Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: Adi-lila
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter 7

Adi7.99

TEXT 99

prabhura mista-vakya suni’ sannyasira gana

citta phiri’ gela, kahe madhura vacana

SYNONYMS

prabhura—of the Lord; mista-vakya—sweet words; suni’-after hearing; sannyasira gana—all the groups of sannyasis; citta—consciousness; phiri’-moved; gela—went; kahe—said; madhura—pleasing; vacana—words.

TRANSLATION

After hearing Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the Mayavadi sannyasis were moved. Their minds changed, and thus they spoke with pleasing words.

PURPORT

The Mayavadi sannyasis met Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Varanasi to criticize the Lord regarding His participation in the sankirtana movement, which they did not like. This demonic nature of opposition to the sankirtana movement perpetually exists. As it existed in the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, similarly it existed long before that, even in the time of Prahlada Maharaja. He used to chant in sankirtana although his father did not like it, and that was the reason for the misunderstanding between the father and son. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.15) the Lord says:

na mam duskrtino mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrta-jnana
asuram bhavam asritah

“Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me.” The Mayavadi sannyasis are asuram bhavam asritah, which means that they have taken the path of the asuras (demons), who do not believe in the existence of the form of the Lord. The Mayavadis say that the ultimate source of everything is impersonal, and in this way they deny the existence of God. Saying that there is no God is direct denial of God, and saying that God exists but has no head, legs or hands and cannot speak, hear or eat is a negative way of denying His existence. A person who cannot see is called blind, one who cannot walk can be called lame, one who has no hands can be called helpless, one who cannot speak can be called dumb, and one who cannot hear can be called deaf. The Mayavadis’ proposition that God has no legs, no eyes, no ears and no hands is an indirect way of insulting Him by defining Him as blind, deaf, dumb, lame, helpless, etc. Therefore although they present themselves as great Vedantists, they are factually mayayapahrta-jnana; in other words, they seem to be very learned scholars, but the essence of their knowledge has been taken away.

Impersonalist Mayavadis always try to defy Vaisnavas because Vaisnavas accept the Supreme Personality as the supreme cause and want to serve Him, talk with Him and see Him, just as the Lord is also eager to see His devotees and talk, eat and dance with them. These personal exchanges of love do not appeal to the Mayavadi sannyasis. Therefore the original purpose of the Mayavadi sannyasis of Benares in meeting Caitanya Mahaprabhu was to defeat His personal conception of God. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, as a preacher, turned the minds of the Mayavadi sannyasis. They were melted by the sweet words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and thus became friendly and spoke to Him also in sweet words. Similarly, all preachers will have to meet opponents, but they should not make them more inimical. They are already enemies, and if we talk with them harshly or impolitely their enmity will merely increase. We should therefore follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as far as possible and try to convince the opposition by quoting from the sastras and presenting the conclusion of the acaryas. It is in this way that we should try to defeat all the enemies of the Lord.

Adi7.100

TEXT 100

ye kichu kahile tumi, saba satya haya

krsna-prema sei paya, yara bhagyodaya

SYNONYMS

ye—all; kichu—that; kahile—You spoke; tumi—You; saba—everything; satya—truth; haya—becomes; krsna-prema—love of Godhead; sei—anyone; paya—achieves; yara—whose; bhagya-udaya—fortune is now awakened.

TRANSLATION

"Dear Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, what You have said is all true. Only one who is favored by fortune attains love of Godhead.

PURPORT

One who is actually very fortunate can begin Krsna consciousness, as stated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu to Srila Rupa Gosvami:

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

(Cc. Madhya 19.151)

There are millions of living entities who have become conditioned by the laws of material nature, and they are wandering throughout the planetary systems of this universe in different bodily forms. Among them, one who is fortunate meets a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krsna and comes to understand the meaning of devotional service. By discharging devotional service under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, or acarya, he develops love of Godhead. One whose love of Godhead (krsna-prema) is awakened and who thus becomes a devotee of the inconceivable Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be considered extremely fortunate. The Mayavadi sannyasis admitted this fact to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is not easy for one to become a Krsna conscious person, but by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu it can be possible, as will be proven in the course of this narration.

