I wrote this book in an attempt to please my spiritual
master, Param Pujyapad Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Maharaj, affectionately known to his disciples as Srila
Prabhupad. My spiritual master stated that after the
disappearance of a great acharya, great disturbances
and confusion manifests. This year is his centennial
appearance year, and his followers and admirers are
somewhat divided and spread out all over the world.
Might this be Krishna's plan to make his devotees
surrender more?
We have heard and witnessed that after the disappearance
of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupad, there
was much confusion among his disciples. Similar confusion
arose after the departure of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Maharaj
and many other leading acharyas. Even after Lord Chaitanya's
disappearance, His sampradaya went through difficult
times. Following this pattern, after the height of
the construction of the great temples of Vrindavan,
came the period of Muslim attacks when great monuments
of the Vaisnava faith were severely damaged, and deities
had to go into hiding.
Vrindavan, along with the hope of the Vaisnavas, was
later restored, however, by Srila Visvanath Cakravarti
Thakur and Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan. Then, when the
legitimacy of the Gaudiya Sampradaya was questioned,
Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan wrote the famed Govinda Bhasya
as the commentary of the Gaudiya Sampradaya on the
Vedanta Sutra. Years later, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's
prediction that Vaisnavism would eventually influence
the entire world and that in every town and village
the Holy Names of the Lord would be sung, began to
manifest through the activities of Srila Bhaktivinode
Thakur.
Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur's studies had first drawn
him towards Western philosophical teachings. Only after
coming across the original Vaisnava writings, did he
discover the greatest treasure of the world lying within;
hidden by unfortunate historical developments of his
time. During his early life, Vaisnavism in Bengal
was suffering severely under British oppression which
had replaced the Muslim tyranny of India. Many pseudo
Vaisnava groups, due to their degraded sensual abuses
in the name of Vaisnavism, had given a bad name to
the sampradaya and to Vedic culture at large. Thus,
he began his own mission with the purpose of defeating
all these abuses and misinterpretations, and vigorously
preached pure Vaisnavism. He also established the
process of Nama Hatta for the distributing the Holy
Name to the entire world without discrimination. In
this way, all traditional obstacles, such as caste
consciousness, misrepresentations of the teachings,
or attempts to claim proprietorship over Lord Chaitanya's
teachings, were soundly defeated by the Thakur.
Two generations later, my spiritual master, Srila A.
C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, fulfilled the prediction
of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as well as the wishes
of all acharyas, by taking the teachings of India to
the rest of the world; thus bringing new aspirants
from all classes and countries to the feet of the Vaisnavas.
Today, two years after the re-establishment of the Visva
Vaisnava Raj Sabha under the guidance of the senior
most living disciple of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati, Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj,
it has become obvious that the disciples of all the
different branches of the Gaudiya Math are longing
for a combined effort to serve our sampradaya. We
see that vigorous efforts of individual Vaisnavas are
becoming successful. As the teachings of Lord Chaitanya
start embracing the world with so many different arms,
it reminds us of the all-pervading universal form of
the Lord.
I have collected here, as much as I could, information
on the history of our family, the Gaudiya Math, to
serve my friends and senior Vaisnavas. Sometimes we
disrespect that which we don't know and are quick to
cast judgments on others due to our own immature weaknesses.
Some devotees do not even realize that, as one of
the branches, they are members of the Gaudiya Math
family. It certainly does not look good for a person
to ignore the other branches of the same tree which
has given him the life of loving devotional service.
We see that the different generations and missions are
merging into a combined effort in the true spirit of
Unity in Diversity. This cooperation is wanted. This
is truly sankirtan, the congregational chanting of
the Holy Names; with no attempt to control each other,
but rather to love and serve each other. Of course,
we still have a long way to go in order to convince
all Vaisnavas to give their heart's support to this
plan of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupad and Srila Jiva
Goswami Prabhupad. This will bring about an unprecedented
power for the Vaisnavas in this world.
It is also true that a branch of the Chaitanya Tree
may dry up and separate from the tree. We are neither
happy or proud of it, yet this can happen, for example,
when Vaisnava aparadha becomes rampant, or the teachings
are severally distorted by some ill motivated persons.
We will have to dwell on this subject in some of the
chapters of this book in order to advise ourselves
and hopefully learn from the mistakes of others. We
should always follow the track which will certainly
lead us into the service camp of Srimati Radharani
and Her empowered agents.
I pray to all our readers to bless this fallen soul
who has dared to approach such an elevated subject,
despite his low birth and hopeless condition. I have
done so in order to glorify my spiritual master and
all of your spiritual masters beyond all limits. Please
forgive me if I have omitted any important information
or if I have made any mistakes.
May Srila Gurudev guide us to write these words solely
in his service.
May Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, the embodiment of the divine
couple of Brajendra Nandana Krishna, the svayam rupa
of the Lord and His beloved Srimati Radhika the svarupa
shakti, bless us to never loose the association of
his confidential servants.
May Lord Sri Vishnu, Sri Narasingha Bhagavan, the protector
of all the Vaisnavas, protect us from any mistakes
in this presentation.
