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O My Friend! O My Friend!
Exploring the Inner Life of A. C. Bhaktivedånta Swami Prabhupåda
babhru dåsa
foreword by swåmî b.v. tripuråri
Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust www.Krishna.com
Foreword 3
1. Introduction 6
2. Examiningtheevidence 11
3. Sådhus’perspectives 29
4. AcloserlookatPrabhupåda’sprayer 37
5. Prabhupåda’sfamilyconnectiontothedvådaça-gopålas 41
6. InsightsintoçrîlaPrabhupåda’sfightingspirit 44
7. Sakhya-rasaintheGau∂îyasampradåya 47
8. Objections 51
9. Conclusion 67
Endnotes 72
Glossary 75
Donate
C O N T E N T S
3f O r E wO r d
foreword
Swåmî B. V. Tripuråri
WhenIfirstmetçrîlaPrabhupådapersonally—whenIfirst
seteyesonhim—tearsoflovethelikesofwhichIhadnev-
erexperiencedinthislifeshoweredforthfrommyeyesand
K®ß√anåmadancedeffortlesslyonmytongue.Atthattime
Iwasfilledwithonethoughtandonethoughtalone:“Once
againIhavemetmy long-lost friend.Outof loveforme,
asifafteralongseparation,hehassoughtmeout.”Shortly
thereafterIthought,“Evenifeveryoneelsehereleaveshim,
Iwillneverstrayfromhisshelter.”Thisexperience,meeting
çrîlaPrabhupåda,hassetthecourseformyentireadultlife
andonwardsintoeternity.
ButwhoisçrîlaA.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda?
Yes,heisthejagad-guruofmodern-dayGau∂îyaVaiß√avism,
theworldguru,whomsomeknowas their spiritualmas-
ter,whileothersarealsohisdisciplesbutknowitnot.He
hasbuiltabridgefromEasttoWestandcrosseditbackand
forth,plantingseedsofbhakti in theWestwhile tilling its
soil, andnourishing the seeds sown in theEastbyothers
aswellasplantingthereanew.Heisthegreatemissaryof
K®ß√a bhakti doing gauravå√î-pracåri√e. Indeed, he is the
veryextensionofGauralîlå,atidalwavefromthedepthsof
theoceanofloveofGodrisenupandreachingouttodrown
eventhedistantshoreswiththeblessingofNitåicånd.Yet
allofthisandmorewithregardtohisextraordinarypreach-
ingcampaignisbutthetipoftheicebergofwhoheis,the
surfaceoftheoceanicdepthofhisloveofGod.Whothen
canfathomthatdepth,theinnerwealthofthissaffron-clad
trida√∂î-bhikßu?
Asdauntingasitmayseem,it iswewhomusttakeup
thistaskinearnestandanswerdefinitivelywhoheis, for
itisonlybyansweringthisquestionthroughthesincerity
ofourspiritualpracticethatwewilleverreallyknowwho
weare.çrîViçvanåthaCakravartîˇhåkurahastoldusthat
4f O r E wO r d
whileçrîGuruisdirectlyGod,atthesametimeheisdear
toGod,kintu prabhor ya˙ priya eva tasya.çrîGuruisdirect-
lyHari,butaswelookmorecloselywitheyesoflove,we
findthatheorsheembodiesaparticularrelationshipwith
K®ß√a.Assådhanaisperfected,bhåvamanifestsandwithit
eyestoseeçrîGuruintermsofhisorherloveforK®ß√a.
WhileçrîGuru isGod ina representational sense,heor
she is loveofGod inevery respect.Ourguru is thevery
embodimentofaparticularspiritualsentimentwithacor-
respondingform,andrealizingthatformhasmuchtodo
withrealizingourownsvarüpa.
Dauntingindeed,butfortunately,andIshouldsaychar-
acteristicallyinthatitisperhapshismercythatcharacter-
izeshimmorethananythingelse,çrîlaPrabhupådahasnot
leftusentirelyinthedark.Thelightofhisinnerlifeshines
forthhereandthere for thediscerningdisciple.Hehim-
selfhaspointedusinthedirection,andthepresentbooklet
hascollectedhisindicationsinoneplaceforthefirsttime,
reasonedabout them inconsonancewith revelation, and
consideredpossibleobjections.Theconclusion,Ibelieve,
isobvious.
Itisobviousanditisimportant.Itisobviousbecausein
thisbookletwehaveallowedçrîlaPrabhupådatospeakfor
himself.Theauthor’staskhaslargelybeentomerelyunder-
score the significanceofall thatçrîlaPrabhupådahas said
about himself. It is important because it emphasizes the
often-forgotten truth that loveofK®ß√a is anaffairof the
purifiedheart,asubjectiverealitythatconstitutestheperfec-
tionofeachdevotee,regardlessofitsvariety.
Thusthepresenttextiscenteredonthebhåvaofçrîla
A. C. Bhaktivedånta Swami Prabhupåda, a subject of im-
menseimportancetohisdisciples.WhiletheinnerlifeofHis
DivineGraceislefttoeachdiscipletorealizeindetail,the
generaldirectionthathehimself,throughhisownwordsand
actions,haspointedtoisexploredinthepagesahead.The
genesisofthetextliesinanonlinediscussionamongmystu-
5f O r E wO r d
dentsandmyselfinwhichexternalevidenceofPrabhupåda’s
spiritualsentimentwascollected.SometimelaterIaskedmy
GodbrotherçrîmanBabhrudåsa tocompile this evidence
intoonedocument.Thisinitialcompilationturnedintoan
article,whichwastheneditedandaddedtobymyselfand
mystudentV®ndåra√yadevî.Myhopeisthatitwillbeap-
preciatedforwhatitisinitsmostbasicsense:çrîlaPrabhu-
pådaspeakingtousabouthisinnerlife.
Introduction1.
C h a p T E r 1 I N T r O d U C T I O N 7
Offering prostrated obeisances at the feet
ofmyeternalspiritualmaster,HisDivine
GraceA.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhu-
påda, I undertake an attempt, however
feeble,toexplorethedepthsofhischarac-
terandthebreadthofthesampradåyacomingfromçrîCait-
anyaMahåprabhu.Heisthebestofmillionsofjagad-gurus,
having takenhisownguru’sorderonhishead,becoming
thusempoweredtobringGau∂îyaVaiß√avismalloverthe
worldandthenbacktoBhåratavarça.Ialsooffermyobei-
sancetoallhisfollowers,whohavebeeninspiredbyhisex-
ampleanddedicatedtheirlivestopracticingandsharingthe
teachingsofçrîCaitanya, carrying them in theirhearts to
someofthemostunlikelyplacesintheworld.Theirasso-
ciationandkindnessarethespiritofmyspirituallife,andI
praytheymayfindpleasure,nourishment,andsatisfaction
inwhattheyreadhere.
IhavebeenaskedwhyIwouldwritesomethingexplor-
ingçrîlaPrabhupåda’s inner life.Manybelieve that it is a
topicbetter leftalone.Although it is truethatouråcåryas
havewarnedagainstindiscreetdiscussionofone’sowninner
life,theeternalspiritual identitiesofmostofourprevious
åcåryasisnotamysterybutratheranopensecret,atreasured
jewelofinsight.Thisinsight,truetotheadmonitionagainst
revealing one’s inner life, is generally not revealed openly
duringan åcårya’slifetimebutratherafterhisdisappearance,
gleanedmostlyfromindicationsfromhisdivinelifeandthe
correspondingrealizationsofhisdisciples.
The disciples of çrîla Sarasvatî ˇhåkura discerned that
their spiritualmaster is amañjarîwhosename isNayana-
ma√i.Theonlyexternalevidenceforthis,asfarasIhave
beenabletoascertain,isasingleletterçrîlaSarasvatîˇhåkura
wrotetooneofhisdisciples.Similarly,theGodbrothersof
BhaktiRakßakaçrîdharaMahåråjahavedeterminedthatçrî-
laBhaktisiddhånta’srequesttohearçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråja
sing“çrîRüpa-mañjarî-pada”tohimashepreparedtoleave
C h a p T E r 1 I N T r O d U C T I O N 8
the world indicated that Sarasvatî ˇhåkura had admitted
çrîdhara Mahåråja into his own circle of mañjarîs under
Rüpa-mañjarî.(çrîlaçrîdharaMahåråja,inhistypicalhumil-
ity,concludedthathehadbeenpostedatthegate.)Andthe
disciples of çrîpåd Bhakti Prajñåna Keçava Mahåråja have
alsoinferredfromafewthings,suchasthenamesoftheDe-
itiesheinstalledatallofhismå†has(allofwhichcontained
thenameVinoda),thecolorhechosetopaintoneofthesteps
tothealtarattheDevånandaGau∂îyaMå†hainNavadvîpa,
andperhapshisownbrahmacårîname(Vinodabiharîdåsa)
thattheirgurumustbeamañjarînamedVinoda-mañjarî
whosedress inthenitya-lîlåwasgreen.Sothere’saprece-
dentforsuchdiscussion,evenamongthefollowersofthose
renownedfortheirreticenceindiscussingsuchmatters.
Notunexpectedly,çrîlaPrabhupåda’sinnerspiritualiden-
tityhasbeena topicofdiscussionover theyears.Contra-
dictoryopinions,however, suggest that there is still room
forfurtherexploration.Inthisbooklet,Ihopetoextendthe
C h a p T E r 1 I N T r O d U C T I O N 9
discussionbypresentingthesurprisinglynumerousindica-
tionsofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sspiritualidentitythataroseinhis
lifeandmission.Ibelievethatanunbiasedassessmentofthis
evidenceshedssubstantiallightonçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinner
spiritualidentity.Moreover,Ibelievethattheexplorationof
thistopicbyvariousexalteddevoteeshasyieldedawealthof
nectarthatenrichesourunderstandingandappreciationof
çrîlaPrabhupåda’scharacterandmission.Itmayalsoshow
howdesirableitistohavesomeinterestinsuchtopicsand
indicatethebreadthofourmovement’sideals,therangeof
thegoalsattainablebythosefollowingourGau∂îyaVaiß√ava
åcåryas.
Bhaktivinodaˇhåkura’sJaiva Dharmashowsthatthereis
roomforsubjectivityinregardtoone’svisionofçrîGuru:
Vijaya-kumåraandVrajanåthasawtheirguruasrepresent-
ing mådhurya and sakhya-rasa, respectively. This apparent
discrepancyisduetothefactthatwhileçrîGuruisaparticu-
larjîvasoul,theçaktiofguru-tattva issimultaneouslywithin
himandhecanthereforerepresentanyrasa.Thusalthough
disciples’buddingspiritualsentimentsmaycolortheirper-
ceptionandallowformorethanonevisionofçrîlaPrabhu-
påda,ultimatelyheiswhoheis:hehasoneeternalrasain
K®ß√alîlå.WhatIofferhereismyhumbleattempttogath-
erinoneplacetheevidencethatshedslightonhisinnerlife
andmyreflectionsonthesignificanceIseeinthatevidence,
especiallyasitisilluminatedbyçåstraandsådhus.Although
themajorityoftheevidence,includingseveraldisciples’ac-
counts of direct statements by çrîla Prabhupåda himself,
points inonedirection, I remainopen to compelling evi-
dencetothecontrary.Further,Ianticipatethat thisbook-
letwillstimulatefurtherdiscussionofthetopic,andIlook
forwardtohearingmorememoriesandinsightsontheun-
limitednectarofçrîlaPrabhupåda’slife.Letusbyallmeans
churntheoceanofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sgloriesuntilwegen-
erateatidalwaveofkîrtanaandthenridethewavesofthat
kîrtanaforallweareworth!
C h a p T E r 1 I N T r O d U C T I O N 1 0
Ishouldalsorespectfullymentionthatofmuchlessinterest
tomethanhearingfurtherevidenceintheformofmemories
is tohear ideologicaldebate, specifically thewell-wornde-
bateoverwhetherallåcåryasinourlinemustbeinmådhurya-
rasa.Although for me this idea has been contradicted by
statementsofçrîlaBhaktivinodaˇhåkura,Bhaktisiddhånta
Sarasvatîˇhåkura,BhaktiRakßakaçrîdharaMahåråja,Bhak-
tiPromodePurîMahåråja,andourownçrîlaPrabhupåda,I
havestillincludedinthisbookletamorethoroughrebuttal
ofthisideaforthosewhowouldargueotherwise.
The evidence I present here comes from many quarters
andgoesbacktobeforemyowndedicatedinvolvementin
K®ß√aconsciousness.Itcameoverthecourseofmanyyears,
muchofitthroughconversationwithotherdevotees.Ina
recentonlineconversation,agreatdealofthisinformation
cametogetherasifofitsownaccord.Ioweadebtofgrati-
tudetothedevoteeswhoengagedinthatconversation,es-
peciallytoSwåmîB.V.Tripuråri,whoinspiredmetobegin
thisendeavorandwhohascontinuedtoencourageandad-
viseme.Ialsohavefoundsupportinthefriendshipofoth-
er Godbrothers, particularly Bhakti Viçrambha Mådhava
MahåråjaandVidagdhaMådhavadåsa.Andtheultimatein-
spirationcomes,ofcourse,fromçrîlaPrabhupådahimself.
Anythingthathasanyvalueinthisessayisduetotheirmer-
cy;anyshortcomings,faults,oroffensesaremyresponsibil-
ityalone.
2. Examining the evidence
Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust www.Krishna.com
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 1 2
Theexternalevidencepointingtothenatureof
çrîlaPrabhupåda’ssvarüpaisconsiderable.As
weshallsee,itincludesstatementsmadebyhis
disciplesthathehimselfmadenoefforttoedit
(hissilenceindicatingtacitagreement),state-
mentsbyhisdisciplesthatheopenlyacknowledged,andhis
ownincontrovertiblestatements.Furtherevidencehascome
fromtherealizationofsådhusofworldrenown,whohavere-
flectedonhisworldwidepreachingcampaignandsupported
theirconclusionswithçåstra-yukti.Evidenceisalsofoundin
hiswriting.Finally,thespiritofhispreachingcampaignalso
speaksclearlytousastothenatureofhissvarüpa,asitisthe
åcårya’sinnerlifethatmotivateshisoutreach.
Letusbeginbyexaminingtheearlydaysofhiscampaign
intheWest.çrîlaPrabhupåda’sdisciplesoftennoticedthings
he said anddid thatprovidedglimpses into thenatureof
çrîlaPrabhupåda’seternalrelationshipwithK®ß√a.Forex-
ample,Govindadåsîsharesthisamongherremembrances
ofher timewithçrîlaPrabhupåda in theearlydaysofhis
preachinginNorthAmerica:
Gaurasundara and I remained in Montreal for the
durationoftimethatSwamijiwasinIndia;thatwas
aboutsixmonths.Duringthattimewedrewmany
pictures for early Back to Godhead magazines, and
dailyweworkedinoursmallartstudiowhilehear-
ing Caitanya-caritåm®ta and Çrîmad-Bhågavatam.
During that time I began working on a drawing
of K®ß√a and Balaråma returning home with their
cows,millionsofcows.Itbecameakindofmedita-
tion.DailyIworkedonthisdrawingandalthough
wehadlittleinformationofhowV®ndåvanalooked,
itseemedtomanifestfromwithintheheart.Though
we did many other pictures, this picture was the
mostdeartome.EvenwhenIclosemyeyesIwould
stillseeanoceanofcowswithK®ß√aandBalaråma
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 1 3
prancingbefore themand inmyview,over to the
right,thatcowherdboywasclearlymeanttobeçrî-
laPrabhupåda.Afterall,Swamijihadrequestedme
topainthisportraitinSanFrancisco,anditwasone
ofthefirstpicturesIpaintedforhim.NowIfeltI
waspaintinghisspiritualportraitinGoloka.Itwas
aninnocentoffering.Isentacopyofthedrawingto
SwamijiinV®ndåvana,saying,“Thiscowherdboyis
myportraitofyou.”
Thankyou,çrîlaPrabhupåda,forgivingmethat
glimpseofGoloka. It spurredmeon inmydesire
toserveyou;evennowwhenIseethispicture,my
originaldrawinghasbeencoloredinandhangsbe-
hindtheDeitiesofK®ß√a-Balaråma,Ithinkofyouas
IseeyouwalkingbesideK®ß√aandBalaråma,herd-
ingthecowshomeintheevening,andIthinkthat
this isnoaccidentthatthisverypicturethatIhad
offeredtoyousomanyyearsbeforeisyourportrait
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 1 4
walking beside your beloved K®ß√a-Balaråma and
youaretherenearby.
Aboutthispicture,Govindadåsîlaterremarked,
Ididn’tknowwhatV®ndåvanalookedlike,butthe
picturewasdone fromçrîlaPrabhupåda’sdescrip-
tionsand,moreover,fromhisguidancewithinthe
heart.Hisbhaktishonethroughtheworkofallthe
artistsatthattimeandthebhaktiwasreal,asitwas
his.Wewere justworkers,marionettes.Thedraw-
inghadacowherdboytotheleftofK®ß√a.Inmyvi-
sion,then,thiswasçrîlaPrabhupåda.Isentacopy
ofittohimasagiftwithanotesaying,“Thisisyour
cowboyformwithK®ß√aandBalaråma.”Strangely
enough,thisdidn’tseemoutofplaceatthetime.It
wasnotprecociousorassuming;itwasjustmysim-
pleperception.Therewasno replyandnodiscus-
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 1 5
“Oh,”saidHarßarå√î,“youwereacowboy!”With
completegravity,youreplied,“Yes.”Atthatsecond,
noonewasthinkingofyouandtheWildWest.We
justknewyouwerespeakingaboutbeingwithK®ß√a
andthecowsinV®ndåvana.Wewereonlyspiritual
toddlersatbest(itwas’67or’68),butyoumerciful-
lygaveusaglimpseintoyourheart.Ifeltverysmall
beingtherewithyouatthatmoment.
After that incident, the same devotee penned a
shortpoemaboutyou.In itshedescribedyouas
playing leapfrog in a pasture with K®ß√a and the
cowsandothergopas.Itseemedfunnyandfrivolous
tous, yet yougravely remarked,“Shehasbecome
advanced,”andorderedthatitbeprintedinBack to
Godheadmagazine.
GovindadåsîalsoremembersHarßarå√î’spoemandçrîla
Prabhupåda’sother,similardealingswithherinthismood.
sionaboutit.Itwasprettymuchacommonunder-
standingamongstallofusdisciplesatthattimethat
çrîlaPrabhupådawasacowherdboy.
Weseeevidenceofhowcommonthisperceptionwasamong
earlydisciplesincommentsbyothersfromthoseearlyyears.
In her 2003Vyåsa-püjå offering, Målatî dåsî remembers a
similar innocent insight fromanotherdevotee in theearly
days:
Irecallanintimatemomentwhenyouincreasedthe
mystiqueofyourbeinghereamongusfoolishboys
andgirls.Nonchalantlyrecallinghowasachildyou
alwaysgotyourway,youproceededtotellalittlevi-
gnetteaboutyourdesireforacowboypistol.Final-
ly,aftermuchinsistence,yourfathercompliedand
boughtyouatoygun.Butyouwerenottobesatis-
fieduntilyouhadtwoguns,oneforeachhand.
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 1 6
ShesharedthisinalettertomyGodbrotherB.V.Mådhava
Mahåråja:
Occasionallyheactedthispartofacowherdboy,es-
peciallyinSeattlewhenHarßarå√îwasthere.Shewas
very finely tuned to the mystical and otherworldly
things.Earlyon,shehadanuncannyunderstanding
ofçrîlaPrabhupåda.In1968,whileçrîlaPrabhupå-
dawasinMontreal,shesenthimapoem.Thegistof
herpoemwas:Ioffermyhumbleobeisancestomy
Spiritual Master, who is running among the trees,
playinghideandseekwiththeSupremePersonality
ofGodhead,çrîK®ß√a...etc.Ireadthepoemtoçrîla
Prabhupådaandwasalittleamazed.ButIwaseven
moreamazedwhenhebecamequietlyblissfulandsaid,
“Yes,shehasbecomeadvanced.Printthispoeminour
BTG.”Isentitinforpublication,butI’vesearchedand
neverfoundit.Perhapstheydidn’tprintit.
In 1968, in Seattle, Harßarå√î, Kårttikeya and I
alllivedwithçrîlaPrabhupåda.Hewasveryinfor-
malandbecauseshehadanunderstandingofhislîlå
form,heoftenactedaccordingly,oftenplayfuland
mischievousasacowherdboy.Itwasveryesoteric.I
hadneverseenthisbefore,butHarßarå√îseemedto
bringoutthisside.
Andyes,hedidexclaim,“IwanttogotoK®ß√aloka
soIcanhaveHislå∂∂usandkacaurîs,”whilesitting
inajoyfultrance-likestatewhileinNewYork.And
thenheadded,“Ifyoumakemelå∂∂usandkacaurîs,
Iwillblessyou!”SoKårttikeyaandIquicklysaid,
“Oh,pleaseteachustomakethem,andwewillmake
themforyou.”Andhedid.
WemaynotethatGovindadåsîandMålatî’saccountsofçrîla
Prabhupåda’sresponsetoHarßarå√î’spoemareidentical.We
mayalsonotethatthepoemwasindeedpublishedinBack
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 1 7
to GodheadasçrîlaPrabhupådainstructedandcanbefound
in theBhaktivedåntaVedaBase, aswell as in theBhakti-
vedånta Archives’ 60 Years of Back to Godhead Magazine.
Hereisthetextofherpoem,aspublishedinBack to Godhead
#17in1968:
DearSwamiji
I offer my respects unto the Lotus
Feet of my Spiritual Master,
Who is always herding cows
In Goloka Vrindaban with His
Dearmost Friend, Krishna.
Sometimes He is running barefoot
Through the forest chasing cows
And sometimes He is hiding behind
A tree waiting for Krishna to
Return with the spoils from
Mother Yasoda’s butter pots.
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 1 8
I offer my respects unto the Lotus
Feet of my Spiritual Master, Who is
Always thinking of what He can
Do in service of His Dearmost
Friend Krishna and never wanting
Anything in return.
OtherdevoteesalsowroteVyåsa-püjåofferingsearlyonex-
pressinginsightssimilartoHarßarå√î’s.In1969,Devånanda
wroteofçrîlaPrabhupåda,
Heis thepromiseofLordChaitanyatooverflood
the world with K®ß√a’s Names enchanting. He is
theSpiritualMessenger,theLord’sAngelofMercy,
thesweetharbingerandbringeroftheLord’sOwn
FluteSongcharmingallsoulstotheLotusLandof
Brajadhama, K®ß√a’s OwnWho knows His Mind.
ThisCowherdofGolokaisexpertinextractingmilk
ofheart’spuredesire.O’HowHeworkssuchartsas
these!
Jyotirmayîdåsîwrotein1970,
çrîlaPrabhupåda,hereonIlavatiVarsa,youarethe
masteratwhosefeetallmastersareassembled,but
inGolokaV®ndåvana.Whoareyou?Whatisyour
name,cowherdboy,playinginthefieldwithK®ß√a
andthousandsofcowsandcalves?Asyouwalk,the
grassatonceunderthetouchofyourlotusfeetre-
gains itsconsciousnessandits loveandraiseshigh
itsfragilelimbs.
ThatsameyearJåmbavatidåsîwrote,
Golden in K®ß√a’s radiant smile,
You are dancing as a cowherd boy.
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 1 9
So kindly help us sing Your glories far and wide,
O saint among the highest.
And,againin1970,Jadurå√îdåsîwrote,
You are always absorbed in the loving affairs of
RådhåandK®ß√a,andifwehearfromyouandfol-
lowyour instructions, thenwecanalsoenter into
thekingdomofV®ndåvana.Whenyousawthepho-
tograph of Kårtamaçåyî in your apartment on the
BoweryyoutoldmeIlikethatdoll,andMydesireis
tobeHisfriend.YouarealwaysthinkingofK®ß√a,
and He also cannot separate His mind from you.
YouareoneoftheLord’sdearfriendsinV®ndåvana,
whoissometimeschasingtheshadowsthatthebirds
makeontheground,sometimesshoutingillnames
intothewell,sometimesimitatingthesoundsofthe
animals,sometimessharingLordK®ß√a’slå∂∂usand
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 2 0
kacaurîs and sometimes hearing Him tell jokes at
lunch.
Wefindasimilarsentimentexpressedintheofferingofthe
Auckland,NewZealandtemplein1972:
You are Prabhupåda
the little Cowherd Boy from Goloka
And when You wander
round Your room
Looking at pictures
of K®ß√a and His friends
We realize how foolish we are
to have ever thought You an old man
AllofthereferencestoçrîlaPrabhupåda’simputedfriendly
relationshipwithK®ß√ainVyåsa-püjåofferingsaretoonu-
meroustocitehere.Somedevoteesmayobjectthattheseare
sentimental speculations from inexperienced devotees.We
shouldnotethatnotonlydidçrîlaPrabhupådaneverrefute
them,butthatthere isnorecordthatheeverevenvoiced
anyobjection.Anyonewhowas involvedwith iskcon in
1970nodoubt remembers the strengthofhis response to
thedeviantpreachingoffournew sannyåsîs.Ifhehadhad
anyobjectiontosuchexpressionsoffaithasthese,hewould
havestoppedthemcold.Moreover,thesestatementsarein
linewiththesentimentsexpressedbyHarßarå√îwhichçrîla
Prabhupådaconfirmed.Whatismore,IcanfindnoVyåsa-
püjåofferingsmadeduringçrîlaPrabhupåda’smanifestpas-
timessuggestingthatheiseitheragopîoramañjarî.
