Tag Archive for: GaudiyaPhilosophy

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Nothing Good Nothing Bad

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

When Sanatana Gosvami asked Sri Chaitanya not to touch him because of his oozing sores from a tropical disease, Mahaprabhu said: dvaite bhadra abhadra-gyana, saba manodharma ei bhala, ei manda, ei saba bhrama, “In this world, ideas of good and bad are all creations of the mind. Therefore, saying, ‘This is good and this is bad,’ is an illusion.” (Cc. Antya 4.176)

Mahaprabhu told Sanatana Gosvami that his body was completely spiritualized and therefore He took great pleasure in embracing him. The material body is neither good or bad.

When one is fixed in Krishna consciousness one understands that in the material world of duality nothing is good or bad. Likes and dislikes, good and bad, are all due to the three modes of material nature—goodness, passion, and ignorance (sattva, rajas, tamas) which bind everyone in ignorance.

Srimad Bhagavatam (11.28.4) confirms this point:

kim bhadram kim abhadram va, dvaitasya vastunah kiyat

vacoditam tad anrtam, manasa dhyatam eva ca

 “That which is expressed by material words or contemplated by the mind is all false. What, therefore, is actually good or bad within this insubstantial world of duality, and how can the extent of such good and bad be measured?”

Visvanatha Cakravartipada tika: Duality (good & bad) is false (avastunah). The meaning for the devotee is: because Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s form, abode, name and devotees are all spiritual entities, they are Brahman and nothing else. What arises by words or by the mind related to duality is all false. In that case, what does good or bad mean? Later Sri Krishna says, nirguno mad-apashrayah: My devotee is beyond the gunas. (SB 11.25.26)

Sri Krsna continues: The only perceptions that are true are those that include the relationship of the object being perceived with the Absolute Truth. Seeing or naming an object as good or bad that has no relationship with the Absolute Truth is the definition of illusion.

To attain this clear vision of reality, one needs “the sword of transcendental knowledge sharpened by worship of the spiritual master, gyana asina upasanaya shitena.” (SB 11.28.17)

Comment: The actual absolute truth is Bhagavan Sri Krishna, from whom everything emanates, by whom everything is maintained, and in whom everything rests. The idea of good and bad as separate from Sri Krishna is like the good and bad dreams experienced when sleeping. Both dreams are equally unreal.

Sri Krishna compares the soul’s material life to a dream: one experiences events in a dream as if they are real, but upon awaking one realizes those events were unreal. For conditioned souls, good and bad, enjoying and suffering occur, but they have no substance because they are part of the material dream. It’s all illusion: Night dream,  day dream,

When one awakens to one’s actual eternal spiritual identity, one stops being affected by their dreams. But if one stays locked into one’s dream worlds, Sri Krishna says, “One will eternally experience lamentation, elation, fear, anger, greed, confusion, and hankering, and repeated birth and death which are all experiences of the false ego and not of the pure soul, shoka harsha bhaya krodha lobha moha sprha ahankarasya janma mrtyuh na atman.” (SB 11.28.15)

In Uddhava Gita, Sri Krsna says: The only perceptions that are true are those that include the relationship of the object being perceived with the Absolute Truth. Seeing or naming an object as good or bad without connecting it with the Absolute Truth is the definition of illusion.

Anything not conceived in relationship to Krishna should be understood to be illusion. None of the illusions uttered by words or conceived in the mind are factual. Because illusion is not factual, there is no distinction between what we think is good and what we think is bad.

Good and bad are not fixed universally, but are determined according to particular circumstances. Good and bad are considerations of material duality. We think that something is good or bad based upon our conditioning and four inherent defects: imperfect senses (karana apatava), tendency to be deluded (bhrama), commit mistakes (pramada), and the tendency to cheat (vipralipsa). (Cc. 1.2.86). For materialists good and bad are based on selfish personal enjoyment.

Thus, in our temporary material existence nothing is good and nothing is bad. But on the absolute spiritual platform Krishna is all-good, and whatever is done for the service of Krishna according to shastras is also absolutely all-good.

Jai Jai Sri Radhe!