May you, beloved Vaisnava Thakur, pray for my soul to
loose all attraction to this mundane existence and
to receive the shelter at Sri Nityananda's lotus feet.
This is my audacious request.
Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti,
Sri Krishna Janmastami, 1996
Part I The Harmonist
The Movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
The ontology and history of the movement of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu has filled many volumes. There are biographies
of him written by Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami, Vrindavan
das Thakur, and Lochan das Thakur. There are also
biographical works by Sri Kavi Karnapura, Prabhodananda
Sarasvati, Narahari Chakravarti, Raghunandana Goswami
and many others. Throughout the history of his sampradaya
further books on his life and teachings have been written
and published in many languages.
Here we would like to point out one interesting feature:
How Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu established Unity in Diversity
in our sampradaya. How, for example, he sent many
Vaisnavas to establish branches of his family into
different locations. These Vaisnavas, in their various
moods, brought a range of followers to Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu. Among them are: Sri Nityananda Prabhu,
Jahnavi devi, Sri Advaita Prabhu, Svarup Damodar, Ray
Ramananda, as well as Gadadhar Pandit in Navadvip;
Vakreshvar Pandit and Prabhodananda Sarasvati in South
India and Vrindavan; the six Goswamis in Vrindavan;
Syamananda Pandit in Orissa; Narottam das Thakur in
Manipur and many other places; Srinivas Acharya in
Bihar and other areas. All these associates of the
Lord had some relationship with the Visva Vaisnava
Raj Sabha of Srila Sanatana, Rupa and Jiva Goswamis,
and today we worship all of them, even if we generally
do not maintain much connection with their respective
preceptorial lines.
Tolerance and respect for all Vaisnavas and their different
moods was the nature of Sri Chaitanya's teachings.
While most of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's associates
had the mood of the followers of Srimati Radhika, some
had the mood of sakhya-bhava and others had the bhava
of love for Sri Rama. Due to the development of prakrita-sahajiyism
of many kinds, it later became difficult to distinguish
the quality of each group. The scriptures, however,
give us many guidelines to understand the adhikara
and the integrity of a Vaisnava. As a matter of fact,
Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur was a great savior of the
dignity of the Vaisnava contributions to the world.
Today Vaisnavism is a major force of religious enthusiasm,
spread all over the world in the shape of many missions
and individual Vaisnava preachers who all adhere to
the strict principles of sanatan dharma. As devotees
of a personal Supreme God, the Vaisnavas give a non-sectarian
and loving contribution to the world of theism.The
continuation of this section has been adopted from
Sri Prabandhavali, Gaudiya Vedanta Publications
Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur said,
We accept in our line those who are fully perfected
souls, who know the correct siddhanta, and who are
rasika, wherever they are." In this way all of
the various lines were represented in our parampara
in one place or another.
There are so many lines of disciplic succession, but
Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur said
that we will recognize the guru-parampara, not the
disciplic succession.
The guru-parampara is composed solely of those who were
bhagavat-gurus, even if they made no disciples and
therefore there is no direct disciplic line coming
from them. Some of them may not have initiated any
disciples at all, but still they are jagat-gurus. In
this way, with all pervading vision he collected all
the mahajanas and made what is known as the bhagavat-parampara
or the guru-parampara.
After the departure of Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur,
so many familial disciplic lines arose, but Srila Prabhupad
Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur ignored them and
gave recognition to Baladev Vidyabhusana, and then
Jagannath das Babaji. He accepted only those in whom
he detected the real spiritual siddhanta. Simply receiving
the mantra in one's ear and wearing a dhoti or other
cloth given by the guru does not qualify one as the
guru's successor. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur did not
receive any mantra from Jagannath das Babaji Maharaj,
so how was he his disciple? He was a disciple of his
conception: his feelings towards Krishna, his conception
of rasa and his conception of tattva. This is a disciple.
Most people can't understand this, but being able to
see with such insight, Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur declared this to be our line.
Srila Gaur Kishor das Babaji Maharaj was also not an
initiated disciple of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, but
he embraced all of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur's sentiments
and conceptions, and due to this his name appears next
in the succession. At this point, some of the babajis
said, Whose disciple is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati?
Who gave him sannyas? Why doesn't he wear the same
cloth as Sanatana Goswami did? In our sampradaya,
after Nityananda Prabhu and Svarup Damodar, everyone
wore white cloth, but we see that he wears saffron
cloth and accepted a danda. How can he do this?"
But what relation does wearing either orange or white
cloth have with bhakti? Is there any relation?
The Sampradaya, as given to us by our spiritual masters,
goes back to Lord Sri Krishna. Thus a great amount
of spiritual masters throughout history have represented
the Supreme Lord in this world. In this way they have
shaped the evolution of the Vaisnava school. Srila
Madhvacharya gave special glory to the school known
as Brahma Sampradaya, and the appearance of Srila Madhavendra
Puri further enhanced the teachings. Then the Brahma
Madhva Sampradaya was blessed without limit by the
appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He accepted
the sampradaya and was initiated by the disciple of
Srila Madhavendra Puri, Srila Isvara Puri. Through
him the transcendental school is now known as the Brahma
Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Lord Himself.