Adi7.101

TEXT 101

krsne bhakti kara--ihaya sabara santosa

vedanta na suna kene, tara kiba dosa

SYNONYMS

krsne—unto Krsna; bhakti—devotional service; kara—do; ihaya—in this matter; sabara—of everyone; santosa—there is satisfaction; vedanta—the philosophy of the Vedanta-sutra; na—do not; suna—hear; kene—why; tara—of the philosophy; kiba—what is; dosa—fault.

TRANSLATION

“Dear sir, there is no objection to Your being a great devotee of Lord Krsna. Everyone is satisfied with this. But why do You avoid discussion on the Vedanta-sutra? What is the fault in it?”

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments in this connection, “Mayavadi sannyasis accept that the commentary by Sri Sankaracarya known as Sariraka-bhasya gives the real meaning of the Vedanta-sutra. In other words, Mayavadi sannyasis accept the meanings expressed in the explanations of the Vedanta-sutra by Sankaracarya, which are based on monism. Thus they explain the Vedanta-sutra, the Upanisads and all such Vedic literature in their own impersonal way.” The great Mayavadi sannyasi Sadananda Yogindra has written a book known as Vedanta-sara, in which he writes, vedanto nama upanisat-pramanam. tad-upakarini sariraka-sutradini ca. According to Sadananda Yogindra, the Vedanta-sutra and Upanisads, as presented by Sri Sankaracarya in his Sariraka-bhasya commentary, are the only sources of Vedic evidence. Actually, however, Vedanta refers to the essence of Vedic knowledge, and it is not a fact that there is nothing more than Sankaracarya’s Sariraka-bhasya. There are other Vedanta commentaries, written by Vaisnava acaryas, none of whom follow Sri Sankaracarya or accept the imaginative commentary of his school. Their commentaries are based on the philosophy of duality. Monist philosophers like Sankaracarya and his followers want to establish that God and the living entity are one, and instead of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead they present themselves as God. They want to be worshiped as God by others. Such persons do not accept the philosophies of the Vaisnava acaryas, which are known as suddhadvaita (purified monism), suddha-dvaita (purified dualism), visistadvaita (specific monism), dvaitadvaita (monism and dualism) and acintya-bhedabheda (inconceivable oneness and difference). Mayavadis do not discuss these philosophies, for they are firmly convinced of their own philosophy of kevaladvaita, exclusive monism. Accepting this system of philosophy as the pure understanding of the Vedanta-sutra, they believe that Krsna has a body made of material elements and that the activities of loving service to Krsna are sentimentality. They are known as Mayavadis because according to their opinion Krsna has a body made of maya, and the loving service of the Lord executed by devotees is also maya. They consider such devotional service to be an aspect of fruitive activities (karma-kanda). According to their view, bhakti consists of mental speculation or sometimes meditation. This is the difference between the Mayavadi and Vaisnava philosophies.

Adi7.102

TEXT 102

eta suni’ hasi’ prabhu balila vacana

duhkha na manaha yadi, kari nivedana

SYNONYMS

eta—thus; suni’-hearing; hasi’-smiling; prabhu—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; balila—said; vacana—His words; duhkha—unhappy; na—do not; manaha—take it; yadi—if; kari—I say; nivedana—something unto you.

TRANSLATION

After hearing the Mayavadi sannyasis speak in that way, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu smiled slightly and said, “My dear sirs, if you don’t mind I can say something to you regarding Vedanta philosophy.”

PURPORT

The Mayavadi sannyasis, appreciating Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, inquired from Him why He did not discuss Vedanta philosophy. Actually, however, the entire system of Vaisnava activities is based on Vedanta philosophy. Vaisnavas do not neglect Vedanta, but they do not care to understand Vedanta on the basis of the Sariraka-bhasya commentary. Therefore, to clarify the situation, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, with the permission of the Mayavadi sannyasis, wanted to speak regarding Vedanta philosophy.