çrîla Prabhupåda sometimes hinted at similar feelings
inrelaxed, intimatedealingswithhisdisciples.OnGaura-
pür√imå 2008, speaking in Måyåpura, çrutakîrti dåsa de-
scribedanincidentin1975.çrîlaPrabhupådawasonawhirl-
windworldtour,seeinghundredsofdevoteeschantingand
dancing in temples where Gaura-Nitåi were being wor-
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 2 1
shipped,everywhere.Onedaywhilevisiting iskcon’sAt-
lantatemple,çrîlaPrabhupådaapparentlybecamestunned
inecstasy.BecauseçrîlaPrabhupådaconsistentlycontained
anyexpressionofbhåva,thiscaughtthedevoteesoffguard.
Ultimately,theystartedakîrtana,andçrîlaPrabhupådare-
turned to external consciousness. çrutakîrti tells us what
Prabhupådawaslikelater,inhisroom:
ButonethingIhavetotellyouthathappenedthere.
AsIsaid,Prabhupådawas...somethingIhadnotex-
periencedsomuchbefore...he justhadthisecstasy
that...it just began escaping from him. He was al-
ways incontrolof that,but itwas justhappening.
SoeverynightIwouldmassagePrabhupådainhis
roomthere.Forthreedayshestayedthere;hisquar-
tersarestilltherejustaswhenhestayedthere.Soas
Prabhupådawaslyingdowninbed,hehadhishead
upalittlebitonthepillow,andIwasrubbinghis
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 2 2
legsandrubbinghisfeet.Sothemassagewasgoing
onfor10or15minutes.
Prabhupåda’smassageintheeveningwasthemost
personalintimatetimetobewithPrabhupåda.The
lightswereout,theroomwasdark.Therewouldbe
somelightfromwherever,andnooneeverentered
Prabhupåda’s room while he received his evening
massage,nooneevercameintoPrabhupåda’squar-
ters.Soitwasjusthimandhisservant.SoasIwas
massaging,Prabhupådaallofasuddensaid,“I like
thecowherdboysverymuch.”Whenhewouldspeak
intheeveningitwasnothingbutnectar,alwaysnec-
tar. So I just continued, never stopped massaging.
Andhewaslookingatthepicture,bigpaintingon
thewallatthefootofhisbed,andhewasjustlook-
ingintoit.SoIlookedandIrealizedhewaslooking
atthispictureofK®ß√aandBalaråma,andTheywere
justyoungboys,eightyearsold,andwithThemthere
werethousandsofcowherdboysandcalves,andthey
werejustintheforestofV®ndåvana.SoPrabhupåda
waslookingatthat.SoIammassaging.
Thenhesaid,“EverydayK®ß√aandBalaråmawould
gointotheforestinV®ndåvana.Beforetheywould
go,Theirmotherswouldmakelunches,preparetif-
finsforThem.”I’mjustshakingmyhead.Prabhu-
påda is speaking very softly. Prabhupåda is just
there,rightthereinsidethatscene,andheisspeak-
ing about it. When Prabhupåda talked, he would
justbringyou,hewouldtransportyourightthere.
Sohesaid,“K®ß√a’smotherYaçodå,shewouldmake
verynicetiffinandinittherewouldbepurî,halava,
kacaurî, lå∂∂u.And theother cowherdboys, their
motherswerenotsoopulentsotheirtiffinswould
havechapati,rice,subji,likethat.”
And then he said, “Then they would go and
they would play all day, and they didn’t have the
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 2 3
cows.Theyare just littleboys so theywouldhave
the calves.The calveswerewith them.Thenfinal-
lytheywouldstopforlunch.Sometimesoneofthe
cowherdboyswouldstealK®ß√a’slunchandbegin
throwingitaround;theywouldplaykeep-awaywith
K®ß√a.”I’mjustmassagingthewholetime.Hesaid,
“Finallythecowherdboyswouldthrowtheirlunch
toK®ß√a,andtheywouldsitdownwithHislunch
andtheywouldeatpurî,halava,kacaurî,andlå∂∂u.
AndK®ß√awouldsitwiththemandHewouldeat
therice,chapati,andsubji.”
Hewassmilingsobrightly.Andthenhestopped,
andI’mstillmassaging.Thenhesaid,“I justwant
togobacktothespiritualworldandeatkacaurîand
lå∂∂uwithK®ß√a.”Thenheclosedhiseyesanddidn’t
sayanythingmore,andIjustkeptmassaging.Soit
wassomethingveryrare.
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 2 4
Thisincidentseemsnottobeanisolatedcommenthemade
onlyonthisoccasion.Rather, itechoesanearlier intimate
momentinNewYork,in1968,asrecountedinSatsvarüpa
dåsaGoswåmî’sÇrîla Prabhupåda-lîlåm®ta:
Oneday,whilePrabhupådawassittinginhisroom
receivinghismassage,hebegantalkingandlaugh-
ing.Ashesatonthefloorwithonelegtuckedunder
hisbodyandone legoutstretchedbeforehim,he
toldthetwoorthreedevoteespresenthowK®ß√a,
carryingthelunchHismotherhadpackedforHim,
would go to the forest with His cowherd boy-
friends,whowerealsocarryinglunchesfromhome.
K®ß√aandHisfriendswouldallsittogethersharing
their lunch, andK®ß√a alwayshad thebest lå∂∂us
and kacaurîs. Prabhupåda’s eyes flashed, and he
rubbedhishandstogether,smiling.“Isimplywant
togotoK®ß√aloka,soIcanhavesomeofK®ß√a’s
lå∂∂uandkacaurîs.Idonothaveanygreatdiversion
fromthis.IsimplywanttogotheresothatIcanen-
joyeating lå∂∂us andkacaurîswithK®ß√a and the
cowherdboys.”Openinghiseyeswidely,heglanced
atDevånanda,whowasmassaginghim,andatthe
othersintheroom.“Oh,”hesaidtothem,“ifyou
willgiveme lå∂∂us andkacaurîs, thenIwillbless
you.”
Commentingonthisincidentinanonlinediscussionwith
somedisciplesandfriends,SwåmîB.V.Tripuråriwrote,
HerePrabhupådaexpresses themoodof thevidü-
ßaka (jester)andpriyanarmaMadhuma∫gala.Batu,
as he is sometimes called, is a bråhma√a friend of
K®ß√a.Heisabigeater,andreligionmeanstofeed
bråhma√as.HeoftenbargainswithK®ß√aformore
sweetsbyofferinghimhisblessings in jest. In the
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 2 5
lastlineabove,Prabhupådaisimitatingnegotiating
withK®ß√a.
AnotherinstanceoccurredinV®ndåvana,in1977:Oneday
whilesittingwithçrîlaPrabhupåda,TamålaK®ß√abeganto
describe thepastimesofK®ß√aasdepicted in thepainting
hangingtotherightofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sprasådam table.
ThepaintingshowedK®ß√aandhiscowherdfriendseating
lunch. çrîla Prabhupåda looked at the painting and then,
closinghiseyesand thinkingof the lîlå, said,“This is the
highestperfectionoflife.”Weshouldnotdiscountthepossi-
bilitythatthereisconsiderablesignificanceinçrîlaPrabhu-
påda’sminddriftingtowardK®ß√a’spastimeswithhiscow-
herd-boyfriends.Afterall,asIndradyumnaSwåmîrecount-
edinarecentclass,çrîlaPrabhupådaexplainedononeoc-
casionthattheHareK®ß√amantrameans,“Omyfriend!O
myfriend!”
Occasionally,however,çrîlaPrabhupådaspokeevenmore
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 2 6
directly.Govindadåsîrecalls,“InthecarinSeattlein1968,
he was talking about this and said, ‘My Guru Mahåråja’s
rasa is thatofgopî,mañjarî,butIaminrelationshipwith
K®ß√aascowherdboy.’”Subaladåsa,anotherdevoteefrom
theearlydays,recallsanothersuchincident:“WhenPrabh-
upådacameforavisit,IgotDr.Kapoortocomewithme
toaskabout it [discussingone’s siddha-deha].Prabhupåda
said,‘Thisisnotdoneinourline.Onemustrealizehisre-
lationshipforhimself.Onecannotjustjumpahead.When
oneisripeandready,itwillberevealedfromwithin…Iam
acowherdboy.’”1 �Anothertime,ina1977recordedandpub-
lished discussion on inauthentic gurus, çrîla Prabhupåda
said, “Svarüpa-siddhi means when he is actually liberated,
heunderstandswhatishisrelationshipwithK®ß√a.Thatis
svarüpa-siddhi.Sakhya.”
Onanotheroccasion,onhearingthatsomeofhisGod-
brothershadconjecturedthathewasinsakhya-rasabecause
hehadinstalledGaura-NitåiDeitiesaroundtheworldand
K®ß√a-Balaråma in V®ndåvana, he just smiled a little and
said, “They say that, do they?” çrîla Prabhupåda did not
commentfurtherbutseemedquitecomfortablewiththeir
assessment.
On still another occasion in which Prabhupåda enter-
tainedadiscussionofhissvarüpaorspokedirectlyaboutit,
H®ßîkeçånandaaskedçrîlaPrabhupådaaboutthenatureof
thedisciple’srelationshipwiththeguruinoursampradåya:
hd:Gurudeva,whataboutrüpånuga-bhakti?What
istheeternalrelationshipbetweenusandyou?
acbsp:(Prabhupådaquotesthesecondhalfofçloka
6ofGurvå߆akam.)Guruisservingunderhismaster
andyouallcandolikewise.Innitya-lîlåeverydevo-
teethinkslikethat,thatmymasteristhemostdear
toRådhå-K®ß√a.
hd: So that means that my relationship with
you is eternal, that it will continue in nitya-lîlå?
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 2 7
acbsp:Yes.
hd:Asmañjarîs?
acbsp:Downtosakhya.
hd:Butforrüpånugasisn’titalwaysmañjarî-rasa?
acbsp:Thatisthehighest;butinthespiritualworld
thereisnosuchdistinction.
Here we find five separate instances directly dealing with
thequestionofPrabhupåda’ssthåyi-bhåva.Inthreeofthem,
PrabhupådadirectlytellshisdisciplesthatheisK®ß√a’ssakhå.
In Subala’s remembrance it is noteworthy that he himself
wasandremainsuninterestedinsakhya-rasa.
Inthethird instance,speakingonthetopicof svarüpa-
siddhi,Prabhupådasays,“sakhya.”Thereisnologicalexpla-
nationforhisconcludingword“sakhya”otherthanthatit
ishispersonalpreoccupation.Inthefourthinstance,Prab-
hupådahearshisGodbrothers’opinionthathewassituat-
edinsakhya-rasa.ThisoccurredinsacredV®ndåvanawhere
C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 2 8
someofthemhadassembled.Hewasoftennotfondoftheir
opinionsandwasquick to respond to themto set the re-
cordstraightinthemindsofhisdisciples,butherehesimply
smilesasiftosay,“Theygotitrightthistime.”
FinallywehaveaninstanceinwhichPrabhupådaisdirect-
lyaskedbyoneofhisdisciplesabouthisrelationshipwith
Prabhupåda inçrîK®ß√a’snitya-lîlå.H®ßîkeçånandaasks if
he and all of Prabhupåda’s disciples are related to him in
K®ß√alîlåinmañjarî-bhåvaandPrabhupådareplies“down
to sakhya.”It isvirtually impossibletoconstruePrabhupå-
da’sresponsesandstatementsaboveinanyotherwaythan
as anaffirmationofhis affinity for sakhya-rasa.Assembled
togetherastheyareabove,theymakeforverycompelling
evidence.
3. Sadhus’ perspectives
Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust www.Krishna.com
C h a p T E r 3 S a d h U S ’ p E r S p E C T I v E S 3 0
In addition to the evidence presented thus far, we
alsohavetherealizationsandspirituallogicofçrî-
la Prabhupåda’s longtime friend and Godbrother
çrîla Bhakti Rakßaka çrîdhara Mahåråja, who was
recognized by çrîla Bhaktisiddhånta Sarasvatî
ˇhåkuraasçåstra-nipuna,onewhoknowstheçåstraingreat
depth, a scriptural genius. çrîla Prabhupåda’s association
withçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjagoesbackto1929andincludes
six years of living together in Calcutta. Reflecting on his
manyyearsoffriendshipwithçrîlaPrabhupåda,Prabhupå-
da’sworldwidepreachingcampaign,andhiswriting,espe-
ciallyhis“PrayertotheLotusFeetofK®ß√a,”writtenonthe
Jaladuta,çrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjaofferedhisownperspec-
tiveonçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinnermood:
Ithinkhehasgiventhehintinhisownautobiogra-
phy.WhenhewasgoingtoAmerica,onthejourney
heexpressedhisfeelingtoplaywithK®ß√ainsakhya-
rasa:kata bane chu†åchu†i bane khåi lu†åpu†i sei din
kabe habe mor,“Runningandfrolickinginthemany
forestsofVraja,Iwillrollonthegroundinspiritual
ecstasy.Owhenwillthatdaybemine?”Thiswashis
“PrayertotheLotusFeetofK®ß√a.”Whenhewas
passing throughtheAtlantic,hegavevent to feel-
ingsthatmaybethesalientpointsinhisVrajalîlå.It
struckmelikethat,V®ndåvanasakhya-rasa.