He appeared to save the fallen souls in the age of
Kali with his Sankirtan Movement, the congregational
chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord. Another great
gift of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the rediscovery
of Sri Vrindavan Dham. He predicted that the Gaudiya
sampradaya would reach every corner of the world. His
principal disciples, the six Goswamis of Vrindavan,
blessed us with a flood of writings to give detailed
guidance to the Vaisnavas of the present age.
Every spiritual master in this line, as well as their
activities, deserve to be studied. Still, the detailed
history of our sampradaya remains limited to the availability
of information. In order to understand the formation
of the different branches of our sampradaya we have
given many details here. Due to the world wide preaching
of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, there is
now great demand for Vaisnava association. All this
helps to form different branches of the sampradaya
which embrace the world in a tide of Vaisnava mission
networks.
It is noteworthy that the importance of the individual
spiritual masters is the lifeline of the spreading
of the sampradaya, never to overshadow the supreme
importance of the Supreme Lord or the Gaudiya Vedanta
Siddhanta. Thus, over the years many masters have come
and gone, but Sri Krishna, his beloved Srimati Radharani,
and their combined incarnation of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,
are deities who are universally worshipped by many
Vaisnavas.
Taking into consideration the history of the sampradaya,
we see how the individual spiritual masters are not
given the same importance as the different disciples
must give to their different individual gurus. Overall
importance is given to their teachings and contributions
to the world. Their explanation of the Vedanta, their
literary contribution, the deities they installed,
the places of pilgrimage they established, their contribution
to the expansion of the Chaitanya tree, and their relationships
with other Vaisnavas are all considered when estimating
the importance of someone's contributions to the Vaisnavas
school of thought.
Therefore, it is also said that the acharyas are self-effulgent.
They shine in the light of their service to all. Even
those acharyas who do not stand out in history, carry
the same importance for their disciples as the famous
acharyas do. Except in the case of a person who is
an impostor and does not care for the real Vaisnava
life, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu confirmed in the Chaitanya
Charitamrita (CC Madhya-lila 7.128-129) that he will
personally protect any one who teaches the science
of Krishna; as taught in books like the Bhagavat Gita
and the Srimad Bhagavatam::
Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krishna
as they are given in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.
In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate
everyone in this land. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu further
advised the brahmana Kurma: If you follow this instruction,
your materialistic life at home will not obstruct your
spiritual advancement. Indeed if you follow these regulative
principles, we will again meet here, or, rather, you
will never loose My company".
The Visva Vaisnava Raj Sabha
World Vaisnava Association
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the most loving and humble,
merciful and futuristic personality in the recent history
of divine guidance manifesting in this world for all
Vaisnavas. It would be wonderful if his plan to inundate
the world with the Holy Names could manifest through
the Visva Vaisnava Raj Sabha or World Vaisnava Association
that was designed by none other than our dear Srila
Rupa Goswami Prabhupad and promoted by his beloved
Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhupad.
Since its creation, the Visva Vaisnava Raj Sabha has
re-manifested several times, the last time under the
guidance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur
Prabhupad. It is only natural that his senior most
living disciple, Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Maharaj,
continue this important mission.
The fact that Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj
fulfilled the prediction of Lord Chaitanya - that Krishna's
name would be chanted around the world - has revealed
the true meaning of the name World Vaisnava Association
and the necessity of this association in our present
age. Thus, the Visva Vaisnava Raj Sabha or World Vaisnava
Association (VVRS-WVA) is the plan of our acharyas,
and all the living disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur have accepted it as the revival of
the original.
All aspiring Vaisnavas in the line of Srila Prabhupad
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur who try to serve their
respective gurus are automatically members of the VVRS-WVA;
whether they know it, accept it, or not. The many who
are already actively involved in the re-establishment
of the VVRS-WVA are mentioned here in various ways.
Some members belong to the group of founding members
and are marked as FM" of the VVRS-WVA. (The VVRS-WVA
has also established that any sannyasi or acharya who
joins the VVRS-WVA will also be considered as an equal
founding member.) Meanwhile, some missions have not
yet fully endorsed the VVRS-WVA. Nevertheless, many
of their members are involved with the VVRS-WVA on
an individual basis.
Since this book is directed towards the entire Gaudiya
Math family, and since the founder of the Gaudiya Math,
Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, is
also famous as Srila Prabhupad, we have chosen, for
the sake of clarity and etiquette, to name all of the
Vaisnavas by their initiation or sannyas name.
Vaisnavas of other Vaisnava sampradayas or other branches
of the Chaitanya tradition can also be members of the
VVRS-WVA in as much as they perceive that the Supreme
Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chose Srila Prabhupad
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur as a special agent
for fulfilling his predictions.