The Vaisnavas are by far the greatest philosophers in the world, and the greatest among them was Srila Jiva Gosvami Prabhu, whose philosophy was again presented less than four hundred years later by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Maharaja. Therefore one must know very well that Vaisnava philosophers are not sentimentalists or cheap devotees like the sahajiyas. All the Vaisnava acaryas were vastly learned scholars who understood Vedanta philosophy fully, for unless one knows Vedanta philosophy he cannot be an acarya. To be accepted as an acarya among Indian transcendentalists who follow the Vedic principles, one must become a vastly learned scholar in Vedanta philosophy, either by studying it or hearing it.

Bhakti develops in pursuance of Vedanta philosophy. This is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.12):

tac chraddadhana munayo
jnana-vairagya-yuktaya
pasyanty atmani catmanam
bhaktya sruta-grhitaya

The words bhaktya sruta-grhitaya in this verse are very important, for they indicate that bhakti must be based upon the philosophy of the Upanisads and Vedanta-sutra. Srila Rupa Gosvami said:

sruti-smrti-puranadi-
pancaratra-vidhim vina
aikantiki harer bhaktir
utpatayaiva kalpate

“Devotional service performed without reference to the Vedas, Puranas, Pancaratras, etc., must be considered sentimentalism, and it causes nothing but disturbance to society.” There are different grades of Vaisnavas (kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari), but to be a madhyama-adhikari preacher one must be a learned scholar in the Vedanta-sutra and other Vedic literature because when bhakti-yoga develops on the basis of Vedanta philosophy it is factual and steady. In this connection we may quote the translation and purport of the verse mentioned above (Bhag. 1.2.12):

TRANSLATION

The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard from the Vedanta-sruti.

PURPORT

The Absolute Truth is realized in full by the process of devotional service to the Lord, Vasudeva, or the Personality of Godhead, who is the full-fledged Absolute Truth. Brahman is His transcendental bodily effulgence, and Paramatma is His partial representation. As such, Brahman or Paramatma realization of the Absolute Truth is but a partial realization. There are four different types of human beings-the karmis, the jnanis, the yogis and the devotees. The karmis are materialistic, whereas the other three are transcendental. The first-class transcendentalists are the devotees who have realized the Supreme Person. The second-class transcendentalists are those who have partially realized the plenary portion of the absolute person. And the third-class transcendentalists are those who have barely realized the spiritual focus of the absolute person. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic literatures, the Supreme Person is realized by devotional service which is backed by full knowledge and detachment from material association. We have already discussed the point that devotional service is followed by knowledge and detachment from material association. As Brahman and Paramatma realization are imperfect realizations of the Absolute Truth, so the means of realizing Brahman and Paramatma, i.e., the paths of jnana and yoga, are also imperfect means of realizing the Absolute Truth. Devotional service which is based on the foreground of full knowledge combined with detachment from material association, and which is fixed by dint of the aural reception of the Vedanta-sruti, is the only perfect method by which the seriously inquisitive student can realize the Absolute Truth. Devotional service is not, therefore, meant for the less intelligent class of transcendentalist.

There are three classes of devotees, namely first, second and third class. The third-class devotees, or the neophytes, who have no knowledge and are not detached from material association, but who are simply attracted by the preliminary process of worshiping the Deity in the temple, are called material devotees. Material devotees are more attached to material benefit than transcendental profit. Therefore, one has to make definite progress from the position of material devotional service to the second-class devotional position. In the second-class position, the devotee can see four principles in the devotional line, namely the Personality of Godhead, His devotees, the ignorant and the envious. One has to raise himself at least to the stage of a second-class devotee and thus become eligible to know the Absolute Truth.

