In search of that Absolute Truth which is only available in Sri Gaudiya Math - Part 4

Once, being asked by a young man in Delhi, "Why do you claim that Śri Gauḍīya Maṭh is the only way to God? Is there no other way at all?" Śrīla Prabhupād, the illustrious Founder and Ācārya of Śrī Caitanya Maṭh and its world-wide affiliated branches Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭhs, replied, "Do you think that there is any other pathway to God, than the association of those, whom Godhead Himself has selected for His Service?"

The Absolute can never be more than the one which we mean here, but people can be in confusion with this terminology, so we like to clarify this point what Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to say. Śrī Rāmacandra, Śrī Nrsimha Deva, Śrī Varāha Deva etc. all they are Absolute, but here the Absolute means Śrī Radhika Raman Kṛṣṇa or the unified form of Śrī Rādhā & Śrī Kṛṣṇa both in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, because both of them Svayam Rūpa Bhagavān and both of them are one and the same. This is the most vital teaching in our Vaiṣṇava Sampradaya—

asat-saṅga-tyāga, — ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra

‘strī-saṅgī’ — eka asādhu, ‘kṛṣṇābhakta’ āra                               

(CC Madhya 22.87)

“A Vaiṣṇava should always avoid the association of ordinary people. Common people are very much materially attached, especially to women. Vaiṣṇavas should also avoid the company of those who are not devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

Everybody agree on this point, but still the general behaviour or the general code of law surely going to maintain some etiquette in front of asat-saṅga. Why? That is the main question. Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wanted to say the following siddhānta-vicāra to us, about what should be our behaviour in front of a Vaiṣṇava aparādhi—

“vaiṣṇava-charitra sarvada pavitra

yei ninde hiṁsā kari'

bhaktivinoda na sambhase tan're

thāke  sadā mauna dhari'                                      

(Kalyāṇa-Kalpa-Taru)

"The Vaiṣṇava's character is always pure. Bhaktivinoda vows as never to speak or relate to any envious person who criticizes such a Vaiṣṇava: instead, he will always stay aloof from him by maintaining an appropriate silence.”

Vaiṣṇava caritra always very pure, who criticise Vaiṣṇava out of jealousy – Bhaktivinoda never like to talk with him, rather can keep silence always. We know that even to see the face of a Vaiṣṇava nindāk or aparādhi is strictly prohibited, then why it is so that even if a heartless offender comes in front of us, still we like to maintain some etiquette? Whenever some sort of weakness arises inside our heart in the way of unalloyed sat-saṅga, then and only then the question of some compromise can stop us following the most vital instruction of shastra which is—

asat-saṅga-tyāga, — ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra

‘strī-saṅgī’ — eka asādhu, ‘kṛṣṇābhakta’ āra                               

(CC Madhya 22.87)

“A Vaiṣṇava should always avoid the association of ordinary people. Common people are very much materially attached, especially to women. Vaiṣṇavas should also avoid the company of those who are not devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

So then surely our heart is controlled by pratiṣṭhā rūpi Māyādevī. No doubt in it. Gauḍīya-Goṣṭhī-Patiḥ Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Paramahaṁsa Jagad-guru Prabhupāda used to say that— “If the whole world going against me (or going to leave me), even those who came to me to take shelter with duplicitous mood, if they one by one going to leave me, still I am not going to stop speaking about that unalloyed Absolute truth, standing under the umbrella like shelter of the Lotus like Feet of my Gurupādapadma fearlessly up to the last moment of my staying in this material world.”

According to time and circumstances if we are going to compromise with asat-saṅga, then surely we are not sādhu. The symptom of a real sādhu shown by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in the following way—if there is simplicity (simple heart means—untouched by duplicity), rigidity and neutrality then he can be called a sādhu. But such symptom of a sādhu at present very very rare to see. So very easily we are misled by those kapaṭa sādhus to go into hell. In fact due to our duplicity we cannot get the exact result of sādhu-saṅga, even after meeting with Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said like that. He used to say that sādhu is always there in this creation, but due to our bad luck we cannot identify a real sādhu. Actually we have no power to say solemnly that we need The Absolute truth and nothing else.

To be continued……….