It is our humble opinion that the Vaisnava theistic
mission - meant to benefit the entire world - has been
most extraordinarily preserved and distributed through
the Gaudiya Math branch of our sampradaya. It is notable,
as will be clearly shown in this book, that Lord Sri
Krishna has utilized the Gaudiya Math in his plan for
distributing Vaisnava teachings to the world. We say
this with all respect to the great contributions of
the four Vaisnava sampradayas and their very old traditions,
or any other followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who
have kept up the pure spirit of Mahaprabhu's line.
In fact, one of the projects of the Visva Vaisnava
Raj Sabha is to research the Chaitanya tree and our
association with all other Vaisnavas of the older South
Indian sampradayas who were blessed by the personal
visit of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.
The VVRS-WVA is working to unify the Gaudiya Math and
all its extended and developing branches; to inspire
individual devotees to take up responsibility for preaching;
and to approach the entire Vaisnava world with the
all encompassing contribution of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
The particulars of this unified effort will manifest
as advancement is made in the yearly VVRS-WVA Melas
held in Srivas Angan, Mayapur and Radha Govindaji,
Vrindavan, as well as in our joint presentations on
the Internet.
Acharyas and missions desiring to become more actively
involved in the action plans of the VVRS-WVA are invited
to come every year to the organizational meetings of
the VVRS-WVA to prepare proposals to the entire membership.
These meetings are held before each international meeting
day. Gradually, these meetings will produce an effective
evolution of the VVRS-WVA as a joint forum to coordinate
whatever future plans will manifest to benefit the
world with the Vaisnava's contribution.
The common cause of all Vaisnavas, especially those
interested in preaching, is served by such efforts
as the VVRS-WVA which, like a transcendental "trade
show," inform one another of the work done by
each separate Vaisnava mission. It facilitates the
sharing of preaching accomplishments with other missions.
It also creates an environment which is attractive
to other Vaisnava sampradayas which in one way or another
have remained isolated in their own groups. When they
see how Lord Chaitanya has inspired the world wide
branches of His sampradaya to create a favorable atmosphere
to spread the yuga dharma in this world, they will
be drawn to contribute to the cause with their sanga.
In addition, the world will learn to see Vaisnavism
as a true world religion, far beyond what main stream
religions and secular people have categorized to be
a strange sect.
Vaisnava history does not, at any point, claim that
a particular Vaisnava school may have the exclusive
rights to represent the Vaisnava tradition. The Unity
in Diversity which manifests through different disciples
of the guru, who start new branches of the same tree
is what has made the Vaisnava tradition survive up
to today. Branches have thus spread all over the world,
sometimes with little or no contact with other branches
of the same tradition. Needless to say, over the years
this has caused certain varieties of styles and practices
to develop. Through the standards established in the
Vedic scriptures along with the writings of Lord Chaitanya's
followers, it can easily be established who are true
followers of these great teachings.
The transparent transmission of the transcendental current
that may be found in a Vaisnava mission (represented
by their respective spiritual leaders) depends on the
divine will of God alone. Samasthi guru is the divine
principle of the disciplic succession, and vyasti gurus
are the individual representatives of that principle.
Just as different electric outlets differ in place
and form but sustain their validity due to being connected
to the electric current coming from the powerhouse
- so works guru tattva.
The VVRS-WVA recognizes only those schools which teach
the traditional Vaisnava values and are not promoting
any particular line or branch at the expense of others.
Still, it is not the aspiration of the VVRS-WVA to
judge others genuineness or bona fide nature in this
regard. Only in border cases would a commission study
the eligibility of a particular group to participate
with the VVRS-WVA in accordance with the principles
of the Vaisnava tradition. In addition, the VVRS-WVA
is not responsible if anyone claiming to be a Vaisnava,
whether officially affiliated to the VVRS-WVA or not,
commits any wrongdoing in this world. Such things are
unavoidable, and the VVRS-WVA has no active role in
or possibility to "straighten out" anybody.
In case of severe damage to the good image of the Vaisnavas,
the same commission which studies border cases will
decide whether some member or mission should be removed
from the VVRS-WVA member list.
It is our honor and sacred wish to be able to embrace
all true theists in the loving fold of the VVRS-WVA
and in Vaisnava Unity in Diversity. The VVRS-WVA opens
the doors for all Vaisnavas to cast aside all of their
superficial misgivings with other Vaisnava groups,
forgive any mistakes done by others in the past, and
join the kirtan of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as it was
planned by our acharyas. Maya divides - Krishna unites.
VVRS-WVA is Krishna's uniting force: Uniting in spirit
for the common cause, without loosing one's own responsibility.
It will be very effective if we can cast aside the
smaller contentions regarding ritual and different
traditions and focus on our real service: to save the
world from impersonal indifference and apathy towards
service to a personal God.
This book serves to show how Krishna blesses the true
devotee with the protection He has promised, and how
the purity of His sampradaya is maintained. In regards
to the exploitation of nature and rampant materialism,
all Vaisnavas share the same goals and should stand
strongly united with a plan to face the horror of the
influence of this age. In this way, the Visva Vaisnava
Raj Sabha will become the forum to serve the plans
of our one Supreme Lord. It would be logical and natural
if all followers, after understanding the purpose of
the VVRS-WVA, include themselves actively in this joint
effort.
