Sunday, January 41 2014 (Mayapura, West Bengal,India time)
Srila Jiva Goswami tirobhava tithi [disappearance]
Srila Prabhupada glorifies Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhupada
Compiled by Damaghosa dasa-and Yasoda nandana dasa
So far as my taking botheration in coming to your country, I must take this so-called botheration for Krishna. But what botheration I have taken? You know that the Goswamis were ministers in the government’s service and they left their posts for going to Vrindaban and living there just like paupers. They produced such great literature like Sandarbhas, by Jiva Goswami, and Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, by Rupa Goswami. Apparently they took so much botheration but they preferred to accept it because they were compassionate for the suffering humanity. Similarly, Lord Caitanya is Narayana Himself, and His wife, Visnupriya, is the Goddess of Fortune. Lord Caitanya was a very learned scholar, a very beautiful young brahmana, and He had a very affectionate mother, but Lord Caitanya Himself accepted the botheration voluntarily for the good of the human society and all living entities. We should always follow these footprints—not try to imitate, but to follow the same spirit of compassion for the conditioned soul and try to help them advance to Krishna Consciousness. Actually, in the service of Krishna there is no botheration. Rather we feel more transcendental pleasure. I hope you will more and more appreciate this status as you work combinedly with your very good husband, Gaurasundara.Letters : 1969 Correspondence : January : Letter to: Govinda — Los Angeles 26 January,1969
So, these persons are all less than Sudras but Srimad-Bhagavatam says even they, under the guidance of a pure devotee, can also be raised up the the highest standard more than the Brahmanas. If somebody questions how it is possible, how the most degraded of the human society be more than a Brahmana that is also confirmed in Vedic language that it does not matter if one is born of low grade family or candalas, if he is a devotee of the Lord, he is first class man. There are other statements that a man after becoming a devotee becomes immediately qualified to execute sacrificial ceremonies. In this connection, Jiva Goswami has given his commentation that a person born even in a Brahmana family is dependent on the purificatory processes as accepting initiation and sacred thread, but a devotee without waiting for such recognition becomes fit to act as a Brahmana, and this is the statement of Narada Muni in this verse. This means as stated in the Bhagavad-gita there are different symptoms of different classes of men—just like a Brahmana is truthful, clean, self-controlled, equipoised, tolerant, simple, full of knowledge, theist, and so on. Similarly, a Ksatriya has symptoms—a tendency for ruling over others, martial spirited, charitable, does not flee away from the battlefield and so on. Similarly, the symptoms of a Vaisya is his tendency to agriculture, trade, cow protection and banking. And the Sudra’s tendency is to some way or other work anywhere and get some wages/ Letters : 1970 Correspondence : January : Letter to: Janardana — Los Angeles 16 January, 1970 : 70-01-16 :
Your tendency to give Srila Jiva Goswami the proper position a philosopher is very much appreciated. Some years back I attended a meeting in Calcutta wherein Pramathanath Trakvhusna, the learned Sanskrit scholar, was present. He said about Jiva Goswami very highly that there was no comparison with Jiva Goswami and any other philosophers of the world. Gaudiya Vaisnavism is very much proud of having such a great acarya as Jiva Goswami. Your tendency to present Bengal Gaudiya Vaisnavism in its proper perspective is very much welcome. We are trying to present Krishna Consciousness all over the world in a very scientific and philosophical way, and as such your help in this connection will be of great value. I do not know whether it will be possible for you to join us whole-heartedly, but if you can so do, it will be of great value and we can immediately start a Bengali edition of BACK TO GODHEAD magazine under your good editorship. Letters : 1970 Correspondence : November : Letter to: Dr. Chakravarti: — Bombay 3 November, 1970 : 70-11-03 :
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 19, 1975 and have noted the contents. I am very glad that you are seriously trying to understand our Krishna consciousness philosophy. It is Srila Jiva Goswami who has presented very high philosophy in his Six Sandavas. Letters : 1975 Correspondence : September : Letter to: Prem J. Batra: — Ahmedabad 28 September, 1975
My Dear Yamuna and Dinatarine,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated December 24th, 1976.
I am very pleased to see the nice photos of your Deities Radha Vanebehari. The singasana has also come out very nicely.
You can attract the fair sex community. Most of them are frustrated being without any home or husband. If you can organize all these girls, they will get a transcendental engagement and may not be allured to the frustration of life. Your engagement should be chanting and worship of the Deity Jiva Goswami advises that in the Kali–yuga sankirtana is the principle worship. Even if one chants many mantras it must be preceded by glorious sankirtana. Sankirtana is the maha–mantra. etters : 1976 Correspondence : January : Letter to: Yamuna, Dinatarine — Calcutta 13 January, 1976 :
Please accept my blessings. Since I have not heard from you for a very long time, I was very glad to receive your letter dated 29th July 1976. I came here to our temple to install Krsna Balarama murtis, and the function has now been completed. I shall go to Tehran, Iran from here and shall stay there for a few days before returning to India as soon as possible.
