© 2000 VNN
|
EDITORIAL August 8, 2000 VNN6132 Comment on this story Substance Over Form: 'The Color Of One's Cloth' BY SWAMI B.V. TRIPURARI  EDITORIAL, Aug 8 (VNN) — "You are making much of the color of one's cloth. Here we are speaking of substance over form. Would you also condemn the Tinkrori baba, a previous Mahanta at Radha kunda, for wearing burlap and not white?"Q&A discussion with Swami B.V. Tripurari. Q. How can you call yourself followers of Sanatana Goswami? All colors of garment but white are forbidden for Gaudiya Vaisnavas, 'rakta vastra vaisnavera podite na yuyay' (Caitanya Caritamrta Antya 13,61). In Sri Dhyanacandra Gosvami's Paddhati the Guru is described as wearing white cloth (svetambaram gaura-rucim sanatanam). And saffron dhotis do not exist at all, only saffron bahirvasas for Vedic eka-dandi (mayavadi) sannyasis. A parampara that starts with white cloth and then suddenly switches to saffron cloth and 'brahmana-initiation' is hardly an uninterrupted siksa-parampara! How do you explain this? A. Saffron cloth is not red cloth. It is for tridandi sannyasis, of which there are a number of examples in our sampradaya. The context of Sanatana prabbhu's statement you cited from Antya lila 13.61, reveals that he is not condemning a particular color of cloth, but rather the cloth of a mayavadi sannyasi. Sanantana Goswami was wearing this red cloth on his head for the purpose of evoking loving sentiments from Jagadananda Pandita. Panditji thought it was Mahaprabhu's, and he was very pleased to see Sanatana Goswami wearing it. When Jagadananda found out from Sanatana Prabhu that it was a mayavadi's cloth, he became angry and expressed his angry love to the satisfaction of Sanatana Goswami, who then said "This red cloth is not fit for a Vasianva to wear." He was not condemning red cloth per se. The other citations you mention refer to red cloth and not saffron. Some of them refer to the royal colors red and blue and not the dress of a sannyasi. All of these are citations from the Vaisnava smriti, which is open to adjustemt in accordance with time and circumstances. Indeed, much of Hari bhakti vilasa is not followed by many Gaudiya sects today.The Gaudiya Saraswata sampradaya is not the exception. Indeed, the closest adherents to the form of Hari bhakti vilasa, the Radha Ramana Goswamis, have been know to wear saffron cloth themselves. Visvambhara Goswami and Purusottama Goswami are examples. I have seen them both in saffron. You are making much of the color of one's cloth. Would you also condemn the Tinkrori baba, a previous Mahanta at Radha kunda, for wearing burlap and not white? The spirit of the injunctions regarding white cloth is one of distinguishing the sampradaya from Advaitins. If there are other ways to do this as well, they may be adopted following in the spirit of the injunctions. This is the idea of Tridandi sannyasa and the corresponding saffron cloth within daiva varnasrama as conceived of by Bhaktivinoda Thakura and implemented by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. Evidence for Vaisnava tridandi sannyasa is considerable. Sanatana Goswami himself offers this in his commentary on Brihatbhagavatamrta 2.7.14, in which he cites and explains SB 3.5.39. He explains the word yati in the Bhagavata verse to be a description of selfless devotees who take sannyasa. Outwardly in dress they are sannyasis, while in actuality they are bhaktas. Our unbroken diksa parampara involves imparting the guru, gaura, and krsna mantras along with corresponding gayatris. We also give the brahma gayatri with the conception of vraja bhakti. For this you can read the brahma gayatri tika of Om Visnupada Bhakti Raksaka Sridharadeva Goswami published in his Gita commentary. We also accept maha mantra diksa. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura received the maha mantra from Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and mantra gayatri diksa from Gaura kisora dasa babaji. Some people have tried to prove that Saraswati Thakura was not initiated by Gaura kisora dasa babaji, but even they admit that their evidence is inconclusive. Evidence of the Thakura's spirituality, however, would be difficult to deny. He followed the vows of Haridasa Thakura at Vraja-pattana for almost nine years before beginning his preaching campaign, and his campaign involved fulfilling the prophecy of Mahaprabhu. He was an innovator, and this involved his stress on a siksa guru or Bhagavata guru parampara along with the diksa guru parampara. The idea of the Bhagavata guru parampara is that greater emphasis is given to those whose influence is greater in the lineage, regardless if they be one's siksa guru rather than diska guru. Thus Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura emphasized the influence of Jagannatha dasa babaji in the life of Bhaktivinoda and drew his line accordingly. As with the color of cloth, here we are speaking of substance over form. Q. In your book 'Aesthetic Vedanta: The Sacred Path of Passionate Love' you mention the Kama Sutra. Doesn't the Kama Sutra depict material physical sexual acts of exploitation? How can this be spiritual? A. Actually, Krsna employed the Kama sutra in rasa lila, as did Balarama in his rasa krida. About Balarama's rasa lila, Sanatana Goswami says in his Vaisnava Tosanai commentary, 'Becasue he is ramah, he is expert in conjugal affairs. He is also the Supreme Lord, so he is very expert in in the various types of conjugal pastimes mentioned in the Kama-sutras.' The author of Kama sutra was a disciple of Gauttama, a very sober sage. The sutras are concerned with the art of love making. Krsna employed this art without any material selfishness. This is rasa lila, and this is the difference between mundane and spiritual life. However, one cannot remain in the bodily conception of life and experience the full measure of selflessness, and I don't think many people today properly understand the Kama sutra. I do think it would be better if the book was placed in the Eastern Philosophy sections of bookstores. But even if people buy it for the wrong reason, when they read it they will get purified. Q. What is the difference between the worship of Yoga-maya and the worship of Maha-maya? A. Generally people worship mahamaya for material gain, or at best liberation, whereas yogamaya is involved in Krsna lila. A yogic illusion (yogamaya) is different from