When he departed from this consciousness of
worldlypreachingpropaganda,thenheisthere.It
isclearlyexpressedinthesesayingsthereintheAt-
lantic.Hediscoveredtheunmanifest(apraka†a)pas-
timesinV®ndåvana,andinV®ndåvanaheestablished
K®ß√a-BalaråmaandGaura-Nitåi.Thatisindicative
of sakhya-rasa. From this we can conclude that he
isinsakhya-rasa,andhehasenteredintothosepas-
times.This ismyunderstandingabouthispresent
position.Hehasexpressedhimself,hiseternalposi-
C h a p T E r 3 S a d h U S ’ p E r S p E C T I v E S 3 1
tion,theacmeofhisaspiration.InV®ndåvanahehas
established Balaråma and K®ß√a and Nitåi-Gaura,
andheissayinglikethat,Nitåi-GauraareK®ß√aand
Balaråma.It’salmostclearthathecomesfromthat
group.Andnowhe’sagainthere.HareK®ß√a.
Heexpressedhisownpositionineternallîlåinhis
poem.Iconjecturelikethat.HareK®ß√a!Inhisdi-
aryinBengalihewrote,“TodayIcookedsomebati-
caccari. Itwasquitedelicious.So I ate something.
Today I expressed my inner feelings to my friend
andwroteapoemaboutthat.”
Andthatfriendcametohisaid.Hewassoearnest
inhisprayertoK®ß√athathemightbeabletodis-
chargethedutythathadbeengiventohimbyhis
GuruMahåråjathatK®ß√acamedowntohelphim,
hisfriendhelpedhiminthispropagandawork.So
çaktyåveça-avatåra.Itakehim;Icannotbuttakehim
tobeso.�2
C h a p T E r 3 S a d h U S ’ p E r S p E C T I v E S 3 2
AddressingK®ß√ahewrote,“Youaremyeternal
friend.ForgettingYou,Ihavecometothisworld
andIhavebeensufferingthekickingofMåyå,the
goddessofmisconception.IfYoucometohelpme
inthiscampaign,thenafterfinishingthisIcanagain
joinYou.WhenIshallbeunitedwithYouagain.I
shallwanderalongwithYouthewholedayinkeep-
ingthecowsintheforest.Runningthissideandthat
sideinthejungle,intheforest.Andthen,lu†åpu†i,
tofallonthegroundindifferentshowsofplay.Ias-
pire after thatday. Ihavegot thisgoodchance to
servemyGurudeva.Forthatreasonmyheartfeltap-
pealtoYouisthatYoupleasecometohelpme.Iam
Youreternalservitor;therefore,somuchaspirationI
havegotforYou.You,noother,aremyonlyresort.”
Soafterperformingthisservice,heaspiresaftera
life inthecow-keeping lîlåofK®ß√a,andhe isap-
preciatingthatsortoffriendlyserviceofK®ß√avery
muchfromthecoreofhisheart,hisaspirationafter
finishinghisworldlypreachingcampaign.
ItakeitthatNityånandaPrabhuhasgivensome
special recognition to the section of the suvar√a-
va√ik communityfromwhichSwamiMahåråjahas
come. He has special grace for that particular sec-
tionandthepreachingaboutGaurå∫ga,andthisis
mentionedinthescriptures.The suvar√a-va√ik are
themostfavoritesectionofNityånandaPrabhu.It
is mentioned in the çåstra, Caitanya-bhågavata. I
thought that Nityånanda Prabhu is also in charge
ofpreachingaboutMahåprabhu’sglory.SoI took
it that Nityånanda Prabhu must have awakened
somespecialdedicationinhiminhislastdayswhich
helpedhimtoinundatewithsuchaninconceivable
magnitude,thewholeoftheworld.
Butthatdoesnotmeanthathewasnothingbe-
fore suchdelegatedpower came inhim.Thatdel-
C h a p T E r 3 S a d h U S ’ p E r S p E C T I v E S 3 3
egationmayonlycomeinaproperplace,justasin
otherçaktyåveça-avatåras,theçaktiacceptsaparticu-
larplaceandthatisnotanordinarything.Onemust
be a proper receptacle to receive that. Çaktyåveça.
Doesitmeanthatwhenthedelegationcomesitwill
entersomebadthing?Thissuppositionismischie-
vous,andthosethatwillmakethismischiefoutof
my statement regarding the delegation of Nityå-
nandaenteringhimwilldiminish faith.Theywill
preparethefieldforbecomingatheists.Thisissui-
cidal,topropagateinthatline.�3
And the sakhya-rasa is also not to be neglected.
DåsaGoswåmî,whoisthoughttoholdthehighest
positionofmådhurya-rasa,ourprayojana åcåryahim-
selfsays,sakhåyam me namasta nityam.Whatdoesit
mean?Foolsrushinwhereangelsfeartotread.Isit
anintellectualfieldthatwecanpassresolutions,pass
remarksinanywaywelikeinourfashion?No.Dåsa
C h a p T E r 3 S a d h U S ’ p E r S p E C T I v E S 3 4
Goswåmî, who is posted in the highest position
of the prayojana-tattva, the åcårya of prayojana in
mådhurya-rasaofRådhådåsyam,hesaysthatIwill
trytoshowmyreverencetosakhya.Itisnotaplay
thing.Thisisveryrarelytobefound.Wemustgoto
thatplaneandthenweshoulddealwiththesethings.
Sakhya-rasaisaverysmallthing?Whatisthis?From
adistanceIwanttoshowmyrespecttosakhya-rasa.
Thatshouldbethetendencyofarealdevotee,and
nottodisregardallthesethings.
InthissectionçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjaisrespondingtothe
objection that by stating that çrîla Prabhupåda found his
idealinsakhya-rasaratherthanmådhuryathatçrîlaçrîdhara
MahåråjawasconsideringçrîlaPrabhupådaa lowerdevo-
tee.Inhistypicalharmonizingspirit,çrîlaçrîdharaMahå-
råjaalsotriedata laterdatetoaccommodatethosewho
insist that Prabhupåda found his ideal in mådhurya-rasa.
PujyapådaçrîdharaMahåråjadidthisbysuggestinganal-
ternative understanding of Prabhupåda’s obvious affinity
for sakhya-rasa:thatPrabhupådamayhaveheldanaffinity
formådhurya-rasawithin,andowingtohisempowerment
by Nityånanda Prabhu, he outwardly showed affinity for
sakhya-rasa.However,thiswasclearlynotthepersonalopin-
ionofPujyapådaçrîdharaMahåråja,norwasheprivytoall
of the instancescited in thisbooklet that sostrongly sup-
porthisopinion.Furthermore,hemadeitclearthathisreal-
izationthatPrabhupådafoundhisidealinsakhya-rasainno
wayimpliedthathisdisciplesaresomehowunabletoattain
mådhurya-rasaunderçrîlaPrabhupåda’sguidance.
However,itisworthnotingthatinterestinmañjarî-bhåva
onthepartofPrabhupåda’sdiscipleshascomealmosten-
tirelyfromsourcesoutsideofhismission.4�Indeed,theterm
mañjarî-bhåvaisfoundnowhereinanyofçrîlaPrabhupåda’s
books,conversations,orletters,andnowhereinanyVyåsa-
püjåofferingswrittenbyhisdisciplespriortoçikßå-gurusbe-
C h a p T E r 3 S a d h U S ’ p E r S p E C T I v E S 3 5
cominginvolvedwithhisdisciples.This,ofcourse,isnotto
saythattheconceptofmañjarî-bhåvaisnotfoundthrough-
outtheGau∂îyatextstranslatedandcommentedonbyçrîla
Prabhupåda,asitiscentraltoGau∂îyaVaiß√avism.
It should be clear from çrîla çrîdhara Mahåråja’s re-
marks that he carefully considered Prabhupåda’s inner life
fromdifferent anglesof visionover timeand in consider-
ationofçåstra.Thuswearewelladvisedtocarefullyconsid-
ertheweightofthisjudgment.Incaseanyonemightthink
thatçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjamightbemakingtoomuchof
Prabhupåda’sprayeraboardtheJaladuta,thathemaybetak-
ingtoomuchlibertyinsuggestingthatitrevealssomething
ofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinnermood,wemaynotetheremarks
Prabhupådahimselfmadeinhisdiaryonthedayhewrote
thatprayer,September13,1965:“TodayIhavedisclosedmy
mindtomycompanionLordçrîK®ß√a.ThereisaBengali
poemmadebymetodayinthisconnection.”çrîlaPrabhu-
pådadidnotwritethispoemwithpublishinginmind—not
C h a p T E r 3 S a d h U S ’ p E r S p E C T I v E S 3 6
forpreachingbutforreflectingontheinnerlifethatfueled
hispreaching.
In 2003 çrîla Prabhupåda’s Back To Godhead magazine
published an article by Satsvarüpa dåsa Goswåmî on this
poem.TheGoswåmîremarkstherein:
çrîla Prabhupåda rarely made entries in his dia-
ry,yetfromthisoceancrossingwehaveanumber
ofintimaterevelationsofhismind.Withthesame
straightforward,factualtoneinwhichhehasnoted
thedate,theweather,andthestateofhishealth,he
hasdescribedhishelplessdependenceonhis“com-
panion” Lord K®ß√a, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead,andhisabsorptionintheecstasyofsep-
aration fromK®ß√a.çrîlaPrabhupåda rarelywrote
poems;wehavefoundalife’stotalofnomorethan
abouthalfadozen.Theywerenottheproductsof
idleliteraryhours,norweretheywrittenforpubli-
cationorfame.(Thepoemsanddiaryentrieswere
found years later by curious disciples who uncov-
ered them among their spiritual master’s miscella-
neouspapers.)
The last twoversesof thispoemgive anunexpectedcon-
fidentialglimpseintoçrîlaPrabhupåda’sdirectrelationship
withLordK®ß√a.Inverse9hecallsonK®ß√aashis“dear
friend”andspeaksofagainexperiencingthejoyofwander-
inginthecowpasturesandfieldsofVraja.Inverse10herel-
isheshowthismemoryofK®ß√ahascometohiminsucha
niceway,becauseofhisgreatdesireforservingK®ß√a.
4. A closer look at Prabhupada’s prayer
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C h a p T E r 4 a C l O S E r l O O k a T p r a b h U p a d a ’ S p r a y E r 3 8
ItisclearfromthedeepspiritualinsightsofPujya-
pådaçrîdharaMahåråjaabovethatPrabhupåda’s
prayeraboardtheJaladutaissignificant.Innoun-
certainterms,Prabhupådalongsforsakhya-rasain
his“PrayertotheLotusFeetofK®ß√a.”Thusitwill
beprudenttolookatitmorecloselyandthroughit,çrîla
Prabhupåda’sheartandhighestideal.
Drawing from çrîla çrîdhara Mahåråja’s realizations,
SwåmîB.V.TripuråridiscussesPrabhupåda’spoeminmore
depth.Herewefindnotonly sakhya-rasa,butaparticular
kindofspiritualfriendship.Swåmîwrites,
Prabhupådasays,k®ß√a taba pu√ya habe bhåi e-pu√ya
koribe jabe rådhårå√î khusî habe dhruva ati boli tomå
tåi. Here Prabhupåda negotiates with his brother-
friend (bhåi)K®ß√a.5�HegivesK®ß√amoralinstruc-
tion,justasSubala-sakhåissaidtobeexpertindoing
inRüpaGoswåmî’sRådhå-k®ß√a-ga√oddeça-dipikå.
C h a p T E r 4 a C l O S E r l O O k a T p r a b h U p a d a ’ S p r a y E r 3 9
Inthebhåvaofapriyanarma-sakhå,whoisactively
andintimately involvedinçrîK®ß√a’sromanticaf-
fairswithçrîRådhå,Prabhupådasays,“Omydear
friendK®ß√a,itiscertainthatyouwillattainpietyif
Rådhåispleasedwithyou.”HerePrabhupådasays
thatthisisassureasthepolestar(dhruva)isfixed.
He tellsK®ß√a,“Your life revolves aroundher.” In
thiswayhecapturesK®ß√a’sattention.Havingdone
sointherefrainofhispoem,Prabhupådathenbe-
ginstobargainwithhisfriendinthefollowingverses.
He does so by introducing his Gurudeva into
thenegotiation.Externally,inhissådhaka-deha,his
guruisthegreatpreacherBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatî
ˇhåkuraPrabhupåda.Internally,heisNayana-ma√i
mañjarî in his spiritual form, an intimate servitor
in çrî Rådhå’s group. Priyanarma-sakhås are inti-
mately connected with a particular yütheçvåri (gopî
groupleader).HerePrabhupådaimplieshisconnec-
tionwithRådhå’sgroupandLalitå-sakhî,inwhose
service Nayana-ma√i mañjarî is situated. In effect
he says to K®ß√a, “My Gurudeva, who represents
çrîRådhå,hasnowappearedasagreatpreacherin
Mahåprabhu’s sa∫kîrtana movement.” Prabhupåda
tellsK®ß√athat“Nayana-ma√imañjarîhasgivenme
anorderthatImustfulfill.However,Icannotdoit
withoutyourhelp.AsIhavepointedoutearlier,it
willbegoodforyouifyoupleaseRådhå.Thisismy
advicetoyou.Therefore,ifyougivemetheçaktito
fulfillherorder,shewillbepleasedandyouwillat-
tainpiety.”
