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That which the Upanishads describe as the non-dual Truth is but the effulgence of His body and the indweller of
all souls, known as Paramatma is but His localized expansion of a plenary portion only. This Lord Gauranga is
the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, complete with the six transcendental opulences. There is no truth
higher than Sri Gauranga. Out of His causeless mercy He has descended in this age of Kali to bestow, through
His own service, that which has not been bestowed by any other incarnation f or an inconceivably long time -
pure transcendental love for Krishna.
Sri Gauranga took two important aspects from the teachings of each of the four sampradayas (spiritual lineages)
to explain, through the Dharma of the Sankirtana movement, His ultimate panacea of acintya bhedabheda
philosophy. It is very clear that all the preceptors who preached the various aspects of the Absolute Truth
before Sri Chaitanya are all subordinate to Him and their teachings and conclusions are incorporated, illuminated
and brought to a completed state in Sri Gauranga's teaching of Prema Dharma.
One who chants the name "Sacinandana" in an ecstatic mood is a truly wise man and is understood to have
received all the conclusions that are very dear to Gauranga. One who sings the name of Sacinandana verily
owns Gauranga and one who knows Him as the son of Sachi and Navadwip to be the land of Sacinandana,
understands all sastras, vedas and vedanta. He who chants Sacinandana! Sacinandana! Sacinandana! - is
qualified to be a guru and Sri Gauranga becomes dear to him life after life. (Sri Gauranga's own words as quoted
by Sri Jiva Goswami)
"From Madhva I will take two essential teachings; his complete rejection and defeat of the Mayavadi philosophy
and his service to the deity of Krishna accepting Him as an eternal spiritual personality. From Ramanuja I will
accept two teachings; the concept of devotional service, unpolluted by karma and jnana, and service to the
devotees. From Vishnuswami’s teachings I will accept two elements; the sentiment of exclusive dependence on
Krishna and the path of raga-marga or spontaneous devotion. From Nimbarka, I will take two very important
principles; the necessity of taking shelter of Srimati Radharani and the high esteem of the gopi's love for
Krishna."
Lord Gauranga is the incarnation of Krishna and the founder of His sampradaya. He is also the Guru of all the Adi-
gurus of the different orders of the four sampradayas, who, whether directly initiated by Him or not, derive their
authority from Him. His position in the Gaudiya sampradaya is unique. He is both the worshipper and the
worshipped. He is the object (Visaya) of Bhakti as well as its subject (Asraya). The Object (Bhagavan) becomes
the subject (Bhakta) to show to the Jivas of Kali the path of Bhakti , and, thus paves the way for their
redemption.
Just as the Avatari, or the source of the Avataras, includes all other Avataras, the Sampradaya founded by the
Avatari Purusa Sri Gauranga includes all other Sampradayas. It cannot be regarded as the branch of any
Sampradaya.
Lord Gauranga’s affiliation with the Madhva Sampradaya is that of formality. Lord Gauranga took initiation from
Isvara Puri who was the disciple of Madhavendra Puri coming in the Brahma-Madhva-sampradaya line. Although
there are differences in the doctrines of Madhva and Sri Gauranga there are as many similarities. Therefore, it is
proper to describe the relation between the Gaudiya-sampradaya and the Madhva-sampradaya as that of
identity-in-difference (bhedabheda) - identity in respect of their Guru-parampara and difference in respect of
their doctrines.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's movement especially aims at defeating the Mayavada conclusion about the
Absolute Truth. Since the members of the Mayavada school cannot understand the spiritual form of the Lord,
they incorrectly think the Lord's form is also made of material energy. They think that He is covered by a material
body just like other living beings. Due to this understanding, they cannot recognize that Lord Gauranga’s
personal form is transcendental, not material. Their conclusion is a great mistake at the lotus feet of the Lord. As
explained by Lord Gauranga, Sri Krishna has His eternal, blissful form that is full of knowledge, and all Vaishnava
acharyas accept this. That is the proper understanding of the Absolute Truth.
tarkika-mimamsaka, yata mayavadi-gana
sankhya, patanjala, smrti, purana, agama
"There are many kinds of philosophers. Some are logicians who follow Gautama or Kanada. Some follow the
mimamsa philosophy of Jaimini. Some follow the Mayavada philosophy of Sankaracharya, and others follow
Kapila's sankhya philosophy or the mystic yoga system of Patanjali. Some follow the smrti-sastra composed of
twenty religious scriptures, and others follow the Puranas and the tantra-sastra. In this way there are many
different types of philosophers."
nija-nija-sastrodgrahe sabai pracanda
sarva mata dusi prabhu kare khanda khanda
"All of these adherents of various scriptures were ready to present the conclusions of their respective scriptures,
but Sri Gauranga broke all their opinions to pieces and established His own cult of bhakti based on the Vedas,
Vedanta, the Brahma-sutra and the philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. "
In a nutshell:
Lord Gauranga instructed the mass of people in the sankhya philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which
maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation. Lord Gauranga
taught this philosophy through the chanting of the holy Name of the Lord. He taught that the holy Name of the
Lord is the sound incarnation of the Lord and that since he Lord is the absolute whole, there is no difference
between His holy Name and His transcendental Form. Thus by chanting the holy Name of the Lord one can
directly associate with the Supreme Lord by sound vibration. As one practices this sound vibration, he passes
through three stages of development: the offensive stage, the clearing stage and the transcendental stage. In
the offensive stage one may desire all kinds of material happiness, but in the second stage one becomes clear
of all material contamination. When one is situated on the transcendental stage, he attains the most coveted
position - the stage of loving God. Lord Gauranga taught that this is the highest stage of perfection for human
beings.
