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Post by Vraja on May 27, 2015 0:12:05 GMT -5
Hare Krsna prabhu,
Would you care to comment on the following section?
From a lecture by SBSST, Bakhrabad, Midnapur, April 3, 1926:
"There is no sadhana other than chanting the Lord's holy name. Elsewhere in the Bhakti-sandarbha Sri Jiva writes that although we should perform other limbs of devotional service, in Kali Yuga they should be combined with the chanting of the holy name. By chanting the holy name all anarthas go away. Chanting nama aparadha does not free us from anarthas. But as soon as anarthas are vanquished, the Supreme Lord's form, qualities, associates, and pastimes will automatically manifest in the pure heart. At that time, hoping to understand the highest transcendental rasas, we become qualified to study books like Bhakti rasamrta sindhu and Ujjvala Nilamani."
Here, it seems as though SBSST is stating that the progression is, 1. Chant pure name. 2. Pastimes thus become revealed. 3. Then we can study these books. Here he is not recommending or mentioning anything about the purificatory power of reading these books in and of themselves, or that the study of them will contribute to having the pastimes eventually become manifest. Do you know why he is emphasising in this way?
Another question,
In a lecture at the Gaudiya Math, Vidvad Sabha, Ultadanga, Calcutta, Aug. 27, 1925, SBSST mentions that: "Sri Prabhodananda himself was a group leader - in Krsna lila he is Tungavidya." This concurs with GGD, but not with Dhyanacandra Goswami's paddhati.
So I am still confused about the identity of Srila Prabhodananda.
Your servant,
Vraja Vilasa dasa
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Post by Uttamasloka on May 27, 2015 16:16:24 GMT -5
I honestly don't know why he has emphasized things in this way. It doesn't make sense to me based on what the other acaryas have taught. If we didn't read these books, why and how would we be motivated in any way to chant? Just because someone told us to? Especially in the beginning, sravanam is just as important in sadhana as chanting IMO and in the opinion of other acaryas. I don't think I have to quote references to validate that. Reading and chanting go hand in hand and nourish one another reciprocally. That is the reality of my practical experience as well as many others I know.
I believe we have to take instructions like this in a broader context. Many other acaryas have also emphasized sravanam as absolutely essential and they did not indicate that one could only hear after becoming completely freed from anarthas by chanting offenselessly, so I don't take this as an absolute mandate by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. No one would make any progress if they were constrained from reading the books until they were freed from anarthas and had the pastimes revealed in their hearts. It is not practical any way you look at it. Srila Prabhupada never taught us that this was the only acceptable progression either. He emphasized reading as much as chanting.
We've read that some devotees in Gaura lila are a 'combination' of two or more personalities, which is not an easy thing for our limited minds to comprehend. On the basis of such inconceivable things, I can only assume that Srila Prabhodananda is Tungavidya and so is Vakresvara Pandit, since both facts are indicated from bonafide sources.
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Post by Vraja on May 28, 2015 0:05:01 GMT -5
Alrighty! Thanks for your response. |
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Post by niscala on May 30, 2015 23:12:39 GMT -5
Srila Prabhupada (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami) stressed very much the need for reading the books of the previous acaryas. Here he recommends even Vidaghda Madhava, which is intimate madhurya rasa lila:
If you want to preach the gospel of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then the personalities who
established, by writing these books, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Hari-bhakti-vilasa, Vidagdhamadhava, so many books they have written. So we must go through them, must try to understand.
Then we can understand what is the Caitanya-caritamrta, Caitanya-bhagavata, Caitanya-mangala, there are so many. Caitanya-candradoya by Prabodhananda Sarasvati. So many devotees, they have given us so many high literatures, we should consult. Therefore the prayer is,
sri-caitanyamano-'
bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale.
Within the past five hundred years, many erudite scholars and ācāryas like Jīva Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Vallabhācārya, and many other distinguished scholars even after the time of Lord Caitanya made elaborate commentaries on the Bhāgavatam. And the serious student would do well to attempt to go through them to better relish the transcendental messages.