InthisprayerofçrîlaPrabhupåda,wefindthees-
senceofGau∂îyaVaiß√avism.Everyoneistryingto
pleaseK®ß√a,butK®ß√a is trying topleaseRådhå.
Prabhupåda was well aware of this, and by point-
ingitouttoK®ß√asosweetlyhegothisattention,
andthusthepowertoexecutehisGurudeva’sorder
C h a p T E r 4 a C l O S E r l O O k a T p r a b h U p a d a ’ S p r a y E r 4 0
wasbestowedinnosmallwayandhispersonalre-
questwasnodoubtfulfilledaswell.Thatrequestin
hisownwordsisasfollows:“Oncewearetogether,
brother,Iwillagainfeelthehappinessofwandering
alldaylong,grazingthecows.Iprayforthedayto
comewhenwechaseeachotherandwrestleinevery
oneofV®ndåvana’sforests.”
HavingexaminedçrîlaPrabhupåda’spoemindepth,wenow
turntothesignificanceofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sfamilylineage.
5. Prabhupada’s family connection to the dvadasa-gopalas
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C h a p T E r 5 p r a b h U pa d a ’ S f a m I l y C O N N E C T I O N T O T h E d v a d a S a - g O pa l a S 4 2
InhiscommentsconcerningçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinner
life,PujyapådaB.R.çrîdharaMahåråjanotedPrab-
hupåda’sfamilyconnectionwiththe suvar√a-vå√ik
community, and çrîla Prabhupåda himself finds
theconnectionsignificantenoughtomentionina
purporttoÇrî Caitanya-caritåm®ta.�6AsCaitanya-bhågavata
(3.5.453)pointsout,thiscommunityandthevillageofSap-
tagråmawereespeciallyblessedbyNityånandaPrabhu,who
wassteepedinsakhya-bhåva.
The patron saint of the suvar√a-vå√ik community is
Uddhåra√aDattaˇhåkura,oneofNityånandaPrabhu’sprin-
cipal associates,who is alsooneof thedvådaça-gopålas of
K®ß√a and Balaråma’s nitya-lîlå, where he is known as
Subåhu-gopa. About the temple in Saptagråma where
Uddhåra√aDattaˇhåkuraisespeciallyhonoredandwhere
his Deity of Mahåprabhu is worshiped, çrîla Prabhu-
pådacomments,“Formerly, inourchildhood,wevisited
this temple with our parents because all the members of
C h a p T E r 5 p r a b h U pa d a ’ S f a m I l y C O N N E C T I O N T O T h E d v a d a S a - g O pa l a S 4 3
the suvar√a-vånikcommunityenthusiasticallytakeinterest
inthis templeofUddhåra√aDattaˇhåkura.” �7Whençrîla
PrabbupådareturnedtoIndiaforthefirsttimeafterpreach-
ingintheWest,heandhisdiscipleswerehonoredbytheex-
ecutivecommitteeofUddhåra√aDatta’stempleandmade
apilgrimagetothetemple.SomeyearslaterçrîlaPrabhu-
påda tried toarrange forhis society to take responsibility
fortheDeity’sserviceatUddhåra√aDattaˇhåkura’stemple
inSaptagråma.
The significance of Prabhupåda’s connection with the
suvar√a-vå√ik community should not be underestimated.
çrîla Prabhupåda appeared in this world in this commu-
nity,a communityofVaiß√avaswho inGaura-Nityånanda
lîlåwereespeciallyblessedbyNitåicåndandledbyoneof
Balaråma’s eternal associates, Uddhåra√a Datta ˇhåkura.
ThusPrabhupåda’sfamily lineageisa sakhya-rasaVaiß√ava
lineage,onethathehonoredthroughouthislifeevenafter
heentered theeternal serviceofBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatî
ˇhåkura.çrîlaPrabhupåda’sdisciplesconsiderhimtobea
nitya-siddhaVaiß√ava,onewhocomestothisworldfromthe
paravyoma.SuchVaiß√avasarelikelytoappearinthisworld
infamiliesthatinsomewaycorrespondwiththeirinnerlife.
WeshouldalsonotethatçrîlaPrabhupådaconsistentlyre-
ferredtohisfatherasaçuddhaVaiß√avaandthathisconnec-
tiontothesuvar√a-vå√ik communitywasthroughhispater-
nalfamilylineage.
6. Insights into Srila Prabhupada’s fighting spirit
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C h a p T E r 6 I N S I g h T S I N T O S r I l a p r a b h U p a d a ’ S f I g h T I N g S p I r I T 4 5
Even some of çrîla Prabhupåda’s more spir-
ited,aggressiveexpressionsmaybeattribut-
edto,oratleastperhapsbetterunderstood
in the context of, an affinity for sakhya-
rasa. When he would get excited some-
times, discussing influential atheists and false incarnations
ofGod,Prabhupådawouldsaythingssuchas“Iwillkickon
hisfacewithboots.”SwåmîTripuråriseesthisasevidenceof
theyuddha-vîra-rasa (chivalrous,fighting spirit).Henotes
thatPrabhupåda’sretortissimilartothatofV®ndåvanadåsa
ˇhåkura,whoinCaitanya-bhågavataoftencomparedthose
whoclaim tobelieve inK®ß√abutnot inçrîCaitanya,or
thosewhobelieveinçrîCaitanyabutnotçrîNityånanda,to
atheistsorasuras.çrîV®ndåvanadåsaalsoboldlyproclaims
thathekicksontheirheadswithboots!TripuråriMahåråja
recentlywrote,“‘Ikickontheirheadswithboots.’Thisis
thelanguageofV®ndåvanadåsaˇhåkurainCaitanya-bhåga-
vata,whoisinsakhya-rasa.Vîra-rasa (chivalry)andsakhya-
rasaarecomplementary.Thisisaparticulartypeofvîra-ra-
sa, yuddha-vîra complimenting sakhya-rasa, the confidence
(viçrambha) and fighting spirit of a cowherd. It was very
characteristicofçrîlaPrabhupåda.”
OnanotheroccasionTripuråriMahåråjarecountsrespond-
ingtoaletterfromadevoteewhowasbewilderedbyread-
ing of çrîla Prabhupåda’s remarks about dropping bombs
ontheheadsofintractableatheists:
Ultimately I said, this ishow tounderstand such
statements:itisyuddha-vîra.Youaretalkingtohim
andhegoesofflikethis;thisishisbhåva.(Veryan-
imated:) “We’ll fight them, yes. We’ll fight them
forK®ß√a,yes!Let’sgo,allofus.Thenwe’lldrop
bombs on them!” It doesn’t mean he really wants
todropbombsonpeople,butyouhavetounder-
stand that devotees who are motivated by bhåva
sometimesmanifest it,while for themostpart it is
subdued.Itlookslikesuchadevoteeishavinganor-
C h a p T E r 6 I N S I g h T S I N T O S r I l a p r a b h U p a d a ’ S f I g h T I N g S p I r I T 4 6
malconversation,buthisbhåvamaymanifestslight-
ly and enter into or influence the conversation:
vaiß√avera kriyå mudrå vijñeha nå bujhaya.Therefore
itissaid,itisverydifficulttounderstandthemotiva-
tionoftheVaiß√ava,whyheorsheissayingordo-
ingsomething.Alloftheirwordsandactionshave
averydeepconnectionto thecenter, to theirbhå-
va.Theirsisaworldverydifferentfromtheexternal
world.Whentheycommentontheexternalworld,
and one tries to make sense of it without under-
standingtheirbhåva,onecanbeconfused.Don’tbe
confused.He’sacowherd!Foramomenthe’sgo-
ingintoyuddha-vîra,tastingthatandremembering
K®ß√a’spastimes.Yes,wewilldropbombsonthem.
InthiswayIwasabletosatisfythatdevotee.
7. Sakhya-rasa in the Gaudiya sampradaya
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C h a p T E r 7 S a k h y a - r a S a I N T h E g a U d I y a S a m p r a d a y a 4 8
InlightoftheaboveevidencepointingtoçrîlaPra-
bhupåda’s identification with sakhya-rasa, it will
be helpful to examine the place of sakhya-rasa in
our sampradåya. Does sakhya-rasa have a place in
theGau∂îya sampradåya?What is thegoalofour
sam pra dåya?Morespecifically,whatkindofpremaisitspra-
yojana?Whiletheapexofallpossibleattainmentsisnodoubt
conjugalloveofGodandwithinthatRådhådåsyam,orthe
serviceofahandmaidenofRådhå(alsocommonlyreferred
toasmañjarî-bhåva),owingtotheinfluenceofNityånanda
Prabhu, sakhya-rasa isalsoprominent inour sampradåya.
ItistruethatçrîNityånanda’sconsortJåh√avå-devîisan
incarnationofAna∫ga-mañjarî,çrîRådhå’syoungersister,
andthatafterNitåicånd’sdeparturefromtheworldshebe-
cametheleaderofthelineageofNityånandaPrabhuthat
has become most prominent. However, Nityånanda Pra-
bhuhimselfbegantheentire sampradåyawithhiseternal
associates,thedvådaça-gopålas.Eachofthesecowherdas-
sociatesofK®ß√a andBalaråmabegan initiatingdisciples
in Bengal under the guidance of Nityånanda Prabhu be-
foreanyotherGau∂îyalineagebegan.�8Allofthemwerein
sakhya-rasaandtheirGau∂îyalineageswerefilledwiththis
sentiment.
çrîla Prabhupåda himself takes up this issue on another
levelbyidentifyingBrahmå,whoafterbeingdirectlyiniti-
atedbyçrîK®ß√aservesasthefountainheadoftheBrahmå-
Madhva-Gau∂îya sampradåya, asagopa. JustbeforeK®ß√a
teacheshimtheBhågavataminfourversesBrahmåsays,“O
myLord,theunborn,Youhaveshakenhandswithmejust
asafrienddoeswithafriend[asifequalinposition].Ishall
be engaged in the creation of different types of living en-
tities, andI shallbeoccupied inYour service. I shallhave
noperturbation,butIpraythatallthismaynotgiveriseto
pride,asifIweretheSupreme.”�9
çrîlaPrabhupådaexplainsinhispurport:
C h a p T E r 7 S a k h y a - r a S a I N T h E g a U d I y a S a m p r a d a y a 4 9
LordBrahmåisdefinitelysituatedinthehumorof
friendship with the Lord.…It is clearly exhibited
hereinthatLordBrahmåisrelatedtothePersonality
ofGodheadinthetranscendentalhumoroffriend-
ship.…Brahmåjî, although eternally related with
theLordinthetranscendentalhumoroffriendship,
andalthoughentrustedwiththemostexaltedpost
ofcreatingdifferentgradesoflivingentities,isstill
consciousofhisposition,thatheisneithertheSu-
premeLordnorsupremelypowerful.
TheexampleofBrahmåas explainedbyçrîlaPrabhupåda
bringstolightanothersignificantpoint.Notonlyhavethere
been sakhya-rasa lineages in the Gau∂îya sampradåya, but
differentsentimentsmayappearinalineagedespitethesen-
timentofthelineage’sfounder.Forcenturieswedonotfind
sakhya-rasa in Madhva’s lineage stemming from Brahmå.
However, with the appearance of Lakßmîpati Tîrtha in
C h a p T E r 7 S a k h y a - r a S a I N T h E g a U d I y a S a m p r a d a y a 5 0
thisline,whoistheinitiatingguruofNityånandaPrabhu,
sakhya-rasaappearsprominently inNitåicånd.Theninan-
otherdiscipleofLakßmipatiTîrtha,MådhavendraPurî,we
findconjugallove.
More recent evidence for differing sentiments appear-
ingwithinthesamelineageisfoundinthewell-knowncase
of çyåmånanda Prabhu, the disciple of H®daya-caitanya.
H®daya-caitanyawasadiscipleofGauridåsaPa√∂ita,who
is Subala-sakhå in K®ß√a lîlå. Like his guru Gauridåsa,
H®daya-caitanyawasalsosteepedinsakhya-rasa,yethisdis-
cipleDukhiK®ß√adåsa,wholaterbecamefamousasçyåmå-
nanda,tastedconjugallove.
EvenmorerecentevidenceissuppliedbyˇhåkuraBhakti-
vinoda. In the ˇhåkura’s Jaiva Dharma, Raghunåtha dåsa
Båbåjî ascertained one disciple’s (Vijaya-kumåra) internal
identityasthatofamañjarîservingunderLalitå-devî’sdirec-
tion,andanother’s(Vrajanåtha)asbeingasakhåunderSuba-
la’sdirection.Finallyinveryrecenthistory,manyofushad
thepleasureofmeetingandassociatingwithçrîlaPrabhu-
påda’sGodbrotherAkiñcanaK®ß√adåsaBåbåjî,whofrankly
admittedtoçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjaandothershisembrace
ofsakhya-bhåva.Thustosaythatonlymañjarî-bhåvaisavail-
ableinourlinecontradictsthefactsasweknowthem.Objec-
tivelyspeaking,itisclearlythehighestreachofourlineage,
butaswehaveseenabove,itisnottheonlytypeofprema
thatservesastheprayojanaoftheGau∂îyasampradåya.