I am sorry to learn that you have become a little agitated regarding the publication of an article in our Back to Godhead magazine. It is certainly unpleasant, but the officers who publish the magazine do not know satyam bruyat priyam bruyat, in this material world only palatable truth should be spoken. Unpalatable truth should be carefully avoided. The cause of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s agitation was much the same as your own. As you are irritated by the criticism of Sri Vallabhacarya, similarly Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also agitated when Vallabhacarya criticized Sridhara Svami.
Sridhara Svami is accepted as the original commentator on the Srimad–Bhagavatam. Perhaps you know that there is an edition of the Srimad–Bhagavatam by Krsna Sankara Sastri “abhinavah sukah” Vedantacarya, Sahitya-tirtha, sribhagavatasudhanidhi, from Ahmedabad. In his book he has given almost all the important commentaries on the Bhagavatam, as follows: 1. Sridhara Svami 2. Sri Vamsidhara 3. Sri Gangasahaya 4. Srimad Viraraghavacarya 5. Srimad Vijayadhvaja Tirtha 6. Srimad Jiva Gosvami 7. Srimad Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura 8. Srimad sukadeva 9. Gosvami Sri-giridharalal (Vallabhacarya Sampradaya) 10. Sri Bhagavat-prasadacarya, etc..
Among all commentaries, Sridhara Svami’s is given the first position. This parampara has existed for a very long time. It was also accepted during Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s time, but Sri Vallabhacarya violated the system. Instead of acknowledging Sridhara Svami’s pre-eminent position, he wanted to take it himself. I am enclosing herewith some photocopies of the important verses from the original book Caitanya Caritamrta that specifically deal with the subject matter. These verses are from Antya lila, Chapter 7, entitled “Lord Caitanya meets Vallabha Bhatta”. I would like to draw your attention to verse 113 on page 55 where Vallabha Bhatta says:
“In my commentary on Srimad–Bhagavatam,” he said, “I have refuted the explanations of Sridhara Svami. I cannot accept his explanations.”
Moreover, verse 114 states:
“Whatever Sridhara Svami reads he explains according the circumstances. Therefore, he is inconsistent in his explanations and cannot be accepted as an authority.” Vallabha Bhatta’s declaration certainly agitated Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Consequently, Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu remarked sarcastically that He considered that anyone who did not accept the svami (or Sridhara Svami) as an authority was a prostitute. Prabhu hasi kahe; but he smiled and said this jokingly, because they were friends.
Although this point is very controversial, it is not based on hearsay, as you have stated, but it is authoritatively documented by the Caitanya Caritamrta. As you have written in a friendly spirit, I do not wish to discuss this point further. If you will kindly take a little trouble to read this chapter “Lord Caitanya meets Vallabha Bhatta” you will understand the whole situation. Actually Vallabha Bhatta should not have criticized Sridhara Svami, because even now Sridhara Svami is very respected. Even authorities like Sri Jiva Goswami and Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura mention in their commentaries, svami caranat, as we have learned it from the lotus feet of Sridhara Svami. So when Vallabha Bhatta criticized Sridhara Svami, Caitanya Mahaprabhu criticized Vallabha Bhatta strongly. This is a fact, but this does not mean that Vallabha Bhatta and Caitanya Mahaprabhu were inimical. Vallabha Bhatta honored Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as a superior. Sometimes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would chastise Vallabha Bhatta and sometimes He would favor him, because this was their relationship. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would never refuse the occasional invitations of Vallabha Bhatta.
Everything will become clear if you kindly read this chapter with attention. For example, we see that two lawyers in the courtroom may fight vigorously about a law point, but upon returning to the law library, they talk and embrace like friends. So you should always remember that we have no ill feelings towards Vallabha Bhattacarya. We have full respect for him, so there is no harm if these facts are discussed in the society of devotees. Devotees always humbly offer respect to everyone, but when there is a discussion on a point of sastra, they do not observe the usual etiquette, satyam bruyat priyam bruyat. They speak only the satyam, although it may not necessarily be priyam.
I hope you will understand the whole situation. If you still have any doubts, I shall be glad to hear from you and shall try to satisfy you to the best of my ability. I am presently not in very good health, nonetheless I hope this meets you well.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/hs Letters : 1976 Correspondence : August : Letter to: Sumati Morarjee — Valencay, France 7 August, 1976 : 76-08-09 Bombay
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained this mode of devotional service in three stages, and therefore these worshipable Deities were installed in Vṛndāvana by different Gosvāmīs. They are very dear to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas there, who visit the temples at least once a day. Besides the temples of these three Deities, many other temples have been established in Vṛndāvana, such as the temple of Rādhā-Dāmodara of Jīva Gosvāmī, the temple of Śyāmasundara of Śyāmānanda Gosvāmī, the temple of Gokulānanda of Lokanātha Gosvāmī, and the temple of Rādhā-ramaṇa of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. There are seven principal temples over four hundred years old that are the most important of the five thousand temples now existing in Vṛndāvana. . Books : Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 1: The Spiritual Masters : Adi 1.19 : PURPORT