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EDITORIAL January 10, 1999 VNN2820 The Golden Age Of The Sankirtan Movement BY SWAMI B.G. NARASINGHA EDITORIAL, Jan 10 (VNN) — The Golden Age of the Sankirtan Movement: Is Srila Prabhupada the Acharya for the Golden Age? In a manuscript entitled Srila Prabhupada, The Founder Acharya of the Golden Age, Part One, presumably written by an ISKCON member, it is consistently emphasized that "ISKCON is the Golden Age predicted by Sri Caitanya, and Srila Prabhupada is the Acharya for the Golden Age." Furthermore, the oft-quoted phrase, "For ten thousand years my books will guide the world," is repeated. Are we to regard such statements as authoritative for all Vaishnavas, or could the author have been carried away by his own sentiments? Indeed, the author was carried away by sentimentality. In the manuscript of reference, many statements are out of context, or rather statements are made with the bias of ami-guru jagatguru: my Guru is Jagatguru. Such statements have no universal application, however well intended their author. In any event, the phrase attributed to Srila Prabhupada, "For ten thousand years my books will guide the world," is actually not verifiable. He might and he might not have said it. Obviously, some devotees think that he did, otherwise they would not quote it. But it is not mentioned in any of the main writings, books, lectures, letters, room conversations, morning walks and so forth which have been recorded and preserved in the archives. Therefore, we do not accept such hearsay as an absolute or authoritative statement. (There are 484 references by Srila Prabhupada in VedaBase to "my books." None of them includes the famous quote about the 10,000 years, even remotely. In the Lilamrta we find the quote. Satsvarupa Maharaja writes: "One day in the car he had said, 'My books will be the lawbooks for human society for the next ten thousand years.'" It is not mentioned where Srila Prabhupada said this, or when, or who was present.) Nevertheless, let us consider the possible truth of the statement, for surely it has its validity in transcendental arrangements. What were Srila Prabhupada's books in the first place? Were his books his own creation, or were they something else? Srila Prabhupada's books were for the most part translations of, and commentary on the already existing books written by such empowered personalities as Srila Vyasadeva, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami, and Srila Rupa Goswami. Srila Prabhupada did not take credit for his own writing, but rather took pains repeatedly to proclaim that he was following in the footsteps of the previous Acharyas. In fact, the Bhaktivedanta purports are so much in line with the purports of previous Acharyas that, in many cases, one could say they are translations of those of previous Acharyas. Indeed they are, but one would never know it unless one took the trouble to examine the texts of the previous Acharyas. (In a recorded room conversation, Feb 26, 1973 Srila PrabhupŠda says: "They are not my books. I am simply translating.") The intimate relation between the Bhaktivedanta purports and those of the previous Acharyas is the true glory of Srila Prabhupada. He did not add anything or take anything away; he simply repeated the words of previous Acharyas. Therefore, how could the previous Acharyas be any less important? We should remember that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that anyone who does not recognize his 'Swami' is a prostitute. Mahaprabhu made this statement as an admonishment to Vallabha Acharya, who failed to recognize the importance of Sridhar Swami, the original commentator on Srimad Bhagavatam. Srila Vyasadeva was directly empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the mature product of the samadhi of Vyasadeva was Srimad Bhagavatam. We find also that Srila Rupa Goswami was directly empowered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to distribute bhakti-rasa throughout the world, and he was specifically instructed to write books on the science of Krishna consciousness. Actually, it is Srila Rupa Goswami who heads our sampradaya. sri-caitanya-mano-bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam "When will Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Sri Caitanyadeva, give me shelter under his lotus feet." (Bhaktivinode Thakura) Srila Rupa Goswami established the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this world, and thus it is he (Sri Rupa) who is the actual Acharya for the period of the Golden Age. Hence, all members of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtan movement are called 'rupanugas', the followers of Srila Rupa Goswami. mahaprabhu sri-caitanya, radha krsna nahe anya rupanuga-janera-jivana "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Who is the undivided form of Sri Sri Radha Krsna, is very dear to the followers of Srila Rupa Goswami." The test of a genuine disciple lies in how well he has understood the purpose of the spiritual master. It is surprising, even alarming, that some devotees ignore that the goal of being a disciple of Srila Prabhupada is to become a rupanuga. This is confirmed in the Bhaktivedanta purport to Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila, 19.132) as follows: "That was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati's opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mrdanga. Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Goswami, one can become a 'rupanuga' devotee." The Six Goswamis (headed by Sri Rupa) scrutinizingly studied all the revealed scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal religious principles for the benefit of all human beings. Srinivasa Acharya establishes this conclusion, as follows: nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakau lokanam hita-karinau tri-bhuvane manyau saranyakarau radha-krsna-padaravinda-bhajananandena mattalikau vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Goswamis, who are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the revealed scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal religious principles for the benefit of all human beings. Thus they are honored all over the three worlds, and they are worth taking shelter of because they are absorbed in the mood of the gopis and are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Radha and Krsna." (Sad Goswami-astakam, text 2) Therefore it must be concluded that the books of the Six Goswamis are indeed intended to 'guide the world.' Srila Prabhupada's translations and commentary on them must also be of the same quality - 'my books will guide the world.' A similar position is held by Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami, in that he was empowered to write the Caitanya-caritamrta. more ajna karila sabe karuna kariya tan-sabara bole likhi nirlajja ha-iya "By their mercy, all these devotees ordered me to write of the last pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because of their order only, although I am shameless, I have attempted to write this Caitanya-caritamrta." (CC. Adi-lila, 8.72) In the Caitanya-caritamrta we also find mention that Vridnavana dasa Thakur was the Vyasadeva of Caitanya-lila, and therefore no intelligent devotee could possibly dismiss the writings of Vrindavana dasa Thakura as nonessential. Actually, without being empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no one can write transcendental literature. And the fact is that the Gaudiya-sampradaya has thousands of such literatures, written by hundreds of empowered personalities. It is the super excellent characteristic of the Gaudiya-sampradaya that it has the greatest collection of transcendental literatures the world has ever known. All such literatures are meant to 'guide the world.' kali-kalera dharma krsna-nama-sankirtan krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana "The fundamental religious system in the age of Kali is chanting of the Holy Name of Krsna. Unless empowered by Krsna, one cannot propagate the sankirtan movement." (CC. Antya-lila, 7.11) It is a most glaring defect in certain sections of contemporary Vaishnava society that some devotees want to replace Srila Rupa Goswami, who was appointed as the Acharya of our sampradaya by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, with Srila Prabhupada. Discounting the contribution of all Acharyas and missions since the time of Sri Caitanya, some persons declare that ISKCON marks the beginning of the Golden Age. It is a foolish proposal and Srila Prabhupada would certainly not sanction such inappropriate conclusions. It is a fact that during Srila Prabhupada's lifetime, ISKCON (as a united preaching effort) did perform wonderful service to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtan movement. This is the eternal credit of all those souls who participated. Yet pride seems to have been the greatest enemy of those souls who once served the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada, and who once received the blessings of Mahaprabhu on their humble heads. It is truly unfortunate that, in the two decades since the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada, some proud and arrogant disciples have brought about more disgrace to Srila Prabhupada, to ISKCON, and to the Gaudiya-sampradaya than fell upon the whole of Vaishnavism during the past 5,000 years. It is sad, it is unfortunate, but it is true. And all in the name of ISKCON and its Founder Acharya! .. If the stubborn insist that ISKCON is the Golden Age then the dismal conclusion would hence be that the present day marks the end of Kali Yuga and we should be expecting the Kalki Avatar in the year 2000 (Y2K)! There is indeed a Golden Age within