illusion. Yoga is for overcoming illusion, and yogamaya is an illusion within the yogic union of bhakti for the sake of lila. Q. What is the difference between the destruction happening after Brahma has gone to sleep and the one at the end of his life? A. The first is partial and the second complete. At the end of Brahma's life he attains Vaikuntha, and the material world is undone and enters back into a condition in which the modes of material nature are equipoised. At this time all the nonliberated jivas enter a state known as susupti (deep sleep) within Visnu. You can read more about his in my Guru Maharaja's edition of Srimad Bhagavata. Therein the topic is discussed at some length. Q. Isn't the philosophy of reincarnation or transmigration of the soul contradictory to the idea of the Christian concept of hell? A. The idea of the hellish planets is that they are said to be a stop over for the evil before reincarnation. There, one is prepared for entering another womb, suffering in hellish conditions until the idea of taking birth in a lower species becomes appealing. Q. Is there a history of female Gurus within the Gaudiya Vaisnava movement? A. There is a history in our lineage of women gurus. There is no problem with that. Anyone who is qualified can be guru. Q. I have purchased two of your books, 'Aesthetic Vedanta' and 'Tattva Sandarbha.' I have found them to be extremely wonderful reading and an inspiration in my attempt to cultivate bhakti. You mention a pastime wherein the gopis describe the extreme fortune of the Pulindis. I understand that in Earthly Vrndavana pastimes, the perfected souls intermingle with the aspirants. What then is the position of the Pulindis? Are they aspirants of gopi bava or do they have an eternal role in Goloka? A. The Pulindis are not mentioned in the list of siddhas found in the third chapter of Ujjval-nilamani. Their social status is that of outcastes, and externally this inhibits them from fulfilling their romantic desire for conjugal love and the Radha dasyam they aspire for in the prakata lila. However, pure desire cannot go unfulfilled. Thus even if their position is externally the same in the aprakata lila, their aspiration cannot go unfulfilled. Q. Since Krsna's abode is a place of perfection for perfected souls, are those from the marginal plane who directly enter the spiritual sky perfectly aware of their role without having been trained first like the sadhana siddhas? A. Those souls who have attained svarupa siddhi and thus take birth in Krsna lila get the association of Krsna's parsada devotees, such as Nanda, Yasoda, Lalita, etc., who are manifestations of his svarupa sakti. They are called ragatmikas, in whom love for Krsna is eternally established. They are not constituted of the tatastha sakti. The other type of nitya siddha you mention generally reside in Vaikuntha loka. Eternal perfection in Vaikuntha loka does not require taking birth in Krsna lila before entering there. Narada Muni's example is there in the Bhagavatam. He attained his svarupa without the necessity of taking birth in Krnsa lila. His example of sadhana is that of vaidhi bhakti. So those who come to Goloka via raganuga bhakti from the material world are very fortunate. Q. Hardly any of Srila Prabhupad's disciples are in 'good standing' any longer. Has his mission failed? A. Srila Prabhupada said that he would consider his mission successful if only one of his disciples became pure. Otherwise I don't think you can judge his mission on the status of his disciples alone. We could look to his grand disciples. Furthermore, it was he who brought international recognition to a Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Practically any success that the tradition experiences internationally is tied to his accomplishments. Q. It seems Srila Prabhupada critisized his Godbrothers a lot. Why is that? A. The historical record shows that in coming to America Prabhupada felt himself to be a representative of the mission of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, which by that time had broken into several missions. Prabhupada corresponded with several of them. Those of Srila B.P. Kesava Maharaja, from which he received his sanyasa diksa, and Srila B.V. Tirtha Maharaja, who took charge of the Yoga Pitha of Mahaprabhu and considered his mission to be the actual institution of Saraswati Prabhupada, were two in particular. He also corresponded with Srila B.R. Sridhara Maharaja on occasion in the spirit of receiving spiritual council. For whatever reason, Prabhupada did not get the kind of support he was looking for, and in some cases he was criticized for his efforts. Some of his Godbrothers opposed him and made it difficult for him to acquire a facility in Mayapura for his Western disciples. All of this hurt Prabhupada, and at a certain point he shifted his identification from his previous affiliation with his Godbrothers to his Western disciples. He felt these new disciples were more prepared to assist him in his preaching efforts. As he became successful, he sometimes criticized his Godbrothers for what he perceived to be envy of himself and his success - a success that he originally wanted them to join in for the glory of his Guru Maharaja. The context in which much of this criticism appears reveals that it was often spoken in response to information he received about the dealings of his Godbrothers from his disciples, some of which may have been inaccurate. However, in spite of his strong words (which were largely, if not entirely, in response to criticism), Prabhupada maintained fraternal love for his Godbrothers. This is also clear from the historical record. In the end of his manifest lila he underscored this fraternal love and asked his Godbrothers to forgive him for any offense he may have committed. He asked that they help his disciples. In particular he indicated to his disciples publicly that Om Visnupad Sri Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaja was fit to act as their siksa Guru by advising them to consult with him for philosophy after his departure. Questions or comments may be sent to Q&A http://swami.org, or email sadhusanga@swami.org. [Reprinted with permission from Sanga 7/30/2000 http://swami.org] About the Author  Other Stories by this AuthorComment on this story Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
NEWS DESK | EDITORIALS | TOP |