A third-class devotee, therefore, has to receive the instructions of devotional service from the authoritative sources of Bhagavata. The number one Bhagavata is the established personality of devotee, and the other Bhagavata is the message of Godhead. The third-class devotee therefore has to go to the personality of devotee in order to learn the instructions of devotional service. Such a personality of devotee is not a professional man who earns his livelihood by the business of the Bhagavatam. Such a devotee must be a representative of Sukadeva Gosvami, like Suta Gosvami, and must preach the cult of devotional service for the all-around benefit of all people. A neophyte devotee has very little taste for hearing from the authorities. Such a neophyte devotee makes a show of hearing from the professional man to satisfy his senses. This sort of hearing and chanting has spoiled the whole thing, so one should be very careful about the faulty process. The holy messages of Godhead, as inculcated in the Bhagavad-gita or in Srimad-Bhagavatam, are undoubtedly transcendental subjects, but even though they are so, such transcendental matters are not to be received from the professional man, who spoils them as the serpent spoils milk simply by the touch of his tongue.

A sincere devotee must, therefore, be prepared to hear the Vedic literature like the Upanisads, Vedanta-sutra and other literatures left by the previous authorities, or Gosvamis, for the benefit of his progress. Without hearing such literatures, one cannot make actual progress. And without hearing and following the instructions, the show of devotional service becomes worthless and therefore a sort of disturbance in the path of devotional service. Unless, therefore, devotional service is established on the principles of sruti, smrti, Purana and Pancaratra authorities, the make-show of devotional service should at once be rejected. An unauthorized devotee should never be recognized as a pure devotee. By assimilation of such messages from the Vedic literatures, one can see the all-pervading localized aspect of the Personality of Godhead within his own self constantly. This is called samadhi.

Adi7.103

TEXT 103

iha suni’ bale sarva sannyasira gana

tomake dekhiye yaiche saksat narayana

SYNONYMS

iha—this; suni’-hearing; bale—spoke; sarva—all; sannyasira—of the Mayavadi sannyasis; gana—group; tomake—unto You; dekhiye—we see; yaiche—exactly like; saksat—directly; narayana—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

Hearing this, the Mayavadi sannyasis became somewhat humble and addressed Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Narayana Himself, who they all agreed He was.

PURPORT

Mayavadi sannyasis address each other as Narayana. Whenever they see another sannyasi, they offer him respect by calling om namo narayanaya (“I offer my respect unto you, Narayana”), although they know perfectly well what kind of Narayana he is. Narayana has four hands, but although they are puffed up with the idea of being Narayana, they cannot exhibit more than two. Since their philosophy declares that Narayana and an ordinary human being are both on the same level, they sometimes use the term daridra-narayana (“poor Narayana”), which was invented by a so-called svami who did not know anything about Vedanta philosophy. Therefore although all these Mayavadi sannyasis who called themselves Narayana were actually unaware of the position of Narayana, due to their austerities Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu enabled them to understand Him to be Narayana Himself. Lord Caitanya is certainly the Supreme Personality of Godhead Narayana appearing as a devotee of Narayana, and thus the Mayavadi sannyasis, understanding that He was directly Narayana Himself whereas they were false, puffed-up Narayanas, spoke to Him as follows.

Adi7.104

TEXT 104

tomara vacana suni’ judaya sravana

tomara madhuri dekhi’ judaya nayana

SYNONYMS

tomara—Your; vacana—speeches; suni’-hearing; judaya—very much satisfied; sravana—aural reception; tomara—Your; madhuri—nectar; dekhi’-seeing; judaya—satisfies; nayana—our eyes.

TRANSLATION

“Dear Caitanya Mahaprabhu,” they said, "to tell You the truth, we are greatly pleased to hear Your words, and furthermore Your bodily features are so pleasing that we feel extraordinary satisfaction in seeing You.

PURPORT

In the sastras it is said:

atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah

“With one’s materially contaminated senses one cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His name, form, qualities or paraphernalia, but if one renders service unto Him the Lord reveals Himself.” (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.234) Here one can see the effect of the Mayavadi sannyasis’ service toward Narayana. Because they offered a little respect to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and because they were pious and actually followed the austere rules and regulations of sannyasa, they had some understanding of Vedanta philosophy, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu they could appreciate that He was none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is endowed with all six opulences. One of these opulences is His beauty. By His extraordinarily beautiful bodily features the Mayavadi sannyasis recognized Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Narayana Himself. He was not a farcical Narayana like the daridra-narayanas invented by so-called sannyasis.