The Beginnings of the Gaudiya Math
Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur took initiation in the Gaudiya
sampradaya from Vipin Bihari Goswami. He was the first
Vaisnava acharya to promote preaching in the Western
world, and he also started the Nama Hatta program as
a means to freely distribute the Holy Name. During
his lifetime several Vaisnavas became very prominent.
Among them was his main source of inspiration, Srila
Jagannath das Babaji, with whose help he rediscovered
the actual birth place of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Then came his connection with Srila Gaur Kishor das
Babaji Maharaj who, although considering himself a
disciple of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, was approached
by the Thakur for the dress and mantra of a renunciate.
The Thakur sent his son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakur, to take shelter of Srila Gaur Kishor das Babaji
Maharaj.
After initial reluctance on part of Babaji Maharaj,
the boy was finally accepted as his disciple and was
trained by both father and guru to uplift the world
with the great Sankirtan movement. In this way, the
stage was set to start a mission which would change
the world view of Vaisnavas and Vaisnavism. It is this
mission that became world famous as the Gaudiya Math.
Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur started
the Gaudiya Math together with Kuñja Babu and
other intimate associates. Just after the Gaudiya Math
was established, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaj was
exiting a building with the devotees and a balcony
fell off missing him by just a few inches. He was
standing there fearlessly and said: The Gaudiya Math
will be known for saving people from imminent danger."
The spirit of his father and his guru made Srila Prabhupad
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur a very determined
preacher who became known as the lion guru'.Please
refer to the biographies of him to get a clear picture
of the life and teachings of the founder of the Gaudiya
Math. His disciples worked hard to help their guru,
and deity worship began flourishing in many centers.
Through the efforts of the many outstanding disciples
of the founder, the original Nama Hatta program started
to change into establishments of serious ashrams.
From the most simple man or woman up to kings and famous
people, all received the grace of the Sri Gaudiya Math
equally.
In the beginning, the mission was a revelation to the
Vaisnava world and was full of innovative contributions
to the preaching spirit. The introduction of the tridandi
sannyasis in the Gaudiya Sampradaya was a great surprise
for many. The combination of the personal God and
His inconceivably infinite potency was also quite new
to a world where impersonalism and polytheism had become
synonymous with Hinduism. At the same time, one of
the great strengths of the Gaudiya Math was its push
to send members out into the world, and the West was
one of the destinations of the enthusiastic Gaudiya
Math missionaries.
On July 20th, 1933 the Gaudiya Math was officially presented
to the King and Queen of England. Not long afterwards,
the first European preaching center was established
in London (London Glouster House, Cornwall Garden,
W7 South Kensington) under the name Gaudiya Mission
Society of London'. Lord Zetland, the English Secretary
of State, was the president of this society.
The second European preaching center was opened by Srila
B. H. Bon Maharaj in Berlin (W30 Eisenacherstr. 29).
Later, on October 8th, 1935 some of the first aspirants
were received with an official reception in the Howrah
Station in Calcutta under the chairmanship of the Maharaj
of Burdwan, Sri Bijoy Chand Mahatab.
The Gaudiya Math revealed the true treasure of theVedanta.,
the Srimad Bhagavatam, to be the ripe fruit of Vedic
knowledge. This presents a world view full of devotion
to the One, Supreme Lord. The Lord can appear as many
variegated avatars without loosing His original position.
Much like Christianity, although much older, the Vedic
tradition (as represented by the Gaudiya Math) teaches
how to become a loving servant of God in the eternal
world. They call this region Goloka Vrindavan and it
lays beyond the shores of our mundane senses.
The simple lifestyle which is promoted by the Gaudiya
Math also brings light to a world which is about to
self destruction due to greed for material sophistication,
and lack of spiritual self-satisfaction and engagement.
The journey of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to different
parts of India was the introduction to a great Vaisnava
unity. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur predicted that all
the Vaisnava sampradayas would come together in the
present age under the inspiration of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu's contribution. Fulfilling this prediction,
the Gaudiya Math began by establishing tirthas all
over India in remembrance of the holy journey of Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; and Mahaprabhu's footprints were
installed in seventeen places. The work of the founder
acharya of the Gaudiya Math also reflected the desire
to glorify all the acharyas of all the Vaisnava sampradayas.
He installed their Deities in the Gaudiya Math headquarters
of Sri Mayapur, he published their writings, and he
established some of the Gaudiya Math temples in South
India.
Under the Gaudiya Math banner, the Vaisnavas fearlessly
did the needful. Temples were established in the heart
of big modern cities; old Vaisnava books were published
and distributed through the Brihat Mridanga (the printing
press); Vaisnavas started to use motorcars, boats and
machines for distributing their message; materialism
was attacked with the use of its own offspring - technology;
theistic exhibitions connected art and education to
promote Vaisnava values, and so on. As time has already
proven, the changes that occurred and the new activities
that were introduced were both God-willed and empowered.
Still, some people criticized the Gaudiya Math for their
preaching activities. In the beginning years, the Gaudiya
Math strongly denounced the so called Vaisnavism which
had several currents in those days known as the Auls,
Bauls, Kartabhaja, Gauranga Nagari, Sakhi Bheki, etc.