the age of Kali Yuga, but that age began with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the advent of His sankirtan movement, and not with the forming of any institution in modern times. There is no monopoly on the sankirtan movement by any institution; the parampara itself retains all rights. Whosoever takes up the sankirtan movement will prosper spiritually, and whosoever deviates from the principles of pure devotion will reap a harvest of mixed results. We find in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana the mention of a ten thousand year period in which Vaishnavism and the cult of Sri Caitanya will flourish in the world. Afterwards, darkness and ignorance will consume the world. In the Brahma-vaivarta Purana the Supreme Personality of Godhead, while speaking to Mother Ganges, describes the dawn of the Golden Age by first mentioning those who worship the Lord by mantra. This reference to those who chant mantras as the central focus of their worship indicates Sri Ramanuja and Sri Madhvaite Brahmins. man-mantropasakasparsad bhasmibhutani tatksanat bhavisyamti darsanacca snanadeva hi jahnavi "Thereafter by the sight and touch of those who worship me by my mantra, all those sins will be burnt." (Text 51) Next, the Brahma-vaivarta Purana directly indicates the advent of the Golden Age inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with the performance of hari-nama-sankirtan (the chanting holy name) and the recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam. harernamani yatraiva puranani bhavamti hi tatra gatva savadhanam abhih sarddham ca srosyasi "There will be chanting of the name of Hari and reading of the [Bhagavata] Purana. Reaching such a place, attentively hear." (Text 52) It is thoroughly indicated that even the most sinful persons will become Vaishnavas by the chanting of the holy names, and due to the presence of such purified Vaishnavas the whole planet will become a place of pilgrimage. tathapi vaisnava loke papani papinamapi prthivyam yani tirthani punyanyapi ca jahnavi "O Ganges, the whole planet will become a pilgrimage site by the presence of Vaisnavas, even though they had been sinful." (Text 55) Such a blissful condition is then predicted to last ten thousand years. kaler dasa-sahasrani madbhaktah samti bhu-tale ekavarna bhavisyamti madbhaktesu gatesu ca "For 10,000 years of Kali-yuga, such devotees of mine will fill the whole planet. After the departure of my devotees there will only be one varna [outcaste]." (Text 59) madbhaktasunya prthivi kaligrasta bhavisyati etasminnamtare tatra krsnadehadvinirgatah "Devoid of My devotees, the earth will be shackled by Kali. Saying this, Krsna departed." (Text 60) Srila Prabhupada mentioned this same concept of the ten thousand year-period of the Golden Age in his Bhagavatam commentary (Bhaktivedanta purports) canto 8, chapter 5, text 23, as follows: "When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared He ushered in the era for this sankirtan movement. It is also said that for ten thousand years this era will continue. This means that simply by accepting the sankirtan movement and chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, the fallen souls of Kali-yuga will be deliveredÉ [ ] ...the ten thousand years of the sankirtan movement inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu 500 years ago provide the opportunity for the fallen souls of Kali-yuga to take to the Krsna consciousness movement." The fact that there will be devotees of the sankirtan movement spread throughout the planet is also an indication that there must be someone, or several personalities, who will spread the Holy Name around the world. prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama "In as many towns and villages as there are on the surface of the earth, My Holy Names will be preached." (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Caitanya-bhagavat, Vrindavana das Thakura) It is a fact that Srila Prabhupada was the one who conducted a preaching mission beyond the borders of India, which would marvel the Vaishnava world. Many of Srila Prabhupada's Godbrothers remarked, 'We could not imagine how the prophecy of Mahaprabhu was to be fulfilled.' The Godbrothers were simply wonder-struck that 'Swami Maharaja' (Srila Prabhupada) had done it! Srila Sridhar Maharaja commented, "It is wonderful that Krsna always acts through someone. Swami Maharaja has done a miracle! We are happy, we are glad, and we are proud." Locana Dasa Thakura mentions, in the beginning of his book Sri Caitanya Mangala, that in the future there will appear a sena-pati (a great general), who would cause an inundation of Krsna consciousness throughout the world. In the opinion of many devotees, that personality was Srila Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Yet it is doubtful that Srila Prabhupada would agree with them, as he always considered