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EDITORIAL  About the AuthorOther Stories by this Author Realized Devotees Are Not Controlled By The Scriptures BY BRAHMA DAS  EDITORIAL, Feb 6 (VNN) — According to Bhaktivinode Thakura self-realized souls are not bound by the dictates of the scriptures. On the contrary he says that any new practice established by such souls should be followed as religious code even if not found in the writings of previous sages.Bhaktivinode writes: "Devotees of the Supreme Lord are not controlled by the scriptures since their activities are congenial to the Divine Wisdom. Therefore, when the self-realized devotees ordain any new arrangement, they should be agreed with as a religious code, even if such new arrangements are not found in the scriptural dictums of the previous sages." (Sri Tattva Sutra) Before Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura began his preaching mission the sannyasa ashram had been de-emphasized in the Gaudiya tradition. Gaudiya saints had for some time been accepting Babaji vesa instead of sannyasa. Predecessor acharyas had replaced the sannyasa ashram in order to distinguish Gaudiya renounciates from adwaitins as well as to illustrate that Vaisnavism was above varnashram. But in this letter dated 1910 Bhaktivinode Thakura orders Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati to introduce and establish varnashram, and to serve Sri Mayapur by acquiring printing presses, distributing devotional books, preaching and establishing an educational institution there. At the time many of these activities were considered outside the dharma of a Gaudiya renounciate. Saraswati! "People of this world who are proud of their own aristocratic birth cannot attain real aristocracy. Therefore they attack the pure Vaishnavas, saying, 'They have taken birth in low-class families because of their sins.' Thus they commit offenses. The solution to the problem is to establish the order of daiva-varnasrama-dharma - something you have started doing; you should know that to be the real service to the Vaishnavas. Because pure devotional conclusions are not being preached, all kinds of superstitions and bad concepts are being called devotion by such pseudo-sampradayas as sahajiya and atibari. Please always crush these anti-devotional concepts by preaching pure devotional conclusions and by setting an example through your personal conduct. "Please make great effort so you can start parikram of Sridham Navadwip as soon as possible. It is by those actions that everyone in this world will receive Krishna-bhakti. Please try very hard to make sure that the service to Sri Mayapur will become a permanent thing and will become brighter and brighter every day. The real service to Sri Mayapur can be done by acquiring printing presses, distributing devotional books, and sankirtan - preaching. Please do not neglect to serve Sri Mayapur or to preach for the sake of your own reclusive bhajan. "When I am not present any more, please take care to serve Sri Mayapur Dham which is so dear to you. This is my special instruction to you. People who are like animals can never attain devotion; therefore never take their suggestions. But do not let them know this directly or indirectly. "I had a special desire to preach the significance of such books as Srimad Bhagavatam, Sat Sandarbha, and Vedanta Darshan. You have to accept that responsibility. Sri Mayapur will prosper if you establish an educational institution there. Never make any effort to collect knowledge or money for your own enjoyment. Only to serve the Lord will you collect these things. Never engage in bad association, either for money or for some self-interest. signed, Kedarnatha Datta Bhaktivinode (letter taken from the book, Prabhupada Saraswati Thakura, published by http://www.mandala.org) On the order of Bhaktivinode and inspired by Mahaprabhu's acceptance of sannyasa, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta re-introduced the sannyasa ashram into Gaudiya Vaisnavism for the sake of preaching. He did this regardless of the precedent toward Babaji vesa set by previous Gaudiya acharyas. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta considered that the pressing need to spread Krishna consciousness was the essential desire of Bhaktivinode and more important than precedent. Therefore after researching sannyasa in the Ramanuja sampradaya he took sannyasa himself (from a picture of Gaur Kishore das Babaji) and used the ashram of sannyasa for the cause of Mahaprabhu. For this he was condemned by many in the Gaudiya orthodoxy. In spite of that condemnation a careful reading of scripture reveals that great devotees may break the rules for the cause of God. Indeed Mahaprabhu taught that spirituality's highest ideal was the lawless love of the gopis. The gopis cared not for any restriction that interfered with their service to Krishna and in that mood were willing to neglect the dictates of scripture and sacrifice even their so-called honor for his service. Srila Prabhupada was another great acharya who broke rules for the cause of God. About this he wrote that devotees should spread Krishna consciousness by adopting means suitable to the culture in which they are preaching. Prabhupada wrote: " An acarya who comes for the service of the Lord cannot be expected