take with Him a Brahman, by name Krishnadas, who happened to possess a nature of great simplicity. Sarbabhauma supplied the Lord with four sets of clothing, the lower as well as the outer pieces, worn by an ascetic and requested Him to meet on His way on the bank of the Godavari, Ramananda Rai who was residing there at the time. Nityananda and some of the devotees accompanied the Lord up to Alalnath. From Alalnath the Lord separated from His companions except Krishnadas and began His memorable journey reciting continuously as He went the word ‘Krishna’ in a passion of over-whelming love.
The Harmonist preaches the religion of Prema or transcendental love for Sree Krishna.
Transcendental love is very different from all forms of love with which we are familiar in the world. The only Object of transcendental love is Sree Krishna. Sree Krishna can never be the object of the so-called love of our mundane estate. The Biblical dictum, "Love God with all thy heart and with all thy soul," is not an invitation for the practice of earthly love towards God.
How, indeed, can it be possible to love man without loving God? As a matter of fact we cannot really love anybody unless we love God. But we cannot also love any other entity exactly in the same way as we love Sree Krishna. The one process is categorically different from the other. The word Maitri is used to denote the love of one soul for another soul. Maitri is qualitatively different from Prema. The servant loves the Master differently from the way he loves a fellow-servant. He should not love a fellow-servant in exactly the same way as he loves his only Master. One cannot, of course, love his worldly brother, father or mother as one loves another soul, or as he loves Sree Krishna.
The Madhva-Gaudiya Vaishnava Community are the followers and worshippers of Sree Gaursundar. They also worship Sree Nityananda. The distinctive tenet of the Teachings of Sree Gaursundar is to the effect that the worship of the devotee of Sree Krishna is higher than that of Sree Krishna Himself.
This is not a counsel for the worship of man. Sree Gaursundar is identical with Sree Krishna. Sree Krishna eternally exhibits the Transcendental Pastime of wearing the complexion and grace of His Counter-Whole Sree Radhika in order to taste the mellow Quality of His Own Consort-hood. It is not a Role which is put on by the Divinity for the nonce. It is His Eternal Benign personality identical with His All-Attractive Self. In other words the Supreme renderer of His Own service is identical with the Supreme Receiver of the same. Sree Gaursundar is the Magnanimous Giver of Sree Krishna. Sree Gaursundar is Magnanimous Krishna. Sree Krishna is unapproachable except by the fullness of serving love. Sree Gaursundar is the Bestower of that unalloyed love that captures the Heart of Sree Krishna. The Two constitute in an equal and identical measure the Absolute's Own Supreme Self.
Shri Krishna Chaitanya, though He came more than four hundred years ago, is present among us when His Words are explained anywhere in this world. His message has little connection with our ordinary ideas...
We have no ambition to shift our position. But we are to do everything for the confidential services of the Over-soul; and this is safe too. We find a particular worship but we find that all our activities are not engaged...
The teachings of a teacher are, therefore, meant for enriching, regulating and inviting the impulse of reception of the taught in order to enable the latter to make further progress. If he has an irreverent mood....
In the conversation of Ramananda and the Supreme Lord, we find the Predominated Aspect of the Transcendental Absolute was giving replies to the interrogatories of the Supreme Lord. The true comparative studies...
We require a solution for the various problems of our life. We are liable to be interrupted and troubled by foreign relations and potential discussions and also to meet different contending ideas...
The Absolute is ever ready to receive His servitors, and His servitors have no other engagement but to serve Him. Devotees do not think that they have any other course to be adopted...
There cannot be more than one Guru. Guru is only one without a second. We should first of all make a searching enquiry throughout the world to single out the proper person from whom we can get the process for our adoption...
He should always be considering himself as the lowliest and most infinitesimal, and desist from participating in material activities or in some other mental processes that may be induced by Nature's productions.
I do not mean that the Name of Rama should be placed in the same category with other minor gods, and He too is Vishnu. In other words, Rama is Krishna, Rama is an Avatara of the Fountainhead of all Avataras whereas Krishna is Avatari the very Fountainhead. Only four partially obscured aspects are to be found in Rama Who does not possess all the different aspects which encourage different kinds of Rasikas.