Friday, January 22, 2010

2010 Sītānāth āvirbhāva tithi



Śrī Advaita Ācārya [Prabhu Sītānāth]’s 576th Advent day, 2010 –
From Śrī Caitanya Bhāgavat, ādi khaṇḍa, chapter 2 –

চারি ভাই শ্রীবাস মিলিয়া নিজ ঘরে
নিশা হইলে হরিনাম গায় উচ্চৈঃস্বরে ১১১

Śrīvāsa Paṇḍit and his three brothers met at his home at night and loudly performed Harinam Sankirtan.

শুনিয়া পাষণ্ডী বোলে - হইল প্রমাদ
এ ব্রাহ্মণ করিবেক গ্রামের উত্সাদ ১১২
মহাতীব্র নরপতি যবন ইহার
এ আখ্যান শুনিলে প্রমাদ নদীয়ার ১১৩

Hearing this, local infidels said – ‘This means trouble – this brahmin will cause the destruction of this town. The Muslim king here is very cruel – if he hears of this he will wreak havoc in Nadiya!”

কেহ বলে - এ ব্রাহ্মণে এই গ্রাম হইতে
ঘর ভাঙ্গি ঘুচাইয়া ফেলাইমু স্রোতে ১১৪
এ বামুনে ঘুচাইলে গ্রামের মঙ্গল
অন্যথা যবনে গ্রাম করিবে কবল ১১৫

Someone said: “Let’s throw this brahmin out of town, demolish his house and throw it in the Ganges. It would benefit the town to throw this brahmin out, otherwise the Muslims may usurp it!”

এইমত বোলে যত পাষণ্ডীর গণ
শুনি 'কৃষ্ণ' বলি কান্দে ভাগবতগণ ১১৬

Hearing that from the mouths of the infidels, the Bhāgavats [Vaiṣṇavas] wept and said ‘Kṛṣṇa!”

শুনিয়া অদ্বৈত ক্রোধে অগ্নি হেন জ্বলে
দিগম্বর হই সর্ব বৈষ্ণবেরে বোলে ১১৭
শুনো শ্রীনিবাস, গঙ্গাদাস, শুক্লাম্বর
করাইব কৃষ্ণে সর্ব নয়ন গোচর ১১৮
সবা উদ্ধারিবে কৃষ্ণ আপনে আসিয়া
বুঝাইবে কৃষ্ণভক্তি তোমা' সবা লইয়া ১১৯
যবে নাহি পারো তবে এই দেহ হইতে
প্রকাশিয়া চারি ভুজ চক্র লইমু হাতে ১২০
পাষণ্ডীরে কাটিয়া করিমু স্কন্ধ নাশ
তবে কৃষ্ণ - প্রভু মোর, মুই - তার দাস ১২১

Hearing this, Advaita Ācārya combusted in the fire of sacred fury. Being Digambar Shiva, He told all the Vaiṣṇavas: “Hear Me, O Śrīnivāsa, Gaṅgā Dās and Śuklāmbar! I will cause Krishna to appear before everyone’s eyes! Kṛṣṇa will redeem everyone by Personally coming here and teaching Kṛṣṇa-bhakti to you all. If I cannot accomplish this I will manifest four arms from this My body and carry a disk in My hand, with which I will behead the infidels, thus totally destroying them. Thus Kṛṣṇa will be My Lord and I will be His servant!”

এইমত অদ্বৈত বলেন অনুক্ষণ
সঙ্কল্প করিয়া পূজে কৃষ্ণের চরণ ১২২
ভক্ত সব নিরবধি একচিত্ত হইয়া
পূজে কৃষ্ণ পাদপদ্ম ক্রন্দন করিয়া ১২৩

“Advaita Acarya said this over and over, vowing to worship Kṛṣṇa’s feet. All the devotees constantly wept and worshipped Kṛṣṇa’s lotus-feet with one-pointed attention.”

Sādhu Bābā particularly loved the saying ‘cakra loimu hāte, pāṣāṇḍīre kāṭiyā korimu skandha nāśa, tabe kṛṣṇa prabhu more, mui tāra dās‘Taking a disk in My hand I will behead the infidels – then Kṛṣṇa is My master and I am His servant’.

19 comments:

  1. Yesterday night I did Adhivas kirtan in vasanta-tune, today abhisekh with yoghurt and milk, sitanath janmalila in vasanta tune and offering a fruit-feast with mango, kiwi and bananas. Found some sweet Bengali Prarthana Kirtans on the internet too, by one Sapan Da. Great day.
    Meanwhile madangopal.com scored its highest number of daily hits in its 7-year history - 152 so far today. Clearly caused by Prabhu Sitanath's advent day.....