These groups did not find approval from Srila Bhaktivinode
Thakur. In addition, the Gaudiya Math denounced the
false claim of the caste-conscious brahmanas that it
was necessary to be born in a brahmana family in order
to become a brahmana. Previous to Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur, renounced Vaisnavas used to dress
in a simple white cotton gancha. This dress is known
as the babaji dress and indicates that a person has
given up all other concerns for this world. At the
time, however, there were also many so called babajis
who wore this dress without being qualified. The Gaudiya
Math spoke out strongly against these "babajis"
as well. In this way, there was no lack of opposition
to the Gaudiya Math among these different groups.
Out of all the many currents which claim to follow Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Gaudiya Math has most strongly
demonstrated how the true spirit of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
can uplift this world: a world devoid of spiritual,
moral, social and ecological solutions. Meanwhile,
some branches of the Chaitanya tree have either dried
out, barely survived, or distorted the real teachings
due to misconceptions that have arisen in the past.
All have been blessed, however, by the vigorous campaign
of the Gaudiya Math to establish Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
in His real glory and to show the transcendental character
of the disciplic succession. This real disciplic succession
must be totally free from any type of monopolistic,
elitist, or privilege hunting mentalities which go
against the nature of a transcendental family.
Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupad had taught that true renunciation
is to use everything in Krishna's service. Through
the Gaudiya Math this became manifest within the Vaisnava
world. Those who still criticize the founder of the
Gaudiya Math are unhappy people. They could not do
anything substantial to help the world develop love
of God, serve the sankirtan yajña, or bring
people to the holy waters of Sri Radha Kunda. They
simply exhibit their ignorance and lack of compassion
towards the conditioned souls.
Overall, the Gaudiya Math gives a name to the quality
and message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This book
shows us that all the developments in the Gaudiya Math
and its further sub-branches such as the Bagh Bazaar
Gaudiya Math, Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, ISKCON, Gaudiya
Vedanta Samiti, etc., are all a plan of the Supreme
Lord to spread His loving message.
It has been confirmed in the scriptures that Krishna
loves all of His devotees and that He does not want
to loose any one of His preachers or their accomplishments.
In fact, there are always opportunities for lesser
qualified souls to come and create disturbances within
the missionary organizations. For this reason, Sri
Krishna creates situations which oblige many devotees
to take up spiritual responsibility themselves, again
and again, in order to continue the mission of their
Guru Maharaj.
Thus we find so many Vaisnava missions today. Some
carry the name Gaudiya Math in one way or another,
some don't. Some have many branches, some have only
one. Some do a great amount of missionary activities,
some are rather quiet and introverted.
All, however, are supposed to stand on the following
foundation: To carry the flag of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
into the hearts of all the suffering, conditioned souls,
and to uphold the glory of our common founders and
all their surrendered servants.
Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur ki...
jay....
History of the Gaudiya Math Governing Body
Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur requested
his disciples to form a governing body in his absence.
This governing body was supposed to administer the
mission after his departure. This body was formed
by twelve members: Kuñja Babu, Paramananda,
Ananta Vasudev, Srila Bhakti Keval Audulaumi Maharaj,
Prof. Nisikantha Sanyal, Hayagriva das B., Giri Maharaj
and others. Later, all sannyasis were added to this
list. While he made Kuñja Babu (the first and
life-long secretary of the Gaudiya Math) the president
for life, he did not indicate any particular successor
acharya. As he had often remarked - the acharya is
self effulgent. Thus, the initial time after the disappearance
of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur
was filled with uncertainty, with many different opinions
arising concerning how the mission would continue.
The humility of the leading devotees of the Gaudiya
Math was remarkable. Nobody wanted to become guru and
accept disciples. In general, the consensus of everyone
was: we are not qualified to become spiritual masters.'
That was the reason why no sannyasi of Srila Prabhupad
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur ventured to take up
the acharya post. Still, everybody was shy and anxious
to serve other senior Vaisnavas in the absence of their
guru. Looking back, it seemed necessary that some dissension
be created in Sri Krishna's Mission, in order to involve
all the qualified preachers in active missionary work.
(At least that is my understanding of why Sri Krishna
allowed His mission to enter into a period of disagreement).
As the decision on who would be the next acharya in
the mission became a dispute, many devotees suffered
in separation of their beloved Gurudev. Even though
Kuñja Babu was undoubtedly the most prominent
organizer of the Gaudiya Math during the lifetime of
Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, many
sannyasis did not want to accept him as the next acharya.
After some time, a learned brahmachari named Ananta
Vasudev was suggested as the possible acharya for the
Gaudiya Math and most of the Members of the GBC and
the sannyasis accepted that proposal. Kuñja
Babu and his close associates, however, did not agree
with the decision on the new acharya. Subsequently,
a dispute began and the original Gaudiya Math mission
divided into two administrative bodies which continued
preaching on their own, up to the present day. In a
settlement they divided the 64 Gaudiya Math centers
into two groups.