Adi7.105

TEXT 105

tomara prabhave sabara anandita mana

kabhu asangata nahe tomara vacana

SYNONYMS

tomara—Your; prabhave—by influence; sabara—of everyone; anandita—joyful; mana—mind; kabhu—at anytime; asangata—unreasonable; nahe—does not; tomara—Your; vacana—speeches.

TRANSLATION

“Dear sir, by Your influence our minds are greatly satisfied, and we believe that Your words will never be unreasonable. Therefore You can speak on the Vedanta-sutra.”

PURPORT

In this verse the words tomara prabhave (“Your influence”) are very important. Unless one is spiritually advanced he cannot influence an audience. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung, suddha-bhakata-carana-renu, bhajana-anukula. “Unless one associates with a pure devotee he cannot be influenced to understand devotional service.” These Mayavadi sannyasis were fortunate enough to meet the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of a devotee, and certainly they were greatly influenced by the Lord. They knew that since a perfectly advanced spiritualist never says anything false, all his words are reasonable and agree with the Vedic version. A highly realized person never says anything that has no meaning. Mayavadi philosophers claim to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this has no meaning, but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never uttered such nonsense. The Mayavadi sannyasis were convinced about His personality, and therefore they wanted to hear from Him the purport of Vedanta philosophy.

Adi7.106

TEXT 106

prabhu kahe, vedanta-sutra isvara-vacana

vyasa-rupe kaila yaha sri-narayana

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—the Lord began to speak; vedanta-sutra—the philosophy of Vedanta-sutra; isvara-vacana—spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vyasa-rupe—in the form of Vyasadeva; kaila—He has made; yaha—whatever; sri-narayana—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

The Lord said, "Vedanta philosophy consists of words spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Narayana in the form of Vyasadeva.

PURPORT

The Vedanta-sutra, which consists of aphorisms revealing the method of understanding Vedic knowledge, is the concise form of all Vedic knowledge. It begins with the words athato brahma-jijnasa (“Now is the time to inquire about the Absolute Truth”). The human form of life is especially meant for this purpose, and therefore the Vedanta-sutra very concisely explains the human mission. This is confirmed by the words of the Vayu and Skanda Puranas, which define a sutra as follows:

alpaksaram asandigdham
sara-vat visvato-mukham
astobham anavadyam ca
sutram sutra-vido viduh

“A sutra is an aphorism that expresses the essence of all knowledge in a minimum of words It must be universally applicable and faultless in its linguistic presentation.” Anyone familiar with such sutras must be aware of the Vedanta-sutra, which is well known among scholars by the following different names: (1) Brahma-sutra, (2) Sariraka, (3) Vyasa-sutra, (4) Badarayana-sutra, (5) Uttara-mimamsa and (6) Vedanta-darsana.

There are four chapters (adhyayas) in the Vedanta-sutra, and there are four divisions (padas) in each chapter. Therefore the Vedanta-sutra may be referred to as sodasa-pada, or sixteen divisions of aphorisms. The theme of each and every division is fully described in terms of five different subject matters (adhikaranas), which are technically called pratijna, hetu, udaharana, upanaya and nigamana. Every theme must necessarily be explained with reference to pratijna, or a solemn declaration of the purpose of the treatise. The solemn declaration given in the beginning of the Vedanta-sutra is athato brahma-jijnasa, which indicates that this book was written with the solemn declaration to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Similarly, reasons must be expressed (hetu), examples must be given in terms of various facts (udaharana), the theme must gradually be brought nearer for understanding (upanaya), and finally it must be supported by authoritative quotations from the Vedic sastras (nigamana).