****
False devotees, lacking the conclusion of transcendental knowledge, think that artificially shedding tears will deliver them. Similarly, other false devotees think that studying books of the previous ācāryas is unadvisable, like studying dry empiric philosophies.
But Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, following the previous ācāryas, has inculcated the conclusions of the scriptures in the six theses called the a -sandarbhas. False devotees who have very little knowledge of such conclusions fail to achieve pure devotion for want of zeal in accepting the favorable directions for devotional service given by self-realized devotees. Such false devotees are like impersonalists, who also consider devotional service no better than ordinary fruitive actions."
(Adi 2.117 : purport)
Paramahaṁsa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I remember once I heard a tape where you told us that we should not try to read the books of previous ācāryas.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Amogha: That we should not try to read Bhaktivinoda’s books or earlier books of other, all ācāryas. So I was just wondering…
Prabhupāda: I never said that.
Amogha: You didn’t say that? Oh.
Prabhupāda: How is that?
Amogha: I thought you said that we should not read the previous ācāryas’ books.
Prabhupāda: No, you should read.
Amogha: We should.
Prabhupāda: It is misunderstanding.
Paramaha sa: I think maybe he was thinking that there ṁ was some things about some of the Gauḍīya Matha books.
Prabhupāda: Maybe.
Paramahaṁsa: And sometimes you said that better not to, better to read your books.
Amogha: When the devotees went to India this year, they said that Acyutananda Svāmi very, chastised them that “You should never… If I catch any of you buying Bhaktisiddhanta’s books from Gauḍīya Matha then I will take them away.” Something like this.
Paramahaṁsa: Yeah, that was, the reason was because of, he didn’t want the devotees going to Gauḍīya Matha. But there’s nothing wrong with the idea of studying the previous ācāryas’ books.
Prabhupāda: No. Who said? That is wrong. We are following previous ācāryas. I never said that.
Paramahaṁsa: All of your commentaries are coming from the previous ācāryas.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jayadharma: But that wouldn’t mean that we should keep all the previous ācāryas’ books and only read them.
Prabhupāda: That is already there. You first of all assimilate what you have got. You simply pile up books and do not read – what is the use?
Jayadharma: First of all we must read all your books.
Prabhupāda: Yes .
From this we should understand that we should progress- first reading Srila Prabhupada's books, so we can get basic understanding, then progress to the books of the previous acaryas.
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Vrindavan das
Junior Member
"This crying is the last word in the progressive path of devotional service." - SB 3.4.35 purport
Posts: 57
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Post by Vrindavan das on Jun 10, 2015 3:01:16 GMT -5
Srila Prabhupada: Why they are going? They are busy in some other work? Eh? Ugra-karma. Without hearing, what he will do, nonsense? Sravanam kirtanam, this is our main business. Sravanam. If you don't hear, what you will do. You will do simply sense gratification. That's all. So this is difficulty, that we are not very much interested in hearing. And that is the main business.Our bhakti begins: sravanam kirtanam visnoh. We have to hear and we have to speak. But if we are not interested in hearing and speak, then it will be the same thakura-bari, simply formula. That's all. And gradually it will be stopped. Unless there is life of sravanam kirtanam, these big, big buildings, temples, will become burden. So if we are, if we want to create burden for future, then we may give up this hearing and chanting and sleep very nicely. It will be burden. Galagraha. Not Sri-vigraha, but galagraha. Galagraha. Sri-vigraha means worshipable Deity. So if we give up this sravanam kirtanam visnoh, then it will be thought that "Our guru maharaja has given a burden in the neck, galagraha." This is the danger. So we must be very much alert in sravanam kirtanam. Otherwise all this labor will be futile. This building will be only the nest, nest for the doves and the pigeons. That is the danger. That is being done." (S.B. Lec., 1.8.19, Mayapur, 29th September, 1974) 
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