Due to the relative decline in the preaching spirit
caused by the disputes, older and experienced Vaisnavas
realized that the call from their guru had come for
them to leave those institutions and begin new limbs
of the Gaudiya Math branch of the Chaitanya tree as
well. Impartially observed, however, we have to conclude
that the two groups who stayed to administer the former
Gaudiya Math properties did not increase the mission
very much with respect to opening new temples or publishing
new Vaisnava literature. On the other hand, some of
those who left to start new branches of the Gaudiya
Math became very successful. Although, throughout the
years, several other very important branches have sprung
up, let us first concentrate on the two primary branches.
Kuñja Babu was a close and very dear disciple
of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur
since the beginning of the Gaudiya Math. With his help
the Gaudiya Math spread all over India. A lot of people
joined the Math and many historical achievements took
place. Practically speaking, he was the administrative
genius who helped the Gaudiya Math grow into a great
mission. Even though he was not so popular among all
of his godbrothers, he was still highly qualified.
After separating from the Gaudiya Mission at the Bagh
Bazaar Temple, he opened the Sri Chaitanya Research
Institute in Calcutta. He later took sannyas from
Srila Bhakti Vijñan Ashram Maharaj and received
the name of Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj. He remained
the leader of the Chaitanya Math branch, writing many
books and publishing many titles of the Gaudiya Siddhanta
from the Madras Publishing department.
He attracted support and sympathy from many important
Indian politicians, and preached non-stop while traveling
all over India. He initiated many high ranking Indian
leaders into the Bhakti tradition. Many of his godbrothers
also worked with him and helped maintain and expand
the Chaitanya Math. In the Chaitanya Math the most
beautiful Samadhi Mandir of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupad was constructed by him.
According to Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj,
who later started the ISKCON mission, Srila Bhakti
Vilas Tirtha Maharaj went home back to Godhead as a
pure devotee. I am quoting this just to show that temporary
disagreements between Vaisnavas do not indicate that
they will not get the mercy of their guru and Krishna.
The Chaitanya Math branch in Mayapur, India also sponsored
the All India Vaisnava Conference on two occasions.
Under the organization of Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha
Maharaj, along with the attendance of many representatives
of other Vaisnava institutions and sampradayas (such
as the Pejwar Swami of Udupi), a conference was held
to increase cooperation in the spreading of sanatan
dharma.
On the Vyasa puja day of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur in 1948 a resolution was made to appoint
Srila Bhakti Hriday Bon Maharaj to the position of
secretary for Sri Chaitanya Math, which he served for
three years. At that time a disciple of Srila B. D.
Madhava Maharaj was the secretary of B. V. Tirtha Maharaj.
He later became the acharya of the Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya
Math under the sannyas name of Srila B. Vallabha Tirtha
Maharaj. Then, in 1954, Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava
Maharaj, who had worked with Srila B. V. Tirtha Maharaj
(even though he began initiating disciples earlier
than him) decided to leave the Chaitanya Math with
most of his disciples.
After Srila B. V. Tirtha Maharaj's disappearance from
this world, his godbrother Srila Bhakti Kusum Sraman
Maharaj became the next acharya. In addition, many
other disciples of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur started accepting disciples within
and in association with the Chaitanya Math. Some are
included in the following list:
Under the Chaitanya Math mission the famous Yoga Pith,
Srivas Angan, and other holy places in the Dham are
maintained. After the disappearance of Srila B. K.
Sraman Maharaj, the Chaitanya Math mission divided
into several branches under the leadership of different
sannyasis. The official person to accept disciples
after Srila B. K. Sraman Maharaj's departure was Srila
Bhakti Bhushan Bhagavat Maharaj, a disciple of Srila
B. V. Tirtha Maharaj.
Later, many of the leaders of the Chaitanya Math, such
as Srila B. S. Sajjan Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Prasun
Puri Maharaj, Srila Avadhut Maharaj and Srila Bhakti
Vaibhav Sagar Maharaj, helped to organize the Visva
Vaisnava Raj Sabha meeting in Srivas Angan during Gaur
Purnima of 1996. The first big World Vaisnava Association
Mela was also celebrated at the same time. As the previous
generations of great souls are gradually withdrawn
from this world, it becomes the obvious duty of all
older and newer members of this family tree to work
hard in order to continue the great works started by
the Gaudiya Math.
Additional highlights during S. B.V. Tirtha Maharaj's
time
Another principle group which branched out from the
Gaudiya Math became known as the Gaudiya Mission. This
mission kept the famous temple of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur at the Bagh Bazaar in Calcutta. Many
central activities of the Gaudiya Math were at this
temple in Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's
time. However, this temple was also the cause for some
dissatisfaction. The devotees fought over the use of
some rooms after this splendid, marble floored temple
was finished. Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakur thus remarked that it would be better to sell
all the marble and to print books. This temple was
constructed with the impressive donation from Sri Jagabandhu
Dutta. When the properties were divided, the Bagh
Bazaar Math and Sri Dham Mayapur Yogapith were the
most important settlements. Each group received one
of these major properties to conduct their preaching
mission.