himself a humble servant of his Guru Maharaja, Srila Saraswati Thakura. Indeed Srila Prabhupada was a humble servant of his Guru, and this is simply one among his many qualifications. It is why he was chosen and empowered by Guru and Krsna to perform the service to the sankirtan movement that he accomplished. However, greatly learned scholars and pure devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who know the purport of the scriptures, have understood the 'sena-pati' in Caitanya-mangala to have been Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. Between 1918 and 1936, he caused a wave of Krsna consciousness to swell up in Bengal that would indeed inundate the whole world. The sound of the kirtan raised by Saraswati Thakura conquered all ten directions, silencing the atheist non-believers, the impersonalist speculators, and the imitationist sahajiya sections of pseudo-Vaisnavas. Saraswati Thakura orchestrated a great preaching movement for eighteen years, awarding the triple staff of renunciation to his disciples and then sending these sannyasis to preach throughout India, and eventually to western countries. Before passing away from this world, Saraswati Thakura commented that he desired to spend at least ten years preaching Krsna consciousness in the western countries. This Saraswati Thakura was unable to do before his disappearance in 1936. However, through his intimate disciple, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Saraswati Thakura's last desire for preaching Krsna consciousness in the west was fulfilled. Hence, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada continued the work of the sena-pati foretold by Locana Dasa Thakura. And Saraswati Thakura's numerous disciples and grand disciples carry on the same work up to the present day. Some persons might object that we do not concede that Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the sena-pati spoken of in Caitanya-mangala. Such an objection shows an utter lack of understanding of the guru-parampara and of the position of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura in contemporary society and in aprakata-lila, the eternal pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Saraswati Thakura appeared in this world by the prayer of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura, who implored the Supreme Lord (Jagannatha) to send His personal representative to fulfill the prophecy of Mahaprabhu that the Holy Name would be spread in every town and village. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura prayed for the Supreme Lord to send such a personality from among His eternal associates. In response, Saraswati Thakura appeared as the fourth son of Bhaktivinode. Devotees often overlook this ecstatic piece of transcendental knowledge (mentioned above) when trying to establish the greatness of Srila Prabhupada. We should remember that the greatness of Srila Prabhupada does not reside in our concocted ideas. Certainly, it does not reside in putting Srila Prabhupada in the position of Srila Rupa Goswami (the sampradaya-acharya), or in the position of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura (the sena-pati who appeared in this world as a direct response to the prayer of Bhaktivinode Thakura). Such concocted attempts at glorifying Srila Prabhupada fail miserably, due to being tainted with the kanistha mentality of ami guru jagatguru, my Guru is Jagatguru. The actual greatness of Srila Prabhupada is beyond challenge. Yet he reserves the right of disclosure: the right to reveal his eternal identity to those who are free from envy. What Srila Prabhupada did in this world is written in eternal history. Yet to separate him from the very root of his greatness in an attempt to glorify him, denotes a lack of real transcendental vision of His Divine Grace. Such kanistha disciples are all too often found to be in the category of guru-bhogi (one who tries to enjoy the property and mission of the Guru), rather than in the position of guru-sevaka (one who serves the vision of the Guru). The greatness of Srila Prabhupada is not understood or expressed by the methods of concoction or sentimental exaggeration. The transcendental position of His Divine Grace can only be realized when one attempts to see how Srila Prabhupada was accepted (connected) in the parampara of great masters, and what qualifications earned him that illustrious position. The bona fide disciple earns this right of divine vision of the Guru through a lifetime of service and dedication at the lotus feet of the spiritual master, and not by any amount of mundane speculation. There is no other way to the truth than this. - About the Author | Other VNN Stories by this Author Comment on this Story This story URL: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9901/ET10-2820.html
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