TOP
all souls, known as Paramatma is but His localized expansion of a plenary portion only. This Lord Gauranga is
the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, complete with the six transcendental opulences. There is no truth
higher than Sri Gauranga. Out of His causeless mercy He has descended in this age of Kali to bestow, through
His own service, that which has not been bestowed by any other incarnation f or an inconceivably long time -
pure transcendental love for Krishna.
Sri Gauranga took two important aspects from the teachings of each of the four sampradayas (spiritual lineages)
to explain, through the Dharma of the Sankirtana movement, His ultimate panacea of acintya bhedabheda
philosophy. It is very clear that all the preceptors who preached the various aspects of the Absolute Truth
before Sri Chaitanya are all subordinate to Him and their teachings and conclusions are incorporated, illuminated
and brought to a completed state in Sri Gauranga's teaching of Prema Dharma.
One who chants the name "Sacinandana" in an ecstatic mood is a truly wise man and is understood to have
received all the conclusions that are very dear to Gauranga. One who sings the name of Sacinandana verily
owns Gauranga and one who knows Him as the son of Sachi and Navadwip to be the land of Sacinandana,
understands all sastras, vedas and vedanta. He who chants Sacinandana! Sacinandana! Sacinandana! - is
qualified to be a guru and Sri Gauranga becomes dear to him life after life. (Sri Gauranga's own words as quoted
by Sri Jiva Goswami)
"From Madhva I will take two essential teachings; his complete rejection and defeat of the Mayavadi philosophy
and his service to the deity of Krishna accepting Him as an eternal spiritual personality. From Ramanuja I will
accept two teachings; the concept of devotional service, unpolluted by karma and jnana, and service to the
devotees. From Vishnuswami’s teachings I will accept two elements; the sentiment of exclusive dependence on
Krishna and the path of raga-marga or spontaneous devotion. From Nimbarka, I will take two very important
principles; the necessity of taking shelter of Srimati Radharani and the high esteem of the gopi's love for
Krishna."
Lord Gauranga is the incarnation of Krishna and the founder of His sampradaya. He is also the Guru of all the Adi-
gurus of the different orders of the four sampradayas, who, whether directly initiated by Him or not, derive their
authority from Him. His position in the Gaudiya sampradaya is unique. He is both the worshipper and the
worshipped. He is the object (Visaya) of Bhakti as well as its subject (Asraya). The Object (Bhagavan) becomes
the subject (Bhakta) to show to the Jivas of Kali the path of Bhakti , and, thus paves the way for their
redemption.
Just as the Avatari, or the source of the Avataras, includes all other Avataras, the Sampradaya founded by the
Avatari Purusa Sri Gauranga includes all other Sampradayas. It cannot be regarded as the branch of any
Sampradaya.
Lord Gauranga’s affiliation with the Madhva Sampradaya is that of formality. Lord Gauranga took initiation from
Isvara Puri who was the disciple of Madhavendra Puri coming in the Brahma-Madhva-sampradaya line. Although
there are differences in the doctrines of Madhva and Sri Gauranga there are as many similarities. Therefore, it is
proper to describe the relation between the Gaudiya-sampradaya and the Madhva-sampradaya as that of
identity-in-difference (bhedabheda) - identity in respect of their Guru-parampara and difference in respect of
their doctrines.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's movement especially aims at defeating the Mayavada conclusion about the
Absolute Truth. Since the members of the Mayavada school cannot understand the spiritual form of the Lord,
they incorrectly think the Lord's form is also made of material energy. They think that He is covered by a material
body just like other living beings. Due to this understanding, they cannot recognize that Lord Gauranga’s
personal form is transcendental, not material. Their conclusion is a great mistake at the lotus feet of the Lord. As
explained by Lord Gauranga, Sri Krishna has His eternal, blissful form that is full of knowledge, and all Vaishnava
acharyas accept this. That is the proper understanding of the Absolute Truth.
tarkika-mimamsaka, yata mayavadi-gana
sankhya, patanjala, smrti, purana, agama
"There are many kinds of philosophers. Some are logicians who follow Gautama or Kanada. Some follow the
mimamsa philosophy of Jaimini. Some follow the Mayavada philosophy of Sankaracharya, and others follow
Kapila's sankhya philosophy or the mystic yoga system of Patanjali. Some follow the smrti-sastra composed of
twenty religious scriptures, and others follow the Puranas and the tantra-sastra. In this way there are many
different types of philosophers."
nija-nija-sastrodgrahe sabai pracanda
sarva mata dusi prabhu kare khanda khanda
"All of these adherents of various scriptures were ready to present the conclusions of their respective scriptures,
but Sri Gauranga broke all their opinions to pieces and established His own cult of bhakti based on the Vedas,
Vedanta, the Brahma-sutra and the philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. "
In a nutshell:
Lord Gauranga instructed the mass of people in the sankhya philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which
maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation. Lord Gauranga
taught this philosophy through the chanting of the holy Name of the Lord. He taught that the holy Name of the
Lord is the sound incarnation of the Lord and that since he Lord is the absolute whole, there is no difference
between His holy Name and His transcendental Form. Thus by chanting the holy Name of the Lord one can
directly associate with the Supreme Lord by sound vibration. As one practices this sound vibration, he passes
through three stages of development: the offensive stage, the clearing stage and the transcendental stage. In
the offensive stage one may desire all kinds of material happiness, but in the second stage one becomes clear
of all material contamination. When one is situated on the transcendental stage, he attains the most coveted
position - the stage of loving God. Lord Gauranga taught that this is the highest stage of perfection for human
beings.
TOP
| Lord Gauranga is the Source of all other Sampradayas |