to conform to a stereotype, for he must find the ways and means by which Krsna consciousness may be spread." And: "Every acarya has a specific means of propagating his spiritual movement with the aim of bringing men to Krsna consciousness. Therefore, the method of one acarya may be different from that of another, but the ultimate goal is never neglected." (Bhaktivedanta purports: Caitanya-Caritamrta) Bhaktivinode, Bhaktisiddhanta and Bhaktivedanta all taught that the ultimate goal was paramount and took precedence over scriptural rules and regulations that were not absolutely essential. Indeed, Srila Prabhupada in his work of spreading Krishna consciousness in the western world disregarded many rules, some even established by his spiritual master. Scriptural rules according to Bhaktivinode are provisional and meant to bring one gradually to the realized platform. Such rules have no binding on great souls. Bhaktivinode writes: "Scriptural ordinances are intended for the regulation of ignorant human beings whereas those who are endowed with discretion and Divine Wisdom are not controlled by them. (Sri Tattva Sutra) In serving the essential desire of his spiritual master Prabhupada felt authorized to adjust and even discard many of the rules that had been established by Bhaktisiddhanta in his Gaudiya Math institution. Among those were many rules governing the sannyasa ashram that Bhaktisiddhanta had adopted into Gaudiya Math from the Ramanuja sampradaya. But Prabhupada did not consider every rule established in Gaudiya Math by his spiritual master as unbreakable or sacrosanct and thus he adjusted a number of rules established by Bhaktisiddhanta including many regarding the sannyasa ashram. He did this to the point of even allowing his sannyasis to wear secular clothes and approach women for the sake of preaching and book distribution. About this Prabhupada wrote: "For paramahamsas, or sannyasis in the Vaisnava order, preaching is the first duty. To preach, such sannyasis may accept the symbols of sannyasa, such as the danda and kamandalu, or sometimes they may not. Generally the Vaisnava sannyasis, being paramahamsas, are automatically called babajis, and they do not carry a kamandalu or danda. Such a sannyasi is free to accept or reject the marks of sannyasa. His only thought is "Where is there an opportunity to spread Krsna consciousness? (Bhaktivedanta purport: Srimad Bhagavatam, Seventh Canto.) It was with regard to engaging women in his movement that Prabhupada made the most noteworthy adjustments to various rules established by his spiritual master. Bhaktisiddhanta did not allow women to cook for or perform the seva puja of the deity in the temple, as this was also contrary to the religious practices of his day. But in his temples Srila Prabhupada did allow women to serve the deity as pujaris and cooks. Yet in consideration of the socio-religious climate of India he rescinded this mandate in many of his temples in India to avoid criticism from the still powerful Hindu-Brahmin orthodoxy. Prabhupada felt this restriction was necessary in order for Iskcon to be accepted in that culture, therefore in essence this restriction was for preaching purposes as well. The prohibition against women pujaris in Iskcon Vrndavana is still in effect. Prabhupada also established a brahmacarini ashram in his movement, which was an adjustment that was difficult to accept at that time for many members of Gaudiya Math. In response to criticism leveled at him for his unprecedented innovations regarding women in his movement Prabhupada wrote: "Sometimes jealous persons criticize the Krsna consciousness movement because it engages equally both boys and girls in distributing love of Godhead. Not knowing that boys and girls in countries like Europe and America mix very freely, these fools and rascals criticize the boys and girls in Krsna consciousness for intermingling. But these rascals should consider that one can not suddenly change a community's social customs. However, since both the boys and girls are being trained to become preachers, those girls are not ordinary girls but are as good as their brothers who are preaching Krsna consciousness. Therefore, to engage both boys and girls in fully transcendental activities is a policy intended to spread the Krsna consciousness movement. These jealous fools who criticize the intermingling of boys and girls will simply have to be satisfied with their own foolishness because they cannot think of how to spread Krsna consciousness by adopting ways and means that are favorable for this purpose. Their stereotyped methods will never help spread Krsna consciousness. Therefore, what we are doing is perfect by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for it is He who proposed to invent a way to capture those who strayed from Krsna consciousness." (Caitanya Caritamrta purport: €di 7.33) Bhaktivinode writes: The authors of the scriptures do not clearly indicate the lightness of the scriptures. The reason for such an attitude is that, the meritorious people who are authorized to discard the scriptural binding naturally become independent of the scriptures by the help of the hidden indications of the scriptural authors and also by their own purified knowledge. Such meritorious persons carry on sinless activities by the help of their own