According to the great dictionary compiler Hemacandra, also known as Kosakara, Vedanta refers to the purport of the Upanisads and the Brahmana portion of the Vedas. Professor Apte, in his dictionary, describes the Brahmana portion of the Vedas as that portion which states the rules for employment of hymns at various sacrifices and gives detailed explanations of their origin, sometimes with lengthy illustrations in the form of legends and stories. It is distinct from the mantra portion of the Vedas. Hemacandra said that the supplement of the Vedas is called the Vedanta-sutra. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the end. In other words, proper understanding of the ultimate purpose of the Vedas is called Vedanta knowledge. Such knowledge, as given in the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra, must be supported by the Upanisads.

According to learned scholars, there are three different sources of knowledge, which are called prasthana-traya. According to these scholars, Vedanta is one of such sources, for it presents Vedic knowledge on the basis of logic and sound arguments. In the Bhagavad-gita (13.5) the Lord says, brahma-sutra-padais caiva hetumadbhir viniscitaih: “Understanding of the ultimate goal of life is ascertained in the Brahma-sutra by legitimate logic and argument concerning cause and effect.” Therefore the Vedanta-sutra is known as nyaya-prasthana, the Upanisads are known as sruti-prasthana, and the Gita, Mahabharata and Puranas are known as smrti-prasthana. All scientific knowledge of transcendence must be supported by sruti, smrti and a sound logical basis.

It is said that both the Vedic knowledge and the supplement of the Vedas called the Satvata-pancaratra emanated from the breathing of Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedanta-sutra aphorisms were compiled by Srila Vyasadeva, a powerful incarnation of Sri Narayana, although it is sometimes said that they were compiled by a great sage named Apantaratama. Both the Pancaratra and Vedanta-sutra, however, express the same opinions. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore confirms that there is no difference in opinion between the two, and He declares that because the Vedanta-sutra was compiled by Srila Vyasadeva, it may be understood to have emanated from the breathing of Sri Narayana. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments that while Vyasadeva was compiling the Vedanta-sutra, seven of his great saintly contemporaries were also engaged in similar work. These saints were Atreya Rsi, Asmarathya, Audulomi, Karsnajini, Kasakrtsna, Jaimini and Badari. In addition, it is stated that Parasari and Karmandi-bhiksu also discussed the Vedanta-sutra aphorisms before Vyasadeva.

The Vedanta-sutra consists of four chapters. The first two chapters discuss the relationship of the living entity with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is known as sambandha-jnana, or knowledge of the relationship. The third chapter describes how one can act in his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called abhidheya-jnana. The relationship of the living entity with the Supreme Lord is described by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: jivera ’svarupa’ haya krsnera ’nitya-dasa’. “The living entity is an eternal servant of Krsna, the Supreme God.” (Cc. Madhya 20.108) Therefore, to act in that relationship one must perform sadhana-bhakti, or the prescribed duties of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called abhidheya-jnana. The fourth chapter describes the result of such devotional service (prayojana-jnana). This ultimate goal of life is to go back home, back to Godhead. The words anavrttih sabdat in the Vedanta-sutra indicate this ultimate goal.

Srila Vyasadeva, a powerful incarnation of Narayana, compiled the Vedanta-sutra, and in order to protect it from unauthorized commentaries, he personally composed Srimad-Bhagavatam on the instruction of his spiritual master, Narada Muni, as the original commentary on the Vedanta-sutra. Besides Srimad-Bhagavatam, there are commentaries on the Vedanta-sutra composed by all the major Vaisnava acaryas, and in each of them devotional service to the Lord is described very explicitly. Only those who follow Sankara’s commentary have described the Vedanta-sutra in an impersonal way, without reference to visnu-bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord, Visnu. Generally people very much appreciate this Sariraka-bhasya, or impersonal description of the Vedanta-sutra, but all commentaries that are devoid of devotional service to Lord Visnu must be considered to differ in purpose from the original Vedanta-sutra. In other words, Lord Caitanya definitely confirmed that the commentaries, or bhasyas, written by the Vaisnava acaryas on the basis of devotional service to Lord Visnu, and not the Sariraka-bhasya of Sankaracarya, give the actual explanation of the Vedanta-sutra.