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  2. Isn't it interesting how the words of Advaita that Sadhu Baba "loves" are those that speak of violence?

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  3. "Isn't it interesting how the words of Advaita that Sadhu Baba "loves" are those that speak of violence?"

    I was kind of hoping for such a response to make a certain point. All religious scriptures have such statements - Srimad Bhagavat 4.4.18 speaks of tearing out the tongues of the infidels, the Quran contains such statements and the world-preacher A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami made them too. Not to speak of Bhagavad Gita, which is one big incitement of violence. However, such are statements of religious sentiment and intent - they are never to be taken literally, as is done by a fringe group of extremist Muslim terrorists, for instance. Advaita Prabhu reacted to the infidels with indignation, like a father would do if his innocent daughter would be called a whore. These are cries of love which only a lover can appreciate and understand.

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  4. Anon, thank you for challenging the words of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita, which is worshipped by more than a billion people worldwide, non-Hindus included. Your comment is blocked. Please note the boardrules under My Profile - non-scriptural thoughts [let alone anti-scriptural] are banned.

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  5. Advaitadas,

    What if Krishna likes to be challenged?

    Oh my, you would be blocking his pleasure!

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  6. I am not Krishna and cannot speak on His behalf.

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  7. One comment - breaking 2 rules - personal attacks and un/anti-scriptural - blocked.

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  8. From the description of the lila it seems Krishna does indeed enjoy a good challenge.

    But,

    attack on His devotees and desecration of shastra is not acceptable. If this is what's been blocked, then its well done.

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  9. Well said, anon. [I am not sure if this is another anon than the blocked one]. Let me say in general that I do not engage apostates or infidels because it is a waste of time for both parties. You do not believe, and I do, so then what shall we do - shout 'yes no yes no' at each other forever more? Secondly, one of the 10 offenses to the chanting of Krishna's name is to preach to the asraddhA, the faithless, vimukhe, the averse and the asrinvan, those who do not listen.

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  10. This text is belatedly added to my blog of 3 december 2009 -
    1.3.46 Gopipranadhan is saying in his comment: "These eternally liberated VaikuNTha-vAsIs are always helping others."

    This 'eternally liberated' is not in Sanatan Goswami's text. It would contradict Bhakti Sandarbha 180, which says that only sadhana siddhas can feel compassion. The actual text of Sanatan Goswami's commentary on this verse is - ataeva harer bhaktAnAM bhajane pravRtta mAtrAnAM bhakti-niSThAnAM
    sva eva sarva siddheH - 'Therefore Hari's devotees, all those who are engaged in bhajan, automatically have all siddhis through their fixation in bhakti."
    Also in the previous verse it is said samprAptaM saccidAnandam in 1.3.45, "they have attained spiritual bodies."

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  11. This is also added to the blog of December 3, 2009, from the same BB verse, 1.3.46. In the tika Sanatan Goswami says - vardhayantaz ca sad vaMza-santater mahA-vaibhava-vistAraNAcca 'The Vaikuntha-residents also preach the great
    prowess of bhakti by increasing the Sacred families (sad vaMza-santateH, santati means 'line of descent'), a clear reference to divine families like the Advaita Vamsa.

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  12. This 'eternally liberated' is not in Sanatan Goswami's text. It would contradict Bhakti Sandarbha 180, which says that only sadhana siddhas can feel compassion."

    Could you elaborate more on this point please? Why is it that eternally liberated souls do not feel compassion?

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  13. This is paragraph 180 of Jiva Goswami’s Bhakti Sandarbha -
    atha bhagavat-krpaiva tat-sAmmukhye prAthamikam kAraNam iti ca gauNam | sa hi saMsAra-durantAnanta-santApa-santapteSv api tad-vimukheSu svatantra na pravartate, tad-asambhavAt – “God’s mercy is the secondary cause. The endless suffering of the conditioned souls cannot be remedied independently by the Lord’s grace. That is impossible.” Why?
    kRpA-rUpas ceto-vikAro hi para-duHkhasya sva-cetasi sparse saty eva jAyate – “Mercy is a movement of the heart which occurs only when the suffering of another person touches one’s own heart. tasya tu sadA paramAnandaika-rasatvenapAhata-kalmaSatvena ca srutau jIva-vilakSanatva-sAdhanAt – “But the Lord ever relishes Supreme bliss, as the Srutis describe Him as being distinct from the living beings.” tejo-mAlinas timirAyogavat tac-cetasy api tamo-maya-duHkha-sparsanAsambhavena – “Therefore suffering arising out of ignorance cannot possibly penetrate His heart just as darkness can never contact the sun.” tatra tasyA janmAsambhavaH ataeva sarvadA virAjamAne’pi kartum akartum anyathA kartum samarthe tasmiMs tad-vimukhAnAM na saMsAra-santApaH santi – “Thus compassion cannot be aroused in the Lord’s heart at the plight of such suffering. Although He is always present and action, inaction and contradictory action are all present in Him, the material suffering of those who are turned from Him is not present in Him.” ataH sat-kRpaikAvasiSyate – “Thus only the mercy of the devotees remains.” santo’pi tadAnIM yadyapi saMsArika-duHkhair na spRsyanta eva, tathApi labdha-jAgaraH svapna-duHkhavattve kadAcit smareyur apIty atas teSAM saMsArike’pi kRpA bhavati, yathA srI-nAradasya nalakUvara-maNigrIvayoH – “Although the saints are also not touched by material miseries, they may still sometimes recall their previous miseries just as a person may recall a nightmare upon awakening. Thus they can still be merciful to the conditioned souls, as Narada was to Nalakuvara and Manigriva.”