8. Objections
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C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 5 2
Thus far we have considered the history of
some of Prabhupåda’s interactions with his
disciples that have provided glimpses into
hisaffinityforsakhya-rasa.Wehavealsocon-
sidered theopinionsof sådhus suchasçrîla
B. R. çrîdhara Deva Goswåmî and Swåmî B.V.Tripuråri,
bothofwhomhavehelpedustounderstandthesignificance
of Prabhupåda’s poem aboard the Jaladuta. Prabhupåda’s
familylineagehasalsobeendiscussedinlightofitssignifi-
cantconnectionwithsakhya-rasa,andfollowingthiswehave
verybrieflydiscussedtheplaceofsakhya-rasaintheGau∂îya
sampradåya.Nowwewillturntoobjectionstotheideathat
Prabhupådaissituatedinsakhya-rasa.
Exclus ive mañjarî-bhåva—the highes t per fect ion
Some devotees have asserted that if we are to think of
Prabhupådaasbeingsituatedinthehighestperfection,he
must be absorbed in mañjarî-bhåva, for this is the high-
est reach of our sampradåya. One claim made by the ad-
vocatesof themådhurya-onlyposition is thatçrîCaitanya
Mahåprabhu, as one writer put it, has come only for un-
natojjvala-rasa, thebrightest jewelof rasånanda—mañjarî-
bhåva.Theycontend,oratleastimply,thathecametoteach
mådhurya-rasa exclusively.However,wedon’tseeevidence
inthescripturestosupportthiscontention,butratheronly
thatmañjarî-bhåvaistheapexofçrîCaitanya’soutreachand
innerexperience.TheLordhimselfassertsinÇrî Caitanya-
caritåm®tathathecametoteachustoloveK®ß√athrough
anyofthefourrasas ofVraja.AccordingtoçrîlaK®ß√adåsa
KaviråjaGoswåmî,çrîK®ß√athinkstohimself,“Ishallper-
sonallyinauguratethereligionoftheage,nåma-sa∫kîrtana,
thecongregationalchantingoftheholyname.Ishallmake
theworlddanceinecstasy,realizingthefourmellowsoflov-
ingdevotionalservice.”�10
Infact,althoughit isunnatojjvala-rasa theLordcameto
tastehimself,hecametoteachthefourbhåvasthroughwhich
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 5 3
theresidentsofVrajapleaseK®ß√a.11�Andwhilethereisno
disputethatRådhå’sloveisthehighestpinnacleoflove,we
alsofeelimpelledtoassertthatinonesensethereisnodiffer-
enceamongtherasas.BeforeK®ß√adåsaKaviråjabeginscom-
paringtherelativeintensityofthedevotionalsentiments,he
says,“Fourkindsofdevoteesarethereceptaclesofthefour
kindsofmellowsinloveofGod,namelyservitude,friend-
ship,parentalaffection,andconjugallove.Eachkindofdev-
oteefeelsthathissentimentisthemostexcellent,andthusin
thatmoodhetastesgreathappinesswithLordK®ß√a.”12�
It isnot the case, then, thatçrîCaitanya came to teach
mådhurya-rasaexclusively.Furthermore,whileitistruethat
objectivelyspeakingwhenwelookatthefourrasasofVraja
throughthelensoftattvathatmañjarî-bhåvaexceedstheoth-
ersinintimacy,thesubjectiverealityofeachandeveryreal-
izeddevoteeultimatelydetermineswhichsentimentishigh-
est.Inotherwords,itisthroughthesubjectivelensofbhåva
that thefinaldetermination ismade,andhere,asPrabhu-
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 5 4
pådaconsistently emphasized,wemustbe carefulnot to
thinkintermsofhigherandlowerandtherebymuddythe
watersofrasånandawiththepollutedstreamofourmun-
danemind.Wemustalsorememberthattheperfectionof
anydevoteederivesfromhisorherwillingnesstoserveçrî
K®ß√aonK®ß√a’sownterms.
Thesensethatone’sownbhåva isthehighest isalsoim-
plied by K®ß√adåsa Kaviråja Goswåmî in his depiction of
theconversationbetweenRåmånandaRåyaandMahåprab-
hu.InthemidstofK®ß√adåsaKaviråja’sdiscussionofsådha-
naandhissubsequentstressongopî-bhåvaandthefactthat
onlybyfollowingthesentimentofandservingthegopîscan
onefullyexperienceallofthepastimesofRådhå-K®ß√a,çrîla
Prabhupåda’scommentsareofinterest.çrîK®ß√adåsawrites,
“Withoutthehelpofthegopîs,onecannotenterintothese
pastimes.Onlyonewhoworships theLord in theecstasy
ofthegopîs,followingintheirfootsteps,canengageinthe
serviceofçrîçrîRådhå-K®ß√ainthebushesofV®ndåvana.
Only then can one understand the conjugal love between
RådhåandK®ß√a.There isnootherprocedure forunder-
standing.”
Whileacknowledgingthatonlygopî-bhåvaaffordsonefull
accesstoçrîK®ß√a’sromanticlife,çrîlaPrabhupådabegins
his purport on this verse thus: “The means for returning
home,forgoingbacktoGodhead,isdevotionalservice,but
everyonehasadifferenttasteintheLord’sservice.Onemay
beinclinedtoservetheLordinservitude(dåsya-rasa),frater-
nity(sakhya-rasa)orparentallove(våtsalya-rasa)…”
Indeed,çrîK®ß√adåsaKaviråjaGoswåmîhimselflaterin
this sectionofCaitanya-caritåm®tapauses inhisownper-
sonalenthusiasmforgopî-bhåvatoremindusthattheteach-
ingisthattheråga-mårgaingeneralconsistsofworshiping
Vrajendranandanaandthatsuchworshipconsistsofanum-
berofbhåvas.And,again,whicheverbhåvaoneembracesin
theserviceofthesonofNandaoneattainsperfectioninthat
bhåvaasaresidentofVraja(Cc.2.4.221–222).
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 5 5
Theuniquepositionofthepriyanarma-sakhåsisalsoim-
portanttonote.Asmentionedearlier,thisparticulargroup
ofK®ß√a’sfriendsalsoservesthegopîs.Indeed,inhisUjjvala-
nîlama√iRüpaGoswåmîhasreferredtotheirbhåvaassakhî-
bhåva.Thisisnottosaythatthepriyanarma-sakhås’experi-
enceisthesamebhåvainallrespectsasthatofçrîRådhå’s
mañjarîs,buttheydoexperienceadegreeofmahåbhåvaand
thus their penetration into Rådhå-K®ß√a lîlå exceeds that
ofdåsyaandvåtsalya-rasa, aswellasthatofotherformsof
sakhya-rasa.
ThusçrîlaPrabhupåda’saffinityforsakhya-rasa document-
edabove shouldneverbe construedas adefect andone
shouldnotthinkthatbecauseofitheislessthanperfect.
Suchthinkingismundaneandoffensive.
Rüpånuga
Another objection we hear is that our sampradåya is the
rüpånugaline;wefollowçrîlaRüpaGoswåmî,who,aswe
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 5 6
know, is Rüpa-mañjarî in his siddha-deha. Thus everyone
whoisarüpånugamustpursuemañjarî-bhåva.Thosewho
takethispositionremindusthatçrîlaBhaktisiddhåntaSaras-
vatîˇhåkura’spra√åm-mantracelebrateshimasveryaverse
to anything different from çrîla Rüpa Goswåmî’s mood:
rüpånuga-viruddhåpa-siddhånta-dhvånta-håri√e. But if we
takeacloselookatthatmantra,weseethatitsaysthatçrîla
Sarasvatî̌ håkurawouldnottolerateanystatementcontrary
toçrîlaRüpaGoswåmî’s teachings/siddhånta (viruddhåpa-
siddhånta).Itdoesnotsaythathenevertoleratedanymood
different from Rüpa Goswåmî’s. Tattva (siddhånta) and
bhåva(one’sspiritualsentiment)aretwodifferentthings.In
siddhåntaallGau∂îyaVaiß√avasareone,buttheirspiritual
sentiments,orbhåvas,maydiffer.
Some may argue that rüpånuga in its narrowest sense
means to follow Rüpa Goswåmî in all respects, including
adopting mañjarî-bhåva. However, all Gau∂îya Vaiß√avas
followRüpaGoswåmî’s teaching,his siddhånta.Everyone
followsBhakti-rasåm®ta-sindhu.HowcouldçrîlaSarasvatî
ˇhåkura,asarüpånuga,decryotherbhåvasofVraja?Vrajais
thatplacewhere,accordingtoçrîlaJîvaGoswåmîinhisin-
troductiontoGopåla-campü, everything isaccommodated,
everythingharmonized.Thevarietyofbhåvas amongdev-
oteesisnotafault;itisanornament.Thisiswhatwefind
whenwereadçrîlaRüpaGoswåmî’s teachings,beginning
with Bhakti-rasåm®ta-sindhu. So in that perhaps broader
sense,allGau∂îyaVaiß√avasarerüpånugas.Thisundermines
theclaimwesometimesencounterthatsakhya-rasa devotees
mayberågånuga bhaktas butnotrüpånuga bhaktas.Instead
offollowingRüpaGoswåmî,orRüpa-mañjarî,wearetold,
thosedevoteesfollowGauridåsaPa√∂ita,whotheysayisa
rågånuga åcårya but not a rüpånuga åcårya. Such narrow
thinkingmaybeacceptedinsomecircles.However,aswe
seeabove,GauridåsaPa√∂ita’sfollowerscertainlydofollow
theteachings,thesiddhånta,ofçrîlaRüpaGoswåmî,which
makesthemrüpånugadevoteesinthebroadersense.
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 5 7
Gau∂îya dikßå-mantras
Still another objection we hear is that the mantras devo-
teesinourlinereceive,particularlytheGopåla mantra and
theKåma-gåyatrî mantra,bestowloveinç®∫gåra-rasa.The
Gopåla mantra, we hear, means, “I accept the same rela-
tionwithK®ß√aas thegopîs: thatK®ß√a ismybeloved.”It
is,theysay,agopî-mantra,forgopî-bhåva-åçrayaonly.What
theyseemtobemissingisçrîlaSanåtanaGoswåmî’sB®had-
Bhågavatåm®ta, another seminal work in our sampradåya.
ThatepicworkfollowsGopa-kumåra,acowherdfromGo-
vardhana,inhissojournthroughthematerialandspiritual
universesallthewaytoK®ß√a’spersonalcompanyinGolo-
ka.WhatisthevehiclethatcarriesGopa-kumåratoGoloka
V®ndåvana?Asfarashisdikßå-mantraisconcerned,itisthe
Gopåla mantra.
Moreover, it is important tonotehere that themantra
Gopa-kumårachantedisnottheeighteen-syllablemantra
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 5 8
wearegivenatdikßå.Thatmantracontainsthreenamesfor
K®ß√a:K®ß√a,Govinda,andGopî-jana-vallabha.Inhiscom-
mentaryonpürva15ofGopåla-tåpanî Upanißad,SwåmîB.V.
Tripuråri,followingourpredecessoråcåryasJîvaGoswåmî,
Prabodhånanda Sarasvatî,Viçvanåtha Cakravartî, and oth-
ers,pointsoutthespecificsignificanceofeachofthenames
includedinthismantra.ThenameK®ß√a,heexplains,cor-
responds most closely with love for K®ß√a as experienced
bypractitionersofvaidhî-bhakti,lovetingedwithreverence
forK®ß√a,asinDvårakå.ThenameGovindacorresponds
most closely with the love of those practicing rågånuga-
bhakti,aspiringforthekindofloveofGovinda’scowherd-
boy friends, as well as those following the våtsalya-rasa
exemplified by Nanda and Yaçodå. Gopî-jana-vallabha,
however,isespeciallyforculturingunnatojjvala-rasa,con-
jugalloveforK®ß√afollowinginthewakeofçrîmatîRåd-
hikå’s cowherd-girl friends. In this connection, Tripuråri
Mahåråjawrites,
Thosewhoaspireforthisspiritualsentiment[con-
jugal love] in K®ß√a’s Vraja lîlå understand the
names K®ß√a and Govinda to be aspects of Gopî-
jana-vallabha. çrî Caitanya Mahåprabhu himself
chanted the ten-syllable Gopåla mantra, klîµ gopî-
jana-vallabhåya-svåhå,ratherthanthefulleighteen-
syllableGopålamantragivenhereinGopåla-tåpani.