Adi7.107

TEXT 107

bhrama, pramada, vipralipsa, karanapatava

isvarera vakye nahi dosa ei saba

SYNONYMS

bhrama—mistake; pramada—illusion; vipralipsa—cheating purposes; karana-apatava—inefficiency of the material senses; isvarera—of the Lord; vakye—in the speech; nahi—there is not; dosa—fault; ei saba—all this.

TRANSLATION

"The material defects of mistakes, illusions, cheating and sensory inefficiency do not exist in the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

A mistake is the acceptance of an object to be different than what it is or the acceptance of false knowledge. For example, one may see a rope in the dark and think it to be a serpent, or one may see a glittering oyster shell and think it to be gold. These are mistakes. Similarly, an illusion is a misunderstanding that arises from inattention while hearing, and cheating is the transmission of such defective knowledge to others. Materialistic scientists and philosophers generally use such words as “maybe” and “perhaps” because they do not have actual knowledge of complete facts. Therefore their instructing others is an example of cheating. The final defect of the materialistic person is his inefficient senses. Although our eyes, for example, have the power to see, they cannot see that which is situated at a distance, nor can they see the eyelid, which is the object nearest to the eye. To our untrained eyes the sun appears to be just like a plate, and to the eyes of one who is suffering from jaundice everything appears to be yellow. Therefore we cannot rely on the knowledge acquired through such imperfect eyes. The ears are equally imperfect. We cannot hear a sound vibrated a long distance away unless we put a telephone to our ear. Similarly, if we analyze all our senses in this way, we will find them all to be imperfect. Therefore it is useless to acquire knowledge through the senses. The Vedic process is to hear from authority. In the Bhagavad-gita (4.2) the Lord says, evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh: “The supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way.” We have to hear not from a telephone but from an authorized person, for it is he who has real knowledge.

Adi7.108

TEXT 108

upanisat-sahita sutra kahe yei tattva

mukhya-vrttye sei artha parama mahattva

SYNONYMS

upanisat—the authorized Vedic version; sahita—along with; sutra—the Vedanta-sutra; kahe—it is said; yei—the subject matter; tattva—in truth; mukhya-vrttye—by direct understanding; sei—that truth; artha—meaning; parama—ultimate; mahattva—glory.

TRANSLATION

"The Absolute Truth is described by the Upanisads and Brahma-sutra, but one must understand the verses as they are. That is the supreme glory in understanding.

PURPORT

It has become fashionable since the time of Sankaracarya to explain everything regarding the sastras in an indirect way. Scholars take pride in explaining everything in their own way, and they declare that one can understand the Vedic scriptures in any way he likes. This “any way you like” method is foolishness, and it has created havoc in the Vedic culture. One cannot accept scientific knowledge in his own whimsical way. In the science of mathematics, for example, two plus two equals four, and one cannot make it equal three or five. Yet although it is not possible to alter real knowledge, people have taken to the fashion of understanding Vedic knowledge in any way they like. It is for this reason that we have presented Bhagavad-gita As It Is. We do not create meanings by concoction. Sometimes commentators say that the word kuruksetra in the first verse of the Bhagavad-gita refers to one’s body, but we do not accept this. We understand that Kuruksetra is a place that still exists, and according to the Vedic version it is a dharma-ksetra, or a place of pilgrimage. People still go there to perform Vedic sacrifices. Foolish commentators, however, say that kuruksetra means the body and that panca-pandava refers to the five senses. In this way they distort the meaning, and people are misled. Here Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that all Vedic literature, including the Upanisads, Brahma-sutra and others, whether sruti, smrti or nyaya, must be understood according to their original statements. To describe the direct meaning of the Vedic scriptures is glorious, but to describe them in one’s own way, using imperfect senses and imperfect knowledge, is a disastrous blunder. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu fully deprecated the attempt to describe the Vedas in this way.

