Awakening of consciousness? Or an answer to the criticism? – Part 1

Awakening of consciousness? Or an answer to the criticism?

(Is Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura a nitya-siddha bhāgavata pārṣada or a sādhana-siddha?) – Part 1

From Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as evidence it can be seen that—

yac-chaktayo vadatāṁ vādināṁ vai

vivāda-saṁvāda-bhuvo bhavanti

kurvanti caiṣāṁ muhur ātma-mohaṁ

tasmai namo ’nanta-guṇāya bhūmne

(S.B. 6.4.31)

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of that all-pervading Supreme Lord— Bhūmā-puruṣa, who possesses unlimited transcendental qualities and by whose power all those philosophers by their logic, always get engaged in argumentations and as a result of that they at every step are bewildered by moha (illusion).

Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda Paramahaṁsa Jagad Guru said that, — “From the moment when we cannot find any guardian around ourselves (to save us from māyā), then the surrounding environment (or situation) will take an ugly turn to attack us. Hari-kathā of a genuine sādhu, is our only protector.” He also said that, — “As soon as we come to know about the Absolute Truth, a very quick action has to be taken. Each and every fraction of second of our life is to be completely engaged in hari-bhajana, instead of wasting our time by material engagement.”

Those impersonalists, instead of realizing the actual svarūpa of Vaiṣṇavas, are getting cheated by watching their viśvarūpa or universal form. Those impersonalists, in course of watching the viśvarūpa of those Vaiṣṇavas, surely can become successful to detect a number of faults in those vimala Vaiṣṇavas, those who are ever spotless and those prākṛta-sahajiyās declare all those offenders – who commit sins on the pretext of harināma, as Vaiṣṇavas; but pure devotees, they have this conception that— “For a genuine devotee, any kind of illegal- forbidden act is impossible; if somehow at all such kind of apparently unpleasant behaviour (or activity) is seen in them, then there can be two kinds of options of thoughts about it—either a great devotee has accidentally committed a sinful act, which will never last; or the impressions of past sins are arising and it will take some time to get destroyed. By thinking in this way, one should not see even the minor faults of a devotee; by watching such faults in such cases, can bring some offenses in our life against harināma. Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa says:

bhagavati ca harāva- ananya-cetā

bhrśa malino’pi virājate manuṣyaḥ

na hi śaśa-kaluṣa-cchaviḥ kadācit

timira-parābhavatām upaiti candraḥ

Just as the moon, even with spots in the body, is never overwhelmed by darkness, similarly, a person whose mind is solely fixed on Bhagavān Hari, even if exceedingly impure, shines forth. One should not understand from this instruction that devotees are usually committing sins; in reality, when steadiness in bhakti arising, the desire for any sinful activity cannot remain; but as long as the body exists, some sin may occur accidentally; the embodiment of the bhajana is like blazing fire which can immediately burn that sin into ashes, or rather, he can become very careful so that any such sin does not arise again in the future. (Jaiva Dharma)

However, this judgment is applicable regarding a Vaiṣṇava, who is doing bhajana absorbingly, for those pure devotees in the way of our gauḍīya bhajana. But such judgment is not at all applicable for those nitya-siddha Śrī Guru-pādapadma. The judgment that – the guru or ācārya was previously fallen and may fall or has fallen—this is the judgment of an impersonalist. Brahmā, Śiva, Vyāsa, Bilvamaṅgala, Bhaktanghrirenu, and other Jagadguru ācāryas, they were previously fallen, and later became saintly personalities, those impersonalists and prākṛta-sahajiyās have such dirty conception. Those impersonalists can say that Vālmīki was previously a dacoit and later became a Vaiṣṇava ācārya; Tulasidasa was previously very attached to his wife and later became the best ācārya of the Rāmānandī-sampradāya; Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, Candidāsa and Vidyāpati, in spite of their past leading illicit lives, became foremost Vaiṣṇavas. All such conceptions and acts of hypocrisy arising from one's own uncontrolled agitated senses.

A so-called Gosvāmī with an impersonal mentality had shown the audacity to give advice to Jagadguru Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. The true conclusion regarding the pārṣada's body is that once one is included within the domain or opulences of the svarūpa-śakti, it is not appropriate to see him as having the jīvatva (status of a jīva) under the reign of the taṭasthā-śakti.

When a person seen taking birth from a maidservant and attaining a pārṣada body, he is manifested as being within the opulence of the svarūpa-śakti. This is applicable to sādhana-siddha Nārada ji, not about nitya-siddha Nārada ji. Regarding the nitya-siddha Vaikuṇṭha pārṣadas, in the context of Jayā and Vijayā, it is said that by the Lord's will, their apparent fall down was seen, as a result they took demoniac births. The first point is that the fall down of any nitya-siddha Vaikuṇṭha pārṣada is not at all possible. Because in that case, the commitment of the Lord cannot stand. In Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, directly we can understand the words of Śrī Bhagavān—

na tad bhāsayate sūryo

na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ

yad gatvā na nivartante

tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

(BG 15.6)

That dhāma (abode) of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire. Those who attain that eternal dhāma, they never return to this material world.

Those Vaikuṇṭha bodies, assuming an extremely subtle form, entered the womb of Mother Diti and appeared as Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa to allow the relishment of the vīra-rasa in the way to fulfil the desire of the Supreme Lord. Great hatred and animosity are seen in their lives due to their behaviour as enemies of the Lord. They themselves again took birth as Rāvaṇa and Kumbhakarṇa. Again, they appeared as Śiśupāla and Dantavakra; finally, they returned to the Lord's abode. Perhaps you all have heard this siddhānta vicāra of great commentators, of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (eternal associates of Bhagavān). But would you be willing to accept even such external pastimes of the eternal associates of the Lord?

(To be continued...)