ThusitistobeunderstoodthatthenamesK®ß√aand
Govindaarenotabsolutelynecessaryforthosewho
aspirefortheconjugalloveofRådhå-K®ß√a.�13
Sanåtana Goswåmî tells us in B®had-Bhågavatåm®ta that
themantrathatcarriedGopa-kumåraallthewaytoGoloka
V®ndåvana,ultimatelyrevealinghiseternalformasK®ß√a’s
cowherd-boyfriendSarüpa,isthissameten-syllableGopå-
la mantra especiallymeantforthoseaspiringtomådhurya-
rasa.14�This seems to indicate, then, that even this mantra
maygivevarietiesof loveotherthanconjugal love.More-
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 5 9
over,tobringusbacktoearth,sotospeak,themantraour
gurusgiveusistheeighteen-syllableGopåla mantra,which
accommodatesabroaderspectrumofspiritualsentiments.
ReadingB®had-Bhågavatåm®ta should, it seems, raisea
coupleofquestionsinthoughtfulreaders’minds,particularly
thoseconvincedthatour sampradåyaoffersonlymådhurya-
rasa.Oneis,“Whydoesn’tSanåtanaGoswåmî,whois,aswe
know, Lava∫ga-mañjarî, have his protagonist discover his
mañjarîidentity,ratherthanthatofthecowherdboySarü-
pa?”Andtheotherquestionis,“IftheGopåla mantra isfor
gopî-bhåva-åçrayaonly,howisitthatitrevealedacowherd
boy’sbhåva toGopa-kumåra?”SanåtanaGoswåmîhimself
seemsunwillingtoacceptsuchaproposition.
Gurus and di s c ip le s with di f f erent s ent iments
Yet another assertion made by the advocates of exclusive
mådhurya-bhåva is that a disciple cannot have a different
bhåvathanhisorherguru.Theysaytheycannotthinkofa
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 6 0
singleinstancewhereadisciplehasasvarüpa differentfrom
theguruheorshefollows.Whileitistruethatinmostcas-
esthedisciplefollowstheguruintermsofhisorherbhåva,
thisisnotalwaysthecase.Intheleast,thereareexceptions
tothisstandard,exceptionsthatdonotmakefordisciples
whohavesomehowfallenshort.
Thefactthatdisciplesdoindeedsometimesdevelopdif-
ferentbhåvasfromthatoftheirguruhasbeendemonstrat-
edaboveinmybriefexplanationoftheplaceofsakhya-rasa
inoursampradåya.Therein,evidenceofdifferentsentiments
appearing in the same lineage was presented. Perhaps the
mostsignificantevidenceinthatsectioncontrarytotheno-
tionthatthedisciplemustattainthesamesentimentasthat
ofhisorherguru is thereferencetoˇhåkuraBhaktivino-
da’sJaiva Dharma.Asmentioned,inJaiva Dharmatwodis-
ciples of the same guru develop affinity for two different
bhåvas: sakhyaandmådhurya.Istresstheexamplefoundin
Jaiva Dharma, amongother reasons,becausedifferent ex-
planationsof theexamplesofAkiñcanaK®ß√adåsaBåbåjî
andçyåmånandaPrabhu,alsomentionedabove,havebeen
suggestedattimes.
ThecaseofçyåmånandaPrabhuisoftenconsideredanex-
ceptiontothenorm.Asthestorygoes,oneofRådhå’shand-
maidensclaimedhimforhercampdespitehisinitiationina
lineageofsakhya-rasa gurus.Inthisinstanceanentirespiri-
tualdramaunfolded involvingvariouseternalparticipants
inK®ß√alîlåparticipatinginboththeirsiddhaandsådhaka-
dehas.Theinstanceissouniquethatithasbeencelebrated
andwrittenaboutforgenerations.Moreover,itspawneda
newsampradåya,theçyåmånandaParivåra.Nothinglikethis
happenedinthecaseofçrîlaPrabhupåda.Atthesametime,
thelîlåofçyåmånandacannotbeentirelydismissedbyany
means.Inspiteofitsuniqueness,itnonethelessalsospeaks
tousofthepossibilityofexceptionstothenorm.
In thecaseofAkiñcanaK®ß√adåsaBåbåjî, somehavear-
guedthathisfailuretopreachasBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatî
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 6 1
ˇhåkura desired constituted an offense on his part that
causedhisbhåvatobedowngraded.Bhakti-rasåm®ta-sindhu
1.3.54issometimescitedassupportforthisinterpretation.
çrîJîvacommentsthataslightoffensetoagreatdevoteeor
toçrîK®ß√ahimselfcanresultinone’sbhåvabeingdown-
graded. However, this verse refers to devotees who have
already attained bhåva. In the case ofAkiñcana K®ß√adåsa
Båbåjî,thereisabsolutelynoevidencethatheattainedgopî-
bhåva from which his bhåva was downgraded to sakhya-
bhåva.Frombeginningtoendhisaffinityandultimateat-
tainmentwassakhya-bhåva.
But let me return again to the writing of Bhaktivinoda
ˇhåkurainhisJaiva Dharmatofurtherdemonstratewhythis
evidenceisparticularlycompelling.Thosewhomightob-
jectthatthisbookisaworkoffictionshouldbeadvisedthat
çrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjastatedinnouncertaintermsthat,be-
causetheˇhåkuraisasiddha-mahåtmå, whatevermanifests
inhismindisrealityonsomeplaneoratsometime.More-
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 6 2
over,realorfictitious,çrîlaBhaktivinodaˇhåkurausedthat
booktopresenttheGau∂îyaVaiß√avaphilosophyfromAto
Z.Inhisline,thisbookrepresentsthesiddhånta.Itisthus
verysignificantthathehasgivenanexampleoftwodisciples
of thesamegurudevelopingdifferentbhåvaswiththe full
blessingoftheirguru.Indeed,thetwodisciplesaretheprin-
cipalcharactersofthissectionofthebook!Theiraffinityfor
differingbhåvasispresentedasquitenaturalandhardlyan
exceptiontotheso-calledrulethatadisciplecanonlyattain
thebhåvaofhisorherguru.
The songs Prabhupåda taught us
Somedevoteeshaveobjectedthatafewofthesongsçrîla
Prabhupådataughtustosingindailyworshipindicatean
affinityformådhurya-rasa.OneexampleistheTulasîkîrtana
hegaveus,which says, ei nivedana dharo, sakhîr anugata
koro/ sevå-adhikåra diye koro nîja dåsî: “I beg you to make
meafollowerofthecowherddamselsofVraja.Pleasegive
me the privilege of devotional service and make me your
own maidservant.”This clearly expresses an aspiration for
mådhurya-rati.AnotherexampleisçrîlaViçvanåthaCakra-
vartîˇhåkura’sGurva߆akam.Thefifthversesays,çrî rådhikå
mådhavayor apåra-mådhurya-lîlå gu√a-rüpa-nåmnåm:“The
spiritualmasterisalwayseagertohearandchantaboutthe
unlimitedconjugalpastimesofRådhikåandMådhava,and
theirqualities,names,andforms.”Andthesixthversesays,
nikuñja-yüno rati-keli-siddhyai yå yålibhir yuktir apekßa√îyå/
tatråti-dåkßyåd ati-vallabhasya:“Thespiritualmasterisvery
dear,becauseheisexpertinassistingthegopîs,whoatdiffer-
enttimesmakedifferenttastefularrangementsfortheper-
fectionofRådhåandK®ß√a’sconjugallovingaffairswithin
thegrovesofV®ndåvana.”
When considering such songs, however, we would do
welltokeepacoupleofthingsinmind.Oneisthatthese
arestandardsongs.Furthermore,thesakhî-bhåvareferredto
in theprayer toV®ndå-devîcouldalsobesung in lightof
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 6 3
one’scultivationofthemådhuryaaspectofthepriyanarma-
sakhå’s“sakhî-bhåva,”althoughinmyminditisdoubtfulthat
Prabhupådahadanythingsospecificinmindwhenhegave
usthispopularsong.
With regard to Viçvanåtha Cakravartî ˇhåkura’s Gurv-
a߆akam,çrîlaPrabhupådaexplainedhowhehimselfthought
of theseversesonat least threeoccasions.AsçrîlaPrabh-
upådawrotetoJayapatåkåMahåråjain1969regardingthe
Mahåråja’squestionaboutCakravartîˇhåkura’ssixthverse:
“TheprayersofferedbyViçvanåthaCakravartîtohisSpiri-
tualMasterhave a special significance.HisSpiritualMas-
terwasoneoftheassistantgopîs,sotheprayerwasoffered
likethat.Onthewhole,theSpiritualMasterisanagentof
K®ß√a.ButeitherHeisassistanttothegopîsorassistantto
thecowherdsboys,HeisonthelevelofK®ß√a.Thatisthe
verdictofallscriptures.”
HerewefindaninstanceinwhichPrabhupåda’sdisciple
directlyaskshimaboutthesignificanceofViçvanåthaCakra-
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 6 4
vartî’sversethatdescribestheguruintermsofgopî-bhåva.
HadPrabhupådabeenabsorbedingopî-bhåva,wewouldex-
pectadifferentanswerthanthatwhichhehasgivenabove.
Instead, Prabhupåda widens the possibilities to include
sakhya-rasa by explaining the verse more broadly, more
broadlythançrîViçvanåthahimselfintended,asPrabhu-
pådahasexplained.
Explainingthesixthverseinalecturethatwaslaterinclud-
edinJourney of Self-Discovery,hesaid,
Thespiritualmaster'sultimategoalisthathewants
tobe transferred to theplanetofK®ß√a,wherehe
canassociatewiththegopîstohelpthemserveK®ß√a.
Somespiritualmastersarethinkingofbecomingas-
sistantstothegopîs,somearethinkingofbecoming
assistantstothecowherdboys,somearethinkingof
becomingassistantstoNandaandMotherYaçodå,
andsomearethinkingofbecomingGod'sservants.�15
In1973çrîlaPrabhupådadiscussedthesymptomsoftheguru
aspresentedinGurva߆akam attheUniversityofStockholm.
TherehesaidofthefifthverseofGurva߆akam,“Thespiritu-
almasterisalwaysthinkingofthepastimesofK®ß√a...with
HisconsortçrîmatiRådhårå√îandthegopîs.Sometimeshe
isthinkingaboutK®ß√a’spastimeswiththecowherdboys.
ThismeansthatheisalwaysthinkingofK®ß√aengagedin
some kind of pastime.”Thus each time Prabhupåda is on
recordexplainingthesignificanceofthetwoversesofçrî
Viçvanåtha’sGurva߆akam that speakdirectlyofgopî-bhåva,
hespeaksofsakhya-bhåvaasanalternative.Theobviousex-
planationforthisisthathehimselfis“thinkingaboutK®ß√a’s
pastimeswiththecowherdboys.”
Note that as pointed out earlier some cowherds also
worship Rådhå-Mådhava and assist them in their union,
the priyanarma-sakhås. çrîla Rüpa Goswåmî says that the
priyanarma-sakhåspossess avery specialbhåva andengage
inthemostconfidentialpastimes.16Inhiscommentsonthis
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 6 5
verse,çrîla JîvaGoswåmîwrites that the specialbhåva re-
ferred to involves the desire to give pleasure to K®ß√a by
helpinghisgirlfriends.Afewverseslater,describingtheanu-
bhåvas thatdistinguishthepriyanarma-sakhås fromK®ß√a’s
otherfriends,çrîRüpasays,
Carrying messages among the young women of
Vraja,encouragingthegopîs’loveforK®ß√a,taking
K®ß√a’ssidewhenthegopîsarepresentandK®ß√ais
not present, showing skill at siding with the chief
gopîswhenK®ß√aispresentandtheyarenot,andar-
guing intensely by whispering in each other’s ears
aretheactivitiesofthepriyanarma-sakhås.17
The second chapter of çrîla Rüpa Goswåmî’s Ujjvala-
nîlama√i says of the priyanarma-sakhås: åtyantika-rahasya-
jña˙, they know the most intimate details of K®ß√a’s pas-
times,andsakhî-bhåva-samåçrita˙,theyhavetakenshelterof
C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 6 6
themoodofRådhikå’s sakhîs.18� Inhiscommentaryonthis
verse,çrîlaJîvaGoswåmîsays,“Whenoutofaffectionfor
bothK®ß√aandhisbelovedgopîs theydesiretounitethem
both,theirmasculinenatureissubdued.”
The mood of this particular group of K®ß√a’s friends,
then, has an intimate connection with K®ß√a’s loving af-
fairs with the damsels of Vraja. Indeed, they are influ-
enced by both K®ß√a’s friends and the leaders of Rådhå’s
groupsofgirlfriends.Theirbhåvaisamixtureofsakhyaand
mådhurya.IfçrîlaPrabhupådaisaffiliatedwiththisgroup
ofgopas,itwouldseemthathecouldcertainlyaspireto“be-
comeafollowerofthecowherddamselsofVraja,”aswell
asbe“expert inassisting thegopîs,whoatdifferent times
makedifferent tastefularrangements for theperfectionof
RådhåandK®ß√a’sconjugallovingaffairswithinthegroves
ofV®ndåvana,”andstillloveK®ß√ainsakhya-rasa.Further-
more,consideringthepossibilitythatçrîlaPrabhupådaisa
followerofthepriyanarma-sakhåsisawayofharmonizinga
sakhya-rasa sthåyi-bhåvawithanyperceptionofmådhurya in
hischaracter.