intellect as well as by the advice of the scriptures. In that stage, the scriptures will not have any binding over them but only serve as their guides. On the other hand those who are unable to understand their own spiritual path due to ignorance and lack of self-evident knowledge may not be able to ascertain their duties and fall into misery due to sensuality, for such people the scriptural ordinances are imperative. Such persons should not know that there is any way for them apart from the bindings of the scriptures. When they become authorized due to their advancement, they will be able to know this secret by the suggestions of the scriptures. "Since knowledge itself is the root of the scriptures the one who has attained that self-evident knowledge will not be ruled by the scriptures, but only be guided by them with advice. In case of ignorant people, this is not so. They must be governed by the rules of the scriptures for their upliftment, if not they will have their inevitable down fall due to the sensual addictions. If it is argued that, instead of governing by means of tedious rules, let the scriptures help the ignorant people by means of friendly advises. The reason for such an attitude is that the ignorant people do not understand their own good due to the lack of knowledge. Due to the instinctual habits they will engage in wanton activities. "Since their nature is mostly inclined towards the gratification of the senses, for their spiritual betterment the scriptures try to reform them through many types of tricks, by applying coercion, and with skillfulness etc. Often the scriptures threaten the ignorant people with punishment of hell, at times they put forth the temptations of heavenly enjoyments. Again, they reform the human beings depending upon their inclinations. In many scriptures one may see the sanction of liquor, polygamy, killing of animals etc. All those are meant for the gradual control of the barbarian human beings by means of sanctioning some type of restricted activities according to their inclination. By their gradual reformation, the scriptures want to put them in the path of detachment. The many types of fruits mentioned along with those activities are only meant for attracting the attention of the ignorant followers. "An argument may arise in this regard that, this 'Tattva-Sutra' also being a scripture, why the secret purport of the scriptures has been openly given here? The answer is that, this book 'Tattva-Sutra" has been published for the benefit of the self-realized Bhagavata devotees. They are authorized to know about all these thoughts. By the help of these aphorisms, their intellect will become favorable for the cultivation of Divine Love. Therefore, the author has openly declared here the scriptural secret. "Devotees of the Supreme Lord are not controlled by the scriptures since their activities are congenial to the Divine Wisdom. Therefore, when the self-realized devotees ordain any new arrangement, they should be agreed with as a religious code, even if such new arrangements are not found in the scriptural dictums of the previous sages." (from Sri Tattva- Sutra by Bhaktivinode Thakur) Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur writes: What are the Scriptures? They are nothing but the record by the pure devotees of the Divine Message appearing on the lips of the pure devotees. The Message conveyed by the devotees is the same in all ages. The words of the devotees are ever identical with the Scriptures. Any meaning of the Scriptures that belittles the function of the devotee who is the original communicant of the Divine Message contradicts its own claim to be heard. (The Harmonist Magazine, December 1931) Srila Sridhara Dev Goswami writes: "The association of saints and the advice of scriptures are both necessary. The saint is living scripture, and the scripture advises us in a passive way. A saint can actively approach us, and passively we may receive benefit from the scriptures. The association of the scripture and the saints can help us achieve the ultimate realization: sadhu sastra krpaya haya. The saints are more powerful. Those who are living the life of the scriptural advice are scripture personified. In their association, and by their grace, we can imbibe such higher, subtle knowledge and faith." (The Search For Sri Krsna) Great saints like Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and Srila Prabhupada show by their example that scriptural rules are provisional and can be adjusted according to time and circumstance. This they did while at the same time teaching the sanctity of scripture and that not everyone is qualified to adjust scriptural rules. According to Bhaktivinode only devotees who are "qualified by advancement" may adjust scriptural rules which are in essence the writings of previous great acharyas and realized teachers. This may need to be done in order to further the cause of Mahaprabhu by presenting his teachings in a way that is relevant to the times. This is the preaching methodology and mood of devotees in the line of Bhaktivinode (Bhaktivinode Parivara) who was known in his time as the Seventh Goswami. brahmadasa@yahoo.com About the Author Other Stories by this AuthorContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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