Both Ananta Vasudev Prabhu and Srila Bhakti Rakshak
Sridhar Maharaj were often asked to explain their guru's
classes. Ananta Vasudev knew the verses his guru quoted
even before he would quote them. While many senior
sannyasis had declined to become acharyas, this brahmachari
had shown great capacity to understand his guru's teachings.
Thus when the governing body proposed that Ananta Vasudev
Prabhu become the next acharya, and the proposal was
accepted by many senior members of the Gaudiya Math,
he accepted the post of acharya. When Kuñja
Babu and his supporters started to defy their decision
and to form a different branch, the Bagh Bazaar Gaudiya
Math stayed under the guidance of Ananta Vasudev Prabhu.
After accepting sannyas, Ananta Vasudev Prabhu became
known as Srila Bhakti Prasad Puri Maharaj. Some years
later, he left the mission, and the post was transferred
to the expert hands of Srila Bhakti Keval Audulaumi
Maharaj.
Srila B. K. Audulaumi Maharaj had been with the mission
since the days of the Nama Hatta program of Srila Bhaktivinode
Thakur. He worked hard for the Gaudiya mission, and
purchased many of the buildings the Gaudiya math previously
had rented. He had been the son of a big landlord in
Nadia. During this time, the mission opened a wonderful
new branch in Godrum, Navadvip. They published many
books and their kirtans were held with lively dancing
in an organized fashion.
He traveled all over India and preached to many important
leaders. He also published a book of his discourses
in English. His mission kept a lot of distance from
the other Gaudiya Maths after the division took place.
After his disappearance, the mission was guided by
Srila Bhakti Srirup Bhagavat Maharaj, another disciple
of Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur.
He preached in India, England, and opened one center
in Holland. After the disappearance of Srila B. S.
Bhagavat Maharaj the mission was handed over to Srila
B. Suhrit Parivrajak Maharaj.
Additional highlights of the Gaudiya Mission:
uThe Gaudiya Mission organized yearly Navadvip Dham
parikrams.
Acharyas who became active in the Gaudiya Mission or
started new branches include the following:
In general it can be said that it was not personal ambition
that created the difficulties in the Gaudiya Math.
Rather, it was the unpredictable influence of Krishna
which made certain aspects flourish and others fail
as the mission continued to develop. Krishna wants
all his devotees to receive credit; not only one or
two. The world benefits from witnessing the individual
performance of the outstanding Vaisnavas, instead of
just watching voiceless members of bureaucratic missions.
The fact that Krishna's plan was different from the
plans of many of His devotees became that much clearer
with examples like the unexpected withdrawal of Bhakti
Prasad Puri Maharaj (formerly Ananta Vasudev) from
the acharya post and sannyas life.
Another example is that nobody would have ever thought
that Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, who was
once a grihasta known only to a few Gaudiya Math members,
would become a prominent acharya and expand the mission
all over the world. When he left for America at the
age of 68 and started the world-wide Hare Krishna revolution,
many of his brothers could hardly believe it. For
some it took years to understand that Lord Nityananda's
potency had chosen this special Vaisnava to fulfill
the predictions of both Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and
Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur.
This story will repeat itself whenever Krishna's plan
differs from arrangements made by others in this world.
The acharyas will be known by their own light and by
their contribution to the happiness of this world;
not by resolutions or cast votes, appointments or experiments.
If we simply try our best and follow our heart sincerely,
Krishna will guide us from within, and the real spirit
of the Gaudiya Math will never be lost.
The real spirit of the Gaudiya Math revealed many self
effulgent acharyas. This began a continuum of branching
out as founder acharyas entered into their nitya lila.
This has created such a scenario, that, in the present
day, devotees of Krishna often meet each other with
surprise all over the world and do not necessarily
even know which branch has already reached that area
and established Vaisnava communities.
Many of today's popular and growing Gaudiya Maths (often
considered to be the orthodox Gaudiya Math of today)
were not fully accepted branches in the beginning.
These new branches were considered rebel" branches
from the point of view of the two contemporary institutions
which managed different parts of the original Gaudiya
Math, and any members were taken by surprise by the
development of new successful branches outside of their
jurisdiction.
Thus, those who did not agree with the spirit of the
established branches, or were simply inspired to expand
the mission of their guru on their own enthusiasm,
had to start without any help. Renunciates, equipped
with the blessings of their guru and the Vaisnavas,
many stalwarts started their missions - some of which
became successful beyond imagination.
This is the beginning of a new era. In the following
chapter on Gaudiya Math activities we will present
the Gaudiya Math branches and outstanding preachers
with a simple report on their current activities.
Very few people know the real extent to which Lord Chaitanya
has, through his beloved Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur, already spread his sampradaya to
all corners of the world in so many different ways.
Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj undoubtedly
stands out as a pioneer fulfilling the wish of his
guru and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by giving the Holy
Name to the whole world. In this list we will find
many additional contributions to the expansion of Krishna
Consciousness. It is evident that the future also holds
many surprises and varieties of activities by which
the Gaudiya Math family tree will benefit the conditioned
souls.