9. Conclusion
Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust www.Krishna.com
C h a p T E r 9 C O N C l U S I O N 6 8
A s we have seen, there is considerable ev-
idence, including personal statements of
çrîlaPrabhupådahimself,thattheidealof
HisDivineGraceissakhya-rasa. Although
çrîlaPrabhupådausually,asiscustomary
amongGau∂îyaVaiß√avas,kepthisinternallifetohimself,
itisnotsomethingthatonecanhidealtogether,atleastnot
tothephilosophicallytrainedeye,muchlesstheawakened
heart. That which can be seen through the eye of çåstra-
yuktiinrelationtotheavailableevidenceisnotsomething
to dismiss altogether, even when lack of personal realiza-
tionremains.Whilemyheartislessthanfullyawakenedin
K®ß√aconsciousness,itshouldbeclearthatthosewhosere-
alizationisdeepwillneedtoreachaconclusionconcerning
Prabhupåda’s svarüpa thateithercorrespondswiththeex-
ternalevidenceor, if itcontradictsthisevidence,provides
uswithcompellingspiritualreasoningastowhysuchevi-
denceshouldbedisregarded.InthecaseofPujyapådaB.R.
çrîdharaDevaGoswåmî,wehavearealizedsoulwholived
withPrabhupåda for six years andwashis lifelong friend
and Godbrother, a Godbrother whom on occasion Prab-
hupåda referred to affectionately as his çikßå-guru, and a
çikßå-guruthatPrabhupådaauthorizedhisdisciplestotake
shelterofshouldtheneedarise.Thusthefactthathisper-
sonal realizationcorrespondswithallof theavailableevi-
dencemakesitdifficultintheleasttoreachanyothercon-
clusion.
Swåmî B.V. Tripuråri relates that when he read çrîla
Prabhupåda’sJaladutaprayer toPrabhupåda’sGodbrother
Pujyapåda Bhakti Promode Purî Mahåråja, Purî Mahåråja
immediatelyexclaimed,“Sakhya-rasa!”ThenwhenTripuråri
Mahåråjasaidthatsomedevoteesassertthatitisaproblem
ifçrîlaPrabhupådaisinsakhya-rasa becauseoursampradåya
is principally a gopî-bhåva lineage, Purî Mahåråja replied,
“Båbå,ifyourguruissituatedin sakhya-rasa,youdon'thave
aproblem.Butifanyonethinkstheyhaveaproblembecause
C h a p T E r 9 C O N C l U S I O N 6 9
theirguruisinsakhya-rasaratherthanmådhurya-rasa,then
theyhaveaproblem!”çrîlaPurîMahåråjathenwentonto
explainthatshouldanyofPrabhupåda’sdisciplesdevelop
greedforgopî-bhåvathatPrabhupådawouldmakearrange-
mentstofacilitatetheirpursuit.
WehaveseenthatafterçrîlaPrabhupåda’spassingsome
ofhisdiscipleshavedevelopedakeeninterestinmañjarî-
bhåva.However,ineachinstancethatI’mawareofthisin-
terest has been facilitated by a çikßå-guru from outside of
Prabhupåda’sInternationalSocietyforK®ß√aConsciousness
(whichisnottosaythatIamimplyingthatthisistheneces-
sarycoursethatalldisciplesofçrîlaPrabhupådawithinter-
estinmañjarî-bhåvamusttake).Atthesametime,wefind
thatthereareanumberofPrabhupåda’sdiscipleswhoare
followinginthewakeofhisowninterestinsakhya-rasa.The
majorityofhisdisciples,ontheotherhand,mightrespond
thattheyhavenotcontemplatedtheseissuesinanydetail,
norhavetheybeguntosearchthemoutintheirownhearts.
C h a p T E r 9 C O N C l U S I O N 7 0
Myhopeisthatthisbookletwillbehelpfultothem,aswell
astothosewhoconsiderthemselveswellthoughtoutonthe
matter.Myintenthereistosetthehistoricalrecordstraight
withregardtotheavailableevidenceandsupportingrealiza-
tionsfromsådhus,andtomakeclearthatdespitePrabhupå-
da’sobviousaffinity for sakhya-rasa,heremainsfullycom-
petenttoguidethosedisciplesofhisthatdevelopspiritual
greed forgopî-bhåva, evenwhile suchmay includearrang-
ingaçikßå-gurutoassistthem.Afterall,inthefinalanalysis,
guruisone.Letusservehim,followingourownheartsand
avoidingoffenses—sinsofthesoul—atallcosts.
çrîlaPrabhupådaleftthisworldinV®ndåvana,fromwhere
he initially reachedout tous.He left theworldwhileab-
sorbedintranslatingandcommentingonthe Bhågavatam’s
brahmå-vimohana-lîlå.InthislîlåçrîK®ß√aplannedapicnic
lunch,awell-knownpaintingofwhichçrîlaPrabhupådawas
sofondof.Itishere—inthislîlå,longingtogotoGovar-
dhana—thatPrabhupåda’sb®hat m®da∫gawassilenced,not
C h a p T E r 9 C O N C l U S I O N 7 1
byanyexternalinfluence,butbytheblessingofçrîK®ß√ain-
vitinghimtolunch.
Bhåvaischaracterizedbylonging,longingwelldeserved,
arisingasitdoesoutofçraddhå andçara√ågati.Weseethis
kindofbhåvainçrîlaPrabhupåda,whosesurrenderwasnot
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partialbutwholesale.Glimpsingbyhismercyalonethedi-
rectionofhisspiritualdestination,mayweallbehumbledto
fallflatinçara√ågatiathislotusfeet.Maywebeshowered
byçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinfinitemercy,andmayweonedaybe
calledtosharesomeofK®ß√a'slå∂∂usandkacaurîswithhim.
E N d N O T E S 7 2
Endnotes
1 FrombiographicalnotesofSubaladåsa,quotedin
theonlinearticle,“MeditationonSiddhaDeha,”
December25,2004,http://www.swami.org/pages/
sanga/2004/2004_23.php.
2 SwåmîB.V.Tripurårihasalsomentionedthreeseparate
instancesinwhichgurusfromotherGau∂îyalineages
thanthoseofBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatîˇhåkurahave
toldtheirdisciplesthatBhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhu-
pådawasempoweredbyNityånandaPrabhu.Thisis
significantinthatPujyapådaçrîdharaMahåråjaisnot
aloneinhisconviction.Indeed,leadersofothersects
haveindependentlyreachedthesameconclusion,acon-
clusionthatinçrîdharaMahåråja’smindalsosupports
hisinsightastoPrabhupåda’sidealofsakhya-rasa.
3 Inthissectionandthefollowingone,çrîlaçrîdhara
Mahåråjaisalludingtoobjectionstohisglorification
ofçrîlaPrabhupådathatwereraisedbysomeofçrîla
Prabhupåda’sneophytedisciples.Hereintheobjec-
tionistoçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråja’sglorificationofçrîla
PrabhupådaasaçaktyåveçaempoweredbyNityånanda
Prabhu.Theobjectionisbasedonthemisunderstand-
ingthatbysayingthatatacertainpointinhislifeçrîla
Prabhupådawasempowered,çrîlaçrîdharaMahåråja
impliedthatçrîlaPrabhupådawasnothimselfan
extraordinarydevotee,butratherthathewassoonlyon
thebasisofhisempowerment.
4 Idonotmeantosaythatinterestinmådhurya-rasais
foreigntoiskcondevotees.Farfromit,Prabhupåda
hasmadeitabundantlyclearthatobjectivelyspeaking
thisisthehighestreachofçrîCaitanya’smission.Thus
theremaybeanynumberofdevoteesiniskconwho
inageneralsenseareinterestedinthisideal,asidefrom
anyoutsideinfluence.However,specificinterestin
mañjarî-bhåvaanddetailedinformationconcerningthis
idealhasbeengeneratedfromoutsidesources.
E N d N O T E S 7 3
Insomeinstances,iskconguruswhohavebeen
soinfluencedhaveconcealedtheirsourceswhilere-
maining in the mission and even denied or reject-
edthemonlytopropagatewhattheylearnedfrom
them in their own names or in the name of çrîla
Prabhupåda.
Interest in mañjarî-bhåva has come not only
fromgurusinthelineofBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatî
ˇhåkura.Bothbeforeandafterthedepartureofçrî-
laPrabhupåda,gurusfromotherlineagesalsohave
interestediskcondevoteesinmañjarî-bhåva.How-
ever, in these instances the influence has includ-
edapproachestosådhananotembracedbyBhakti-
siddhåntaSarasvatîˇhåkuraandhisfollowers.
5 NotethatSwåmî’stranslationofthisopeninglineof
Prabhupåda’sprayerdiffersfromthatpublishedbythe
BBT,whichintheleastmissestheunderlyingspiritof
thepoem.ItrepresentsB.R.çrîdharaDevaGoswåmî’s
understandingoftheBengaliverse.
6 A.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda,Çrî Caitanya-
caritåm®ta (LosAngeles:BhaktivedåntaBookTrust,
1975),Ådi11.41.
7 Ibid,purport.
8 MånsBroo,As Good As God: The Guru in Gau∂îya
Vaiß√avism (Abo,Finland:AboAkademiUniversity
Press,2003).
9 A.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda,Çrîmad-
Bhågavatam (LosAngeles:BhaktivedåntaBookTrust,
1972),2.9.30.
10 A.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda,Çrî Caitanya-
caritåm®ta (LosAngeles:BhaktivedåntaBookTrust,
1975),Adi3.19.
11 Thisversehasbeeninterpretedbysomedevoteesto
meanthatbecausethefourrasasofVrajaareincluded
withinmådhurya,çrîCaitanyahascometodistribute
thisrasaalone.Suchdevoteeshavealsoconjecturedthat
E N d N O T E S 7 4
thereisnosådhanaintheGau∂îyasampradåyaaimed
atattaininganyotherrasa.However,thesenotionsare
notsupportedbytheevidenceathand.Amongother
things,thesakhyalineagesinspiredbyNityånanda
Prabhustandincontradictiontothem.
12 A.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda,Çrî Caitanya-
caritåm®ta (LosAngeles:BhaktivedåntaBookTrust,
1975),Ådi4.42–43.
13 SwåmîB.V.Tripuråri,Gopåla-tåpani Upanißad (San
Rafael,CA:MandalaPublishing,2004),p.32.
14 çrîlaSanåtanaGosvåmî,Çrî B®had Bhågavatåm®ta,
trans.Gopîparå√adhanadåsa(LosAngeles:Bhakti-
vedåntaBookTrust,2002),2.1.36,121.
15 A.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda, Journey of
Self-Discovery(LosAngeles:BhaktivedåntaBookTrust,
1990),chap.4.
16 RüpaGoswåmî,Bhakti-rasåm®ta-sindhu, 3.3.43.
17 Ibid,3.3.93–94.
18 RüpaGoswåmî,Ujjvala-nîlama√i, 2.13.
7 5g l O S S a r y
Glossary
anubhåvaDeliberateactionsthatcorrespondwithone’s
dominantspiritualemotion.
bhåvaSpiritualecstasy.
brahmå-vimohana-lîlå Çrîmad-Bhågavatam
10.12–14: K®ß√abewildersBrahmå.
gauravå√î-pracåri√e Propagationoftheteachings
ofçrîCaitanyaMahåprabhu.
gopî-bhåva-åçraya Theshelterofthespiritualsenti-
mentofthegopîs.
mahåbhåvaGreatecstasy,thehighestpointtowhich
prema-bhakticanrise.
mañjarî-bhåvaThesentimentofthemaidservantsof
çrîRådhå.
nitya-siddha Aneternallyperfecteddevotee.
paravyomaThespiritualrealm,beyondheaven.
råga-mårgaThepathofspontaneousloveofK®ß√a.
rasånandaThetranscendentaljoyoftastingaesthetic
raptureinloveofGod.
sådhaka-dehaExternal,spiritualizedbodyofthe
practitioner.
çåstra-yukti Reasoningemployedtosupportthe
conclusionsofscripturalrevelation.
siddha-dehaOne’sperfected,internalspiritualbody.
siddha-mahåtmåAgreat,perfectedsoul.
ç®∫gåra-rasa ConjugalloveofGod.
sthåyi-bhåvaThedominantspiritualsentimentin
whichoneservesK®ß√a.
suvar√a-va√ik AgoldmerchantcommunityinBengal
thatwasespeciallyblessedbyNityånandaPrabhu.
Prabhupådawasborninthiscommunity.
svarüpaOne’sspiritualformornature.
svarüpa-siddhi Theperfectionofidentifyingwith
one’sspiritualform.
trida√∂î-bhikßu AVaiß√avarenunciate(beggar).
7 6C O l O p h O N
Photos courtesy of the Bhaktivedånta Book Trust,
www.krishna.com. Used with permission.
This booklet was set with Galliard from Carter & Cone,
designed by the legendary Matthew Carter.
The chapter headlines are set in Didot, designed by Firmin Didot.
© 2009 by Babhru dåsa. All Rights Reserved.
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