Regarding the Upanisads, the following eleven Upanisads are considered to be the topmost: Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brhad-aranyaka and Svetasvatara. However, in the Muktikopanisad, verses 30-39, there is a description of 108 Upanisads. They are as follows: (1) Isopanisad, (2) Kenopanisad, (3) Kathopanisad, (4) Prasnopanisad, (5) Mundakopanisad, (6) Mandukyopanisad, (7) Taittiriyopanisad, (8) Aitareyopanisad, (9) Chandogyopanisad, (10) Brhad-aranyakopanisad, (11) Brahmopanisad, (12) Kaivalyopanisad, (13) Jabalopanisad, (14) Svetasvataropanisad, (15) Hamsopanisad, (16) Aruneyopanisad, (17) Garbhopanisad, (18) Narayanopanisad, (19) Paramahamsopanisad, (20) Amrta-bindupanisad, (21) Nada-bindupanisad, (22) Siropanisad, (23) Atharva-sikhopanisad, (24) Maitrayany-upanisad, (25) Kausitaky-upanisad, (26) Brhaj-jabalopanisad, (27) Nrsimha-tapaniyopanisad, (28) Kalagni-rudropanisad, (29) Maitreyy-upanisad, (30) Subalopanisad, (31) Ksurikopanisad, (32) Mantrikopanisad, (33) Sarva-saropanisad, (34) Niralambopanisad, (35) Suka-rahasyopanisad, (36) Vajra-sucikopanisad, (37) Tejo-bindupanisad, (38) Nada-bindupanisad, (39) Dhyana-bindupanisad, (40) Brahma-vidyopanisad, (41) Yoga-tattvopanisad, (42), Atma-bodhopanisad, (43) Narada-parivrajakopanisad, (44) Trisikhy-upanisad, (45) Sitopanisad, (46) Yoga-cudamany-upanisad, (47) Nirvanopanisad, (48) Mandala-brahmanopanisad, (49) Daksina-murty-upanisad, (50) Sarabhopanisad, (51) Skandopanisad, (52) Mahanarayanopanisad, (53) Advaya-tarakopanisad, (54) Rama-rahasyopanisad, (55) Rama-tapany-upanisad, (56) Vasudevopanisad, (57) Mudgalopanisad, (58) Sandilyopanisad, (59) Paingalopanisad, (60) Bhiksupanisad, (61) Mahad-upanisad, (62) Sarirakopanisad, (63) Yoga-sikhopanisad, (64) Turiyatitopanisad, (65) Sannyasopanisad, (66) Paramahamsa-parivrajakopanisad, (67) Malikopanisad, (68) Avyaktopanisad, (69) Ekaksaropanisad, (70) Purnopanisad, (71) Suryopanisad, (72) Aksy-upanisad, (73) Adhyatmopanisad, (74) Kundikopanisad, (75) Savitry-upanisad, (76) Atmopanisad, (77) Pasupatopanisad, (78) Param-brahmopanisad, (79) Avadhutopanisad, (80) Tripuratapanopanisad, (81) Devy-upanisad, (82) Tripuropanisad, (83) Katha-rudropanisad, (84) Bhavanopanisad, (85) Hrdayopanisad, (86) Yoga-kundaliny-upanisad, (87) Bhasmopanisad, (88) Rudraksopanisad, (89) Ganopanisad, (90) Darsanopanisad, (91) Tara-saropanisad, (92) Maha-vakyopanisad, (93) Panca-brahmopanisad, (94) Pranagni-hotropanisad, (95) Gopala-tapany-upanisad, (96) Krsnopanisad, (97) Yajnavalkyopanisad, (98) Varahopanisad, (99) Satyayany-upanisad, (100) Hayagrivopanisad, (101) Dattatreyopanisad, (102) Garudopanisad, (103) Kaly-upanisad, (104) Jabaly-upanisad, (105) Saubhagyopanisad, (106) Sarasvati-rahasyopanisad, (107) Bahvrcopanisad and (108) Muktikopanisad. Thus there are 108 generally accepted Upanisads, of which eleven are the most important, as previously stated.

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