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  14. We hear so many examples of 'The Lord's mercy' and the mercy of the pure devotees – this quote from Jiva Goswami seems to suggest that the Lord cannot be merciful nor his nitya-mukta devotees. Does that mean only madhyama-adhikaris can be merciful?

    If this is the case, why do we refer to Mahaprabhu as 'Mahavadanya'?

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  15. The fact that the Lord is all-blissful and therefore cannot feel our pain does not mean He cannot be merciful. For example - if you are in bliss, free from bodily consciousness and you are on the street, watching people kiss each other, admire shop-windows, eat meat etc., you don't share their feelings but you know that they are suffering so you feel compassion for them. You could call it 'theoretical compassion'.

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  16. So the Lord is merciful without knowing what exactly he is supposed to be merciful for.

    And what exactly is the function of prayer, then? We pray, but he cannot hear?

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  17. "So the Lord is merciful without knowing what exactly he is supposed to be merciful for."

    He is knowledge - He knows what is going on. Look at the Bhagavad Gita. He knows what is right and wrong, and that it is suffering thinking we are material energy.

    "And what exactly is the function of prayer, then? We pray, but he cannot hear?"

    Of course He hears everything -

    sakrideva prapanno yas
    tavasmiti ca yacate
    abhayam sarvada tasmai
    dadamy etad vratam mama

    'Whoever surrenders unto Me just once, praying 'I am yours' I will always grant fearlessness upon him - this is My vow."

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  18. The next part of paragraph 180 of Bhakti Sandarbha -
    tasmat prastute’pi samsarika-duhkhasya tad-dhetutvabhavat – Thus material suffering is not the cause of obtaining the Lord’s mercy. paramesvara-krpa tu sa evatra mama saranam ity-adi-dainyatmika bhakti-sambandhenaiva jayate, yatha gajendradau vyatireke narakyadau – Only when there is a relation of devotion, with humility, as in ‘He is my only shelter’, the Lord’s mercy takes place. The example is Gajendra, who took shelter amid severe distress and thus achieved the Lord’s mercy. Residents of hell are exempt. bhaktir hi bhakta-koti-pravista-tad-ardribhavayitr-tac-chakti-visesa iti vivrtam vivarisyate ca – A certain energy of the Lord enters the devotee and melts him/her. dainya-sambandhena ca sadhv iyam ucchalita bhavatiti tatra tad-adhikyam – When this energy is related to humility it surges and (the mercy) increases. tasmad ya krpa tasya satsu vartate sa sat-sanga-vahanaiva va sat-krpa-vahanaiva va sati jivantare sankramate na svatantreti sthitam – Hence the mercy of the Lord which manifests in the devotees, takes shelter of the vehicles of satsanga or sat kripa and thus gets infused into the hearts of other living entities. But it does not do so independently. tathaiva cahuh – This is confirmed in the Bhagavat (10.2.31) -

    svayam samuttirya sudustaram dyuman
    bhavarnavam bhimam adabhra-sauhrdah |
    bhavat-padambhoruha-navam atra te
    nidhaya yatah sad-anugraho bhavan
    || [bha.pu. 10.2.31]

    ‘O self-luminous one! Sadhus who love all living entities take shelter of the ferry of Your lotus-feet and cross this horrific ocean of nescience, which is so hard to cross. Since you are so kind upon the virtuous, they left that boat behind here (on our shore) so that we can also cross this ocean, and proceed on their way.”

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  19. The Lord can feel pity but does not share our pain -
    Narottama Das sings:

    doyA koro nityAnanda,
    premAnanda sukhi
    kRpAbalokana koro
    Ami boro duhkhI

    'Give me mercy, Nityananda! You are in bliss of prema! Cast a merciful glance on me, as I am very unhappy!"

    He is premAnanda sukhi, yet feels pity.

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