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Gopi Bhava & Srila Prabhupada

Mahanidhi Swami

Quoting the verse below, which he did 67 times, Srila Prabhupada perfectly explains the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

The golden avatar of love divine appeared in this world to preach gopi bhava, and the worship of Radha-Krishna following the example of the Vraja-gopis. Mahaprabhu also taught the worship of Vrindavana, Srimad Bhagavatam and the Vaisnavas.

Srila Prabhupada and all Gaudiya Vaisnavas accept that this one verse contains the entire philosophy (sambandha, adhidheya, prayojana) of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is Krishna consciousness in a nutshell. And every Gaudiya Vaisnava should study, memorize, realize and preach this most important verse written by Srinatha Cakravarti, Sri Advaita Prabhu’s shishya and Mahaprabhu’s direct associate.

Please study the passages below wherein Srila Prabhupada summarizes the mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. People often ask, “What is Krishna Consciousness?” This verse gives the true and complete meaning of “Krishna consciousness” because it contains the sweet essence of our Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy.

This is what Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to give, to teach, to taste and to experience. To know the meaning of this verse and to follow it means you are a Gaudiya Vaisnava!

aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas, tad-dhama vrindavana,

ramya kacid upasana, vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita,

srimad-bhagavatam pramanam amalam, prema pum-artho mahan

sri-caitanya-mahaprabhor matam idam, tatradarah na parah

Sri Srinatha Cakravarti said, “Nandanandana Sri Krishna is the topmost object of worship, and His abode of Vrindavana is equally worshipable. The young married brides of Vrindavana, the Vraja-gopis, showed the best way to worship Sri Krishna. The most authoritative source of divine revelation is the Srimad Bhagavatam. Krishna prema, pure love of God, is the fifth and ultimate goal (panchama-artha) of human life. This is the essence of the philosophy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, so we consider this doctrine to be supreme.”

Srila Prabhupada comments on this most important verse: “Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, ramya kacid upasana, vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita,’ If you want to learn the process of worshiping and loving Krishna, just try to follow in the footsteps of the Vraja gopis, because their love for Krishna is the highest perfectional love of God; pure love for God.

“Here’s how they loved Krishna. Krishna was a cowherd boy, and Krishna and His friends and cows used to go to the pasturing ground for the whole day. Although gopis were at home and Krishna was miles away in the pasturing ground, the gopis were thinking, ‘Oh, Krishna’s feet are so soft! Now Krishna is walking on the rough ground, and the sharp pebbles are pricking Krishna’s foot soles. So Krishna must be feeling some pain.’

“Thinking in this way, the gopis used to cry. Just see, this is love! When Krishna returned, the gopis did not ask Him, ‘My dear Krishna, what have You brought us from Your pasturing ground? What is in Your pocket? Let us see.’ No! The gopis were simply thinking of how Krishna could be satisfied. The gopis used to dress themselves very nicely and go before Krishna. While dressing they would think, ‘Oh, Krishna will be happy to see me.’

“These are the loving affairs of Krishna and the gopis. Their relationship was so intimate and so unalloyed that Krishna Himself admitted, ‘My dear gopis, it is not in My power to repay you for your love.’ Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet He became bankrupt—Krishna could not repay His debt to the gopis. So the gopis possessed the highest perfection of love for Krishna.

“I am describing the mission of Lord Caitanya. Mahaprabhu is instructing us that the only lovable object is Krishna, the only lovable land is Vrindavana, and the process of loving Krishna is shown by the vivid example of the gopis. There are different stages of devotees, and the gopis are on the highest platform. And among the gopis, the supreme is Radharani. Therefore, nobody can surpass Radharani’s love for Krishna.”(SP: Folio TQE 7c)

Srila Prabhupada: “Lord Caitanya recommends, ‘As Krishna was worshiped by the damsels of Vrajadhama—that is the highest, topmost grade of worship because that was pure love.’ The damsels of Vraja loved Krishna so much, without any return. That’s a sublime thing. So Mahaprabhu recommended, ‘That is the highest form of worship.’”(SP: Folio 660729BG.NY)

Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe!